Telugu Alphabet

అ – a apple

ఆ – aa father

ఇ – i pin

ఈ – ii machine

ఉ – u put

ఊ – uu food

ఋ – ru rural

** ౠ** – rū (a long version of ఋ)

ఎ – e bed

ఏ – ee say

ఐ – ai high

ఒ – o (as in "pot")

ఓ – oo (as in "go")

ఔ – ou (as in "how")

ఋ – ru (as in "rural")

ఙ – am (nasal sound)

Consonants (Hallulu)

క – ka (as in "kite")

ఖ – kha (as in "khan")

గ – ga (as in "go")

ఘ – gha (as in "ghee")

ఙ – nga (as in "sing")

చ – cha (as in "chalk")

ఛ – chha (strong, as in "chhalk")

జ – ja (as in "jar")

ఝ – jha (like "dzh" sound)

ఞ – nya (like "ny" in "canyon")

ట – ṭa (retroflex, like "t" in "stop")

ఠ – ṭha (retroflex, like "th" in "thumb")

డ – ḍa (retroflex, like "d" in "dog")

ఢ – ḍha (retroflex, as in "dh" sound)

ణ – ṇa (retroflex, like "n" in "run")

త – ta (as in "bat")

థ – tha (soft "th" sound)

ద – da (as in "dog")

ధ – dha (soft "dh" sound)

న – na (as in "no")

ప – pa (as in "pot")

ఫ – pha (as in "fun")

బ – ba (as in "bat")

భ – bha (like "bh" in "bhan")

మ – ma (as in "man")

య – ya (as in "yoga")

ర – ra (as in "rat")

ల – la (as in "love")

వ – va (as in "van")

శ – sha (as in "shy")

ష – ṣa (retroflex "sh" sound)

స – sa (as in "sun")

హ – ha (as in "hat")

ళ – ḷa (retroflex, distinct from "la")

క్ష – ksha (combination of "k" and "sha")

ఱ – ṟa (retroflex, rare in usage)

Other Symbols

ఁ – Anusvara (nasal sound)

ం – Chandrabindu (nasalizing vowel sound)

ః – Visarga (an aspirated breath after a vowel)

Special Digraphs

ౖ – ai (pronounced as a combination of 'a' and 'i', "airy")

ౌ – au (pronounced as "ow")

ౕ – a rare form of “au”