Type Punjabi in the Gurmukhi Script
This virtual keyboard writes Punjabi in Gurmukhi (ਗੁਰਮੁਖੀ), the alphasyllabary used for the language across Indian Punjab and for the Sikh scriptures. Gurmukhi is built from a core set of consonants — the painti, its thirty-five letters — that each carry a built-in short "a" sound. You reshape that sound by hanging a vowel sign, a lagā mātrā, above, below, or beside the letter. The on-screen board lays out every consonant, matra, nasal mark, and Gurmukhi numeral at once.
Tap the keys with a mouse or finger, or place your cursor in the box and drive the same layout from your physical keyboard. A running character counter follows the text as you write a message or a line of Gurbani.
Typing Your First Gurmukhi Words
Lay Down a Consonant
The board opens on its default layer with the full painti in view. Click a base letter such as ਪ (pa) or ਸ (sa) to place it — on its own it already sounds like the consonant plus a short "a".
Attach a Vowel Sign
With the consonant down, tap a matra to change its vowel. The plain vowel keys give the attaching signs — the kanna ਾ turns ਪ into ਪਾ, and the bihari ੀ makes ਪੀ.
Hold Shift for the Upper Legend
Every key carries two characters. Shift reaches the upper one, where the aspirated consonants and the full standalone vowels live — Shift on the ਕ (ka) key gives ਖ (kha).
Copy or Start Over
Use Backspace to undo the last stroke, the Copy button to lift the finished text to your clipboard, or Clear to empty the box for a fresh line.
How Vowels, Nasals, and Nukta Letters Sit on InScript
Matras on the Base Layer, Full Vowels on Shift
InScript keeps both forms of every vowel on a single key. Press it alone for the dependent sign that clings to a consonant; hold Shift for the independent vowel that stands on its own at the start of a word. The kanna ਾ and standalone ਆ share one key, the sihari ਿ and ਇ share another, the aunkar ੁ and ਉ another. Reach for the plain key inside a syllable and the Shift version when the vowel opens the word. Gurmukhi's independent vowels rest on two bearer letters you will find on Shift — Aira ਅ and Iri ੲ.
The Sihari That Jumps to the Left
Gurmukhi's short-i sign, the sihari (ਿ), is the one matra that displays to the left of its consonant even though you type it afterward. Enter the consonant, then the sihari, and the script reorders the pair on screen. To write ਸਿੱਖ (Sikh) you press ਸ, the sihari, the addak, then ਖ — yet the sihari lands ahead of the ਸ. That is expected, not a glitch: it matches how Gurmukhi stores the character order.
Nasals, the Addak, and the Halant
Nasalisation is marked with tippi ੰ and bindi ਂ, which share one key. The addak ੱ doubles the consonant after it, so ਸੱਚ (sach, "truth") is typed sa, addak, cha. The halant ੍ strips a consonant's inherent vowel to stack it beneath the next, forming the subjoined pairin shapes of ਹ, ਰ, and ਵ — that is the join in ਸ੍ਰੀ.
The nukta ਼ deserves a note of its own: it is the dot that turns a Gurmukhi letter into a Perso-Arabic borrowing. Four of these come ready-made on Shift — ਸ਼, ਖ਼, ਗ਼, and ਲ਼ — and the bare nukta lets you add the dot to any other base letter.
Where Every Gurmukhi Character Lives
In the consonant zone the rule is simple: the plain key gives the base letter and Shift gives its aspirated partner — K is ਕ and Shift+K is ਖ, and the same holds for ਤ/ਥ on L and ਪ/ਫ on H. The retroflex flap ੜ is the odd pairing at Shift+J, above ਰ. The vowels and signs below are the positions people forget.
- Vowel signs / matras (plain keys): kanna ਾ E · sihari ਿ F · bihari ੀ R · aunkar ੁ G · dulankar ੂ T · lavan ੇ S · dulavan ੈ W · hora ੋ A · kanaura ੌ Q
- Independent vowels (Shift the same keys): ਅ Shift+D · ਆ Shift+E · ਇ Shift+F · ਈ Shift+R · ਉ Shift+G · ਊ Shift+T · ਏ Shift+S · ਐ Shift+W · ਓ Shift+A · ਔ Shift+Q
- Signs & joins: tippi ੰ Z · bindi ਂ Shift+Z · addak ੱ Shift+C · halant ੍ D · nukta ਼ right bracket · danda । Shift+period
- Numerals: the number row prints ੧ ੨ ੩ ੪ ੫ ੬ ੭ ੮ ੯ ੦; hold Shift there for the usual symbols.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the short "i" sign land in front of the letter I already typed?
That is the sihari (ਿ) behaving correctly. It is always drawn to the left of its consonant but stored and typed after it. Type the base letter, then the sihari key, and the script reorders the pair — so ਸ plus sihari shows as ਸਿ.
How do I type borrowed sounds like za, fa, or sha?
Punjabi writes these Perso-Arabic sounds with a nukta dot. Four are ready-made on Shift — ਸ਼, ਖ਼, ਗ਼, ਲ਼. For any other, type the base consonant then the standalone nukta ਼ on the bracket key, for example ਜ plus nukta to build ਜ਼ (za).
How do I add the addak to double a consonant?
Press Shift+C for the addak ੱ. Place it before the consonant you want doubled — so ਪੱਕਾ (pakka) is pa, addak, ka, kanna. The addak sits as a small mark above the line and gemination is heard on the following letter.
Can I type Gurmukhi numerals instead of Western digits?
Yes. The number row prints the Gurmukhi digits ੦ to ੯ by default. Hold Shift on those keys if you want the standard punctuation symbols instead. The danda ।, Gurmukhi's full stop, is on Shift and the period key.
Does this keyboard write Shahmukhi, the script used in Pakistani Punjab?
No — this layout is Gurmukhi only, the script used for Punjabi in India and in Sikh tradition. Shahmukhi is a Perso-Arabic script written right to left and would need a separate Arabic-based keyboard.
No comments yet. Be the first to comment!