Pronouncing Gurbani
Learn correct Gurbani pronunciation: hear Gurbani recited line by line, learn how its sounds are written, and explore the unique sounds of Gurbani — step by step. New here? Start with Understanding Gurbani, or watch our lessons on YouTube.
Japji Sahib · Listen Line by Line · ਜਪੁ ਜੀ ਸਾਹਿਬ
Every line of Japji Sahib, from the Mool Mantar to the closing Salok, with its correct pronunciation. Choose a section, then tap the speaker beside a line — or press Play all.
Gurbani Phonemic Transcription (GPT)
A simple way of writing Gurbani in Roman letters that shows how each word is pronounced. Here is how to read it.
What you are looking at
Under every line in the Japji Sahib player above is that line in GPT — Gurbani Phonemic Transcription. It is written between backslashes, \like this\. GPT is not a spelling-out of the Gurmukhi letters: it records how the line is actually pronounced once its grammar has been read — so the sound itself carries the grammar.
That is why the same spelling can be written two ways. ਕਰਿ as a verb is \kaR^\, but ਕਰਿ in the instrumental Case is \Kar-e\ — because it is pronounced differently.
Start with the last letter
The final letter of every word is either a capital or a small letter. A capital final letter is a stressed ending; a small final letter is a light one.
\BbagaT\capital T — the last letter carries an aonker, and is stressed\Bbagat\small t — no sign on the last letter, so the ending is lightThree marks you do not pronounce
Some words end with a small mark — an underscore _, a colon : or a caret ^. None of them is a sound; they only record what kind of word it is. When reading aloud, simply pass over them: ਗਤਿ → \gat_\, ਬਿਖੁ → \biKh:\, ਕਰਿ → \kaR^\.
Two endings you do pronounce: -e and -o
Unlike those marks, -e and -o are heard — they are light, reduced endings. The letter just before them is written as a capital, because the voice leans on it to make the light ending.
\huKam-e\"by the Hukam" — the K before the ending is the capital the voice leans on\maNh-o\"from the mind"A small "y" between vowels
A small y is a glide: wherever two vowel sounds meet, a light y bridges them. ਹੋਵਈ → \hovayEe\.
A whole line, read through
Sochai— capital S because the line begins heresoch_— the underscore is silenthovayEe— a y-glide between the two vowelslaKh,vaar— small final letters: light endings
GPT is the work of Dr Charan Kamal Singh, Gurbani Foundation. The Gurbani grammar it follows is that of Prof. Sahib Singh's Gurbani Vyakaran.
Sounds of Gurbani - ਗੁਰਬਾਣੀ ਦੀਆਂ ਧੁਨੀਆਂ
Like every other language, Gurbani too has unique sounds. We need to understand and preserve this uniqueness. The right pronunciation is the key to right understanding of Gurbani. We take up this fundamental issue to systematically understand sounds of various signs of Gurbani.