Vowels in Kannada phrasebook
The key distinction is the difference between short and long vowels. In this phrase book, the short vowels are noted with small letters [a, e, i, o, u] and long vowels are noted with capital letters [A, E, I, O, U]. You will often come across non-standard romanizations, noted in table below when applicable.
| Letter |
ಪ್ |
Pronunciation |
Pronunciation
with (IPA: /p/) |
IAST
equiv. |
ITRANS
equiv. |
English equivalent
|
|---|
| ಇ
|
ಪಿ |
(IPA: /i/) |
(IPA: /pi/) |
i |
i |
short close front unrounded vowel: e in england
|
| ಈ
|
ಪೀ |
(IPA: /iː/) |
(IPA: /piː/) |
ī |
I |
long close front unrounded vowel: ee in feet
|
| ಎ
|
ಪೆ |
(IPA: /e/) |
(IPA: /pe/) |
e |
e |
short close-mid front unrounded vowel: e in bed
|
| ಏ
|
ಪೇ |
(IPA: /eː/) |
(IPA: /peː/) |
ē |
E |
long close-mid front unrounded vowel: a in bane (some speakers)
|
| ಅ
|
ಪ |
(IPA: /ɐ/) |
(IPA: /pɐ/) |
a |
a |
short near-open central vowel: u in bunny
|
| ಆ
|
ಪಾ |
(IPA: /ɑː/) |
(IPA: /pɑː/) |
ā |
A |
long open back unrounded vowel: a in father
|
| ಒ
|
ಪೊ |
(IPA: /o/) |
(IPA: /po/) |
o |
o |
short close-mid back rounded vowel: o in no (some speakers)
|
| ಓ
|
ಪೋ |
(IPA: /oː/) |
(IPA: /poː/) |
ō |
O |
long close-mid back rounded vowel: o in bone (some speakers)
|
| ಉ
|
ಪು |
(IPA: /u/) |
(IPA: /pu/) |
u |
u |
short close back rounded vowel: oo in foot
|
| ಊ
|
ಪೂ |
(IPA: /uː/) |
(IPA: /puː/) |
ū |
U |
long close back rounded vowel: oo in cool
|
| ಐ
|
ಪೈ |
(IPA: /ɐi/) |
(IPA: /pɐi/) |
ai |
ai |
a long diphthong: i in ice, i in kite (Canadian and Scottish English)
|
| ಔ
|
ಪೌ |
(IPA: /ɐu/) |
(IPA: /pɐu/) |
au |
au |
a long diphthong: Similar to the ou in house (Canadian English)
|
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Kannada phrasebook
