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{{short description|alphabetic script for Munda people}}
{{Short description|Alphabetic script for Munda people}}
{{Infobox writing system
{{Infobox writing system
| name      = Mundari Bani
| name      = Mundari Bani
| altname  = {{Script|Nagm|𞓧𞓟𞓨𞓜𞓕𞓣𞓚 𞓗𞓕𞓨𞓚}}
| languages = [[Mundari language|Mundari]]
| languages = [[Mundari language|Mundari]]
| type      = [[Alphabet]]
| type      = [[Alphabet]]
| time      = 1982 to present  
| time      = 1982 to present  
| direction = Left to Right
| direction = Left to Right
| region    = [[Odisha]], [[Jharkhand]], [[West Bengal]], [[Assam]] ([[India]])
| region    = [[India]]
*[[Odisha]]
*[[Jharkhand]]
*[[West Bengal]]
*[[Assam]]
| creator  = [[Rohidas Singh Nag]]
| creator  = [[Rohidas Singh Nag]]
| date      = 1982
| date      = 1982
| fam1= original inventor
| fam1 = Original invention
| iso15924 =
| iso15924 = Nagm
| sample = Mundari in Mundari Bani script.png
| sample = Shukla Mundari.svg
| image size =  
| image size = 250px
| caption = 'Mundari' in Mundari Bani Script
| caption = 'Mundari' in Mundari Bani Script
| ipa-note=none
| unicode=[https://www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/U1E4D0.pdf U+1E4D0–U+1E4FF] Nag Mundari
| ipa-note= IPA
}}
}}
[[File:MundariLanguageScript.jpg|thumb|Mundari Bani]]
{{Contains special characters
'''Mundari Bani''' (Mundari: ''Bani'' 'alphabet', also known as '''Mundari Bani Hisir''' ''Hisir'' 'writing', or the '''Mundari alphabet''') is the native writing system for the [[Mundari language]], spoken in eastern India. Mundari is an [[Austroasiatic languages|Austroasiatic]] language. Mundari Bani has 27 letters and five diacritics, the forms of which are intended to evoke natural shapes. The script is written from [[Writing_system#Directionality|left to right]].
| special = [[Mundari language|Mundari]] text
| fix        = Help:Multilingual support
| characters = Mundari Bani (script)
| image = Mundari Bani - A.png
}}
{{Writing systems in India}}
'''Mundari Bani''' ({{langx|unr|{{Script|Nagm|{{small|𞓧𞓟𞓨𞓜𞓕𞓣𞓚 𞓗𞓕𞓨𞓚}}}}|Mundari Bani}}) also known as '''Nag Mundari''' ({{langx|unr|{{Script|Nagm|{{small|𞓨𞓕𞓦 𞓧𞓟𞓨𞓜𞓕𞓣𞓚}}}}|Nag Mundari}}) and '''Mundari Bani Hisir''' , or the ''Mundari alphabet'', is the writing system created for the [[Mundari language]], spoken in eastern India. Mundari is an [[Austroasiatic languages|Austroasiatic]] language. Mundari Bani has 27 letters and five diacritics, the forms of which are intended to evoke natural shapes. The script is written from [[Writing system#Directionality|left to right]].


Community elder and author [[Rohidas Singh Nag]] invented and published the [[alphabet]]ic writing system Mundari Bani in late 1980, and has seen limited but increasing use in literature, education, and computing.
Community elder and author [[Rohidas Singh Nag]] invented and published in late 1980 the [[alphabet]]ic writing system Mundari Bani, which has seen limited but increasing use in literature, education, and computing.


==History==
==History==
[[Rohidas Singh Nag]] started designing the initial characters of Mundari bani in 1949 while in grade school, which he wrote on the walls using clay.<ref>{{cite book |title=Know Your State West Bengal |date=22 August 2019 |publisher=Arihant Experts |isbn=9789313198017 |pages=272 |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Know_Your_State_West_Bengal/qhrzDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22Mundari+Bani%22+-wikipedia&pg=PA272&printsec=frontcover}}</ref><ref name="unicode 2021">{{cite web|title=Proposal to Encode the Mundari Bani Script in the Universal Character Set |first1=Lawrence |last1=Wolf-Sonkin |first2=Biswajit |last2=Mandal |url=https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2021/21031-mundari-bani.pdf |date=8 January 2021|access-date=10 May 2021|format=pdf}}</ref> By 1953 he had finished a set of 35 characters. He further simplified the alphabet in 1980 by reducing it to 27 alphabetical characters. In 2008 Bharat Munda Samaj, Mundari Samaj Sanwar Jamda and Nag reformed the script in styling and adding glyphs. Since then, fonts were developed using this standard.
[[Rohidas Singh Nag]] started designing the initial characters of Mundari bani in 1949 while in grade school, which he wrote on the walls using clay.<ref>{{cite book |title=Know Your State West Bengal |date=22 August 2019 |publisher=Arihant Experts |isbn=9789313198017 |pages=272 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qhrzDwAAQBAJ&dq=%22Mundari+Bani%22+-wikipedia&pg=PA272}}</ref><ref name="unicode 2021">{{cite web|title=L2/21-031: Proposal to Encode the Mundari Bani Script in the Universal Character Set |first1=Lawrence |last1=Wolf-Sonkin |first2=Biswajit |last2=Mandal |url=https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2021/21031-mundari-bani.pdf |date=8 January 2021|access-date=10 May 2021}}</ref> By 1953 he had finished a set of 35 characters. He further simplified the alphabet in 1980 by reducing it to 27 alphabetical characters. In 2008 Bharat Munda Samaj, Mundari Samaj Sanwar Jamda and Nag reformed the script in styling and adding glyphs. Since then, fonts were developed using this standard.
 
[[File:Rohidas-Singh-Nag.jpg|thumb|[[Rohidas Singh Nag]], creator of Mundari Bani script]]


Nag presented the alphabet in the 1980s to then-[[Chief Minister of Odisha]] [[Janaki Ballabh Patnaik]] and submitted a memorandum to recognize the Munda language constitutionally. Nag along with others submitted a memorandum to the then [[president of India]] in 1999 appealing again for the constitutional recognition. "Mundari Samaj Sanwar Jamda", a social organisation of the Munda community based in Poda Astia, [[Mayurbhanj district|Mayurbhanj]] has been demanding to incorporate the [[Munda language]] in the [[Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of India]], to air [[Munda language]] through [[All India Radio]], and establish a [[Munda language]] department at [[North Odisha University]] for higher studies on the basis of the writing system and literature.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stscodisha.gov.in/pdf/June-Dec-2012-Vol-1-2.pdf | title = page no.96, Adivasi, A Journal of Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes Research and Training Institute (SCSTRTI)| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161108183956/http://www.stscodisha.gov.in/pdf/June-Dec-2012-Vol-1-2.pdf| archive-date = 8 November 2016}}</ref> The writing system has seen limited but increasing use in literature, education, and computing.
Nag presented the alphabet in the 1980s to then-[[Chief Minister of Odisha]] [[Janaki Ballabh Patnaik]] and submitted a memorandum to recognize the Munda language constitutionally. Nag along with others submitted a memorandum to the then [[president of India]] in 1999 appealing again for the constitutional recognition. "Mundari Samaj Sanwar Jamda", a social organisation of the Munda community based in Poda Astia, [[Mayurbhanj district|Mayurbhanj]] has been demanding to incorporate the [[Munda language]] in the [[Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of India]], to air [[Munda language]] through [[All India Radio]], and establish a [[Munda language]] department at [[North Odisha University]] for higher studies on the basis of the writing system and literature.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stscodisha.gov.in/pdf/June-Dec-2012-Vol-1-2.pdf | title = page no.96, Adivasi, A Journal of Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes Research and Training Institute (SCSTRTI)| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161108183956/http://www.stscodisha.gov.in/pdf/June-Dec-2012-Vol-1-2.pdf| archive-date = 8 November 2016}}</ref> The writing system has seen limited but increasing use in literature, education, and computing.
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  FROM [[Mundari language]], to be merged into existing History section (20-5-2021)
  FROM [[Mundari language]], to be merged into existing History section (20-5-2021)
Rohidas Singh Nag was born on 5.2.1934 in Salbani village, [[Mayurbhanj]] district of Odisha. It was in the year 1949 Rohidas Singh Nag studying at class –III invented Mundari script and wrote the alphabets on the wall of school with the help of clay. In the year 1953, Nag was a student of class –VIII invented 35 alphabets of Mundari script. Further, Nag simplified Mundari script and in the year 1980 total 27 alphabets were selected for use.
Rohidas Singh Nag was born on 5.2.1934 in Salbani village, [[Mayurbhanj]] district of Odisha. It was in the year 1949 Rohidas Singh Nag studying at class –III invented Mundari script and wrote the alphabets on the wall of school with the help of clay. In the year 1953, Nag was a student of class –VIII invented 35 alphabets of Mundari script. Further, Nag simplified Mundari script and in the year 1980 total 27 alphabets were selected for use.
In 1980 [[Rohidas Singh Nag]] brought to the knowledge of the then [[Chief Minister of Odisha]] Shri [[Janaki Ballabh Patnaik|J.B. Pattnaik]] on the development of Mundari script and submitted a memorandum to recognize Munda language constitutionally. In 1999 [[Rohidas Singh Nag]] with others submitted a memorandum to the then [[president of India]] and appealed for constitutional recognition of [[Munda language]]. Mundari Samaj Sanwar Jamda (A Social Organisation of Munda community), Poda Astia, [[Mayurbhanj]] has been demanding to incorporate [[Munda language]] in the eighth schedule of the constitution of India, to air [[Munda language]] through All India Radio, further to establish a department of [[Munda language]] at North [[Odisha]] University, Baripada for higher studies. He was the first General Secretary of Mundari Samaj Sanwar Jamda. Different social organisations have felicitated [[Rohidas Singh Nag]]. In 1996 Academy of Tribal Dialects and Culture (A Research Institute of S.T and S.C. Development Department, Government of Odisha) for his significant contribution to tribal language and culture of Odisha in general and Munda language and culture in Particular. In 2004 by Bharat Munda Samaj and in 2010 at Balangi Mahostava in Baripada, he was also felicitated.”<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stscodisha.gov.in/pdf/June-Dec-2012-Vol-1-2.pdf | title = page no.96, Adivasi, A Journal of Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes Research and Training Institute (SCSTRTI)| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161108183956/http://www.stscodisha.gov.in/pdf/June-Dec-2012-Vol-1-2.pdf| archive-date = 8 November 2016}}</ref>
In 1980 [[Rohidas Singh Nag]] brought to the knowledge of the then [[Chief Minister of Odisha]] Shri [[Janaki Ballabh Patnaik|J.B. Pattnaik]] on the development of Mundari script and submitted a memorandum to recognize Munda language constitutionally. In 1999 [[Rohidas Singh Nag]] with others, submitted a memorandum to the then [[president of India]] and appealed for constitutional recognition of [[Munda language]]. Mundari Samaj Sanwar Jamda (A Social Organisation of Munda community), Poda Astia, [[Mayurbhanj]] has been demanding to incorporate [[Munda language]] in the eighth schedule of the constitution of India, to air [[Munda language]] through All India Radio, further to establish a department of [[Munda language]] at North [[Odisha]] University, Baripada for higher studies. He was the first General Secretary of Mundari Samaj Sanwar Jamda. Different social organisations have felicitated [[Rohidas Singh Nag]]. In 1996 Academy of Tribal Dialects and Culture (A Research Institute of S.T and S.C. Development Department, Government of Odisha) for his significant contribution to tribal language and culture of Odisha in general and Munda language and culture in Particular. In 2004 by Bharat Munda Samaj and in 2010 at Balangi Mahostava in Baripada, he was also felicitated.”<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stscodisha.gov.in/pdf/June-Dec-2012-Vol-1-2.pdf | title = page no.96, Adivasi, A Journal of Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes Research and Training Institute (SCSTRTI)| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161108183956/http://www.stscodisha.gov.in/pdf/June-Dec-2012-Vol-1-2.pdf| archive-date = 8 November 2016}}</ref>
-->
-->


