Locale Kn 001

Reference data for the Kannada locale — endonym ಕನ್ನಡ, written in the Kannada script, left-to-right (LTR).

Identifiers

• BCP 47 tag: kn-001
• ISO 639-1: kn
• ISO 639-3: kan
• Script: Knda (Kannada)
• Region: 001 (World)
• Text direction: ltr — left-to-right (LTR)

Speakers (approximate)

• L1 (native): 44,000,000
• L2 (additional): 15,000,000
• L1+L2 (total): 59,000,000

Regional variants

This is the base/macro locale for Kannada. Region-specific variants in this dataset:

• Locale Kn in (Kannada (India))

Pluralization

CLDR plural categories for this locale: one, other (2 forms).

• one — i = 0 or n = 1 (e.g. 0, 1)
• other — everything else (e.g. 2~17, 100, 1000, 10000, …)

See Unicode Messageformat for writing plural messages using these categories.

Translating into this locale

Kannada (ಕನ್ನಡ) is a Dravidian language of Karnataka, written in the Kannada script. It is agglutinative and subject-object-verb. See Locale Kn in.

Translate ideas, not words.

• Kannada attaches case suffixes, postpositions, and tense/person endings to stems. Reorder and restructure English sentences; do not translate word for word.
• Written Kannada differs from spoken Kannada (the literary style versus colloquial style). Use the standard written style in UI, official text, and documentation; use colloquial forms only in informal marketing.
• Accept established English loans written in Kannada script (ಫೈಲ್, ಪಾಸ್‌ವರ್ಡ್, ಆ್ಯಪ್) but use Kannada terms from the Kannada Development Authority when the term is established.
• Re-express idioms by meaning.

Grammar that trips translators.

• Nouns are masculine, feminine, or neuter in third-person forms (gender is marked on pronouns and verbs, not on nouns). Use the neuter for things.
• Verbs agree with the subject in person, number, and gender; use the right honorific plural.
• Postpositions and case endings follow nouns: ಅನ್ನು (accusative), ಗೆ (dative), ಇಂದ (ablative), ಅಲ್ಲಿ (locative).

Register.

• "ನೀವು" is the polite or plural "you" and is used in UI and public text; "ನೀನು" is informal; use "ನೀವು" with plural verb endings.
• UI commands use the polite imperative ("ಉಳಿಸಿ", "ಆಯ್ಕೆಮಾಡಿ") or the infinitive.

Orthography and typography.

• Use Unicode Kannada with correct virama and ZWJ/ZWNJ handling; the conjunct ordering is strict.
• Punctuation: Western punctuation with a period; digits in Kannada (೦-೯) or Arabic (UI); currency ₹; Indian grouping; dates DD/MM/YYYY.
• Spelling follows the standard dictionaries of the Kannada Sahitya Parishat.

Common pitfalls

• Using the spoken-language style in formal text.
• Wrong agreement or honorific plural.
• Incorrect conjunct or virama sequences.
• Transliterating English terms where an established Kannada term exists.

Learn more

• Locale for BCP 47 identifiers, locale-sensitive formatting, pluralization, and text-direction concepts that apply across all locales.
• Unicode Messageformat for writing plural/selection messages correctly for this locale's grammar.
• Microsoft Localization Style Guides for Indian languages (https://learn.microsoft.com/globalization/reference/microsoft-style-guides)
• Kannada Development Authority and Kannada Sahitya Parishat