తెలుగు అక్షరాలు నేర్చుకుందాం.
Looking for a Telugu alphabet chart? Start here. Read the letters, then use the examples to see how they work inside words. The chart is a reference you can return to, not a test you need to pass in one sitting.
Telugu vowels and their signs
Vowels are sounds spoken without a consonant's help. The independent letter and its attached sign represent the same vowel in different positions. Compare ఆ with కా: aa by itself, then aa after k.
| Letter | Simple reading | With క | What to notice |
|---|---|---|---|
| అ | a | క ka | Short a; no extra sign on క |
| ఆ | aa | కా kaa | Hold the a longer |
| ఇ | i | కి ki | Short i |
| ఈ | ee | కీ kee | Hold the ee |
| ఉ | u | కు ku | Short u |
| ఊ | oo | కూ koo | Hold the oo |
| ఋ | ru | కృ kru | A conventional reading aid; often heard in Sanskrit-derived words |
| ఎ | e, short | కె ke | Short, steady e |
| ఏ | e, long | కే ke | Longer, steady e |
| ఐ | ai | కై kai | A combined vowel sound |
| ఒ | o, short | కొ ko | Short, steady o |
| ఓ | o, long | కో ko | Longer, steady o |
| ఔ | au | కౌ kau | A combined vowel sound |
A quick word about English spellings
The English-letter spellings are reading aids, not a separate alphabet. We write long vowels as aa, ee and oo. Telugu also distinguishes short ఎ from long ఏ, and short ఒ from long ఓ. We use simple e and o for both, so check the Telugu letter and the short/long label. Keep these vowels steady rather than turning them into English “ay” or “ow.”
Some different Telugu consonants share an English spelling here. ట and త both appear as ta, for example. The mouth-position notes explain the difference. Listening to a Telugu speaker will help more than adding complicated marks to the English spelling.
Try these pairs: క / కా, కి / కీ, కు / కూ, కె / కే, కొ / కో. Keep your eyes on the Telugu, especially in the last two pairs.
Telugu consonant chart
A consonant shown without a vowel-removing sign normally includes a. Thus క is ka, while క్ is k.
| Group | Letters | Simple reading aids |
|---|---|---|
| Back of the mouth | క ఖ గ ఘ ఙ | ka kha ga gha nga |
| Middle of the mouth | చ ఛ జ ఝ ఞ | cha chha ja jha nya |
| Tongue curled back | ట ఠ డ ఢ ణ | ta tha da dha na |
| Tongue near the upper teeth | త థ ద ధ న | ta tha da dha na |
| Lips | ప ఫ బ భ మ | pa pha ba bha ma |
| Other consonants | య ర ల వ | ya ra la va |
| Other consonants | శ ష స హ ళ | sha sha sa ha la |
Why do some letters look identical in English?
Our simple reading aids cannot show every difference. The ట ఠ డ ఢ ణ row uses a curled-back tongue. The త థ ద ధ న row uses the tongue near the teeth. ళ is also curled-back; ల is not. These are real differences even though our English column repeats ta, da, na and la.
The h in kha, tha and pha signals a puff of breath. It does not mean an extra full syllable. Telugu speech varies, and some borrowed words use pronunciations that are easier to learn as complete words.
How many letters are in the Telugu alphabet?
You will see different totals because different charts count different things: rare Sanskrit vowels, historical letters, nasal and breath signs, or the combination క్ష.
This page's main tables contain 13 vowel letters and 34 consonant letters. That is the inventory used for this practical chart, not a claim that every Telugu textbook must have 47 letters.
For a wider traditional reference, also recognise:
| Item | What it is | Beginner advice |
|---|---|---|
| ౠ | Rare long vocalic-r vowel | Mainly relevant to Sanskrit material |
| ఌ ౡ | Rare vocalic-l vowels | Not needed for ordinary beginner reading |
| ఱ | A historical consonant letter | May occur in older texts and spellings |
| ం | Nasal sign | Learn it in words |
| ః | Visarga, a breath-like sound sign | Mainly encountered in Sanskrit-derived words |
| క్ష | క్ + ష | Learn it as a joined consonant |
Historical writing has additional forms too. A Unicode character inventory is not the same thing as a beginner alphabet chart.
Vowel signs: one row to practise
క కా కి కీ కు కూ కృ కె కే కై కొ కో కౌ
Now try recognising the same signs on other consonants:
| Base | With aa | With ee | With oo |
|---|---|---|---|
| ప pa | పా paa | పీ pee | పూ poo |
| మ ma | మా maa | మీ mee | మూ moo |
| న na | నా naa | నీ nee | నూ noo |
The overall shape can change when a vowel sign attaches. Learn the complete form instead of expecting every mark to sit in exactly the same place.
Read a word, not just a letter
| Word | Reading aid | Meaning | Pattern to find |
|---|---|---|---|
| అమ్మ | amma | mother | Doubled m |
| అక్క | akka | elder sister | Doubled k |
| ఇల్లు | illu | house | Initial ఇ and doubled l |
| నీరు | neeru | water | Long ee |
| పాలు | paalu | milk | Long aa |
| పూలు | poolu | flowers | Long oo |
| బడి | badi | school | Short vowels |
| నది | nadi | river | Short vowels |
| పిల్లి | pilli | cat | Doubled l |
| పుస్తకం | pustakam | book | Joined st and final nasal sign |
నీరు is నీ + రు. పాలు is పా + లు. You are already reading syllables, not simply naming letters.
Three signs that change the reading
్ removes the vowel: క becomes క్. It can also help form a consonant cluster.
ం adds a nasal sound: the sound depends on its position and the following consonant. Learn the pronunciation with the whole word rather than always substituting m.
ః marks a breath-like sound: it occurs mainly in Sanskrit-derived words.
A joined form such as క్క contains two consonants with no vowel between them. Read అక్క as ak-ka. In పుస్తకం, read pu-sta-kam, not pu-su-ta-kam.
Five-minute practice
- Find ఈ and ఊ in the vowel chart. Which signs do they use after క?
- Read పాలు and పూలు. What changes?
- Find the two different consonant rows whose reading aids begin ta.
- Read అమ్మ without adding a vowel between the two m sounds.
- Read ఇది పుస్తకం. This is a book.
Answers: కీ and కూ; aa changes to oo; the curled-back ట row and the dental త row; am-ma; idi pustakam.
Choose a few letters each day and find them inside words. A chart becomes useful when you stop needing to look at it.
Sources and further practice
The CIIL–NCERT Telugu Primer provides an institutional introduction to the script. The Unicode Telugu description explains vowel signs and joined consonants in digital text. These are reference sources; the explanations and practice activities on this page were prepared for LangFastPro.
