Vowel Signs in Gurmukhi: How ਕ Becomes ਕਾ, ਕਿ and ਕੁ
How Gurmukhi attaches vowel signs (lāgāṁ) to consonants, with the full pattern for ਕ and reading practice.
In Gurmukhi, each consonant carries a short inherent a sound, so ਕ reads ka. To change the vowel, you add a vowel sign, called a ਲਗਾਂ (lagāṁ) or ਲਗਾਂ ਮਾਤਰਾ.
The full set for ਕ
| Sign | Result | Sound |
|---|---|---|
| (none) | ਕ | ka |
| ਾ | ਕਾ | kā |
| ਿ | ਕਿ | ki |
| ੀ | ਕੀ | kī |
| ੁ | ਕੁ | ku |
| ੂ | ਕੂ | kū |
| ੇ | ਕੇ | ke |
| ੈ | ਕੈ | kai |
| ੋ | ਕੋ | ko |
| ੌ | ਕੌ | kau |
The same signs attach to every consonant. For ਮ: ਮ, ਮਾ, ਮਿ, ਮੀ, ਮੁ, ਮੂ, ਮੇ, ਮੈ, ਮੋ, ਮੌ.
Where the signs go
- ਾ, ੀ, ੈ, ੌ go after or beside the consonant.
- ਿ goes before the consonant (but is read after it): ਕਿ.
- ੁ, ੂ go below.
- ੇ, ੋ go above.
Reading words
- ਕਿਤਾਬ (kitāb, book): ਕਿ + ਤਾ + ਬ
- ਪਾਣੀ (pāṇī, water): ਪਾ + ਣੀ
- ਰੋਟੀ (roṭī, bread): ਰੋ + ਟੀ
- ਘਰ (ghar, house): ਘ + ਰ
Note on short final vowels
At the end of a word, the inherent a is usually not pronounced, so ਘਰ is ghar.
Practice
- ਮਾਂ (māṁ, mother)
- ਪਿਤਾ (pitā, father)
- ਸਕੂਲ (skūl, school)
Tips
- Learn the signs on ਕ and apply to others.
- Write out syllable tables for a few letters.
- Use the dictionary to check spellings.
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