==The script==
==Alphabets==
Since the 2008 edits, Mundari Bani has 27 alphabetical characters, five diacritics, ten (decimal) digits. Their names follow traditional names. It uses Latin-script punctuation like period and comma.<ref name="unicode 2021"/>
[[File:MundariLanguageScript.jpg|thumb|A Primer showing typical didactic presentation of Mundari Bani. The first section consists of five rows, each headed by a vowel, with the first letter of their names matching the vowel of the row. The second section is a collection of diacritics (''Tong'') that play a secondary phonetic role.<ref name="unicode 2021"/>]]
Unlike the [[Brahmic scripts|Brahmic abugidas]] (such as [[Devanagari]], [[Bengali alphabet|Bengali]], or [[Odia language|Odia]]), Mundari Bani is a [[Alphabet|true alphabet]]. The script is [[Unicase|unicameral]], designed to accommodate the unique phonetic features of [[Munda languages|Austroasiatic Munda languages]], such as checked consonants and heavy vowel sequences, while using [[Diacritic|diacritics]] and [[Digraphs and trigraphs (programming)|digraphs]] to adapt to [[Indo-Aryan languages|Indo-Aryan]] loanwords.
 
Since the 2008 edits, it consists of 27 distinct letters and 5 diacritical marks, written from left to right, where consonants do not possess an inherent vowel. Their names follow traditional naming schemes.<ref name="unicode 2021"/>
 
<!--  style="text-align: center;" -->
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
|+ Mundari Alphabet<br />( {{lang|unr-nagm|𞓗𞓕𞓨𞓚 𞓧𞓟𞓨𞓡𞓚}} {{transliteration|unr|Bani Mundi}} )
|-
! rowspan=2 | Letter !! rowspan=2 | Mundari Name !! rowspan=2 | Romanised Name !! colspan=5 | Transliteration !! rowspan=2 | [[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]]<ref name="WWS"/>
|-
! [[ALA-LC romanization|ALA-LC]] !! [[Norman Zide|Zide]]<ref name="WWS">{{cite book | title=The World's Writing Systems | year=1996 | editor1-first=Peter T. | editor1-last=Daniels | editor1-link=Peter T. Daniels | editor2-last=Bright | editor2-first=William | editor2-link=William O. Bright | author-first=Norman | author-last=Zide | author-link=Norman Zide | publisher=Oxford University Press, Inc | isbn=978-0195079937 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780195079937/page/614 614-615] | url-access=registration | url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780195079937/page/614 }}</ref> !! [[Devanagari|Deva.]] !! [[Bengali alphabet|Beng.]] !! [[Odia alphabet|Odia]]
|-
| {{script|Nagm|{{huge|𞓐}}}} || {{lang|unr-Nagm|𞓐}} || O || o || ọ || {{large|{{script|Deva|ओ}}}} || {{large|{{script|Beng|ও}}}} || {{large|{{script|Orya|ଓ}}}} || /ɔ/
|-
| {{script|Nagm|{{huge|𞓑}}}} || {{lang|unr-Nagm|𞓐𞓑}} || OP || p || p || {{large|{{script|Deva|प}}}} || {{large|{{script|Beng|প}}}} || {{large|{{script|Orya|ପ୍}}}} || /p/
|-
| {{script|Nagm|{{huge|𞓒}}}} || {{lang|unr-Nagm|𞓐𞓒}} || OL || l || l || {{large|{{script|Deva|ल}}}} || {{large|{{script|Beng|ল}}}} || {{large|{{script|Orya|ଲ୍}}}} || /l/
|-
| {{script|Nagm|{{huge|𞓓}}}} || {{lang|unr-Nagm|𞓐𞓓}} || OY || y || y || {{large|{{script|Deva|य}}}} || {{large|{{script|Beng|য}}}} / {{large|{{script|Beng|য়}}}} || {{large|{{script|Orya|ଯ}}}} / {{large|{{script|Orya|ୟ}}}} || /j/
|-
| {{script|Nagm|{{huge|𞓔}}}} || {{lang|unr-Nagm|𞓐𞓔}} || ONG || ng || ṅ || {{large|{{script|Deva|ङ}}}} || {{large|{{script|Beng|ঙ}}}} || {{large|{{script|Orya|ଙ}}}} || /ŋ/
|-
| {{script|Nagm|{{huge|𞓕}}}} || {{lang|unr-Nagm|𞓕}} || A || ā || a || {{large|{{script|Deva|अ}}}} / {{large|{{script|Deva|आ}}}} || {{large|{{script|Beng|অ}}}} / {{large|{{script|Beng|আ}}}} || {{large|{{script|Orya|ଅ}}}} / {{large|{{script|Orya|ଆ}}}} || /a/
|-
| {{script|Nagm|{{huge|𞓖}}}} || {{lang|unr-Nagm|𞓕𞓖}} || AJ || j || cʼ || {{large|{{script|Deva|ज}}}} || {{large|{{script|Beng|জ}}}} || {{large|{{script|Orya|ଜ୍}}}} || /d͡ʑ/ , /ɟ/
|-
| {{script|Nagm|{{huge|𞓗}}}} || {{lang|unr-Nagm|𞓕𞓗}} || AB || b || pʼ || {{large|{{script|Deva|ब}}}} || {{large|{{script|Beng|ব}}}} || {{large|{{script|Orya|ବ୍}}}} || /pʼ/ , /b/
|-
| {{script|Nagm|{{huge|𞓘}}}} || {{lang|unr-Nagm|𞓕𞓘}} || ANY || ny || ñ || {{large|{{script|Deva|ञ}}}} || {{large|{{script|Beng|ঞ}}}} || {{large|{{script|Orya|ଞ୍}}}} || /ɲ/
|-
| {{script|Nagm|{{huge|𞓙}}}} || {{lang|unr-Nagm|𞓕𞓙}} || AH || ḥ || h || {{large|{{script|Deva|ः}}}} || {{large|{{script|Beng|ঃ}}}} || {{large|{{script|Orya|ଃ}}}} || /ʔ/ , /h/
|-
| {{script|Nagm|{{huge|𞓚}}}} || {{lang|unr-Nagm|𞓚}} || I || i || i || {{large|{{script|Deva|इ}}}} / {{large|{{script|Deva|ई}}}} || {{large|{{script|Beng|ই}}}} / {{large|{{script|Beng|ঈ}}}} || {{large|{{script|Orya|ଇ}}}} / {{large|{{script|Orya|ଈ}}}} || /i/
|-
| {{script|Nagm|{{huge|𞓛}}}} || {{lang|unr-Nagm|𞓚𞓛}} || IS || s || s || {{large|{{script|Deva|स}}}} || {{large|{{script|Beng|স}}}} || {{large|{{script|Orya|ସ୍}}}} || /s̪/
|-
| {{script|Nagm|{{huge|𞓜}}}} || {{lang|unr-Nagm|𞓚𞓜}} || IDD || ḍ || ḍ || {{large|{{script|Deva|ड}}}} || {{large|{{script|Beng|ড}}}} || {{large|{{script|Orya|ଡ୍}}}} || /ɖ/
|-
| {{script|Nagm|{{huge|𞓝}}}} || {{lang|unr-Nagm|𞓚𞓝}} || IT || t || t || {{large|{{script|Deva|त}}}} || {{large|{{script|Beng|ত}}}} || {{large|{{script|Orya|ତ୍}}}} || /t̪/
|-
| {{script|Nagm|{{huge|𞓞}}}} || {{lang|unr-Nagm|𞓚𞓞}} || IH || h || ([[Consonant|C]])h || {{large|{{script|Deva|ह}}}} || {{large|{{script|Beng|হ}}}} || {{large|{{script|Orya|ହ୍}}}} || /ʰ/ , /h/
|-
| {{script|Nagm|{{huge|𞓟}}}} || {{lang|unr-Nagm|𞓟}} || U || u || u || {{large|{{script|Deva|उ}}}} / {{large|{{script|Deva|ऊ}}}} || {{large|{{script|Beng|উ}}}} / {{large|{{script|Beng|ঊ}}}} || {{large|{{script|Orya|ଉ}}}} / {{large|{{script|Orya|ଊ}}}} || /u/
|-
| {{script|Nagm|{{huge|𞓠}}}} || {{lang|unr-Nagm|𞓟𞓠}} || UC || ch || c || {{large|{{script|Deva|च}}}} || {{large|{{script|Beng|চ}}}} || {{large|{{script|Orya|ଚ୍}}}} || /t͡ʃ/
|-
| {{script|Nagm|{{huge|𞓡}}}} || {{lang|unr-Nagm|𞓟𞓡}} || UD || d || tʼ || {{large|{{script|Deva|द}}}} || {{large|{{script|Beng|দ}}}} || {{large|{{script|Orya|ଦ୍}}}} || /tʼ/, /d̪/
|-
| {{script|Nagm|{{huge|𞓢}}}} || {{lang|unr-Nagm|𞓟𞓢}} || UK || k || k || {{large|{{script|Deva|क}}}} || {{large|{{script|Beng|ক}}}} || {{large|{{script|Orya|କ୍}}}} || /k/
|-
| {{script|Nagm|{{huge|𞓣}}}} || {{lang|unr-Nagm|𞓟𞓣}} || UR || r || r || {{large|{{script|Deva|र}}}} || {{large|{{script|Beng|র}}}} || {{large|{{script|Orya|ର୍}}}} || /r/
|-
| {{script|Nagm|{{huge|𞓤}}}} || {{lang|unr-Nagm|𞓤}} || E || e || e || {{large|{{script|Deva|ए}}}} || {{large|{{script|Beng|এ}}}} || {{large|{{script|Orya|ଏ}}}} || /e/
|-
| {{script|Nagm|{{huge|𞓥}}}} || {{lang|unr-Nagm|𞓤𞓥}} || ENN || ṇ || ṇ || {{large|{{script|Deva|ण}}}} || {{large|{{script|Beng|ণ}}}} || {{large|{{script|Orya|ଣ୍}}}} || /ɳ/
|-
| {{script|Nagm|{{huge|𞓦}}}} || {{lang|unr-Nagm|𞓤𞓦}} || EG || g || kʼ || {{large|{{script|Deva|ग}}}} || {{large|{{script|Beng|গ}}}} || {{large|{{script|Orya|ଗ୍}}}} || /g/
|-
| {{script|Nagm|{{huge|𞓧}}}} || {{lang|unr-Nagm|𞓤𞓧}} || EM || m || m || {{large|{{script|Deva|म}}}} || {{large|{{script|Beng|ম}}}} || {{large|{{script|Orya|ମ୍}}}} || /m/
|-
| {{script|Nagm|{{huge|𞓨}}}} || {{lang|unr-Nagm|𞓤𞓨}} || EN || n || n || {{large|{{script|Deva|न}}}} || {{large|{{script|Beng|ন}}}} || {{large|{{script|Orya|ନ୍}}}} || /n/
|-
| {{script|Nagm|{{huge|𞓩}}}} || {{lang|unr-Nagm|𞓤𞓩}} || ETT || ṭ || ṭ || {{large|{{script|Deva|ट}}}} || {{large|{{script|Beng|ট}}}} || {{large|{{script|Orya|ଟ୍}}}} || /ʈ/
|-
| {{script|Nagm|{{huge|𞓪}}}} || {{lang|unr-Nagm|𞓤𞓪}} || ELL || ṛ / ḷ ||  ḷ || {{large|{{script|Deva|ड़}}}} / {{large|{{script|Deva|ळ}}}} || {{large|{{script|Beng|ড়}}}} || {{large|{{script|Orya|ଡ଼}}}} / {{large|{{script|Orya|ଳ}}}} || /ɽ/, /ɭ/
|}
 
