All vowels and consonants of the Telugu script with pronunciation, vowel signs, barakhadi, conjuncts and numerals. Tap any letter to hear it.
The Telugu alphabet, called aksharamala (అక్షరమాల) or varnamala, is used to write Telugu, a Dravidian language spoken by more than 80 million people, mainly in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Telugu script is a Brahmic abugida: each consonant carries an inherent "a" sound, and vowel signs change it. The letters are rounded, and many of them are topped with a small curved head stroke called talakattu, which looks like a small tick or arch drawn over the letter.
The traditional aksharamala is often quoted as 56 letters. It is made up of achulu (vowels), ubhayaksharalu (the signs am and ah, which work with both vowels and consonants) and hallulu (consonants). Modern schools usually teach 16 vowels, counting the two ubhayaksharalu, and 36 consonants, while some books list 41 consonants by adding extra and archaic letters. The exact total therefore depends on the textbook you use.
To read Telugu you also need guninthalu (గుణింతాలు), the combinations of a consonant with each vowel sign, and vattulu (ఒత్తులు), the subscript forms that join two consonants. Together with the letter tables below, these cover almost everything you will meet in everyday Telugu writing. Romanizations on this page are simplified, with capital letters (T, D, N, L, Sh) marking the retroflex sounds.
Telugu Vowels (అచ్చులు)
Telugu Consonants (హల్లులు)
క వర్గం (Ka varga, velar)
చ వర్గం (Cha varga, palatal)
ట వర్గం (Ta varga, retroflex)
త వర్గం (Ta varga, dental)
ప వర్గం (Pa varga, labial)
అవర్గీయ హల్లులు (Other consonants)
Vowel Signs (Matras)
When a vowel follows a consonant, it is written as a sign attached to the consonant instead of as a full letter.
Vowel
Sign
With క
Sound
అ
-
క
ka
ఆ
◌ా
కా
kaa
ఇ
◌ి
కి
ki
ఈ
◌ీ
కీ
kee
ఉ
◌ు
కు
ku
ఊ
◌ూ
కూ
koo
ఋ
◌ృ
కృ
kru
ఎ
◌ె
కె
ke
ఏ
◌ే
కే
kae
ఐ
◌ై
కై
kai
ఒ
◌ొ
కొ
ko
ఓ
◌ో
కో
koh
ఔ
◌ౌ
కౌ
kau
అం
◌ం
కం
kam
అః
◌ః
కః
kah
Telugu Barakhadi Chart
Every consonant combined with every vowel sign. Scroll sideways on small screens, and tap any syllable to hear it.
Common Conjunct Letters
Conjuncts join two or more consonants with no vowel between them into a single shape.
Telugu Numerals
Guninthalu and Vattulu
Guninthalu (గుణింతాలు) are the Telugu equivalent of the Hindi barakhadi. Each consonant is combined with every vowel sign in order, for example క, కా, కి, కీ, కు, కూ, కృ, కె, కే, కై, కొ, కో, కౌ, కం, కః. The consonant without any sign carries the inherent "a" vowel. Learning guninthalu for all the consonants is the main step between knowing the letters and being able to read words.
Vattulu (ఒత్తులు, also called ottulu) are the small subscript forms that a consonant takes when it follows another consonant with no vowel in between. For example, the second part of ప్ర is a reduced form of ర written under the first letter, and the double consonant in అమ్మ is written with a vattu of మ under మ. Telugu has a separate vattu shape for nearly every consonant, so double and compound sounds are written by stacking rather than by using a visible virama.
Telugu vs Kannada script
Telugu and Kannada scripts are very closely related. Both descend from the old Kadamba and Telugu-Kannada script of the early medieval period, which itself came from Brahmi, and the two scripts were nearly identical until about the 13th century. They share the same set of letters in the same traditional order and use the same system of vowel signs and subscript consonants, which is why a reader of one can often recognize the structure of the other.
The differences are in shape and detail. Telugu letters usually carry a curved talakattu and have a rounder, more compact look, while Kannada letters tend to be more open and flowing, and many individual characters look different. The two languages are not mutually intelligible even though their scripts are similar.
Type in Telugu with an English keyboard
Practise the letters by typing them. Type words in English letters and get Telugu script instantly, with no special keyboard needed.
How many letters are there in the Telugu alphabet?
The traditional Telugu aksharamala is commonly quoted as 56 letters. Modern teaching usually counts 16 vowels (including the signs am and ah) and 36 consonants, and some books list 41 consonants by including extra and archaic letters. The number depends on the textbook, but the core letters are the same.
What are achulu and hallulu in Telugu?
Achulu (అచ్చులు) are the vowels, such as అ, ఆ, ఇ, ఈ, and hallulu (హల్లులు) are the consonants, such as క, ఖ, గ. Am and ah are called ubhayaksharalu because they can be used with both vowels and consonants.
What are guninthalu in Telugu?
Guninthalu (గుణింతాలు) are the combinations of each consonant with all the vowel signs, like క, కా, కి, కీ, కు, కూ. They are the Telugu version of the Hindi barakhadi, and children learn them right after the letters. The table on this page shows guninthalu for all the core consonants.
What are vattulu in Telugu?
Vattulu (ఒత్తులు) are subscript forms of consonants used to write conjuncts and double consonants, such as క్క, న్న, ప్ర and స్త. The first consonant is written normally and the next one is attached below it in its vattu form.
What is the difference between short and long e and o in Telugu?
Telugu has both short and long versions of e and o. The short vowels are ఎ (sign ె) and ఒ (sign ొ), and the long vowels are ఏ (sign ే) and ఓ (sign ో). This page romanizes them as e, ae, o and oh, so ఎ is e, ఏ is ae, ఒ is o and ఓ is oh. Hindi has no short e and o, so this is a distinction worth practicing.
What are the Telugu digits?
The Telugu digits from 0 to 9 are ౦ ౧ ౨ ౩ ౪ ౫ ౬ ౭ ౮ ౯. In everyday writing, signboards, phones and documents, Telugu speakers mostly use the standard 0-9 digits, and the Telugu digits appear mainly in school books, traditional texts and decorative use.
How can I learn the Telugu alphabet quickly?
Start with the 16 vowels, then learn the consonants one varga at a time, since each group of five shares a place of articulation. Practice guninthalu for a few consonants each day, read the example words aloud using the audio on this page, and then move on to vattulu and common conjuncts. Writing each letter by hand helps you remember the shapes.
How can I type Telugu on an English keyboard?
You can type Telugu with a regular English keyboard by typing words in English letters, for example typing "amma" to get అమ్మ. Our free English to Telugu typing tool at /english-to-telugu-typing/ converts your typing into Telugu script as you go, and you can copy the result into any app.
