Telugu alphabet

The origins of the Telugu alphabet can be traced by to the Brahmi alphabet of ancient India, which developed into an alphabet used for both Telugu and Kannada, which in turn split into two separate alphabets between the 12th and 15th centuries AD.

The earliest known inscriptions containing Telugu words appear on coins that date back to 400 BC. The first inscription entirely in Telugu was made in 575 AD and was probably made by Renati Cholas, who started writing royal proclamations in Telugu instead of Sanskrit. Telugu developed as a poetical and literary language during the 11th century.

Until the 20th century Telugu was written in an archaic style very different from the everyday spoken language. During the the second half of the 20th century, a new written standard emerged based on the modern spoken language. In 2008 Telugu was designated as a classical language by the Indian government.

Notable features

Type of writing system: syllabic alphabet in which all consonants have an inherent vowel. Diacritics, which can appear above, below, before or after the consonant they belong to, are used to change the inherent vowel.
When they appear the the beginning of a syllable, vowels are written as independent letters.
When certain consonants occur together, special conjunct symbols are used which combine the essential parts of each letter.
Direction of writing: left to right in horizontal lines

Used to write:

Telugu, a Dravidian language spoken by about 75 million people mainly in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, where it is the official language. It is also spoken in such neighbouring states as Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Orissa, Maharashtra and Chattisgarh, and is one of the 22 scheduled languages of India.

There are also quite a few Telugu speakers in Canada, the USA, Malaysia, Mauritius, Myanmar and Réunion.

Source: http://www.ethnologue.com

Telugu alphabet

Vowels

Telugu vowels and vowel diacritics

Consonants

Telugu consonants

Conjunct consonants

Telugu conjunct consonants

Other symbols

Other Telugu symbols

Numerals

Telugu numerals

Sample text in Telugu

Transliteration

Pratipattisvatvamul visyamun mānavulellarunu janmataḥ svataṁtrulunu samānulunu naguduru. Vāru vivēdanāṁtaḥkaraṇ saṁpannulaguṭačē parasparamu bʰrātṛbʰāvamutō vartiṁpavalayunu.

Translation

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
(Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)

Useful phrases in Telugu | Tower of Babel in Telugu | Numbers in Telugu