Bengali (Bangla)

Q: What type of writing system is Bengali (Bangla)?

Bengali (Bangla) is an Abugida used in the South Asian region. It reads Left-to-right.

Q: How many languages use the Bengali (Bangla) script?

11 languages use the Bengali (Bangla) script according to Unicode CLDR data. These languages are spoken by approximately 249M people combined.

Q: What direction does Bengali (Bangla) read?

Bengali (Bangla) is written Left-to-right, meaning text flows from left to right.

বাংলা লিপি

Beng Left-to-right Living Abugida South Asian

Sample Text

হ্যালো বিশ্ব

About Bengali (Bangla)

The Bengali script (বাংলা লিপি) is an abugida used to write the Bengali language, the official language of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal. It is also used to write Assamese, Bishnupriya Manipuri, and other languages of eastern India.

Bengali script descended from the Brahmi script and is characterized by a distinctive horizontal bar (mātrā) running along the top of letters. It is written left-to-right. The script was used by Rabindranath Tagore, the first Asian Nobel laureate in Literature (1913), whose works in Bengali remain foundational to South Asian literature.

Data sourced from the ISO 15924 registry, Unicode CLDR, and the Unicode Character Database.

Script Family & Lineage

Ancestor Chain

Brahmi › Bengali (Bangla)

Languages Using Bengali (Bangla) 11

Assamese অসমীয়া Bangla বাংলা Bishnupriya Chakma 𑄌𑄋𑄴𑄟𑄳𑄦 Manipuri মৈতৈলোন্ Mizo grt rkt syl unr unx

Frequently Asked Questions

What type of writing system is Bengali (Bangla)?

Bengali (Bangla) is an Abugida. Abugidas (alphasyllabaries) use consonant characters with an inherent vowel modified by diacritics.

What direction does Bengali (Bangla) read?

Bengali (Bangla) is written Left-to-right, the same direction as most European scripts.

How many languages use the Bengali (Bangla) script?

11 languages use Bengali (Bangla) according to Unicode CLDR data. Together these languages are spoken by approximately 249M people worldwide.

When was the Bengali (Bangla) script created?

The Bengali (Bangla) script originated around 1000 CE.

Does Bengali (Bangla) have uppercase and lowercase letters?

Bengali (Bangla) does not have separate uppercase and lowercase forms. Each consonant carries an inherent vowel sound that is modified by diacritical marks.

Compare Bengali (Bangla) With Another Script

Direction, characters, languages — side by side.

Key Facts

ISO Code: Beng
ISO Number: 325
Script Type: Abugida
Direction: Left-to-right
Status: Living
Region: South Asian
Introduced: 1000 CE
Languages: 11
Total Speakers: ~249M