About Kannada
Kannada (ಕನ್ನಡ) is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India. With over 50 million speakers worldwide, it is one of the 22 official languages of India and the official language of Karnataka state. Kannada has a rich literary tradition spanning over 1,500 years and is written in the Kannada script, which evolved from the ancient Brahmi script. The language has been recognized as a "Classical Language of India" by the Government of India.
Kannada Alphabets
Vowels (ಸ್ವರಗಳು - Swaragalu)
Consonants (ವ್ಯಂಜನಗಳು - Vyanjhanagalu)
Numbers (ಸಂಖ್ಯೆಗಳು - Sankhyegalu)
Days of the Week & Months
Days of the Week (ವಾರದ ದಿನಗಳು - Vaarada Dinagalu)
Months (ತಿಂಗಳುಗಳು - Thingalugalu)
Basic Words & Phrases
Comprehensive Grammar Guide
1. Basic Sentence Structure
Kannada follows Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) word order, unlike English which follows Subject-Verb-Object (SVO).
English: I eat rice
Kannada: ನಾನು ಅನ್ನ ತಿನ್ನುತ್ತೇನೆ (Naanu anna tinnuttene)
Literal translation: I rice eat
2. Pronouns (ಸರ್ವನಾಮಗಳು - Sarvanamagalu)
- I: ನಾನು (naanu)
- You (informal): ನೀನು (neenu)
- You (formal/respectful): ನೀವು (neevu)
- He/She/It: ಅವನು/ಅವಳು/ಅದು (avanu/avaḷu/adu)
- We: ನಾವು (naavu)
- They: ಅವರು (avaru)
3. Gender and Number
Kannada has three genders: masculine, feminine, and neuter. Nouns, pronouns, and verbs change according to gender and number.
- Masculine: ಹುಡುಗ (huduga - boy), ಅವನು (avanu - he)
- Feminine: ಹುಡುಗಿ (hudugii - girl), ಅವಳು (avaḷu - she)
- Neuter: ಮನೆ (mane - house), ಅದು (adu - it)
4. Plural Formation
Add -ಗಳು (-gaḷu) to most nouns to make them plural:
- ಮನೆ (mane - house) → ಮನೆಗಳು (manegaḷu - houses)
- ಪುಸ್ತಕ (pustaka - book) → ಪುಸ್ತಕಗಳು (pustakagaḷu - books)
- ಹೂವು (hoovu - flower) → ಹೂವುಗಳು (hoovugaḷu - flowers)
5. Verb Conjugation
Verbs in Kannada change based on person, number, gender, and tense. Here's the present tense conjugation of "to eat" (ತಿನ್ನು - tinnu):
- I eat: ನಾನು ತಿನ್ನುತ್ತೇನೆ (naanu tinnuttene)
- You eat (informal): ನೀನು ತಿನ್ನುತ್ತೀಯ (neenu tinnutteeya)
- You eat (formal): ನೀವು ತಿನ್ನುತ್ತೀರಿ (neevu tinnuttiri)
- He/She eats: ಅವನು/ಅವಳು ತಿನ್ನುತ್ತಾನೆ/ತಿನ್ನುತ್ತಾಳೆ (avanu/avaḷu tinnuttaane/tinnuttaaḷe)
6. Tenses (ಕಾಲಗಳು - Kaalagaḷu)
Present Tense (ವರ್ತಮಾನ ಕಾಲ - Vartamaana Kaala)
Formed by adding -ಉತ್ತ- + personal endings to the verb root:
ಬರು (baru - to come) → ಬರುತ್ತೇನೆ (baruttene - I come)
ಹೋಗು (hogu - to go) → ಹೋಗುತ್ತೇನೆ (hoguttene - I go)
Past Tense (ಭೂತಕಾಲ - Bhootakaala)
Formed by adding -ಇದ್ದ- or -ಇತು endings:
ಬಂದೆ (bande - I came)
ಹೋದೆ (hode - I went)
ತಿಂದೆ (tinde - I ate)
Future Tense (ಭವಿಷ್ಯತ್ ಕಾಲ - Bhavishyat Kaala)
Formed by adding -ಉವ- endings:
ಬರುವೆ (baruve - I will come)
ಹೋಗುವೆ (hoguve - I will go)
7. Cases (ವಿಭಕ್ತಿಗಳು - Vibhaktigaḷu)
Kannada has 8 cases that show the relationship between words in a sentence:
- Nominative (ಪ್ರಥಮಾ): Subject of the sentence - ಹುಡುಗ (huduga - boy)
- Accusative (ದ್ವಿತೀಯಾ): Direct object - ಹುಡುಗನನ್ನು (huduganannu - boy [object])
- Instrumental (ತೃತೀಯಾ): Means/instrument - ಹುಡುಗನಿಂದ (huduganiṃda - by the boy)
- Dative (ಚತುರ್ಥೀ): To/for someone - ಹುಡುಗನಿಗೆ (huduganuige - to the boy)
- Ablative (ಪಂಚಮೀ): From/away from - ಹುಡುಗನಿಂದ (huduganiṃda - from the boy)
- Genitive (ಷಷ್ಠೀ): Possession - ಹುಡುಗನ (hudugana - boy's)
- Locative (ಸಪ್ತಮೀ): Location - ಹುಡುಗನಲ್ಲಿ (huduganallu - in the boy)
- Vocative (ಸಂಬೋಧನೆ): Addressing - ಹುಡುಗಾ (hudugaa - O boy!)
