Indic Scripts: A Comprehensive Guide
Introduction
India’s linguistic landscape is written in a family of related abugida scripts descending from Brahmi. Though they share structural principles (consonant+inherent vowel units modified by diacritics), each script has evolved unique shapes, headstrokes, and diacritical patterns. This guide covers the nine major scripts, where they appear geographically, how they may co‑occur on signage, and clear visual cues to tell them apart—critical skills for pinpointing your location in GeoGuessr.
Major Scripts: Overview, Regions, and Diaspora
| Script | Primary Regions | Diaspora Hotspots |
|---|---|---|
| Devanagari | Maharashtra, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Nepal | Mauritius, Fiji, Trinidad & Tobago, Guyana, South Africa |
| Bengali-Assamese | West Bengal, Tripura, Assam, Bangladesh | United Kingdom, Malaysia |
| Gujarati | Gujarat | East Africa (Kenya, Uganda), UK, US |
| Gurmukhi | Punjab | UK, Canada, US, Malaysia |
| Odia | Odisha | — |
| Tamil | Tamil Nadu, Puducherry | Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, Mauritius, South Africa |
| Telugu | Andhra Pradesh, Telangana | US, Mauritius, South Africa |
| Kannada | Karnataka | — |
| Malayalam | Kerala | Gulf States (UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia) |
Note: Some states use two scripts: e.g., signage in West Bengal often appears in both Bengali and English; Gujarat may show Gujarati alongside Devanagari (Hindi) and English.
3. Comparative Visual Features
| Feature | Devanagari | Bengali | Gujarati | Gurmukhi | Odia | Tamil | Telugu | Kannada | Malayalam |
| Headline (shirorekha) | ✓ | × | × | ✓ | × | × | × | × | × |
| Rounded Loops | ● moderate | ● high | ○ low | ○ low | ● high | ● high | ● high | ● high | ● very high |
| Angular Hooks | ○ low | ○ low | ● moderate | ○ low | ○ low | ○ low | ○ low | ○ low | ○ low |
| Diacritic Positions | above/below | above/below | above | above | above | around | around | around | stacked |
| Letter Density | high | moderate | low | moderate | low | moderate | low | low | moderate |
- Legend: ✓ = has continuous headstroke; ● = prominent; ○ = minimal
4. Script‑by‑Script Breakdown
4.1 Devanagari
- Overview: Horizontal top line (shirorekha) unites each word. Characters are vertically balanced.
- Appearances: Road signs in northern & central India, newspaper mastheads, shop banners.
- GeoGuessr Tips: Look for yellow commercial-plate vehicles, left‑side driving; dense, multi‑script boards (Hindi+English).
4.2 Bengali–Assamese
- Overview: No headstroke; characters feature open, bulbous loops. Many curves end in a tiny tail.
- Appearances: Hoardings in Kolkata, Dhaka signage, railway station boards.
- Tips: Compare Bengali script (lighter loops, more open) against Assamese (subtle shape differences around ‘ঘ’/‘’).
4.3 Gujarati
- Overview: No headline; angular strokes with small curls. Many characters end in a hook.
- Appearances: Street signs in Ahmedabad; temple plaques in diaspora communities.
- Tips: Absence of top bar differentiates from Devanagari; sharper corners than Bengali.
4.4 Gurmukhi
- Overview: Broad horizontal top stroke (like headstroke) but broken at each letter. Tall, narrow glyphs.
- Appearances: Gurdwara signage, Punjabi-language newspapers, truck art.
- Tips: Uniform letter height, vertical emphasis—distinct from Devanagari’s longer headstroke.
4.5 Odia
- Overview: Rounded characters with circular loops; minimal straight lines.
- Appearances: Odisha state road signage, temple inscriptions.
- Tips: Very circular forms distinguish from Malayalam’s stacked loops.
4.6 Tamil
- Overview: Loose curves and circles; no headline; diacritics placed around base.
- Appearances: Tamil Nadu and diaspora shop signs, temple arts.
- Tips: More open shapes than Malayalam; fewer loops than Telugu.
4.7 Telugu
- Overview: Loopy, rounded shapes; distinct wedge‑shaped terminals; sub‑components often sit below main line.
- Appearances: Andhra/Telangana road signs; film posters.
- Tips: Compare with Kannada: Telugu loops are larger and more circular.
4.8 Kannada
- Overview: Rounded like Telugu but more geometric; fewer sharp curves.
- Appearances: Karnataka state government boards, metro signage.
- Tips: Smaller loops and unified baseline separate it from Telugu.
4.9 Malayalam
- Overview: Dense network of stacked loops and diacritics; looks “squished.”
- Appearances: Kerala highway signs; Gulf‑based store banners.
- Tips: Maximal loop density and vertical stacking set it apart from Tamil and Odia.
5. Co‑occurrence & Multilingual Signs
- North India metros (Delhi, Mumbai): Hindi (Devanagari) / English on metro/rail signage.
- West Bengal: Bengali / English; occasionally Hindi (Devanagari) as tertiary.
- Gujarat: Gujarati / Hindi / English trilingual boards.
- Punjab diaspora temples: Gurmukhi / English, sometimes Punjabi in Shahmukhi (Arabic script).
- Kerala Gulf expat areas: Malayalam / English signage in cities like Dubai or Doha.
6. Distinguishing Similar Scripts
- Devanagari vs. Gujarati: Look for the continuous top bar.
- Tamil vs. Malayalam: Tamil letters are more open; Malayalam is dense and rounded with vertical stacking.
- Telugu vs. Kannada: Compare loop size and shape; Telugu larger, more circular.
- Bengali vs. Odia: Odia is more circular; Bengali is more angular at loop ends.
- Gurmukhi vs. Devanagari: Gurmukhi’s broken headstroke and uniform height contrast Devanagari’s flowing shirorekha.
7. GeoGuessr‑Specific Strategies
- Meta‑clues: Combine script ID with car metas (e.g., Kerala often Gen2 Google car), license‑plate colors, road‑paint style, and driving side.
- Environmental cues: Architectural style, landscape, vegetation often align with script regions.
- Camera artifacts: Blurring or plate coverage differs by state and country—note alongside scripts.
8. Additional Resources
- Unicode Charts: https://unicode.org/charts/
- Omniglot: https://omniglot.com/