The Tulu Alphabet

Q: What script does Tulu use?

Tulu is primarily written in the Kannada script (ಕನ್ನಡ ಲಿಪಿ) in modern usage. [3] The Kannada script is a Brahmic abugida with 13 vowels and 36 consonants , written left to right. Each consonant carries an inherent short /a/ vowel, modified by diacritical vowel signs (matras) or suppressed by the virama mark. Historically, Tulu was written in the traditional Tulu-Malayalam script — a related South Dravidian script found on palm-leaf manuscripts dating back to the 14th century. The Tulu script has been revived in recent decades for cultural and literary purposes, though Kannada remains the standard written script for Tulu today.

Q: How many people speak Tulu?

Tulu is spoken by approximately 1.8–2 million people as their mother tongue, primarily in the Tulu Nadu region of coastal Karnataka — the Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts. [2] Additionally, significant Tulu-speaking communities exist in Kasaragod district of Kerala . The Tuluva diaspora is large: Mumbai has one of the world's largest Tulu-speaking communities outside coastal Karnataka. Tulu speakers are also found across Bengaluru , Pune , the Gulf countries , and globally — the community is known for its strong entrepreneurial culture and is sometimes called the "business community of Karnataka".

Q: What language family does Tulu belong to?

Tulu belongs to the South Dravidian branch of the Dravidian language family. [1] Within South Dravidian, Tulu forms its own distinct subgroup — it is not a dialect of Kannada, Tamil, or Malayalam, but an independent language with its own grammar, phonology, and vocabulary. Tulu shares ancestry with Kannada and the other South Dravidian languages but diverged early enough to develop distinct phonological features, including a rich system of vowel length distinction and the retroflex lateral ಳ (lla) . The Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL), Mysuru, classifies Tulu as a full independent South Dravidian language.

Q: What is the Tulu Gunitakshara?

The Tulu Gunitakshara (ಗುಣಿತಾಕ್ಷರ) is the complete syllable chart showing every combination of the 36 consonants with all 13 vowel forms of the Kannada script. [3] The term means "multiplied/combined letters" (gunita = multiplied, akshara = letter) — the Tulu-Kannada equivalent of what is called "Barakhadi" in Hindi. It produces 468 unique syllables that form the building blocks of Tulu words. The Gunitakshara is the traditional and most systematic method for learning to read and write Tulu. By studying the chart, learners master all possible consonant-vowel combinations in a single reference table — the foundation of Tulu literacy in the Kannada script.

Q: What is the Paddana in Tulu culture?

The Paddana are epic oral ballads that form the core of Tulu oral literature and the Bhuta Kola (spirit worship) tradition of coastal Karnataka. [4] Paddanas narrate the stories of local deities (Bhutas) and heroes in long poetic verses, sung by specialist performers during the Bhuta Kola rituals that are unique to the Tulu Nadu region. The Paddana tradition represents one of the richest surviving oral literary traditions in South Asia. The Siri cult narrative — one of the longest oral epics in India — is a Paddana celebrating the goddess Siri. Tulu oral literature has been documented by linguists and anthropologists from CIIL, ELAR SOAS, and international research institutions.

Q: Is Tulu an official or scheduled language of India?

Tulu is not currently listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India as a scheduled language, despite having approximately 1.8–2 million speakers and a documented literary tradition. [2] There has been a long-standing campaign by Tulu speakers and cultural organisations to have Tulu included in the Eighth Schedule. Tulu is recognised as a minority language of Karnataka and is taught in some schools in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts. The Karnataka Tulu Sahitya Academy promotes Tulu language, literature, and culture. Tulu is also included in the People's Linguistic Survey of India as a distinct and fully developed language.

Q: How is Tulu different from Kannada?

Tulu and Kannada are distinct South Dravidian languages that share the Kannada script but differ significantly in vocabulary, grammar, and phonology. [1] A native Kannada speaker cannot understand spoken Tulu without prior exposure — the two languages are not mutually intelligible . Tulu has its own unique word roots, grammar rules, and phonological patterns. Key differences include Tulu's distinct numbering system (e.g., "one" = onji in Tulu vs ondu in Kannada), unique grammatical forms, and phonological features not found in Kannada. Tulu also has four grammatical genders (masculine, feminine, neuter animate, neuter inanimate), compared to Kannada's three.

Q: Does Tulu have its own traditional script?

Yes — the traditional Tulu script (Tulu-Tigalari script) is a distinct writing system historically used for Tulu manuscripts and Sanskrit texts in coastal Karnataka. [5] Palm-leaf manuscripts in the Tulu script date back to at least the 14th century CE . The script is closely related to the Malayalam and Grantha scripts of the same region. The Tulu script fell out of everyday use as Kannada became the dominant script for Tulu in the modern period. However, there has been a cultural revival effort in recent decades to restore the Tulu script for cultural and educational purposes, with Unicode encoding of the script proposed to the Unicode Consortium.

Q: What are some distinctive phonological features of Tulu?

Tulu has several phonological features distinctive to South Dravidian languages . [1] Like Kannada, Tulu uses the short e (ಎ) and short o (ಒ) vowels — absent from the Devanagari script — and the retroflex lateral ಳ (lla) , a sound unique to South Dravidian languages. Tulu also has a distinctive vowel length contrast (short and long pairs for all vowels) and some unique consonant phonemes in native words. The phonological system of Tulu is well-documented by researchers at CIIL Mysuru and in publications of the Endangered Languages Archive (ELAR) at SOAS University of London.

Q: Where is Tulu Nadu located?

