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🇮🇳 Kannada #35 Most Spoken Language (59M speakers)

Kannada — Script, Pronunciation, Grammar, and Useful Phrases

Dravidian • Kannada script (abugida) • SOV • Postpositions • Agglutinative
Number of Speakers (est.)
~45–55M native • ~60M+ total (Karnataka + diaspora)
KarnatakaBengaluruSouth India
Family / Branch
Dravidian → Southern Dravidian. Related to Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Tulu.
Retroflex soundsRich verbal morphology
Writing System
Kannada script (abugida). Consonants carry an inherent vowel; diacritics mark others.
ṭ/ḍ/ṇ/ḷLong vs short vowelsNo capital letters
Typical Word Order
SOV; modifiers before nouns; postpositions; no articles (use demonstratives/definiteness via context).
Plural -gaḷuCase suffixesHonorific -ri
ISO Codes
ISO 639-1: kn • 639-2: kan • 639-3: kan
Standard: Bengaluru–MysuruLiterary vs colloquial styles
Difficulty (for English speakers)
Medium–Hard: new script & cases; once suffix patterns click, sentences flow
Predictable suffixingTransparent phonotactics
Quick Overview

Kannada is a major Dravidian language with a melodic rhythm and a tidy, suffix-driven grammar. Word order is SOV, case relations come from suffixes (-alli in/at, -inda from/with, -ge to/for, genitive -a/-na), and verbs carry tense–aspect–agreement. You’ll often see the progressive/habitual marker -utt- (māḍuttēne “I do/am doing”).

Sound & Spelling Tips
  • Retroflexes: ṭ [ʈ], ḍ [ɖ], ṇ [ɳ], ḷ [ɭ] are distinct from t/d/n/l.
  • Long vowels: ā ī ū ē ō contrast with a i u e o; length changes meaning.
  • Gemination: double consonants matter: kalla ≠ kala.
  • Honorific feel: the suffix -ri on imperatives and 2nd person signals respect (banni “please come”).
Grammar Snapshot
  • Pronouns: nānu I, nīnu you (sg), nīvu you (hon./pl), avanu/avaḷu he/she, nāvu we, avaru they (hon.).
  • Plural: -gaḷu (books → pustakagaḷu), often optional after numerals.
  • Core cases: accusative -(a)nnu, dative -ge/-ige, locative -alli, ablative/instrumental -inda, genitive -a/-na, comitative postposition jotege “with”.
  • Aspect: progressive/habitual -utt-; past/perfect use -id- patterns; negatives often end in -alla/illa (colloquial).
  • Copula: often omitted in the present: “This a book” is natural in Kannada.
Sample & Breakdown

nānu māḍuttēne. — I am doing / I do.
nānu 1SG + māḍ-utt-ēne do-PROG-1SG

avaru maneyalli iddāre. — They (hon.) are at home.
maney-alli house-LOC + iddāre be.3PL.HON

manege hōgōṇa. — Let’s go home (inclusive).
mane-ge home-DAT + hortative

Common Phrases
Namaskāra (Hello)Hegiddīri? (How are you? — polite) Chennagiddēne (I’m fine)Dayaviṭṭu (Please) Dhanyavāda (Thank you)Matte sigōṇa (See you again)

Swāgata! A warm welcome in Karnataka’s melody of a language.

SEO Highlights
  • Keywords: Kannada language, learn Kannada, Kannada alphabet, Kannada pronunciation, Kannada grammar, Kannada phrases.
  • Search intent covered: case suffixes, progressive -utt- conjugation, number+plural patterns, postpositions.
  • Snippable facts: SOV word order; plural -gaḷu; locative -alli; dative -ge/-ige; comitative jotege.
Interesting Notes
  • After vowels, many case suffixes insert a linking y in careful speech (mane → maneyalli “in the house”).
  • Honorific plural avaru can refer to a single respected person.
  • After numerals, plural marking is often dropped: eraḍu pustaka “two books.”
Case & Postposition Wizard (lightweight)

Type a noun (Latin transliteration). We’ll add common Kannada case endings with simple linking rules.

This is a teaching model. Real Kannada has more sandhi/irregulars—check a dictionary for formal writing.

Present Builder (-utt- patterns)

Give a verb root (infinitives often end in -u, e.g., māḍu “do”). Choose a subject to see a natural present/progressive form.

Colloquial speech often shortens vowels (māḍuttēne → māḍtēne). This helper keeps full forms.

Number + Noun Helper

Build short noun phrases with numbers. We’ll show both singular-after-numeral and explicit plural -gaḷu.

After numerals, Kannada often keeps the noun singular: eraḍu pustaka. Plural -gaḷu is fine too.

Postposition Phrase Maker

Quickly form common adpositional phrases.

After vowels, this tool inserts a linking y before -alli/-inda: mane → maneyalli.

Learning Tips
  • Shadow the -utt- line for all persons: -ēne, -īya, -īri, -āne, -āḷe, -ade, -ēve, -āre.
  • Drill -alli, -inda, -ge with 10 nouns; then add jotege.
  • Collect real phrases from signs and menus—Bengaluru is a living textbook.
Numbers (1–10)

ondu, eraḍu, mūru, nālku, aidu, āru, ēḷu, eṇṭu, ombattu, hattu

Borrowings & Culture

Sanskrit loans abound in formal registers; English tech terms are lively in Bengaluru. Expect regional vocabulary across Karnataka.