Kruti Dev Keyboard

How the Kruti Dev keyboard is laid out

The Kruti Dev 010 keyboard follows a Remington typewriter arrangement. Its positions are organised around printed shapes, rather than the sound of an English letter. Pressing k, for instance, adds the vertical ा stroke; it does not produce क. That takes the d key. Learning the layout means remembering where each shape lives and how those shapes connect, instead of spelling a Hindi word phonetically.

Many capitals hold an unfinished consonant, called a half letter. A following k can supply its missing stem: H gives भ्, while Hk makes भ. Other Shift positions contain a complete conjunct such as ज्ञ or श्र. The chart below distinguishes these shapes from vowel marks and punctuation, so you can inspect both layers without repeatedly toggling Shift.

In a traditional Kruti Dev file, your keystrokes remain English letters and symbols; the selected font paints the Hindi shapes over them. A recipient who lacks that font sees the underlying keys. Here each edit is interpreted immediately and the lower box contains Unicode Hindi ready to share. To recover an existing paragraph or document instead of entering new text, open the Krutidev to Unicode converter.

Kruti Dev key chart: Normal and Shift

Read a row as one physical position on an English (US) keyboard. The middle column shows an ordinary press; the last column shows the character entered while holding Shift. Each arrow runs from a Kruti Dev key character to its Unicode glyph, rather than from a Hindi letter to an English translation. “Same character” means our converter keeps this character unchanged. A vowel mark shown alone needs a neighbouring letter to form a readable syllable.

Letters typed with Alt codes

Several useful shapes sit outside the four rows of ordinary keys. These include the प्र glyph, the ॉ sign used in ऑ, the ्र attached beneath ट in ट्र, and the chandrabindu ँ. In most Windows programs, including Word, hold Alt and enter the listed four digits on the numeric keypad, including the initial zero, then release Alt. Turn Num Lock on before entering the digits. For example, Alt+0231 inserts the stored character ç, which a Kruti Dev font draws as प्र.

These numbers refer to Windows-1252 character bytes, not to the Hindi letters' Unicode numbers. A keyboard without a numeric keypad can make that entry awkward. Use the “Alt-code letters” grid above to insert the same character with a tap instead. Common characters appear first, with Devanagari digits at the end; extra forms from older files have their own expandable group. Entries marked “no Windows Alt code” are supported characters outside that encoding; they remain available through the grid or by pasting.

Common Alt-code letters

Tricky letters: key order that surprises beginners

The order you press keys can differ from the order of characters in a Unicode word. Enter ffirst for the short ि, then the consonant or cluster it accompanies. Reph works in the other direction: finish the syllable, then enter Z to place र् above it. The live result resolves these positions while the key box preserves exactly what you entered, making it useful for spotting an incorrect sequence.

Also distinguish completing a half letter from adding a vowel to a full one. After H, the first k creates भ; another k creates भा. Try replacing the initial word with one of the sequences below and watch the Hindi develop one press at a time. The examples include Shift conjuncts, nasal signs and extended characters, so a missing symbol is easier to recognise.

Kruti Dev typing for exams and office work

Remington typing remains relevant in government typing tests and offices that retain Kruti Dev templates. Use this page to rehearse positions, check unfamiliar combinations, or write a short Hindi message with a layout you already know. Start with a few everyday words, then practise a complete line without looking at the chart. Comparing the saved keystrokes with the result helps you separate a wrong key from a wrong entry order. This is a layout practice aid; it does not score speed or reproduce a particular examination's software.

“Copy Hindi” takes the Unicode result, which can be pasted into messaging apps, shared documents and web forms. If a Word template or your test instructions specifically require text encoded for a Kruti Dev font, the upper key box already contains that encoding: use “Copy Kruti Dev text”, paste into Word, and select the Kruti Dev 010 font. Confirm the required font and layout with your own instructions before practising for a test: a Remington variant can assign some symbols differently. You can also keep both layers beside your desk by choosing “Print chart” and saving the print preview as a PDF.

Frequently Asked Questions