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Sgaw Karen is the mother tongue of more than a million people. Families carried it out of Myanmar and the camps along the Thai border — into Minnesota, into Australia, into cities where their children now grow up speaking English first, and Karen only at the dinner table, if at all.
A language lives exactly as long as it is spoken at home. When the elders who hold it pass on, the songs, the prayers, the way a grandmother scolds and softens in the same breath — those go quiet too.
Knyaw exists to keep it spoken. Free, built with the community, so a child far from home can still learn the words their grandmother prays in.
The Karen writing, how to read it, and what it means — tap a card to reveal the meaning.
Knyaw teaches you to read and understand Karen — its script, words, and meaning. Spoken pronunciation comes later.
Browse the words, learn the alphabet, or read about the language itself.
… and growing every week.
Start learning for free right now, or leave your email and we’ll keep you posted. Then come say ဂီၤလၢအဂ့ၤ in the community.
Start learning — free →Knyaw is free forever, kept alive by people who love this language. You can help keep it that way →
Knyaw is made with Karen speakers, elders, and community organizations — not for them, but together. Every word is reviewed by people who carry the language.