Tolong Siki
Abugida writing system of the Brahmic family
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tolong Siki (Kurukh: [t̪oːɽan siki], ) is an alphabetic script created specifically for the Kurux language in 1999 by Narayan Oraon, a doctor. Many books and magazines have been published in Tolong Siki, and it was officially recognised by the state of Jharkhand in 2007.[1][3] The Kurukh Literary Society of India has been instrumental in spreading the Tolong Siki script for Kurukh literature.[4][5]
| Tolong Siki | |
|---|---|
 Tolong Siki Aksharamala chart divided into 6 Vowels, 35 Consonants,11 common foreign consonants, 3 derived vowels, 12 diacritic marks) | |
| Script type | |
| Creator | Dr Narayan Oraon |
| Created | 1999 |
Period | 1999 to present |
| Direction | Left to Right |
| Official script | India
|
| Region | India |
| Languages | Kurukh |
| Related scripts | |
Parent systems | Original invention (Influenced by Dravidian scripts)
|
| ISO 15924 | |
| ISO 15924 | Tols (299), Tolong Siki |
| Unicode | |
Unicode alias | Tolong Siki |
| U+11DB0–U+11DEF Tolong Siki | |
Etymology
The name Tolong Siki is derived from two Kurukh terms:[6]
- Tolong: Refers to a traditional garment (loincloth) worn by men in the Kurukh community. The script's creator, Dr. Narayan Oraon, used the styles of wrapping this garment as inspiration for the shapes of the letters.
- Siki: A modified version of the word Sika, which refers to the traditional practice of branding marks on the arms or skin, often used to denote identity or endurance. In this context, it simply means "script" or "symbol."
Vowels
Tolong Siki contains 6 basic vowel letters:
i IPA: /i/
|
e IPA: /e/
|
u IPA: /u/
|
o IPA: /o/
|
a IPA: /a/
|
ā IPA: /ɑ/
|
Consonants
Tolong Siki represents native consonant sounds using a basic inventory of 36 letters:
p IPA: /p/
|
ph IPA: /pʰ/
|
b IPA: /b/
|
bh IPA: /bʱ/
|
m IPA: /m/
|
t IPA: /t̪/
|
th IPA: /t̪ʰ/
|
d IPA: /d̪/
|
dh IPA: /d̪ʱ/
|
n IPA: /n/
|
ṭ IPA: /ʈ/
|
ṭh IPA: /ʈʰ/
|
ḍ IPA: /ɖ/
|
ḍh IPA: /ɖʱ/
|
ṇ IPA: /ɳ/
|
c IPA: /c/
|
ch IPA: /tʃʰ/
|
j IPA: /ɟ/
|
jh IPA: /dʒʱ/
|
ñ IPA: /ɲ/
|
k IPA: /k/
|
kh IPA: /kʰ/
|
g IPA: /ɡ/
|
gh IPA: /ɡʱ/
|
ṅ IPA: /ŋ/
|
y IPA: /j/
|
r IPA: /ɾ/
|
l IPA: /l/
|
v IPA: /ʋ/
|
ñ IPA: /ɲ/
|
s IPA: /s/
|
h IPA: /ɦ/
|
x IPA: /x/
|
ṛ IPA: /ɽ/
|
ṛh IPA: /ɽʰ/
|
Numerals
Tolong Siki has its own set of decimal digits (0–9) that function identically to standard Western numerals.
0 Nidi IPA: /nid̪i/
|
1 Oṅdu IPA: /oŋd̪u/
|
2 Eṅṛe IPA: /eŋɽe/
|
3 Mundu IPA: /muŋd̪u/
|
4 Nāx IPA: /naːx/
|
5 Paṅce IPA: /paŋtʃe/
|
6 Soyi IPA: /soji/
|
7 Saye IPA: /saje/
|
8 Ax IPA: /akh/
|
9 Naye IPA: /naje/
|
10 Doyi IPA: /d̪oji/
|
Sample text
The following text is Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, written in Tolong Siki:[7]
Kurukh in Tolong Siki
. -̰
Romanisation
Hormā ālārin hak gahi bāre nū mallintā azādi arā aṅṭem mannā gahi haq xakharki raī. Ārin lur arā jiyā gahi dav bausā xakhakī raī arā tumhēṅ majhī nū mel-prem gahi bevhār nannā cahī.
Translation
Article 1: All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Unicode
Tolong Siki was added to the Unicode Standard in September 2025 with the release of version 17.0.
The Unicode block for Tolong Siki is U+11DB0–U+11DEF:
| Tolong Siki[1][2] Official Unicode Consortium code chart (PDF) | ||||||||||||||||
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | A | B | C | D | E | F | |
| U+11DBx | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| U+11DCx | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| U+11DDx | | | | | | | | | | | | | ||||
| U+11DEx | | | | | | | | | | | ||||||
| Notes | ||||||||||||||||
![Tolong Siki Numerials & Signs [3]](#/media/File:TolongSikiNumerials&Signs.jpg)
![Tolong Siki Script [4] [5]](#/media/File:Tolong_Siki.jpg)