Tulu Nadu is the traditional homeland of the Tuluva people, encompassing the coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi in Karnataka , and Kasaragod district in Kerala . [2] The region is bounded by the Arabian Sea to the west and the Western Ghats to the east. The region is known for its distinctive cultural practices: the Bhuta Kola spirit worship tradition, the Yakshagana classical theatre form, and the Kambala (traditional buffalo race). Major cities of Tulu Nadu include Mangaluru (Mangalore), Udupi , and Puttur .

Tulu Alphabet at a Glance

49 letters in the Tulu script alphabet: 13 vowels and 36 consonants (including 2 compound letters), written left to right in the Kannada script ^[3]
Tulu (ತುಳು) is spoken by approximately 1.8–2 million people, primarily in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts of Karnataka and in Kasaragod district of Kerala, India ^[2]
Tulu is classified as a South Dravidian language, closely related to Kannada and forming its own distinct subgroup within the Dravidian family. It is documented by the Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL), Mysuru ^[1]
Tulu has a literary tradition documented at least from the 14th century CE, with palm-leaf manuscripts in the traditional Tulu-Malayalam script. Modern Tulu writing primarily uses the Kannada script ^[5]
The Tulu Gunitakshara (ಗುಣಿತಾಕ್ಷರ) shows all 36 consonants combined with 13 vowel forms, producing 468 syllables — the complete syllable inventory of Tulu used for reading and writing fluency ^[3]
Tulu has a distinctive oral literary tradition — the Paddana (epic ballads) and Siri cult narratives — that form one of the richest oral heritage traditions in South India ^[4]
The Kannada script used for Tulu includes unique South Dravidian vowels: the short ಎ (e) and short ಒ (o), which are absent from the Devanagari script used for Hindi and Sanskrit ^[3]

Tulu Vowel Letters (ಸ್ವರಗಳು)

Tulu has 13 independent vowels (ಸ್ವರಗಳು) written in the Kannada script — ಅ, ಆ, ಇ, ಈ, ಉ, ಊ, ಋ, ಎ, ಏ, ಐ, ಒ, ಓ, ಔ. Each vowel has a standalone letter form used at the start of a word or syllable, and a smaller diacritical matra form when following a consonant.

A distinctive feature of the Kannada script used for Tulu is the inclusion of both short e (ಎ) and long ee (ಏ), and both short o (ಒ) and long oo (ಓ) — vowel distinctions absent from the Devanagari script.

Tulu Vowels (ಸ್ವರಗಳು)

ಅ

[a]

ಆ

[aa]

ಇ

[i]

ಈ

[ii]

ಉ

[u]

ಊ

[uu]

ಋ

[ri]

ಎ

[e]

ಏ

[ee]

ಐ

[ai]

ಒ

[o]

ಓ

[oo]

ಔ

[au]

ಅ

[a]

Short open central vowel, like the "u" in "cup". The inherent vowel of every consonant in the Kannada script.

ಆ

[aa]

Long open vowel, like "a" in "father". Twice the duration of the short a.

ಇ

[i]

Short front close vowel, like "i" in "it". Used at the start of syllables or words.

ಈ

[ii]

Long front close vowel, like "ee" in "feet". Twice the duration of the short i.

ಉ

[u]

Short back rounded vowel, like "u" in "put".

ಊ

[uu]

Long back rounded vowel, like "oo" in "food". Twice the duration of the short u.

ಋ

[ri]

Vocalic r sound, a syllabic "ri". Occurs mainly in Sanskrit loanwords used in Tulu.

ಎ

[e]

Short front mid vowel, like "e" in "pet". Unique to Kannada and Tulu among major Indian scripts — distinct from the long ಏ.

ಏ

[ee]

Long front mid vowel, like "a" in "face". Twice the duration of the short ಎ.

ಐ

[ai]

Diphthong combining "a" and "i" sounds, like "i" in "kite".

ಒ

[o]

Short back mid rounded vowel, like "o" in "pot". Unique to Kannada and Tulu — distinct from the long ಓ.

ಓ

[oo]

Long back mid rounded vowel, like "o" in "bone". Twice the duration of the short ಒ.

ಔ

[au]

Diphthong combining "a" and "u" sounds, like "ow" in "cow".

Tulu Consonant Letters (ವ್ಯಂಜನಗಳು)

Tulu uses 36 consonants (ವ್ಯಂಜನಗಳು) in the Kannada script — 34 primary consonants arranged in the traditional Varga phonetic groups, plus 2 compound letters (ಕ್ಷ and ಜ್ಞ). Each consonant carries an inherent short /a/ vowel that is modified or suppressed by vowel signs or the virama mark.

Tulu preserves several South Dravidian phonological features, including the retroflex lateral ಳ (lla) — a sound distinctive to South Dravidian languages, absent from Sanskrit and most North Indian languages.

Tulu Consonants (ವ್ಯಂಜನಗಳು)

ಕ

[ka]

ಖ

[kha]

ಗ

[ga]

ಘ

[gha]

ಙ

[nga]

ಚ

[cha]

ಛ

[chha]

ಜ

[ja]

ಝ

[jha]

ಞ

[nya]

ಟ

[tta]

ಠ

[ttha]

ಡ

[dda]

ಢ

[ddha]

ಣ

[nna]

ತ

[ta]

ಥ

[tha]

ದ

[da]

ಧ

[dha]

ನ

[na]

ಪ

[pa]

ಫ

[pha]

ಬ

[ba]

ಭ

[bha]

ಮ

[ma]

ಯ

[ya]

ರ

[ra]

ಲ

[la]

ವ

[va]

ಶ

[sha]

ಷ

[ssa]

ಸ

[sa]

ಹ

[ha]

ಳ

[lla]

ಕ್ಷ

[ksha]

ಜ್ಞ

[jna]

ಕ

[ka]

Voiceless velar stop, like "k" in "kite". Carries an inherent short /a/ vowel.

