Punjabi is part of the Indo-Aryan language family. It shares similarities with several languages spoken across northern India and Pakistan. According to the eLinguistics.net analysis using specific software modules to assess linguistic relationships, the five languages most similar to Punjabi are Dogri, Hindi, Magahi, Bhojpuri, and Sindhi. Note that Urdu is not included because it is a dialect of Hindi.
- Dogri (95.0)
Primarily spoken in the Jammu region of India, Dogri is closely related to Punjabi. Both languages belong to the Northwestern Zone of Indo-Aryan languages, leading to significant overlap in vocabulary and sentence structures. For example, the word for “water” is paani in both languages. - Hindi (88.8)
Hindi, India’s official language, is another language closely related to Punjabi. Despite regional variations and cultural influences, Punjabi and Hindi exhibit significant lexical and grammatical similarities, derived from Sanskrit and Prakrit. Speakers of Punjabi often find it relatively easy to comprehend Hindi, and vice versa. - Magahi (85.1)
Spoken primarily in the Magadha region of Bihar, Magahi belongs to the Eastern Indo-Aryan group but retains strong ties to Punjabi through shared historical linguistic evolution. Words like bhaat (rice) and ghar (house) are common to both languages. - Bhojpuri (84.2)
Bhojpuri, spoken predominantly in the Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, and Uttar Pradesh, bears a close resemblance to Punjabi. Many idioms and phrases in Bhojpuri are relatable to speakers of Punjabi. - Sindhi (82.4)
Sindhi, spoken in Sindh region of Pakistan and parts of India, is another close relative of Punjabi. Both belong to the Northwestern Zone of Indo-Aryan languages, sharing a historical and geographical lineage. For example, the word for “mother” is maa in both Sindhi and Punjabi.
(to be considered for the list, the language must be spoken by at least one million people)