Every student preparing for a Hindi typing test faces the same confusion on day one: "Should I learn Kruti Dev or Mangal?" Choosing the wrong font can cost you months of practice. It is essential to understand that these aren't just different looking letters—they represent completely different technologies and keyboard layouts.
In this guide, we break down the technical differences between the two, which government exams require which font, and how to configure your keyboard to practice them properly.
1. What is Kruti Dev 010? (Non-Unicode)
Kruti Dev is a "legacy" font. Before modern computers, people typed Hindi on manual Remington typewriters. Kruti Dev was created to map Hindi letters onto the English QWERTY keyboard exactly as they were on those old typewriters. Because it is non-Unicode, if you copy Kruti Dev text and send it on WhatsApp, it looks like English garbage (e.g., "R;k ,slk f[krk").
2. What is Mangal Font? (Unicode)
Mangal is a modern Unicode font. It is the official, default Hindi font built into Windows, Android, and the internet. What you type in Mangal is exactly what you see everywhere. It supports multiple keyboard layouts, primarily Inscript (the official Indian Government standard) and Remington Gail/CBI.
3. The Ultimate Comparison
Kruti Dev 010 (Legacy)
- Encoding: Non-Unicode. Requires font installation to view.
- Keyboard Layout: Strictly traditional Remington.
- Alt Codes: Requires memorizing many complex Alt Codes (e.g., Alt+0216 for क्र).
- Exam Usage: Used heavily by State Governments (Rajasthan RSSB, UP Police, UPSSSC, UKSSSC).
Mangal (Unicode)
- Encoding: Unicode. Works universally on the internet and mobile.
- Keyboard Layout: Inscript (Default) or Remington Gail.
- Alt Codes: Rarely needs Alt codes; characters are formed logically with half-letters.
- Exam Usage: Used by Central Government (SSC, Railways, CRPF) and modern state boards (MP CPCT, Bihar Beltron).
4. Which One Should You Learn First?
Always look at your target exam notification first. If it explicitly states "Kruti Dev 010" (like Rajasthan LDC), you have no choice. However, if you are targeting central jobs (SSC, Railways, Banks) or just want to learn Hindi data entry for modern IT jobs, Mangal (Inscript) is the superior, future-proof choice.
Already learned the wrong one?
Don't worry! You can instantly convert your old Kruti Dev text to modern Mangal Unicode using our free tool, or start practicing the correct layout.
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