Learn Kannada Blog

Tips, phrases, and guides to help you speak Kannada

At the Doctor's Office: Medical Kannada

Essential Kannada phrases for describing symptoms, visiting the pharmacy, and explaining allergies. With Kannada script and romanization throughout.

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Body Parts in Kannada: 50 Essential Words

Learn 50 body parts in Kannada with script, romanization, and IPA. Covers head-to-toe vocabulary, singular/plural pairs, idioms, and Karnataka gestures.

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Ugadi: The Kannada New Year

Ugadi falls in March or April and marks the Kannada New Year. Learn about bevu-bella, panchanga reading, and how to greet people on the day in Kannada.

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The Vijayanagara Empire: Hampi and Kannada History

Explore the Vijayanagara Empire (1336–1646 CE) — Hampi's ruins, Krishnadevaraya's reign, and the Kannada literature that flourished under its kings.

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Religious Vocabulary in Kannada: Hindu Karnataka

Learn Kannada religious terms used in everyday speech — puja, devastane, Lingayat vocabulary like vibhuti, Vaishnava terms, and greetings rooted in devotion.

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10 Ways to Say Thank You in Kannada

Ten ways to say thank you in Kannada, from formal Dhanyavadagalu to casual thanks, the religious devastane register, plus how Kannadigas deflect gratitude.

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Sandalwood: A Beginner's Guide to Kannada Cinema

Discover Kannada cinema — why it's called Sandalwood, its masters like Puttanna Kanagal, and how KGF and Kantara went global.

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Emergency Phrases in Kannada: Hospital, Police, Lost

Kannada emergency phrases for hospital, police, theft, and getting lost in Karnataka — with script, romanization, IPA, and real Bangalore location details.

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Colors in Kannada with Cultural Notes

Learn 12 Kannada color words with script, romanization, and IPA — plus the cultural weight of yellow turmeric and red kumkum in Karnataka's everyday life.

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Days, Months, and the Kannada Calendar

Learn the 7 Kannada days, both Gregorian and Hindu lunar months, how Karnataka uses two calendars at once, plus phrases like next Friday and last month.

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Family Members in Kannada: 40 Words You Need

Learn 40 Kannada family vocabulary words with script, romanization, and the paternal/maternal distinctions that make Karnataka's kinship system precise.

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Shopping and Bargaining in Kannada: Markets and Malls

Bargain at KR Market and Commercial Street in Kannada — price questions, counter-offers, numbers, and when fixed price means fixed price in Bangalore.

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How to Introduce Yourself in Kannada (With Cultural Context)

First-meeting phrases in Kannada: name, hometown, why you're learning, formal vs informal registers, and the questions Kannadigas actually ask.

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Kannada Food Vocabulary: From Bisi Bele Bath to Mysore Pak

Master Karnataka food vocabulary — staple grains, iconic dishes, sweets like Mysore pak and holige, and the Bangalore filter coffee tradition with Kannada script.

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Kannada Pronunciation for English Speakers: 6 Tricky Sounds

Fix your Kannada pronunciation early: aspirated vs unaspirated stops, retroflex consonants, vowel length, the ಳ lateral, and gemination explained with audio tips.

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Kannada vs Telugu vs Tamil: South Indian Language Differences

How do Kannada, Telugu, and Tamil actually differ? Script, grammar, vocabulary, and mutual intelligibility explained with a 20-word comparison table.

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Kannada Question Words: Yaru, Yenu, Ellige, Yavaaga, Yaake

Master Kannada's five core question words — who, what, where, when, why — with 20 Q&A pairs, yes/no question forms, and sentence-position rules.

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Ordering Food in Kannada: A Restaurant Phrasebook

Order South Indian food confidently in Kannada: tiffin items, Karnataka dishes, spice requests, and restaurant phrases from darshinis to sit-down meals.

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Kannada Verb Tenses: A Beginner's Survey

Learn Kannada's past, present, and future tenses through full conjugation of māḍu (to do), how verb endings change by pronoun, and how negation works.

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Kannada Pronouns: Nivu, Ninu, and the Honorific System

Master Kannada's formal and informal 'you' — nivu vs ninu — plus the honorific avaru, verb agreement, and the social cost of getting the register wrong.

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Mysore Dasara: Vocabulary, Tradition, and What to Say

Learn the Kannada vocabulary for Karnataka's greatest festival — Dasara's 10-day structure, the Jambu Savari procession, Mysore Palace illumination, and how to greet.

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25 Kannada Phrases Every Traveler Needs

Survival Kannada for travelers to Bangalore, Mysore, and Karnataka: greetings, bargaining, directions, emergencies, and the polite extras locals notice.

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Bangalore's Kannada vs Pure Kannada: The Urban Mix

Discover how English, Hindi, and tech jargon shape spoken Bangalore Kannada — and what 'pure' Kannada actually means on the street and in politics.

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The Kannada Alphabet: A Complete Guide to All 49 Letters

Every Kannada letter, grouped the way native readers learn it: 13 vowels, 34 consonants by articulation point, plus anusvara and visarga, with romanization.

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Essential Kannada Greetings and Polite Phrases

Learn the core Kannada greeting set: Namaskara vs casual Hi, time-of-day phrases, how to ask after someone's wellbeing, and the -ri suffix that marks respect.

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Kannada Numbers 1 to 100: How to Count in Kannada

Count 1 to 100 in Kannada with Kannada numerals, word forms, romanization, and the compound-number patterns that make higher numbers predictable.

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Kannada Phrases Every Bangalore Newcomer Needs

Moving to Bangalore? These essential Kannada phrases will help you navigate auto rides, restaurants, and daily life in Karnataka.

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Kannada Script Basics: How to Read and Write in Kannada

Learn the fundamentals of Kannada script — its rounded characters, vowels, consonants, and how it relates to other South Indian writing systems.

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