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Gujarati basics — the script, sounds and first steps
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The starting point: the Gujarati script, your first words, and the honest answer to where to begin. Devanagari's sister with NO headline bar — the letters hang free. If you read Hindi, you'll decode Gujarati fast; a few letters (ખ ગ જ ટ ણ ફ) look different enough to learn fresh.
The alphabet at a glance
The Gujarati script has 13 vowels and 35 consonants. The full tables with sounds are on the pronunciation page — learn to recognise them before you memorise any words.
Your first five words
| English | Hindi | Gujarati | Say it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hello | नमस्ते | નમસ્તે | namaste |
| જય શ્રી કૃષ્ણ (JSK) among many Hindu Gujaratis | |||
| How are you? (formal) | आप कैसे हैं? | તમે કેમ છો? | tame kem cho? |
| How are you? (familiar) | तुम कैसे हो? | તું કેમ છે? | tuṁ kem che? |
| I'm fine | मैं ठीक हूँ | હું મજામાં છું | huṁ majāmāṁ chuṁ |
| Literally 'I'm in fun' — Gujaratis are always having fun | |||
| Thank you | धन्यवाद | આભાર | ābhār |
The order to learn in
- Script + sounds — Gujarati is phonetic: learn the letters and you can read anything.
- Greetings + pronouns — say hello, introduce yourself, ask where.
- Numbers 1–20 — prices, time and quantities unlock immediately.
- Word order + present tense — one pattern (હું ભાત ખાઉં છું) builds a thousand sentences.
- Topics (food, travel, shopping) — learn what your life needs first.