ಕನ್ನಡ ವರ್ಣಮಾಲೆ — Kannada Varnamale

ಕನ್ನಡ ಅಕ್ಷರಗಳನ್ನು ಕಲಿಯೋಣ.

Kannada Varnamale: Quick Alphabet Chart

Looking for ಕ, trying to remember ಊ, or wondering why ಕೆ and ಕೇ sound different? Keep this Kannada alphabet chart open beside the word you are reading.

ವರ್ಣಮಾಲೆ (varnamale) means the alphabet. This reference puts the letters, simple pronunciation aids and example words in one place. For a lesson that takes you from your first letter to whole sentences, start with Read Kannada From Zero.

Vowels: ಸ್ವರಗಳು

ಅ ಆ ಇ ಈ ಉ ಊ ಋ ಎ ಏ ಐ ಒ ಓ ಔ

Consonants: ವ್ಯಂಜನಗಳು

Two signs often shown after the vowels: ಂ and ಃ, displayed with ಅ as ಅಂ and ಅಃ.

This page uses 13 vowel letters, 34 consonant letters and 2 signs: the familiar 49-item teaching chart. The signs are not two more independent vowel letters. Different books can include rare Sanskrit letters or joined forms and give a different total.

1. Vowels with Examples

ಸ್ವರ ಎಂದರೆ ವ್ಯಂಜನದ ಸಹಾಯವಿಲ್ಲದೆ ಉಚ್ಚರಿಸಬಹುದಾದ ಧ್ವನಿ. A vowel is a sound you can say without a consonant's help.

Use the example as a small memory hook. ಆನೆ means elephant: the long aa at the start helps you remember ಆ.

How to use these English spellings

These are simple reading aids, not precise phonetic notation. They match the approach in our Kannada reading guide:

• aa, ee, oo are long vowels. Keep a, i, u shorter.
• e / ay distinguish ಎ / ಏ. Hold the vowel in ay steadily; do not add a separate y sound.
• o / oh distinguish ಒ / ಓ. Hold oh steadily, without a separate h or w sound.
• ai is roughly the vowel in “eye”; au is roughly the vowel in “cow”.
• ru is a beginner aid for ಋ, a special vowel mainly met in Sanskrit-derived words. It is often pronounced ru in modern Kannada.

Some different Kannada sounds share a simple spelling here. ಣ and ನ both use na, and ಳ and ಲ both use la. Check the tongue-position notes below rather than treating them as identical.

A quick check: Point to the longer vowel in each pair: ಇ / ಈ, ಉ / ಊ, ಎ / ಏ, ಒ / ಓ.

Answer: ಈ, ಊ, ಏ, ಓ. Kannada keeps the short/long e and o distinctions too.

2. Consonants with Examples

A basic Kannada consonant carries an a vowel. So ಕ is ka, while ಕ್ is just k. A vowel sign changes that built-in vowel: ಕೀ is kee.

The first five rows below follow a mouth-position pattern. In each row, the second and fourth letters have extra breath. Here th means t with a puff of air, not the English sound in “think”.

ಕ group: Back of the mouth

ಙ has the nasal sound heard at the end of English “sing”. It is uncommon as an independent letter in everyday Kannada words. You do not need an ordinary word beginning with it to learn its place in the chart.

ಚ group: Middle of the mouth

ಞ represents a nasal sound roughly like ny in “canyon”. The pronunciation of ಜ್ಞ varies in actual words and speech; its written components are ಜ್ + ಞ. Do not try to guess every joined form from the simple English letters alone.

ಟ group: Tongue tip farther back

Curl the tongue tip back toward the roof of your mouth. These are retroflex consonants.

The example letter does not always come first. ಹಣ್ಣು is a much more useful word to recognise than an unfamiliar word chosen only to begin with ಣ.

ತ group: Tongue tip at the teeth

Place the tongue tip against the back of the upper front teeth. These are dental consonants.

ಟ / ತ share ta here, but the tongue position is different. The same distinction applies to ಡ / ದ and ಣ / ನ. Reading aids cannot replace listening to a Kannada speaker.

ಪ group: The lips

ಫ traditionally represents p with extra breath. It is also used for f in many loanwords. Follow the pronunciation of the particular word.

Remaining consonants

Three small pronunciation reminders:

• ರ is a tongue-tip tap or trill, not the usual English r.
• ವ can sound between English v and w.
• ಲ / ಳ are different: ಲ uses a forward tongue position; ಳ uses a curled-back tongue tip. ಶ / ಷ also have a traditional articulation distinction, though they can sound very similar in modern speech.

3. Vowel Signs: Find the Form You Need

The independent vowel ಆ becomes a vowel sign in ಕಾ. Instead of trying to memorise a detached mark, compare the completed forms.

These are syllable forms for reference, not a list of separate words. The two added signs are ಕಂ / ಮಂ and ಕಃ / ಮಃ.

Use the chart now: ಮೀನು begins with ಮೀ. Find that form above: mee. The second part is ನು, giving mee-nu, “fish”. For more worked words and sentences, continue with the Kannada reading guide.

4. Three Signs You Will Meet

Do not pronounce ಂ as a separate “am” every time. Compare ಅಂಗ (anga, limb), ಒಂದು (ondu, one) and ಕೆಂಪು (kempu, red): ng, n and m fit their surroundings.

5. Joined Letters Are Not Extra Basic Letters

You may see ಕ್ಷ and ಜ್ಞ at the end of a school chart. They are useful to recognise, but they are consonant combinations.

A doubled consonant is held longer. ಅಮ್ಮ is a-mm-a, not a-ma-ma. Different consonants can also join without a vowel between them: keep the st together in ಪುಸ್ತಕ.

This reference helps you identify the shapes. The joined-letter section of our reading course takes you through how to read them in words.

6. Why Another Kannada Chart May Look Different

Our main chart has 49 items: 13 + 34 + 2. That is a teaching convention, not the number of every character that can be written in Kannada script.

• ೠ, ಌ and ೡ appear in extended Sanskrit-oriented charts. They are not needed for your first everyday Kannada words.
• Historical letters such as ಱ and ೞ can appear in older material. They are outside this modern beginner chart.
• ಕ್ಷ / ಜ್ಞ may be displayed separately for teaching even though they are joined forms.
• A vowel sign, a numeral and a punctuation mark are different kinds of written character. Adding them all together does not give a useful beginner alphabet count.

If your textbook uses a different count, check what it includes before deciding that one of the charts is wrong.

A One-Minute Check

Cover the reading aids and try these:

1. Which is longer: ಉ or ಊ?
2. How do you change ಕ into kee?
3. Which pair uses different tongue positions: ಲ / ಳ?
4. Does ಕ್ಷ add a new basic consonant to our 34-letter chart?
5. Find the first reading unit in ಮೀನು.

Answers: 1. ಊ. 2. ಕೀ. 3. ಲ is forward; ಳ is curled back. 4. No: it combines ಕ್ and ಷ. 5. ಮೀ, mee.

You do not have to remember the whole chart at once. Find one letter, read one familiar word, then return when you meet the next unfamiliar shape.

Continue learning Kannada with these lessons:

Sources and Further Practice

The Kannada Language Chair at JNU's alphabet lesson provides letter groups and spoken models. The Unicode Kannada script description documents the writing system and extended characters. The explanations and example selection here were prepared for LangFastPro.