Telugu Alphabet Pronunciation

Here is a guide to the pronunciation of the Telugu alphabet:

Vowels (Achulu – అచ్చులు)

1. అ (a) – Pronounced as ‘a’ in apple
2. ఆ (aa) – Pronounced as ‘a’ in father
3. ఇ (i) – Pronounced as ‘i’ in ink
4. ఈ (ii) – Pronounced as ‘ee’ in see
5. ఉ (u) – Pronounced as ‘u’ in put
6. ఊ (uu) – Pronounced as ‘oo’ in moon
7. ఋ (ru) – Pronounced as ‘ru’ in ruse (shortened)
8. ఎ (e) – Pronounced as ‘e’ in bed
9. ఏ (ee) – Pronounced as ‘a’ in fate
10. ఐ (ai) – Pronounced as ‘i’ in ice
11. ఒ (o) – Pronounced as ‘o’ in pot
12. ఓ (oo) – Pronounced as ‘o’ in open
13. ఔ (au) – Pronounced as ‘ow’ in cow
14. అం (am) – Nasal sound, like ‘um’ in hum
15. అః (ah) – A sound with an echoing ‘h’

Consonants (Hallulu – హల్లులు)

Basic Consonants

1. క (ka) – Pronounced as ‘k’ in kite
2. ఖ (kha) – Aspirated ‘k’, like ‘kh’ in khaki
3. గ (ga) – Pronounced as ‘g’ in go
4. ఘ (gha) – Aspirated ‘g’, like ‘gh’ in ghost
5. ఙ (nga) – Pronounced as ‘ng’ in sing
6. చ (cha) – Pronounced as ‘ch’ in chat
7. ఛ (chha) – Aspirated ‘ch’, like ‘ch’ in chhota
8. జ (ja) – Pronounced as ‘j’ in jump
9. ఝ (jha) – Aspirated ‘j’, like ‘jh’ in jhankaar
10. ఞ (nya) – Pronounced as ‘ny’ in canyon
11. ట (ṭa) – Pronounced as ‘t’ in tank (retroflex)
12. ఠ (ṭha) – Aspirated ‘ṭ’, like ‘ṭh’ in Thane (retroflex)
13. డ (ḍa) – Pronounced as ‘d’ in drum (retroflex)
14. ఢ (ḍha) – Aspirated ‘ḍ’, like ‘ḍh’ in dharma (retroflex)
15. ణ (ṇa) – Pronounced as ‘n’ in nut (retroflex)
16. త (ta) – Pronounced as ‘t’ in tick (dental)
17. థ (tha) – Aspirated ‘t’, like ‘th’ in Thailand (dental)
18. ద (da) – Pronounced as ‘d’ in dip (dental)
19. ధ (dha) – Aspirated ‘d’, like ‘dh’ in dharma (dental)
20. న (na) – Pronounced as ‘n’ in net
21. ప (pa) – Pronounced as ‘p’ in pat
22. ఫ (pha) – Aspirated ‘p’, like ‘ph’ in phantom
23. బ (ba) – Pronounced as ‘b’ in bat
24. భ (bha) – Aspirated ‘b’, like ‘bh’ in bhajan
25. మ (ma) – Pronounced as ‘m’ in mat
26. య (ya) – Pronounced as ‘y’ in yes
27. ర (ra) – Pronounced as ‘r’ in rat
28. ల (la) – Pronounced as ‘l’ in lip
29. వ (va) – Pronounced as ‘v’ in van
30. శ (sha) – Pronounced as ‘sh’ in shy
31. ష (ṣha) – Pronounced as ‘sh’ in shun (retroflex)
32. స (sa) – Pronounced as ‘s’ in sun
33. హ (ha) – Pronounced as ‘h’ in hat
34. ళ (ḷa) – Pronounced as ‘l’ in lull (retroflex)
35. క్ష (kṣa) – Combined sound of ‘k’ and ‘ṣha’
36. ఱ (ṟa) – Pronounced as ‘r’ in rare (retroflex)

Combination Consonants (Samyukthaksharalu – సంయుక్తాక్షరాలు)

In Telugu, consonants can combine with vowels and other consonants to form complex syllables. These combinations are formed by modifying the base consonant with vowel markers.

These pronunciations are essential for mastering the Telugu language. Practicing these sounds regularly will help in achieving fluency.

Related Reading

• Samyuktha Aksharalu in Telugu
• Telugu vowels or “అచ్చులు”
• How to Seamlessly Introduce Telugu to English-Speaking Toddlers

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