Unicode to Preeti converter
For the old systems that still expect a legacy font, with the caveats stated up front.
Reverse conversion is approximate. Unicode stores a conjunct as several characters while Preeti draws it as one glyph, so check unusual combinations in the software you will actually use.
Warning: reverse conversion cannot recover every ligature. Expect to correct unusual words by hand, and keep your Unicode original.
How to convert Unicode to Preeti
- Copy the Unicode Devanagari text you want to convert and paste it into the left box above.
- The converter rewrites it as Preeti-style legacy text in the right box as you type.
- Press Copy, then set the preeti font on that text in the document you are pasting into.
- Open the document with the Preeti font installed and read it through, fixing any unusual word by hand.
Examples
-
नेपालg]kfn -
टाइपिंग6fOlk+u -
अभ्यासce\of;
What Preeti is and why conversion is needed
This Unicode to Preeti converter turns standard Devanagari into legacy Preeti text for the software that still expects it. Preeti is an old Nepali font that maps Devanagari glyphs onto Latin keycodes, so the text looks wrong without the font installed. Unicode works everywhere, but a few print shops, older templates and archived files are still built around Preeti, so you may need to convert Unicode to Preeti before they can use your text.
When you need Unicode to Preeti conversion
Reach for this tool when you have clean Unicode Devanagari and the software on the other end expects Preeti. Common cases are a print shop that sets type in Preeti, a government form or template that only accepts Preeti text, a desktop-publishing file created years ago, and an archive that has to keep its original layout. The conversion only rewrites the characters, so the words themselves never change.
How the reverse conversion works
Going from Unicode to Preeti is harder than going the other way. Unicode spells a conjunct as several characters while Preeti draws it as one glyph, so the converter has to choose the glyph that best matches what Unicode described. The short-i matra is moved in front of the consonant it belongs to, half forms and ligatures are replaced by their single keys, and reph is written as its own mark. The result is legacy text, so you must select the Preeti font in the program you paste it into to see Devanagari. For a first run, convert a short paragraph and inspect it in the font before you convert a whole document, because a mistake made once is easy to repeat down a long file. See also the on-screen Nepali keyboard .
Known limitations and tips
The converter is verified against the Preeti key chart and 60 reference pairs, and every word in this site’s practice and dictionary data round-trips through it, but it is not perfect. A reph can land on the wrong side of its consonant, a few independent vowels and the letters ण, फ and ष have no single Preeti key and pass through unchanged, and a document that mixes two legacy fonts will not convert cleanly. Convert a sample, read it in the target font, and keep the Unicode original.
Keep the Unicode original
Convert a copy and keep the Unicode source. Unicode is the format that will still open on a computer in ten years, and it is the only version that can be searched, spell-checked and read by a screen reader. Treat the Preeti output as a delivery format for one piece of software and the Unicode file as the master you go back to. If the Preeti file is edited later, convert again from the Unicode master rather than editing both copies, so the two versions do not drift apart. See also Nepali Unicode typing .
Related tools
Going the other way? The Preeti to Unicode converter turns legacy Preeti back into standard, searchable Devanagari. If you are starting from Romanized Nepali rather than Devanagari, the Nepali typing tool produces the Unicode you need, and the Nepali Typeshala lets you practise before you convert a whole page. The Nepali keyboard page inserts Devanagari one key at a time when typing English letters is not an option. See also Preeti to Unicode converter , the Nepali typing tool , the Nepali Typeshala and online Nepali typing .
Questions people ask
How to convert Unicode to Preeti?
Paste the Unicode Devanagari into the box above and the Preeti text appears as you type. Copy it, then select the Preeti font on that text in the document you paste it into, or the letters will look like random Latin symbols. By hand, read the result and fix any unusual word; to go the other way, use the Preeti to Unicode converter.
Is the Unicode to Preeti converter free?
Yes. The Unicode to Preeti converter is free and unlimited, with no sign-up and no payment. There is nothing to install either, because the tool runs in the page you already have open.
Is my text private when I convert it?
Yes. The conversion happens in your browser and the text is never uploaded, logged or stored, so a private document stays private. Nothing you paste is sent anywhere, and the page makes no request that contains it.
Does the Unicode to Preeti converter work on mobile?
It does. The page is built for phones and tablets, the boxes stack on a narrow screen, and the Copy button stays within reach. Converting on a phone is useful when you only need to move one paragraph into a legacy template.
Which fonts does the Unicode to Preeti converter support?
It produces text for the Preeti font, using the layout recorded in the Preeti key chart. Other legacy fonts such as Kanchan or Fontasy are not supported, so do not expect a clean result from them; the same goes for a document that mixes two legacy fonts. The Preeti keyboard layout page shows that key-to-character chart.
Why do some characters come out wrong?
Reverse conversion has to guess: Unicode spells a conjunct as several characters while a legacy font draws it as one glyph, and a reph can land on the wrong side of its consonant. Unusual stacks, rare ligatures and English words are the usual culprits. Fix them in the target font by hand and keep the Unicode original.
What is the difference between Unicode and Preeti?
Unicode is a character standard that stores Nepali as standard code points readable on any device, while Preeti is a legacy font that stores Devanagari glyphs in Latin code points. Unicode text can be searched and copied anywhere; Preeti text only looks right where the font is installed.