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KannadaUnicode → Legacy

Unicode to Nudi Converter

Turn Unicode Kannada like “ಕನ್ನಡ” into Nudi / Baraha shared ASCII keystrokes for Word and DTP software, and see exactly which characters the font can’t show.

0 chars0 words
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Live conversion Private
20

  • Runs on your device

    Nothing is uploaded. Works offline once loaded.

  • Both directions

    Swap to go Nudi → Unicode in one click.

  • Loss report

    Characters a font can’t show are flagged, not dropped.

  • 523 mappings

    Every one is listed in the chart below.

01 · About the font

Nudi / Baraha shared ASCII, in plain words.

Nudi is Karnataka’s Kannada typing standard, and its legacy fonts still sit in offices, newspapers and press archives.

Nudi was developed by the Kannada Ganaka Parishat and became the keyboard layout and software widely used for Kannada, including by the Government of Karnataka. The legacy Nudi fonts are ASCII fonts: Kannada is typed on an English keyboard and drawn by the font, so the file contains English letters.

Later Nudi releases moved to Unicode, and the Unicode Nudi keyboard layout is still how many people type Kannada today. What remains are decades of documents typed in the older ASCII fonts.

Baraha, a separate Kannada typing package, also produced ASCII text in a closely related layout. This converter reads the layout the two share, so documents from either usually convert with the same mapping, but it does not claim support for every version of every font.

Unicode (as typed)

ಕನ್ನಡ

Nudi / Baraha shared ASCII keystrokes (converted by this page)

PÀ£ÀßqÀ

This sample is converted with the same engine as the tool above, when this page was built, and matches the expected text exactly.

Who still uses it

  • 01

    Karnataka government offices

    Orders, circulars and records typed in Nudi legacy fonts that need to be searchable and shareable.

  • 02

    Newspapers and publishers

    Page-layout files and archives set in Kannada ASCII fonts.

  • 03

    Researchers and archives

    Digitisation work where Kannada text must be machine-readable.

02 · How to

How to convert Unicode to Nudi (4 steps)

Some printers, layout programs and typing-test environments still need text in Nudi / Baraha shared ASCII. This converter writes the exact keystrokes the font expects and lists any characters the font cannot show, so nothing is lost without you knowing.

  1. Paste your Unicode Kannada

    Check that “To” says Nudi / Baraha shared ASCII, then paste Unicode Kannada such as “ಕನ್ನಡ” from Word, Google Docs or WhatsApp.
    Unicode to Nudi converter with “To” set to Nudi / Baraha shared ASCII and the Unicode Kannada sample “ಕನ್ನಡ” in the input box

  2. Read the Nudi keystrokes

    The output is the keystrokes Nudi / Baraha shared ASCII expects: “PÀ£ÀßqÀ”. It looks like English letters until the Nudi / Baraha shared ASCII font is applied. Characters the font can’t show are flagged under “notes”; this sample has none.
    Output box showing the Unicode Kannada sample converted to Nudi keystrokes: “PÀ£ÀßqÀ”

  3. Copy it into a Nudi document

    After you copy “PÀ£ÀßqÀ”, the converter reminds you to paste it into a document set in Nudi / Baraha shared ASCII. The text shows as Kannada only where that font is installed.
    Unicode to Nudi converter after Copy, with the message “Copied — paste into a document set in Nudi / Baraha shared ASCII.”

  4. Or save a Word file

    The Word button saves a .docx already set in Nudi / Baraha shared ASCII. Install Nudi / Baraha shared ASCII on the computer that opens it, or “PÀ£ÀßqÀ” will show as English letters.
    Notice after the Word download: “Saved in Nudi / Baraha shared ASCII. Install Nudi / Baraha shared ASCII on the computer that opens it, or the text will show as English letters.”

Have a whole document instead of a paragraph? The Word file converter keeps tables, bold text and layout.

03 · Worked example

One sentence, step by step.

This is the real output of the converter above for the sentence below, generated when the page was built. It reads back to the same Unicode with no warnings.

Unicode (typed)

ಕನ್ನಡ ಭಾಷೆ ಪ್ರಶ್ನೆ

Nudi / Baraha shared ASCII keystrokes (converted)

PÀ£ÀßqÀ ¨sÁµÉ ¥Àæ±Éß

What to look for in the output

  • ನ್ನ£Àß

    The double consonant ನ್ನ is drawn with a subjoined form (ottakshara) glyph instead of ನ + ್ + ನ.

  • ಪ್ರ¥Àæ

    The ra ottakshara in ಪ್ರ is a separate glyph attached after the base.

