← Wordbook

Punjab

ਪੰਜਾਬ
pun-JAHB

Region of the northwest subcontinent, divided in 1947 between India and Pakistan.

Meaning & usage

Punjab — literally "five waters", from the five tributaries of the Indus that water the region — is the historical heartland of Punjabi-speaking culture in the northwest of the subcontinent. The 1947 Partition cut Punjab in two: today there is an Indian Punjab (capital Chandigarh, predominantly Sikh) and a Pakistani Punjab (capital Lahore, predominantly Muslim). The region is famous for agriculture, bhangra, gurudwaras and the Wagah border ceremony.

In a sentence

His grandparents came from a village in pre-Partition Punjab.

Common spelling variants

  • Panjab

Punjab is the canonical English spelling used in MG Mini puzzles.

Category: Geography Origin: Persian Script: Punjabi