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Unicode to Nudi: fixing Kannada text in designs
Why Kannada text becomes "junk" letters in design software, and how to convert it correctly.
If you have ever copied Kannada text from WhatsApp, Google or an AI tool into CorelDRAW or PageMaker and seen it turn into boxes or meaningless English letters, you have met the difference between Unicode Kannada and Nudi (ASCII-based) Kannada.
Two ways of storing Kannada letters
Unicode is the modern international standard. Every Kannada letter has its own code, so the same text displays correctly on phones, websites, Google Docs and in any Unicode Kannada font. Text from WhatsApp, Gmail, Google Translate and AI tools is always Unicode.
Nudi fonts (developed by Kannada Ganaka Parishat, used widely in Karnataka government offices and printing presses) and older Baraha fonts use an earlier trick: they place Kannada letter shapes on top of English keyboard codes. The file actually stores English characters, and only the special font makes them look like Kannada. That is why the same text shows as random letters when the font is missing, and why Unicode text does not show correctly in a Nudi font.
Why printers still use Nudi
Many DTP centres keep large libraries of ready designs, fonts and habits built around Nudi and Baraha fonts, and some older design software does not shape Unicode Kannada correctly (the vowel signs and ottaksharas appear in the wrong place). So in practice, Kannada text often has to be converted from Unicode to Nudi before it is placed in a design.
Converting with JUST NODU
- Open your design in the JUST NODU editor, or start a new one.
- Paste or type the Kannada text. If it came from a phone, an AI tool or a website, it is Unicode.
- Select the text and choose ಕ Kannada Unicode → Nudi (in the Text menu, or the button that appears when Kannada text is selected). The letters, vowel signs and conjuncts (ottaksharas) are rearranged into the order Nudi fonts expect, and a matching Nudi font is applied; size and position stay the same.
- Check the result carefully, especially words with ottaksharas and the "ರ" (arkavattu) forms. Nudi → Unicode converts the other way, for example to reuse text from an old design on a website.
Checking the result
- Read the converted text slowly. Automatic conversion handles common words well, but rare conjuncts can need a manual correction.
- Keep a Unicode copy of your text. Unicode is the safest format for storing and searching text; convert to Nudi only for the final design.
- For websites, social media and documents, stay with Unicode; Nudi text pasted there will look broken to everyone else.