Telugu alphabet: every letter to copy
Telugu (తెలుగు) is spoken by more than 80 million people, mainly in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. It is known for its musical sound, and its words often end in vowels, which is why it is sometimes called the “Italian of the East”. Telugu was declared a classical language of India in 2008. This page has the Telugu alphabet (అక్షరమాల): the vowels (అచ్చులు) అ ఆ ఇ ఈ, the consonants (హల్లులు) క ఖ గ ఘ, vowel signs, digits and marks.
Tap any letter to copy it.
The Telugu letters
- అచ్చులు (vowels): అ ఆ ఇ ఈ ఉ ఊ ఋ ౠ ఎ ఏ ఐ ఒ ఓ ఔ.
- ఉభయాక్షరాలు: ం sunna, ః visarga and ఁ arasunna.
- హల్లులు (consonants): క ఖ గ ఘ ఙ, చ ఛ జ ఝ ఞ, ట ఠ డ ఢ ణ, త థ ద ధ న, ప ఫ బ భ మ, య ర ల వ శ ష స హ ళ క్ష ఱ.
Gunintalu and vattulu
Telugu vowel signs, called gunintalu, attach to a consonant: ా ి ీ ు ూ ృ ె ే ై ొ ో ౌ. For example, క + ా = కా and క + ి = కి. Children practise these as the గుణింతాలు chart: క కా కి కీ కు కూ…
When two consonants join, the second one often becomes a small form written below or beside the first, called a vattu, like in క్క or స్త. This is made with the virama ్. When copied alone, signs may show on a dotted circle. Paste them after a consonant and they join.
Round letters with a tick
Many Telugu letters have a little tick mark on top called a talakattu, and their round shapes come from writing on palm leaves. Telugu and Kannada scripts grew from the same older script, so many letters look similar, but each language has its own shapes and spelling rules.
Telugu digits
Telugu has its own digits: ౦ ౧ ౨ ౩ ౪ ౫ ౬ ౭ ౮ ౯. They are used in traditional calendars, religious texts and decorative writing. Use them in Ugadi and Sankranti greetings, wedding cards (శుభలేఖ) and school projects.
Typing Telugu
Gboard and the iPhone keyboard support Telugu with a native layout and phonetic typing, where “namaskaram” becomes నమస్కారం. Windows and Mac also have Telugu keyboards. For a rare letter like ఱ or a single sign, copying from here is quick.
Telugu for learners
Children in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana begin with the అక్షరమాల and the గుణింతాలు chart. This page makes it easy to print those charts, make flashcards or type simple words like అమ్మ (mother), నాన్న (father) and ఇల్లు (home). People living abroad can use it to send Telugu wishes without installing a new keyboard.
Frequently asked questions
- How many letters are in the Telugu alphabet?
- Telugu is usually taught with 16 vowels, 3 vowel modifiers and around 37 consonants, for about 56 letters.
- What are gunintalu?
- Gunintalu are the vowel signs that attach to consonants, like ా and ి in కా and కి.
- Why is Telugu called the Italian of the East?
- Because, like Italian, most Telugu words end in a vowel, giving it a musical sound.
- What are Telugu numbers?
- Telugu digits are ౦ ౧ ౨ ౩ ౪ ౫ ౬ ౭ ౮ ౯.
- Are Telugu and Kannada scripts the same?
- They come from the same older script and look similar, but they are separate scripts with different letters.