<!--  style="text-align: center;" -->
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
|+ Mundari Diacritics<br />( {{lang|unr-nagm|𞓝𞓐𞓔}} {{transliteration|unr|Toṅ/Tong}} )
|-
! rowspan=2 | Letter !! rowspan=2 | Mundari Name !! rowspan=2 | Romanised Name !! colspan=3 | Transliteration !! rowspan=2 | Function/[[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]]<ref name="WWS"/>
|-
! [[Devanagari|Deva.]] !! [[Bengali alphabet|Beng.]] !! [[Odia alphabet|Odia]]
|-
|style="padding:20px;"| {{script|Nagm|{{huge|𞓫}}}} || {{lang|unr-Nagm|𞓐𞓖𞓐𞓡}} || OJOD || {{large|{{script|Deva|्}}}} || {{large|{{script|Beng|্‌}}}} || {{large|{{script|Orya|୍}}}} || Modifies preceding consonant; check/gemination
|-
|style="padding:20px;"| {{script|Nagm|{{huge|◌𞓬}}}} || {{lang|unr-Nagm|𞓧𞓟𞓬𞓞𞓐𞓣}} || MUHOR || {{large|{{script|Deva|ँ}}}} /{{large|{{script|Deva| ं}}}} || {{large|{{script|Beng|্ঁ}}}} /{{large|{{script|Beng| ং}}}} || {{large|{{script|Orya|ଁ}}}} /{{large|{{script|Orya| ଂ}}}} || Vowel Nasalization /◌̃/
|-
|style="padding:20px;"| {{script|Nagm|{{huge|◌𞓭}}}} || {{lang|unr-Nagm|𞓝𞓐𞓓𞓐𞓣}} || TOYOR || {{large|{{script|Deva|◌ा}}}} || {{large|{{script|Beng|◌া}}}} || {{large|{{script|Orya|◌ା}}}} || Vowel Lengthener /ː/
|-
|style="padding:20px;"| {{script|Nagm|{{huge|◌𞓮}}}} || {{lang|unr-Nagm|𞓚𞓢𞓚𞓣}} || IKIR || {{large|{{script|Deva|◌्व}}}} || {{large|{{script|Beng|◌্ব}}}} || {{large|{{script|Orya|◌୍ୱ}}}} || Labialization /ʷ/
|-
|style="padding:20px;"| {{script|Nagm|{{huge|◌𞓯}}}} || {{lang|unr-Nagm|𞓛𞓟𞓝𞓟𞓙}} || SUTUH || {{large|{{script|Deva|़}}}} || {{large|{{script|Beng|়}}}} || {{large|{{script|Orya|଼}}}} || Nukta (for non-native sounds)
|}
 
== Vowels ==
[[Vowel|Vowels]] are called ''Munu Bani'' ({{langx|unr-nagm|𞓧𞓟𞓨𞓟 𞓗𞓕𞓨𞓚|Munu Bani}}) in Mundari. All vowels have long and short as well as [[Nasalization|nasalised]] [[Allophone|allophones]], but neither length nor nasality is contrastive. All vowels in open monosyllables are quantitatively longer than those in closed syllables.{{sfn|Osada|2008|p=100}}
The following table shows the five base vowel phonemes:
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|+ Mundari Vowel Inventory<br />({{lang|unr-nagm|𞓧𞓟𞓨𞓟 𞓗𞓕𞓨𞓚}} {{transliteration|unr|Munu Bani}})
|-
!rowspan=2|
!scope="col" colspan=3 | [[Vowel length|Short]]
!scope="col" colspan=3 | Long
|-
!scope="col" | [[Front vowel|Front]]
!scope="col" | [[Central vowel|Central]]
!scope="col" | [[Back vowel|Back]]
!scope="col" | [[Front vowel|Front]]
!scope="col" | [[Central vowel|Central]]
!scope="col" | [[Back vowel|Back]]
|-
!scope="row" | [[Close vowel|Close]]
| style="text-align:center;"|{{IPAslink|i}} '''{{large|𞓚}}''' i
|
| style="text-align:center;"|{{IPAslink|u}} '''{{large|𞓟}}''' u
| style="text-align:center;"|{{IPAslink|iː}} '''{{large|𞓚𞓭}}''' ī
|
| style="text-align:center;"|{{IPAslink|uː}} '''{{large|𞓟𞓭}}''' ū
|-
!scope="row" | [[Mid vowel|Mid]]
| style="text-align:center;"|{{IPAslink|e}}'''{{large|𞓤}}''' e
|
| style="text-align:center;"|{{IPAslink|o}} '''{{large|𞓐}}''' o
| style="text-align:center;"|{{IPAslink|eː}} '''{{large|𞓤𞓭}}''' ē
|
| style="text-align:center;"|{{IPAslink|oː}} '''{{large|𞓐𞓭}}''' ō
|-
!scope="row" | [[Open vowel|Open]]
|
| style="text-align:center;"|{{IPAslink|a}} '''{{large|𞓕}}''' a
|
|
| style="text-align:center;"|{{IPAslink|aː}} '''{{large|𞓕𞓭}}''' ā
|
|}
In native Mundari grammar, vowels are categorised by phonetic length into short and long vowels. The five base vowel alphabets of the Mundari Bani script are:
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Mundari Base Vowels<br />{{lang|unr-nagm|𞓡𞓚𞓔𞓦𞓕𞓤𞓙 𞓧𞓟𞓨𞓟 𞓗𞓕𞓨𞓚}}<br />{{transliteration|unr|Dingaeḥ Munu Bani}}
|-
| {{letter|l=unr|ch=𞓐|iso=o|ipa=/oɔ/}}
| {{letter|l=unr|ch=𞓕|iso=a|ipa=/a/}}
| {{letter|l=unr|ch=𞓚|iso=i|ipa=/i/}}
| {{letter|l=unr|ch=𞓟|iso=u|ipa=/u/}}
| {{letter|l=unr|ch=𞓤|iso=e|ipa=/e/}}
|}
 
Unlike Brahmic scripts, Mundari Bani lacks independent letters for long vowels. Instead, long vowels are formed by attaching the ''TOYOR'' ({{lang|unr-Nagm|◌𞓭}}) diacritic to a base vowel, but not all long vowels are demarcated, depending upon the scribe. <br />
*{{large|𞓕}} (/a/) + {{large|◌𞓭}} → {{large|𞓕𞓭}} (/aː/)
*'''Example 1:''' Mundari: {{lang|unr-Nagm|𞓐𞓪𞓕𞓭}}, [[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]]: ''/oɽ.aː/'' , Translation: ''House''
*'''Example 2:''' Mundari: {{lang|unr-Nagm|𞓗𞓚𞓭𞓔}}, [[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]]: ''/biːŋ/'' , Translation: ''Snake''
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Mundari Long Vowels<br />{{lang|unr-nagm|𞓖𞓚𞓒𞓚𞓔 𞓧𞓟𞓨𞓟 𞓗𞓕𞓨𞓚}}<br /> {{transliteration|unr|Jiliṅ Munu Bani}}
|-
| {{letter|l=unr|ch=𞓐𞓭|iso=ō|ipa=/oː/|color=green|}}
| {{letter|l=unr|ch=𞓕𞓭|iso=ā|ipa=/aː/|color=green|}}
| {{letter|l=unr|ch=𞓚𞓭|iso=ī|ipa=/iː/|color=green|}}
| {{letter|l=unr|ch=𞓟𞓭|iso=ū|ipa=/uː/|color=green|}}
| {{letter|l=unr|ch=𞓤𞓭|iso=ē|ipa=/eː/|color=green|}}
|}
 
