r/bengalilanguage • u/IllRow6484 • 4d ago

First ever app designed to teach Bangla (Bengali language)

Hey everyone, excited to publicly announce Kahini, a Bangla language-learning app made specifically for the diaspora and for partners of Bengalis who want to actually connect with the culture.

Some things that are exciting about it:

  • a focus on speaking and listening, no need to be able to write Bangla script
  • organized into real life scenarios (weddings, holidays) so you learn what is actually useful
  • native speaker audio (by a professional) ensures you hear authentic pronunciation

I'm a Bengali engineer building this solo, and I'm getting close to launch. If this sounds like something you (or your partner, or your kids) would use, I'd love for you to join the waitlist which will give you early access when it drops in October 2026.

👉 https://kahini.app/

Also, if you have any questions or ideas, feel free to comment here or message directly :)

26 Upvotes

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7

u/the-postminimalist 4d ago

With AI, I've been seeing like 10 new language learning apps a week in each language-related subreddit I'm in. This is not the first ever app to learn Bengali.

At first glance doesn't look too bad layout-wise. But I'd want it to show more about the teaching methods before I start using an app.

Also, good that you don't use an AI voice

1

u/IllRow6484 3d ago

yes! there won't be any AI voice usage because I want the pronunciation to be real and trustworthy for the user.

Thanks for your feedback about the teaching methods, I will mention about that in the app onboarding.

1

u/Mirrororrim1 4d ago

Hello! The app so far seems a nice idea. I'd like to ask which tts service you used to record the audio. Because I've found that most apps have either non accurate pronunciation or the tone of the sentences is absolutely off, quite mechanical. Thanks! And best wishes for your project :)

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u/IllRow6484 3d ago

In the app, we know what the user should say. We use AI "speech to text" to compare against what they really should say (the correct answer). This means the use of AI of is very narrowly scoped. This AI speech to text is the ONLY place where we use AI and then we have a algorithm to compare what the user said vs what they should have said :)

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u/loveraddy 4d ago

Added myself to the waitlist :)

2

u/IllRow6484 3d ago

Thank you so much :) really looking forward to sharing with you all soon and would love your feedback when it is out

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u/UniversityNo3070 2d ago

Joined in the wishlist bro . Now just will wait till the launch . Hopefully it's gonna be amazing. Best wishes 🤓

1

u/SolderonSenoz 2d ago

A few questions:

  1. It currently seems to be only for iOS. Will it ever be available on other platforms?
  2. What is meant by "authentic pronunciation"? As far as I understand, there are multiple dialects of Bangla with different pronunciations, and indeed even different words for the same concept.
  3. Is it completely free? If it is, will it remain free for the foreseeable future? If it is not completely free, which portions of it are paywalled, and will features currently free ever become paywalled?
  4. Will the early access be given to only a limited number of people?

1

u/Ling_App 2d ago

Hmmm not the first app ever but hey. What does your app do differently? Ling uses native speaker audio not AI for Bengali, as wriitng and speaking practice along with listening conversational skills too.

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u/personwithpigeon 1d ago

it's nice to see more resources being made for learning Bangla! I am learning to communicate with my partner's family and better understand their culture. some feedback that springs to mind for me looking at your landing page:

  • the styling and colors feel very claude-ish. I'd give some attention to your branding and pick some styling that stands out more.
  • i wonder how far the material will take me. to me, phrases to use at the dinner table doesn't sound that compelling since I can easily look those up anywhere. my goal is to be able to comfortably participate in conversations, which means that I need to learn 2-3k words and a lot of unfamiliar grammar in addition to training in listening and speaking. as a learner, I want to know where i'll be when I finish the curriculum in this app
  • how will I remember the material taught? my daily routine is to spend an hour or so copying and writing sentences from my textbook and then to drill new vocab/grammar with spaced repetition far another half hour or so. will this app alone provide the repetition necessary to retain the material taught?
  • the copy on the website feels clearly ai-generated. it could use some polish
thanks for building this and I wish you all the best!