8. Postpositions (ಅನುಸರ್ಗಗಳು - Anusargagaḷu)
Unlike English prepositions, Kannada uses postpositions that come after the noun:
- ಮೇಲೆ (mele - on/above): ಮೇಜಿನ ಮೇಲೆ (mejina mele - on the table)
- ಕೆಳಗೆ (keḷage - below/under): ಮೇಜಿನ ಕೆಳಗೆ (mejina keḷage - under the table)
- ಹತ್ತಿರ (hattira - near): ಮನೆಯ ಹತ್ತಿರ (maneya hattira - near the house)
- ಒಳಗೆ (oḷage - inside): ಮನೆಯ ಒಳಗೆ (maneya oḷage - inside the house)
- ಹೊರಗೆ (horage - outside): ಮನೆಯ ಹೊರಗೆ (maneya horage - outside the house)
9. Question Formation (ಪ್ರಶ್ನೆ ರಚನೆ - Prashne Rachane)
Questions are formed using question words or by adding question particles:
Question Words:
- ಏನು (enu - what): ಇದು ಏನು? (idu enu? - What is this?)
- ಯಾರು (yaaru - who): ಅವರು ಯಾರು? (avaru yaaru? - Who are they?)
- ಎಲ್ಲಿ (elli - where): ನೀವು ಎಲ್ಲಿದ್ದೀರಿ? (neevu elliddiri? - Where are you?)
- ಯಾವಾಗ (yaavaaga - when): ನೀವು ಯಾವಾಗ ಬರುತ್ತೀರಿ? (neevu yaavaaga baruttiri? - When will you come?)
- ಹೇಗೆ (hege - how): ಇದನ್ನು ಹೇಗೆ ಮಾಡುವುದು? (idannu hege maaduvudu? - How to do this?)
- ಯಾಕೆ (yaake - why): ನೀವು ಯಾಕೆ ಬಂದಿದ್ದೀರಿ? (neevu yaake bandiddiri? - Why did you come?)
Yes/No Questions:
Add -ಆ (-aa) particle at the end:
ನೀವು ಬರುತ್ತೀರಾ? (neevu baruttiraa? - Will you come?)
ಇದು ಒಳ್ಳೆಯದಾ? (idu olleyadaa? - Is this good?)
10. Negation (ನಕಾರಾತ್ಮಕತೆ - Nakaaraatmakateg)
Negative sentences are formed by adding negative particles:
- ಇಲ್ಲ (illa - no/not): ನಾನು ಬರುವುದಿಲ್ಲ (naanu baruvudilla - I won't come)
- ಅಲ್ಲ (alla - not/no): ಅದು ನನ್ನದಲ್ಲ (adu nannadalla - That's not mine)
- For "don't know": ಗೊತ್ತಿಲ್ಲ (gottilla)
- For "don't have": ಇಲ್ಲ (illa)
11. Respectful and Informal Speech
Kannada has different levels of formality and respect:
Informal (used with friends, younger people):
- ನೀನು ಏನು ಮಾಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದೀಯ? (neenu enu maaduttiddeya? - What are you doing?)
- ಬಾ (baa - come [informal command])
Formal/Respectful (used with elders, strangers):
- ನೀವು ಏನು ಮಾಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದೀರಿ? (neevu enu maaduttiddiri? - What are you doing?)