=== Loan Words ===
To denote the signature /O/ sound in the neighbouring Odia/Bengali language, the script uses {{lang|unr-Nagm|𞓐}} (/o/) with the ''SUTUH'' ({{lang|unr-Nagm|◌𞓯}}) diacritic.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
| {{letter|l=unr|ch=𞓐𞓯|iso=O|ipa=/O/|color=green|}}
|}
=== Nasalisation ===
Nasalisation in Mundari is represented by the ''MUHOR'' ({{lang|unr-Nagm|◌𞓬}}) diacritic. It attaches to the primary vowels or the final vowel in a cluster.
<br />
* {{large|𞓕}} (/a/) + {{large|◌𞓬}} → {{large|𞓕𞓬}} (/ã/)
*'''Example 1:''' Mundari: {{lang|unr|𞓝𞓟𞓕𞓬}}, [[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]]: ''/t̪uãː/'' , Translation: ''Milk/Breast''
*'''Example 2:''' Mundari: {{lang|unr-Nagm|𞓧𞓟𞓬}} , [[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]]: ''/mũː/'' , Translation: ''Nose''
Vowels preceding or following nasal phonemes like /ŋ/, /ɲ/, /ṇ/, /ɳ/ and /m/ are also nasalised. {{sfn|Osada|2008|p=100}} Native writers do not usually add the ''MUHOR'' ({{lang|unr-Nagm|◌𞓬}}) in these cases because, unlike the ''ONG'' ({{lang|unr-Nagm|𞓔}}) letter, which represents the nasal consonant /ŋ/, the ''MUHOR'' indicates the nasalisation of the vowel itself, crucial for distinguishing word pairs in native Munda vocabulary.
* {{large|𞓧}} (/m/) + {{large|𞓕}} (/a/) → {{large|𞓧𞓕}} (/mã/)
Additionally, those following /ɟ/ are also nasalised.
* {{large|𞓖}} (/ɟ/) + {{large|𞓕}} (/a/) → {{large|𞓖𞓕}} (/ɟã/)
=== Dipthongs ===
Mundari frequently uses sequences where two or three vowels follow each other without an intervening consonant. Unlike English diphthongs, they are treated as distinct syllables. Some common clusters are:
{| class="wikitable"
|-
| {{letter|l=unr|ch=𞓕𞓚|iso=ai|ipa=/ai/}}
| {{letter|l=unr|ch=𞓕𞓐|iso=ao|ipa=/ao/}}
| {{letter|l=unr|ch=𞓚𞓕|iso=ia|ipa=/ia/}}
| {{letter|l=unr|ch=𞓤𞓕|iso=ea|ipa=/ea/}}
| {{letter|l=unr|ch=𞓐𞓚|iso=oi|ipa=/oi/}}
| {{letter|l=unr|ch=𞓐𞓯𞓟|iso=ou|ipa=/Ou/|color=green|note={{noteTag|group=Dipthongs|This cluster is a loan word from the ''Odia'' / ''Bengali'' languages, hence the use of the ''SUTUH'' diacritic.}}}}
|}
{{noteFoot|Dithongs}}
=== Vowel Absence ===
The absence of vowel phonemes in consonant clusters or after word-end consonants is marked by the absence of vowel letters. There is no [[Virama|halant]] to indicate a vowel negation as in [[Brahmic scripts|Brahmic abugidas]].
*'''Example 1:''' Mundari: {{lang|unr-Nagm|𞓧𞓟𞓨𞓜𞓕𞓣𞓚}}, [[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]]: ''/Muɳɖārī/'' , Translation: Mundari ''(lang.)''
*'''Example 2:''' Mundari: {{lang|unr-Nagm|𞓗𞓟𞓒𞓟𞓔}}, [[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]]: ''/buluŋ/'' , Translation: ''Salt''
 
== Consonants ==
=== Basic Consonants ===
In Mundari, consonants are called ''Boja Bani'' ({{langx|unr|𞓗𞓐𞓖𞓕 𞓗𞓕𞓨𞓚|Boja Bani}}). Mundari Bani represents consonants using 22 basic letters, plus one diacritic. They are organised into five clusters, each led by a primary vowel. The first letter of the consonant's name matches the primary vowel. These basic letters are:
{| class="wikitable letters-table"
|-
|+ Mundari consonants<ref name="unicode 2021"|p=2/><br />({{lang|unr-nagm|𞓗𞓐𞓖𞓕 𞓗𞓕𞓨𞓚}} {{transliteration|unr|Boja Bani}})
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓐|iso=o|ipa=/o/|color=blue|}}
| {{letter|top=𞓐𞓑|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓑|iso=p|ipa=/p/}}
| {{letter|top=𞓐𞓒|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓒|iso=l|ipa=/l/}}
| {{letter|top=𞓐𞓓|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓓|iso=y|ipa=/j/}}
| {{letter|top=𞓐𞓔|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓔|iso=ṅ|ipa=/ŋ/}}
|-
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓕|iso=a|ipa=/a/|color=blue|}}
| {{letter|top=𞓕𞓖|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓖|iso=j|ipa=/d͡ʑ/}}
| {{letter|top=𞓕𞓗|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓗|iso=b|ipa=/b/}}
| {{letter|top=𞓕𞓘|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓘|iso=ñ|ipa=/ɲ/}}
| {{letter|top=𞓕𞓙|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓙|iso=ḥ|ipa=/ʔ/}}
|-
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓚|iso=i|ipa=/i/|color=blue|}}
| {{letter|top=𞓚𞓛|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓛|iso=s|ipa=/s̪/}}
| {{letter|top=𞓚𞓜|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓜|iso=ḍ|ipa=/ɖ/}}
| {{letter|top=𞓚𞓝|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓝|iso=t|ipa=/t̪/}}
| {{letter|top=𞓚𞓞|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓞|iso=h|ipa=/h/}}
|-
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓟|iso=u|ipa=/u/|color=blue|}}
| {{letter|top=𞓟𞓠|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓠|iso=ch|ipa=/t͡ʃ/}}
| {{letter|top=𞓟𞓡|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓡|iso=d|ipa=/d̪/}}
| {{letter|top=𞓟𞓢|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓢|iso=k|ipa=/k/}}
| {{letter|top=𞓟𞓣|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓣|iso=r|ipa=/ɾ/}}
|-
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓤|iso=e|ipa=/e/|color=blue|}}
| {{letter|top=𞓤𞓥|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓥|iso=ṇ|ipa=/ɳ/}}
| {{letter|top=𞓤𞓦|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓦|iso=g|ipa=/g/}}
| {{letter|top=𞓤𞓧|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓧|iso=m|ipa=/m/}}
| {{letter|top=𞓤𞓨|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓨|iso=n|ipa=/ɳ/}}
| {{letter|top=𞓤𞓩|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓩|iso=ṭ|ipa=/ʈ/}}
| {{letter|top=𞓤𞓪|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓪|iso=ṛ / ḷ|ipa=/ɽ/,/ɭ/}}
|}
Because of centuries of contact with neighbouring eastern [[Indo-Aryan languages]], specifically [[Bengali language|Bengali]] and [[Odia language|Odia]], dialects like ''Naguri'' and ''Kera'' have aspirated loan words. Because native Mundari lacks aspirated distinction, these aspirated phonemes are denoted by adding the /h/ letter ({{script|nagm|𞓞}}) to the consonant.
*'''Example:''' {{large|𞓢}} (/k/) + {{large|𞓞}} (/h/) → {{large|𞓢𞓞}} (/kʰ/)
There are no conjunct forms or ligatures, and the letters do not change shape in compound syllables, unlike Brahmic abugidas. Mundari also lacks gemination.
 
Below is the consonant phonology of Mundari depicted using Mundari Bani, which encompasses native phonemes (basic consonants shown in red and unique phonemes in blue) and aspirated loan words (shown in green).
{|class="wikitable letters-table"
|-
|+ Mundari Consonant Inventory<ref>{{cite book|last=Hoffmann |first=Johann|title=Mundari Grammar |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.280908 |access-date=19 February 2026|year=1903|publisher=Bengal Secretariat Press|pages=67-70}}</ref>
![[Articulatory phonetics|Stricture]] →
! colspan=5 | [[Occlusive]]s
! colspan=4 | [[Sonorant]]s
|-
![[Articulation (phonetics)|Articulation]] →
! colspan=5 | [[Plosives]] & [[Affricate]]s
! [[Nasal consonant|Nasal]]
! [[approximant consonant|Approximant]]
! colspan=2 | [[Fricative consonant|Fricative]]
|-
! [[Voice (phonetics)|Voicing]] →
! colspan="2"| [[Voiceless]]
! colspan="2"| [[Voiced]]
! rowspan="2"| Checked<br />{{noteTag|group=Mundari consonants|Checked Consonants are a unique feature of the Munda language group wherein terminal /b/ and /d/ sounds are characterised by a simultaneous [[Glottal stop|glottal closure]] and a faint [[nasal release]].}}
! colspan="2" rowspan="2"| [[Voiced]]
! rowspan="2"| Voiceless
! rowspan="2"| Voiced
|-
! [[aspirated consonant|Aspiration]] →<br />{{noteTag|group=Mundari consonants|Native Mundari lacks aspirated distinction, but ''Naguri'' and ''Kera'' dialects include aspirated stops due to contact with Indo-Aryan languages. Unlike Brahmic abugidas, these sounds do not have a distinct glyph to represent them.}}
! Unaspirated
! Aspirated
! Unaspirated
! Aspirated
|-
![[Velar consonant|Velar]]
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓢|iso=k|ipa=/kɔ/}}
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓢𞓞|iso=kh|ipa=/kʰɔ/|color=green|}}
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓦|iso=g|ipa=/ɡɔ/}}
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓦𞓞|iso=gh|ipa=/ɡʱɔ/|color=green|}}
|
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓔|iso=ṅ|ipa=/ŋɔ/}}
| colspan=3 |
|-
![[palatal consonant|Palatal]]
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓠|iso=ch|ipa=/tʃɔ/}}
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓠𞓞|iso=ch'|ipa=/tʃʰɔ/|color=green|}}
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓖|iso=j|ipa=/dʒɔ/}}
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓖𞓞|iso=jh|ipa=/dʒʱɔ/|color=green|}}
|
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓘|iso=ñ|ipa=/ɲɔ/}}
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓓|iso=y|ipa=/jɔ/}}
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓛𞓯|iso=ś|ipa=/ɕɔ/|color=green|}}
|
|-
![[Alveolo-palatal consonant|Alveolo-palatal]]<br />{{noteTag|group=Mundari consonants|The native phonemes for /tʃ/ and /dʒ/ are [[Affricate|affricates]], i.e. they start as a ''plosive'' and release immediately into a ''fricative'', producing a "hissing" sound. Because of the variation between native pronunciation and dialects, the sound can become palatal in most cases and is speaker dependent.}}
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓠|iso=tc|ipa=/t͡ɕ/|color=blue|note={{noteTag|group=Mundari consonants|The letter {{script|Nagm|𞓠}} for /tʃ/ is also used to represent /t͡ɕ/.}}}}
|
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓖|iso=dz|ipa=/d͡ʑ/|color=blue|note={{noteTag|group=Mundari consonants|The letter {{script|Nagm|𞓖}} for /dʒ/ is also used to represent /d͡ʑ/.}}}}
|
|
| colspan="4" |
|-
![[Retroflex]]
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓩|iso=ṭ|ipa=/ʈɔ/}}
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓩𞓞|iso=ṭh|ipa=/ʈʰɔ/|color=green|}}
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓜|iso=ḍ|ipa=/ɖɔ/}}
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓜𞓞|iso=ḍh|ipa=/ɖʱɔ/|color=green|}}
|
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓥|iso=ṇ|ipa=/ɳɔ/}}
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓣|iso=r|ipa=/ɾɔ/}}
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓛𞓯|iso=ṣ|ipa=/ʂɔ/|color=green|}}
|
|-
![[Dental consonant|Dental]]
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓝|iso=t|ipa=/t̪ɔ/}}
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓝𞓞|iso=th|ipa=/t̪ʰɔ/|color=green|}}
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓡|iso=d|ipa=/d̪ɔ/}}
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓡𞓞|iso=dh|ipa=/d̪ʱɔ/|color=green|}}
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓫𞓡|iso=d'|ipa=/ˀd̥(ⁿ)/|color=blue|note={{noteTag|group=Mundari consonants|The diacritic ''OJOD'' ({{script|Nagm|𞓫}}) is applied by some authors to represent 'checked' forms of word-final /d/.}}}}
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓨|iso=n|ipa=/nɔ/}}
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓪|iso=ḷ|ipa=/ɭɔ/}}
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓛|iso=s|ipa=/sɔ/}}
|
|-
![[Labial consonant|Labial]]
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓑|iso=p|ipa=/pɔ/}}
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓑𞓞|iso=ph|ipa=/pʰɔ/|color=green|}}
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓗|iso=b|ipa=/bɔ/}}
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓗𞓞|iso=bh|ipa=/bʱɔ/|color=green|}}
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓫𞓗|iso=b'|ipa=/ˀb̥(ᵐ)/|color=blue|note={{noteTag|group=Mundari consonants|The diacritic ''OJOD'' ({{script|Nagm|𞓫}}) is applied by some authors to represent 'checked' forms of word-final /b/.}}}}
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓧|iso=m|ipa=/mɔ/}}
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=◌𞓮|iso=w|ipa=/ʷ/|color=blue|note={{noteTag|group=Mundari consonants|This diacritic ''IKIR'' ({{script|Nagm|◌𞓮}}) attaches to a vowel to impart a deep, rounded glide, creating a /ʷ/ sound, a unique phoneme of Munda languages}}}}
| colspan="2"|
|-
![[Glottal consonant|Glottal]]
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓙|iso=ḥ|ipa=/ʔ/}}
| colspan=7 |
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓞|iso=h|ipa=/ɦɔ/}}
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''
{{noteFoot|Mundari consonants}}
 
