Learn to read Sgaw Karen
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Families took this language far from home, and now it is slowly being lost.
Sgaw Karen is the first language of more than a million people. Families took it out of Myanmar and the camps by the Thai border. They took it to new countries, to cities where their kids now grow up speaking English first. They speak Karen only at the dinner table, if at all.
A language lives only as long as people speak it at home. When the old people who know it die, the songs, the prayers, and the way a grandma can be both firm and kind in one breath go quiet too.
Knyaw is here to keep it spoken. It is free and made with Karen people, so a child far from home can still learn the words their grandma prays.
Start by reading the letters, one word at a time
The Karen writing, how to read it, and what it means. Tap a card to show the meaning.
Knyaw helps you read and understand Karen: the letters, the words, and the meaning. Not how to say the words out loud.
More than lessons
Look at the words, learn the letters, or read about the language itself.
The largest open collection of Sgaw Karen words anywhere.
… and growing every week.
Keep a language alive, one word at a time.
Start learning for free right now, or leave your email and we'll tell you what's new. Then come say ဂီၤလၢအဂ့ၤ with us.
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Knyaw is made with Karen speakers, old people, and Karen groups. Not for them, but with them. Words are checked in trusted dictionaries, and Karen speakers help check them too.