ᱥᱟᱱᱛᱟᱲᱤ
Santali
Austroasiatic (Munda)
Santali is the largest Munda language and the most widely spoken Austroasiatic language outside Southeast Asia, with ~7.6M speakers across India (Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha, Bihar), Bangladesh, and Nepal. Listed in the 8th Schedule of the Indian Constitution (2003). Ol Chiki script created by Pandit Raghunath Murmu in 1925, with 30 letters whose shapes evoke natural objects — a deliberate cultural-political alternative to imposed Bengali, Devanagari, and Latin scripts. Tonal-like register and rich verbal-aspect marking.
Where it is spoken
20 core words in Santali
Water
ᱫᱟᱜ
/daːk/
Fire
ᱥᱮᱝᱜᱮᱞ
/seŋɡel/
Sun
ᱥᱤᱸᱜᱤ
/siŋɡi/
Moon
ᱪᱟᱸᱫᱳ
/tʃãndo/
Mother
ᱟᱭᱳ
/ajo/
Father
ᱟᱯᱟᱹ
/apə/
Eat
ᱡᱳᱢ
/d͡ʒom/
Drink
ᱧᱩ
/ɲu/
Love
ᱫᱩᱞᱟᱲᱤ
/dulaɽi/
Heart
ᱢᱳᱱ
/mon/
Tree
ᱫᱟᱨᱮ
/dare/
House
ᱳᱲᱟᱜ
/oɽaːk/
Dog
ᱥᱮᱛᱟ
/seta/
Cat
ᱯᱩᱥᱤ
/pusi/
Hand
ᱛᱤ
/tiː/
Eye
ᱢᱮᱫ
/met/
Hello
ᱡᱳᱦᱟᱨ
/d͡ʒohar/
Thank you
ᱫᱷᱚᱱᱭᱚᱵᱟᱫ
/dʱonjobad/
One
ᱢᱤᱫ
/mit/
Good
ᱵᱮᱥ
/bes/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Austroasiatic (Munda) languages
| Meaning | Santali | Mundari | Ho | Bishnupriya Manipuri | Samoan | Tuvaluan | Rangpuri |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | ᱫᱟᱜ /daːk/ | daa /daː/ | daa /daː/ | পানি /paːni/ | vai /vai/ | vai /vai/ | পানি /pani/ |
| Fire | ᱥᱮᱝᱜᱮᱞ /seŋɡel/ | sengel /seŋɡel/ | sengel /seŋɡel/ | আগুন /aːɡun/ | afi /afi/ | afi /afi/ | আগুন /aɡun/ |
| Sun | ᱥᱤᱸᱜᱤ /siŋɡi/ | singi /siŋɡi/ | singi /siŋɡi/ | বিল /bil/ | lā /laː/ | laa /laː/ | সুরুজ /suɾud͡ʒ/ |
| Moon | ᱪᱟᱸᱫᱳ /tʃãndo/ | chando /tʃando/ | chando /tʃando/ | জুনাক /dʒunak/ | māsina /maːsina/ | masina /masina/ | চাইন /tʃain/ |
| Mother | ᱟᱭᱳ /ajo/ | ayo /ajo/ | ayu /aju/ | মা /maː/ | tinā /tinaː/ | maatua /maːtua/ | মাও /mao/ |
| Father | ᱟᱯᱟᱹ /apə/ | apu /apu/ | apu /apu/ | বাবা /baːba/ | tamā /tamaː/ | tamana /tamana/ | বাও /bao/ |
| Eat | ᱡᱳᱢ /d͡ʒom/ | jom /dʒom/ | jom /dʒom/ | খাব /kʰaːb/ | ʻai /ʔai/ | kai /kai/ | খাওয়া /kʰawa/ |
| Drink | ᱧᱩ /ɲu/ | nu /nu/ | nu /nu/ | পান কর /paːn kaɾ/ | inu /inu/ | inu /inu/ | খাওয়া /kʰawa/ |
| Love | ᱫᱩᱞᱟᱲᱤ /dulaɽi/ | dularaa /dularaː/ | dulaiya /dulaija/ | মায়া /maja/ | alofa /alofa/ | alofa /alofa/ | মনোয়াব /monojab/ |
| Heart | ᱢᱳᱱ /mon/ | jiu /dʒiu/ | jiu /dʒiu/ | মন /mon/ | loto /loto/ | fatu /fatu/ | মন /mon/ |
| Tree | ᱫᱟᱨᱮ /dare/ | daru /daru/ | daru /daru/ | গাছ /ɡaːtʃʰ/ | laʻau /laʔau/ | laakau /laːkau/ | গাছ /ɡatʃʰ/ |
| House | ᱳᱲᱟᱜ /oɽaːk/ | oraa /oraː/ | oraa /oraː/ | ঘর /ɡʱaɾ/ | fale /fale/ | fale /fale/ | ঘর /ɡʱoɾ/ |
| Dog | ᱥᱮᱛᱟ /seta/ | seta /seta/ | seta /seta/ | কুট্টা /kuʈːaː/ | maile /maile/ | kuli /kuli/ | কুকুর /kukuɾ/ |
| Cat | ᱯᱩᱥᱤ /pusi/ | pusi /pusi/ | pusi /pusi/ | বিল্লি /bilːi/ | pusi /pusi/ | pusi /pusi/ | বিরাল /biɾal/ |
| Hand | ᱛᱤ /tiː/ | ti /ti/ | ti /ti/ | হাত /haːt/ | lima /lima/ | lima /lima/ | হাত /haːt/ |
| Eye | ᱢᱮᱫ /met/ | med /med/ | med /med/ | চোখ /tʃokʰ/ | mata /mata/ | mata /mata/ | চখ /tʃɔkʰ/ |
| Hello | ᱡᱳᱦᱟᱨ /d͡ʒohar/ | johar /dʒohar/ | johar /dʒohar/ | নমস্কার /nomoskar/ | talofa /talofa/ | taalofa /taːlofa/ | হামার সালাম /hamaɾ salam/ |
| Thank you | ᱫᱷᱚᱱᱭᱚᱵᱟᱫ /dʱonjobad/ | dhonyobad /dʱoɲobad/ | dhanybad /dʱanjbad/ | ধইন্যবাদ /dʱoinjobaːd/ | faʻafetai /faʔafetai/ | fakafetai /fakafetai/ | ধইন্যা /dʱoinɲa/ |
| One | ᱢᱤᱫ /mit/ | mid /mid/ | miyad /mijad/ | এক /ek/ | tasi /tasi/ | tasi /tasi/ | এক /ek/ |
| Good | ᱵᱮᱥ /bes/ | bes /bes/ | bugin /buɡin/ | ভালা /bʱaːlaː/ | lelei /lelei/ | lei /lei/ | ভালো /bʱalo/ |
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