I would like to request a per-language font option in KDE Plasma’s Fonts settings.
Urdu is much more readable in a Nastaleeq font, while Latin/English UI text looks better in a clean sans-serif font. Right now, Plasma only lets me choose one UI font for everything, so I have to choose between good English UI and good Urdu UI.
A useful design would be something like:
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Latin / English UI text → a clean sans-serif font
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Urdu / Arabic-script UI text → a Nastaleeq font
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Optional separate choices for menus, window titles, file views, and document text
This would be similar to how other platforms have evolved their handling of Urdu text. In the past, many systems (including Apple and Google products) used more generic or less suitable fonts for Urdu, similar to how KDE currently behaves. Over time, they shifted toward better support by adopting Nastaliq-style rendering or enabling it more naturally within their systems. A similar shift or improvement in KDE Plasma would greatly enhance usability for Urdu users.
My current workaround is fontconfig, but that is not enough because many Plasma UI elements do not expose a clean language-specific font choice. A built-in option in System Settings would be much better for users who work in both Urdu and English every day.
A few possible additions would help:
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separate font selection by script or language
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a toggle for “Use Nastaleeq for Urdu”
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per-widget font rules for UI text
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a preview that adapts based on the active keyboard layout and shows how different languages will appear
Thank you for considering this.