ಖ

[kha]

Aspirated voiceless velar stop, like "k" followed by a puff of air. Occurs mainly in Sanskrit loanwords.

ಗ

[ga]

Voiced velar stop, like "g" in "gate".

ಘ

[gha]

Aspirated voiced velar stop, like "gh" with a breathy release. Common in Sanskrit loanwords.

ಙ

[nga]

Velar nasal, like "ng" in "sing". Used before velar consonants in the Varga system.

ಚ

[cha]

Voiceless palatal affricate, like "ch" in "church".

ಛ

[chha]

Aspirated voiceless palatal affricate, like "ch" with a stronger breath. Mostly in loanwords.

ಜ

[ja]

Voiced palatal affricate, like "j" in "jump".

ಝ

[jha]

Aspirated voiced palatal affricate, like a breathy "j". Common in Sanskrit and Kannada loanwords.

ಞ

[nya]

Palatal nasal, like "ny" in "canyon". Groups with the palatal consonants in the Varga system.

ಟ

[tta]

Voiceless retroflex stop, produced with the tongue curled back. Like "t" but with a heavier, darker sound.

ಠ

[ttha]

Aspirated voiceless retroflex stop, like ಟ with a puff of air. Rare in native Tulu words.

ಡ

[dda]

Voiced retroflex stop, the voiced counterpart of ಟ. Tongue curled back, giving a heavier "d" sound.

ಢ

[ddha]

Aspirated voiced retroflex stop, like ಡ with breathy release. Mainly in Sanskrit loanwords.

ಣ

[nna]

Retroflex nasal, produced with the tongue curled back. Like "n" but with a heavier, retroflex quality.

ತ

[ta]

Voiceless dental stop, like "t" in "water" (American English). The tongue touches the back of the upper teeth.

ಥ

[tha]

Aspirated voiceless dental stop, like "t" with a puff of air. Distinct from the English "th" sound.

ದ

[da]

Voiced dental stop, like "d" in "door" but with the tongue touching the back of the upper teeth.

ಧ

[dha]

Aspirated voiced dental stop, like a breathy "d". Mainly in Sanskrit and Kannada loanwords in Tulu.

ನ

[na]

Dental nasal, like "n" in "no" but with the tongue against the upper teeth.

ಪ

[pa]

Voiceless bilabial stop, like "p" in "spin". Unaspirated in native Tulu words.

ಫ

[pha]

Aspirated voiceless bilabial stop, like "p" with a puff of air. Mainly in Sanskrit loanwords.

ಬ

[ba]

Voiced bilabial stop, like "b" in "ball".

ಭ

[bha]

Aspirated voiced bilabial stop, like a breathy "b". Common in Sanskrit-origin words used in Tulu.

ಮ

[ma]

Bilabial nasal, like "m" in "map".

ಯ

[ya]

Palatal approximant, like "y" in "yes".

ರ

[ra]

Alveolar trill or tap, like a rolled "r". Tulu has a distinctive retroflex lateral flap sound in spoken usage.

ಲ

[la]

Lateral approximant, like "l" in "lake".

ವ

[va]

Labio-dental or bilabial approximant, like "v" in "van" or "w" in "water" depending on position.

ಶ

[sha]

Voiceless palatal fricative, like "sh" in "shoe". Used in Sanskrit loanwords in Tulu.

ಷ

[ssa]

Voiceless retroflex fricative, like "sh" but with the tongue curled back. Mainly in Sanskrit loanwords.

ಸ

[sa]

Voiceless alveolar fricative, like "s" in "sun".

ಹ

[ha]

Voiceless glottal fricative, like "h" in "hat".

ಳ

[lla]

Retroflex lateral approximant, a distinctive South Dravidian sound produced with the tongue curled back. Like a heavy "l" with the tongue tip touching the roof of the mouth.

ಕ್ಷ

[ksha]

Compound consonant combining ಕ and ಷ — a cluster producing "ksh" sound, like "ksh" in "lakshmi". Mainly in Sanskrit loanwords.

ಜ್ಞ

[jna]

Compound consonant combining ಜ and ಞ — pronounced "gnya" or "gna" in South India. Mainly in Sanskrit-origin words.

Tulu Vowel Signs — Matras (ಮಾತ್ರೆಗಳು)

Tulu uses 15 vowel signs (matras, ಮಾತ್ರೆಗಳು) — diacritical marks attached to consonants to indicate which vowel follows, replacing the inherent /a/ vowel. The matra ಿ (i) is written before the consonant, though the sound comes after.

The virama (halant ್) suppresses the inherent vowel for consonant clusters. The anusvara (ಂ) marks nasalisation and the visarga (ಃ) marks light aspiration — both mainly in Sanskrit loanwords used in Tulu.

Tulu Vowel Signs — Matras (ಮಾತ್ರೆಗಳು)

ಾ

[aa]

ಿ

[i]

ೀ

[ii]

ು

[u]

ೂ

[uu]

ೃ

[ri]

ೆ

[e]

ೇ

[ee]

ೈ

[ai]

ೊ

[o]

ೋ

[oo]

ೌ

[au]

ಂ

[am]

ಃ

[ah]

್

[halant]

ಾ

[aa]

Long aa matra — extends the inherent vowel to aa, e.g., ಕ + ಾ = ಕಾ (kaa).

