Sounds
Vowel length, teeth or curled tongue, and aspiration.
Telugu is said much as it is written: each letter has one sound, and every written vowel is said, including the a that a consonant carries, so కలం kalaṁ has two full syllables.
Vowels
| Vowel | Sound | Example |
|---|---|---|
| అ a | u in "cut" | అమ్మ amma mother |
| ఆ ā | a in "father" | ఆమె āme she |
| ఇ i | i in "sit" | ఇల్లు illu house |
| ఈ ī | ee in "see" | ఈగ īga fly |
| ఉ u | u in "put" | ఉప్పు uppu salt |
| ఊ ū | oo in "food" | ఊరు ūru town |
| ఎ e | e in "set" | ఎవరు evaru who |
| ఏ ē | e in "they", without the glide | ఏడు ēḍu seven |
| ఐ ai | i in "ride" | ఐదు aidu five |
| ఒ o | a short o | ఒకటి okaṭi one |
| ఓ ō | o in "go", without the glide | ఓడ ōḍa ship |
| ఔ au | ow in "how" | ఔషధం auṣadhaṁ medicine |
Short and long vowels are different sounds: కలం kalaṁ is "pen" and కాలం kālaṁ is "time". Telugu has a short e and o as well as the long ē and ō, which English speakers often merge: మెడ meḍa is "neck", మేడ mēḍa "upper floor".
In speech, a word that starts with ఎ or ఏ often begins with a y sound, and one that starts with ఒ or ఓ with a w sound: ఏమిటి ēmiṭi "what" sounds like yēmiṭi, and ఒకటి okaṭi like wokaṭi.
Teeth or curled tongue
Telugu has two kinds of t, d, n and l. Dental ones are said with the tongue against the upper teeth, softer than English t and d. Retroflex ones are said with the tip of the tongue curled back against the roof of the mouth. The romanization marks the retroflex ones with a dot below.
| Dental | Example | Retroflex | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| త ta | తల tala head | ట ṭa | చెట్టు ceṭṭu tree |
| ద da | దారి dāri way | డ ḍa | డబ్బు ḍabbu money |
| న na | నీళ్ళు nīḷḷu water | ణ ṇa | ప్రాణం prāṇaṁ life |
| ల la | కల kala dream | ళ ḷa | కళ kaḷa art |
The last row shows how much the difference matters: కల and కళ are different words. English t and d fall between the two, and Telugu hears them as retroflex: "doctor" is borrowed as డాక్టర్ ḍākṭar.
Aspiration
The aspirated letters, written with an h in the romanization (ఖ kha, ధ dha, భ bha and others), are said with a puff of air. They appear mostly in words from Sanskrit, such as భాష bhāṣa "language" and ధన్యవాదాలు dhanyavādālu "thank you", and in casual speech the puff is often light. ఫ pha also writes the f of English words: ఫోన్ phōn "phone".
చ and జ
In native words, many speakers say చ and జ as ts and dz before a, u and o, short or long: చాలా cālā "very" sounds like tsālā. Before i and e, and in words from Sanskrit and English, they are like English ch and j: చిన్న cinna "small". The romanization writes c and j either way.
Endings, doubled consonants and stress
Native words end in a vowel, very often u: ఇల్లు illu, నీళ్ళు nīḷḷu. English words borrowed into Telugu often take a u as well: బస్సు bassu "bus", రైలు railu "train". A final ం is said m: పుస్తకం pustakaṁ.
Doubled consonants are held for longer: say అక్క akka as ak-ka, not a-ka. Stress is light, so give each syllable its full length rather than stressing one.
- kala, kaḷadream, art
- kalaṁ, kālaṁpen, time
Cards from this guide
9 cardsEach card asks about one thing this guide teaches, and its back gives the answer with why and an example. They're reviewed with the rest of the Getting started cards.
What English vowel is Telugu అ (a) like?
The u in 'cut'.
మెడ or మేడ: which word means 'neck'?
మెడ (meḍa), with a short e.
How does a word that starts with ఏ (ē), like ఏమిటి (what), often sound in speech?
With a y sound in front: yēmiṭi.
What's the difference between dental త (ta) and retroflex ట (ṭa)?
For త the tongue touches the upper teeth; for ట its tip curls back.
కల or కళ: which word means 'art'?
కళ (kaḷa), with a retroflex ḷ.
Which Telugu sound is English d heard as, in loanwords like 'doctor'?
Retroflex డ (ḍ).
How are aspirated letters such as భ (bha) said?
With a puff of air.
How do many speakers say చ before a, u or o in native words, as in చాలా (very)?
As ts: చాలా sounds like tsālā.
What vowel do English words often get at the end when borrowed into Telugu, as with 'bus'?
u: బస్సు (bassu).