Kannada Script Book | sarvabhashin

̪n ̪ əɽɐ kɐn



Kannada

sarvabhāshin



Script

The Kannada letters and words described in this book are each accompanied by a pronunciation key in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). Please refer to these IPA keys for the exact pronunciation of a Kannada letter or word. The IPA is a scientific notation used for accurately transcribing the sounds of most human languages. More about the IPA can be found at http://www.yorku.ca/earmstro/ipa/ and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ipa . The

similarities

described

in

this

book

between

the

pronunciations of Kannada letters and ‘corresponding’ English letters are only guidelines and should be considered as such.

http://tiny.cc/sarvabhashin

k



This letter has a sound similar to k

in

4

skip


ɡ



This letter has a sound similar to g

in

5

go


These are the letters we’ve just seen

k

ɡ





6


p



This letter has a sound similar to p

speak

in

7


b



This letter has a sound similar to b

in

8

bat


These are the letters we’ve seen so far

k

ɡ





p

b





9


ʨ



This letter has a sound similar to tch

catch

in

10


ʥ



This letter has a sound similar to dge

badge

in

11


These are the letters we’ve seen so far

k

ɡ





 

 

p

b

ʨ

ʥ

The sounds of these letters are all called consonants 12


Here’s a vowel sound

ɐ This vowel sounds similar to u

in

13

cu t


Look at these letters

kɐ

ɡɐ

pɐ

bɐ

ʨɐ

ʥɐ

The sounds of these letters are made up of a consonant and a vowel Notice how the letters look slightly different from their srcinal shape? 14


In short –

k

kɐ

 ɡ

ɡɐ

 p

pɐ



◌

b

 ʨ

-

bɐ

=

ʨɐ

 ʥ

ʥɐ

 15


Here’s another vowel

i This vowelsounds similar to i

in

pin

This vowel has a special sign of its own –

16


Now look at these ‘combo’ letters, each having the sound of a consonant plus a vowel

ki

ɡi





pi

bi

 

 

ʨi

ʥi

Again, notice the difference from the srcinal shape of the ‘basic’ letter? 17


In short –

k

ki





ɡ

ɡi





p

pi





◌

b

 ʨ

-

◌

+

bi

=

 ʨi





ʥ

ʥi



 18


Notice the slightly different shape of this letter, compared to the others

ɡi



19


And another vowel

u This vowel sounds similar to u

in

bull

This vowel, too, has a special sign of its own –

◌

20


And some new combo letters, with their shape slightly changed from the srcinal –

ku

ɡu

pu

bu

 ʨu

ʥu

21


And again, in short – k

ku

 ɡ

ɡu

 p

pu

 b

-

◌

+

◌



=

bu

 ʨ

ʨu

 ʥ

ʥu



 Get the idea?!

22



pu



23


These are all the various ‘basic’ and ‘combo’ letters we’ve seen thus far

k

kɐ

ki





ɡ

ɡɐ

p

pɐ



bɐ

pi

pu

bi

 bu

 ʨɐ

ʨi

 ʥ

ɡu



 ʨ

ɡi



 b

ku

ʨu

 ʥɐ

ʥi



 24

ʥu


These letters look similar –

ʨ

ʨɐ

ʨi

 ʥ

ʨu

 ʥɐ

ʥi





25

ʥu


When two letters come one after the other and the first one has no vowel sound, that is, it is a

◌

letter,

then the second letter is written in a ‘mini’ version below the first one

k

ʨɐ

kʨɐ





p

ɡi

pɡi







ʥ

bu

ʥbu





b

ʥ

bʥ







26


Note that in such cases, any vowel or other signs srcinally belonging to the second letter are written attached to the first letter –

k

ʨɐ



kʨɐ



p

ɡi

pɡi







ʥ

bu

ʥbu





b

ʥ

bʥ







It’s as if the first and the second letter together form a new ‘j oint’ letter

27


Here are the mini versions of all the letters we’ve seen so far When the second letter has no vowel – k

k

 

◌  ◌ 

p

p



◌ 

ɡ

◌

+

ɡ

=

b

b



◌ 

ʨ

ʨ



◌ 

ʥ

ʥ

 28

◌ 


When the second letter has the vowel ɐ – kɐ

kɐ

◌ ɡɐ

ɡɐ

◌ pɐ

◌

pɐ

◌ +

bɐ

=

bɐ

◌ ʨɐ

ʨɐ

◌ ʥɐ

ʥɐ

◌ 29


When the second letter has the vowel i –

◌

+

ki

ki



◌ 

ɡi

ɡi



◌ 

pi

pi



◌ 

bi

bi

 ʨi

=

◌  ʨi



◌ 

ʥi

ʥi



◌ 

30


And when the second letter has the vowel u – ku

ku

◌ ɡu

ɡu

◌  pu

pu

◌ 



◌

bu

+

bu

=

ʨu

◌ ʨu

◌ ʥu

ʥu

◌ 31


To sum up, the mini versionsare special forms that appear after a letter having

◌

These mini versions can occur in the middleor at the end of a word, but never at the beginning

32


j

 This letter has a sound similar to y

yo-yo

in

33


r



This letter has a sound similar to r

Italian Roma

in

This is a ‘rolled’ /r/, as in Spanish or Italian

34


l



This letter has a sound similar to l

in

35

lad


ʋ



This letter has a sound similar to v

victory

in

36



j

r





l

ʋ





37


This is how these letters look, when the ɐ sound is added

jɐ

rɐ

lɐ

ʋɐ

38


This is how these letters look, when the i sound is added

ji

ri





li

ʋi





39



ri



40


This is how these letters look, when the u sound is added

ju

ru

lu

ʋu



41



ʋu



42


These are all the various basic and combo letters we’ve just seen

j

 

jɐ

r

rɐ

l

lɐ

ji

 

 ʋ

ju

ri

ru

li

lu

 ʋɐ

ʋi





43

ʋu




These letters look very similar –

p

pɐ

pi

 ʋ

pu

 ʋɐ

ʋi





44

 ʋu




These combo letters look somewhat similar –

jɐ

ju

Remember that ju has an extra curl at the end

45


Here are the mini versions of the letters we’ve just seen When the second letter has no vowel –

