Consonant Clusters

ಕ್ಕ kka ಕ್ಖ kkhaಗ್ಗ ggaಗ್ಘ ggha
ಚ್ಚ ccaಚ್ಛ cchaಜ್ಜ jjaಜ್ಝ jjhaಞ್ಞ jña
ಟ್ಟ ṭṭaಟ್ಠ ṭṭhaಡ್ಡ ḍḍaಡ್ಢ ḍḍhaಣ್ಣ ṇṇa
ತ್ತ ttaತ್ಥ tthaದ್ದ ddaದ್ಧ ddhaನ್ನ nna
ಪ್ಪ ppaಪ್ಫ pphaಬ್ಬ bbaಬ್ಭ bbhaಮ್ಮ mma
ಯ್ಯ yyaರ್ರ rraಲ್ಲ llaವ್ವ vvaಶ್ಶ śśaಷ್ಷ ṣṣaಸ್ಸ ssa
ಹ್ಹ hhaಳ್ಳ ḷḷaಕ್ಷ kṣaತ್ತ್ವ ttvaತ್ರ್ಯ trya ಸ್ಕೃ skru

Notable Features

Some more notable features of the Alphabet and Lithography

1. Among vowels ಋ (ṛ) and ೠ (ṛū) are used only in Sanskrit words.

ಋಷಿ ṛṣi, pronounce as ruṣi meaning sage.

ಋತು ṛtu, pronounce as rutu meaning season.

If vowel comes in combination with a consonant, it is written as follows:

ಕೃಷ್ಣKṛṣṇaKrishna
ಸೃಷ್ಟಿsṛṣṭiCreation
ೠಕಾರṛūkāraThe letter ṛū

2. anusvāra and visarga

Anusvāra and visarga need a special mention. Both are borrowed terms from Sanskrit. Anusvāra replaces all the nasals both in Sanskrit and Kannada words, when the nasals come in the middle or at the end of a word.Anusvāra is used in more places than in Sanskrit. Examples:

aṅga is written in Kannada as ಅಂಗ
pañca is written as ಪಂಚ
kaṇṭha is written as ಕಂಠ
candanais written as ಚಂದನ
stambha is written as ಸ್ತಂಭ

There are no words starting with ಙ ಞ and ಣ. All the nasals are represented by anusvāra when they are followed by another consonant. But, when they are followed by another nasal they are not written as anusvāra. For example:

ಅಣ್ಣaṇṇaElder brother
ಅಮ್ಮammaMother
ಜನ್ಮjanmaBirth
ಮೃಣ್ಮಯmṛṇmayaFull of soil

Visarga comes only with Sanskrit words and is pronounced in the middle of the words as 'h'. The vowel which precedes the visarga influences its pronunciation if it comes at the end of a word.

Examples for the words in the middle of the word:

ದುಃಖduḥkhaGrief
ಅಂತಃಪುರantaḥpuraHarem

At the end:

ರಾಮಃRāmaha (Rāmaḥ)Rama
ಹರಿಃHarihi (Hariḥ)Hari
ವಿಷ್ಣುಃViṣṇuhu (Viṣṇuḥ)Vishnu

3. Some more letters are borrowed from English, Arabic, Urdu and other languages. Some of them are pronounced following the Pronunciation in the source language and some others are pronounced with the help of the nearest pronunciation in Kannada.

bat, cat, bank, tank (bæṭ, kæṭ, bæṅk, ṭæṇk) are sometimes written as byāṭ, kyāṭ, byāṃk, ṭyāṃk.

ಬ್ಯಾಟ್, ಕ್ಯಾಟ್, ಬ್ಯಾಂಕ್, ಟ್ಯಾಂಕ್

Coffee is written as kāphi (ಕಾಫಿ) and pronounced as kāfi

Examples of Kannada Words

ಅಅಲೆalewave
ಕಲೆkaleart
ಆಆಟāṭaplay
ಪಾಠpāṭhalesson
ಇಇದುiduthis
ನದಿnadiriver
ಈಈಜುījuswim
ಕೀಟkīṭainsect
ಉಉಪ್ಪುuppusalt
ತುಕ್ಕುtukkurust
ಊಊರುūruvillage
ನೂರುnūruhundred
ಎಎಣ್ಣೆeṇṇeoil
ಕೆಂಪುkempured
ಏಏಳುēḷuseven
ಬೇರುbēruroot
ಒಒಂದುonduone
ಹೊಟ್ಟುhoṭṭuhusk
ಓಓಲೆōlepalm leaf
ಗೋಡೆgōḍewall
ಕಕಣ್ಣುkaṇṇueye
ಗಗಾಳಿgāḷiwind
ಚಚಂದ್ರcandramoon
ಜಜಾಗjāgaplace
ಟಟಕ್ಕುṭakkufraud
ಡಡಬ್ಬಿḍabbismall box
ಣಗುಣguṇacharacter
ತತಲೆtalehead
ದದುಡ್ಡುduḍḍumoney
ನನರಿnarifox
ಪಪದpadaword
ಬಬಂಡಿbaṇḍicart
ಮಮಾತುmātuword
ಯಕಾಯಿkāyiunripe fruit
ರಮರmaratree
ಲಲೆಕ್ಕlekkaaccount
ವವರvaraboon
ಸಸಾಲsāladebt
ಹಹಾಲು hālumilk

1. Copy the following words.

ಅಂದಅಂಬರ
ಅಂಗವಸ್ತ್ರಅಂತಃಪುರ
ಅಂತರಿಕ್ಷಅಂತರ್ಧಾನ
ಅಗ್ನಿಅಗ್ರಜ
ಅಕ್ಕಅತಿಥಿ
ಅದ್ವೈತಅಧ್ಯಕ್ಷ
ಅಸತ್ಯಅಭ್ಯರ್ಥಿ
ಅದ್ಭುತಆತ್ಮಕಥೆ
ಆದರ್ಶಆಹ್ವಾನ
ಆತಂಕಪ್ರತಿಕೃತಿ

2. Write the following in Kannada script.

akkatamma
nīvuavaḷu
aṅkakōpa
nādiniattige
rāmanubhīmasēna
sītebeḷdiṅgaḷu
rāvaṇaponna
rāghavāṅkabhārata
abhijñana śākuntalaṃkāḷidāsa
kannige habbapustaka
haḷḷiveṅkaṭēśvara

Send your completed homework by email to klcjnu@gmail.com

Learn Basics - Grammar Modules

This project is sponsored by Department of Kannada and Culture, Government of Karnataka and brought to you by Kannada Language Chair, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.

This project is sponsored by Department of Kannada and Culture, Government of Karnataka and brought to you by Kannada Language Chair, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.

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