Mundari grammar also categorises consonants into four categories according to their [[place of articulation]]:
*Soft consonants ({{langx|unr|𞓣𞓕𞓗𞓕𞓒 𞓗𞓐𞓖𞓕 𞓗𞓕𞓨𞓚|Rabal Boja Bani}})
{| class="wikitable"
|-
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓢|iso=k|ipa=/k/}}
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓦|iso=g|ipa=/g/}}
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓠|iso=c|ipa=/tʃ/}}
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓖|iso=j|ipa=/dʒ/}}
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓩|iso=ṭ|ipa=/ʈ/}}
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓜|iso=ḍ|ipa=/ɖ/}}
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓝|iso=t|ipa=/t̪/}}
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓡|iso=d|ipa=/d̪/}}
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓑|iso=p|ipa=/p/}}
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓗|iso=b|ipa=/b/}}
|}
*Aspirated consonants ({{langx|unr|𞓞𞓕𞓧𞓗𞓕𞓒 𞓗𞓐𞓖𞓕 𞓗𞓕𞓨𞓚|Hambal Boja Bani}})
{| class="wikitable"
|-
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓢𞓞|iso=kh|ipa=/kʰ/|color=green|}}
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓦𞓞|iso=gh|ipa=/ɡʱ/|color=green|}}
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓠𞓞|iso=ch|ipa=/tʃʰ/|color=green|}}
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓖𞓞|iso=jh|ipa=/dʒʱ/|color=green|}}
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓩𞓞|iso=ṭh|ipa=/ʈʰ/|color=green|}}
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓜𞓞|iso=ḍh|ipa=/ɖʰ/|color=green|}}
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓝𞓞|iso=th|ipa=/t̪ʱ/|color=green|}}
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓡𞓞|iso=dh|ipa=/d̪ʰ/|color=green|}}
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓑𞓞|iso=ph|ipa=/pʱ/|color=green|}}
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓗𞓞|iso=bh|ipa=/bʱ/|color=green|}}
|}
*Nasal consonants ({{langx|unr|𞓧𞓟𞓨𞓟 𞓗𞓐𞓖𞓕 𞓗𞓕𞓨𞓚|Munu Boja Bani}})
{| class="wikitable"
|-
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓔|iso=ṅ|ipa=/ŋɔ/}}
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓘|iso=ñ|ipa=/ɲɔ/}}
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓥|iso=ṇ|ipa=/ṇ/}}
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓨|iso=n|ipa=/ɳɔ/}}
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓧|iso=m|ipa=/m/}}
|}
*Unstructured consonants ({{langx|unr|𞓝𞓕𞓣𞓕 𞓗𞓐𞓖𞓕 𞓗𞓕𞓨𞓚| Tara Boja Bani}}).
{| class="wikitable"
|-
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓓|iso=y|ipa=/jɔ/}}
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓒|iso=l|ipa=/lɔ/}}
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓪|iso=ṛ / ḷ|ipa=/ɽ/,/ɭ/}}
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓛|iso=s|ipa=/sɔ/}}
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓙|iso=ḥ|ipa=/ʔ/}}
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓞|iso=h|ipa=/ɦɔ/}}
|}
 
=== Aspirated stops ===
A unique feature of Mundari is the word-final /b/ and /d/, which may be pronounced as checked sounds /ˀb̥(ᵐ)/ or /ˀd̥(ⁿ)/. This is represented by placing the diacritic ''OJOD'' ({{Script|Nagm|𞓫}}) before the consonant.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓫𞓡|iso=d'|ipa=/ˀd̥(ⁿ)/|color=blue}}
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch= 𞓫𞓗|iso=b'|ipa=/ˀb̥(ᵐ/|color=blue}}
|}
*'''Example:''' Mundari: {{lang|unr-Nagm|𞓒𞓕𞓩𞓕𞓫𞓗}}, [[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]]: ''/laʈaˀb/'' , Translation: ''Scissors''
However, the use of ''OJOD'' to denote aspirated stops is dependent on the scribe and is not universal.<ref name="unicode 2021"/>
=== The Mundari /ʷ/ phoneme===
The Mundari phoneme /w/ or /ʷ/ has two distinct forms of representation in Mundari Bani using the ''IKIR'' diacritic ({{Script|Nagm|◌𞓮}}):
*'''Consonantal /ʷ/''': A standalone glide used at the beginning of syllables.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓢𞓮𞓕|iso=kwa|ipa=/kʷa/|color=blue}}
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch= 𞓢𞓮𞓚|iso=kwi|ipa=/kʷi/|color=blue}}
|}
*'''Vocalic /ʷ/''': It is written by adding the ''IKIR'' to the vowel that follows to impart a labialized glide.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓖𞓚𞓮𞓭 |iso=jīw|ipa=/d͡ʑiʷ/|color=blue}}
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch= 𞓢𞓕𞓮|iso=kaw|ipa=/kaʷ/|color=blue}}
|}
/w/ never occurs in the initial position in Mundari,{{sfn|Osada|2008|p=101}} but some use the ''IKIR'' in conjunction with vowel letters to write /wa/ or /wi/ syllables from other languages.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓕𞓮|iso=wa|ipa=/wa/|color=green|}}
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓚𞓮|iso=wi|ipa=/wi/|color=green|}}
|}
=== Loan Words ===
Loan words are denoted with the diacritic ''SUTUH'' ({{script|Nagm|◌𞓯}}) when transcribed. Phonemes like 'ẏ', 'ṛ', 'ṛh', 'ś' and 'ṣ', which are common in Indo-Aryan languages, are denoted using the Mundari equivalent with the ({{script|Nagm|◌𞓯}}).
{| class="wikitable"
|-
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓓𞓯|iso=ẏ|ipa=/y/|color=green|}}
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓜𞓯|iso=ṛ|ipa=/ɽɔ/|color=green|}}
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓜𞓯𞓞|iso=ṛh|ipa=/ɽʰɔ/|color=green|}}
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓛𞓯|iso=ś|ipa=/ɕɔ/|color=green|}}
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓛𞓯|iso=ṣ|ipa=/ʂɔ/|color=green|}}
|}
*{{script|Nagm|𞓛𞓯}} is used to denote both ''/ʂɔ/'' and ''/ɕɔ/'' phonemes. The reader is expected to understand from context which phoneme is being depicted, often the case when transcribing widely used loan words.
In many eastern Indian languages, the sounds for 'b' and 'v/w' are closely related or interchangeable. While native Mundari uses {{script|Nagm|𞓕𞓮}} for the /w/ sound, {{script|Nagm|𞓗𞓯}} is sometimes used in formal transliteration to represent the /ʋ/, which is lacking in native Mundari.
* {{large|𞓗}} (/b/) + {{large|◌𞓯}} → {{large|𞓗𞓯}} (/ʋ/)
{| class="wikitable"
|-
| {{letter|l=unr|s=Nagm|ch=𞓗𞓯|iso=v|ipa=/ʋ/|color=green|}}
|}
 
