ఇ
+
ల్ + ల + ◌ు
ల్లు
Alphabets
The Telugu alphabet వర్ణమాల
Meet every letter of Telugu, hear how it sounds, and learn how letters join to make words.
About Telugu
Telugu is spoken by about 95 million people, most of them in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. It is written in the Telugu script (తెలుగు లిపి) from left to right. The letters are round, and many carry a small tick on top called the talakaṭṭu (తలకట్టు), 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 ottu (ఒత్తు).
- 13
- vowels అచ్చులు
- 33
- consonants హల్లులు
- 2
- extra signs
- L → R
- writing direction
Vowels అచ్చులు
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 క. Telugu has short and long e and o. Tap a letter to hear it.
Two extra signs
Sunna (anusvara) – a nasal "m / n" sound.
Visargam – a short breathy "h".
Consonants హల్లులు
The consonants are arranged by where in the mouth the sound is made. In each of the first five groups the letters go: plain, breathy, voiced, voiced + breathy, nasal.
Velar క-వర్గం
from the back of the throat
Palatal చ-వర్గం
tongue against the hard palate
Retroflex ట-వర్గం
tongue curled back to the roof of the mouth
Dental త-వర్గం
tongue touching the upper teeth
Labial ప-వర్గం
with the lips
Semivowels అంతస్థాలు
between a vowel and a consonant
Sibilants & h ఊష్మాలు
hissing sounds made with breath
Extra letters ఇతర అక్షరాలు
the retroflex l, a joined letter and an old r
Joined consonants are very common in Telugu: in అమ్మ (amma, mother) and నక్క (nakka, fox) the second consonant is written small, under the first.
How letters join to make words
Telugu words are built syllable by syllable. Three simple rules cover almost everything.
-
1
Every consonant has a built-in "a"
On its own, క is read ka – the tick on top shows the "a".
క్ +అ =క -
2
A vowel sign replaces the "a"
Add a vowel sign to change the vowel: ka becomes kā, ki, ku…
క +◌ా =కా -
3
The pollu joins two consonants
With the ్ (pollu) the next consonant is written small, under the first.
మ్ +మ =మ్మ
Where does the vowel sign go?
After
కా కు కూ
Attached to the right of the consonant.
On top
కి కీ కె కే
Replaces the tick on top of the letter.
Top and side
కొ కో కౌ
A mark on top and one on the right.
Below
కృ కై
Written partly under the consonant.
Build real words
న + ◌ీ
నీ
+
ర + ◌ు
రు
ప + ◌ు
పు
+
స్ + త
స్త
+
క + ◌ం
కం
ప + ◌ు
పు
+
వ్ + వ + ◌ు
వ్వు
అ
+
మ్ + మ
మ్మ
బ
+
డ + ◌ి
డి
త + ◌ె
తె
+
ల + ◌ు
లు
+
గ + ◌ు
గు
ప్ + ర + ◌ే
ప్రే
+
మ
Good to know
Words end in a vowel
Almost every Telugu word ends in a vowel – ఇల్లు (illu), నీరు (nīru) – which is why Telugu sounds so musical.
Watch the tick
The tick on top (తలకట్టు) means "a". A vowel sign on top replaces it: క (ka) → కి (ki).
Letters under letters
In a cluster the second consonant becomes a small ottu below: క్క (kka), ప్ర (pra).
Ready to type in Telugu?
Use the on-screen keyboard to write these letters, or translate your first sentence.