Table of Contents
Introduction
Mkhedruli is the main Georgian script used today. It is used for books, street signs, messages on your phone, and almost all modern writing. In this chapter you will meet the full Mkhedruli alphabet, learn how the letters look, their basic sounds, and some very simple practice words.
You will not learn pronunciation rules in depth here, and you will not study handwriting styles in detail, because those belong to other chapters. Here we only focus on recognizing and learning the basic printed shapes of the Mkhedruli letters and their core sounds.
Key Facts About Mkhedruli
Mkhedruli has:
- 33 letters
- No uppercase or lowercase forms
- One letter for each consonant and vowel sound, without letter combinations like “sh”, “ch”, etc. in English
Each letter has:
- A printed shape (what you see in books and online)
- A name (used when talking about the letter)
- A typical sound value (roughly like a sound you know from other languages, or sometimes quite new)
In this chapter we will use:
- Letter name in Latin letters
- Mkhedruli symbol
- An approximate IPA symbol for the sound
- An English-based description or example when possible
Remember that Georgian spelling is usually very regular. One letter normally represents one sound.
The Vowel Letters
Georgian has five vowel letters. Their sounds are quite stable and close to “pure” vowels.
| Name | Mkhedruli | IPA | Rough sound description | Example word (Georgian) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ani | ა | /a/ | like “a” in “father” (short) | დედა deda | mother |
| eni | ე | /e/ | like “e” in “bed” | მე me | I, me |
| ini | ი | /i/ | like “ee” in “see” (short) | დიად diad | great (formal word) |
| oni | ო | /ɔ/ | like “o” in “off” (British “not”) | ორიოლი orioli | seagull |
| uni | უ | /u/ | like “oo” in “food” (short) | ბუხარი bukhari | fireplace |
Georgian vowels are not reduced the way English vowels often are. So:
Important rule: Each Georgian vowel letter usually stands for one clear, stable vowel sound. Do not change the sound depending on stress.
Very simple practice words with only vowels and one consonant:
- მო mo (not a regular word, but good as a reading syllable)
- ოუ ou (sequence of vowels)
- ია ia (common female name ending)
Try pronouncing them smoothly, one letter at a time.
Basic Consonant Letters
In this section we will introduce the consonant letters in groups. Focus here on recognizing the shapes and the basic idea of their sound. Precise phonetic contrasts and difficulty are treated in later chapters.
Simple “P, B, M” Type Letters
| Name | Mkhedruli | IPA | Rough sound description |
|---|---|---|---|
| bani | ბ | /b/ | like English “b” in “bat” |
| gani | გ | /g/ | like English “g” in “go” |
| doni | დ | /d/ | like English “d” in “dog” |
| oni | ო | /ɔ/ | (vowel, repeated from above) |
| p’ari | პ | /pʼ/ | a tense “p”, no puff of air |
| phari | ფ | /pʰ/ | like English “p” in “pet” (strong puff) |
| mani | მ | /m/ | like English “m” in “man” |
Very basic practice words using some of these:
| Georgian | Latin | Approx. pronunciation | Gloss |
|---|---|---|---|
| ემი | emi | “eh-mee” | (name-like, not a common word) |
| დუდი | dudi | “doo-dee” | male name |
| მამა | mama | “mah-mah” | father |
| ბუბუ | bubu | “boo-boo” | nickname, baby-talk style |
“T, K, Q” Type Letters
Georgian has several pairs and triplets of “t” and “k” type consonants. Here we only focus on the basic letter groups and shapes, not on mastering fine pronunciation contrasts.
| Name | Mkhedruli | IPA | Rough description |
|---|---|---|---|
| tani | ტ | /tʼ/ | tense “t”, no puff of air |
| t’ari | თ | /tʰ/ | like English “t” in “top” |
| kari | კ | /kʼ/ | tense “k” |
| kani | ქ | /kʰ/ | like English “k” in “kite” |
| k’ani | ყ | /qʼ/ | “deep” tense sound in the throat |
Simple practice items:
- ტო to
- კი ki
- ქო kho (similar to “khoh”)
- ყო qo (deep throat sound, will be trained later)
And a short word:
- კატო kato, common female name.
“S, Z, C, J” Type Letters
Here are consonants that remind you of English “s, z, ts, ch, j”.
| Name | Mkhedruli | IPA | Rough description |
|---|---|---|---|
| sani | ს | /s/ | like “s” in “see” |
| zeni | ზ | /z/ | like “z” in “zoo” |
| ts’ani | ც | /tsʰ/ | like “ts” in “cats” with a puff |
| tsani | წ | /tsʼ/ | tense “ts” |
| jani | ჯ | /dʒ/ | like “j” in “job” |
Short practice words:
| Georgian | Latin | Approx. pronunciation | Gloss |
|---|---|---|---|
| სასა | sasa | “sah-sah” | (syllable-chain) |
| ძძო | dzo | “dzoh” | part of some words |
| ჯაზი | jazi | “jah-zi” | jazz (loanword) |
Note: The letter dzili (ძ, /dz/) will appear later with more detailed explanation. Here simply notice its shape.