◌

+

j

j



◌ 

r

r



◌ 

l

=

l



◌ 

ʋ

ʋ



◌ 

46


When the second letter has the vowel ɐ –

jɐ

jɐ

◌ rɐ

◌

+

lɐ

 ◌ rɐ

=

lɐ

◌ ʋɐ

ʋɐ

◌

47



ji

ji

◌

  ri

◌

+

li

 ◌  ri

=

li



◌ 

ʋi

ʋi



◌ 

48


And when the second letter has the vowel u –

ju

ju

◌ ru

◌

+

 ◌  ru

=

lu

lu

◌  ʋu

ʋu

 49

◌ 


Note that most of the mini versions we’ve just seen look quite different from their ‘full’ versions –

jɐ

◌ rɐ

◌ lɐ

◌

50


These mini versions look somewhat similar –

pɐ

ʋɐ

◌

◌

51


 r likes being different from the rest For instance, you would expect

r

kɐ

 to look like

 But it doesn’t! Instead, it is written like this –

rk ɐ

 That is,

rtakes on a special mini form

and jumps ahead of the next letter! 52


Some more examples will make this a little clear

r



ʨɐ

+

r



+



+

=

+

 rju



= ʋ

r





rpi

ju

r



= pi

r



rʨɐ



rʋ

=

rɐ

+

 rrɐ

=



Don’t stress. This will become second nature as you learn more. 53


These are some actual Kannada words Can you read them?

 









 

  

54


Here are their pronunciations and meanings ju ɡɐ

ʥɐrʊɡu1

crack, burst

eon, era

move aside, shift

ʋɐrɡɐ

ʨɐrʨu

ɡɐbbu

biri

  category





church

stink, stench

pɐlli

ʋjəjɐ1





lizard pukkəlɐ1

expenditure ʨikk əppɐ1

 

  

coward, sissy

father’s younger brother

Some pronunciation keys above have been marked with a superscript 1 In these keys, ə is a short or ‘lazily pronounced’ version of ɐ and ʊ is a short or lazily pronounced version of u For now, just assume ə=ɐ ʊ=u 55


s



This letter has a sound similar to s

in

56

sit


ɕ



This letter has a sound similar to sh

in

ship

Some people pronounce this letter similar to s

in

57

sit


ɦ



This letter has a sound similar to h

in

58

hat



s

ɕ



 ɦ

 59


This is how these basic letters are modified to make the combo letters for ɐ, i and u

sɐ

ɕɐ

ɦɐ

si

ɕi

ɦi

   su

ɕu

60

ɦu


Notice the slightly different shapes of these letters

ɕi

ɦi





61



s

 

sɐ

ɕ

ɕɐ

ɦ

ɦɐ

si

 



ɕi

ɕu

ɦi

ɦu



62

su


These letters look somewhat similar –

p

pɐ

pi

 s

pu

 sɐ

si





63

 su



◌

+

s

s



◌ 

ɕ

ɕ



=

◌ 

ɦ

ɦ



◌ 

64



sɐ

sɐ

◌ ɕɐ

◌

+

= ɦɐ

 ◌ ɕɐ

ɦɐ

◌

65



si

si

◌

  ɕi

◌

+

 ◌  ɕi

=

ɦi

ɦi



◌ 

66


And when the second letter has the vowel u – su

su

◌  ɕu

◌

ɕu

= ◌

+ ɦu

ɦu

◌ 

67


Some actual Kannada words with these letters we’ve just seen







 









  68




How many correct? sɐri

si ɦi





OK, all right

sweet

ɕiɕu

ɦɐbbɐ





infant

festival

ɕɐkjɐ

ɦuʨʨu





possible

madness, mania

sʋɐlpɐ

ɦrɐsʋɐ

 

 

a little, some

short

ɦiɡɡɪsu1

ɕukrəɡrəɦɐ



 

expand, enlarge

Venus (planet)

1

ɪ is a short or lazily pronounced version of i For now, just assume ɪ = i 69


n̪

 This letter has a sound similar to’ n

in

tenth

To pronounce this letter, the tip of your tongue touches the back of your front teeth

70


m

 This letter has a sound similar to m

mother

in

71


These are the basic letters we’ve just seen

̪ n

m





72



̪ɐ n

mɐ

̪i n

mi





̪u n

mu

73



n ̪

  m

n̪ ɐ

n ̪i

 

mɐ

mi

74

n̪ u

mu


These sets of letters look similar –

s

sɐ

si

 n ̪

 n̪ ɐ

n ̪i

 p

 

su

n ̪u

 pɐ

ʋ

ʋɐ

m

mɐ

pi

 



ʋi

ʋu

mi

mu

 75

pu

 



◌

+

n̪

n ̪



◌ 

m

=

m

◌ 




n̪ ɐ

◌

+

mɐ

n̪ ɐ

=

◌ mɐ

◌ 76



n ̪i

n ̪i

◌ ◌

+

 =   ◌  mi

mi

And when the second letter has the vowel u –

n̪ u

◌

+

mu

n̪ u

=

◌  mu

◌

 77


Note that most of the mini versions we’ve just seen look quite different from their ‘full’ versions –

̪ɐ n

◌ mɐ

◌

78


Some actual Kannada words with these letters we’ve just seen

  

 





  

  

  79


Here’s how you pronounce them, and what they mean

mɐɡən̪ u

ʨɐrmɐ

 son ʨin̪ n̪ u

skin brɐɦmɐ

 

 

gold

Brahma, a Hindu god

ʥɐn̪ mɐ

muɡɡəlu





birth

mould, fungus

mɐn̪ n̪ ɪ su

miks əru



 

forgive, pardon

mixer, blender

ʨikk əmmɐ

mun̪ n̪ ʊɡɡ u

 



 

father’s younger brother’s wife

go forward, proceed

80


Remember the mini version rule? Let’s extend it slightly. When two or more letters come one after the other and all before the last have no vowel sound, that is, they are all

