Kannada Swaragalu — ಸ್ವರಗಳು

What are swaragalu?

Swaragalu (ಸ್ವರಗಳು) are the vowels of the Kannada alphabet — the first sounds every child learns. Kannada has 15 swaragalu, beginning with ಅ (a) and ಆ (aa). Vowels come first because every consonant joins with a vowel to make a syllable, so a strong grip on the swaragalu makes the rest of the alphabet far easier.

The first 13 are pure vowels. The last two — ಅಂ (am) and ಅಃ (ah) — are yogavahagalu, vowel-like sounds that always lean on a vowel.

All 15 Swaragalu (ಸ್ವರಗಳು)

Click any vowel to download its tracing worksheet.

How to practise swaragalu

• Follow the traditional order — ಅ ಆ ಇ ಈ ಉ ಊ … — the same one used in school
• Trace 2–3 new vowels per week, mixing in ones already learned
• Say the sound aloud while tracing to link shape and sound
• Use a Large font size for first-time writers, then reduce it
• Once the swaragalu are comfortable, move on to vyanjanagalu (consonants)

Next steps

After the vowels, learn the vyanjanagalu (consonants), then see how the two combine in the kagunita chart. For the full set in one place, visit the Kannada varnamale.