ಿ

[i]

Short i matra — changes consonant vowel to i, e.g., ಕ + ಿ = ಕಿ (ki).

ೀ

[ii]

Long ii matra — changes consonant vowel to ii, e.g., ಕ + ೀ = ಕೀ (kii).

ು

[u]

Short u matra — changes consonant vowel to u, e.g., ಕ + ು = ಕು (ku).

ೂ

[uu]

Long uu matra — changes consonant vowel to uu, e.g., ಕ + ೂ = ಕೂ (kuu).

ೃ

[ri]

Vocalic r matra — changes consonant vowel to ri, e.g., ಕ + ೃ = ಕೃ (kri). Used in Sanskrit loanwords.

ೆ

[e]

Short e matra — changes consonant vowel to e, e.g., ಕ + ೆ = ಕೆ (ke).

ೇ

[ee]

Long ee matra — changes consonant vowel to ee, e.g., ಕ + ೇ = ಕೇ (kee).

ೈ

[ai]

Ai matra — changes consonant vowel to ai, e.g., ಕ + ೈ = ಕೈ (kai).

ೊ

[o]

Short o matra — changes consonant vowel to o, e.g., ಕ + ೊ = ಕೊ (ko).

ೋ

[oo]

Long oo matra — changes consonant vowel to oo, e.g., ಕ + ೋ = ಕೋ (koo).

ೌ

[au]

Au matra — changes consonant vowel to au, e.g., ಕ + ೌ = ಕೌ (kau).

ಂ

[am]

Anusvara — nasal mark, adds a nasal sound before the next consonant or at end of a syllable, e.g., ಕ + ಂ = ಕಂ (kam).

ಃ

[ah]

Visarga — aspirated breath mark, adds a light aspiration after a vowel, e.g., ಕ + ಃ = ಕಃ (kah). Mainly in Sanskrit loanwords.

್

[halant]

Virama (halant) — suppresses the inherent vowel of a consonant, allowing consonant clusters to be formed.

Tulu / Kannada Digits (ಅಂಕೆಗಳು)

Tulu traditionally uses Kannada numerals (೦–೯) in formal and literary contexts. These digits share the same Kannada Unicode block as the Tulu script letters and follow the decimal positional system.

In everyday use, modern Tulu speakers also use the common Arabic-Indic numerals (0–9). Tulu number words are distinct from Kannada — for example, "one" is onji in Tulu, compared to ondu in Kannada.

Tulu / Kannada Digits (ಅಂಕೆಗಳು)

೦

[sonne]

೧

[onji]

೨

[erada]

೩

[mUdu]

೪

[naalu]

೫

[ain]

೬

[aaju]

೭

[yelu]

೮

[enma]

೯

[ombodu]

೦

[sonne]

Zero — sonne in Tulu. The Kannada digit 0, used in traditional and formal Tulu numerical writing.

೧

[onji]

One — onji in Tulu. The Kannada digit 1.

೨

[erada]

Two — erada in Tulu. The Kannada digit 2.

೩

[mUdu]

Three — mūḍu in Tulu. The Kannada digit 3.

೪

[naalu]

Four — nālu in Tulu. The Kannada digit 4.

೫

[ain]

Five — ain in Tulu. The Kannada digit 5.

೬

[aaju]

Six — āju in Tulu. The Kannada digit 6.

೭

[yelu]

Seven — yelu in Tulu. The Kannada digit 7.

೮

[enma]

Eight — enma in Tulu. The Kannada digit 8.

೯

[ombodu]

Nine — ombodu in Tulu. The Kannada digit 9.

।

॥

೦

।

Danda — the Brahmic full stop, used at the end of a sentence or verse in Tulu and Kannada writing.

॥

Double danda — marks the end of a verse, chapter, or major textual section in Tulu literary works.

೦

Kannada digit zero — the numeral 0 in the Kannada script numeral system used in traditional Tulu writing.

Full stop — used in modern Tulu writing in Roman or mixed-script contexts.

Comma — used as a pause marker in modern Tulu text.

Question mark — used at the end of interrogative sentences in modern Tulu writing.

Exclamation mark — used for emphasis or exclamation in modern Tulu writing.

Tulu Gunitakshara Chart (ತುಳು ಗುಣಿತಾಕ್ಷರ)

The Tulu Gunitakshara (ಗುಣಿತಾಕ್ಷರ) — the Tulu-Kannada term for the consonant-vowel syllable table — shows all 36 consonants combined with all 13 vowel forms, producing 468 syllables in total. Each cell is a standalone Tulu syllable — the fundamental building block of Tulu words. ^[3]

Read by row (consonant) and column (vowel): scroll right to see all 13 vowel forms. The Gunitakshara is the essential reference for learning to read and write Tulu fluently in the Kannada script.

