The Complete Guide to the Georgian Alphabet
Learn all 33 Georgian letters with pronunciation, memory tricks, and practice tips. The companion guide to our YouTube alphabet video — everything you need to read Georgian.
The Georgian alphabet — მხედრული (Mkhedruli, meaning “knightly” or “military”) — is one of the world’s most beautiful and unique writing systems. It’s also one of the most practical to learn: every letter makes exactly one sound, with no exceptions.
This guide covers all 33 letters, their pronunciation, useful memory tricks, and practical tips for reading Georgian in the real world. Consider it the companion reference to our YouTube alphabet video, where you can hear every sound and see the letters in context on real Georgian street signs.
Why Learn the Alphabet First?
Some courses skip the alphabet and use transliteration (writing Georgian sounds in Latin letters). We think that’s a mistake, and here’s why:
- Transliteration lies. There’s no accurate way to represent Georgian sounds in Latin letters. “ყ” gets written as “q” or “k’” but sounds like neither. You learn wrong sounds from the start.
- Reading Georgian is a superpower. Once you know the alphabet, every sign, menu, and label in Tbilisi becomes a learning opportunity.
- It’s fast. Most people learn the alphabet in 2-4 hours. That small investment pays off for your entire Georgian learning journey.
- Pattern recognition kicks in. You’ll start noticing common word parts, suffixes, and prefixes — even before studying grammar.
The 33 Georgian Letters
Georgian has no uppercase or lowercase letters — every letter has one form, period. Here they are organized by type.
Vowels (5)
Georgian has exactly 5 vowels, each with one consistent sound:
| Letter | Sound | Like in English | Example Word |
|---|---|---|---|
| ა | a | father | არა (ara) — no |
| ე | e | bed | ერთი (erti) — one |
| ი | i | machine | იქ (iq) — there |
| ო | o | more | ორი (ori) — two |
| უ | u | blue | უკვე (ukve) — already |
Good news: Unlike English, these vowel sounds never change. “ა” always sounds like “ah,” everywhere, every time.
Basic Consonants
These consonants have close equivalents in English:
| Letter | Sound | Like in English | Example Word |
|---|---|---|---|
| ბ | b | book | ბავშვი (bavshvi) — child |
| გ | g | go | გული (guli) — heart |
| დ | d | dog | დილა (dila) — morning |
| ვ | v | vote | ვარდი (vardi) — rose |
| ზ | z | zoo | ზღვა (zghva) — sea |
| ლ | l | light | ლამაზი (lamazi) — beautiful |
| მ | m | moon | მზე (mze) — sun |
| ნ | n | night | ნანა (nana) — lullaby |
| რ | r | (rolled, like Spanish r) | რა (ra) — what |
| ს | s | sun | სახლი (sakhli) — house |
| ტ | t’ | (sharp, ejective t) | ტკბილი (t’kbili) — sweet |
| ფ | p | pen | ფული (puli) — money |
| შ | sh | shoe | შენი (sheni) — yours |
| ჰ | h | hello | ჰაერი (haeri) — air |
Consonants That Need Extra Attention
These sounds don’t exist in English or require specific technique:
| Letter | Sound | How to Say It | Example Word |
|---|---|---|---|
| თ | t | Soft, aspirated t (like English “t” in “top”) | თბილისი (Tbilisi) |
| კ | k’ | Ejective k — sharp, from the back of the throat | კარგი (k’argi) — good |
| პ | p’ | Ejective p — sharp, popping sound | პური (p’uri) — bread |
| ჟ | zh | Like “s” in pleasure or French “j” | ჟურნალი (zhurnali) — magazine |
| ც | ts | Like “ts” in cats | ცა (tsa) — sky |
| ძ | dz | Like “ds” in adds | ძველი (dzveli) — old |
| წ | ts’ | Ejective ts — sharp version of ც | წყალი (ts’q’ali) — water |
| ჭ | ch’ | Ejective ch — sharp version of ჩ | ჭადრაკი (ch’adraki) — chess |
| ჩ | ch | Like “ch” in church | ჩაი (chai) — tea |
| ხ | kh | Like German “ch” in Bach or Scottish “loch” | ხე (khe) — tree |
| ჯ | j | Like “j” in jump | ჯამი (jami) — bowl |
| ღ | gh | Voiced version of ხ — like gargling softly | ღვინო (ghvino) — wine |
| ყ | q’ | Ejective uvular stop — like a “k” from deep in your throat | ყველი (q’veli) — cheese |
Understanding Ejective Consonants
Georgian has a feature that most European languages don’t: ejective consonants. These are ტ, კ, პ, წ, ჭ, and ყ.
