Kannada typing
Type Kannada words in English letters and get Kannada script as you type.
PrivateNo uploadsRuns in your browserKeyboard shortcuts and voice words
- Alt+T / F9
- Switch Kannada and English
- 1 to 9
- Pick a spelling
- Esc
- Keep the English letters of a word
- Ctrl+B / I / U
- Bold, italic, underline (Formatting on)
- Ctrl+S
- Save the draft now
- Ctrl+P
- Print the text only
- Ctrl+C
- Copy all (when nothing is selected)
- Alt+N
- New draft
- Alt+D
- Show drafts
- Alt+M
- Voice typing on or off
While speaking, say these words for marks. Voice typing uses your browser's own speech service, which may send the sound to the browser maker to turn it into text. Nothing goes to sdev.in.
- ಹೊಸ ಪ್ಯಾರಾ = new paragraph
- ಹೊಸ ಸಾಲು = new line
- ಪೂರ್ಣವಿರಾಮ = .
- ಪ್ರಶ್ನಾರ್ಥಕ ಚಿಹ್ನೆ = ?
- ಅಲ್ಪವಿರಾಮ = ,
- new paragraph = new paragraph
Key chart: which English letters make which Kannada letter
Vowels
- a
- ಅ
- aa
- ಆ
- i
- ಇ
- ee
- ಈ
- u
- ಉ
- oo
- ಊ
- R
- ಋ
- e
- ಎ
- E
- ಏ
- ai
- ಐ
- o
- ಒ
- O
- ಓ
- au
- ಔ
k group
- k
- ಕ
- kh
- ಖ
- g
- ಗ
- gh
- ಘ
- Ng
- ಙ
ch group
- ch
- ಚ
- chh
- ಛ
- j
- ಜ
- jh
- ಝ
- Ny
- ಞ
T group
- T
- ಟ
- Th
- ಠ
- D
- ಡ
- Dh
- ಢ
- N
- ಣ
t group
- t
- ತ
- th
- ಥ
- d
- ದ
- dh
- ಧ
- n
- ನ
p group
- p
- ಪ
- ph
- ಫ
- b
- ಬ
- bh
- ಭ
- m
- ಮ
y r l v
- y
- ಯ
- r
- ರ
- l
- ಲ
- v
- ವ
- L
- ಳ
s and h
- sh
- ಶ
- Sh
- ಷ
- s
- ಸ
- h
- ಹ
Joined letters
- x
- ಕ್ಷ
- gy
- ಜ್ಞ
- tr
- ತ್ರ
- shr
- ಶ್ರ
Marks
- M
- ಂ (anusvara)
- MM
- ಁ (chandrabindu)
- H
- ಃ (visarga)
Capitals choose the harder sound: T ಟ, D ಡ, N ಣ, Sh ಷ. Two consonants together join: st gives ಸ್ತ. Not the spelling you wanted? Pick another from the choices above the box.
How Kannada letters are built
Kannada is written in Kannada. Every consonant carries a short a sound. A vowel after it becomes a small sign around the letter, and two consonants with no vowel between them join into one shape.
| ಅa | ಆaa | ಇi | ಈee | ಉu | ಊoo | ಋR | ಎe | ಏE | ಐai | ಒo | ಓO | ಔau |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ಕ | ಕಾ | ಕಿ | ಕೀ | ಕು | ಕೂ | ಕೃ | ಕೆ | ಕೇ | ಕೈ | ಕೊ | ಕೋ | ಕೌ |
Vowel signs are drawn after or above the consonant, in the order they are said. In Kannada, the second of two joined consonants is drawn small below the first (the ottakshara) (ಅಕ್ಕ). Old fonts such as Nudi 01 e stored these pieces as separate shapes on English keys, which is why old documents turn into a jumble without the font.
How to type in Kannada with an English keyboard
Type the sound
Type the word as it sounds in English letters, such as kannada. Each word turns into Kannada as you type, and the space bar finishes it.
Pick the right spelling
When a word could be spelt more than one way, the choices show above the box. Press 1 to 6, or the down arrow, to pick one. Esc keeps the English letters.
Copy or save
Copy all puts the Kannada text on your clipboard for a message, post or form. Download it as Word, PDF or text, or print it.
Good to know
- e and o are short (eradu, ondu); E and O, or ae and oa, are long (bEku, hOgu). Double vowels make long ones: aa, ee, oo.
- Capitals choose the harder sound: T, Th, D, Dh and N. L gives ಳ (bengaLooru to ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು).
- n or m before another letter becomes the anusvara: santosha gives ಸಂತೋಷ.
- A word ending in a consonant takes the halant: kiraN gives ಕಿರಣ್.
- Two consonants together join into one letter with the ottu: amma, anna and preeti come out as you would write them.
- M adds ಂ and H adds ಃ after a vowel.
- Press Alt+T, F9 or Ctrl+Space to type an English word in the middle of Kannada, then press it again to go back.
Where people use it
A message to family
Type namaskara in English letters and send it in Kannada on any app.
A letter or notice
Type a page in Kannada and download Word or PDF.
Government forms
Type in Nudi keys the way Karnataka offices do, then copy Unicode Kannada.
Old Nudi text
Text that shows as English letters or symbols needs the font converter.
Nudi to Unicode converter
Why this one
It spells everyday Kannada words from a word list and offers the other spellings English letters cannot tell apart, and nothing you type leaves your device.
- Kannada appears as you type, word by word.
- Ottu letters, arkavattu and ಳ on easy keys.
- Copy, Word, PDF or text, with drafts kept in this browser only.
What you can change
- Kannada or English mode
- Spelling choice for each word
- Key chart
People find this page by searching
- kannada typing
- english to kannada typing
- kannada typing online
- type in kannada
- kannada typing in english
- kannada typing on mobile
- baraha online
Cite this tool
- APA
sdev.in. (n.d.). Kannada typing [Web tool]. https://www.sdev.in/tools/kannada-typing
- MLA
"Kannada typing." sdev.in, https://www.sdev.in/tools/kannada-typing.
- Chicago
sdev.in. "Kannada typing." https://www.sdev.in/tools/kannada-typing.
- BibTeX
@misc{sdev-kannada-typing, title = {Kannada typing}, author = {{sdev.in}}, howpublished = {\url{https://www.sdev.in/tools/kannada-typing}}, note = {Web tool} }
Questions people ask
How do I type in Kannada on a computer?
Type the words as they sound in English letters in the box above. kannada becomes ಕನ್ನಡ. No Kannada keyboard or font install is needed.
The word came out a little wrong. What do I do?
Pick another spelling from the choices above the box while the word is still being typed, or use capitals for the harder sounds. Everyday words come from a word list, so most come out right first time.
Can I type on a phone?
Yes. Type the word with your phone keyboard and it turns into Kannada when you press space. Switch off auto-correct for the best results.
Will the Kannada text work in WhatsApp, Word and email?
Yes. The text is standard Unicode Kannada, which works in every app, phone and website, in any country.
Is my text uploaded?
No. Everything runs in your browser on this device. Nothing you type, paste or open is sent to a server, and the saved draft stays in this browser only.