== Numerals ==
Mundari Bani has its own set of decimal digits (0–9) that function identically to standard Western numerals.<ref>{{cite book|last1= Singh|first1= Birbal|last2= Singh|first2= Pahan Basanta Kumar|title= Mundari Bhasa Shiskha: A Multilingual Education (Mundari-Odia-English-Hindi)|date= 2017|publisher= Academy of Tribal Languages and Culture|language= English, Hindi, Mundari, Odia|url=https://archive.org/details/dli.language.0663/page/n11/mode/2up|access-date= 20 February 2025|pages=1-3}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Mundari Digits<br />( {{lang|unr-Nagm|𞓒𞓤𞓨𞓤𞓢𞓕}} {{transliteration|unr|Leneka}} )
|-
|{{letter|l=unr|top=0|ch=𞓰|iso=Sūn|ipa=/s̪uːn/}}
|{{letter|l=unr|top=1|ch=𞓱|iso=Mod'|ipa=/moˀd̥(ⁿ)/}}
|{{letter|l=unr|top=2|ch=𞓲|iso=Bar'|ipa=/baːɾ/}}
|{{letter|l=unr|top=3|ch=𞓳|iso=Āpī|ipa=/aːpiː/}}
|{{letter|l=unr|top=4|ch=𞓴|iso=Upun'|ipa=/upun̪/}}
|{{letter|l=unr|top=5|ch=𞓵|iso=Moñe|ipa=/moŋe/}}
|{{letter|l=unr|top=6|ch=𞓶|iso=Turī|ipa=/t̪uriː/}}
|{{letter|l=unr|top=7|ch=𞓷|iso=Eyā|ipa=/ejaː/}}
|{{letter|l=unr|top=8|ch=𞓸|iso=Irāl'|ipa=/iraːl/}}
|{{letter|l=unr|top=9|ch=𞓹|iso=Āre|ipa=/aːre/}}
|{{letter|l=unr|top=10|ch=𞓱𞓰|iso=Gel|ipa=/gel/}}
|}
<br/>
Below are the names of the base digits (0-10) rendered in Mundari Bani:
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! Numeral !! Mundari !! Transliteration !! Translation
|-
| 𞓰 || {{lang|unr-Nagm|𞓛𞓟𞓭𞓨}} || ''Sūn''|| Zero
|-
| 𞓱 || {{lang|unr-Nagm|𞓧𞓐𞓡𞓫}} || ''Mod'''|| One
|-
| 𞓲 || {{lang|unr-Nagm|𞓗𞓕𞓭𞓫𞓣}}  ||  ''Bar''' || Two
|-
| 𞓳 || {{lang|unr-Nagm|𞓚𞓭𞓑𞓚𞓭}} || ''Āpī'' || Three
|-
| 𞓴 || {{lang|unr-Nagm|𞓟𞓑𞓟𞓫𞓨}}  || ''Upun''' || four
|-
| 𞓵 || {{lang|unr-Nagm|𞓧𞓐𞓥𞓤}} || ''Moñe'' || Five
|-
| 𞓶 || {{lang|unr-Nagm|𞓝𞓟𞓣𞓚𞓭}}  || ''Turī'' || Six
|-
| 𞓷 || {{lang|unr-Nagm|𞓤𞓓𞓕𞓭}}  || ''Eyā'' || Seven
|-
| 𞓸 || {{lang|unr-Nagm|𞓚𞓣𞓕𞓡𞓒}}  || ''Irāl''' || Eight
|-
| 𞓹 || {{lang|unr-Nagm|𞓕𞓣𞓤}}  || ''Āre'' || Nine
|-
| 𞓱𞓰 || {{lang|unr-Nagm|𞓦𞓤𞓒}} || ''Gel'' || Ten
|}
 
==Sample text==
The following text is Article 1 of the [[Universal Declaration of Human Rights]], written in Mundari Bani:{{efn|a suitable Unicode font may be required for proper viewing}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://omniglot.com/writing/mundaribani.htm |title=Mundari Bani Alphabet |website=Omniglot.com |access-date=30 January 2023}}</ref><br>
=== Mundari Script ===
{{Block indent|{{lang|unr-Nagm|𞓝𞓐𞓨𞓐𞓗-𞓱: 𞓛𞓐𞓗𞓤𞓨 𞓞𞓐𞓪𞓐 𞓢𞓐𞓢𞓤𞓮 𞓧𞓕𞓨𞓕𞓣𞓔 𞓐𞓜𞓐𞓙 𞓐𞓢𞓝𞓚𞓓𞓕𞓣 𞓢𞓐𞓣𞓤𞓓𞓕𞓦 𞓑𞓕𞓚𞓝𞓚 𞓗𞓕𞓗𞓐𞓝 𞓣𞓤 𞓖𞓐𞓨𞓐𞓧 𞓖𞓐𞓣𞓐𞓔𞓤𞓝𞓤 𞓕𞓡𞓕𞓨𞓕𞓡 𞓐𞓜𞓐𞓦 𞓗𞓐𞓣𞓕𞓗𞓐𞓣𞓚 𞓨𞓕𞓧𞓕𞓢𞓕𞓨𞓕. 𞓚𞓨𞓢𞓟𞓦𞓢𞓤 𞓛𞓤𞓥𞓕 𞓐𞓜𞓐𞓦 𞓖𞓚𞓮𞓭 𞓑𞓤𞓪𞓤𞓦 𞓖𞓚𞓭𞓟𞓣𞓤𞓓𞓕𞓙 𞓤𞓨𞓤𞓧𞓢𞓐 𞓨𞓕𞓧𞓕𞓢𞓕𞓨𞓕 𞓐𞓜𞓐𞓙 𞓚𞓨𞓢𞓟𞓙 𞓒𞓐𞓙𞓝𞓤 𞓞𞓕𞓦𞓤𞓓𞓕 𞓗𞓐𞓓𞓕 𞓒𞓤𞓢𞓕 𞓖𞓕𞓦𞓕𞓣 𞓗𞓕𞓢𞓕𞓝𞓚𞓘𞓕𞓙.}}}}
=== Romanisation ===
{{Block indent|{{translit|unr|ISO|Tonob-Mod: Soben hoḷo kokew manarng oḍoḥ oktiyar koreyag paiti babot re jonom jorongete adanad oḍog borabori namakana. Inkugke seṇa oḍog jīw peḷeg jī ureyaḥ enemko namakana oḍoḥ inkuḥ loḥte hageya boya leka jagar bakatiñaḥ.}}}}
=== IPA Transcription ===
{{Block indent|{{IPA|t̪onob-mod̪: soben hoɽo kokeʷ manaraŋ oɖoʔ okt̪iaːra koreʔ pait̪i-baːbat̪a re d͡ʑanama d͡ʑoroŋɡʔet̪e ahɖaːnaɖa oɽoo baraːbariː namaː kanaː. inku ke seŋɽãː oɽoo-d͡ʑiʷː peɽeː, d͡ʑiːu reʔ enemako namaː kanaː oɽoo inku looːt̪e haɡeaː-woaː lekaː d͡ʑaɡar bakat̪iɲaʔ.}}}}
=== Translation ===
{{Block indent|'''Article 1:''' All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.}}
 
==Unicode==
{{main|Nag Mundari (Unicode block)}}
The Mundari Bani alphabet was added to the [[Unicode]] Standard in September, 2022 with the release of version {{Unicode version|version=15}}.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://www.unicode.org/versions/Unicode15.0.0/ch24.pdf|title=The Unicode Standard|version=15.0.0|publisher=The Unicode Consortium|isbn=978-1-936213-32-0|date=2022}}</ref>
The Unicode block is called Nag Mundari (U+1E4D0–U+1E4FF):
{{Unicode chart Nag Mundari}}


== Notes ==
{{notelist}}
==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


[[Category:Writing systems of Asia]]
==Sources==
* {{cite book |editor-last=Anderson |editor-first=Gregory D.S |date=2008 |title=The Munda languages |series=Routledge Language Family Series 3 |location=New York |publisher=Routledge |isbn=0-415-32890-X}}
==Further reading==
* {{cite book|last1=Osada|first1=Toshiki|title=The Munda Languages|chapter=Mundari|place=New York|publisher=Routledge|date=2008|isbn=0-415-32890-X|pages=99–164}}
 
==External links==
*[https://fonts.google.com/ Noto Sans Nag Mundari] - A free Mundari Bani Unicode font that harmonises with other fonts of the [[Noto fonts|Noto font family]]
*[https://www.omniglot.com/writing/mundaribani.htm Mundari script at Omniglot.com]
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Alphabets]]
[[Category:Munda scripts]]
[[Category:Constructed scripts]]
[[Category:1982 introductions]]
[[Category:Writing systems introduced in the 1980s]]

Latest revision as of 15:04, 13 March 2026


Mundari Bani
𞓧𞓟𞓨𞓜𞓕𞓣𞓚 𞓗𞓕𞓨𞓚
'Mundari' in Mundari Bani Script
Script type
CreatorRohidas Singh Nag
Created1982
Time period
1982 to present
DirectionLeft to Right
RegionIndia
LanguagesMundari
Related scripts
Parent systems
Original invention
  • Mundari Bani
Unicode
Unicode alias
Template:ISO 15924 alias
U+1E4D0–U+1E4FF Nag Mundari
 This article contains phonetic transcriptions in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA. For the distinction between [ ], / / and ⟨ ⟩, see IPA § Brackets and transcription delimiters.

Template:Writing systems in India Mundari Bani (Script error: The function "langx" does not exist.) also known as Nag Mundari (Script error: The function "langx" does not exist.) and Mundari Bani Hisir , or the Mundari alphabet, is the writing system created for the Mundari language, spoken in eastern India. Mundari is an Austroasiatic language. Mundari Bani has 27 letters and five diacritics, the forms of which are intended to evoke natural shapes. The script is written from left to right.

Community elder and author Rohidas Singh Nag invented and published in late 1980 the alphabetic writing system Mundari Bani, which has seen limited but increasing use in literature, education, and computing.

History[edit | edit source]

Rohidas Singh Nag started designing the initial characters of Mundari bani in 1949 while in grade school, which he wrote on the walls using clay.[1][2] By 1953 he had finished a set of 35 characters. He further simplified the alphabet in 1980 by reducing it to 27 alphabetical characters. In 2008 Bharat Munda Samaj, Mundari Samaj Sanwar Jamda and Nag reformed the script in styling and adding glyphs. Since then, fonts were developed using this standard.

Rohidas Singh Nag, creator of Mundari Bani script

Nag presented the alphabet in the 1980s to then-Chief Minister of Odisha Janaki Ballabh Patnaik and submitted a memorandum to recognize the Munda language constitutionally. Nag along with others submitted a memorandum to the then president of India in 1999 appealing again for the constitutional recognition. "Mundari Samaj Sanwar Jamda", a social organisation of the Munda community based in Poda Astia, Mayurbhanj has been demanding to incorporate the Munda language in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of India, to air Munda language through All India Radio, and establish a Munda language department at North Odisha University for higher studies on the basis of the writing system and literature.[3] The writing system has seen limited but increasing use in literature, education, and computing.

Alphabets[edit | edit source]

A Primer showing typical didactic presentation of Mundari Bani. The first section consists of five rows, each headed by a vowel, with the first letter of their names matching the vowel of the row. The second section is a collection of diacritics (Tong) that play a secondary phonetic role.[2]

Unlike the Brahmic abugidas (such as Devanagari, Bengali, or Odia), Mundari Bani is a true alphabet. The script is unicameral, designed to accommodate the unique phonetic features of Austroasiatic Munda languages, such as checked consonants and heavy vowel sequences, while using diacritics and digraphs to adapt to Indo-Aryan loanwords.

