Telugu consonants
Learn Telugu consonants in sound families, from the back of the mouth to the lips. Play available recordings and practise the differences within a row.
Try a practice lesson →Choose Listen beside an available recording. Audio plays only when you ask.
Read beyond the English spelling
Study one course group at a time. Keep the native letter visible beside its English label, especially when several letters have similar labels.
- క — k as in skip, without a strong puff. The unmarked letter includes a.
- ఖ — k followed by a noticeable puff of air. The unmarked letter includes a.
- గ — g as in go, with the voice vibrating. The unmarked letter includes a.
34 Telugu consonants in course groups
The k family
Five sounds made at the back of the mouth. Compare plain and breathy releases, then the nasal.
| Letter | English sound guide | Reading hint | Recording |
|---|---|---|---|
| క | ka | k as in skip, without a strong puff. The unmarked letter includes a. | Listen |
| ఖ | kha | k followed by a noticeable puff of air. The unmarked letter includes a. | Listen |
| గ | ga | g as in go, with the voice vibrating. The unmarked letter includes a. | Listen |
| ఘ | gha | Voiced g with a breathy release. The unmarked letter includes a. | Listen |
| ఙ | nga | ng as in sing; uncommon as an independent letter. The unmarked letter includes a. | Listen |
The ch family
Five related sounds near the hard palate. Some have different readings in everyday words.
| Letter | English sound guide | Reading hint | Recording |
|---|---|---|---|
| చ | cha | ch as in chair; it can be ts-like in some native words. The unmarked letter includes a. | Listen |
| ఛ | chha | ch followed by a noticeable puff of air. The unmarked letter includes a. | Listen |
| జ | ja | j as in jam; it can be dz-like in some native words. The unmarked letter includes a. | Listen |
| ఝ | jha | Voiced j with a breathy release. The unmarked letter includes a. | Listen |
| ఞ | nya | A palatal nasal, roughly ny in canyon; mostly seen in joined letters. The unmarked letter includes a. | Listen |
The curled-tongue family
Curl the tongue tip back for these five sounds. A dot below the Latin letter marks this position.
| Letter | English sound guide | Reading hint | Recording |
|---|---|---|---|
| ట | ṭa | Curled-tongue ṭ, without a strong puff. The unmarked letter includes a. | Listen |
| ఠ | ṭha | Curled-tongue ṭ with a puff of air. The unmarked letter includes a. | Listen |
| డ | ḍa | Curled-tongue ḍ, with the voice vibrating. The unmarked letter includes a. | Listen |
| ఢ | ḍha | Curled-tongue ḍ with a breathy release. The unmarked letter includes a. | Listen |
| ణ | ṇa | Curled-tongue nasal ṇ. The unmarked letter includes a. | Listen |
The dental family
Touch the upper teeth with the tongue for these five sounds.
| Letter | English sound guide | Reading hint | Recording |
|---|---|---|---|
| త | ta | Dental t, without a strong puff. The unmarked letter includes a. | Listen |
| థ | tha | Dental t with a puff; not the English th of thin. The unmarked letter includes a. | Listen |
| ద | da | Dental d, with the voice vibrating. The unmarked letter includes a. | Listen |
| ధ | dha | Dental d with a breathy release. The unmarked letter includes a. | Listen |
| న | na | Dental nasal n. The unmarked letter includes a. | Listen |
The lip family
Close both lips for these five sounds. Compare the plain, breathy and nasal sounds.
| Letter | English sound guide | Reading hint | Recording |
|---|---|---|---|
| ప | pa | p as in spin, without a strong puff. The unmarked letter includes a. | Listen |
| ఫ | pha | p with a puff; this letter can represent f in loanwords. The unmarked letter includes a. | Listen |
| బ | ba | b as in bat, with the voice vibrating. The unmarked letter includes a. | Listen |
| భ | bha | Voiced b with a breathy release. The unmarked letter includes a. | Listen |
| మ | ma | m with both lips closed. The unmarked letter includes a. | Listen |
Gliding and flowing sounds
Four common consonants: y, r, l and v.
| Letter | English sound guide | Reading hint | Recording |
|---|---|---|---|
| య | ya | y as in yes. The unmarked letter includes a. | Listen |
| ర | ra | A brief tongue-tip tap or trill. The unmarked letter includes a. | Listen |
| ల | la | l with the tongue near the upper teeth. The unmarked letter includes a. | Listen |
| వ | va | A sound between English v and w. The unmarked letter includes a. | Listen |
More consonant sounds
Compare the two sh letters, s, h and the curled-tongue ḷ.
| Letter | English sound guide | Reading hint | Recording |
|---|---|---|---|
| శ | sha | A sh sound made near the hard palate. The unmarked letter includes a. | Listen |
| ష | ṣa | Curled-tongue sh, written ṣ to distinguish it from శ. The unmarked letter includes a. | Listen |
| స | sa | s as in sun. The unmarked letter includes a. | Listen |
| హ | ha | h as in hat. The unmarked letter includes a. | Listen |
| ళ | ḷa | Curled-tongue ḷ; keep it distinct from ల. The unmarked letter includes a. | Listen |
Recognise a group at a time
- Choose a few written forms and compare their English hints.
- Cover the hints and identify the letters in a different order.
- Practise with matching, mixing, flashcards, or a visual quiz.
Keep one consonant fixed in the vowel-sign chart, then look for it in beginner words.
Prepared by Learn Akshara from our beginner Telugu curriculum. English spellings are approximate learning aids. Writing-system reference: The Unicode Standard, South Asian Scripts. AI-generated pronunciation is a learning aid, not a guarantee of accuracy. See our audio sources and credits.