Chanakya to Unicode
Convert Chanakya to Unicode when old layout files need to go online. Paste the text you copied out of CorelDraw or PageMaker, and get Hindi that reads correctly in a browser, on a phone or in Word. Walkman Chanakya and the older government Chanakya are told apart for you.
0 characters
What we accept
What goes in and out
Text in
Paste or type
Walkman Chanakya text
Text out
Copy
Unicode text
Download
.docx, .rtf, .txt
Where it runs
Conversion
In your browser
Your text
Not uploaded
Why people use this tool
Back issues and archived stories set in Chanakya, made readable on the website, the e-paper and social posts.
Reads right everywhere
Unicode Hindi shows the same on the website, in WhatsApp and in Word, with no special font installed.
For the back issues
Paste one story or a long run of them. Paragraph breaks come across, so the text still reads in order.
Search finds it
Once the text is Unicode, Google and your site search can read it. Chanakya text cannot be searched as Hindi.
Stays in your browser
The conversion runs on your device. Your text is not uploaded to our server.
English left alone
Words in English, numbers and email addresses are kept as they are. Only the old-font text is changed.
Words to check are marked
If a word does not look like a real word after conversion, it is underlined so you can check it.
How to convert Chanakya to Unicode
Four steps, all of them in your browser. Nothing to install and no account.
Copy from the layout file.
Open the page in CorelDraw or PageMaker, select the story and copy it.
Paste it here.
The English-looking letters turn into Hindi on the right as you paste.
Check the marked words.
Underlined words did not convert cleanly. Compare them with the printed page.
Copy or download.
Copy the Unicode text for the website, or download a Word file with the Hindi set in Mangal.
What's kept, and what to check
The text comes across as it was typed. A few things are worth a look before you use it.
What's kept
What comes across
Paragraph breaks.
Paragraphs stay separate, in the order you pasted them.
Matras and conjuncts.
The short i, the reph and half letters are put back in Unicode order.
English and numbers.
English words and figures stay as they were.
Check before use
Worth a quick look
Marked words.
Check each underlined word against the printed page.
Headline fonts.
Headlines set in a different font from the story may not be Chanakya. Convert them separately if they look wrong.
Unicode text does not carry the look of Chanakya. Pick any Unicode Hindi font, such as Mangal or Nirmala UI, to style it again.
Tricky letters we test
Old stories are full of these letters. Each row was converted by this page when it was built.
| Font | Old-font keys | Unicode | What makes it hard |
|---|---|---|---|
| FontChanakya (old / government) | Old-font keysàææâÙ ¥æñÚU çßáØ | Unicodeशासन और विषय | Old government Chanakya builds श from a half form and the stem, àæ, while ष is the single key á. The U after Ú draws nothing and is dropped. |
| FontChanakya (old / government) | Old-font keysâéÚUÿææ ÿæð˜æ | Unicodeसुरक्षा क्षेत्र | क्ष is ÿ plus the stem æ, and सुरक्षा needs a second æ for its ा. त्र is ˜ plus the stem. |
| FontChanakya (old / government) | Old-font keysçß™ææÂÙ | Unicodeविज्ञापन | ज्ञ is typed as the trademark sign ™ plus the stem. The short i ç at the start belongs after व. |
| FontChanakya (old / government) | Old-font keys°ðEØæü | Unicodeऐश्वर्या | श्व is one glyph, E, and the reph ü is typed at the very end, after या, though it belongs before य. |
| FontChanakya (old / government) | Old-font keysçßlæÜØ | Unicodeविद्यालय | द्य sits on the lowercase l key, which looks like an English letter in the pasted text. |
| FontChanakya (old / government) | Old-font keysÂɸð´U | Unicodeपढ़ें | ढ़ is É with the dot ¸ after it, and the anusvara ´ is the version set further right to clear the े. |
| FontWalkman Chanakya | Old-font keysoqQN | Unicodeकुछ | Walkman types कुछ as oqQN: o is व, then the u-matra, then the tail Q that makes it क. In Kruti Dev Q is a letter of its own, so reading these keys as Kruti Dev spoils the word. |
| FontWalkman Chanakya | Old-font keysm¡Qph | Unicodeऊँची | ऊ is m with the tail Q, and the chandrabindu ¡ is typed between them. |
| FontWalkman Chanakya | Old-font keysdk;ZozQe | Unicodeकार्यक्रम | क्र is ozQ: व, the rakar z and the tail. The reph of र्य comes after the letter, as Z. |
| FontWalkman Chanakya | Old-font keyslafo/ku | Unicodeसंविधान | Some NCERT files type ध as /, others as èk. Both are read as ध. |
Questions
Answers to common questions about Chanakya to Unicode.
Why does my Chanakya text show as English letters on the website?
Chanakya puts Hindi shapes on English keys. A visitor to your site does not have that font, so they see the keys, such as osQ for के. Converting Chanakya to Unicode stores real Hindi letters that every device can show.
Is Chanakya to Mangal the same as Chanakya to Unicode?
Yes. Mangal is a Unicode font. The copied text and the Word download already carry Mangal, and any other Unicode Hindi font will show the same letters.
My file is an old government document. Does it still work?
Yes. Gazettes and assembly papers often use plain Chanakya, an older layout with different keys from Walkman Chanakya. This Chanakya font converter tells the two apart and says Read as Chanakya (old / government) above the result. You can also pick the layout in the font menu.
I copied text out of a PDF and got symbols. Can this fix it?
If the copied text looks like English letters, yes. Gaps the PDF puts inside words are joined first. If you get boxes or random symbols, the PDF has no usable text to copy.
Some headlines came out wrong. Why?
Headlines are often set in a display font with its own key map. Convert only text that was set in Chanakya, and check the headline against the printed page.
Is my text uploaded?
No. It is converted in your browser and never sent to our server.
Other tools in the set
Converters for other old fonts and the other direction. Each one runs in your browser.