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Telugu basics — the script, sounds and first steps
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The starting point: the Telugu script, your first words, and the honest answer to where to begin. Round, looping letters — the curves come from writing on palm leaves, where straight cuts would tear the leaf. Left to right and fully phonetic: 16 vowels (short and long e/o matter!) and all the consonant rows Hindi has, plus extras like ళ and a second R (ఱ).
The alphabet at a glance
The Telugu script has 16 vowels and 36 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 | Telugu | Say it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hello (formal) | नमस्ते | నమస్కారం | namaskāraṁ |
| How are you? (formal) | आप कैसे हैं? | మీరు ఎలా ఉన్నారు? | mīru elā unnāru? |
| How are you? (familiar) | तुम कैसे हो? | నువ్వు ఎలా ఉన్నావు? | nuvvu elā unnāvu? |
| I'm fine | मैं ठीक हूँ | నేను బాగున్నాను | nēnu bāgunnānu |
| Thank you | धन्यवाद | ధన్యవాదాలు | dhanyavādālu |
The order to learn in
- Script + sounds — Telugu 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 (నేను అన్నం తింటాను) builds a thousand sentences.
- Topics (food, travel, shopping) — learn what your life needs first.