Punjabi (English: /pʌnˈdʒɑːbi/;Punjabi: [pəɲˈdʒɑːbːi] ਪੰਜਾਬੀ / پنجابی pañjābī) is an Aryan language with more than 125 million native speakers in the Indian subcontinent and around the world. It is the native language of the Punjabi people, an ethnolinguistic group of the cultural region called the Punjab, which encompasses northwest India and eastern Pakistan.
Punjabi is the most widely spoken language in Pakistan, the 11th most widely spoken language in India, and the third most-spoken native language in the Indian subcontinent. It is also the fifth most-spoken native language in Canada after English, French, Mandarin and Cantonese.
Punjabi is unusual among Aryan languages in its use of lexical tone. The Punjabi language is written in one of two alphabets: Shahmukhi or Gurmukhi. In the Punjab, both writing systems are used (a rare occurrence called synchronic digraphia): Shahmukhi is used mainly by Punjabi Muslims, while Gurmukhi is used by Sikhs and Punjabi Hindus; various local scripts have also been in use.
