The Georgian Alphabet
Georgian has its own alphabet of 33 letters, with one sound for each letter.
How It Works
Georgian is written in Mkhedruli (მხედრული, mkhedruli), its own alphabet. It has 33 letters. Five of them are vowels:
| Letter | Sound |
|---|---|
| ა | a |
| ე | e |
| ი | i |
| ო | o |
| უ | u |
Spelling is regular. Each letter has one sound, so once you know the letters you can read any word aloud, even one you have never seen: ღვინო is ghvino (wine) and თბილისი is tbilisi.
There are no capital letters. Names, places and the first word of a sentence use the same letters as every other word: ნინო, თბილისი. Signs and headlines sometimes use a set of capital-shaped letters called Mtavruli, which you will meet at Level 3.
A few letters look alike at first. Learn them in small groups and start reading real words early.
Examples (5)
- გამარჯობა!
Hello!
Read it letter by letter: g-a-m-a-r-j-o-b-a.
- მადლობა!
Thank you!
Every letter is said, including the last ა: madloba.
- თბილისი
Tbilisi
A city name starts with an ordinary letter, since Georgian has no capitals.
- ნინო და გიორგი
Nino and Giorgi
Names use the same letters as other words.
- ქართული ენა
the Georgian language
ქართული (kartuli) is Georgian and ენა (ena) is language.
How It Connects
Related Patterns
- Popped Consonants
Six letters stand for popped sounds.
Level 1 - Breathy and Popped Pairs
Five pairs of letters differ only in a puff of air.
Level 1 - ღ, ყ, ხSounds English Does Not Have
Three letters for sounds made far back in the throat.
Level 1 - Consonant Clusters
Many words start with several consonants.
Level 1 - All-Capital Letters on Signs
The capital-shaped letters used on signs and headlines.
Level 3
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Practice The Georgian Alphabet in Bubblegum
Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Georgian lessons at your level. Tap any grammar point in a lesson to see its full explanation.