  • ಶ್ನೆ±Éß

    A conjunct with a vowel sign: the base, the subjoined glyph and the ೆ sign are rebuilt in logical order for Unicode.

04 · Loss report

Characters Nudi / Baraha shared ASCII can’t show.

We ran this converter over every assigned character of the Kannada block (U+0C80–0CFF), 92 in all, one at a time. Marks that need a base letter were tested on ಕ. 62 of them convert and decode back to the same character (67%); the other 30 have no glyph in Nudi / Baraha shared ASCII. The engine keeps them as Unicode in the output and flags them, so you can fix the source text before it goes to print.

Exact
62
With a note
0
Can’t show
30

The 30 characters with no Nudi / Baraha shared ASCII glyph

  • ಀU+0C80
  • ಕಁU+0C81
  • ಄U+0C84
  • ಌU+0C8C
  • ಱU+0CB1
  • ಕ಼U+0CBC
  • ಽU+0CBD
  • ಕೄU+0CC4
  • ಕೕU+0CD5
  • ಕೖU+0CD6
  • ೜U+0CDC
  • ೝU+0CDD
  • ೞU+0CDE
  • ೠU+0CE0
  • ೡU+0CE1
  • ಕೢU+0CE2
  • ಕೣU+0CE3
  • ೦U+0CE6
  • ೧U+0CE7
  • ೨U+0CE8
  • ೩U+0CE9
  • ೪U+0CEA
  • ೫U+0CEB
  • ೬U+0CEC
  • ೭U+0CED
  • ೮U+0CEE
  • ೯U+0CEF
  • ೱU+0CF1
  • ೲU+0CF2
  • ಕೳU+0CF3

Letters shown on a base consonant are combining marks. Most entries are historic, regional or Vedic additions to the block; check the list before you type a name that uses one.

05 · Print & DTP

Using the output in Word, CorelDRAW and PageMaker.

The converted text is ordinary Latin characters. It only looks like Kannada once Nudi / Baraha shared ASCII is applied, so the same font must be installed wherever the file is opened or printed. These are general steps: menu names may differ by version.

Microsoft Word

  1. 1In Word’s font box, Nudi / Baraha shared ASCII may be listed as “nudi” or “brh kannada”. Pick the name your installed copy shows.
  2. 2Turn off spell-check for the pasted text (Review → Language → Set Proofing Language → Do not check spelling or grammar). Word sees Latin letters and underlines everything.
  3. 3If you edit the text by typing, also turn off AutoCorrect’s “smart quotes”: legacy fonts use the straight ' and " keys for letters, and curly quotes are different characters.
  4. 4Before you send a PDF, check that it really contains the font: open it on a computer without Nudi / Baraha shared ASCII, or look under File → Properties → Fonts in Acrobat Reader.

Menu names and the PDF options may differ by Word version and platform.

CorelDRAW

  1. 1Choose the Text tool and set the font to Nudi / Baraha shared ASCII before you paste, or select the pasted text afterwards and change it.
  2. 2If CorelDRAW offers to keep or discard the source fonts and formatting when you paste text, choose the option that applies the font you picked rather than the one from the clipboard.
  3. 3Use the font box on the property bar to confirm the text really is in Nudi / Baraha shared ASCII; legacy text in a Unicode font looks like random Latin letters.
  4. 4Before sending the file to a printer, convert text to curves or embed fonts, depending on what the printer asks for.

Dialog wording and the way fonts are embedded may differ by CorelDRAW version.

Adobe PageMaker

  1. 1Select the Text tool, click into a text block and choose Nudi / Baraha shared ASCII from the Type → Font menu.
  2. 2Paste the converted text as plain text so the legacy characters are not restyled by the clipboard.
  3. 3Send the printer the publication together with the font file, or ask them to install the same font version; a different version of the same-named font can place a few characters differently.

PageMaker is no longer sold or updated by Adobe, so check which version your printer still uses. Menu names may differ by version.

06 · Exams & submissions

Before you submit or print.

Requirements for fonts, keyboard layouts and file types are set by each exam body, office or press and change over time. We do not list them; a short checklist that applies to any of them:

  1. Check the official notice first

    Whether an exam, office or tender asks for Nudi / Baraha shared ASCII, for Unicode, or for a particular keyboard layout differs by recruiting body and year. Read the current official notice for the font name, the layout and the file format before you convert anything.

