To master Kagunita, don't read the English letters as words. Instead, train your eye to see the (ಕ) and then identify the accessory (symbol).
There are 13 primary vowels (Swaragalu) and 34 consonants (Vyanjanagalu) in Kannada. When a consonant joins a vowel, it forms a Kagunita letter. The Vowel Signs (Matras) in English
In Kannada, Kagunita (ಕಾಗುಣಿತ) refers to the combination of consonants with vowels. Think of it as a multiplication table for sounds. kannada kagunita in english
Kannada Kagunita is still widely used in various aspects of Kannada culture, including:
If you'd like to see the or need a PDF-style layout for practice: To master Kagunita, don't read the English letters as words
💡 Kannada is a phonetic language. What you see is what you say. Using English sounds helps you map the symbols to familiar pronunciations.
As you write the Kannada symbol, say the English equivalent out loud. When a consonant joins a vowel, it forms a Kagunita letter
| Vowel | English Sound | Kannada Symbol added to ಕ | Resultant Kagunita | English Phonetic | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | ಅ (a) | a (as in merica) | None (Base) | ಕ | Ka | | ಆ (aa) | aa (as in Ar t) | ಾ (Right side) | ಕಾ | Kaa | | ಇ (i) | i (as in I ndia) | ಿ (Left side) | ಕಿ | Ki | | ಈ (ee) | ee (as in Ee l) | ೀ (Right side) | ಕೀ | Kee | | ಉ (u) | u (as in Pu t) | ು (Bottom right) | ಕು | Ku | | ಊ (oo) | oo (as in Oo ze) | ೂ (Bottom right) | ಕೂ | Koo | | ಎ (e) | e (as in E gg) | ೆ (Top right) | ಕೆ | Ke | | ಏ (ay) | ay (as in Aye !) | ೇ (Top right) | ಕೇ | Kay | | ಐ (ai) | ai (as in Ai r) | ೈ (Top right) | ಕೈ | Kai | | ಒ (o) | o (as in O pen) | ೊ (Top right) | ಕೊ | Ko | | ಓ (oh) | oh (as in Oh !) | ೋ (Top right) | ಕೋ | Koh | | ಔ (au) | au (as in Au dit) | ೌ (Top right) | ಕೌ | Kau | | ಅಂ (am) | am/um (nasal) | ಂ (Above) | ಕಂ | Kam | | ಅಃ (aha) | ah (aspirated) | ಃ (After) | ಕಃ | Kah |
To translate Kagunita into English, we must look at the rather than the English spelling. Let’s take the first consonant:
Practice the short and long vowel pairs together (a/aa, i/ee, u/oo) to hear the rhythmic difference.
Using the first consonant 'Ka' (ಕ) as an example, here is how the Kagunita looks when transliterated into English: ಕ + ಅ = ಕ (Ka) ಕ + ಆ = ಕಾ (Kaa) ಕ + ಇ = ಕಿ (Ki) ಕ + ಈ = ಕೀ (Kee) ಕ + ಉ = ಕು (Ku) ಕ + ಊ = ಕೂ (Koo) ಕ + ಋ = ಕೃ (Kru) ಕ + ಎ = ಕೆ (Ke) ಕ + ಏ = ಕೇ (Kae) ಕ + ಐ = ಕೈ (Kai) ಕ + ಒ = ಕೊ (Ko) ಕ + ಓ = ಕೋ (Koo/Koe) ಕ + ಔ = ಕೌ (Kau) ಕ + ಅಂ = ಕಂ (Kam) ಕ + ಅಃ = ಕಃ (Kaha) Why Learn Kagunita via English Transliteration?