Learn Santali (Latin) Online with the Vocabo Chrome Extension
Master Vocabulary While You Browse — Free, No Sign-Up
Master Santali (Latin) vocabulary while browsing the web. Free Chrome extension for language learners. Santali (Latin) is spoken by estimated 7.6 million people. Santali is the most widely spoken Munda language and the third most spoken Austroasiatic language overall, after Vietnamese and Khmer, so it offers a rare, well-supported route into a language family most learners never encounter.
249+ Languages
Learn Spanish, Japanese, Arabic, and 249+ other languages powered by Google Translate.
Completely Free
No premium tiers, no subscriptions, no ads. Language learning should be accessible to everyone.
No Sign Up!
Install and start learning immediately. Your vocabulary stays on your device for complete privacy.
About Santali (Latin)
The Ol Chiki script used for Santali today was invented in 1925 by Pandit Raghunath Murmu, a Santali educator from Odisha's Mayurbhanj district, who shaped each letter to evoke a natural object or action rather than borrowing from any neighboring script. It gives vowels and consonants fully equal status, which is unusual among the scripts of South Asia.
Also known as: Santhali, Santali (Roman script)
Speakers
estimated 7.6 million
Language Family
Austroasiatic (Munda, Kherwarian)
Writing System
Latin alphabet (romanization developed by the Norwegian missionary linguist P.O. Bodding, 1865-1938). The same language is also written in the dedicated Ol Chiki script, see the sat entry
Difficulty
Hard
Spoken in
Why Learn Santali (Latin)?
Santali is the most widely spoken Munda language and the third most spoken Austroasiatic language overall, after Vietnamese and Khmer, so it offers a rare, well-supported route into a language family most learners never encounter.
Common Santali (Latin) Words
Start your Santali (Latin) journey with these essential words and phrases.
Johar
Hello, greetings
JOH-har
Dak'
Water
duck (with a catch in the throat at the end)
Singi
Sun
SING-ee
Mahaŋ
Day
muh-HUNG
Sengel
Fire
SEN-gel
Oṛak'
House
OH-ruck (with a catch in the throat at the end)
Ñutum
Name
NYOO-toom
Baŋ
No
bung
Maraŋ
Big
muh-RUNG
History of Santali (Latin)
Before the 20th century, Santali had no dedicated script and was written, when at all, in the Bengali, Odia, Devanagari, or Latin alphabets of neighboring literate communities. Pandit Raghunath Murmu's Ol Chiki script was first publicised in 1939 and gradually became a symbol of Santali identity as it spread through Santali-medium schools and publishing. Santali gained constitutional recognition as one of India's official scheduled languages in 2003, and it is now an official language in both Jharkhand and West Bengal.
Is Santali (Latin) Hard to Learn?
Santali belongs to the Munda branch of Austroasiatic, completely unrelated to the Indo-Aryan and Dravidian languages that surround it, so almost no vocabulary can be guessed from Hindi, Bengali, or Odia. Word-final consonants are often glottalized, or 'checked', shown in this romanization with an apostrophe as in dak' (water), a sound English speakers have to learn from scratch. Santali also has a rich verb agreement system that marks both subject and object, with separate singular, dual, and plural forms. This entry uses the Latin transliteration; see the sat entry for the same words in the native Ol Chiki script.
Learning Santali (Latin) Online: FAQ
Can I learn Santali (Latin) online for free?
Yes — Vocabo is a free Chrome extension that teaches you Santali (Latin) vocabulary while you browse the web. It replaces words and short phrases on pages you already read with their Santali (Latin) equivalents, so you pick up vocabulary passively — no sign-up, no ads, and no daily lesson grind.
Is Santali (Latin) on Duolingo?
No — Duolingo doesn't currently offer a Santali (Latin) course for English speakers. You can still learn Santali (Latin) online for free: Vocabo supports Santali (Latin) and builds your vocabulary naturally while you browse.
Similar Languages to Santali (Latin)
If you're interested in Santali (Latin), you might also want to explore these related languages:
Start Learning Santali (Latin) Today
Install Vocabo and begin building your Santali (Latin) vocabulary while browsing the web. No sign-up required!
Add to Chrome