◌

letters,

then all letters after the first one are written in their respective ‘mini’ versions below the first one

l



k

+

ɕ





+

+



ʋi

+

b

+ m





+

=

81

 mbru



= s

+

 ɕʨʋi

ru

p

+

lkjɐ

=

ʨ

m



jɐ

=

mps




Again, remember that any vowel or other signs srcinally belonging to the last letter are written attached to the first letter –

l



k

+

ɕ





+

+



ʋi

+

b

+ m





+

=



=

=

So, all these letters in question together form a new ‘j oint’ letter

82

 mbru

s

+

 ɕʨʋi

ru

p

+

lkjɐ

=

ʨ

m



jɐ

mps




 r, as expected, decides to rebel Remember that

r

kɐ



rk ɐ

+



=

Let’s extend this rule a bit

r



k

+



That is,

jɐ

+

rkjɐ

=

 r takes on its special mini form

and jumps ahead of all the letters

83




One thing to note

Since

k



rɐ

krɐ

+



= therefore

k



r

+

 So,

jɐ

+

krjɐ



=

 r takes on its special mini form

only when it is the first letter of such a no-vowel sequence

like in the example we saw on the previous page –

r



k

+



jɐ

+

rkjɐ

=



The good news is, such strings of letters are quite rare in Kannada 84

J


Here’s a new vowel, along with its sign

e

◌ This vowel sounds similar to e

in

85

p en


Now look at these combo letters, each having the sound of a consonant plus the e vowel

ke

ɡe









ʨe

ʥe





je

re





pe

be

86


And some more combo letters, with this new vowel

le

ʋe

 

 

se

ɕe

ɦe

 n ̪e

me



 87


Here’s a few words with our new vowel









  













 



 88




And here’s how you say them, and what they mean

mɐn̪ e

kere





house, home bele



lake b ɐɡɡe









price, value

about, concerning

lekkɐ

sippe

 





calculation, accounts

peel, husk

ɦeʥʥ e

ɦes əru





 

step, pace

name

jemen̪

meʨʨʊɡe





Yemen, an Arab country

 praise

89


Here’s another vowel, along with its sign

o

◌ This vowel sounds similar to o

or

in but shorter in length

This sign looks like

◌

+ 90

◌


Now look at these combo letters, each having the sound of a consonant plus the o vowel

ko

ɡo









po

bo

ʨo

ʥo





jo

ro



 91


And some more combo letters, with this new vowel

lo

ʋo

 

 

so

ɕo

ɦo

 n̪ o

mo



 92


Note that for

 j,

the right-most curl is removed before the

◌

o vowel is added

j

o

-◌ +◌

93

jo

=


And some new words with our new vowel



























   

 94


Here are their pronunciations and meanings sose

n̪ ore

 

 

daughter-in-law

foam, froth

koʨʨe

ɡoʥʥ u

 





muck

thick sauce

soppu

ɦorəɡe







green vegetables poɡəru

 outside ɡobbərɐ







arrogance

manure

ɕiʋəmoɡɡɐ

mɐn̪ əʋ olisu

  



Shimoga, a town in Karnataka

persuade, win over

95


t̪

 This letter has a sound similar to t

Spanish toro

in


96


̪ d

 This letter has a sound similar to d

Spanish diez

in


97



t̪

̪ d





98



t̪ɐ

̪ɐ d

t̪ i

̪i d





t̪ u

̪u d

99


This is how these basic letters are modified to make the combo letters for e and o

t̪ e

̪e d





t̪ o

̪o d





100



t̪

  d ̪

t̪ɐ

d ̪ɐ

t̪ i

t̪ u

  d ̪i

d ̪u

t̪ e

  d ̪e

Notice the slightly different shape of

̪i d

 101

t̪ o

d ̪o


Here are the mini versions of the letters we’ve just seen Let’s just take the simplest example When the second letter has the vowel ɐ –

t̪ɐ

◌

+

d ̪ɐ

t̪ɐ

=

◌ d ̪ɐ

◌ Note that the mini version of t̪ looksquite different from its ‘full’ version –

t̪ɐ

◌ 102


Can you read these Kannada words?



 







 



 



New Delhi

  food

103


How’d you fare?

d ̪ iɕe

d ̪ ore



 

direction d ̪ ɐ ppɐ

king sɐd ̪d ̪u





fat, thick

noise

t̪ elʊɡu

t̪ oɡəlu





Telugu, a southern Indian language

hide, leather

mut̪ t̪ u

ʋjɐkt̪ i





pearl

person

n̪ɐʋə deɦəli

t̪ in̪ n̪ ʊʋʊ d ̪u

 



New Delhi

  food

104


ʈ

 This letter has a sound similar to t

ash tray

in

To pronounce this letter, the tip of your tongue curls right back and touches the roof of your mouth

105


ɖ

 This letter has a sound similar to d

rushe d

in


106


ɽ

 Sometimes, this letter also has a sound similar to tt dd r

in in in

the American pronunciation of better the American pronunciation of ladder Spanish pe ro

but with the tongue curled further back and ‘flapping’ against the roof of the mouth

This particular sound occurs only when the letter appears in certain positions in a word, and will be marked in the pronunciation key

107



ʈ

ɖ





108



ʈɐ

ɖɐ

ʈi

ɖi





ʈu

ɖu

109



ʈe

ɖe





ʈo

ɖo





110



ʈ

  ɖ

ʈɐ

ɖɐ

ʈi

ʈu

  ɖi

ɖu

ʈe

  ɖe

Notice the slightly different shape of

ɖi

 111

ʈo

ɖo



ʈɐ

◌

ʈɐ

◌ +

ɖɐ

112

=

ɖɐ

◌



d ̪

d ̪ɐ

  ɖ

ɖɐ

d ̪i

  ɖi

d ̪u

ɖu

d ̪e

d ̪o

  ɖe

ɖo

As do their mini versions –

d ̪ɐ

ɖɐ

◌

◌

113


And some Kannada words with these new letters

 

















 

114


All correct? t̪ uʈi

kɐrəɽi





lip

bear

kiʈəki

d ̪ uɖɖ u

 



window

money

ɖɐbbɐ

puʈʈɐ



 

box ɡɐɖɖe

small, little moʈʈe





lump

egg

roʈʈi

n̪ ɐɖʊɡ u

  roṭi, Indian unleavened bread

shiver, tremble

115


Remember this letter?

k

 The letter below is pronounced just like the one above, except that the letter below is pronounced with a little ‘puff of air’

kʰ

 It has a sound similar to ck-h

brick-house

in

116



ɡ

 The letter below is pronounced just like the one above, except that the letter below is pronounced with a little ‘puff of air’

