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Kannada कन्नड़Language

Kannada — the 103 most common words

Written by: authorship not independently recorded. Maintained by Prakash. Reviewed by: not recorded. Updated: . Editorial policy and corrections.

Draft: not yet reviewed by a native speaker. Existing availability and indexing are preserved by owner instruction; that is not an editorial approval. Suggest a correction.

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If you learn one thing first, learn this. Every word below is high-frequency — you will hear it in the first hour of any real conversation. There are 103 words here, in eight groups you can take one at a time, and every one is written three ways: English, Hindi and Kannada (ಕನ್ನಡ) with a pronunciation column.

Why start with frequency? A language is not a wall you climb; it is a snowball. The first 103 words unlock the parts of Kannada that repeat every day — greeting someone, saying what you want, saying who you mean, and saying when. Grammar without vocabulary is silent, and vocabulary without grammar is a shopping list. Start here, then let the grammar page show you how to bolt these words together.

A useful rule of thumb: with a few hundred high-frequency words and one verb pattern, a learner can already manage greetings, shops and simple questions. This page is the densest part of that set.

How to use this page. Do not swallow all 103 words in one sitting. Take one group a day, read the column aloud, cover the pronunciation column and say each word. Then test yourself with the topic quiz and keep the ones that will not stick in the review deck.

Greetings and politeness (13)

#English Hindi KannadaSay it
1Hello! (respectful)नमस्कारನಮಸ್ಕಾರ!Namaskāra!
2How are you? (formal)आप कैसे हैं?ನೀವು ಹೇಗಿದ್ದೀರಿ?Nīvu hēgiddīri?
3I'm fineमैं ठीक हूँನಾನು ಚೆನ್ನಾಗಿದ್ದೇನೆNānu chennāgiddēne
4What is your name?आपका नाम क्या है?ನಿಮ್ಮ ಹೆಸರೇನು?Nimma hesarēnu?
5My name is …मेरा नाम … हैನನ್ನ ಹೆಸರು …Nanna hesaru …
6Nice to meet youआपसे मिलकर खुशी हुईನಿಮ್ಮನ್ನು ಭೇಟಿಯಾಗಿ ಸಂತೋಷವಾಯಿತುNimmannu bhēṭiyāgi santōshavāyitu
7Thank youधन्यवादಧನ್ಯವಾದDhanyavāda
8Welcome!स्वागत है!ಸುಸ್ವಾಗತ!Susvāgata!
9See you! (we'll meet again)फिर मिलेंगे!ಮತ್ತೆ ಸಿಗೋಣ!Matte sigōṇa!
10Excuse me / Sorryमाफ़ करेंಕ್ಷಮಿಸಿKshamisi
11Pleaseकृपयाದಯವಿಟ್ಟುDayaviṭṭu
12Congratulations!बधाई हो!ಶುಭಾಶಯಗಳು!Shubhāshayagaḷu!
13yes / noहाँ / नहींಹೌದು / ಇಲ್ಲHaudu / Illa

Pronouns (22)

#English Hindi KannadaSay it
1Iमैंನಾನುnānu
2you (informal)तूನೀನುnīnu
3you (formal / plural)तुम/आपನೀವುnīvu
4heवहಅವನುavanu
5sheवहಅವಳುavaḷu
6it / thatयह/वहಅದುadu
7weहमನಾವುnāvu
8theyवेಅವರುavaru
9meमुझेನನ್ನನ್ನುnannannu
10you (informal, to)तुझेನಿನ್ನನ್ನುninnannu
11you (formal, to)तुम्हें/आपकोನಿಮ್ಮನ್ನುnimmannu
12himउसेಅವನನ್ನುavanannu
13herउसेಅವಳನ್ನುavaḷannu
14usहमेंನಮ್ಮನ್ನುnammannu
15myमेराನನ್ನnanna
16your (informal)तेराನಿನ್ನninna
17your (formal)तुम्हारा/आपकाನಿಮ್ಮnimma
18hisउसकाಅವನavana
19herउसकाಅವಳavaḷa
20ourहमाराನಮ್ಮnamma
21who?कौन?ಯಾರು?yāru?
22what?क्या?ಏನು?ēnu?

