ParrotBack / Georgian / Alphabet
33 letters · Georgian (Mkhedruli) The Georgian alphabet
Georgian has its own alphabet, called Mkhedruli, with 33 letters. It has no capital letters, and every letter is one sound. It is one of only a handful of writing systems in the world and has been used for more than a thousand years. Below are all 33 letters with an English pronunciation hint and an example word with audio from a real native speaker.
Georgian has ejective consonants: sounds made with a short burst of air. They are marked with an apostrophe below (k’, p’, t’, ts’, ch’, q’) and sound sharper than their plain partners.
| Letter | Latin letters | Sounds like | Example word |
|---|---|---|---|
| ა | a | a in father | ახალგაზრდა axalgazrda Youth |
| ბ | b | b in boy | ბიჭი biWi Boy |
| გ | g | g in go | გოგო gogo Girl |
| დ | d | d in dog | დედა deda Mother |
| ე | e | e in bed | ენა ena Tongue |
| ვ | v | v in van | ვირი viri Donkey |
| ზ | z | z in zoo | ზურგი zurgi Back |
| თ | t | t in top (with a puff of air) | თავი Tavi Head |
| ი | i | ee in see | იდაყვი idayvi Elbow |
| კ | k’ | k with a sharp burst, no air | კაცი kaci Man |
| ლ | l | l in lamp | ლოყა loya Cheek |
| მ | m | m in man | მეტსახელი metsaxeli Nickname |
| ნ | n | n in net | ნათესავი naTesavi Cousin |
| ო | o | o in more | ოჯახი ojaxi Family |
| პ | p’ | p with a sharp burst, no air | პირი piri Mouth |
| ჟ | zh | s in measure | ჟაკეტი Jaketi Jacket |
| რ | r | rolled r | რადიო radio Radio |
| ს | s | s in sun | სახელი saxeli Name |
| ტ | t’ | t with a sharp burst, no air | ტყუპი tyupi Twin |
| უ | u | oo in moon | ულვაშები ulvaSebi Moustache |
| ფ | p | p in pot (with a puff of air) | ფეხისთითი fexisTiTi Toe |
| ქ | k | k in kit (with a puff of air) | ქალი qali Woman |
| ღ | gh | gargled g, like French r | ღვიძლი RviZli Liver |
| ყ | q’ | k said deep in the throat, with a burst | ყური yuri Ear |
| შ | sh | sh in ship | შვილიშვილი SviliSvili Grandchild |
| ჩ | ch | ch in cheese | ჩაიდანი Caidani Teapot |
| ც | ts | ts in cats | ცოლი coli Wife |
| ძ | dz | ds in beds | ძმა Zma Brother |
| წ | ts’ | ts with a sharp burst | წარბი warbi Eyebrow |
| ჭ | ch’ | ch with a sharp burst | ჭერი Weri Ceiling |
| ხ | kh | ch in Scottish loch | ხელმოწერა xelmowera Signature |
| ჯ | j | j in jam | ჯამი jami Bowl |
| ჰ | h | h in house | ჰალსტუხი halstuki Tie |
Next steps
Listen to every word by topic in the free Georgian vocabulary (439 words), then hear real Georgian phrases at two speeds.