ɡʱ

 It has a sound similar to ggh

e gghead

in

117



p

 The letter below is pronounced just like the one above, except that the letter below is pronounced with a little ‘puff of air’

pʰ

 It has a sound similar to ph

uphold

in

118



b

 The letter below is pronounced just like the one above, except that the letter below is pronounced with a little ‘puff of air’

bʱ

 It has a sound similar to bh

clu bhouse

in

119



ʨ

 The letter below is pronounced just like the one above, except that the letter below is pronounced with a little ‘puff of air’

ʨʰ

 It has a sound similar to ch-h

church-house

in

120



ʥ

 The letter below is pronounced just like the one above, except that the letter below is pronounced with a little ‘puff of air’

ʥʱ

 It has a sound similar to dgeh

ba dgeholder

in

121



kʰ

ɡʱ





 

 

pʰ

bʱ

ʨʰ

ʥʱ

122


This is how these basic letters are modified to make the combo letters for ɐ

kʰɐ

ɡʱɐ

pʰɐ

bʱɐ

ʨʰɐ

ʥʱɐ

123


This is how these basic letters are modified to make the combo letters for i

kʰi

ɡʱi





pʰi

bʱi

 

 

ʨʰi

ʥʱi

124


This is how these basic letters are modified to make the combo letters for u

kʰu

ɡʱu

pʰu

bʱu

ʨʰu



ʥʱʊ

125


This is how these basic letters are modified to make the combo letters for e

kʰe

ɡʱe





pʰe

bʱe

 

 

ʨʰe

ʥʱe

126


This is how these basic letters are modified to make the combo letters for o

kʰo

ɡʱo





pʰo

bʱo

 

 

ʨʰo

ʥʱo

127



kʰ

 

kʰɐ

ɡʱ

ɡʱɐ

pʰ

pʰɐ

 bʱ



kʰi

 

kʰu

ɡʱi

ɡʱu

pʰi

pʰu

 bʱɐ

bʱi

kʰe

kʰo

  ɡʱe

ɡʱo

pʰe

pʰo

  bʱu



bʱe

bʱo



And the list goes on…

128


And…

ʨʰ

ʨʰɐ



ʨʰi

ʨʰu

 ʥʱ

ʨʰo

 ʥʱɐ

 ʥʱu

ʨʰe

ʥʱi

 ʥʱe

ʥʱo

 ...done!

129


Most of these ‘puff-of-air’ letters have a little ‘pendulum’ at the bottom –

ɡʱ

 pʰ

 bʱ

  ʨʰ

ʥʱ

 130


In some cases, this pendulum is the only thing that differentiates these puff-of-air letters from the ones with no puff of air –

p

pʰ





b

bʱ





These two combo letters have one more difference other than the pendulum, namely the swish at the upper right

bɐ

bʱɐ

131


These sets of letters lookvery similar –

ʋ

ʋɐ

 p

pɐ

pʰɐ



pi

pu

pʰi

ɡʱi

ʋo

pe

po

 pʰu

 ɡʱɐ

ʋe

 



 ɡʱ

ʋu



 pʰ

ʋi

pʰe

pʰo

  ɡʱu



ɡʱe

ɡʱo

 132


Notice how ʋi looks slightly different from other combo letters for i

ʋi

 pi

pʰi

ɡʱi







133


Also notice how ɡʱu and ɡʱo look slightly different from the rest –

ɡʱu

ɡʱo

 ʋu

ʋo

 pu

po

 pʰu

pʰo

  134



r

rɐ



ri

ru

 j

ʥʱ

jɐ

ji

 je

jo





ʥʱɐ

ʥʱi

 ʥʱu

ro

 

 ju

re

 ʥʱe

ʥʱo





135


These combo letters look somewhat similar –

ru

jɐ

ʥʱɐ

Remember that ʥʱu has an extra curl at the e nd –

ʥʱɐ

ʥʱu

136



kʰɐ

kʰɐ

◌ ɡʱɐ

◌

+

pʰɐ

ɡʱɐ

=

◌ pʰɐ

◌ bʱɐ

bʱɐ

◌ More to come…

137


And here are the remaining ones

ʨʰɐ

◌

+

ʨʰɐ

= ʥʱɐ

◌ ʥʱɐ

◌

138


Some Kannada words with the new letters we’ve just seen



 







 







139




Full marks?

pʰɐlɐ

fruit ʨʰɐt̪ ri



ʥʱɐri

kʰin̪ n ̪ɐ



 

stream, rivulet bʱɐkt̪ i

sad, depressed mukʰjɐ





umbrella

devotion

main

ʨʰid ̪ rɐ

pʰilm

ɡʱɐn̪ ə t̪e

 



pore, opening

film

dignity

ɡʱɐʈəkɐ

sɐbʱjət̪ e

ʥʱɐlləri

 unit

politeness, manners

140

  cymbal



t̪

 The letter below is pronounced just like the one above, except that the letter below is pronounced with a little ‘puff of air’

t̪ʰ

 It has a sound similar to th-h

ba th-house

in

141



̪ d

 The letter below is pronounced just like the one above, except that the letter below is pronounced with a little ‘puff of air’

̪ʱ d

 It has a sound similar to dh

adhere

in

142


These are thebasic letters we’ve just seen –

t̪ʰ

̪ʱ d





143



t̪ʰɐ

̪ ʱɐ d

t̪ʰ i

̪ʱi d





t̪ʰ u

̪ʱu d

144



t̪ʰ e

̪ʱe d





t̪ʰ o

̪ʱo d

 145



t̪ʰ

  d ̪ʱ

t̪ʰɐ

d ̪ ʱɐ

t̪ʰ i

t̪ʰ u

  d ̪ʱi

d ̪ʱu

t̪ʰ e

t̪ʰ o

  d ̪ʱe

d ̪ʱo

Note the slightly different shape of these letters from other i letters

t̪ʰ i

d ̪ʱi





146


Here are the mini versions of the letters we’ve just seen When the second letter has the vowel ɐ –

t̪ʰɐ

◌

+

t̪ʱɐ

147

d ̪ ʰɐ

=

◌ d ̪ ʱɐ

◌



d ̪

 

d ̪ɐ

ɖ

ɖɐ

t̪ʰ

t̪ʰɐ

 d ̪ʱ



d ̪i

 

