What is Rohingyalish?
Rohingyalish is a Latin-alphabet writing system for the Rohingya language. It was designed to allow Rohingya speakers to write their language on standard keyboards and smartphones without needing special fonts or input methods. The name combines “Rohingya” and “English,” reflecting its Latin-script basis.
Why was Rohingyalish created?
Before smartphones and Unicode, Rohingya speakers communicating digitally faced a practical problem: neither the Hanifi script (which requires a specific font and keyboard) nor the Fonna script (which requires Arabic rendering) was easily typeable on standard devices.
Rohingyalish solved this by mapping Rohingya sounds to Latin letters and digraphs that can be typed on any QWERTY keyboard.
How Rohingyalish works
Rohingyalish uses a consistent spelling system where each Rohingya sound is represented by a specific Latin letter or combination of letters.
Key features:
- Uses the standard letters A–Z plus two special letters: ç (a rolled retroflex “r”) and ñ (nasal sound)
- c is always pronounced “sh” — cúkuria (thank you) is “shoo-kuria”
- Accents mark stress: ful (bridge) vs fúl (flower) — the accented syllable is said harder and higher
- Doubled vowels are long (maa = mother) and doubled consonants are held longer (ekkán = one)
- Seven dual consonants: dh, th, kh, ch, ts, ñg, ñy — h makes the sound thick, s makes it thin, ñ makes it nasal
- Written left to right, like English
Example text
| English | Rohingyalish |
|---|---|
| Hello / Peace be upon you | Assalamu alaikum |
| Thank you | Tuáñre cúkuria |
| Water | faní |
| Are you well? | Bála aso ne? |
| I am fine | Aññí bála asi |
Where is Rohingyalish used?
Rohingyalish is the dominant script for:
- WhatsApp and SMS messages between Rohingya speakers
- Social media posts (Facebook, TikTok)
- Informal written communication
It is less commonly used for formal documents, books, or official materials, where Hanifi is preferred.
Typing Rohingyalish
Since Rohingyalish mostly uses standard Latin letters, it can be typed on any phone or computer. The special characters (á, é, í, ó, ú, ñ, ç) are available on our online Rohingya keyboard, and you can practise them with the typing tutor.
Limitations of Rohingyalish
- Not standardised across all communities — spelling can vary
- Less suited to representing all Rohingya sounds accurately compared to Hanifi
- Not used in academic or formal contexts
Which script should I learn?
If you are learning Rohingya:
- Start with Rohingyalish for quick communication and phonetic reading
- Learn Hanifi for reading formal texts and community publications
- Learn Fonna if you work in Islamic religious education
Use our Rohingya Keyboard to type in Rohingya, or look up words in the English–Rohingya Dictionary.