Now, a simple tool to learn Kannada

A new platform that will help one learn Kannada was launched last month. 

Whitefield resident Shantanu Goel built the platform and started using it early January. He posted about ‘Learn Kannada One Phrase at a Time’ on X and opened it for the public last week. 

It took Goel about four weeks to create the website. The software engineering lead used various sources to create translations for the tool.

“The data was primarily sourced from the book ‘Spoken Kannada’, promoted by the state government. I also check with my Kannadiga friends about phrases that are colloquially used,” he says.

Goel, who moved to Bengaluru from Hyderabad in 2019, wanted to improve his “Kannada speaking skills to integrate better into the city”. It was hard to stay regular while learning through books or classes, which inspired him to create the tool.

The platform provides a new word or phrase on a daily basis. These prompts are also sent via email to subscribers at the end of the week. The prompts include ‘Nimma hesaru eenu?’ (what is your name?), ‘Namaskaraa’ (good morning/hi/hello), ‘Neevu yaaru?’ (who are you?), among others. It also features audio for each phrase, and a practice mode that hides the Kannada words. So far, the platform has
530 email subscribers and has received 5,500 visitors. 

Looking ahead

Goel plans to include more topics and situation-oriented conversations in the future, such as conversations at a shop or while hailing or travelling in an auto. He also plans to add a search option to check prompts for specific topics and situations. 

The website also mentions upcoming features ‘Personalized Journey’ and ‘Mobile App’. “The former will allow one to check their learning curve, and bookmark phrases they want to return to,” he says. The mobile app will offer easy and faster access to learn the prompts and get notifications for daily prompts, he adds.

For details, visit kannada.shantanugoel.com