d ̪u

ɖi

ɖu

t̪ʰ i

t̪ʰ u

 d ̪ ʱɐ

d ̪ʱ i

d ̪e

d ̪o

  ɖe

ɖo

t̪ʰ e

t̪ʰ o

 d ̪ʱu



d ̪ʱe

d ̪ʱo

 148


As do all their mini versions –

d ̪ɐ

◌ ◌ ɖɐ

t̪ʰɐ

◌ d ̪ ʱɐ

◌ 149


The pendulum strikes again –

t̪ʰ

d ̪ʱ





Ford ̪ʱ

, this is the only thing differentiating it fromd ̪

d ̪

d ̪ʱ





150


These words aren’t too difficult

















151


Here you go

kɐtʰe

t̪ it̪ʰ i

 story d ̪ ʱʋɐ n̪ i

 date according to the lunar calendar d ̪ ʱ ruʋɐ





tone, note

Earth’s pole

bud ̪d ̪ʱ i

st̪ʰ it̪ i





intelligence

status, condition

pɐd ̪d ̪ ʱə t̪ i

spɐrd ̪ʱe





practice, method

contest, competition

152



ʈ

 The letter below is pronounced just like the one above, except that the letter below is pronounced with a little ‘puff of air’

ʈʰ

 It has a sound similar to th

pen thouse

in

153



ɖ

 The letter below is pronounced just like the one above, except that the letter below is pronounced with a little ‘puff of air’

ɖʱ

 It has a sound similar to dh

madhouse

in

154


These are the letters we’ve just seen –

ʈʰ

ɖʱ





155



ʈʰə

ɖʱə

ʈʰɪ

ɖʱɪ





ʈʰʊ

ɖʱʊ

156



ʈʰe

ɖʱe





ʈʰo

ɖʱo



 157



ʈʰ

  ɖʱ

ʈʰɐ

ɖʱɐ

ʈʰi

ʈʰu

  ɖʱi

ɖʱu

ʈʰe

ʈʰo

  ɖʱe

ɖʱo

Note the slightly different shape of these letters from other i letters

ʈʰi

ɖʱi





158


Here are the mini versions of the letters we’ve just seen When the second letter has the vowel ɐ –

ʈʰɐ

◌

+

ɖʱɐ

159

ʈʰɐ

=

◌ ɖʱɐ

◌



d ̪

d ̪ɐ

 ɖ

ɖɐ

t̪ʰɐ



ɖu

t̪ʰ i

d ̪ ʱɐ

d ̪ʱ i

t̪ʰ u

ɖʱi

ɖe

ɖo

t̪ʰ e

t̪ʰ o

  d ̪ʱu

 ɖʱɐ

d ̪o

 



 ɖʱ

ɖi

d ̪e

 



 d ̪ʱ

d ̪u



 t̪ʰ

d ̪i

d ̪ʱe

d ̪ʱo

  ɖʱu



ɖʱe

ɖʱo

  160


As do all their mini versions –

d ̪ɐ

◌ ɖɐ

◌ t̪ʰɐ

◌ d ̪ ʱɐ

◌ ɖʱɐ

◌ 161


These sets of letters too look similar –

r

rɐ

 ʈʰ



ri

ru

 ʈʰɐ

ʈʰi

re

ro

  ʈʰu



ʈʰe

ʈʰo

 

But their mini versions don’t!

rɐ

◌ ʈʰɐ

◌ 162


Both thesesets of letters have a dot in the middle

t̪ʰ

t̪ʰɐ

 ʈʰ



t̪ʰ i

t̪ʰ u

 ʈʰɐ

ʈʰi

t̪ʰ e

t̪ʰ o

  ʈʰu



ʈʰe

ʈʰo

 

As do their mini versions

t̪ʰɐ

◌ ʈʰɐ

◌ 163


Test your newly acquired skills











164


Came out with flying colours?

ʈʰɐsse

ɖʱɐɡe





stamp, seal ɖʱikki

fatigue pɐʈʰjɐ





collision

curriculum

mɐn̪ emɐʈʰɐ

ɖʱɐmərʊɡɐ

 ‘house and home’

Indian hand-held drum

165


ɭ

 This letter has a sound similar to l l

in in

hold bou lder

To pronounce this letter, the tip of your tongue curls right back and touches the roof of your mouth It sounds similar to

l



but with the tongue curled further back 166


ʃ

 This letter has a sound similar to sh

ash tray

in


In everyday speech, it’s mostly pronounced the same as

ɕ

 167



ɭ

ʃ





168



ɭɐ

ʃɐ

ɭɪ

ʃɪ





ɭʊ

ʃʊ

169


And this is how they are modified to make the combo letters for e and o

ɭe

ʃe





ɭo

ʃo



 170



ɭ

  ʃ

ɭɐ

ʃɐ

ɭi

ɭu

  ʃi

ʃu

171

ɭe

ɭo

    ʃe

ʃo


And here are their mini versions When the second letter has the vowel ɐ –

ɭɐ

◌

+

ʃɐ

172

ɭɐ

=

◌ ʃɐ

◌


Camouflage at i ts very best –

ʋ

ʋɐ

 p

pɐ

pʰɐ

 ʃ



pi

pu

pʰi

pʰu

pe

po

pʰe

pʰo

  

ɡʱi

ɡʱu

 ʃɐ

ʋo

  

 ɡʱɐ

ʋe

  



 ɡʱ

ʋu



 pʰ

ʋi

ɡʱe

ɡʱo

 

ʃi

ʃu



ʃe

ʃo

  173


ʃi falls into the latter category below

ʋi

 pi

pʰi

ɡʱi

ʃi









174


Also notice how the vowel signs for u and o have slightly different shapes in these combo letter sets

ʋu

pu



p ʰu



ɡʱu

 ʃu

ʋo

po

p ʰo







ɡʱo

ʃo



 175


Here are all their mini versions

ʋɐ

◌ pɐ

pʰɐ

◌

◌

ɡʱɐ

ʃɐ

◌

◌

176


Here we go again



 





 



 

177


Piece of cake?

bɐɭe

ʃɐrət̪ t̪ u





bangle kɐɭɭɐ

condition, stipulation ɕiʃjɐ



 

thief

pupil, disciple

st̪ʰɐɭɐ

ʃɐʃʈi





place, location

sixth day of the lunar fortnight

lɐkʃmi

beɭɭʊɭɭ i



 

