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
Know someone who should play? Each card has a ready message. Edit it, then share, send on WhatsApp or copy it anywhere.
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 situations everyone in Karnataka knows, like traffic, rain and filter coffee, never about who people are. 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.
Just for fun, with respect for all
Kannada Kali is a light-hearted game made to celebrate Kannada and Karnataka and to help people learn the language. Everything in it is meant to be fun and educational. None of it is meant to hurt, mock, stereotype or disrespect any person, profession, community, caste, region, dialect, language, religion or belief.
- People and professions. Characters such as Auto Anna, the conductor, the shopkeeper or the coffee planter are friendly, made-up cartoons, not real people. Auto-rickshaw drivers, bus crews, vendors and farmers keep Karnataka moving, and the game treats them as the heroes of everyday life. The "put the meter on" mission is about a phrase every newcomer needs, not a comment on drivers.
- Animals. Cows, dogs, leeches, birds and other animals appear as playful obstacles. The cow is never harmed: the game teaches you to wait for her. No animal was or should be hurt because of this game.
- Vehicles, traffic and places. Autos, buses, the Metro, potholes and Silk Board traffic are gentle jokes about city life that Bengalureans make about themselves. Landmarks such as Vidhana Soudha, Mysuru Palace, Hampi and Gol Gumbaz are shown with admiration, in a simplified pixel style.
- The flag and colours. The yellow and red colours stand for the Kannada Rajyotsava flag and are used only to celebrate the language and its people.
- Temples, faith and festivals. Places of worship and festivals appear only as part of Karnataka's heritage, shown with respect. The game takes no side on any religion or belief.
- Words and dialects. Phrases are simplified for beginners. Kannada differs across Bengaluru, Mysuru, the coast, North Karnataka and beyond, and every way of speaking it is equally valued. Where we show a dialect, it is to celebrate it.
- Game actions. Jumping on enemies, honking, dodging and racing are classic arcade actions, not things to try in real life. Please follow traffic rules and be kind on the road.
- No affiliation. Kannada Kali is an independent fan project. It is not connected with, or endorsed by, the Government of Karnataka, BMTC, KSRTC, Namma Metro (BMRCL), any film, brand or organisation. Names of places, services and brands are used only to describe them, and belong to their owners.
If anything in the game feels hurtful or wrong to you, please tell us. We read every message, and we will fix or remove it quickly.
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 Bhasha. If it helps people, we hope to make the same kind of game for more Indian languages.