# Alkalami font

> An Arabic-script face in the reed-pen style of Kano, Nigeria, and Niger, with a dark serif for basic Latin.

Alkalami is an Arabic-script typeface from SIL International that reproduces a writing style from the Kano region of Nigeria and from Niger, marked by a very thick baseline stroke and narrow verticals. Alkalami has one Regular style with 982 glyphs, including a heavy serif for basic Latin. Alkalami is released under the SIL Open Font License 1.1.

## Facts

- Classification: [Serif](https://trendhub.net/fonts/category/serif)
- Designed by: SIL International
- License: SIL Open Font License 1.1 (https://openfontlicense.org/open-font-license-official-text/)
- Styles: 1 (Regular 400)
- Variable font: No
- Glyphs: 982
- Character sets: arabic, latin
- Last updated: 2025-09-16
- Official source: https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Alkalami
- Page: https://trendhub.net/fonts/alkalami
- Tagged for: Headlines, Editorial

## About Alkalami

Alkalami is a typeface for Arabic script in a West African manuscript style. Its name is the local word for the qalam, a sharpened stick used to write on wooden boards around Kano in Nigeria and in Niger, and that tool explains the look: the stroke along the baseline is very thick, while ascenders, teeth and other verticals are narrow by comparison. Swashes and descenders reach far below the line, so the design needs generous line spacing, and a set page appears as a dense black rectangle. Vowel marks and other diacritics are much smaller and sit close to the letters. The family is one Regular style with 982 glyphs. Its Latin, shown in the specimen, is a dark old-style serif limited to the basic subset. The font file names Becca Hirsbrunner Spalinger as designer.

## License

SIL Open Font License 1.1. Copyright (c) 2015-2023, SIL International (http://www.sil.org/), with Reserved Font Names "Alkalami" and "SIL".

Allowed:
- Use the fonts in personal and commercial work, in print, on the web and in apps.
- Modify the fonts and build new versions from them.
- Redistribute the fonts, on their own or bundled with software, as long as the license text and copyright notice go with them.

Conditions:
- The fonts cannot be sold by themselves.
- A modified version must stay under the same license and cannot use a Reserved Font Name without the copyright holder's permission.
- The authors' names cannot be used to promote a modified version without permission.

Summary only, not legal advice. Full text: https://openfontlicense.org/open-font-license-official-text/

## Where it works

- **Ajami texts from the Kano region**: The letterforms follow the hand used there, so readers meet a familiar style of Arabic script.
- **Religious and literacy publications**: A script that mirrors writing on wooden boards suits material for communities taught in that tradition.
- **Titles and book covers**: The heavy baseline stroke gives a title strong presence even without a bold weight.
- **Bilingual headings**: The dark Latin serif sets an English or French title beside the Arabic at similar blackness.

## Things to know

- **Needs extra line spacing**: Deep swashes and descenders require a taller line height than most Arabic text faces.
- **One weight**: Alkalami has a single Regular style. Its Latin already looks bold, and there is no lighter or heavier companion.
- **Small diacritics**: Marks are drawn much smaller than the base letters and close to them, which is part of the regional style.
- **Latin is basic**: Latin coverage is limited to the basic subset for Western European languages.

## FAQs

### Is Alkalami free for commercial use?

Yes. Alkalami is published under the SIL Open Font License 1.1, which allows personal and commercial use, modification and redistribution. The font cannot be sold on its own, and modified versions stay under the same license and may not use the Reserved Font Name "Alkalami" without permission.

### Who designed Alkalami?

Alkalami is published by SIL International. The designer named in the font file is Becca Hirsbrunner Spalinger.

### What does the name Alkalami mean?

Alkalami is the local word in the Kano region for the Arabic qalam, a sharpened stick used as a pen on wooden writing boards.

### How many weights does Alkalami have?

Alkalami has one weight, Regular 400, with no italic. Alkalami is not a variable font.

### Which scripts does Alkalami support?

Alkalami covers Arabic script and basic Latin for languages such as English, French, Spanish and Portuguese.

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Source: https://trendhub.net/fonts/alkalami (trendhub)