Lakshmi, a Hindu goddess

garlic

178


ŋ

 This letter has a sound similar to ng

in

sing

It is not pronounced like the ng

in

179

finger


ɲ

 This letter has a sound similar to ni gne ñ

onion French montagne Spanish España

in in in

180


ɳ

 This letter has a sound similar to n

wa nder

in


181



ŋ

ɲ

ɳ



182



ŋɐ

ɲɐ

ɳɐ

ŋɪ

ɲɪ

ɳɪ

ɲʊ



ŋʊ

183

ɳʊ


And this is how they are modified to make the combo letters for e and o

ŋe

ɲe

ɳe

   ŋo

ɲo

ɳo

   184



ŋ

ŋɐ

ŋi

ŋu

ɲ

ɲɐ

ɲi

ɲu

ɳ

ɳɐ

ɳi

ɳu

  



ŋe

ŋo

   ɲe

ɲo

ɳe

ɳo



185


Note that the horizontal line on top of



disappears when writing these combo letters –

ɳɐ

ɳi



186

ɳu



ŋɐ

ŋɐ

◌ ɲɐ

◌

+

ɲɐ

= ◌ ɳɐ

ɳɐ

◌

187


Thesesets of letters look similar

ʥ

ʥɐ

 ŋ

ʥi

ʥu

 ŋɐ

ʥe

ʥo



ŋi

ŋu



ŋe

ŋo

  As do their mini versions

ʥɐ

◌ ŋɐ

◌ 188


ʈɐ lookssomewhat like an upside down

ɳɐ

The other letters in the respective sets are more distinct, though

ʈ

ʈɐ

 ɳ

ʈi

ʈu

 ɳɐ



ɳi

ʈe

ʈo

 ɳu



ɳe

ɳo



Their mini versions too are somewhat like mirror images

ʈɐ

ɳɐ

◌

◌

189


Do you notice any similarity in how these letters sound? –

kɐ

kʰɐ

ɡɐ

ɡʱɐ

ŋɐ

To pronounce all these letters, your tongue touches the back of the roof of your mouth, called the velum

190


And what about in these letters? –

ʨɐ

ʨʰɐ

ʥɐ

ʥʱɐ

ɲɐ

To pronounce all these letters, your tongue touches the middle part of the roof of the mouth, called the palate Try saying them out loud and concentrate on the position of your tongue

191


Some more similar-sounding letters, which we’ve already seen –

ʈɐ

ʈʰɐ

ɖɐ

ɖʱɐ

ɳɐ

To pronounce all these letters, the tip of your tongue curls back and touches the roof of your mouth Try saying them out loud and concentrate on the position of your tongue

192


Yet another bunch of similar-sounding letters

t̪ɐ

t̪ʰɐ

 

 

̪ɐ d

̪ ʱɐ d

̪ɐ n

 To pronounce all these letters, the tip of your tongue touches your front teeth Try saying them out loud and concentrate on the position of your tongue

193


And finally, the last batch of similar sounding letters –

pɐ

pʰɐ

 

 

bɐ

bʱɐ

mɐ

 To pronounce all these letters, your lips touch each other Try saying them out loud and concentrate on the position of your tongue

194


◌ This sign is a ‘shortcut’ sign for the following letters – ŋ

ɲ

ɳ

n̪

m

     Its pronunciation depends on what letter comes after it.

195


Have a look at these words and their pronunciations–

ɕɐŋkʰɐ

 conch mɐŋɡəlɐ

 delight, good fortune ʨɐnʨəlɐ

 fickle, playful sɐnʥəjɐ

 Sanjaya, a male name

More to come

196


kɐɳʈʰjɐ





from the throat, guttural pɐɳɖɪt̪ɐ



 scholar jɐn̪ t̪ rɐ



 machine, device nɐn̪ d ̪ə n ̪ɐ

 Nandana, a male name sɐmpən̪ n̪ ɐ

 



completed, acquired sɐmbən̪ d ̪ ʱɐ

 

relation, connection

197


Let’s look at it in a little more detail.

In these words,

◌

is like a shortcut for

ɕɐŋkʰɐ

ŋ–

mɐŋɡəlɐ

In these words,

◌


kɐɳʈʰjɐ

ɳ–

pɐɳɖɪt̪ɐ





In these words,

◌


jɐn̪ t̪ rɐ

 n̪ –

n̪ ɐ n̪ d ̪ə n ̪ɐ

 In these words,

◌


sɐmpən̪ n̪ ɐ

m

sɐmbən̪ d ̪ ʱɐ

 198


No, we didn’t forget

In these words,

◌

ɲ


ʨɐnʨəlɐ

ɲ–

sɐnʥəjɐ

However, its pronunciation is not exactly like

ɲ

Instead, it sounds more like a ‘normal’ n, like the n in name

199


We can see a pattern over here.

If

◌ k

occurs before the following letters – kʰ

ɡ

then its pronunciation is

ɡʱ

ŋ

    ʨ

ʨʰ

ʥ

ʥʱ

  ʈ

ʈʰ

ɖ

n

ɖʱ

   

ɳ

   

̪ n

t̪

p

t̪ʰ

pʰ

d ̪

d ̪ʱ

b

bʱ

  200

m


Before all other letters, and at the end of a word, its pronunciation is usually

m sɐmjʊkt̪ɐ

sɐmrəkʃəɳe





joint, united

protection

sɐmləɡn̪ ɐ

sɐmʋət̪ sərɐ





attached, included

Vedic year

ʋɐmɕɐ

ɦɐmsɐ

clan, lineage

swan

sim ɦɐ

kʰɐt̪ə m

 lion

finished

The odd exception might exist, but these would usually be rare or obscure words So don’t worry – As far as our nasal shortcut sign is concerned, you’re good to go! 201


Great.

Now, an obvious question. What if a word starts with a vowel? How do we write it then?

