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Kannada script
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Kannada | ||
|---|---|---|
| Type: | Abugida | |
| Languages: | Kannada, Konkani, Tulu | |
| Time period: | ||
| ISO 15924 code: | Knda | |
| Note: This page may contain IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. See IPA chart for English for an English-based pronunciation key. | ||
The Kannada script is an abugida of the Brahmic family[1], primarily to write the Kannada language, one of the Dravidian languages in India. It is also used for Konkani, Tulu Telugu and Kodava languages.
Contents |
The script has forty-nine characters in its alphasyllabary and is phonemic. The Kannada character set is almost identical to that of other Indian languages. The number of written symbols, however, is far more than the 49 characters in the alphasyllabary, because different characters can be combined to form compound characters (ottaksharas). Each written symbol in the Kannada script corresponds with one syllable, as opposed to one phoneme in languages like English. The Kannada writing system is an abugida, with consonants appearing with an inherent vowel.
The characters are classified into three categories: swaras (vowels), vyanjanas (consonants) and yogavaahas (part vowel, part consonants).
Note: Unicode character entities used below. You will need a font that supports Kannada to see the characters. English transliterations based on Unicode character names listed next to symbol.
There are thirteen vowels (swaras):
ಅ (a), ಆ (aa), ಇ (e), ಈ (ee), ಉ (u), ಊ (uu), ಋ (rr), ಎ (a~), ಏ (ea), ಐ (ai), ಒ (o), ಓ (oo), ಔ (ou)
The yogavaahas (part-vowel, part consonant) include two letters:
- The anusvara: ಂ (am)
- The visarga: ಃ (ah)
Two types of consonants are identified in Kannada: the structured consonants and the unstructured consonants. The structured consonants are classified according to where the tongue touches the palate of the mouth and are classified accordingly into five structured groups.
| voiceless | voiceless aspirate |
voiced | voiced aspirate |
nasal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Velars | ಕ (ka) | ಖ (kha) | ಗ (ga) | ಘ (gha) | ಙ (nga) |
| Palatals | ಚ (ca) | ಛ (cha) | ಜ (ja) | ಝ (jha) | ಞ (nya) |
| Retroflex | ಟ (tta) | ಠ (ttha) | ಡ (dda) | ಢ (ddha) | ಣ (nna) |
| Dentals | ತ (ta) | ಥ (tha) | ದ (da) | ಧ (dha) | ನ (na) |
| Labials | ಪ (pa) | ಫ (pha) | ಬ (ba) | ಭ (bha) | ಮ (ma) |
See place of articulation for more information on tongue positions.
The unstructured consonants are consonants that do not fall into any of the above structures:
ಯ (ya), ರ (ra), ಲ (la), ವ (va), ಶ (sha), ಷ (shha), ಸ (sa), ಹ (ha), ಳ (lla)
The decimal numbers in the script are:
೦ (0), ೧ (1), ೨ (2), ೩ (3), ೪ (4), ೫ (5), ೬ (6), ೭ (7), ೮ (8), ೯ (9)
- The Unicode Book: Chapter 9 — South and Southeast Asian Scripts (PDF)
- The Unicode Standard 4.0 — Kannada Code Chart (PDF)
- Kannada alphabet — From Omniglot
- Indian Language Converter — Transliterate from Romanised to Unicode Kannada
- Free Kannada fonts and editing software — Free fonts and software to compose in Kannada, from Baraha.com
- ^ George L. Campbell, "Handbook of Scripts and Alphabets", Blackwell Publishing, 1999: 84–5.
Kannada literature · Kannada Wikipedia
Hubli kannada · Kannada language · Kannada alphabet
Kannada film · Kannada film industry · Kannada poetry · Kannada Saahithya Parishath