ᱥᱟᱱᱛᱟᱲᱤ
Santali
Austroasiatic (Munda)
Santali (ᱥᱟᱱᱛᱟᱲᱤ, Santali; ISO 639-3: sat) is a North Munda language of the Austroasiatic family, spoken mainly in eastern and central India and by communities in Bangladesh and Nepal. India added Santali to the Eighth Schedule of its Constitution in 2003, recognizing the language rather than prescribing a single script. Pandit Raghunath Murmu created the 30-letter Ol Chiki script in 1925 specifically for Santali, but Santali is also written in Bengali, Devanagari, Odia, and Latin scripts according to region and institution. Its grammar marks inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns, has extensive verbal inflection, and commonly follows subject–object–verb order. Ol Chiki has become an important symbol of Santal identity and is widely used in education and publishing, but its legal or administrative status varies by jurisdiction.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Santali
Water
ᱫᱟᱜ
/daʔ/
Fire
ᱥᱮᱝᱜᱮᱞ
/seŋɡel/
Sun
ᱥᱤᱸᱜᱤ
/siŋɡi/
Moon
ᱪᱟᱸᱫᱳ
/tʃãndo/
Star
ᱤᱯᱤᱞ
/ipil/
Mother
ᱟᱭᱳ
/ajo/
Father
ᱟᱯᱟᱹ
/apə/
I
ᱤᱧ
/iɲ/
You
ᱟᱢ
/am/
Name
ᱧᱩᱛᱩᱢ
/ɲutum/
Eye
ᱢᱮᱫ
/met/
Hand
ᱛᱤ
/tiː/
Heart
ᱢᱳᱱ
/mon/
Love
ᱫᱩᱞᱟᱲᱤ
/dulaɽi/
Tree
ᱫᱟᱨᱮ
/dare/
House
ᱳᱲᱟᱜ
/oɽaːk/
Dog
ᱥᱮᱛᱟ
/seta/
Cat
ᱯᱩᱥᱤ
/pusi/
Eat
ᱡᱳᱢ
/dʒom/
Drink
ᱧᱩ
/ɲu/
One
ᱢᱤᱫ
/mit/
Two
ᱵᱟᱨ
/bar/
Hello
ᱡᱳᱦᱟᱨ
/dʒohar/
Thank you
ᱫᱷᱚᱱᱭᱚᱵᱟᱫ
/dʱonjobad/
Good
ᱵᱮᱥ
/bes/
Cuckoo
ᱠᱚᱭᱮᱞ
/kojel/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Austroasiatic (Munda) languages
| Meaning | Santali | Mundari | Ho | Sora language | Bishnupriya Manipuri | Bahnar | Fiji Hindi |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | ᱫᱟᱜ /daʔ/ | daa /daː/ | daa /daː/ | daŋa /daŋa/ | পানি /paːni/ | dak /dak/ | paani /paːni/ |
| Fire | ᱥᱮᱝᱜᱮᱞ /seŋɡel/ | sengel /seŋɡel/ | sengel /seŋɡel/ | tin /tin/ | আগুন /aːɡun/ | unh /uɲ/ | aagi /aːɡi/ |
| Sun | ᱥᱤᱸᱜᱤ /siŋɡi/ | singi /siŋɡi/ | singi /siŋɡi/ | dag /dag/ | বেল /bel/ | mat trơ /mat trə/ | suraj /suːrədʒ/ |
| Moon | ᱪᱟᱸᱫᱳ /tʃãndo/ | chando /tʃando/ | chando /tʃando/ | dian /dian/ | জুনাক /dʒunak/ | khe /kʰe/ | chaand /tʃãːd/ |
| Star | ᱤᱯᱤᱞ /ipil/ | ipil /ipil/ | ipil /ipil/ | tərɖaŋ /tərɖaŋ/ | তারা /taɾa/ | hmang /hmaːŋ/ | taaraa /taːraː/ |
