Kannada Keyboard Online
A free virtual Kannada keyboard. Type Kannada on any computer or phone. Type a word the way it sounds in English letters (kannaDa becomes ಕನ್ನಡ), or use the standard InScript layout.
How to use the Kannada keyboard
Click or tap any key to add that character to the text box.
On a computer you can also type on your physical keyboard. Choose “Type how it sounds (phonetic)” above the keyboard and type a word the way it sounds: k, a, n, n, a, D, a gives ಕನ್ನಡ. Or choose the standard InScript layout, where K gives ಕ and H gives ಪ. The small grey character on a key shows the matching key on a US English keyboard. Untick “Type Kannada with my physical keyboard” to go back to your keyboard's normal letters.
When you are done, press Copy and paste the text into an email, a document or a chat. The “Search with” buttons open Google, YouTube, Wikipedia or Google Translate with what you typed.
Kannada phonetic typing chart
Each box shows what to type, on the left, and the Kannada letter it gives. After a consonant, a vowel becomes its vowel sign, drawn here on a dotted circle, and a adds nothing, because every consonant already carries that vowel. Two consonants in a row join together. A consonant at the end of a word is written with a virama (್) unless you type a vowel after it.
How the InScript layout is arranged
InScript puts vowel signs under the left hand and consonants under the right. Shift gives the full vowel in place of its sign, and the aspirated partner of a consonant: K is ಕ and Shift + K is ಖ.
To join consonants, put a virama (್, on the D key) between them. ಳ is Shift + N.
Questions
Do I need to install anything?
No. The keyboard runs in your browser and works without changing any settings on your computer or phone.
Can I type Kannada by spelling it in English letters?
Yes. Choose “Type how it sounds (phonetic)” above the keyboard and type each word the way it sounds: kannaDa gives ಕನ್ನಡ. The chart on this page lists every spelling.
How do I type the short and long e and o?
In phonetic mode, e and o give the short vowels ಎ and ಒ, and E and O give the long ones ಏ and ಓ.
How do I type ಳ?
In phonetic mode, type L. In InScript mode, press Shift + N.
Is my text saved or sent anywhere?
Your text is kept only in your own browser so it is still there if you reload the page. It is not sent to us. Press Clear to remove it. If you use a “Search with” button, your text is sent to that site as a search.