Consonant	ಅ (a)	ಆ (aa)	ಇ (i)	ಈ (ii)	ಉ (u)	ಊ (uu)	ಎ (e)	ಏ (ee)	ಐ (ai)	ಒ (o)	ಓ (oo)	ಔ (au)	ಅಂ (am)
ಕ (ka)	ಕ	ಕಾ	ಕಿ	ಕೀ	ಕು	ಕೂ	ಕೆ	ಕೇ	ಕೈ	ಕೊ	ಕೋ	ಕೌ	ಕಂ
ಖ (kha)	ಖ	ಖಾ	ಖಿ	ಖೀ	ಖು	ಖೂ	ಖೆ	ಖೇ	ಖೈ	ಖೊ	ಖೋ	ಖೌ	ಖಂ
ಗ (ga)	ಗ	ಗಾ	ಗಿ	ಗೀ	ಗು	ಗೂ	ಗೆ	ಗೇ	ಗೈ	ಗೊ	ಗೋ	ಗೌ	ಗಂ
ಘ (gha)	ಘ	ಘಾ	ಘಿ	ಘೀ	ಘು	ಘೂ	ಘೆ	ಘೇ	ಘೈ	ಘೊ	ಘೋ	ಘೌ	ಘಂ
ಙ (nga)	ಙ	ಙಾ	ಙಿ	ಙೀ	ಙು	ಙೂ	ಙೆ	ಙೇ	ಙೈ	ಙೊ	ಙೋ	ಙೌ	ಙಂ
ಚ (cha)	ಚ	ಚಾ	ಚಿ	ಚೀ	ಚು	ಚೂ	ಚೆ	ಚೇ	ಚೈ	ಚೊ	ಚೋ	ಚೌ	ಚಂ
ಛ (chha)	ಛ	ಛಾ	ಛಿ	ಛೀ	ಛು	ಛೂ	ಛೆ	ಛೇ	ಛೈ	ಛೊ	ಛೋ	ಛೌ	ಛಂ
ಜ (ja)	ಜ	ಜಾ	ಜಿ	ಜೀ	ಜು	ಜೂ	ಜೆ	ಜೇ	ಜೈ	ಜೊ	ಜೋ	ಜೌ	ಜಂ
ಝ (jha)	ಝ	ಝಾ	ಝಿ	ಝೀ	ಝು	ಝೂ	ಝೆ	ಝೇ	ಝೈ	ಝೊ	ಝೋ	ಝೌ	ಝಂ
ಞ (nya)	ಞ	ಞಾ	ಞಿ	ಞೀ	ಞು	ಞೂ	ಞೆ	ಞೇ	ಞೈ	ಞೊ	ಞೋ	ಞೌ	ಞಂ
ಟ (tta)	ಟ	ಟಾ	ಟಿ	ಟೀ	ಟು	ಟೂ	ಟೆ	ಟೇ	ಟೈ	ಟೊ	ಟೋ	ಟೌ	ಟಂ
ಠ (ttha)	ಠ	ಠಾ	ಠಿ	ಠೀ	ಠು	ಠೂ	ಠೆ	ಠೇ	ಠೈ	ಠೊ	ಠೋ	ಠೌ	ಠಂ
ಡ (dda)	ಡ	ಡಾ	ಡಿ	ಡೀ	ಡು	ಡೂ	ಡೆ	ಡೇ	ಡೈ	ಡೊ	ಡೋ	ಡೌ	ಡಂ
ಢ (ddha)	ಢ	ಢಾ	ಢಿ	ಢೀ	ಢು	ಢೂ	ಢೆ	ಢೇ	ಢೈ	ಢೊ	ಢೋ	ಢೌ	ಢಂ
ಣ (nna)	ಣ	ಣಾ	ಣಿ	ಣೀ	ಣು	ಣೂ	ಣೆ	ಣೇ	ಣೈ	ಣೊ	ಣೋ	ಣೌ	ಣಂ
ತ (ta)	ತ	ತಾ	ತಿ	ತೀ	ತು	ತೂ	ತೆ	ತೇ	ತೈ	ತೊ	ತೋ	ತೌ	ತಂ
ಥ (tha)	ಥ	ಥಾ	ಥಿ	ಥೀ	ಥು	ಥೂ	ಥೆ	ಥೇ	ಥೈ	ಥೊ	ಥೋ	ಥೌ	ಥಂ
ದ (da)	ದ	ದಾ	ದಿ	ದೀ	ದು	ದೂ	ದೆ	ದೇ	ದೈ	ದೊ	ದೋ	ದೌ	ದಂ
ಧ (dha)	ಧ	ಧಾ	ಧಿ	ಧೀ	ಧು	ಧೂ	ಧೆ	ಧೇ	ಧೈ	ಧೊ	ಧೋ	ಧೌ	ಧಂ
ನ (na)	ನ	ನಾ	ನಿ	ನೀ	ನು	ನೂ	ನೆ	ನೇ	ನೈ	ನೊ	ನೋ	ನೌ	ನಂ
ಪ (pa)	ಪ	ಪಾ	ಪಿ	ಪೀ	ಪು	ಪೂ	ಪೆ	ಪೇ	ಪೈ	ಪೊ	ಪೋ	ಪೌ	ಪಂ
ಫ (pha)	ಫ	ಫಾ	ಫಿ	ಫೀ	ಫು	ಫೂ	ಫೆ	ಫೇ	ಫೈ	ಫೊ	ಫೋ	ಫೌ	ಫಂ
ಬ (ba)	ಬ	ಬಾ	ಬಿ	ಬೀ	ಬು	ಬೂ	ಬೆ	ಬೇ	ಬೈ	ಬೊ	ಬೋ	ಬೌ	ಬಂ
ಭ (bha)	ಭ	ಭಾ	ಭಿ	ಭೀ	ಭು	ಭೂ	ಭೆ	ಭೇ	ಭೈ	ಭೊ	ಭೋ	ಭೌ	ಭಂ
ಮ (ma)	ಮ	ಮಾ	ಮಿ	ಮೀ	ಮು	ಮೂ	ಮೆ	ಮೇ	ಮೈ	ಮೊ	ಮೋ	ಮೌ	ಮಂ
ಯ (ya)	ಯ	ಯಾ	ಯಿ	ಯೀ	ಯು	ಯೂ	ಯೆ	ಯೇ	ಯೈ	ಯೊ	ಯೋ	ಯೌ	ಯಂ
ರ (ra)	ರ	ರಾ	ರಿ	ರೀ	ರು	ರೂ	ರೆ	ರೇ	ರೈ	ರೊ	ರೋ	ರೌ	ರಂ
ಲ (la)	ಲ	ಲಾ	ಲಿ	ಲೀ	ಲು	ಲೂ	ಲೆ	ಲೇ	ಲೈ	ಲೊ	ಲೋ	ಲೌ	ಲಂ
ವ (va)	ವ	ವಾ	ವಿ	ವೀ	ವು	ವೂ	ವೆ	ವೇ	ವೈ	ವೊ	ವೋ	ವೌ	ವಂ
ಶ (sha)	ಶ	ಶಾ	ಶಿ	ಶೀ	ಶು	ಶೂ	ಶೆ	ಶೇ	ಶೈ	ಶೊ	ಶೋ	ಶೌ	ಶಂ
ಷ (ssa)	ಷ	ಷಾ	ಷಿ	ಷೀ	ಷು	ಷೂ	ಷೆ	ಷೇ	ಷೈ	ಷೊ	ಷೋ	ಷೌ	ಷಂ
ಸ (sa)	ಸ	ಸಾ	ಸಿ	ಸೀ	ಸು	ಸೂ	ಸೆ	ಸೇ	ಸೈ	ಸೊ	ಸೋ	ಸೌ	ಸಂ
ಹ (ha)	ಹ	ಹಾ	ಹಿ	ಹೀ	ಹು	ಹೂ	ಹೆ	ಹೇ	ಹೈ	ಹೊ	ಹೋ	ಹೌ	ಹಂ
ಳ (lla)	ಳ	ಳಾ	ಳಿ	ಳೀ	ಳು	ಳೂ	ಳೆ	ಳೇ	ಳೈ	ಳೊ	ಳೋ	ಳೌ	ಳಂ
ಕ್ಷ (ksha)	ಕ್ಷ	ಕ್ಷಾ	ಕ್ಷಿ	ಕ್ಷೀ	ಕ್ಷು	ಕ್ಷೂ	ಕ್ಷೆ	ಕ್ಷೇ	ಕ್ಷೈ	ಕ್ಷೊ	ಕ್ಷೋ	ಕ್ಷೌ	ಕ್ಷಂ
ಜ್ಞ (jna)	ಜ್ಞ	ಜ್ಞಾ	ಜ್ಞಿ	ಜ್ಞೀ	ಜ್ಞು	ಜ್ಞೂ	ಜ್ಞೆ	ಜ್ಞೇ	ಜ್ಞೈ	ಜ್ಞೊ	ಜ್ಞೋ	ಜ್ಞೌ	ಜ್ಞಂ

