About Kannada Kali
ಬನ್ನಿ, ಕನ್ನಡ ಕಲಿಯೋಣ!
Come, let's learn Kannada! Kannada Kali is a free retro pixel game that teaches the Kannada you actually hear on the street, at the darshini and in the auto, one Karnataka level at a time.
ಕಲಿ (kali) means "learn!", and it also means "a brave warrior". Picking up a new language takes a little courage, so every learner here is a ಕಲಿ.
Why we made it
Every year, lakhs of people move to Bengaluru and the rest of Karnataka for study and work. Many would love to speak a few words of Kannada but don't know where to start. Textbooks feel like homework, and it's hard to practise when everyone switches to English or Hindi the moment you try.
We think a language is easiest to learn when it's fun, useful from day one, and a little bit silly. So we turned it into a game you can play in five minutes on your phone, in the metro or while waiting for your filter coffee.
Who it's for
Learn greetings, numbers, directions, food and the art of getting the auto meter on. Start with ನಮಸ್ಕಾರ and work your way up to ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಕನ್ನಡ ಬರುತ್ತೆ ("I know a little Kannada").
Play for the nostalgia, the easter eggs and the Silk Board jokes, then send it to the colleague, flatmate or neighbour who keeps asking you to teach them. Sharing your language is the best welcome there is.
Children growing up outside Karnataka can explore Mysuru, Hampi, Kodagu and the coast, and come back with new words for their grandparents.
How it works
- Seven worlds across Karnataka: Bengaluru, Mysuru, Kodagu, the Karavali coast, Hampi, Vijayapura–Badami and Hubballi–Dharwad, plus secret levels for explorers. See every phrase.
- Words in every level: hit the ? blocks to collect everyday phrases with meaning and pronunciation, and tap 🔊 to hear them.
- Missions: at the end of each level, help someone by picking the right Kannada reply.
- Padakosha: your personal word book of everything you've learned, to revise anytime.
- Word of the day: one new word for everyone, every day, easy to share in your WhatsApp groups.
- Silk Board Rush: a bonus game that tests the words you learned while you dodge buses, cows and potholes.
You can play everything without an account. Sign in with Google only if you want to save your progress and join the leaderboards.
Our promise
- Free to play, on any phone, with no app to install.
- Respectful: the jokes are about traffic and filter coffee, never about people. Kannada is taught with pride and warmth.
- Spoken first: we teach the everyday spoken Kannada of Bengaluru and Karnataka, and note when it differs from the formal written form.
Help us make it better
Kannada changes from Mysuru to Mangaluru to Kalaburagi, and we'd love your help to get it right. Spot a wrong word, have a favourite phrase we should add, or want to bring Kannada Kali to your college, office or apartment community? Write to us.
Kannada Kali is the first game from BashaX. If it helps people, we hope to make the same kind of game for more Indian languages.