Telugu from the start
Learn to read the Telugu script, hear every letter, and read short guides to how Telugu works.
Letters
Telugu is written from left to right in syllables. Every consonant carries a short a until a vowel sign changes it, and the full vowel letters are mostly used at the start of a word. The chart follows the order of the sounds: vowels first, then consonants from the back of the mouth to the lips.
Read the guide: How Telugu is writtenVowels (అచ్చులు)
15 lettersMost vowels come in short and long pairs, like ఇ i and ఈ ī. The long one is held about twice as long, and the difference changes meaning.
Consonants in rows (వర్గాలు)
25 lettersEach row is said in one place, from the back of the mouth to the lips. Across a row: plain, with a puff of air (aspirated), voiced, voiced with a puff of air, and nasal. Aspirated letters appear mostly in words from Sanskrit.
Other consonants
10 lettersSounds outside the rows: య y, ర r, ల l and వ v, the hissing sounds శ, ష and స, హ h, and ళ, an l said with the tongue curled back.