Since the 2008 edits, it consists of 27 distinct letters and 5 diacritical marks, written from left to right, where consonants do not possess an inherent vowel. Their names follow traditional naming schemes.[2]

Mundari Alphabet
( [𞓗𞓕𞓨𞓚 𞓧𞓟𞓨𞓡𞓚] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized script: nagm for code: unr (help) Bani Mundi )
Letter Mundari Name Romanised Name Transliteration IPA[4]
ALA-LC Zide[4] Deva. Beng. Odia
Template:Huge [𞓐] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized script: nagm for code: unr (help) O o /ɔ/
Template:Huge [𞓐𞓑] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized script: nagm for code: unr (help) OP p p ପ୍ /p/
Template:Huge [𞓐𞓒] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized script: nagm for code: unr (help) OL l l ଲ୍ /l/
Template:Huge [𞓐𞓓] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized script: nagm for code: unr (help) OY y y / য় / /j/
Template:Huge [𞓐𞓔] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized script: nagm for code: unr (help) ONG ng /ŋ/
Template:Huge [𞓕] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized script: nagm for code: unr (help) A ā a / / / /a/
Template:Huge [𞓕𞓖] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized script: nagm for code: unr (help) AJ j ଜ୍ /d͡ʑ/ , /ɟ/
Template:Huge [𞓕𞓗] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized script: nagm for code: unr (help) AB b ବ୍ /pʼ/ , /b/
Template:Huge [𞓕𞓘] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized script: nagm for code: unr (help) ANY ny ñ ଞ୍ /ɲ/
Template:Huge [𞓕𞓙] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized script: nagm for code: unr (help) AH h /ʔ/ , /h/
Template:Huge [𞓚] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized script: nagm for code: unr (help) I i i / / / /i/
Template:Huge [𞓚𞓛] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized script: nagm for code: unr (help) IS s s ସ୍ /s̪/
Template:Huge [𞓚𞓜] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized script: nagm for code: unr (help) IDD ଡ୍ /ɖ/
Template:Huge [𞓚𞓝] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized script: nagm for code: unr (help) IT t t ତ୍ /t̪/
Template:Huge [𞓚𞓞] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized script: nagm for code: unr (help) IH h (C)h ହ୍ /ʰ/ , /h/
Template:Huge [𞓟] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized script: nagm for code: unr (help) U u u / / / /u/
Template:Huge [𞓟𞓠] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized script: nagm for code: unr (help) UC ch c ଚ୍ /t͡ʃ/
Template:Huge [𞓟𞓡] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized script: nagm for code: unr (help) UD d ଦ୍ /tʼ/, /d̪/
Template:Huge [𞓟𞓢] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized script: nagm for code: unr (help) UK k k କ୍ /k/
Template:Huge [𞓟𞓣] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized script: nagm for code: unr (help) UR r r ର୍ /r/
Template:Huge [𞓤] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized script: nagm for code: unr (help) E e e /e/
Template:Huge [𞓤𞓥] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized script: nagm for code: unr (help) ENN ଣ୍ /ɳ/
Template:Huge [𞓤𞓦] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized script: nagm for code: unr (help) EG g ଗ୍ /g/
Template:Huge [𞓤𞓧] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized script: nagm for code: unr (help) EM m m ମ୍ /m/
Template:Huge [𞓤𞓨] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized script: nagm for code: unr (help) EN n n ନ୍ /n/
Template:Huge [𞓤𞓩] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized script: nagm for code: unr (help) ETT ଟ୍ /ʈ/
Template:Huge [𞓤𞓪] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized script: nagm for code: unr (help) ELL ṛ / ḷ ड़ / ড় ଡ଼ / /ɽ/, /ɭ/
Mundari Diacritics
( [𞓝𞓐𞓔] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized script: nagm for code: unr (help) Toṅ/Tong )
Letter Mundari Name Romanised Name Transliteration Function/IPA[4]
Deva. Beng. Odia
Template:Huge [𞓐𞓖𞓐𞓡] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized script: nagm for code: unr (help) OJOD ্‌ Modifies preceding consonant; check/gemination
Template:Huge [𞓧𞓟𞓬𞓞𞓐𞓣] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized script: nagm for code: unr (help) MUHOR / ্ঁ / / Vowel Nasalization /◌̃/
Template:Huge [𞓝𞓐𞓓𞓐𞓣] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized script: nagm for code: unr (help) TOYOR ◌ा ◌া ◌ା Vowel Lengthener /ː/
Template:Huge [𞓚𞓢𞓚𞓣] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized script: nagm for code: unr (help) IKIR ◌्व ◌্ব ◌୍ୱ Labialization /ʷ/
Template:Huge [𞓛𞓟𞓝𞓟𞓙] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized script: nagm for code: unr (help) SUTUH Nukta (for non-native sounds)

Vowels[edit | edit source]

Vowels are called Munu Bani (Script error: The function "langx" does not exist.) in Mundari. All vowels have long and short as well as nasalised allophones, but neither length nor nasality is contrastive. All vowels in open monosyllables are quantitatively longer than those in closed syllables.[5] The following table shows the five base vowel phonemes:

Mundari Vowel Inventory
([𞓧𞓟𞓨𞓟 𞓗𞓕𞓨𞓚] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized script: nagm for code: unr (help) Munu Bani)
Short Long
Front Central Back Front Central Back
Close /i/ 𞓚 i /u/ 𞓟 u // 𞓚𞓭 ī // 𞓟𞓭 ū
Mid /e/𞓤 e /o/ 𞓐 o // 𞓤𞓭 ē // 𞓐𞓭 ō
Open /a/ 𞓕 a // 𞓕𞓭 ā

In native Mundari grammar, vowels are categorised by phonetic length into short and long vowels. The five base vowel alphabets of the Mundari Bani script are:

Mundari Base Vowels
[𞓡𞓚𞓔𞓦𞓕𞓤𞓙 𞓧𞓟𞓨𞓟 𞓗𞓕𞓨𞓚] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized script: nagm for code: unr (help)
Dingaeḥ Munu Bani
Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter

Unlike Brahmic scripts, Mundari Bani lacks independent letters for long vowels. Instead, long vowels are formed by attaching the TOYOR ([◌𞓭] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized script: nagm for code: unr (help)) diacritic to a base vowel, but not all long vowels are demarcated, depending upon the scribe.

  • 𞓕 (/a/) + ◌𞓭𞓕𞓭 (/aː/)
  • Example 1: Mundari: [𞓐𞓪𞓕𞓭] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized script: nagm for code: unr (help), IPA: /oɽ.aː/ , Translation: House
  • Example 2: Mundari: [𞓗𞓚𞓭𞓔] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized script: nagm for code: unr (help), IPA: /biːŋ/ , Translation: Snake
Mundari Long Vowels
[𞓖𞓚𞓒𞓚𞓔 𞓧𞓟𞓨𞓟 𞓗𞓕𞓨𞓚] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized script: nagm for code: unr (help)
Jiliṅ Munu Bani
Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter

Loan Words[edit | edit source]

To denote the signature /O/ sound in the neighbouring Odia/Bengali language, the script uses [𞓐] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized script: nagm for code: unr (help) (/o/) with the SUTUH ([◌𞓯] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized script: nagm for code: unr (help)) diacritic.

Template:Letter

Nasalisation[edit | edit source]

Nasalisation in Mundari is represented by the MUHOR ([◌𞓬] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized script: nagm for code: unr (help)) diacritic. It attaches to the primary vowels or the final vowel in a cluster.

  • 𞓕 (/a/) + ◌𞓬𞓕𞓬 (/ã/)
  • Example 1: Mundari: 𞓝𞓟𞓕𞓬, IPA: /t̪uãː/ , Translation: Milk/Breast
  • Example 2: Mundari: [𞓧𞓟𞓬] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized script: nagm for code: unr (help) , IPA: /mũː/ , Translation: Nose

Vowels preceding or following nasal phonemes like /ŋ/, /ɲ/, /ṇ/, /ɳ/ and /m/ are also nasalised. [5] Native writers do not usually add the MUHOR ([◌𞓬] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized script: nagm for code: unr (help)) in these cases because, unlike the ONG ([𞓔] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized script: nagm for code: unr (help)) letter, which represents the nasal consonant /ŋ/, the MUHOR indicates the nasalisation of the vowel itself, crucial for distinguishing word pairs in native Munda vocabulary.

  • 𞓧 (/m/) + 𞓕 (/a/) → 𞓧𞓕 (/mã/)

Additionally, those following /ɟ/ are also nasalised.

  • 𞓖 (/ɟ/) + 𞓕 (/a/) → 𞓖𞓕 (/ɟã/)

Dipthongs[edit | edit source]

Mundari frequently uses sequences where two or three vowels follow each other without an intervening consonant. Unlike English diphthongs, they are treated as distinct syllables. Some common clusters are:

Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter

Vowel Absence[edit | edit source]

The absence of vowel phonemes in consonant clusters or after word-end consonants is marked by the absence of vowel letters. There is no halant to indicate a vowel negation as in Brahmic abugidas.

  • Example 1: Mundari: [𞓧𞓟𞓨𞓜𞓕𞓣𞓚] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized script: nagm for code: unr (help), IPA: /Muɳɖārī/ , Translation: Mundari (lang.)
  • Example 2: Mundari: [𞓗𞓟𞓒𞓟𞓔] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized script: nagm for code: unr (help), IPA: /buluŋ/ , Translation: Salt

Consonants[edit | edit source]

Basic Consonants[edit | edit source]

In Mundari, consonants are called Boja Bani (Script error: The function "langx" does not exist.). Mundari Bani represents consonants using 22 basic letters, plus one diacritic. They are organised into five clusters, each led by a primary vowel. The first letter of the consonant's name matches the primary vowel. These basic letters are:

Mundari consonants[2]
([𞓗𞓐𞓖𞓕 𞓗𞓕𞓨𞓚] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized script: nagm for code: unr (help) Boja Bani)
Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter
Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter
Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter
Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter
Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter

Because of centuries of contact with neighbouring eastern Indo-Aryan languages, specifically Bengali and Odia, dialects like Naguri and Kera have aspirated loan words. Because native Mundari lacks aspirated distinction, these aspirated phonemes are denoted by adding the /h/ letter (𞓞) to the consonant.

