The website Omniglot has a chart with the Kannada alphabet that you can download and use to practice. Go to https://www. omniglot. com/writing/kannada. htm and click the link to download the chart. To memorize the alphabet, choose 4 or 5 letters each day and practice until you’ve got the hang of them. The next day, go back and practice the letters you already know, then try to pick up another 4 or 5 letters. Follow this pattern until you know the whole alphabet. Kannada is written from left to right in horizontal lines, just like English.
The “c” in Kannada, చ, is only pronounced like the hard English “c” in the word “cat. " There is no soft version of this letter as there is in English. The “j” in Kannada, జ, is pronounced with a “zh” sound, like the “s” in the English word “vision. " Remember that the marks you see above, below, before, or after a consonant in Kannada script indicate the inherent vowel sound. The consonant sound itself remains the same.
The “kh” sound, ఖ, sounds similar to the “ch” in the Scottish word “loch” or the “ch” sound in German. The “gh” sound, ఘ, sounds similar to the “gh” in the name of the country “Ghana. " The “jh” sound, ఝ, sounds similar to the “ge” and “h” sounds in the English phrase “bridge hop. " The “dh” sound, ఢ and ధ, sounds similar to the “d” and “h” sounds in the English phrase “speed hump. " The “bh” sound, భ, sounds similar to the “b” and “h” sounds that occur in the middle of the English phrase “bulb holder. " For the “ph” sound, ఫ, say each consonant individually. It sounds like the “p” as in “puff” followed by a short puff of air. To get it right, say the syllables “pa” and “ha,” gradually saying them faster and faster until the first vowel sound disappears.
The “a” sound, ಅ, sounds like the “a” in the English word “father. " The “i” sound, ఇ, sounds like the “i” in the English word “ink. " The “u” sound, ఉ, sounds like the “oo” in the English word “boo. " The “r” sound, ఋ, sounds like “roo,” although the “r” sound is slightly trilled. There is no equivalent to this vowel sound in the English language, so you’ll just have to practice. The “e” sound, ఎ, sounds like the “a” in the English word “bay. " The “o” sound, ఒ, sounds like the “o” in the English word “grow. " The “ai” sound, ఐ, sounds like the English word “eye. " The “au” sound, ఔ, sounds like the “ow” in the English word “pow. "
After you say “hello” to someone, if you plan on having any further conversation with them, you’ll typically ask them how they’re doing. In Kannada, you would say “Neevu hegidheera?” If another person asks the same of you, say “chennagidhene dhanyavadagalu,” which means “fine, thank you. "
Shubhodaya (good morning) Shubha madhyahna (good afternoon) Shubha saayankaala (good evening)
You can follow with “nimma hesaru yenu,” which means “what is your name?” After the person tells you their name, you might say “nimannu beti madi santoshavatithu,” which means “pleased to meet you” or “happy to meet you. "
Yaaru (who) Yaake (why) Yaavaga (when) Elli (where) Enu (which) Hege (how)
Kshamisi (sorry/excuse me) Dayavittu (please) Dhanyavaada (thank you) parwagilla bidi (you’re welcome)
Avoid using English subtitles as a crutch. Remember that translation is an interpretation of the meaning of the words, not literally what the characters are saying. Even if you pick up some new phrases from a movie, be cautious about the context in which you use them until you understand the full meaning of the phrase.
If you see coverage of an event that you already know about, you can use your understanding of the situation to improve your listening or reading comprehension.
Listening to Kannadiga music also gives you some insight into the values and culture of the native people of the area.
The best way to become fluent is to immerse yourself in the environment of the target language. If you live in Bangalore, you may find that local Kannadigas are more inhibited about speaking Kannada in public and may be reluctant to converse with you in their native language. However, if you let them know that you’re interested in learning the language, they might become more open. [13] X Research source
