# Lateef font

> An extended Arabic-script family from SIL in seven weights, styled for Sindhi and other South Asian languages.

Lateef is an extended Arabic-script typeface developed by SIL, named after the Sindhi poet Shah Abdul Lateef Bhitai and styled for Sindhi and other languages of South Asia. It has seven weights from ExtraLight 200 to ExtraBold 800 and 1,829 glyphs, with serif Latin letters alongside the Arabic. Lateef 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: 7 (ExtraLight 200, Light 300, Regular 400, Medium 500, SemiBold 600, Bold 700, ExtraBold 800)
- Variable font: No
- Glyphs: 1829
- Character sets: arabic, latin
- Last updated: 2025-09-16
- Official source: https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Lateef
- Page: https://trendhub.net/fonts/lateef
- Tagged for: Body text, Editorial

## About Lateef

Lateef is an Arabic-script typeface from SIL. The official notes describe it as an extended Arabic font whose style is meant to suit Sindhi and other South Asian languages, and explain that it takes its name from Shah Abdul Lateef Bhitai, a Sindhi mystic and poet. The family has seven static weights: ExtraLight, Light, Regular, Medium, SemiBold, Bold and ExtraBold. According to the same notes, six of them arrived with an update in July 2022. There are no italics, and Lateef is not a variable font. Each font holds 1,829 glyphs across the Arabic and Latin scripts. The Latin letters shown in the specimen are a bookish serif of moderate contrast, set small on the body; the license notice attributes them to the Crimson Pro project. Lateef is published under the SIL Open Font License 1.1.

## License

SIL Open Font License 1.1. Copyright (c) 1994-2025, SIL Global (https://www.sil.org/), with Reserved Font Names "Lateef" and "SIL". Latin glyphs copyright (c) 2018 The Crimson Pro Project Authors (https://github.com/Fonthausen/CrimsonPro)

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

- **Sindhi text**: Sindhi is the language the official description names first as the purpose of the design.
- **Arabic-script documents with hierarchy**: Weights from ExtraLight to ExtraBold let headings, text and captions come from one family.
- **Arabic-script text with English**: Serif Latin letters are built in, so an English name or citation inside a line needs no second font.
- **Books and literary publishing**: Light, Regular and Medium give a publisher three text colours to match paper and size.
- **Headings in ExtraBold**: The 800 weight sets titles above text in the lighter weights.

## Things to know

- **Latin is basic**: The Latin part covers Western European languages only; too few Latin Extended characters are present for that subset, and the Turkish ğ is not in the character map.
- **Static files**: Lateef comes as seven separate files, one per weight, and has no variable version in the package.
- **No italics**: All seven fonts are upright.

## FAQs

### Is Lateef free for commercial use?

Yes. Lateef is published under the SIL Open Font License 1.1, which allows use in personal and commercial work, modification and redistribution. The font cannot be sold on its own, and modified versions stay under the same license.

### Who designed Lateef?

Lateef was developed by SIL; the listing credits SIL International and the copyright notice names SIL Global. The notice also credits the Latin glyphs to The Crimson Pro Project Authors.

### How many weights does Lateef have?

Lateef has seven weights, from ExtraLight 200 to ExtraBold 800.

### What is Lateef named after?

According to the official description, Lateef is named after Shah Abdul Lateef Bhitai, a Sindhi mystic and poet.

### Which languages does Lateef support?

Lateef covers the Arabic script and, by its official description, is styled for Sindhi and other South Asian languages. Its Latin letters include what English, French, German and Spanish need.

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