ಮ
+
ನ + ◌ೆ
ನೆ
Alphabets
The Kannada alphabet ಅಕ್ಷರಮಾಲೆ
Meet every letter of Kannada, hear how it sounds, and learn how letters join to make words.
About Kannada
Kannada is spoken by about 60 million people, most of them in Karnataka. It is written in the Kannada script (ಕನ್ನಡ ಲಿಪಿ) from left to right. Its round letters often carry a small tick on top, the talekaṭṭu (ತಲೆಕಟ್ಟು), which shows the built-in "a" sound. The script is phonetic. Vowel signs replace the tick or attach to the side of the letter, and when two consonants meet, the second one is written small underneath as an ottakṣara (ಒತ್ತಕ್ಷರ).
- 13
- vowels ಸ್ವರಗಳು
- 34
- consonants ವ್ಯಂಜನಗಳು
- 2
- extra signs ಯೋಗವಾಹಕಗಳು
- L → R
- writing direction
Vowels ಸ್ವರಗಳು
A vowel can stand on its own at the start of a word. After a consonant it is written as a vowel sign instead – shown here on ಕ. Kannada has short and long e and o. Tap a letter to hear it.
Two extra signs
Anusvara – a nasal "m / n" sound.
Visarga – a short breathy "h".
Consonants ವ್ಯಂಜನಗಳು
The first 25 consonants, the vargīya letters, are arranged by where in the mouth the sound is made: plain, breathy, voiced, voiced + breathy, nasal. The rest are the avargīya letters.
Velar ಕ-ವರ್ಗ
from the back of the throat
Palatal ಚ-ವರ್ಗ
tongue against the hard palate
Retroflex ಟ-ವರ್ಗ
tongue curled back to the roof of the mouth
Dental ತ-ವರ್ಗ
tongue touching the upper teeth
Labial ಪ-ವರ್ಗ
with the lips
Semivowels ಅವರ್ಗೀಯ
between a vowel and a consonant
Sibilants, h & ḷa ಅವರ್ಗೀಯ
hissing sounds, h and the retroflex l
Joined letters ಸಂಯುಕ್ತಾಕ್ಷರ
two consonants joined – taught as letters of their own
ಳ and ಲ are different sounds that change the meaning: ಬಾಳೆ (bāḷe) is "banana", but ಬಾಲ (bāla) is "tail".
How letters join to make words
Kannada words are built syllable by syllable. Three simple rules cover almost everything.
-
1
Every consonant has a built-in "a"
On its own, ಕ is read ka – the tick on top shows the "a".
ಕ್ +ಅ =ಕ -
2
A vowel sign replaces the "a"
Add a vowel sign to change the vowel: ka becomes kā, ki, ku…
ಕ +◌ಾ =ಕಾ -
3
The halanta joins two consonants
With the ್ (halanta) the next consonant is written small, under the first.
ಮ್ +ಮ =ಮ್ಮ
Where does the vowel sign go?
After
ಕಾ ಕು ಕೂ
Attached to the right of the consonant.
On top
ಕಿ ಕೀ
Replaces the tick on top of the letter.
Top and side
ಕೆ ಕೇ ಕೊ ಕೋ
A mark on top and one on the right.
Below
ಕೃ ಕೈ
Written partly under the consonant.
Build real words
ನ + ◌ೀ
ನೀ
+
ರ + ◌ು
ರು
ಪ + ◌ು
ಪು
+
ಸ್ + ತ
ಸ್ತ
+
ಕ
ಹ + ◌ೂ
ಹೂ
+
ವ + ◌ು
ವು
ಅ
+
ಮ್ + ಮ
ಮ್ಮ
ಶ + ◌ಾ
ಶಾ
+
ಲ + ◌ೆ
ಲೆ
ಕ
+
ನ್ + ನ
ನ್ನ
+
ಡ
ಪ್ + ರ + ◌ೀ
ಪ್ರೀ
+
ತ + ◌ಿ
ತಿ
Good to know
Words end in a vowel
Most Kannada words end in a vowel – ಮನೆ (mane), ನೀರು (nīru) – so the last "a" is said, unlike in Hindi.
Watch the tick
The tick on top (ತಲೆಕಟ್ಟು) means "a". A vowel sign on top replaces it: ಕ (ka) → ಕಿ (ki).
Letters under letters
In a cluster the second consonant becomes a small ottakṣara below: ಕ್ಕ (kka), ಪ್ರ (pra).
Ready to type in Kannada?
Use the on-screen keyboard to write these letters, or translate your first sentence.