Kannada alphabet: every letter to copy
Kannada (ಕನ್ನಡ) is the language of Karnataka, spoken by about 45 million people as a first language and millions more as a second. Its literature goes back more than a thousand years, and it was declared a classical language of India in 2008. This page lists the Kannada alphabet (ವರ್ಣಮಾಲೆ): the vowels (ಸ್ವರಗಳು) ಅ ಆ ಇ ಈ, the consonants (ವ್ಯಂಜನಗಳು) ಕ ಖ ಗ ಘ, vowel signs, digits and marks.
Tap any letter to copy it and paste it into a message, a document or a design.
The Kannada letters
- ಸ್ವರಗಳು (vowels): ಅ ಆ ಇ ಈ ಉ ಊ ಋ ಎ ಏ ಐ ಒ ಓ ಔ — 13 vowels.
- ಯೋಗವಾಹಕಗಳು: ಂ anusvara and ಃ visarga.
- ವ್ಯಂಜನಗಳು (consonants): ಕ ಖ ಗ ಘ ಙ, ಚ ಛ ಜ ಝ ಞ, ಟ ಠ ಡ ಢ ಣ, ತ ಥ ದ ಧ ನ, ಪ ಫ ಬ ಭ ಮ, ಯ ರ ಲ ವ ಶ ಷ ಸ ಹ ಳ — 34 consonants.
Kagunita and ottakshara
Kannada vowel signs attach to a consonant to make syllables. The full chart is called the ಕಾಗುಣಿತ (kagunita): ಕ ಕಾ ಕಿ ಕೀ ಕು ಕೂ ಕೃ ಕೆ ಕೇ ಕೈ ಕೊ ಕೋ ಕೌ ಕಂ ಕಃ. The signs are ಾ ಿ ೀ ು ೂ ೃ ೆ ೇ ೈ ೊ ೋ ೌ.
When two consonants join, the second one is written as a small form below the first, called an ಒತ್ತಕ್ಷರ (ottakshara), like in ಕ್ಕ, ಸ್ತ or ಮ್ಮ. This is made with the virama ್, known as halant. When copied alone, signs may show on a dotted circle. Paste them after a consonant and they join up.
Kannada digits
Kannada has its own digits: ೦ ೧ ೨ ೩ ೪ ೫ ೬ ೭ ೮ ೯. You will see them on government notices, bus boards in Karnataka, calendars and traditional documents. Use them in Rajyotsava greetings on 1 November, Ugadi wishes or school projects.
Kannada and Telugu
Kannada and Telugu scripts both grew from an older script used in South India, so many letters look alike. Kannada letters are generally rounder at the top, while Telugu letters often have a tick mark. Each language has its own page here so you get the right letters in the right order.
Typing Kannada
Gboard and the iPhone keyboard both support Kannada, and the Nudi and Baraha tools are popular on computers. Windows and Mac include Kannada layouts too. For a single letter, an ottakshara or a digit, copying from this page is the fastest way.
Kannada for learners
Many people moving to Bengaluru and other cities in Karnataka learn basic Kannada. Start with the vowels and a few consonants, then learn simple words like ನಮಸ್ಕಾರ (hello), ಧನ್ಯವಾದ (thank you) and ಹೌದು (yes). Copy the letters here to make flashcards or practise reading signboards.
Frequently asked questions
- How many letters are in the Kannada alphabet?
- Kannada is usually taught with 49 letters: 13 vowels, 2 yogavahakas and 34 consonants.
- What is kagunita?
- Kagunita is the chart of each consonant joined with every vowel sign, like ಕ ಕಾ ಕಿ ಕೀ.
- What is an ottakshara?
- It is the small subscript form of a consonant used in joined letters, like the second ಕ in ಕ್ಕ.
- What are Kannada numbers?
- Kannada digits are ೦ ೧ ೨ ೩ ೪ ೫ ೬ ೭ ೮ ೯.
- How do I type ಕಾ?
- Copy ಕ, then copy the vowel sign ಾ and paste it right after.