Best Apps to Learn Maithili in 2026

Maithili is one of the scheduled languages that India's 2011 census counts, and it had about 13.6 million speakers there. Duolingo, Ling, uTalk and LingQ don't teach Maithili, so this page lists the few places that do.

Custom Lessons Made for You

Bubblegum

For serious learners, Bubblegum is the best app to learn Maithili. You learn from Maithili you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.

Say you are visiting relatives in Janakpur next month. Ask Poppy, your AI tutor, for a lesson on what you will say at the table, and she writes it at your level, with audio. Bubblegum teaches Maithili as its own language, written in Devanagari.

To practice speaking with a person, see Practice With a Person.

Get Bubblegum ↓

Poppy writes each lesson for your level, on topics you pick.
Each lesson plays AI audio while you read.
Read in Maithili letters, or switch to Roman letters while you learn them.
Tap a word to see what it means, or ask Poppy to explain a whole line.
The Maithili Letters course teaches the letters with a picture and a sound for each.
Regenerative Review™ brings saved words back in new lessons, and you can export them to Anki.
Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.

You can't turn your own Maithili books into lessons. However, you can paste a page in the chat, and Poppy will explain it.
Custom lessons cost us money to make, so you need Bubblegum Pro for unlimited custom lessons. Lessons Poppy wrote for other learners are free for everyone to read.

Regenerative Review™

Mobile

Follow a Free Online Course

Other Apps We Looked At (2)

MithilaDwaarA free online Maithili course with 14 units and 70 lessons, with Hindi and Maithili lines side by side, quizzes and flashcards. Its second lesson covers the Devanagari and Tirhuta scripts.
This is MithilaA YouTube channel with a beginner video series called Maithili 101, which starts with pronunciation and everyday words.

Practice With a Person

Other Apps We Looked At (2)

italkiHas a page for Maithili teachers, where you can book a video lesson. Each teacher sets the price.
HelloTalkA language exchange app with a Maithili page for finding partners to chat with. Chatting is free.

Free Reading for Maithili

StoryWeaver has 106 free Maithili picture books and stories, sorted into levels. Videha is a Maithili e-journal that has been online since 2000, with prose, poems, children's writing and an audio section. I Love Mithila publishes news, poems and short stories in Maithili.

Learn Maithili in Your Language

Menus in your language don't always mean Maithili explained in your language, so try one lesson before you pay.

App	Languages You Can Use It In	Full List
Bubblegum	74	Supported language pairs
italki	19	Full list
HelloTalk	16	Full list
MithilaDwaar	—	—
This is Mithila	—	—

Common Questions

Which Maithili app should a beginner choose?

If you are serious about learning Maithili, start with Bubblegum. Poppy, your AI tutor, writes lessons at your level about things you like. Or start with the free MithilaDwaar course, and book a tutor on italki when you want to hear your own Maithili corrected. The best way to learn Maithili shows what to do each week.

Does Duolingo teach Maithili?

No. Duolingo doesn't have a Maithili course.

Do I need to learn the letters first?

Yes, if you want to read signs, messages and books, because Maithili is written in Devanagari today. Bubblegum's Maithili Letters course teaches them, and you can read your lessons in Roman letters while you learn. If you can already read Hindi or Nepali, the letters will look familiar.

Is Bubblegum free?

Yes. Lessons Poppy wrote for other learners are free for everyone to read. Custom lessons cost us money to make, so you need Bubblegum Pro for unlimited custom lessons.