Thai font · OFL
Mali
มะลิ
Information verified as of June 2026
How to install & use
- Windows — Download the .zip, unzip it, then right-click the .ttf/.otf file → “Install”.
- macOS — Double-click the .ttf/.otf file, then click “Install Font” in Font Book.
- Web — Embed from Google Fonts with a <link> tag or @import — grab the snippet on the specimen page.
Try Mali
Type your own text to preview Mali live. Adjust size and weight, then grab the embed code.
What Mali is
Mali is a handwritten Thai and Latin family by Sudarat Leotsithong, distributed through Cadson Demak on Google Fonts since August 2018 — six weights from ExtraLight (200) to Bold (700), each with an italic. That is unusual depth for a handwriting font; most ship one style.
The premise is unusually specific. Google Fonts describes the family as “inspired by a 6th graders’ handwriting” with “a carefree and naive appearance.” The project README goes further: the letterforms belong to “Mali ‘Little Jasmine’”, an imaginary young girl invented by the designer, and the face is her neat schoolwork hand. Mali (มะลิ) is the Thai word for jasmine.
A handwriting font built on a named character is a different proposition from a generic casual face. The fiction gives the drawing a consistent personality — diligent, cheerful, eleven years old — and the personality survives into print.
Character design and tone
Mali uses the big head loop (หัว) typical of Thai grade-school penmanship, rendered with what the README calls “a fine pencil effect by naive handwriting sense.” The heads on ม, ด, and ค are drawn oversized and round, the way schoolteachers in Thailand teach them, and the strokes keep a light, drawn-by-hand thinness even in the Bold cut.
The result is naive but tidy. This is not scrawl; it is the handwriting of a student who takes pride in her notebook. The Latin set carries the same pencil character, so bilingual children’s material does not break tone mid-sentence.
Weights and availability
Mali ships twelve static styles on Google Fonts: six weights from ExtraLight (200) to Bold (700) with true italics throughout. No variable-font version is listed. The weight range is the practical argument for Mali over single-style casual faces: a children’s book can run headings, body, and captions in one family without faking bold.
ExtraLight and Light hold the pencil delicacy best. Bold trades some of it for legibility on packaging.
How to download Mali
Mali is a free download from Google Fonts — one ZIP with all twelve static TTFs, no registration or payment. Three routes:
- Google Fonts ZIP — open the Mali specimen, click “Get font”, and download the family ZIP.
- CSS embed — load
https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Mali:ital,wght@0,400;0,700;1,400&display=swapin a<link>tag, then setfont-family: 'Mali', cursive;. - GitHub source — the cadsondemak/Mali repository hosts the project files for self-hosting.
Best use cases
Mali is for work aimed at, about, or voiced by children — the README itself recommends it for “kids related subject or primary school casual announcement.” Strong briefs:
- Children’s books and early-reader material in Thai, English, or both
- School communications: classroom posters, notices, activity sheets
- Snack, dessert, and dairy packaging aimed at families
- Café chalkboard menus and handwritten-style price tags
Where it fails: anything that needs authority. Banking, law, news, government — Mali undercuts all of them by design. It is also a poor body face past a paragraph or two; handwriting texture tires the eye at length. Set the body in Sarabun and keep Mali for headings and pull quotes.
Pairings
Mali needs a plain partner; two handwriting voices on one page compete.
- Sarabun — neutral loopless body text under Mali headings; see Sarabun
- Prompt — geometric sans for navigation and UI around Mali display text; see Prompt
For adjacent casual voices, compare Itim (rounder, more uniform) and Sriracha (looser, more adult). The Thai typography guide covers register matching; the fonts directory has the full catalogue.
Licensing
Mali is released under the SIL Open Font License: free for commercial use, modification, embedding, and bundling, provided the OFL notice stays with the files. Verify at the Google Fonts specimen or the GitHub repository. A kindergarten can print every worksheet, banner, and report card in Mali without licensing paperwork.
Frequently asked questions about Mali
Is Mali free for commercial use?
Yes — Mali is free for both personal and commercial use under the SIL Open Font License (OFL). You can use it in client work, apps, products, and websites at no cost, and self-host or embed it from Google Fonts. The only OFL condition is that you don’t sell the font files on their own.
How many weights does Mali have?
Mali ships in 6 weights: ExtraLight, Light, Regular, Medium, SemiBold, Bold. Pick a heavier weight for display and headlines, and a Regular or lighter weight for body text and long-form reading.
Does Mali support Latin and English characters?
Yes — Mali includes a Latin character set alongside Thai, so it can set English and Thai in one typeface. That makes it a practical choice for bilingual branding, packaging, and UI.
Where can I download Mali?
Download Mali free from Google Fonts. You can install the desktop files, self-host the WOFF2 files, or embed it directly with a <link> tag or @import — grab the embed code from the live preview above.
What fonts are similar to Mali?
The closest alternatives to Mali are Itim, Sriracha, Charmonman. They share a similar style and use case, so they’re the first faces to compare if you need a different weight range, license, or price.
Who designed Mali?
Mali was designed by Sudarat Leotsithong at Cadson Demak, released in 2018. Full designer credit and the primary source are listed at the bottom of this page.
Information verified as of June 2026
Sources
- Mali was designed by Sudarat Leotsithong as the handwriting of 'Mali (Little Jasmine)', an imaginary young girl character, with a big head loop writing style and a fine pencil effect.—Mali project README, Cadson Demak GitHub (accessed Jun 13, 2026)
- Mali is distributed on Google Fonts under the SIL Open Font License in the handwriting category, with six weights (200–700), each with a matching italic, added in August 2018.—Google Fonts metadata for Mali (google/fonts repository) (accessed Jun 13, 2026)
- Google Fonts describes Mali as a Thai and Latin family inspired by a 6th grader's handwriting with a carefree and naive appearance.—Google Fonts specimen page for Mali (accessed Jun 13, 2026)