A Rohingya scholar remembered for creating the Hanifi script, a writing system he devised in the 1980s to represent the sounds of the Rohingya language. Written from right to left with 28 characters, it is used in Rohingya schools, refugee camps and diaspora communities to teach reading and writing, and has become a key tool for preserving Rohingya identity and culture. Born in 1952 in northern Rathedaung Township into a family of religious scholars, he died on 10 November 2023.
A script for the Rohingya language
Maulana Muhammad Hanif is a respected Rohingya scholar best known for developing the Hanifi script, the very first writing system for the Rohingya language. Born in 1952 in northern Rathedaung township, Rakhine State, Myanmar, he came from a family of religious scholars and pursued extensive Islamic and linguistic studies. He died on 10 November 2023.
In the 1980s, Hanif created the Hanifi script to accurately represent the unique sounds of the Rohingya language. This script, written from right to left with 28 characters, has become a key tool in preserving Rohingya identity and culture.
The Hanifi script is widely used today in Rohingya schools, refugee camps, and diaspora communities to teach reading and writing. Hanif’s work gave the Rohingya people a standardized way to document their language, history, and traditions.
His legacy lives on through the Hanifi script, which remains central to Rohingya cultural preservation and education.