Tulu Gunitakshara with Pronunciation (ತುಳು ಗುಣಿತಾಕ್ಷರ)

The Roman pronunciation guide is shown below each Tulu syllable. Use this table to learn how each of the 468 Gunitakshara syllables is spoken — matching the Kannada script form to its English-friendly romanisation.

Each cell shows the Tulu syllable on top and its plain Roman transliteration below. Scroll right to see all 13 vowel forms for each of the 36 consonants.

Consonant	ಅ (a)	ಆ (aa)	ಇ (i)	ಈ (ii)	ಉ (u)	ಊ (uu)	ಎ (e)	ಏ (ee)	ಐ (ai)	ಒ (o)	ಓ (oo)	ಔ (au)	ಅಂ (am)
ಕka	ಕka	ಕಾkaa	ಕಿki	ಕೀkii	ಕುku	ಕೂkuu	ಕೆke	ಕೇkee	ಕೈkai	ಕೊko	ಕೋkoo	ಕೌkau	ಕಂkam
ಖkha	ಖkha	ಖಾkhaa	ಖಿkhi	ಖೀkhii	ಖುkhu	ಖೂkhuu	ಖೆkhe	ಖೇkhee	ಖೈkhai	ಖೊkho	ಖೋkhoo	ಖೌkhau	ಖಂkham
ಗga	ಗga	ಗಾgaa	ಗಿgi	ಗೀgii	ಗುgu	ಗೂguu	ಗೆge	ಗೇgee	ಗೈgai	ಗೊgo	ಗೋgoo	ಗೌgau	ಗಂgam
ಘgha	ಘgha	ಘಾghaa	ಘಿghi	ಘೀghii	ಘುghu	ಘೂghuu	ಘೆghe	ಘೇghee	ಘೈghai	ಘೊgho	ಘೋghoo	ಘೌghau	ಘಂgham
ಙnga	ಙnga	ಙಾngaa	ಙಿngi	ಙೀngii	ಙುngu	ಙೂnguu	ಙೆnge	ಙೇngee	ಙೈngai	ಙೊngo	ಙೋngoo	ಙೌngau	ಙಂngam
ಚcha	ಚcha	ಚಾchaa	ಚಿchi	ಚೀchii	ಚುchu	ಚೂchuu	ಚೆche	ಚೇchee	ಚೈchai	ಚೊcho	ಚೋchoo	ಚೌchau	ಚಂcham
ಛchha	ಛchha	ಛಾchhaa	ಛಿchhi	ಛೀchhii	ಛುchhu	ಛೂchhuu	ಛೆchhe	ಛೇchhee	ಛೈchhai	ಛೊchho	ಛೋchhoo	ಛೌchhau	ಛಂchham
ಜja	ಜja	ಜಾjaa	ಜಿji	ಜೀjii	ಜುju	ಜೂjuu	ಜೆje	ಜೇjee	ಜೈjai	ಜೊjo	ಜೋjoo	ಜೌjau	ಜಂjam
ಝjha	ಝjha	ಝಾjhaa	ಝಿjhi	ಝೀjhii	ಝುjhu	ಝೂjhuu	ಝೆjhe	ಝೇjhee	ಝೈjhai	ಝೊjho	ಝೋjhoo	ಝೌjhau	ಝಂjham
ಞnya	ಞnya	ಞಾnyaa	ಞಿnyi	ಞೀnyii	ಞುnyu	ಞೂnyuu	ಞೆnye	ಞೇnyee	ಞೈnyai	ಞೊnyo	ಞೋnyoo	ಞೌnyau	ಞಂnyam
ಟtta	ಟtta	ಟಾttaa	ಟಿtti	ಟೀttii	ಟುttu	ಟೂttuu	ಟೆtte	ಟೇttee	ಟೈttai	ಟೊtto	ಟೋttoo	ಟೌttau	ಟಂttam
ಠttha	ಠttha	ಠಾtthaa	ಠಿtthi	ಠೀtthii	ಠುtthu	ಠೂtthuu	ಠೆtthe	ಠೇtthee	ಠೈtthai	ಠೊttho	ಠೋtthoo	ಠೌtthau	ಠಂttham
ಡdda	ಡdda	ಡಾddaa	ಡಿddi	ಡೀddii	ಡುddu	ಡೂdduu	ಡೆdde	ಡೇddee	ಡೈddai	ಡೊddo	ಡೋddoo	ಡೌddau	ಡಂddam
ಢddha	ಢddha	ಢಾddhaa	ಢಿddhi	ಢೀddhii	ಢುddhu	ಢೂddhuu	ಢೆddhe	ಢೇddhee	ಢೈddhai	ಢೊddho	ಢೋddhoo	ಢೌddhau	ಢಂddham
ಣnna	ಣnna	ಣಾnnaa	ಣಿnni	ಣೀnnii	ಣುnnu	ಣೂnnuu	ಣೆnne	ಣೇnnee	ಣೈnnai	ಣೊnno	ಣೋnnoo	ಣೌnnau	ಣಂnnam
