Khudabadi 𑊻𑋩𑋣𑋏𑋠𑋔𑋠𑋏𑋢
The wordSindhi written in the Khudabadi script
Script type	Abugida
Period	c. 16th century–present
Direction	Left-to-right
Languages	Sindhi language
Related scripts
Parent systems	Proto-Sinaitic alphabet Phoenician alphabet Aramaic alphabet Brāhmī Gupta Śāradā Laṇḍā Khudabadi
Sister systems	Gurumukhi,[1]Khojki,Mahajani,Multani
ISO 15924
ISO 15924	Sind(318), ​Khudawadi, Sindhi
Unicode
Unicode alias	Khudawadi
Unicode range	U+112B0–U+112FF
This article containsphonetic transcriptions in theInternational Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, seeHelp:IPA. For the distinction between[ ],/ / and ⟨ ⟩, seeIPA § Brackets and transcription delimiters.

You may needrendering support to display the uncommonUnicode characters in this article correctly.

Khudabadi (alsoKhudawadi) is a script used to write theSindhi language, sometimes used by someSindhi Hindus even in the present-day. The script originates fromKhudabad, a city inSindh, and is named after it. Khudabadi is one of the four scripts used for writing Sindhi, the others beingPerso-Arabic,Khojki andDevanagari script.^[2] It was used bySindhi Workies (traders and merchants) to record their information and rose to importance as the script began to be used to record information kept secret from other non-Sindhi groups.^{[citation needed]}

The Khudabadi script has roots in theBrahmi script, like those of most Indian, Tibetan, and Southeast Asian languages.^[3] It appears different from other Indic scripts such asBengali,Odia,Gurmukhi orDevanagari, but a closer examination reveals they are similar except for angles and structure.^[4]

The Khudabadi script was created by theSindhi diaspora residing inKhudabad to send written messages to their relatives, who lived in their hometowns. Due to its simplicity, the use of this script spread very quickly and got acceptance in other Sindhi groups for sending written letters and messages. It continued to be in use for very long period of time. Because it was originated from Khudabad, it was called Khudabadi script.^[5] The Sindhi traders started maintaining their accounts and other business books in this new script. The knowledge of Khudabadi script became important for employing people who intend to go to overseas so that their business accounts and books can be keptsecret from foreign people and government officials. Schools started teaching the Sindhi language in Khudabadi script.^[6]

AfterMir Nasir Khan Talpur's defeat,British rule commenced inSindh. When the British arrived they found thePandits writing Sindhi in Devanagari, Hindu women usingGurmukhi, government servants usingPerso-Arabic script and traders keeping their business records in Khudabadi which was completely unknown to the British at the time. The British called it 'Hindu Sindhi' to differentiate it from Sindhi written in the Perso-Arabic script. The British scholars found the Sindhi language to be closer to Sanskrit and said that the Devanagari script would be suitable for it while the government servants favoured the Arabic script since they did not know Devanagari and had to learn it. A debate began, with CaptainRichard Francis Burton favoring theArabic script and Captain Stack favouring Devanagari.^[7]

SirBartle Frere, the Commissioner of Sindh, then referred the matter to the Court of Directors of the British East India Company, which directed that:

• The Sindhi Language in Arabic Script to be used for government office use, on the ground that Muslim names could not be written in Devanagari.
• The Education Department should give the instructions to the schools in the script of Sindhi which can meet the circumstance and prejudices of the Mohammadan and Hindu. It is thought necessary to have Arabic Sindhi Schools for Muslims where the Arabic Script will be employed for teaching and to have Hindu Sindhi Schools for Hindus where the Khudabadi Script will be employed for teaching.

In the year 1868, theBombay Presidency assignedNarayan Jagannath Vaidya (Deputy Educational Inspector of Sindh) to replace the Abjad script used for Sindhi with the Khudabadi script. The script was decreed a standard script modified with ten vowels by the Bombay Presidency.^[8] The Khudabadi script of Sindhi language did not make further progress. Traders continued to maintain their records in this script till the independence ofPakistan in 1947.

The present script predominantly used in Sindh as well as in many states in India and else, where migrants Hindu Sindhi have settled, is Arabic inNaskh styles having 52 letters. However, in some circles in India, Khudabadi and Devanagari is used for writing Sindhi. The Government of India recognizes both scripts.^[7]

Khudabadi is anabugida in which all consonants have an inherent vowel.Matras are used to change the inherent vowel. Vowels that appear at the beginning of a word are written as independent letters. When certain consonants occur together, specialconjunct symbols are used which combine the essential parts of each letter.

Modern Khudabadi has 37 consonants, 10 vowels, 9 vowel signs written asdiacritic marks added to the consonants, 3 miscellaneous signs, one symbol for nasal sounds (anusvara), one symbol for conjuncts (virama) and 10 digits like many otherIndic scripts. Thenukta has been borrowed fromDevanagari for representing additional signs found inArabic andPersian but not found in Sindhi. It is written from left to right, likeDevanagari. It follows the natural pattern and style of otherLanda scripts.

Khudabadi script was added to theUnicode Standard in June 2014 with the release of version 7.0.

Khudabadi is being used as the unified encoding for all of the Sindhi scripts except forKhojki, because each Sindhi script is named after the mercantile village in which it was used, and a vast majority are not well-developed enough to be encoded. Local scripts may be encoded in the future, but at the present, Khudabadi is recommended to represent all of the Landa-based Sindhi scripts that have been in use.

The Unicode block for Khudabadi, called Khudawadi, is U+112B0–U+112FF:

• Sindhi language
• Khudabad
• Gurmukhi
• Bhaiband

Wikimedia Commons has media related toKhudawadi script.

• Languages of Sindh
• Sindhi culture
• Brahmic scripts
• Sarada scripts
• Sindhi language
• Dadu District

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Scripts with ISO 15924 four-letter codes
• Pages with plain IPA
• All articles with unsourced statements
• Articles with unsourced statements from December 2022
• Commons category link from Wikidata