Majhi (Shahmukhi: ماجھی; Gurmukhi: ਮਾਝੀ; Punjabi: [mä˦d̆.d͡ʒi˨]^[1]), also known as Central Punjabi, is the most widely-spoken dialect of the Punjabi language,^[2] natively spoken in the Majha region of Punjab in present-day Pakistan and India. The dialect forms the basis of Standard Punjabi.

The native speakers of the dialect are known by the demonym 'Majhail'.

Part of a series on
Punjabis
History Folklore Language Dialects Punjab Punjabis Nationalism
Diaspora Asia Afghanistan Europe United Kingdom North America United States Mexican American Canada Oceania Australia New Zealand Malaysia
Culture Clothing Cuisine Dance Festivals (India • Pakistan) Literature Media Music Religion (Folk religion • Islam • Sikhism • Hinduism • Christianity) Sport Television
Regions Majha Malwa Doaba Puadh Bagar Pothwar Derajat Bhatiore Bhattiana Chhachh Kachhi Doabs (Sindh Sagar • Chaj • Rachna • Bari • Bist) Bars (Sandal • Kirana • Neeli • Ganji • Gondal • Jungle)
Punjab portal

There are various subdialects of Majhi spoken across Majha. Although each city or district speaks slightly differently from the next, there are a few major categories of Majhi subdialects.

• Central Majhi, spoken in Kasur, Lahore, Nankana Sahib and Sheikhupura districts and nearby areas
• Eastern Majhi, spoken in Amritsar and Tarn Taran districts as well as surrounding areas
• Northern Majhi, spoken in Gujranwala, Sialkot and Wazirabad districts as well as surrounding areas
• Northeastern Majhi, spoken in Narowal, Pathankot and Gurdaspur districts
• Northwestern Majhi, spoken in Gujrat, Jhelum and Bhimber (Azad Kashmir) districts

One of Majhi's most noteworthy features is the usage of pronominal suffixes, which it shares with Western Punjabi.

Pronominal suffixes are auxiliary replacements of the copula which act like pronouns. They function as a particular thematic role and agree to it in person and number (as a pronoun would).

The thematic/syntactic roles a pronominal suffix can function as are:

• the direct case subject
• the ergative agent
• the possessive determiner
• the addressee

Majhi uses pronominal suffixes for the second and third persons and, similar to Western Punjabi, for both present and past tense.^[3]

Examples in perfect transitive verbs (marking the ergative agent):

- Alternate auxiliary verbs

First person singular ā̃ or jē (ਆਂ, ਜੇ / آں، جے) is used. E.g. mẽ karnā ʷā̃ / jē (ਮੈਂ ਕਰਨਾ ਆਂ, ਮੈਂ ਕਰਨਾ ਜੇ / میں کرنا آں، میں کرنا جے)^{[clarification needed]}

Third person singular ī or è (ਏ, ਵੇ, ਈ / اے، وے، ای) is used. E.g. ṓ kardā ī (ਉਹ ਕਰਦਾ ਈ / اوہ کردا ای)^{[clarification needed]}

The Majhi copula does not differ from Standard Punjabi, except for in the third-person plural, where instead of han (ਹਨ / ہَن), it uses ne (ਨੇ / نے) or nẽ (ਨੇਂ / نیں).

Nasalisation of tusī̃ (ਤੁਸੀਂ / تُسِیں) and asī̃ (ਅਸੀਂ / اَسِیں) are often not realised in Majhi, thus said as tusī (ਤੁਸੀ / تُسی) and asī (ਅਸੀ / اَسی) respectively.

In colloquial Majhi, the s sound in many words shifts to an h, such as in asī (ਅਸੀ / اَسی), sāḍā (ਸਾਡਾ / ساڈا) and pēse (ਪੈਸੇ / پیسے), being heard as ahī, hāḍā and pēhe respectively.

hē(gā) sī is used instead of sīgā.^{[clarification needed]}

- Adverbial pronouns
Majhi uses its own class of adverbial pronouns which, at their base, are common with Western Punjabi dialects; in contrast to the individually distinct class used by Eastern Punjabi dialects.

اینج

ایویں

ایدّاں

اِنج

اِنجوُ

اِیویں / ہِنج

اِنج

اِنج

اِنج

اُنج

اوویں

اودّاں

اُنج

اُنجوُ

اوویں / ہُنج

اُنج

اُنج

اُنج

کِنج

کِویں

کِدّاں

کِنج

کِنجوُ

کِیویں / کِنج

کِنج

کِنج

کِنج

- Use of -na verb ending instead of -da ending for first-person and second-person point of view

Eastern Majhi refers to the subdialect native to region of Majha east of Lahore, i.e. the Amritsar and Tarn Taran districts and surrounding areas. It is also spoken by the descendants of those who migrated out of these areas.

The subdialect has considerable Doabi influence, and often uses the past-tense inflection of the verb ḍahiṇā (ਡਹਿਣਾ / ڈہݨا) to form continuous tenses, rather than pēṇā (ਪੈਣਾ/ پَیݨا) which is used by most other Majhi subdialects and Punjabi dialects.

Northwestern Majhi refers to the subdialect spoken in the northwestern side of the Majha region in Pakistan, primarily in the districts of Gujrat, Jhelum, and Bhimber.

In these areas, word-initial 'h' is fainter and more tonal, eventually disappearing in upper Punjabi dialects like Pahari-Pothwari and Hazarewal Hindko, as well as Dogri. Words like hatth (ਹੱਥ / ہَتّھ) "hand" are said more as àtth.

Another notable difference is the use of the suffix -dā instead of -gā for indicative future tense.

• Punjabi dialects
• Punjabi literature
• Jhangvi dialect
• Shahpuri dialect
• Dhanni dialect