ತta	ತta	ತಾtaa	ತಿti	ತೀtii	ತುtu	ತೂtuu	ತೆte	ತೇtee	ತೈtai	ತೊto	ತೋtoo	ತೌtau	ತಂtam
ಥtha	ಥtha	ಥಾthaa	ಥಿthi	ಥೀthii	ಥುthu	ಥೂthuu	ಥೆthe	ಥೇthee	ಥೈthai	ಥೊtho	ಥೋthoo	ಥೌthau	ಥಂtham
ದda	ದda	ದಾdaa	ದಿdi	ದೀdii	ದುdu	ದೂduu	ದೆde	ದೇdee	ದೈdai	ದೊdo	ದೋdoo	ದೌdau	ದಂdam
ಧdha	ಧdha	ಧಾdhaa	ಧಿdhi	ಧೀdhii	ಧುdhu	ಧೂdhuu	ಧೆdhe	ಧೇdhee	ಧೈdhai	ಧೊdho	ಧೋdhoo	ಧೌdhau	ಧಂdham
ನna	ನna	ನಾnaa	ನಿni	ನೀnii	ನುnu	ನೂnuu	ನೆne	ನೇnee	ನೈnai	ನೊno	ನೋnoo	ನೌnau	ನಂnam
ಪpa	ಪpa	ಪಾpaa	ಪಿpi	ಪೀpii	ಪುpu	ಪೂpuu	ಪೆpe	ಪೇpee	ಪೈpai	ಪೊpo	ಪೋpoo	ಪೌpau	ಪಂpam
ಫpha	ಫpha	ಫಾphaa	ಫಿphi	ಫೀphii	ಫುphu	ಫೂphuu	ಫೆphe	ಫೇphee	ಫೈphai	ಫೊpho	ಫೋphoo	ಫೌphau	ಫಂpham
ಬba	ಬba	ಬಾbaa	ಬಿbi	ಬೀbii	ಬುbu	ಬೂbuu	ಬೆbe	ಬೇbee	ಬೈbai	ಬೊbo	ಬೋboo	ಬೌbau	ಬಂbam
ಭbha	ಭbha	ಭಾbhaa	ಭಿbhi	ಭೀbhii	ಭುbhu	ಭೂbhuu	ಭೆbhe	ಭೇbhee	ಭೈbhai	ಭೊbho	ಭೋbhoo	ಭೌbhau	ಭಂbham
ಮma	ಮma	ಮಾmaa	ಮಿmi	ಮೀmii	ಮುmu	ಮೂmuu	ಮೆme	ಮೇmee	ಮೈmai	ಮೊmo	ಮೋmoo	ಮೌmau	ಮಂmam
ಯya	ಯya	ಯಾyaa	ಯಿyi	ಯೀyii	ಯುyu	ಯೂyuu	ಯೆye	ಯೇyee	ಯೈyai	ಯೊyo	ಯೋyoo	ಯೌyau	ಯಂyam
ರra	ರra	ರಾraa	ರಿri	ರೀrii	ರುru	ರೂruu	ರೆre	ರೇree	ರೈrai	ರೊro	ರೋroo	ರೌrau	ರಂram
ಲla	ಲla	ಲಾlaa	ಲಿli	ಲೀlii	ಲುlu	ಲೂluu	ಲೆle	ಲೇlee	ಲೈlai	ಲೊlo	ಲೋloo	ಲೌlau	ಲಂlam
ವva	ವva	ವಾvaa	ವಿvi	ವೀvii	ವುvu	ವೂvuu	ವೆve	ವೇvee	ವೈvai	ವೊvo	ವೋvoo	ವೌvau	ವಂvam
ಶsha	ಶsha	ಶಾshaa	ಶಿshi	ಶೀshii	ಶುshu	ಶೂshuu	ಶೆshe	ಶೇshee	ಶೈshai	ಶೊsho	ಶೋshoo	ಶೌshau	ಶಂsham
ಷssa	ಷssa	ಷಾssaa	ಷಿssi	ಷೀssii	ಷುssu	ಷೂssuu	ಷೆsse	ಷೇssee	ಷೈssai	ಷೊsso	ಷೋssoo	ಷೌssau	ಷಂssam
ಸsa	ಸsa	ಸಾsaa	ಸಿsi	ಸೀsii	ಸುsu	ಸೂsuu	ಸೆse	ಸೇsee	ಸೈsai	ಸೊso	ಸೋsoo	ಸೌsau	ಸಂsam
ಹha	ಹha	ಹಾhaa	ಹಿhi	ಹೀhii	ಹುhu	ಹೂhuu	ಹೆhe	ಹೇhee	ಹೈhai	ಹೊho	ಹೋhoo	ಹೌhau	ಹಂham
ಳlla	ಳlla	ಳಾllaa	ಳಿlli	ಳೀllii	ಳುllu	ಳೂlluu	ಳೆlle	ಳೇllee	ಳೈllai	ಳೊllo	ಳೋlloo	ಳೌllau	ಳಂllam
ಕ್ಷksha	ಕ್ಷksha	ಕ್ಷಾkshaa	ಕ್ಷಿkshi	ಕ್ಷೀkshii	ಕ್ಷುkshu	ಕ್ಷೂkshuu	ಕ್ಷೆkshe	ಕ್ಷೇkshee	ಕ್ಷೈkshai	ಕ್ಷೊksho	ಕ್ಷೋkshoo	ಕ್ಷೌkshau	ಕ್ಷಂksham
ಜ್ಞjna	ಜ್ಞjna	ಜ್ಞಾjnaa	ಜ್ಞಿjni	ಜ್ಞೀjnii	ಜ್ಞುjnu	ಜ್ಞೂjnuu	ಜ್ಞೆjne	ಜ್ಞೇjnee	ಜ್ಞೈjnai	ಜ್ಞೊjno	ಜ್ಞೋjnoo	ಜ್ಞೌjnau	ಜ್ಞಂjnam

