The Chhattisgarhi Alphabet

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

The Devanagari alphabet used for Chhattisgarhi includes 33 standard consonants, 13 independent vowels, a set of vowel diacritics (matras), and native Devanagari digits (०–९). Because Chhattisgarhi uses the same script as Standard Hindi, written Chhattisgarhi is visually similar to Hindi text, even though the two languages differ significantly in pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar.

Chhattisgarhi is spoken by approximately 11–16 million people, primarily in Chhattisgarh state in central India, and in parts of adjacent states including Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, and Jharkhand. Chhattisgarh was formed in 2000 when it was carved out of the southern part of Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarhi is the most widely spoken regional language of the state.

The language is used in everyday speech across Chhattisgarh, alongside Hindi which serves as the official administrative language of the state. Chhattisgarhi has a rich oral tradition including folk songs, proverbs, and regional literature.

Whether Chhattisgarhi is a dialect of Hindi or a separate language is a matter of debate among linguists and speakers. ISO 639-3 assigns Chhattisgarhi its own code (hne), treating it as a distinct language. Glottolog and many linguistic classifications similarly list it as a separate language within the Eastern Hindi group, alongside Awadhi, Bagheli, and Bhojpuri.

In practice, Chhattisgarhi is not mutually intelligible with Standard Hindi (Khariboli) — it has its own grammar, verb morphology, and extensive vocabulary distinct from Standard Hindi. Many Chhattisgarhi speakers identify their language as distinct, and there is a growing movement to recognise Chhattisgarhi as a scheduled language of India. At the same time, extensive contact with Hindi through education and media has led to significant Hindi influence on contemporary Chhattisgarhi speech.

Chhattisgarhi differs from Standard Hindi in several important ways. Phonologically, Chhattisgarhi has distinctive nasal vowels and retains some archaic sounds from earlier Indo-Aryan stages. Its verb morphology is significantly different — Chhattisgarhi uses verb endings and auxiliary constructions not found in Standard Hindi. The pronoun system also differs, with Chhattisgarhi using forms like "मोर" (mor, meaning "my") instead of Hindi "मेरा" (mera).

Vocabulary-wise, Chhattisgarhi preserves many archaic Sanskrit words that have been replaced by Persian or other borrowings in Standard Hindi. It also has a large indigenous vocabulary related to agriculture, forest life, and tribal culture — reflecting the ecology of Chhattisgarh. Chhattisgarhi has a rich tradition of oral folk songs (suwa geet, jas geet), proverbs, and regional theatre (nacha) that express its distinct cultural identity.

Chhattisgarh is a state in central India, formed on 1 November 2000 when it was separated from Madhya Pradesh. Its capital is Raipur. The state covers approximately 135,192 km² and is one of the most forested states in India, with about 44% of its area under forest cover. It borders Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Maharashtra.

Chhattisgarhi culture is shaped by its predominantly rural and tribal population. The state is home to numerous indigenous Adivasi (tribal) communities including the Gond, Baiga, and Halba peoples. The Bastar region of southern Chhattisgarh is particularly known for its tribal art forms, including Dhokra metal casting, Bell Metal work, and Gondi paintings. The Chhattisgarhi language is the medium of this rich cultural tradition. Chhattisgarh is also significant for its Buddhist heritage sites and is a major producer of rice, iron ore, and coal in India.

The ISO 639-3 code for Chhattisgarhi is hne. The language is also catalogued in Glottolog under the name "Chhattisgarhi" and is part of the Eastern Hindi subgroup of the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-Iranian language family. The Eastern Hindi group, to which Chhattisgarhi belongs, also includes Awadhi (awa), Bagheli/Baghelkhand (bfy), and Bhojpuri (bho).

Chhattisgarhi has no official two-letter ISO 639-1 code, as only major world languages with ISO 639-1 codes are assigned two-letter identifiers. The three-letter ISO 639-3 code "hne" is the standard reference for Chhattisgarhi in linguistic databases, language documentation projects, and digital resource repositories including SIL International and Glottolog.