There’s a slightly different way of doing this –

202


If a word starts with a vowel, we use the following letters instead of vowel signs – ,

ɐ

i

e

u

ʷo

203


and

have a slightly different pronunciation

ʲe

This letter has a sound similar to ye

in

yes

ʷo

This letter has a sound similar to wo

in

wo n’t

but slightly shorter in length 204


Our nasal shortcut sign works equally well with these ‘independent’ vowel letters –

Of course, the pronunciation of the sign will vary, depending on what letter follows

Some examples will make this clear

205


Here are some words that use independent vowel letters –

ɐrt̪ʰɐ meaning

uŋɡərɐ ring (ornament)



ɐk ʃərɐ letter, alphabet ɐn̪ t̪ɐ end ɐŋɡəɽi shop illi here ippət̪ t̪ u twenty iŋɡle ɳɖ England

uɳɖe ball, sphere



ʲerəɽu two



 

ʲeʃʈu how much



ʲeɳʈu eight

   

uɡʊru fingernail, toenail

ʷoɭɭ ejɐ good ʷon̪ d ̪u one ʷombət̪ t̪ u nine

206

 


Speaking of vowels, here are some more –

ɑː

◌ This sign has a sound similar to a

in

207

father


iː

◌ This sign has a sound similar to ee

in

208

bee


uː

◌ This sign has a sound similar to oo

in

209

too l


eː

◌ This sign has a sound similar to é

French fiancée

in

210


oː

◌ This sign has a sound similar to o

Italian Roma

in

This sign is written after a letter

211


This is how the signs for ɑː, iː, uː, eː and oː are written –

kɑː

kiː





kuː

keː

koː

 212




Here are all the vowels we’ve seen so far, attached to the letter

k–

kɐ

kɑː

 

ki

kiː

 ku

kuː

ke

keː





ko

koː





Note how the vowels on the right are ‘longer’ versions of the ones on the left

213


In some cases, the long vowel sign is simply the short vowel sign with an added

ki

◌

kiː





ke

keː





ko

koː



 214


Remember that for

 j,

the right-most curl is removed before the

◌

oː vowel is added

j

oː

-◌ +◌

215

joː

=


Here are some Kannada words with the new signs we’ve just seen –





 



 







 

   





 

 216


And some more –

  

 

    

 







       ♪♫ J

And we’re done! For now at least

217




How many correct?

t̪ɑː t̪ɐ grandfather prɑːɳi animal

ʋɑːŋməjɐ literature

miːn̪ u fish ʈʰiːʋi arrogance, showiness



ɦɑːrɐ garland



 

ʥɲɑːn̪ ɐ , ɡnɑːn̪ ɐ knowledge





kɐrn̪ ɑːʈə kɐ Karnataka, a state in India



 

love ɦuːʋu flower ɕuːn̪ jɐ emptiness, nothingness

 

ɡiːru line, scratch



pʰiːsu fees



ɕriːn̪ ɪʋɑː sɐ Srinivasa, a Hindu god

priːt̪ i



dʱuːɭu dust



puːrt̪ i full

218



  




muːrkʰɐ fool beŋɡəɭuːru Bangalore

beːre different, other ʨʰeːd ̪ɐ denominator kʃeːt̪ rɐ area ʈoːpi cap pʰoːʈo photograph soːmɑːri lazybones, idler ɡʱoːʃəɳe announcement

   

d ̪ eːɕɐ country t̪ʰ e ːʈ identical, just like

  

reːʥɪɡe disgust



joːɡɐ yoga

  

ɖʱoːŋɡi fraudulent

  Phew!

219

      




At the beginning of a word, these vowels are written like this –

ɑː

iː

uː

eː

oː

220


Here are all the independent vowels we’ve seen so far, along with their corresponding vowel signs –

ɐ

ɑː

◌ i

iː

◌

◌

u

uː

◌ ʲe

◌

e

ʲeː

◌ ʷo

◌

o

ʷoː

◌ We already know that

eː

oː

◌ ɐ does not have any vowel sign of its own

221


All these pairs look similar in that the one on the right is a slightly modified version of the one on the left –

ɐ

ɑː

u

uː

ʲe

ʲeː

ʷo

ʷoː

222


These two letters look very similar

i

ɲ

These letters all have a common basic shape

o

ŋɐ

oː

ʨɐ

ʥɐ

223

bɐ

bʱɐ


Some Kannada words beginning with the new vowel letters we’ve just seen –



   

224




You should have got all of these right! –

ɑːd ̪ ə re but



ɑːn̪ d ̪ oːɭən̪ɐ movement, agitation

iːʥu

iːrʃje

swim

envy

uːʈɐ food, meal

uːrəɡɑːji Indian pickle

ʲeːru climb

ʲeːkəʋəʨən̪ə singular

ʷoːɽu run

ʷoːrekoːre bent, twisted

225

   




And even more vowel signs –

əj

◌ This sign has a sound similar to i

in

fight

More precisely, it sounds like i in fight when pronounced in a Scottish accent

226


əw

◌

This sign has a sound similar to ow

in

cow

More precisely, it sounds like ow in cow when pronounced in a Scottish accent

227


This is how the signs for əj and əw are written –

kə j

kəw





228


Notice the similarity in the shapes of these combo letters –

ke

keː

kə j

  kɑː

 kəw



 229


At the beginning of a word, these vowels are written like this–

kə j

kəw

230


These letters look similar

ʲe

ʲeː

əj

As do these

ʷo

ʷoː

231

əw


Here are some Kannada words with the new letters we’ve just seen –

  



















 232


And their pronunciations and meanings –

kə j hand



ɦəwd ̪u yes məjd ̪ ɑː n̪ ɐ playground

 

pəwɽər powder



ɕəjli style, method



  

məwkʰɪkɐ oral, verbal əjd ̪u five





əwʃəd ̪ ʱɐ medicine ə jɕʋərjɐ wealth, splendour



əwʨɪt̪ jɐ appropriateness

233






A few letters and signs still remain!