ಅ

[a]

ಆ

[aa]

ಇ

[i]

ಈ

[ii]

ಉ

[u]

ಊ

[uu]

ಋ

[ri]

ಎ

[e]

ಏ

[ee]

ಐ

[ai]

ಒ

[o]

ಓ

[oo]

ಔ

[au]

ಕ

[ka]

ಖ

[kha]

ಗ

[ga]

ಘ

[gha]

ಙ

[nga]

ಚ

[cha]

ಛ

[chha]

ಜ

[ja]

ಝ

[jha]

ಞ

[nya]

ಟ

[tta]

ಠ

[ttha]

ಡ

[dda]

ಢ

[ddha]

ಣ

[nna]

ತ

[ta]

ಥ

[tha]

ದ

[da]

ಧ

[dha]

ನ

[na]

ಪ

[pa]

ಫ

[pha]

ಬ

[ba]

ಭ

[bha]

ಮ

[ma]

ಯ

[ya]

ರ

[ra]

ಲ

[la]

ವ

[va]

ಶ

[sha]

ಷ

[ssa]

ಸ

[sa]

ಹ

[ha]

ಳ

[lla]

ಕ್ಷ

[ksha]

ಜ್ಞ

[jna]

Expand All Collapse All

What script does Tulu use?

How many people speak Tulu?

What language family does Tulu belong to?

What is the Tulu Gunitakshara?

What is the Paddana in Tulu culture?

Is Tulu an official or scheduled language of India?

How is Tulu different from Kannada?

Does Tulu have its own traditional script?

What are some distinctive phonological features of Tulu?

Where is Tulu Nadu located?

References:

[1] Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL), Mysuru (Ministry of Education, Government of India). "Tulu Language" — CIIL documents Tulu (ISO 639-3: tcy), a South Dravidian language of coastal Karnataka's Tulu Nadu region, written in both the Kannada script and the traditional Tulu script. Retrieved from Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL)
[2] Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. "Census of India 2011 — Language Data" — The Census of India records Tulu as a language with approximately 1.8 million speakers, concentrated in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts of Karnataka, classified under the Dravidian language family. Census of India, Government of India.
[3] Unicode Consortium. "Kannada Unicode Block (U+0C80–U+0CFF)" — encodes Kannada (ಕನ್ನಡ) with 12 vowels (swaras), 34 consonants (vyanjanagalu), vowel signs, virama, anusvara, visarga, Kannada digits (೦–೯) and fraction symbols. Retrieved from Unicode Standard — Kannada Block
[4] Endangered Languages Project, Google.org. "Tulu Language" — documents Tulu (ISO 639-3: tcy), a South Dravidian language of the Tuluva people of coastal Karnataka and Kerala with an active literary tradition dating back centuries. Retrieved from Endangered Languages Project
[5] Endangered Languages Archive (ELAR), SOAS University of London. "Tulu Language Documentation" — ELAR holds documentation of Tulu (ISO 639-3: tcy), a South Dravidian language of coastal Karnataka, India, including recordings, transcriptions and linguistic analyses of the spoken language. Retrieved from Endangered Languages Archive (ELAR)