  2. Convert, then compare against the original

    Convert the Unicode source to Nudi / Baraha shared ASCII, paste it into the document with Nudi / Baraha shared ASCII selected, and read it against the original on screen. Anything the loss report flags is not in the font; fix it in the source rather than hoping it prints.

  3. Keep the Unicode source

    Keep your Unicode original. If a notice changes, a reviewer needs searchable text, or the legacy file is damaged, you can convert again; a Nudi / Baraha shared ASCII file cannot be searched or read on a phone without Nudi / Baraha shared ASCII.

  4. Test the printed or exported copy

    Open the exported PDF or print a page before the deadline. If the notice requires a file type, convert and test on the same type of device the recipient will use.

07 · Output font

Set the output font to Nudi / Baraha shared ASCII in MS Word

The converted text is Nudi / Baraha shared ASCII keystrokes, so it only looks like Kannada when the Nudi / Baraha shared ASCII font is applied. It has to be installed on the computer that opens the file.

Microsoft Word

  1. 1Install Nudi / Baraha shared ASCII if you haven’t already (on Windows, right-click the font file → Install for all users; on Mac, use Font Book), then restart Word.
  2. 2Paste the converted text. Use Paste Special → Unformatted Text (Ctrl+Alt+V) so no formatting from the source comes along.
  3. 3Select the text and type “Nudi / Baraha shared ASCII” into the font box on the Home tab.
  4. 4Before sending the file to someone else, either embed fonts (File → Options → Save → Embed fonts) or export to PDF.

Google Docs

  1. 1Google Docs offers its own font list only, so Nudi / Baraha shared ASCII cannot be selected there.
  2. 2Use Word or LibreOffice for the final file, then share a PDF if others need to read it.
  3. 3If the text must live in Google Docs, keep it as Unicode and convert only the final copy.

Pasting Nudi / Baraha shared ASCII text into Google Docs shows English letters instead of Kannada.

08 · Mapping chart

Every key, and the letter it makes.

This is the actual table the converter uses, generated from the engine. Search for a key you see in garbled text, or for a letter you want to type.

523 mappings

Click a letter to copy the Unicode character. Click the key cap to copy the Nudi / Baraha shared ASCII key.

09 · Known limits

What to watch for.

  • This profile covers the common Nudi / Baraha 8-bit layout. Other Kannada ASCII fonts (Shree-Lipi, Akruti and others) use different encodings, so check the font name before converting.
  • Pre-base vowel signs and ligature glyphs are placed visually in legacy text and must be rebuilt in logical order for Unicode.
  • The converter leaves URLs, e-mail addresses, digits and common English words untouched. Uncommon English words can still be converted, so check mixed-language text.

Coverage in this converter

  • Vowel signs407
  • Consonants35
  • Conjuncts33
  • Half forms32
  • Vowels13
  • Signs3

Checked against Looped Labs’ asciikannada2unicode and unicode2asciikannada, the open-source converters this mapping was taken from: 544 of 716 test conversions matched exactly. Of the 172 differences, 162 were errors in those converters and 10 were equivalent spellings. Because the mapping comes from that project, this checks how faithfully it was carried over, not whether the original table is right. See the accuracy page for every difference.

10 · FAQ

Questions about Unicode to Nudi

When would I convert Kannada Unicode to Nudi?

When a press, an older application or a government template expects Nudi ASCII text. Install the matching Nudi font afterwards or the text appears as English letters.

Are any Kannada letters lost going back?

Any character the legacy font can’t represent appears in the loss report, so you can fix it before sending the file.

Is my Kannada text uploaded to a server?

No. The conversion runs in your browser, and nothing you paste is sent anywhere.

Can I turn Nudi / Baraha shared ASCII text back into Unicode later?

Yes. Paste it into the Nudi to Unicode converter, or press the swap button above. Characters the loss report flagged were kept as Unicode, so they come back unchanged.

How accurate is the Nudi / Baraha shared ASCII converter?

It was checked against the converter its mapping came from: 544 of 716 test conversions matched Looped Labs’ asciikannada2unicode and unicode2asciikannada exactly. Each of the other 172 was reviewed, and 162 turned out to be errors in those converters. No independent converter has confirmed the table itself yet. The sample on this page converts exactly as expected. No fluent-speaker review has been done, so read important text before you print or submit it.

Which characters can’t Nudi / Baraha shared ASCII show?

30 of the 92 assigned characters in the Unicode Kannada block (U+0C80–0CFF) have no Nudi / Baraha shared ASCII glyph; the other 62 convert and read back unchanged. Characters it can’t show are kept as Unicode in the output and flagged, and the full list is on this page.