Script guide › Brahmic / Indic
Bengali vs Hindi / Nepali (Devanagari)
Bengali and Hindi / Nepali (Devanagari) sit in the same corner of the writing-system map — Grafle's Brahmic / Indic group — and players mix them up constantly. Here's the fastest way to tell them apart.
The tell
Both hang from a top bar — Bengali's letters below it are angular, with little left-pointing triangles and hooks; Devanagari's are rounder and boxier.
Side by side
Bengali
সমস্ত মানুষ স্বাধীনভাবে সমান মর্যাদা নিয়ে জন্মগ্রহণ করে।
নমস্কার, আপনি কেমন আছেন?
বাংলা একটি মিষ্টি ভাষা।
Bengali's own tells
- Has a top bar like Devanagari, but the letters below are more angular and triangular with hooks and tails.
On signs in:
- Bangladesh
- India
Hindi / Nepali (Devanagari)
सभी मनुष्य जन्म से स्वतंत्र और समान हैं।
नमस्ते, आप कैसे हैं?
सत्यमेव जयते।
Hindi / Nepali (Devanagari)'s own tells
- A continuous horizontal bar runs along the top, connecting the letters into words.
On signs in:
- India
- Nepal