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Kannada Alphabet
Kannada Script
The Kannada script is an abugida of the Brahmic family used for Kannada, a classical language of India spoken by about 44 million people mainly in Karnataka. The script has 13 vowels and 34 consonants. Kannada literature dates back to the 6th century CE, and the script has received several UNESCO recognition awards for its literary tradition.
Vowels
| Character | Name | Romanization | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| ಅ | A | a | like 'a' in 'apple' |
| ಆ | Aa | ā | like 'a' in 'father' |
| ಇ | I | i | like 'i' in 'sit' |
| ಈ | Ii | ī | like 'ee' in 'meet' |
| ಉ | U | u | like 'u' in 'put' |
| ಊ | Uu | ū | like 'oo' in 'moon' |
| ಋ | Ri | ri | like 'ri' in 'river' |
| ಎ | E | e | like 'e' in 'met' |
| ಏ | Ee | ē | like 'a' in 'cake' |
| ಐ | Ai | ai | like 'i' in 'site' |
| ಒ | O | o | like 'o' in 'on' |
| ಓ | Oo | ō | like 'o' in 'go' |
| ಔ | Au | au | like 'ow' in 'how' |
Consonants
| Character | Name | Romanization | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| ಕ | Ka | k | like 'k' in 'key' |
| ಖ | Kha | kh | like 'k' (aspirated) |
| ಗ | Ga | g | like 'g' in 'go' |
| ಘ | Gha | gh | like 'g' (breathy) |
| ಙ | Nga | ṅ | like 'ng' in 'sing' |
| ಚ | Ca | c | like 'ch' in 'cheese' |
| ಛ | Cha | ch | like 'ch' (aspirated) |
| ಜ | Ja | j | like 'j' in 'jam' |
| ಝ | Jha | jh | like 'j' (breathy) |
| ಞ | Nya | ñ | like 'ny' in 'canyon' |
| ಟ | Ta (retroflex) | ṭ | a retroflex 't' |
| ಠ | Tha (retroflex) | ṭh | a retroflex 'th' (aspirated) |
| ಡ | Da (retroflex) | ḍ | a retroflex 'd' |
| ಢ | Dha (retroflex) | ḍh | a retroflex 'dh' |
| ಣ | Na (retroflex) | ṇ | a retroflex 'n' |
| ತ | Ta | t | like 't' in 'top' |
| ಥ | Tha | th | like 't' (aspirated) |
| ದ | Da | d | like 'd' in 'dog' |
| ಧ | Dha | dh | like 'd' (breathy) |
| ನ | Na | n | like 'n' in 'night' |
| ಪ | Pa | p | like 'p' in 'pen' |
| ಫ | Pha | ph / f | like 'f' in 'fan' |
| ಬ | Ba | b | like 'b' in 'book' |
| ಭ | Bha | bh | like 'b' (breathy) |
| ಮ | Ma | m | like 'm' in 'moon' |
| ಯ | Ya | y | like 'y' in 'yes' |
| ರ | Ra | r | a flap 'r' |
| ಲ | La | l | like 'l' in 'lamp' |
| ವ | Va | v / w | like 'v' or 'w' |
| ಶ | Sha (palatal) | ś | like 'sh' in 'shoe' |
| ಷ | Sha (retroflex) | ṣ | a retroflex 'sh' |
| ಸ | Sa | s | like 's' in 'sun' |
| ಹ | Ha | h | like 'h' in 'house' |
| ಳ | Lla (retroflex) | ḷ | a retroflex 'l' |