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Master Santali (Ol Chiki) vocabulary while browsing the web. Free Chrome extension for language learners. Santali (Ol Chiki) 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, and Ol Chiki gives it a genuinely indigenous script designed with no outside influence, unlike most minority scripts in the region.
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About Santali (Ol Chiki)
The Ol Chiki script 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, and it is also written in Latin transliteration, see the sat-Latn entry for the same words in Roman letters.
Also known as: Santhali, Santali (Ol Chiki script)
Speakers
estimated 7.6 million
Language Family
Austroasiatic (Munda, Kherwarian)
Writing System
Ol Chiki script (ᱚᱞ ᱪᱤᱠᱤ), a dedicated 30-letter alphabet invented for Santali
Difficulty
Very Hard
Spoken in
Why Learn Santali (Ol Chiki)?
Santali is the most widely spoken Munda language and the third most spoken Austroasiatic language overall, after Vietnamese and Khmer, and Ol Chiki gives it a genuinely indigenous script designed with no outside influence, unlike most minority scripts in the region.
Common Santali (Ol Chiki) Words
Start your Santali (Ol Chiki) journey with these essential words and phrases.
ᱡᱚᱦᱟᱨ
Hello, greetings
JOH-har
ᱫᱟᱜ
Water
duck (with a catch in the throat at the end)
ᱥᱤᱸᱜᱤ
Sun
SING-ee
ᱢᱟᱦᱟᱸ
Day
muh-HUNG
ᱥᱮᱸᱜᱮᱞ
Fire
SEN-gel
ᱚᱲᱟᱜ
House
OH-ruck (with a catch in the throat at the end)
ᱧᱩᱛᱩᱢ
Name
NYOO-toom
ᱵᱟᱝ
No
bung
ᱢᱟᱨᱟᱝ
Big
muh-RUNG
History of Santali (Ol Chiki)
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 (Ol Chiki) 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. On top of the grammar, learners face the Ol Chiki script itself, a 30-letter alphabet invented in 1925 that shares no letterforms with Latin, Devanagari, or Bengali, so literacy has to be built from scratch even for people who already read other Indian scripts. Word-final consonants are also often glottalized, or 'checked', and the verb system marks both subject and object with separate singular, dual, and plural forms.
Learning Santali (Ol Chiki) Online: FAQ
Can I learn Santali (Ol Chiki) online for free?
Yes — Vocabo is a free Chrome extension that teaches you Santali (Ol Chiki) vocabulary while you browse the web. It replaces words and short phrases on pages you already read with their Santali (Ol Chiki) equivalents, so you pick up vocabulary passively — no sign-up, no ads, and no daily lesson grind.
Is Santali (Ol Chiki) on Duolingo?
No — Duolingo doesn't currently offer a Santali (Ol Chiki) course for English speakers. You can still learn Santali (Ol Chiki) online for free: Vocabo supports Santali (Ol Chiki) and builds your vocabulary naturally while you browse.
Similar Languages to Santali (Ol Chiki)
If you're interested in Santali (Ol Chiki), you might also want to explore these related languages:
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