reference, not a gate

ಕನ್ನಡ ಲಿಪಿ the Kannada script

You do not have to learn this page before you speak. Learn it by meeting the same shapes inside phrases you already know — start with the letters in your current lesson, and come back here when a word looks unfamiliar.

Vowels svara · 13

Every Kannada syllable carries a vowel. These thirteen are written as full letters when they start a word.

ಅaa

ಆaaā

ಇii

ಈiiī

ಉuu

ಊuuū

ಋruṛ

ಎee

ಏeeē

ಐaiai

ಒoo

ಓooō

ಔauau

Nasal & breath marks yogavahaka · 2

ಂn / m (nasal)ṃ

ಃh (breath)ḥ

Consonants vyanjana · 34

In Kannada the letters are ordered by where in the mouth the sound is made. Learn them in these rows, not alphabetically — that is why the rows are laid out this way.

ka-varga · throat (k, kh, g, gh, ng)

ಕka

ಖkha

ಗga

ಘgha

ಙnga

ca-varga · palate (ch, chh, j, jh, ny)

ಚcha

ಛchha

ಜja

ಝjha

ಞnya

ṭa-varga · tongue curled back (T, Th, D, Dh, N)

ಟTa

ಠTha

ಡDa

ಢDha

ಣNa

ta-varga · tongue at the teeth (t, th, d, dh, n)

ತta

ಥtha

ದda

ಧdha

ನna

pa-varga · lips (p, ph, b, bh, m)

ಪpa

ಫpha

ಬba

ಭbha

ಮma

semivowels and sibilants

ಯya

ರra

ಲla

ವva

ಶsha

ಷSha

ಸsa

ಹha

ಳLa

Capitals in the loose romanization (T, D, N, L, S) mark retroflex letters — the ones where the tongue curls back. English has no such sounds, which is why ಹೇಳಿ heeLiand ಇಲ್ಲ illa are different letters at the end.

Vowel signs matra · consonant + vowel

When a consonant takes a vowel, the vowel is written as a sign attached to it.ಕ already contains an a; the other twelve change its shape.

vowel	sign	with ಕ	sounds
ಅ	—	ಕ	a
ಆ	ಾ	ಕಾ	aa
ಇ	ಿ	ಕಿ	i
ಈ	ೀ	ಕೀ	ii
ಉ	ು	ಕು	u
ಊ	ೂ	ಕೂ	uu
ಋ	ೃ	ಕೃ	ru
ಎ	ೆ	ಕೆ	e
ಏ	ೇ	ಕೇ	ee
ಐ	ೈ	ಕೈ	ai
ಒ	ೊ	ಕೊ	o
ಓ	ೋ	ಕೋ	oo
ಔ	ೌ	ಕೌ	au

Coming next

Letter-by-letter audio (one recording per letter, not a synthesized name), a stroke-order animation, and drills that only use words you have already met. The script data above is the source for all of it.

Back to the phrases