Kannada phrasebook

Vowels

The key distinction is the difference between short and long vowels. In this phrase book, the short vowels are noted with small letters [a, e, i, o, u] and long vowels are noted with capital letters [A, E, I, O, U]. You will often come across non-standard romanizations, noted in table below when applicable.

Diphthongs

Consonants

Many Kannada consonants come in three different forms: aspirated, unaspirated and retroflex.

Aspiration means "with a puff of air", and is the difference between the sound of the letter "p" in English pin (aspirated) and spit (unaspirated). In this phrasebook, aspirated sounds are spelled with an h (so English "pin" would be phin) and unaspirated sounds without it (so "spit" is still spit). Kannada aspiration is quite forceful and it's OK to emphasize the puff.

Kannada retroflex consonants, on the other hand, are not really found in English. They should be pronounced with the tongue tip curled back.

Cultural notes

Greetings: There are no time elemental greetings in Kannada such as good morning, good afternoon, etc. And each language has its own greetings. It is considered very gracious to address a person by their respective greetings. In India, Namaskāra is the most ubiquitous greeting, and though of Sanskrit origin is now mostly used all across India. It is said with hands folded and a small gesture of bowing. Namaskāra literally means "I bow to you." Namaste has the same meaning, but is used less often in Kannada. After meeting someone for the first time nimmanna kaNDu bahaLa khushi āyitu [ನಿಮ್ಮನ್ನ ಕಂಡು ಬಹಳ ಖುಶಿ’ಆಯಿತು] may be said, meaning "I am delighted/happy to see you"

Civilities: In Western cultures saying phrases like please, thank you, you're welcome, excuse me, sorry, etc. are so ingrained into them from a young age that they use these phrases without a second thought. Not so for Indians. In India, saying such phrases in an inappropriate circumstance might even embarrass the person, or cheapen the gravity of the phrase itself. These phrases are only said in a sincere sense. For example, don't say dhanyavāda [ಧನ್ಯವಾದ]/nimminda bahaLa upakāra vāyitu [ನಿಮ್ಮಿಂದ ಬಹಳ ಉಪಕಾರವಾಯಿತು] (thank you) after a clerk hands you your grocery bag, but don't forget to use it when someone goes out of their way to do something nice for you. Sometimes English words themselves are used; due to the British colonial influence, especially in urban areas and among the upper class. In this case use them as you would in English. In India, a majority of times these kind of phrases/sentiments are merely communicated through body language rather than verbally. To show your thanks, a simple smile will do the trick. Other common gestures include the infamous "head bobble"; and a hand gesture made by swiftly swinging the wrist so your palm is facing the sky and your forefingers slightly elongated. The

Prefixes & suffixes:

While referring to a person For majority of words rī (ರೀ) may be added as a suffix to give it a more polite tone. The rī word itself could be used to refer a person. For Example, Mr. Murray please come over here may be said as ರೀ Murray ಬರ್ರಿ ಇಲ್ಲಿ (rI Murray barri illi). The suffix avaru is used with a person's name as a sign of respect. For Example: Mr. Murray is often referred to as Murray avaru. Few more suffixes which are indispensable are avanu (ಅವನು) avaLu (ಅವಳು) and avaru (ಅವರು). With nouns it gives the meaning "the person(he, she) that does" and with verbs, it indicates something is happening.

Examples:

• noun – shop (ಅಂಗಡಿ angaDi) + avanu = shopkeeper (ಅಂಗಡಿಯವನು... angaDiyavanu)
• verb – to see (ನೋಡು nODu) + avaru = onlookers (ನೋಡುವವರು ... nODuvavaru)

English loan words: The British colonial influence spread into the language itself, and this continues today with American culture being exported throughout the world. So, an English word or phrase may almost always be inserted into any Kannada sentence. You will often hear Indians, whom while talking in their native languages, pepper their sentences with English words. English loan words are particularly used for modern inventions/technologies, so words like TV, computer and microwave are the same as in English apart from the slight change of accent. However; this is mostly in the cities, and learning Kannada will have been all the more rewarding when in rural or non-tourist areas, as well as allowing you to communicate with a wider variety of people in the cities.

Basics

More basics

Useful phrases

More useful phrases

Short sentences

Interrogatives

Problems

Numbers

The numerals used to write in decimal are called Indo-Arabic numerals. Developed in India, they were borrowed by the Arabs, and gradually spread to Europe. The similarities are hard to miss. Here are their respective numerals.

Ordinals

Multiplication

Frequency

Aggregation

Time

Colours

Transportation

Lodging

Money

Eating

Bars

On the phone

Shopping

Driving

Authority

Typical Kannada formal expressions

Family