Kannada Vyanjanagalu — ವ್ಯಂಜನಗಳು

What are vyanjanagalu?

Vyanjanagalu (ವ್ಯಂಜನಗಳು) are the consonants of the Kannada alphabet. There are 34 of them, learned after the swaragalu (vowels). Every consonant joins with a vowel to make the syllables used in everyday words — so the consonants are the heart of reading and writing Kannada.

They are arranged into vargas (groups) by where the sound is made in the mouth. Learning them group by group makes the long list far easier to remember.

Velar consonants

Palatal consonants

Retroflex consonants

Dental consonants

Labial consonants

Semivowel consonants

Sibilant consonants

Glottal consonants

How to practise vyanjanagalu

• Learn one varga (group) at a time — the sounds within a group are related
• Trace 2–3 new consonants per week alongside school lessons
• Say each sound aloud while tracing to connect shape and sound
• Revisit earlier groups regularly so they are not forgotten
• Once consonants are comfortable, learn the kagunita combinations

Next steps

Make sure the swaragalu (vowels) are solid first, then combine consonants and vowels in the kagunita chart. See everything together in the Kannada varnamale.