Beginner's Guide To The Georgian Alphabet (Mkhedruli)
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Hello, language learners! Irakli here, from Talk In Georgian. When people first see Georgian text, they often say, “Wow, that looks beautiful… but impossible to learn!”
I get it. The flowing, curvy letters of the Georgian alphabet look very different from the Latin script used for English. But I’m here to tell you a secret: the Georgian alphabet is one of the easiest parts of learning the language.
The modern Georgian alphabet is called Mkhedruli (მხედრული). It has 33 letters, and once you learn them, you can read any Georgian word you see. Let’s get started!
Table of Contents:
A quick history of Georgian scripts
Mkhedruli is the script we use today for everything - books, websites, street signs, you name it. But it’s actually the third official script in Georgian history!
The older scripts, Asomtavruli and Nuskhuri, are now used almost exclusively by the Georgian Orthodox Church for religious texts. They are beautiful and historic, but you absolutely do not need to learn them to speak modern Georgian.
So, your task is simple: just focus on the 33 letters of Mkhedruli.
The 33 letters of the Georgian alphabet
The best thing about our alphabet is that it’s phonetic. This means one letter makes one sound. Always. There are no silent letters and no tricky rules like in English (think “through”, “though”, and “tough”). What you see is what you say.
Here is the full alphabet with the name of each letter, its sound, and an English approximation.
| Georgian Letter | Name | Transliteration | Approximate English Sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| ა | An | a | Like ‘a’ in “father” |
| ბ | Ban | b | Like ‘b’ in “book” |
| გ | Gan | g | Like ‘g’ in “go” |
| დ | Don | d | Like ‘d’ in “dog” |
| ე | En | e | Like ‘e’ in “bed” |
| ვ | Vin | v | Like ‘v’ in “very” |
| ზ | Zen | z | Like ‘z’ in “zoo” |
| თ | Tan | t | Like ‘t’ in “top” (with a puff of air) |
| ი | In | i | Like ‘ee’ in “see” |
| კ | K’an | k’ | A sharp ‘k’ sound, with no puff of air. Like the ‘k’ in “sky”. |
| ლ | Las | l | Like ‘l’ in “love” |
| მ | Man | m | Like ‘m’ in “mother” |
| ნ | Nar | n | Like ‘n’ in “no” |
| ო | On | o | Like ‘o’ in “more” |
| პ | P’ar | p’ | A sharp ‘p’ sound, with no puff of air. Like the ‘p’ in “spy”. |
| ჟ | Zhan | zh | Like the ‘s’ in “pleasure” or “measure” |
| რ | Rae | r | A rolled ‘r’, like in Spanish or Italian. |
| ს | San | s | Like ‘s’ in “sun” |
| ტ | T’ar | t’ | A sharp ‘t’ sound, with no puff of air. Like the ‘t’ in “stop”. |
| უ | Un | u | Like ‘oo’ in “moon” |
| ფ | Par | p | Like ‘p’ in “pen” (with a puff of air) |
| ქ | Kan | k | Like ‘k’ in “king” (with a puff of air) |
| ღ | Ghan | gh | A gargling sound, similar to the French ‘r’. |
| ყ | Q’ar | q’ | A very deep ‘k’ sound made in the back of your throat with a pop. Tricky! |
| შ | Shin | sh | Like ‘sh’ in “shoe” |
| ჩ | Chin | ch | Like ‘ch’ in “church” |
| ც | Tsan | ts | Like ‘ts’ in “cats” |
| ძ | Dzil | dz | Like ‘ds’ in “kids” or “adds” |
| წ | Ts’il | ts’ | A sharp ‘ts’ sound, like ‘ts’ in “cats” but with a pop. |
| ჭ | Ch’ar | ch’ | A sharp ‘ch’ sound, like ‘ch’ in “church” but with a pop. |
| ხ | Khan | kh | Like ‘ch’ in the Scottish “loch” or German “Bach”. A raspy ‘h’. |
| ჯ | Jan | j | Like ‘j’ in “jump” |
| ჰ | Hae | h | Like ‘h’ in “hello” |
Key features that make Mkhedruli easy
Still feeling a little intimidated? Let me highlight a few features that make our alphabet very friendly for beginners.
- No capital letters. That’s right! There is no difference between uppercase and lowercase in Georgian. A name like “Nino” is written ნინო, and the start of a sentence uses the same letters as the middle. You just cut your learning time in half!
- One letter, one sound. I mentioned this before, but it’s worth repeating. Once you learn the sound for “შ” (sh), it will always make that sound. You’ll never have to guess.
- Written as it’s spoken. The letters flow from left to right, just like English. There are no hidden surprises.
Tips for learning the alphabet
Okay, so how do you actually memorize these new shapes and sounds? Here are a few tips based on language acquisition principles that work.
- Ditch transliteration fast. Using English letters to write Georgian words (like writing gamarjoba instead of გამარჯობა) is a helpful crutch at the very beginning, but you should try to stop using it as soon as possible. The longer you rely on it, the harder it will be to read the real script.
- Use flashcards. Create your own flashcards with the Georgian letter on one side and the sound/transliteration on the other. Go through them daily.
- Practice writing. Don’t just read - write! Grab a pen and paper and practice writing each letter. This builds muscle memory and helps your brain connect the shape to the sound. Many letters are based on circles and curves, so you’ll get the hang of it quickly.
- Find look-alikes. Some letters might remind you of something. For example, ბ (b) kind of looks like a boot. The letter მ (m) looks a bit like a moustache. These little memory tricks can be a huge help!
Let’s try reading!
Ready to put your new knowledge to the test? Let’s read some of the most important words in Georgian. Sound them out letter by letter.
გამარჯობა
მადლობა
კი
არა
წყალი
See? You just read your first Georgian words! Even a tricky word like წყალი (ts’q’ali) is manageable when you break it down by its letters: წ (ts’) + ყ (q’) + ა (a) + ლ (l) + ი (i).
Mastering the Mkhedruli alphabet is the first and most important step on your journey to speaking Georgian. It’s a fun puzzle, and once you solve it, a whole new world of communication opens up. Take your time, practice a little every day, and you’ll be reading fluently before you know it.
Good luck!
