The Ultimate Guide to Kannada Fonts: ASCII vs. Unicode
A deep dive into why legacy fonts like Nudi exist, why they show up as English gibberish on modern devices, and why Unicode is the global standard.
Nudi to Unicode Converter
Convert Kannada text from Nudi or Baraha ASCII encoding to Unicode instantly — or reverse it from Unicode back to Nudi ASCII. The fastest unicode converter kannada tool available online.
- Free
- No Signup
- Nudi + Baraha
Last updated:
How it works
Paste your text
Drop your Nudi or Baraha ASCII text into the input box. It usually looks like jumbled Latin letters and symbols until the right font is applied.
Pick encoding and direction
Choose whether the source is Nudi or Baraha, and set the direction — Nudi → Unicode for modern apps, or Unicode → Nudi for legacy DTP files.
Copy or download the output
Read the Unicode Kannada in the output box, then copy it or download a .txt file — ready for the web, Wikipedia, WhatsApp, Google Docs and Word.
Worked examples
| Scenario | Calculation | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Document A — newspaper copy | Nudi ASCII article → Nudi → Unicode | Searchable, indexable nudi unicode that renders on any browser without needing to download a special font. |
| Document B — government DTP file | PageMaker Nudi text → Nudi → Unicode | Clean Unicode you can paste into Word or export to a PDF. It acts like a perfect tunga to nudi converter alternative. |
| User C — Wikipedia editor | Legacy Kannada content → Nudi → Unicode | Standards-compliant Unicode ready to paste into Wikipedia. A much smoother workflow than relying solely on older aravindavk sanka tools from the past. |
| Document D — Baraha typing | Baraha ASCII notes → Baraha → Unicode | Unicode Kannada with long-vowel matras (aa, ee, oo) resolved to ಾ, ೀ, ೂ. Easily convert to nudi again if needed. |
| User E — legacy print workflow | Unicode Kannada → Unicode → Nudi | ASCII Nudi text you can pour back into PageMaker or InDesign templates that expect the nudi converter to unicode formats. |
Conversion reference
| Nudi Key | Unicode Char | Unicode Point | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | ಅ | U+0C85 | Vowel a (short) |
| B | ಆ | U+0C86 | Vowel aa (long) |
| E | ಇ | U+0C87 | Vowel i (short) |
| F | ಈ | U+0C88 | Vowel ii (long) |
| U | ಉ | U+0C89 | Vowel u (short) |
| k | ಕ | U+0C95 | Consonant ka |
| g | ಗ | U+0C97 | Consonant ga |
| c | ಚ | U+0C9A | Consonant cha |
| t | ತ | U+0CA4 | Consonant ta |
| d | ದ | U+0CA6 | Consonant da |
| n | ನ | U+0CA8 | Consonant na |
| p | ಪ | U+0CAA | Consonant pa |
| b | ಬ | U+0CAC | Consonant ba |
| m | ಮ | U+0CAE | Consonant ma |
| s | ಸ | U+0CB8 | Consonant sa |
| h | ಹ | U+0CB9 | Consonant ha |
| ¸ | ್ | U+0CCD | Halant / virama — joins consonants into conjuncts |
| ~ | ಂ | U+0C82 | Anusvara — nasal sound |
| : | ಃ | U+0C83 | Visarga |
| | | । | U+0964 | Danda — full stop |
Quick facts
- The Kannada Unicode block (U+0C80–U+0CFF) holds 128 code points covering every letter, sign and digit for seamless nudi to unicode conversion.
- Nudi is the standard Kannada software issued by the Government of Karnataka. Our nudi 4 to nudi 6 converter logic ensures total compatibility.
- Kannada is the official language of Karnataka. Millions of users rely on an aravind converter or similar tools like sanka in kannada to manage text.
- Nudi ASCII is a font hack. Convert your ascii to unicode kannada format to make it instantly readable everywhere.
- Unicode text is searchable and indexable; legacy ASCII Nudi is not. Tools by aravinda vk, like the sanka unicode project, highlighted this need.
- Kannada uses its own digits ೦–೯ (U+0CE6–U+0CEF). Unlike traditional unicode ascii converter software, our online tool correctly maps these.
From the blog
View all →Frequently asked questions
To convert Nudi font to Unicode, paste your ASCII Nudi text into the input box and select 'Nudi → Unicode'. The converter instantly maps every Nudi key to its true Kannada Unicode code point. This online nudi to unicode converter handles the heavy lifting, giving you standard Kannada unicode text.
If you need to convert unicode to nudi, simply select the 'Unicode → Nudi' option. Paste your modern Kannada text and our tool will reverse the mapping, producing ASCII Nudi text. This nudi converter to unicode also works beautifully as a unicode to nudi font converter for legacy workflows.
Yes! Tunga is a standard Unicode font in Windows. Since our tool converts any Kannada Unicode text, you can use it as a Tunga to Nudi converter or vice versa. Just paste your text from Word or Excel, and we'll handle the unicode to nudi conversion.
Both are ASCII-based Kannada encodings (aski). Baraha uses double Latin vowels (aa, ee, oo) while Nudi relies on shifted keys. Use our baraha to nudi converter to easily switch between formats by first converting to Unicode.
Sanka (ಸಕ) is another well-known open-source nudi to unicode converter built by Aravinda VK (aravindavk). Like the Sanka converter, our tool provides an elegant, fast, and free way to perform Kannada ascii to unicode conversions.
You don't need to download any software! This is a fast, free nudi to unicode converter online. It works entirely in your browser without requiring any installation, making convert unicode to nudi tasks completely seamless.
If you're using our kannada converter and things look broken, check the source text. Make sure you selected the correct source encoding (Nudi or Baraha). If you need anki sanki, nudi translate, or unicode ascii converter features, double-check your initial text formatting.
Once you convert nudi to unicode, the resulting Kannada unicode fonts can be copied straight into Wikipedia or any website. Because the output is standard 'to unicode' text, it remains searchable and accessible everywhere.
If you have legacy files, you can easily convert PageMaker Nudi text to Unicode by copying the unreadable text from PageMaker, pasting it into our tool, selecting 'Nudi', and copying the resulting Kannada Unicode text. You can then paste it directly into modern software like MS Word or InDesign.
If you are experiencing a 'Kannada font not readable in mobile/web' fix issue, the document was likely created in ASCII Nudi instead of standard Unicode. Mobile devices cannot render these older fonts. Run the text through our free online Kannada ASCII to Unicode tool to permanently fix the gibberish.
Yes! Our site serves as a completely free online Kannada ASCII to Unicode tool. It requires no downloads or sign-ups, and instantly maps both Nudi and Baraha ASCII text to universal Kannada Unicode.