Author: Aditya Pratap Bhuyan
Learn Kannada pronunciation of vowels and consonants with Hindi and English word comparisons. Understand short, long, aspirated and retroflex sounds.
1. Kannada Vowels – Pronunciation
Kannada vowels come in short (ಹ್ರಸ್ವ – Hrasva) and long (ದೀರ್ಘ – Dīrgha) varieties. Correct vowel length changes meaning.
| Kannada | Transliteration | Hindi Comparison | English Comparison | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ಅ | a | अ (अनार) | cup | Short “a” like ‘cut’. |
| ಆ | ā | आ (आम) | father | Long “aa” with open mouth. |
| ಇ | i | इ (इमली) | bit | Short “i” sound. |
| ಈ | ī | ई (ईख) | see | Stressed “ee”. |
| ಉ | u | उ (उल्लू) | put | Short “u”. |
| ಊ | ū | ऊ (ऊन) | pool | Long “oo”. |
| ಎ | e | ए (एड़ी) | pen | Short e (eh). |
| ಏ | ē | ए (एक) | game | Long “ae”. |
| ಐ | ai | ऐ (ऐनक) | ice | Diphthong ai. |
| ಒ | o | ओ (ओखली) | cot | Short “o”. |
| ಓ | ō | ओ (ओखी) | go | Long “o”. |
| ಔ | au | औ (औषधि) | out | Diphthong au. |
2. Kannada Consonants – Pronunciation
Consonants are categorized by how they’re pronounced: Unaspirated vs Aspirated, Dental vs Retroflex.
| Kannada | Transliteration | Hindi Comparison | English Comparison | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ಕ | ka | क (कमल) | kite | Hard ‘k’ sound. |
| ಖ | kha | ख (खरगोश) | khaki | Aspirated “kh”. |
| ಟ | ṭa | ट (टमाटर) | Tom | Retroflex hard T. |
| ತ | ta | त (तरबूज) | tap | Dental T (tip of tongue touches teeth). |
| ಡ | ḍa | ड (डमरू) | dog | Retroflex D. |
| ದ | da | द (दाल) | day | Dental D. |
| ಪ | pa | प (पानी) | pen | Unaspirated P. |
| ಫ | pha | फ (फल) | phone | Aspirated Ph. |
| ಶ | śa | श (शक्ति) | ship | Palatal “sha”. |
| ಷ | ṣa | ष (षट्कोण) | retroflex sound | Tongue curled back “ṣh”. |
| ಸ | sa | स (समान) | sun | Plain ‘s’. |
| ಹ | ha | ह (हवा) | hat | Aspirated h. |
3. Special Notes On Sounds
- Kannada distinguishes **dental** (त, द) vs **retroflex** (ಟ, ಡ) sounds — this is tricky for English speakers.
- Always observe **short vs long vowels**, as meaning can completely change. Example: ಕಲಿ (kali = learn) vs ಕಾಳಿ (kāḷi = empty).
- Hindi speakers will find many similarities, but pronunciation may be softer in Kannada.