- ಬನ್ನಿ (banni - please come [respectful command])
Honorific Suffixes:
- -ಅವರು (-avaru): ಗುರುಗಳವರು (gurugaḷavaru - respected teacher)
- -ಗಾರ (-gaara): ವೈದ್ಯಗಾರ (vaidyagaara - doctor sir)
12. Compound Words (ಸಂಯುಕ್ತ ಪದಗಳು - Samyukta Padagaḷu)
Kannada frequently uses compound words by joining two or more words:
- ಪಠ್ಯಪುಸ್ತಕ (paṭhyapustaka) = ಪಠ್ಯ (text) + ಪುಸ್ತಕ (book) = textbook
- ರೈಲುನಿಲ್ದಾಣ (railunildaana) = ರೈಲು (train) + ನಿಲ್ದಾಣ (station) = railway station
- ಜನ್ಮದಿನ (janmadina) = ಜನ್ಮ (birth) + ದಿನ (day) = birthday
13. Sandhi Rules (ಸಂಧಿ ನಿಯಮಗಳು - Sandhi Niyamagaḷu)
When words combine, letters at the junction may change according to sandhi rules:
ಮನೆ + ಇಲ್ಲಿ → ಮನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ (in the house)
ಅವನು + ಉಂಡು → ಅವನುಂಡು (he ate)
14. Participles (ಕೃದಂತಗಳು - Krudantagaḷu)
Participles are verb forms that function as adjectives:
- Present participle: ಓದುತ್ತಿರುವ ಹುಡುಗ (odutttiruva huduga - the boy who is reading)
- Past participle: ಓದಿದ ಪುಸ್ತಕ (odida pustaka - the book that was read)
- Future participle: ಓದುವ ಪುಸ್ತಕ (oduva pustaka - the book to be read)
15. Conditional Sentences (ಷರತ್ತುಬದ್ಧ ವಾಕ್ಯಗಳು - Sharattubaddha Vaakyagaḷu)
Conditional sentences use -ಆದರೆ (-aadare - if) and -ಆಗ (-aaga - then):
ಮಳೆ ಬಂದರೆ ಮನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಇರುತ್ತೇನೆ
(maḷe bandare maneyalli iruttene - If it rains, I will stay at home)
Tips to Learn Kannada Fast
- Start with the script: Master the Kannada alphabet first. Practice writing each letter multiple times daily until you can recognize and write them fluently.
- Learn common phrases: Focus on everyday expressions you'll use frequently in conversations. Start with greetings, basic questions, and essential verbs.
- Practice with native speakers: Find language exchange partners or join Kannada conversation groups. Regular conversation practice is crucial for fluency.
- Watch Kannada movies and TV shows: Start with subtitles in your native language, then switch to Kannada subtitles, and eventually watch without subtitles.
- Listen to Kannada music and podcasts: This helps with pronunciation, rhythm, and getting familiar with the natural flow of the language.
- Use flashcards for vocabulary: Create physical or digital flashcards for regular vocabulary review. Include the Kannada script, pronunciation, and meaning.
- Read children's books and simple stories: Start with basic texts and gradually progress to more complex literature as your reading skills improve.
- Practice daily: Consistency is key. Even 15-20 minutes of daily practice is more effective than long, infrequent study sessions.
- Learn cultural context: Understanding Karnataka's culture, traditions, and social customs helps grasp language nuances and usage better.
- Use language learning apps and technology: Leverage modern tools, apps, and online resources for interactive and engaging learning experiences.
- Focus on pronunciation from the beginning: Kannada has specific sounds that don't exist in other languages. Practice them correctly from the start.
- Join online communities: Participate in forums, social media groups, and online communities dedicated to Kannada learning for support and practice.
- Keep a language journal: Write daily entries in Kannada, starting with simple sentences and gradually increasing complexity.
- Learn word families and roots: Understanding how words are formed and related helps build vocabulary more efficiently.
- Practice active listening: Focus on understanding spoken Kannada in different contexts - formal speech, casual conversation, and regional accents.
- Use the language in real situations: Try ordering food, asking for directions, or shopping in Kannada whenever possible.
- Don't fear making mistakes: Errors are part of the learning process. Native speakers appreciate effort and will often help correct mistakes kindly.
- Learn regional variations: Karnataka has different dialects. Familiarize yourself with the one most relevant to your needs or location.
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