Lontara App · Free for everyone
The Lontara script, still written today.
The Lontara Script App helps anyone write the Buginese–Makassarese Lontara script on Windows computers and Android phones. It is free, and comes with an installation video and a PDF guide.
Copyright holder Prof. Dr. Yusring Sanusi Baso, S.S., M.App.Ling.
- ᨀka
- ᨁga
- ᨂnga
- ᨃngka
- ᨄpa
- ᨅba
- ᨆma
- ᨇmpa
- ᨈta
- ᨉda
- ᨊna
- ᨋnra
- ᨌca
- ᨍja
- ᨎnya
- ᨏnca
- ᨐya
- ᨑra
- ᨒla
- ᨓwa
- ᨔsa
- ᨕa
- ᨖha
23 letters, read from left to right. Shown in the Lontara Yusring typeface, designed by Prof. Yusring himself and also used to write the 30-juz Makassarese translation of the Quran with Indonesia's Ministry of Religious Affairs.
Try it now
Write your name in the Lontara script.
Type a name in Latin letters. The Lontara script appears right away in the Lontara Yusring typeface, ready to copy or share as an image.
ᨕᨉᨗ
Andi
Read as a · di
Lontara Yusring typeface by Prof. Dr. Yusring Sanusi Baso
Start writing
Four steps, all of them free.
The app, the video, and the guide are kept on Google Drive and YouTube, so you can open them from anywhere.
- 01
Download the app
One ZIP file with the Lontara Script App, ready to install.
Google Drive - 02
Watch how to install it
A step-by-step video on installing the Buginese–Makassarese Lontara app on Android.
YouTube - 03
Keep the guide
The installation guide as a PDF, easy to share and to print for a class.
PDF on Google Drive - 04
Learn the story behind it
How it was made, starting with the TrueType font that displays the Lontara script.
YouTube
The story behind it
It began with a thesis that could not be typed.
This app is a goal Prof. Dr. Yusring Sanusi Baso, S.S., M.App.Ling. pursued for three decades. He worried the Lontara script would slowly disappear if it could not be written on the devices people use every day.
- 1993
A typewriter and two scripts
He wrote his undergraduate thesis on an Arabic typewriter. The WordStar word processor existed, but it knew neither Arabic nor Lontara characters, and his thesis needed both. From then on he set out to bring the Arabic and Lontara scripts to the computer.
- 1995–1998
Studying computational linguistics
On a World Bank URGE master's scholarship, he studied in Unhas's graduate linguistics programme, run with the Summer Institute of Linguistics, under the supervision of Dr. Barbara Friberg.
- 2007
Lontara numerals
He completed numeral characters for the Lontara script.
- 2008
Lontara Yusring for Windows
A Lontara script application for Windows computers that lets you type in Microsoft Word.
- 2011
Yusring Keyboard
He released a keyboard of his own design.
- 2014
Lontara on Android
The Lontara script could now be written on a phone, anytime and anywhere.
- 2023
Professor of CALL
On 18 July 2023 he was inaugurated as Professor of Computer Assisted Language Learning at the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Hasanuddin.
He has already set his next task: turning scanned Lontara manuscripts into editable text. Sikoola shares the app free of charge so the script stays in use, in personal notes, in classrooms, and on campus.
Sources: identitas Unhas · Rakyat Sulsel, 19 July 2023
FAQ
Frequently asked about the Lontara App.
Another question? Ask us directly on WhatsApp at +62 811 445 4497.
How do I write a name in the Lontara script?
Type your name in the “Write your name” section on this page. Each syllable is written with one Lontara letter plus a vowel sign. A consonant that ends a syllable is not written, so Rahmat becomes ra-ma and Andi becomes a-di. You can copy the result as text or share it as an image.
What is the Lontara Script App?
The Lontara Script App is a free app for writing the Buginese–Makassarese Lontara script. It was created by Prof. Dr. Yusring Sanusi Baso, S.S., M.App.Ling., who holds its copyright, and is shared by Sikoola Indonesia.
Is the Lontara Script App free?
Yes. Anyone can download the app, the installation video, and the PDF guide for free.
How do I install the Lontara Script App?
Download the app's ZIP file from this page, then follow the installation video or the PDF guide, both available here too.
Who created the Lontara Script App?
Prof. Dr. Yusring Sanusi Baso, S.S., M.App.Ling., Professor of Computer Assisted Language Learning at the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Hasanuddin, and the app's copyright holder. You can watch how it was made in the documentation video he put together.
Which devices does the Lontara App run on?
Prof. Yusring made a version for Windows computers, called Lontara Yusring, in 2008, and a version for Android phones in 2014. The Windows version lets you type the Lontara script in Microsoft Word. The guide video on this page covers installing it on Android.
How many basic letters does the Lontara script have?
Buginese Lontara has 23 basic letters, including four for prenasalized sounds: ngka, mpa, nra, and nyca. Each letter carries the vowel a; other vowels are marked with small signs around the letter.
A script handed down for generations, still alive on your screen.
Sikoola Indonesia · Perdos Unhas Tamalanrea, Makassar 90245, Indonesia
WhatsApp +62 811 445 4497 · hello@sikoola.com