“Sh, Ch, Kh, Gh, H” Type Letters
Mkhedruli has several letters for “soft” fricative sounds, often written with “h” in transliteration.
| Name | Mkhedruli | IPA | Rough description |
|---|---|---|---|
| shani | შ | /ʃ/ | “sh” as in “shoe” |
| chani | ჩ | /tʃʰ/ | “ch” in “church” with puff |
| ch’ari | ჭ | /tʃʼ/ | tense “ch” |
| khani | ხ | /x/ | like German “Bach” |
| ghani | ღ | /ɣ/ | softer “gh” / “g” in the throat |
| hani | ჰ | /h/ | like English “h” |
Mini practice words:
| Georgian | Latin | Approx. pronunciation | Gloss |
|---|---|---|---|
| ხოხო | kho-kho | “kho-kho” | crow sound / name form |
| შოშია | shoshia | “sho-shee-a” | a type of bird |
| ჩაჩა | chacha | “cha-cha” | strong Georgian spirit |
“L, R, N” Type Letters
| Name | Mkhedruli | IPA | Rough description |
|---|---|---|---|
| lasi | ლ | /l/ | like English “l” |
| rani | რ | /r/ | trilled or tapped “r” |
| nari | ნ | /n/ | like English “n” |
Short items:
- ლო lo
- ნო no
- რიო rio (name-like)
A very common word:
- არა ara “no”.
“V and Y” Type Letters
| Name | Mkhedruli | IPA | Rough description |
|---|---|---|---|
| vini | ვ | /v/ | like “v” in “van” |
| yani | ი | /i, j/ | vowel “i” or consonant “y” as in “yes” |
The letter yani is also the vowel ini that you already saw, but at the beginning of a syllable it can give a “y” glide. Detailed explanation belongs to the phonetics chapter.
Simple examples:
- ანა ana (female name)
- ვინო vino “wine” (loanword-like form)
- ივა iva (name)
Full Alphabet Overview
Here is the whole Mkhedruli alphabet in a single reference table. Do not try to memorize everything at once. Use it as a map.
| Order | Name | Mkhedruli | IPA | Rough description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ani | ა | /a/ | “a” in “father” |
| 2 | bani | ბ | /b/ | “b” in “bat” |
| 3 | gani | გ | /g/ | “g” in “go” |
| 4 | doni | დ | /d/ | “d” in “dog” |
| 5 | eni | ე | /e/ | “e” in “bed” |
| 6 | vini | ვ | /v/ | “v” in “van” |
| 7 | zani | ზ | /z/ | “z” in “zoo” |
| 8 | tani | თ | /tʰ/ | “t” with puff |
| 9 | ini | ი | /i/ | “ee” in “see” |
| 10 | k’ani | კ | /kʼ/ | tense “k” |
| 11 | lasi | ლ | /l/ | “l” |
| 12 | mani | მ | /m/ | “m” |
| 13 | nari | ნ | /n/ | “n” |
| 14 | oni | ო | /ɔ/ | “o” in “off” |
| 15 | p’ari | პ | /pʼ/ | tense “p” |
| 16 | zhani | ჟ | /ʒ/ | “s” in “measure” |
| 17 | rani | რ | /r/ | trilled “r” |
| 18 | sani | ს | /s/ | “s” in “see” |
| 19 | t’ari | ტ | /tʼ/ | tense “t” |
| 20 | p’ari | ფ | /pʰ/ | “p” with puff |
| 21 | kani | ქ | /kʰ/ | “k” with puff |
| 22 | ghani | ღ | /ɣ/ | voiced “kh” |
| 23 | q’ari | ყ | /qʼ/ | deep tense sound |
| 24 | shani | შ | /ʃ/ | “sh” |
| 25 | chani | ჩ | /tʃʰ/ | “ch” with puff |
| 26 | tsani | ც | /tsʰ/ | “ts” with puff |
| 27 | dzili | ძ | /dz/ | “ds” blend |
| 28 | ts’ani | წ | /tsʼ/ | tense “ts” |
| 29 | ch’ari | ჭ | /tʃʼ/ | tense “ch” |
| 30 | khani | ხ | /x/ | “kh” in “Bach” |
| 31 | jani | ჯ | /dʒ/ | “j” in “job” |
| 32 | hani | ჰ | /h/ | “h” |
| 33 | yani | ი | /j/ | “y” glide role |
Note: Different sources may number or group letters slightly differently, but the set of shapes and names is the same.
Reading Practice with Very Simple Words
Here are a few short real Georgian words that you can already read using the letters you know. Do not worry if you do not know the grammar or full meaning. The aim is only to connect print and sound.
| Georgian | Latin | Approx. pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| დედა | deda | “de-da” | mother |
| მამა | mama | “ma-ma” | father |
| ღვინო | ghvino | “gh-vee-no” | wine |
| რა | ra | “rah” | what |
| არა | ara | “ah-rah” | no |
| კი | ki | “kee” | yes (informal) |
| შო | sho | “sho” | syllable, part of words |
| ხაზი | khazi | “kha-zi” | line |
Try to:
- Identify each letter in the word.
- Say its usual sound.
- Blend the sounds together.
Basic Study Tips for the Alphabet
You will deepen your knowledge of sounds and pronunciation in later chapters. For now, focus on visual recognition and rough sound links.
Helpful rules for beginners:
- Each Mkhedruli letter usually stands for one main sound.
- Letters do not change shape for uppercase or lowercase, since Georgian does not have case distinction.
- Start by learning vowels and a small group of consonants, then add more step by step.
Practical ideas:
- Make small flashcards: Mkhedruli on one side, name + sound on the other.
- Group letters by shape similarity and by sound family, for example “ts / ts’ / dz”.
- Practice reading simple name-like words and short real words from the tables above every day.
Vocabulary from This Chapter
The focus here is the alphabet, but you have already seen some useful basic words. Here is a short list.
| Georgian | Latin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| დედა | deda | mother |
| მამა | mama | father |
| მე | me | I, me |
| არა | ara | no |
| კი | ki | yes (informal) |
| ღვინო | ghvino | wine |
| ხაზი | khazi | line |
| ჯაზი | jazi | jazz |
| ჩაჩა | chacha | Georgian spirit |
| რა | ra | what |
In later chapters, you will learn how to use these words in full sentences, how to write letters by hand, and how to pronounce all sound contrasts clearly. For now, keep reviewing the shapes of the Mkhedruli letters and their basic sounds.