| Mother | ᱟᱭᱳ /ajo/ | ayo /ajo/ | ayu /aju/ | ayo /ajo/ | মা /maː/ | mei /mei/ | amma /əmːaː/ |
| Father | ᱟᱯᱟᱹ /apə/ | apu /apu/ | apu /apu/ | aba /aba/ | বাবা /baːba/ | bă /bə/ | baap /baːp/ |
| I | ᱤᱧ /iɲ/ | aiñ /aiɲ/ | aiñ /aiɲ/ | ɲen /ɲɛn/ | মি /mi/ | inh /iɲ/ | ham /ɦəm/ |
| You | ᱟᱢ /am/ | am /am/ | am /am/ | am /am/ | তি /ti/ | ih /ʔih/ | tum /tʊm/ |
| Name | ᱧᱩᱛᱩᱢ /ɲutum/ | nutum /nutum/ | nutum /nutum/ | ɲum /ɲum/ | নাম /nam/ | anĕ /anɛ/ | naam /naːm/ |
| Eye | ᱢᱮᱫ /met/ | med /med/ | med /med/ | siʔi /siʔi/ | চোখ /tʃokʰ/ | mat /mat/ | aankhi /ãːkʰi/ |
| Hand | ᱛᱤ /tiː/ | ti /ti/ | ti /ti/ | si /si/ | হাত /haːt/ | ti /ti/ | haath /haːtʰ/ |
| Heart | ᱢᱳᱱ /mon/ | jiu /dʒiu/ | jiu /dʒiu/ | suʔun /suʔun/ | মন /mon/ | blei /blei/ | dil /dɪl/ |
| Love | ᱫᱩᱞᱟᱲᱤ /dulaɽi/ | dularaa /dularaː/ | dulaiya /dulaija/ | adi /adi/ | মায়া /maja/ | rơngư /rəŋɨ/ | pyaar /pjaːr/ |
| Tree | ᱫᱟᱨᱮ /dare/ | daru /daru/ | daru /daru/ | dar /dar/ | গাছ /ɡaːtʃʰ/ | lông /loŋ/ | perr /peɽ/ |
| House | ᱳᱲᱟᱜ /oɽaːk/ | oraa /oraː/ | oraa /oraː/ | suʔuŋ /suʔuŋ/ | ঘর /ɡʱaɾ/ | hnam /hnam/ | ghar /ɡʱər/ |
| Dog | ᱥᱮᱛᱟ /seta/ | seta /seta/ | seta /seta/ | sua /sua/ | কুট্টা /kuʈːaː/ | cho /tʃo/ | kutta /kʊtːaː/ |
| Cat | ᱯᱩᱥᱤ /pusi/ | pusi /pusi/ | pusi /pusi/ | biri /biri/ | বিল্লি /bilːi/ | miao /miao/ | pusi /pusi/ |
| Eat | ᱡᱳᱢ /dʒom/ | jom /dʒom/ | jom /dʒom/ | kay /kaj/ | খাব /kʰaːb/ | sa /sa/ | khao /kʰaːo/ |
| Drink | ᱧᱩ /ɲu/ | nu /nu/ | nu /nu/ | pim /pim/ | পান কর /paːn kaɾ/ | ngoah /ŋoah/ | pio /pio/ |
| One | ᱢᱤᱫ /mit/ | mid /mid/ | miyad /mijad/ | aboy /aboj/ | এক /ek/ | minh /miɲ/ | ek /ek/ |
| Two | ᱵᱟᱨ /bar/ | baria /baria/ | bariya /barija/ | baguu /baɡu/ | দুই /dui/ | bar /ɓaːr/ | dui /dʊi/ |
| Hello | ᱡᱳᱦᱟᱨ /dʒohar/ | johar /dʒohar/ | johar /dʒohar/ | limtam /limtam/ | নমস্কার /nomoskar/ | ô /o/ | namaste /nəməste/ |
| Thank you | ᱫᱷᱚᱱᱭᱚᱵᱟᱫ /dʱonjobad/ | dhonyobad /dʱoɲobad/ | dhanybad /dʱanjbad/ | surai /surai/ | ধইন্যবাদ /dʱoinjobaːd/ | kơbi /kəbi/ | dhanbaad /dʱənbaːd/ |
| Good | ᱵᱮᱥ /bes/ | bes /bes/ | bugin /buɡin/ | mando /mando/ | ভালা /bʱaːlaː/ | ling /liŋ/ | achchha /ətʃtʃʰaː/ |
| Cuckoo | ᱠᱚᱭᱮᱞ /kojel/ | — | — | — | — | jɛːt /jɛːt/ | — |
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