Telugu Pronunciation: Aspirated and Retroflex Sounds

Telugu has a rich set of consonants. Two features cause the most difficulty for English speakers.

Aspirated consonants

Aspirated sounds have a puff of air after the consonant. Telugu contrasts them with unaspirated ones:

Plain	Aspirated
క (ka)	ఖ (kha)
గ (ga)	ఘ (gha)
చ (cha)	ఛ (chha)
త (tha)	థ (thha)
ప (pa)	ఫ (pha)

Hold your hand in front of your mouth. For the aspirated sound, you feel a burst of air.

Retroflex consonants

For ట ఠ డ ఢ ణ, the tongue tip curls back and touches the roof of the mouth. They sound deeper than the dental త థ ద ధ న, which are made with the tongue at the teeth.

Practise the pairs:

• తల (thala), head, with a dental t
• టీ (tee), tea, with a retroflex t
• దాహం (dhaaham), thirst
• డబ్బు (dabbu), money

English t and d

English t and d fall in between. A common mistake is to use the English sounds for both sets, which can blur the difference.

Long and short sounds

Doubled consonants are held longer:

• అమ్మ (amma), mother, with a long m
• అక్క (akka), older sister, with a long k

The sound ళ

ళ is a retroflex l, made by curling the tongue back, as in కళ్లు (kallu), eyes.

Practising

1. Listen to native speakers and repeat.
2. Say pairs aloud, feeling the tongue.
3. Record yourself and compare.

Do not worry

People will understand you even if the sounds are not perfect. Practice improves them over time.

Tips

1. Practise with a hand in front of your mouth.
2. Learn the dental/retroflex pairs.
3. Use the dictionary to check spelling.

Look up any Telugu word with English Telugu Dictionary →