The 18 verbs you will use every day (18)

#English Hindi KannadaSay it
1to eatखानाತಿನ್ನುವುದುtinnuvudu
2to drinkपीनाಕುಡಿಯುವುದುkuḍiyuvudu
3to goजानाಹೋಗುವುದುhōguvudu
4to comeआनाಬರುವುದುbaruvudu
5to doकरनाಮಾಡುವುದುmāḍuvudu
6to speakबोलनाಮಾತನಾಡುವುದುmātanāḍuvudu
7to readपढ़नाಓದುವುದುōduvudu
8to writeलिखनाಬರೆಯುವುದುbareyuvudu
9to learnसीखनाಕಲಿಯುವುದುkaliyuvudu
10to see; to watchदेखनाನೋಡುವುದುnōḍuvudu
11to listen; to askसुनना/पूछनाಕೇಳುವುದುkēḷuvudu
12to takeलेनाತೆಗೆದುಕೊಳ್ಳುವುದುtegedukoḷḷuvudu
13to giveदेनाಕೊಡುವುದುkoḍuvudu
14to buyख़रीदनाಕೊಳ್ಳುವುದುkoḷḷuvudu
15to sellबेचनाಮಾರುವುದುmāruvudu
16to sleepसोनाಮಲಗುವುದುmalaguvudu
17to wake up; to get upउठनाಏಳುವುದುēḷuvudu
18to sitबैठनाಕುಳಿತುಕೊಳ್ಳುವುದುkuḷitukoḷḷuvudu

Family (13)

#English Hindi KannadaSay it
1motherमाँಅಮ್ಮamma
2fatherपिताಅಪ್ಪappa
3elder brotherबड़ा भाईಅಣ್ಣaṇṇa
4younger brotherछोटा भाईತಮ್ಮtamma
5elder sisterबड़ी बहनಅಕ್ಕakka
6younger sisterछोटी बहनತಂಗಿtangi
7sonबेटाಮಗmaga
8daughterबेटीಮಗಳುmagaḷu
9husbandपतिಗಂಡganḍa
10wifeपत्नीಹೆಂಡತಿhenḍati
11grandfatherदादा/नानाಅಜ್ಜajja
12grandmotherदादी/नानीಅಜ್ಜಿajji
13childबच्चाಮಗುmagu

Colours (6)

#English Hindi KannadaSay it
1redलालಕೆಂಪುkempu
2blueनीलाನೀಲಿnīli
3greenहराಹಸಿರುhasiru
4yellowपीलाಹಳದಿhaḷadi
5blackकालाಕಪ್ಪುkappu
6whiteसफ़ेदಬಿಳಿbiḷi

Core nouns (13)

#English Hindi KannadaSay it
1waterपानीನೀರುnīru
2homeघरಮನೆmane
3schoolस्कूलಶಾಲೆshāle
4officeदफ़्तरಕಚೇರಿkachēri
5shopदुकानಅಂಗಡಿangaḍi
6marketबाज़ारಮಾರುಕಟ್ಟೆmārukaṭṭe
7hospitalअस्पतालಆಸ್ಪತ್ರೆāspatre
8stationस्टेशनನಿಲ್ದಾಣnildāṇa
9airportहवाई अड्डाವಿಮಾನ ನಿಲ್ದಾಣvimāna nildāṇa
10roomकमराಕೊಠಡಿkoṭhaḍi
11doorदरवाज़ाಬಾಗಿಲುbāgilu
12bookकिताबಪುಸ್ತಕpustaka
13phoneफ़ोनಫೋನ್fon

Time words (11)

#English Hindi KannadaSay it
1todayआजಇಂದುindu
2tomorrowकल (आने वाला)ನಾಳೆnāḷe
3yesterdayकल (बीता हुआ)ನಿನ್ನೆninne
4day after tomorrowपरसोंನಾಡಿದ್ದುnāḍiddu
5nowअबಈಗīga
6morningसुबहಬೆಳಿಗ್ಗೆbeḷigge
7afternoonदोपहरಮಧ್ಯಾಹ್ನmadhyāhna
8eveningशामಸಂಜೆsanje
9nightरातರಾತ್ರಿrātri
10hour; o'clockघंटा/बजेಗಂಟೆganṭe
11minuteमिनटನಿಮಿಷnimisha

Days of the week (7)

#English Hindi KannadaSay it
1MondayसोमवारಸೋಮವಾರSomavāra
2TuesdayमंगलवारಮಂಗಳವಾರMangaḷavāra
3WednesdayबुधवारಬುಧವಾರBudhavāra
4ThursdayगुरुवारಗುರುವಾರGuruvāra
5Fridayशुक्रवारಶುಕ್ರವಾರShukravāra
6SaturdayशनिवारಶನಿವಾರShanivāra
7SundayरविवारಭಾನುವಾರBhānuvāra

What to do after these 103

You now own the skeleton of Kannada. The next step is not more words — it is sentences. Take five verbs from the list above and build one sentence each about your own day. Then read the grammar basics guide for the word order (ನಾನು ಅನ್ನ ತಿನ್ನುತ್ತೇನೆ.), and the speaking-alone plan so the words come out of your mouth and not just off the page.

More guides in this course

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