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Kannada facts for kids

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Kannada
ಕನ್ನಡ kannaḍa
Каннада.PNG
Native to India - Karnataka, Kasaragod, Kerala, Maharashtra, Andhra pradesh, Goa, Tamil Nadu and significant communities in Mauritius, United Arab Emirates, Thailand.
Ethnicity Kannadiga
Native speakers 60 million  (2011)
11.4 million as a second language
Language family
Dravidian
  • Southern
    • Tamil–Kannada
      • Kannada–Badaga
        • Kannada
Writing system Kannada alphabet (Brahmic)
Kannada Braille
Official status
Official language in Karnataka
Regulated by Various academies and the Government of Karnataka
Kannadaspeakers.png
Distribution of native Kannada speakers in India
8th century Kannada inscription on victory pillar at Pattadakal
Old Kannada script on a victory pillar, 8th century
Kavi file2
Modern Kannada script
Not to be confused with Canada.


Kannada (ಕನ್ನಡ) is a language spoken mainly in India. It is also the name of the writing system used for this language. Most people in the southern Indian state of Karnataka speak Kannada. You can also find Kannada speakers in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Kerala, and Goa. There are about 60 million people who speak Kannada.

Kannada is part of the Dravidian language family. This family is different from the Indo-European languages like Hindi, which are spoken in northern India. However, Dravidian languages are similar to other southern Indian languages, such as Telugu. Kannada has a long history, with written records going back about 1500 years.

History of Kannada Language

Ancient Roots

The earliest form of the language is called Old Kannada. Over time, it slowly changed into the Kannada and Telugu scripts we know today. Around the year 1500, these scripts became more distinct.

Modern Changes

In the early 1800s, Christian missionaries brought printing presses to India. This helped to make the Kannada and Telugu scripts more standard. It meant that everyone started writing them in a more uniform way.

How Kannada is Written

The Kannada script is a special type of writing system. It is called an alphasyllabary. This means that each consonant letter already has a vowel sound built into it.

Vowels and Consonants

If you need a different vowel sound, you add small marks called diacritics. These marks appear next to the consonant. When a vowel starts a word or syllable, it is written as a separate letter.

Joining Letters

Sometimes, consonants appear together without any vowels in between. In these cases, the second consonant is written as a special combined symbol. This symbol usually appears below the first consonant. Kannada is written from left to right in straight lines, just like English.

Interesting Facts About Kannada

Kannada has received the highest number of Janapeeta literary awards. These are very important awards for Indian literature. The language got a big boost during the time of the Vijayanagara Empire.

Shri Vinoba Bhave, a famous Indian leader, once called the Kannada script "the Queen of World Scripts." He said it was the "Vishwa Lipigala Raani," which means "Queen of World Scripts" in Kannada.

Images for kids

  • Halmidi OldKannada inscription

    The Halmidi inscription at Halmidi village, in old-Kannada, usually dated to AD 450 (Kadamba Dynasty)

  • 6th century Kannada inscription in cave temple number 3 at Badami

    Old-Kannada inscription dated AD 578 (Badami Chalukya dynasty), outside Badami cave no.3

  • TalakadInscription

    Old-Kannada inscription of c. AD 726, discovered in Talakad, from the rule of King Shivamara I or Sripurusha (Western Ganga Dynasty)

  • Old Kannada inscription from the Rashtrakuta period (9th century) at the Durga Devi temple in Virupaksha temple complex at Hampi

    Old-Kannada inscription of the 9th century (Rashtrakuta Dynasty) at Durga Devi temple in Hampi, Karnataka

  • Atakur memorial stone with inscription in old Kannada (949 C.E.)

    The famous Atakur inscription (AD 949) from Mandya district, a classical Kannada composition in two parts; a fight between a hound and a wild boar, and the victory of the Rashtrakutas over the Chola dynasty in the famous battle of Takkolam

  • Old Kannada inscription (c.1057) in Kalleshvara temple at Hire Hadagali

    Old Kannada inscription dated AD 1057 of Western Chalukya King Someshvara I at Kalleshwara Temple, Hire Hadagali in Bellary district

  • Old Kannada inscription (1112 CE) of King Vikramaditya VI in the Mahadeva temple at Itagi

    Old-Kannada inscription ascribed to King Vikramaditya VI (Western Chalukya Empire), dated AD 1112, at the Mahadeva Temple in Itagi, Koppal district of Karnataka state

  • Old-Kannada inscription at Arasikere Ishwara temple

    Old-Kannada inscription of AD 1220 (Hoysala Empire) at Ishwara temple of Arasikere town in the Hassan district

  • Kannada inscription (1509 AD) of Krishnadeva Raya at entrance to mantapa of Virupaksha temple in Hampi

    Kannada inscription dated 1509, of King Krishnadevaraya (Vijayanagara Empire), at the Virupaksha temple in Hampi describes his coronation

  • Kannada inscription (17th century) at Gaurishvara temple at Yelandur 1

    Kannada inscription dated 1654, at Yelandur with exquisite relief

  • 11th century Someshwara temple, Lakshmeswar, Karnataka India - 89

    Shankha Jain Basadi temple at Lakshmeshwar where the notable Adikavi Pampa wrote the Adipurana in Kannada language

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Idioma canarés para niños

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