Language/Telugu/Grammar/Telugu-Alphabet
I'm excited to introduce you to the Telugu alphabet! As a Telugu language teacher for over 20 years, I'm passionate about sharing the beauty and intricacy of this language with beginners like you. In this lesson, you'll learn about the Telugu script, which consists of 56 letters, including vowels and consonants. Understanding the pronunciation and writing of each letter is crucial for mastering the Telugu language.
The Telugu Alphabet
The Telugu alphabet is written from left to right, and vowels and consonants make up the 56 letters. This script is also used to write other South Indian languages like Kannada and Tamil. Here, we'll focus on the Telugu version of the script.
Before diving into the individual letters, it's important to understand how they're organized. In Telugu, the letters are grouped into two categories: వ్యంజనాలు (vyamjanalu) or consonants and స్వరములు (swaramulu) or vowels.
Now, let's take a closer look at each category.
Consonants
In Telugu, there are 35 consonants, each represented by a unique symbol. Here's a table with all of the Telugu consonants, their pronunciation, and English translations:
| Telugu | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| క | ka | k |
| ఖ | kha | kh |
| గ | ga | g |
| ఘ | gha | gh |
| ఙ | nga | ng |
| చ | cha | ch |
| ఛ | chha | chh |
| జ | ja | j |
| ఝ | jha | jh |
| ఞ | nya | ny |
| ట | ta | t |
| ఠ | tha | th |
| డ | da | d |
| ఢ | dha | dh |
| ణ | na | n |
| త | ta | t |
| థ | tha | th |
| ద | da | d |
| ధ | dha | dh |
| న | na | n |
| ప | pa | p |
| ఫ | pha | ph |
| బ | ba | b |
| భ | bha | bh |
| మ | ma | m |
| య | ya | y |
| ర | ra | r |
| ల | la | l |
| వ | va | v |
| శ | sha | sh |
| ష | ssa | ss |
| స | sa | s |
| హ | ha | h |
It's important to note that some of these consonants have similar sounds in English, while others might be more unfamiliar. Take the time to practice each one until you feel comfortable with the pronunciation.
Vowels
In Telugu, there are 13 vowels, all represented by symbols that are unique to the script. Here's a table with all of the Telugu vowels, their pronunciation, and English translations:
| Telugu | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| అ | a | a |
| ఆ | aa | a |
| ఇ | i | i |
| ఈ | ee | i |
| ఉ | u | u |
| ఊ | oo | u |
| ఋ | ri | ri |
| ఎ | e | e |
| ఏ | ee | e |
| ఐ | ai | ai |
| ఒ | o | o |
| ఓ | o | o |
| ఔ | au | au |
Some of these Telugu vowels might be similar to English vowels, while others might sound completely different. Practice each one until you feel comfortable with the pronunciation.
Writing the Telugu Alphabet
Now that we've covered the 35 consonants and 13 vowels, it's time to learn how to write them! In Telugu script, each letter is composed of a basic shape, often with additional lines and curves to indicate specific sounds.
Here's an example of how to write the Telugu letter for "ka":
Note how the basic shape is similar to the English letter "k", but with an additional line and curve to indicate the specific sound.
To write the vowels, you'll often see additional marks placed above, below, or to the left of the consonant. These marks are called మాత్రలు (matralu) or vowel signs, and they indicate the specific vowel sound to be used. Here's an example of how to write the Telugu letter for "ka" with the vowel sign for "a":
Note how the vowel sign appears below the consonant, indicating the "a" sound.
It's important to practice writing each letter and vowel until you become familiar with the shapes and additional marks.
Conclusion
Congratulations on learning the basics of the Telugu alphabet! This lesson was an introduction to the 56 letters that make up the Telugu script, including vowels and consonants. Take the time to practice writing each letter and vowel until you become comfortable with the shapes and pronunciation. Next, we'll move on to using these letters and sounds to form words and sentences in Telugu. Stay tuned!