Namma Maathu · Hindi → Kannada
Learn to speak Kannada. Not tap tiles.
An AI tutor that listens to you, tells you exactly what you said versus what you should have said, and then puts you in a real Bengaluru conversation.
Free tier, no card required. Currently in beta with a small group of learners in Bengaluru.
What a lesson looks like
You hear the word
A native-sounding voice says it at normal speed, and slower if you need it.
You say it out loud
Your microphone is on for a few seconds. That is the entire interaction.
You get a real score
70% to pass. Below that you are told what you said, what it should have been, and why.
You use it in a conversation
An auto driver quotes you a fare. He does not understand Hindi. You negotiate.
What this is not
- Not a phrasebook. You will not be shown a list to memorise — you have to say things and be corrected.
- Not a replacement for speaking to people. It is practice so that speaking to people stops being frightening.
- Not finished. This is a beta. Some things will be rough, and the fastest way to fix them is to tell us.
Questions people ask
Do I need to know how to read Kannada?
No. Every word is shown in Kannada script with a romanised spelling and its meaning in Hindi or English, and you always hear it spoken before you try. The goal is speaking, not reading.
How does the app know if I said it correctly?
Your speech is transcribed, then scored two ways: a deterministic phonetic comparison against the target word (60%) and a language model judging grammar and word choice (40%). You need 70% to pass, so the standard does not drift.
Is it free?
The free tier includes 15 minutes of drills a day and 5 minutes a week of conversation with the auto driver persona. Paid plans add more conversation minutes and unlock the other characters.
What happens to my voice recordings?
Audio is sent to our speech-recognition provider to be transcribed and is not stored by us after the transcript comes back. We keep the transcript and your score so your progress and review schedule work.
Which languages does it teach?
Kannada, for Hindi and English speakers, is what is live today. Tamil and Telugu are planned.
Ready to say your first word?
Twelve words is enough to get through a day in Bengaluru.
Start learning free