An ejective is produced by closing your glottis (the back of your throat, like when you hold your breath) and then releasing air in a sharp burst. It’s like a “popping” version of the regular consonant.
The pairs to remember:
| Regular (Aspirated) | Ejective (Sharp) | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| თ (soft th) | ტ (sharp t’) | თვალი (eye) vs ტბა (lake) |
| ქ (soft k) | კ (sharp k’) | ქალი (woman) vs კაცი (man) |
| ფ (soft p) | პ (sharp p’) | ფული (money) vs პური (bread) |
| ც (soft ts) | წ (sharp ts’) | ცა (sky) vs წყალი (water) |
| ჩ (soft ch) | ჭ (sharp ch’) | ჩაი (tea) vs ჭადრაკი (chess) |
Practice tip: Hold your breath, then try to say the sound while releasing the trapped air. It should feel like a small pop. Don’t worry if it’s not perfect at first — Georgians will understand you either way, and the distinction develops with practice.
Memory Tricks: Making the Letters Stick
Here are some visual associations that have helped our students remember tricky letters:
- ა (a) — Looks a bit like a lowercase “a” tilted sideways
- ბ (b) — The bottom loop looks like a lowercase “b” rotated
- გ (g) — Looks like a backwards “3” — “g” for “3orgian”
- დ (d) — Has a tail that droops down
- ვ (v) — Looks like a checkmark — verified ✓
- თ (t) — Looks a bit like the number 0 — thirty = 0
- მ (m) — Has two bumps on top — like the two humps of “m”
- ს (s) — Looks like a curved snake
- ქ (q/k) — Has a long tail that goes quite far down
- ღ (gh) — Looks complex, like it’s gargling
- წ (ts’) — Two dots on top — looks angry, makes a sharp sound
The best memory trick? Read real Georgian words. Repetition in context beats mnemonics every time.
Practical Reading Practice
Here are common words and signs you’ll encounter in Tbilisi. Try sounding them out:
Signs You’ll See Everywhere
| Georgian | Sound It Out | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| სასტუმრო | sa-s-tum-ro | Hotel |
| რესტორანი | res-to-ra-ni | Restaurant |
| აფთიაქი | ap-ti-a-qi | Pharmacy |
| მეტრო | met-ro | Metro |
| ბანკი | ban-ki | Bank |
| მაღაზია | ma-gha-zi-a | Shop |
| გამოსვლა | ga-mos-vla | Exit |
| შესვლა | shes-vla | Entrance |
| გაჩერება | ga-che-re-ba | (Bus) Stop |
| ტუალეტი | tua-le-ti | Toilet |
Metro Station Practice
Tbilisi metro station names are great practice because you see them repeatedly:
| Georgian | Sound It Out |
|---|---|
| რუსთაველი | rus-ta-ve-li |
| თავისუფლების მოედანი | ta-vi-sup-le-bis mo-e-da-ni |
| სადგურის მოედანი | sad-gu-ris mo-e-da-ni |
| ვარკეთილი | var-ke-ti-li |
| დიდუბე | di-du-be |
| სამგორი | sam-go-ri |
Food Words (You’ll Need These)
| Georgian | Sound It Out | What It Is |
|---|---|---|
| ხაჭაპური | kha-cha-pu-ri | Cheese bread |
| ხინკალი | khin-ka-li | Soup dumplings |
| ღვინო | ghvi-no | Wine |
| ლუდი | lu-di | Beer |
| წყალი | ts’q’a-li | Water |
| ყავა | q’a-va | Coffee |
| ჩაი | cha-i | Tea |
| პური | p’u-ri | Bread |
| ყველი | q’ve-li | Cheese |
| ხილი | khi-li | Fruit |
How Georgian Numbers Work
Georgian has its own number system, but you’ll mainly see Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3) in daily life. Still, knowing the number words helps:
| Number | Georgian | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ერთი | er-ti |
| 2 | ორი | o-ri |
| 3 | სამი | sa-mi |
| 4 | ოთხი | ot-khi |
| 5 | ხუთი | khu-ti |
| 10 | ათი | a-ti |
| 20 | ოცი | o-tsi |
| 100 | ასი | a-si |
Georgian uses a vigesimal (base-20) system for larger numbers, which is unusual in Europe. For example, 30 is ოცდაათი (otsdaati) — literally “twenty and ten.” 50 is ორმოცდაათი (ormotsdaati) — “two-twenty and ten.” It takes getting used to!
