About Siddhartha
Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse is a medium read in German (philosophy). It takes about 2 h 52 min at 200 words per minute, a comfortable pace for language learners. The book is in the public domain and comes from Project Gutenberg.
When you open it, the text is downloaded once and saved in your browser, so you can keep reading offline and your progress stays on your device.
Main characters in Siddhartha
Siddhartha, the son of a Brahmin in ancient India, leaves home in search of enlightenment. He lives as an ascetic, a merchant and a lover, and finally learns from a river what he could not learn from teachers.
Siddhartha
The young Brahmin who searches for the meaning of life.
Govinda
Siddhartha's childhood friend, who follows the Buddha.
Kamala
A wealthy courtesan who teaches Siddhartha about love.
Vasudeva
The ferryman who teaches Siddhartha to listen to the river.
Gotama
The Buddha, whom Siddhartha meets but chooses not to follow.
Kamaswami
The merchant who gives Siddhartha his first business.
Questions about Siddhartha
- How many words are in Siddhartha?
- Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse has about 34,000 words. At 200 words per minute, a comfortable pace for language learners, it takes about 2 h 52 min to read.
- Who are the main characters in Siddhartha?
- The main characters are Siddhartha, Govinda, Kamala, Vasudeva, Gotama and Kamaswami.
- Can I read Siddhartha for free?
- Yes. Siddhartha is in the public domain, and you can read it free in German on PolyglotReader with inline translation, word lookup and audio.
Siddhartha is more than a book: it is a language-learning tool
Most people learn a language from lessons and word lists that have nothing to do with what they enjoy. Here you learn from a real story. You read Siddhartha in German, and every step that helps you understand and remember it is one tap away. The words you meet in the book are the words you practise.
- Read
- Look up
- Listen
- Save
- Practise
- Inline translation
Stay in the original text and check the meaning only when you need to.
- Word lookup
A dictionary entry gives you ten meanings. A contextual lookup gives you the one that fits.
- Audio narration
Hear how the text sounds while your eyes follow the words.
- B1 simplification
Read the book you want now, at a level you can follow, and move up to the original later.
- Flashcards
Practise the words you actually met, in the books you actually chose.
- Word games
Test yourself on the exact sentences you just read.
- My Dictionary
One searchable list of every word you chose to keep, with the meaning you picked.
- Daily goal
A small target you meet every day beats a long session you never get round to.
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Play word games with Siddhartha
Reading shows you the words, games make you use them. Press Play in the reading toolbar and PolyglotReader builds short games from the German page you are on, so you practise the vocabulary of Siddhartha itself.
Fill the blanks
One word is hidden in a sentence from the page. Pick the right one from four choices.
Type the word
Type the hidden word. The first letter is shown, and Say it lets you hear the word.
Unscramble
The words of a sentence are shuffled. Tap them back into the right order.
Games are made in your browser from the book text, with points, streaks and stars. How the word games work