ಕನ್ನಡ ಕಲಿಯಿರಿ
The traditional beginner set has 13 vowels, 2 special signs and 36 consonants. A consonant includes a short “a” unless a vowel sign changes it.
13 independent vowel letters · ಸ್ವರಗಳು
Beginner to advanced
Greet people, name things, say who you are and ask “how much”.
Audio uses your device’s Kannada voice. Progress is saved on this device.
How the script works
Inherent vowel
ಕ · kaA consonant normally carries a short ‘a’ sound.
Vowel sign
ಕಾ · kāThe mark ಾ changes the sound to a long ‘ā’.
Without vowel
ಕ್ · kThe mark ್ removes the inherent vowel.
Vowel signs · ಗುಣಿತಾಕ್ಷರ
Choose any consonant to see how its vowel signs change the sound. Tap a form to hear it.
ಕ · ka
Build a sentence
Four patterns you can use beyond memorized phrases.
Polite and familiar ‘you’
ನೀವು · ನೀನು
nīvu · nīnu
ನೀವು is polite or plural; ನೀನು is familiar singular. Use ನೀವು with people you do not know well.
Say your name
ನನ್ನ ಹೆಸರು…
nanna hesaru…
ನನ್ನ means ‘my’ and ಹೆಸರು means ‘name.’ Add your name at the end.
Ask politely
ದಯವಿಟ್ಟು … ಹೇಳಿ
dayaviṭṭu … hēḷi
ದಯವಿಟ್ಟು means ‘please.’ ಹೇಳಿ is a polite request to ‘say’ or ‘tell’; ಹೇಳು is familiar instead.
In a place
ಮನೆ → ಮನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ
mane → maneyalli
The ending -ಯಲ್ಲಿ (-yalli) can mean ‘in’ or ‘at’ a place. ಮನೆ means ‘house’; ಮನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ means ‘in the house.’
Grammar essentials
Six rules that unlock most everyday sentences. Tap any Kannada to hear it.
Word order: subject – object – verb
Kannada puts the verb last. ‘I read a book’ becomes ‘I book read’. Once you know this, you can reuse any verb you learn.
Pronouns
The verb ending changes with the person, so the pronoun can often be dropped in speech.
Case endings on a noun
Where English uses small words like ‘to’, ‘from’ or ‘in’, Kannada adds an ending to the noun. Here they are on ಮನೆ (house).
Present / future tense endings
One form covers ‘I do’, ‘I am doing’ and ‘I will do’. Add -ುತ್ತ- to the verb, then the person ending. Shown with ಮಾಡು (do).
Saying ‘not’
For habits and plans, add -ುವುದಿಲ್ಲ to the verb. It is the same for every person. ಇಲ್ಲ alone means ‘is not / no’.
Asking yes/no questions
Add a long -ಆ (-ā) to the end of a statement to make it a question. For open questions, use a question word before the verb.
Vocabulary
46 words in 6 topics. Turn on quiz mode to hide the English and test yourself.
Sentence builder
Pick who, what and when. The verb ending changes to match — watch the highlighted part.
The Kannada present form also means “will …” — context tells which.
Everyday phrases
Polite, useful expressions for a first conversation.
Audio uses your device’s speech voice. If a Kannada voice is unavailable, pronunciation may be inaccurate; the Roman letters are a reading aid, not a substitute for listening to native speakers.