Mkhedruli, the Georgian script
The Georgian alphabet: 33 letters, zero reason to panic.
All 33 Mkhedruli letters with names, approximate sounds and example words — plus the mistakes English speakers always make.
Good news first.
Georgian looks exotic and sounds honest. The modern Mkhedruli alphabet has 33 letters, it’s written left to right, there are no capital letters, and spelling is almost perfectly phonetic — what you see is what you say. Most learners read simple words within a week.
The 33 letters.
Letter · name · approximate sound · example word with audio. Tap a word to hear it. Grouped the way learners actually meet them.
| Letter | Name | Approximate sound | Example word |
|---|---|---|---|
Looks and sounds familiarEighteen letters whose sounds English already has. Some, like თ, ფ and ქ, simply add the puff of air English uses at the start of “top”, “pot” and “kit”. | |||
| ა | an | “a” as in father | ana — Anna |
| ბ | ban | “b” as in book | burti — ball |
| გ | gan | “g” as in go | gemi — ship |
| დ | don | “d” as in door | deda — mother |
| ე | en | “e” as in get | deda — mother |
| ვ | vin | “v” as in voice | vart — we are |
| ზ | zen | “z” as in zoo | ზღვა zghva — sea |
| თ | tʼan | aspirated “t” as in top — with a puff of air | titi — finger |
| ი | in | “i” as in machine | otakhi — room |
| ლ | las | “l” as in lamp | tbilisi — Tbilisi |
| მ | man | “m” as in man | mdinare — river |
| ნ | nar | “n” as in name | nino — Nino |
| ო | on | “o” as in more | ori — two |
| ს | san | “s” as in sun | sakhli — house |
| უ | un | “u” as in rule | uari — refusal |
| ფ | pʼar | aspirated “p” as in pot — with a puff of air | puli — money |
| ქ | kʼan | aspirated “k” as in kit — with a puff of air | kudi — hat |
| ჰ | hae | “h” as in hand | ჰაერი haeri — air |
Familiar, but differentFour letters that look approachable but behave differently than an English reader expects. | |||
| რ | rae | rolled “r”, as in Spanish perro | ara — no |
| ღ | ghan | voiced uvular “gh”, close to the French “r” | ghvari — stream |
| ხ | khan | “kh” as in Scottish loch | khari — bull |
| ჟ | zhan | “zh” as in measure | ჟურნალი zhurnali — magazine |
New shapes, easy soundsFive new shapes for sounds you already make every day. | |||
| შ | shin | “sh” as in shoe | shen ra gkvia? — What is your name? |
| ჩ | chin | aspirated “ch” as in church | chai — tea |
| ც | tsin | aspirated “ts” as in cats | tsa — sky |
| ძ | dzil | “dz” as in lads | dzma — brother |
| ჯ | jan | “j” as in jam | jibe — pocket |
The famous ejectivesSix consonants English doesn’t have. Each comes with a short “how to make the sound” note — and each has an aspirated partner (like ქ kʰ vs კ kʼ) that Georgian hears as a different letter. | |||
| კ | kʼani | ejective “kʼ” | kʼudi — tailLike the k in “skip”, not “kit”: hold your breath, press the back of your tongue to the roof of your mouth, and release with no puff of air. |
| პ | pʼari | ejective “pʼ” | pʼuri — breadLike the p in “spin”, not “pin”: close your lips with your breath held, then release a small, dry “pop” — no air. |
| ტ | tʼari | ejective “tʼ” | tʼitʼa — tulipLike the t in “stop”, not “top”: press your tongue behind your teeth and release it tight, without the puff of air English adds. |
| ყ | qʼari | ejective “qʼ” — no English equivalent | qʼava — coffeeA “k” made deeper, at the very back of the mouth near the uvula — think of a crow’s “caw” cut short. Georgians will forgive an approximation. |
| წ | tsʼili | ejective “tsʼ” | tsʼqʼali — waterThe “ts” of “cats” with the breath held back: tight and clipped, no puff of air. |
| ჭ | chʼari | ejective “chʼ” | chʼika — glass, cupThe “ch” of “much” compressed: hold your breath, tense the tongue, and release it dry. |
Five mistakes English speakers make.
- Mixing up aspirated and ejective pairs (ქ kʰ vs კ kʼ) — Georgian hears them as different letters.
- Reading რ like an English “r” — it’s rolled.
- Hunting for capital letters — Georgian doesn’t use them, even for names.
- Assuming silent letters exist — every letter is pronounced.
- Skipping handwriting — writing fixes shapes in memory far faster than tapping.
How long does it take?
With 15 minutes a day, most learners read slowly in 1–2 weeks and comfortably in a month. The alphabet is the easy part of Georgian — the verbs are waiting, and they’re worth it.
Learn the sounds, not just the shapes.
tqvi’s free Phonetics course walks through the alphabet in twelve short modules with ten pronunciation labs and 77 recorded examples in two voices — normal and careful speed — so you hear the differences English ears miss. It’s free, offline, and needs no account.
Georgian alphabet: common questions
How many letters are in the Georgian alphabet?
The modern Georgian alphabet, Mkhedruli, has 33 letters. It is written left to right, has no capital letters, and spelling is almost perfectly phonetic — every letter is pronounced.
Is the Georgian alphabet hard to learn?
No. Most English speakers read simple Georgian words within a week of daily practice. The main traps are the six ejective consonants (პ, ტ, კ, ყ, წ, ჭ) and the rolled რ — the rest of the sounds already exist in English.
How long does it take to learn the Georgian alphabet?
With about 15 minutes a day, most learners read slowly within 1–2 weeks and comfortably within a month. Writing the letters by hand speeds this up noticeably.
Hear every letter.
Say every letter.
The free Phonetics course walks you through all 33 letters in twelve short modules.
Free Phonetics course. iOS and Android.