The Georgian Alphabet (Mkhedruli)
The 33-letter Mkhedruli alphabet: one letter = one sound, no capital letters.
I can read Mkhedruli letters and recognize the aspirated/ejective consonant pairs.
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
გამარჯობა, მე ანა ვარ.
Hello, I am Ana.
ეს არის თბილისი.
This is Tbilisi.
მიყვარს ხაჭაპური და ყავა.
I love khachapuri and coffee.
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
The Georgian Alphabet (Mkhedruli)
Georgian is written in Mkhedruli, a 33-letter alphabet used since the 11th century. Three things make it friendly for beginners: every letter stands for exactly one sound, words are spelled the way they are pronounced, and there are no capital letters at all.
What needs practice is the set of consonants that come in pairs: aspirated ქ, ფ, თ, ც, ჩ (with a puff of air) versus ejective კ, პ, ტ, წ, ჭ and ყ (a short 'popped' sound made with the throat). Swapping them can change the word: ქარი (wind) vs კარი (door).
Start by reading real signs: თბილისი (Tbilisi), ბათუმი (Batumi), ხაჭაპური (khachapuri).
Reading Mkhedruli like Latin or Cyrillic look-alikes (ი is 'i', not a Latin 'o' shape). Ignoring the aspirated/ejective contrast: ქარი (wind) vs კარი (door) are different words. Writing capital letters - Georgian has none, even for names.
Common Error Patterns
Misreading Mkhedruli letters or ignoring aspirated/ejective contrast
Drill minimal pairs like ქარი/კარი with audio.
გამარჯობა, მე ანა ვარ.
Hello, I am Ana.
გამარჯობა (gamarjoba) = hello; literally a wish of victory.
ეს არის თბილისი.
This is Tbilisi.
Practice reading: თ-ბ-ი-ლ-ი-ს-ი, each letter is one sound.
მიყვარს ხაჭაპური და ყავა.
I love khachapuri and coffee.
ჭ in ხაჭაპური is ejective ch'; ყ in ყავა is the throat sound q'.
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises