DuolingoDuolingo doesn't teach Maithili, and very few apps do.
Maithili is one of the scheduled languages that India's 2011 census counts, with about 13.6 million speakers. It is written in Devanagari today. So this page lists a free online course and two ways to practice with people, along with Bubblegum. More free reading is in our best apps to learn Maithili.
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.
Tell Poppy, your AI tutor, your level and what you like, and she writes your Maithili lessons. If a sentence is hard to follow, ask Poppy to explain it.
With Regenerative Review™, words you save show up again in new lessons, so that you can review words in new contexts without having to use flashcards.
Bubblegum teaches Maithili as its own language, written in Devanagari.
- 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.
- Learn every letter and its sound in the free Maithili Letters course.
- 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™
- Teaches the Devanagari Alphabet
Mobile
MithilaDwaar is a free online Maithili course with 14 units and 70 lessons. It shows Hindi and Maithili lines side by side, with quizzes and flashcards, and its second lesson covers the Devanagari and Tirhuta scripts. This is Mithila is a YouTube channel with a beginner series called Maithili 101, which starts with pronunciation and everyday words.
italki has a page for Maithili teachers, where you can book a video lesson. You pay for each lesson, and each teacher sets the price.
HelloTalk is a language exchange app with a Maithili page for finding partners to chat with. Chatting is free.
| Option | How You Can Start Free |
|---|---|
| MithilaDwaar | The course is free. |
| This is Mithila | The videos are free on YouTube. |
| HelloTalk | Chatting is free. |
| italki | You pay for each lesson. |
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.
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. If you can already read Hindi or Nepali, the letters will look familiar. Bubblegum's Maithili Letters course teaches them, and you can read your lessons in Roman letters while you learn.
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.
Sources
- Duolingo: course list
- Census of India 2011, Language Paper 1 (2018): Maithili is listed as scheduled language no. 10, with 1,35,83,464 speakers
- MithilaDwaar: Learn Maithili (14 units, 70 lessons, free)
- This is Mithila: Maithili 101, Chapter 1 Part 1 (YouTube)
- italki: Maithili teachers
- italki: home page (pay as you go, teachers set their own prices)
- HelloTalk: Maithili language partners
- StoryWeaver: Maithili books (106 free picture books and stories)
- Bubblegum