Tips for Learning the Alphabet Fast
Based on teaching hundreds of students, here’s what works best:
1. Learn in Groups, Not All 33 at Once
Start with the 5 vowels, then add consonants in groups of 5-7. You’ll know common letters first (ა, ე, ი, ო, უ, ს, მ, ნ, რ, ლ, დ), then the rarer ones.
2. Use Street Signs
Walk around Tbilisi and sound out every sign you see. You’ll be slow at first, then faster. Within a week, you’ll read instinctively. If you’re not in Georgia yet, use Google Street View.
3. Watch Our Alphabet Video
Our YouTube video teaches all 33 letters using progressive immersion: we start with familiar words (like ჰarry პotter) and gradually replace Latin letters with Georgian ones. By the end, you’re reading pure Georgian. Most people finish in under an hour.
4. Practice Writing
Download our free Georgian alphabet worksheet or simply copy letters by hand. The motor memory of writing reinforces visual recognition. You don’t need to write beautifully — you just need to connect the movement to the sound.
5. Don’t Learn Transliteration
Resist the urge to write Georgian in Latin letters. It creates a crutch that slows down your reading speed. Go straight to Georgian script — your future self will thank you.
6. Use the Flashcard App
Our flashcard app shows you Georgian text first, training you to recognize words in script. Every vocabulary review is also alphabet practice.
Georgian Script: A Brief History
You don’t need history to read a menu, but it adds appreciation:
Georgian has three historical scripts:
- ასომთავრული (Asomtavruli, 5th century) — monumental, uppercase-like, used in churches
- ნუსხური (Nuskhuri, 9th century) — lowercase-like, used by monks
- მხედრული (Mkhedruli, 13th century) — the modern script you’re learning
All three are recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage. The modern Mkhedruli has been in continuous use for over 700 years — making it one of the world’s oldest living scripts.
The script was almost certainly invented independently (not derived from Greek, Aramaic, or any other alphabet), though scholars debate the exact origin. What’s certain: Georgian is one of only 14 scripts currently in use that was independently created.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Confusing Similar-Looking Letters
- ა (a) vs მ (m) — similar curves, different sounds
- ბ (b) vs ვ (v) — both have round parts
- ე (e) vs ს (s) — the curves differ, look closely
- რ (r) vs ყ (q’) — the tail direction differs
- ქ (q) vs ფ (p) — both have long descenders
Getting Tripped Up by Consonant Clusters
When you see a string of consonants, don’t panic. Take it one letter at a time. “მშვიდობა” breaks down as მ-შ-ვ-ი-დ-ო-ბ-ა (m-sh-v-i-d-o-b-a). Every letter still makes its one sound.
Overthinking Ejectives
You don’t need to produce perfect ejectives from day one. Georgians will understand you even with non-ejective pronunciation. Perfect the sounds over time through listening and practice.
What’s Next After the Alphabet?
Once you can read Georgian script (even slowly), you’re ready for the next steps:
- Build core vocabulary — Our audio course teaches 500+ essential words through listen-and-repeat lessons. No textbook needed.
- Practice with flashcards — The flashcard app uses spaced repetition to make vocabulary stick permanently.
- Graduate to real Georgian — Our podcast series gives you real Georgian at a level you can understand, with transcripts and translations.
The alphabet is your foundation. Everything else builds on it. And the best part? You can learn it today.
Ready? Watch our Georgian alphabet video on YouTube and learn all 33 letters in under an hour. Or go straight to the audio course to start speaking.
EasyGeorgian Team
Georgian language learning tips from people who've done it.
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