  • Example: 𞓢 (/k/) + 𞓞 (/h/) → 𞓢𞓞 (/kʰ/)

There are no conjunct forms or ligatures, and the letters do not change shape in compound syllables, unlike Brahmic abugidas. Mundari also lacks gemination.

Below is the consonant phonology of Mundari depicted using Mundari Bani, which encompasses native phonemes (basic consonants shown in red and unique phonemes in blue) and aspirated loan words (shown in green).

Mundari Consonant Inventory[6]
Stricture Occlusives Sonorants
Articulation Plosives & Affricates Nasal Approximant Fricative
Voicing Voiceless Voiced Checked
[note 1]
Voiced Voiceless Voiced
Aspiration
[note 2]
Unaspirated Aspirated Unaspirated Aspirated
Velar Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter
Palatal Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter
Alveolo-palatal
[note 3]
Template:Letter Template:Letter
Retroflex Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter
Dental Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter
Labial Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter
Glottal Template:Letter Template:Letter

Notes:

  1. Checked Consonants are a unique feature of the Munda language group wherein terminal /b/ and /d/ sounds are characterised by a simultaneous glottal closure and a faint nasal release.
  2. Native Mundari lacks aspirated distinction, but Naguri and Kera dialects include aspirated stops due to contact with Indo-Aryan languages. Unlike Brahmic abugidas, these sounds do not have a distinct glyph to represent them.
  3. The native phonemes for /tʃ/ and /dʒ/ are affricates, i.e. they start as a plosive and release immediately into a fricative, producing a "hissing" sound. Because of the variation between native pronunciation and dialects, the sound can become palatal in most cases and is speaker dependent.

Mundari grammar also categorises consonants into four categories according to their place of articulation:

  • Soft consonants (Script error: The function "langx" does not exist.)
Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter
  • Aspirated consonants (Script error: The function "langx" does not exist.)
Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter
  • Nasal consonants (Script error: The function "langx" does not exist.)
Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter
  • Unstructured consonants (Script error: The function "langx" does not exist.).
Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter

Aspirated stops[edit | edit source]

A unique feature of Mundari is the word-final /b/ and /d/, which may be pronounced as checked sounds /ˀb̥(ᵐ)/ or /ˀd̥(ⁿ)/. This is represented by placing the diacritic OJOD (𞓫) before the consonant.

Template:Letter Template:Letter
  • Example: Mundari: [𞓒𞓕𞓩𞓕𞓫𞓗] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized script: nagm for code: unr (help), IPA: /laʈaˀb/ , Translation: Scissors

However, the use of OJOD to denote aspirated stops is dependent on the scribe and is not universal.[2]

The Mundari /ʷ/ phoneme[edit | edit source]

The Mundari phoneme /w/ or /ʷ/ has two distinct forms of representation in Mundari Bani using the IKIR diacritic (◌𞓮):

  • Consonantal /ʷ/: A standalone glide used at the beginning of syllables.
Template:Letter Template:Letter
  • Vocalic /ʷ/: It is written by adding the IKIR to the vowel that follows to impart a labialized glide.
Template:Letter Template:Letter

/w/ never occurs in the initial position in Mundari,[7] but some use the IKIR in conjunction with vowel letters to write /wa/ or /wi/ syllables from other languages.

Template:Letter Template:Letter

Loan Words[edit | edit source]

Loan words are denoted with the diacritic SUTUH (◌𞓯) when transcribed. Phonemes like 'ẏ', 'ṛ', 'ṛh', 'ś' and 'ṣ', which are common in Indo-Aryan languages, are denoted using the Mundari equivalent with the (◌𞓯).

Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter
  • 𞓛𞓯 is used to denote both /ʂɔ/ and /ɕɔ/ phonemes. The reader is expected to understand from context which phoneme is being depicted, often the case when transcribing widely used loan words.

In many eastern Indian languages, the sounds for 'b' and 'v/w' are closely related or interchangeable. While native Mundari uses 𞓕𞓮 for the /w/ sound, 𞓗𞓯 is sometimes used in formal transliteration to represent the /ʋ/, which is lacking in native Mundari.

  • 𞓗 (/b/) + ◌𞓯𞓗𞓯 (/ʋ/)
Template:Letter

Numerals[edit | edit source]

Mundari Bani has its own set of decimal digits (0–9) that function identically to standard Western numerals.[8]

Mundari Digits
( [𞓒𞓤𞓨𞓤𞓢𞓕] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized script: nagm for code: unr (help) Leneka )
Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter


Below are the names of the base digits (0-10) rendered in Mundari Bani:

Numeral Mundari Transliteration Translation
𞓰 [𞓛𞓟𞓭𞓨] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized script: nagm for code: unr (help) Sūn Zero
𞓱 [𞓧𞓐𞓡𞓫] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized script: nagm for code: unr (help) Mod' One
𞓲 [𞓗𞓕𞓭𞓫𞓣] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized script: nagm for code: unr (help) Bar' Two
𞓳 [𞓚𞓭𞓑𞓚𞓭] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized script: nagm for code: unr (help) Āpī Three
𞓴 [𞓟𞓑𞓟𞓫𞓨] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized script: nagm for code: unr (help) Upun' four
𞓵 [𞓧𞓐𞓥𞓤] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized script: nagm for code: unr (help) Moñe Five
𞓶 [𞓝𞓟𞓣𞓚𞓭] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized script: nagm for code: unr (help) Turī Six
𞓷 [𞓤𞓓𞓕𞓭] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized script: nagm for code: unr (help) Eyā Seven
𞓸 [𞓚𞓣𞓕𞓡𞓒] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized script: nagm for code: unr (help) Irāl' Eight
𞓹 [𞓕𞓣𞓤] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized script: nagm for code: unr (help) Āre Nine
𞓱𞓰 [𞓦𞓤𞓒] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized script: nagm for code: unr (help) Gel Ten

Sample text[edit | edit source]

The following text is Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, written in Mundari Bani:[lower-alpha 1][9]

Mundari Script[edit | edit source]

[𞓝𞓐𞓨𞓐𞓗-𞓱: 𞓛𞓐𞓗𞓤𞓨 𞓞𞓐𞓪𞓐 𞓢𞓐𞓢𞓤𞓮 𞓧𞓕𞓨𞓕𞓣𞓔 𞓐𞓜𞓐𞓙 𞓐𞓢𞓝𞓚𞓓𞓕𞓣 𞓢𞓐𞓣𞓤𞓓𞓕𞓦 𞓑𞓕𞓚𞓝𞓚 𞓗𞓕𞓗𞓐𞓝 𞓣𞓤 𞓖𞓐𞓨𞓐𞓧 𞓖𞓐𞓣𞓐𞓔𞓤𞓝𞓤 𞓕𞓡𞓕𞓨𞓕𞓡 𞓐𞓜𞓐𞓦 𞓗𞓐𞓣𞓕𞓗𞓐𞓣𞓚 𞓨𞓕𞓧𞓕𞓢𞓕𞓨𞓕. 𞓚𞓨𞓢𞓟𞓦𞓢𞓤 𞓛𞓤𞓥𞓕 𞓐𞓜𞓐𞓦 𞓖𞓚𞓮𞓭 𞓑𞓤𞓪𞓤𞓦 𞓖𞓚𞓭𞓟𞓣𞓤𞓓𞓕𞓙 𞓤𞓨𞓤𞓧𞓢𞓐 𞓨𞓕𞓧𞓕𞓢𞓕𞓨𞓕 𞓐𞓜𞓐𞓙 𞓚𞓨𞓢𞓟𞓙 𞓒𞓐𞓙𞓝𞓤 𞓞𞓕𞓦𞓤𞓓𞓕 𞓗𞓐𞓓𞓕 𞓒𞓤𞓢𞓕 𞓖𞓕𞓦𞓕𞓣 𞓗𞓕𞓢𞓕𞓝𞓚𞓘𞓕𞓙.] Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized script: nagm for code: unr (help)

Romanisation[edit | edit source]

IPA Transcription[edit | edit source]

t̪onob-mod̪: soben hoɽo kokeʷ manaraŋ oɖoʔ okt̪iaːra koreʔ pait̪i-baːbat̪a re d͡ʑanama d͡ʑoroŋɡʔet̪e ahɖaːnaɖa oɽoo baraːbariː namaː kanaː. inku ke seŋɽãː oɽoo-d͡ʑiʷː peɽeː, d͡ʑiːu reʔ enemako namaː kanaː oɽoo inku looːt̪e haɡeaː-woaː lekaː d͡ʑaɡar bakat̪iɲaʔ.

Translation[edit | edit source]

Article 1: All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Unicode[edit | edit source]

The Mundari Bani alphabet was added to the Unicode Standard in September, 2022 with the release of version Template:Unicode version.[10] The Unicode block is called Nag Mundari (U+1E4D0–U+1E4FF): Template:Unicode chart Nag Mundari

Notes[edit | edit source]

  1. a suitable Unicode font may be required for proper viewing

References[edit | edit source]

  1. Know Your State West Bengal. Arihant Experts. 22 August 2019. p. 272. ISBN 9789313198017.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Wolf-Sonkin, Lawrence; Mandal, Biswajit (8 January 2021). "L2/21-031: Proposal to Encode the Mundari Bani Script in the Universal Character Set" (PDF). Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  3. "page no.96, Adivasi, A Journal of Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes Research and Training Institute (SCSTRTI)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 November 2016.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Zide, Norman (1996). Daniels, Peter T.; Bright, William (eds.). The World's Writing Systems. Oxford University Press, Inc. pp. 614-615. ISBN 978-0195079937.
  5. 5.0 5.1 Osada 2008, p. 100.
  6. Hoffmann, Johann (1903). Mundari Grammar. Bengal Secretariat Press. pp. 67–70. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  7. Osada 2008, p. 101.
  8. Singh, Birbal; Singh, Pahan Basanta Kumar (2017). Mundari Bhasa Shiskha: A Multilingual Education (Mundari-Odia-English-Hindi) (in English, Hindi, Mundari, and Odia). Academy of Tribal Languages and Culture. pp. 1–3. Retrieved 20 February 2025.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  9. "Mundari Bani Alphabet". Omniglot.com. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  10. The Unicode Standard (PDF). 15.0.0. The Unicode Consortium. 2022. ISBN 978-1-936213-32-0.

Sources[edit | edit source]

  • Anderson, Gregory D.S, ed. (2008). The Munda languages. Routledge Language Family Series 3. New York: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-32890-X.

Further reading[edit | edit source]

  • Osada, Toshiki (2008). "Mundari". The Munda Languages. New York: Routledge. pp. 99–164. ISBN 0-415-32890-X.

External links[edit | edit source]