Kannada Vowels - Lesson 1

Like all languages Kannada also has vowels and consonants. A combination of vowel and consonants results in the maatras or the alphabet sets , equivalent to the hindi bharakadi. Each maatra has a unique sound attached to it.

Today lets start with the Vowels. They are known as 'Swaragalu' in Kannada .Kannada has 5  short vowels and 5 long vowels. Apart from these there are some special vowels too.

Short Vowels:

ಅ	a as in amma
ಇ	i as in india
ಉ	u as in ustad
ಎ	e as in entry
ಒ	o as in one

Long Vowels:

Unlike Hindi Kannada has an additional long vowel - o

ಆ	'aa' as in aathma
ಈ	'ee' as in eeshwar
ಊ	'oo' as in Boolean
ಏ	'ye' as in yercad
ಓ	'o' as in onam

Special Vowels :

ಋ	Ru as in Rushi
ಐ	'Ai' as in Iravat
ಔ	Au as in Aushad
ಅಂ	Am
ಅಃ	Aha