The Angika Alphabet

Angika is written in the Devanagari script (Unicode Block U+0900–U+097F) — the same script used for Standard Hindi, Marathi, Nepali, Sanskrit, Chhattisgarhi, and Bhojpuri. Devanagari is a Brahmic abugida, written left to right, in which each consonant carries an inherent /a/ vowel that is modified or suppressed using diacritical marks called matras.

The Devanagari alphabet used for Angika includes 33 standard consonants, 11 independent vowels, a set of vowel diacritics (matras), and native Devanagari digits (०–९). Because Angika shares Devanagari with Hindi and several other regional languages, written Angika is visually similar to written Hindi, even though the two languages differ significantly in pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar.

Angika is spoken by approximately 7–10 million people, primarily in Jharkhand and the Bhagalpur and Munger divisions of Bihar, India. The language takes its name from the ancient Anga kingdom, a region mentioned in both the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. Angika speakers are also found in parts of West Bengal and Nepal, as well as in the Indian diaspora.

Angika is closely related to Maithili, Bhojpuri, and Magahi — together known as the Bihari languages of the Gangetic plain. The Bhagalpur region, the heart of the Anga cultural zone, is also famous for its Bhagalpuri silk (Tussar silk) weaving tradition, which forms part of the identity of Angika-speaking communities.

Angika belongs to the Bihari subgroup of Eastern Indo-Aryan, within the broader Indo-European language family. The Bihari languages — which include Angika, Bhojpuri, Maithili, and Magahi — are spoken across the Gangetic plain of eastern India and are closely related to each other, though each has its own distinct phonology, vocabulary, and literary tradition.

Within the Bihari group, Angika is particularly close to Maithili (ISO 639-3: mai) — the language of the Mithila region to the north. Both languages share significant vocabulary and grammatical features from the older Apabhramsha literary tradition. Maithili is one of the 22 scheduled languages of India, while Angika does not yet have scheduled status.

The Anga kingdom was one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas (great kingdoms) of ancient India, mentioned in the Mahabharata and various Puranas. Its capital was Champa (modern Bhagalpur on the Ganges in Bihar). The Anga region roughly corresponds to the present-day Bhagalpur and Munger divisions of Bihar and parts of Jharkhand.

The Anga region has a rich cultural heritage: it is associated with the legendary king Karna of the Mahabharata (who was the king of Anga), and with the Bhagalpuri silk (Tussar silk) weaving tradition that has been practised there for centuries. The Angika language is the primary vehicle for this regional cultural identity, with a folk song and oral literary tradition that reflects Anga's ancient history.

No — Angika and Maithili are distinct but closely related Eastern Indo-Aryan languages. Both belong to the Bihari subgroup and share significant vocabulary and grammatical features. However, they differ in phonology, certain grammatical structures, and cultural identity. Maithili is associated with the Mithila region (Darbhanga, Madhubani, Sitamarhi districts of Bihar and the Terai of Nepal), while Angika is associated with the Anga region (Bhagalpur, Munger, parts of Jharkhand).

A key political difference is that Maithili is a Scheduled Language of India (listed in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution) since 2003, while Angika has not yet received scheduled status despite advocacy from Angika speakers and literary societies. Angika has its own ISO 639-3 code (anp), confirming its status as a distinct language in the international linguistic community.

The ISO 639-3 code for Angika is anp. Angika does not have a two-letter ISO 639-1 code, as these are reserved for major world languages. In Glottolog, Angika is catalogued under the identifier "angi1238". Angika is classified within the Bihari group of Eastern Indo-Aryan, alongside Bhojpuri (bho), Maithili (mai), and Magahi (mag).

The code "anp" is used in linguistic databases, language documentation, and SIL International records to uniquely identify Angika. The language has been the subject of academic study particularly in the context of Eastern Indo-Aryan dialectology, and there are ongoing efforts by Angika literary organisations in Bhagalpur and Patna to standardise Angika orthography and promote its use in education and digital media.