æː

◌  This sign has a sound similar to a

in

ca t

Here’s an example of this vowel sign in combination with

k

kæː

 234


Unfortunately, our new sign looks exactly like the mini version of

j

plus the vowel sign

◌

ɑː

◌  Fortunately, this sign is pronounced with the sound æː only in English words borrowed into Kannada

So the pronunciation is usually clear from the context

235


At the beginning of a word, this sign is written like this–

æː



236


Like you read earlier, this sign is used in Kannada only to write words borrowed from English that have the a sound in cat

ɡæːs

  gas

bæːʈəriː

  battery kæ ːnsər

   cancer

æːks ɪs bæːŋk

    Axis Bank, a bank in India

237


rʊ

◌

This sign has a sound similar to rhu

rhubarb

in

This sign is written below a letter

Note that this sign behaves like a vowel sign

238


This is how the sign for rʊ is written –

krʊ

Notice how these letter combos look similar –

k əj

krʊ

 239


At the beginning of a word, this sign is written like this–

rʊ

Don’t confuse it with this letter combo –

jɐ

240


Some Kannada words which use this sign or its independent letter – krʊɕi

rʊɳɐ

rʊʃi

 agriculture

 debt

ʋrʊkʃɐ

sage, seer krʊʃɳɐ





tree

Krishna, a Hindu god

ɦrʊd ̪ ə jɐ

mɑːt̪ r ʊbʱuːmi

 heart ɡrʊɦəst̪ʰɐ

 motherland ʋrʊd ̪d ̪ ʱɑːɕ rəmɐ



 

household

old-age home

241


z

̤

This letter has a sound similar to z

zebra

in

Except for the two dots below, it looks and behaves exactly like

j

 242


f

̤

This letter has a sound similar to f

in

fat

Except for the two dots below, it looks and behaves exactly like

pʰ

 243


These letters are only used to write non-Kannada words which have the sounds z and f And that too, not very consistently

You might come across both dotted and non-dotted versions, (and both pronunciations too) like so – ziːbrɑː

ʥiːbrɑː

̤  

 zebra

fil ɪppiːns

pʰil ɪppiːns

̤      Philippines

So you’ll encounter these letters only rarely

244


One last sign –

◌ This sign has a sound similar to h

in

hat

but with a little twist (we’ll see how on the next page)

Note that this sign too behaves like a vowel sign

Like

◌

this sign can be added onto another vowel sign

245


This is how this new sign combines with basic letters and is pronounced –

kɐɦɐ

kɑːɦɐ

 kiɦi

kiːɦi





kuɦu

kuːɦu

keːɦe

kəjɦi





koːɦo

kəwɦu





It never combines with the signs

246

◌ e and ◌

o


Like

◌

this new sign can also combine with independent vowel letters

ɐɦɐ

ɑːɦɐ

iɦi

iːɦi

uɦu

uːɦu

eːɦe

əjɦi

oːɦo

əwɦu

It never combines with the letters

247

e and

o


Got it? In a nutshell, the sign is pronounced

ɦ followed by a somewhat shortened repetition of the vowel just before it

kɑːɦɐ

ɑːɦɐ

 kəwɦu

əwɦu

 Like so punəɦɐ

bɐɦʊɕəɦɐ

 again

likely

248


When this sign occurs in the middle of a word, it's often pronounced as a ‘doubling’ of the next letter –

d ̪ ukkʰɐ

niɕɕəbd ̪ɐ

 sadness

 noiseless

Not to fret This sign occurs very rarely in Kannada, only in some words borrowed from Sanskrit

249


Remember

ɦ

◌ has two circles and our nasal shortcut letter

◌ has only one

250


Let’s end with numerals and punctuation

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

0

Punctuation marks are similar to English In some old Kannada texts, you might find these punctuation marks –

।

॥

full stop

end of verse

Try your hand at these –

,

3,737 0.611

. . %

1.2% 54,789.01

, 251

.


Here is a well-known piece of writing, in its Kannada version –





 

 .  

 



  . 



 





  

 

 

.

ell ɑː mɑːn̪ əʋə ruː sʋɐt̪ə n̪ t̪ rər ɑːɡɪjeː ʥɐn̪ ɪ sɪd ̪d ̪ ɑː re . ɦɑːɡuː ɡʱɐn̪ ə t̪ e mɐt̪ t̪ u ɦɐkkʊɡəɭəlli s ɐmɑːn̪ ə rɑːɡid ̪d ̪ ɑː re . ʋiʋeːkɐ mɐt̪ t̪ u ɐn̪ t̪ə kk ərəɳəɡəɭən̪ n̪ u pɐɽed ̪ əʋə rɑːd ̪d ̪ ə rɪn̪ d ̪ ɐ ɐʋəru pɐrəspərɐ sɐɦoːd ̪ ə rɐ bʱɑːʋəd ̪ ɪ n̪ d ̪ ɐ ʋɐrt̪ is əbeːku .

This is Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

252


This is the Kannada alphabet The names of the letters are the sounds of the letters themselves ɐ

ɑː

e

jɐ

i

eː

iː

u

əj

uː

o

rʊ

oː

əj

kɐ

kʰɐ

ɡɐ

ɡʱɐ

ŋɐ

ʨɐ

ʨʰɐ

ʥɐ

ʥʱɐ

ɲɐ

ʈɐ

ʈʰɐ

ɖɐ

ɖʱɐ

ɳɐ

t̪ɐ

t̪ʰɐ

d ̪ɐ

d ̪ ʱɐ

n̪ ɐ

pɐ

pʰɐ

bɐ

bʱɐ

mɐ

rɐ

æː

lɐ

ʋɐ

ɕɐ

zɐ

253

sɐ

ɦɐ

fɐ

̤



ʃɐ

̤


And these are the vowel and other signs, and their Kannada names –

ɐn̪ usʋɑːrɐ  



◌ eː

ʋɪsərɡɐ

ɑː

i

iː

u

uː

rʊ

◌ ◌

◌



◌

◌ ◌ ◌

eː

əj

oː

◌ ◌

◌

◌

oː

◌

Good luck!

254

əw

◌

æː

ɦɐlən̪ t̪ɐ

◌  ◌

End Typeset in Segoe UI (English & IPA) and Vagisha (Kannada)

For more information on the Kannada script and its history – http://www.omniglot.com/writing/kannada.htm

References:

Baraha Antarajāla Nighanṭu http://baraha.com/kannada/index.php Glosbe Kannada Hindi Dictionary http://glosbe.com/kn/hi/ Khandbahale, Sunil. Khandbahale.com http://www.khandbahale.com/kannada Spencer, Harold. A Kanarese Grammar http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/plc/kannada/

Kannada Wiktionary http://kn.wiktionary.org v2013-06-24 ©2012-2013 Arvind Iyengar. All Rights Reserved.

Kannada Script Book | sarvabhashin

Recommend Documents