TypingHindi keyboard layouts: InScript, typewriter and phonetic
A beginner who wants to type Hindi quickly finds that there is more than one keyboard for it. The same physical keys can be set to type Hindi in several different arrangements. This page explains the three families and helps you choose.
First, fonts: Unicode and the older fonts
Two different technologies sit under Hindi typing, and they explain most of the confusion.
- Unicode is the modern standard. Each Hindi letter has its own code, the same on every computer and phone. Text typed in Unicode can be emailed, searched, posted on a website and opened anywhere. Fonts such as Mangal and Nirmala UI are Unicode fonts.
- Older non-Unicode fonts store Hindi shapes in the places meant for English letters. The file really contains English characters, and it looks like Hindi only while that particular font is applied. Send it to a computer without the font and it shows as meaningless English letters. Kruti Dev is the best known font of this kind.
Everything on this site is Unicode.
InScript
InScript is the standard layout for Indian scripts. It is the Hindi keyboard that comes built into Windows, and other systems offer it too. It types Unicode.
little finger ring middle index (left hand: keys on the left half; right hand: the right half; thumbs: space bar)
Small grey letter: the key's English label. Large: what it types. Top corner: with Shift.
Its plan is logical. Vowel signs are on the left hand and consonants on the right. A key alone gives the plain letter, and Shift gives its partner: the full vowel for a vowel sign, the aspirated consonant for a consonant. You type in the order you speak.
Good points. It is a standard, so it is the same everywhere. The same plan is used for other Indian scripts, so learning Punjabi or Gujarati typing afterwards is easy. It needs no extra software.
Difficult points. The letters have no link to the English letters printed on the keys, so it must be learnt from the beginning.
The typewriter layout
Hindi typewriters had their own arrangement of keys long before computers, often called the Remington layout after the typewriter maker. People trained on typewriters carried it to computers, mostly with the older fonts described above. Versions that produce Unicode text exist as well.
Good points. Anyone trained on a Hindi typewriter already knows it. Some offices and printing work still use it.
Difficult points. It follows the shapes of the letters, not their sounds. Half letters have their own keys, and some letters are built from two pieces. It usually needs extra software or particular fonts to be installed, and there are several versions that differ on some keys.
Phonetic typing
In phonetic typing, also called transliteration, you type the sound in English letters and the computer converts it. Typing namaste gives नमस्ते. Many phone keyboards and some computer tools work this way.
Good points. There is nothing to learn if you already type English. It is quick for chat and short messages.
Difficult points. The tool has to guess, and it sometimes guesses the wrong spelling, so you must watch and choose from suggestions. That limits speed and accuracy on long documents. It is generally not what a formal typing test uses.
Which one should you learn?
| Your situation | A sensible choice |
|---|---|
| A typing test or examination | The layout named in the official notice. Read it before you start practising. |
| Office work in Unicode, long documents | InScript |
| Already trained on a Hindi typewriter | The typewriter layout, in a Unicode version if possible |
| Chat, social media, a few lines now and then | Phonetic typing |
| Starting from nothing, no particular need | InScript |
The most important row is the first. Examination notices commonly say which layouts are allowed and which font will be on the test computer. The layouts are so different that speed in one does not carry over to another. Check before you put in weeks of practice.
Why this site teaches InScript
We teach InScript because it is the standard, it comes with the computer, and we could check every key against the layout that Windows itself uses. The keyboard charts in our Hindi lessons were read directly from Windows, key by key. We do not have lessons for the typewriter layout, because its versions differ and we could not check them against an official source.
Can you switch later?
Yes, but it costs time. The finger habits of one layout get in the way of another for a few weeks. It is better to choose once, with your real need in mind, and then practise only that layout.
This is an independent practice site. It is not connected with any examination body, keyboard maker or software company. A typing speed measured here is for your own practice. It is not a certificate, and an examination may measure speed in its own way.