Letter 4 of 35
Sibilant & H · Sibilantਸ — Sassa
Sounds like the 's' in 'sun' — soft and hissing.
Why it matters: ਸ is the snake-sound 's' — hiss it long. Shows up everywhere, in words like ਸਾਰੇ (everyone) and ਸੇਬ (apple).
Example Word
ਸੇਬ
Seb
Apple
ਸ with each vowel mark
ਸ
mukta
"sa"
ਸਾ
kanna
"saa"
ਸਿ
sihari
"si"
ਸੀ
bihari
"see"
ਸੁ
aunkar
"su"
ਸੂ
dulainkar
"soo"
ਸੇ
lanv
"say"
ਸੈ
dulanvan
"sai"
ਸੋ
horha
"so"
ਸੌ
kanaurha
"sau"
Each vowel mark changes how ਸ sounds. The mark stays the same across every consonant.
Other letters in the Sibilant & H
Words that start with ਸ
ਸ਼ੇਰ
sher
Lion
ਸੂਰ
sūr
Pig
ਸੱਪ
sapp
Snake
ਸਾਰਸ
sāras
Crane
ਸੁੰਡੀ
sunḍī
Caterpillar
ਸ਼ਾਰਕ
shārk
Shark
ਸੇਬ
seb
Apple
ਸੰਤਰਾ
santrā
Orange
ਸਟ੍ਰਾਬੇਰੀ
sṭrāberī
Strawberry
ਸ਼ਿਮਲਾ ਮਿਰਚ
shimlā mirch
Capsicum
ਸ਼ਲਗਮ
shalgam
Turnip
ਸੂਰਜਮੁਖੀ
sūrajmukhī
Sunflower
Watch & Learn
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Trace ਸ
Free Printable Tracing Worksheet
Practise writing ਸ (Sassa) with this free printable. Large reference letter at the top, dotted rows below — print at home on US Letter or A4.
ਸ (Sassa) is the fourth letter of the Gurmukhi alphabet and the first true consonant. From ਸ onwards, each letter makes its own sound — no vowel-carrier needed.
How to teach a 4-year-old
Hand your child an apple (ਸੇਬ) and say “ਸ … ਸੇਬ”, letting them hear the soft s. Try a few more s-words: ਸੂਰਜ (sooraj — sun), ਸੱਪ (sapp — snake), ਸ਼ੇਰ (sher — lion). The letter ਸ shows up in many Sikh names too — Singh, Sahib, Satnam.
Practice ਸ (Sassa)
📖 Read about Sassa in context
See ਸ alongside the rest of the Sibilant & H in the free alphabet teaching guide. Open the guide →
Practise Sassa on the go
Six interactive Gurmukhi games — tracing, recognition, memory match — free, offline, no ads.