How it works
A Telugu letters chart that copies: 16 vowels, then 35 consonants. After them come every vowel sign and mark on క, four old letters and the digits ౦ to ౯.
Read the full guide
Five sets of five
The first 25 consonants are ordered by where in the mouth they are made, five to a set: velar క ఖ గ ఘ ఙ, then palatal, retroflex, dental and labial. Ten more follow them. The last, ఱ, is called banḍi ra.
Why అ has no sign
Every consonant is read with a until a sign changes it: క is ka, కా is kā, కి is ki. So అ needs no sign, and a vowel letter is written only where the vowel starts a word or a syllable. Where two consonants meet, the second is written small under the first.
- ౘ and ౙ are rare: చ and జ are commonly written in their place.
- Telugu and Kannada were one script until about 1300, and the two still look much alike.
Questions and answers
How many letters are in the Telugu alphabet?
This chart has 51: 16 vowels and 35 consonants. Two of the vowels, ఌ and ౡ, are no longer in use. The marks ం, ఁ and ః are shown on క after the vowel signs.
Is there a Telugu letters chart with English letters?
This one. Under every letter is its spelling in Latin letters by ISO 15919, so క reads ka, ఖ reads kha and ఱ reads ṟa.
How is a Telugu consonant written without its vowel?
With the mark on క్, which mutes the vowel so that only the consonant is said: క is ka and క్ is k. Of the other marks, ం adds a nasal sound and ః a breath after the vowel.