Welcome to your first Odia lesson! Today we'll learn the basic building blocks of the Odia script.
Vowels (ସ୍ୱରବର୍ଣ୍ଣ)
Odia has 12 vowels. Let's start with the most common ones:
| Odia | Transliteration | Sound | Example Word |
|---|---|---|---|
| ଅ | a | "u" in "but" | ଅନ୍ନ (anna - rice) |
| ଆ | ā | "a" in "father" | ଆମ (āma - mango) |
| ଇ | i | "i" in "sit" | ଇଲିଶ (iliśa - hilsa fish) |
| ଈ | ī | "ee" in "see" | ଈଶ୍ୱର (īśwara - god) |
| ଉ | u | "u" in "put" | ଉଲୁ (ulu - owl) |
| ଊ | ū | "oo" in "moon" | ଊନ (ūna - wool) |
Practice These!
Try writing each vowel 5 times:
ଅ ଅ ଅ ଅ ଅ
ଆ ଆ ଆ ଆ ଆ
ଇ ଇ ଇ ଇ ଇ
Consonants (ବ୍ୟଞ୍ଜନବର୍ଣ୍ଣ)
Odia has 36 consonants. Let's learn the first 5 (ବର୍ଗ):
| Odia | Transliteration | Sound |
|---|---|---|
| କ | ka | "k" in "kite" |
| ଖ | kha | "kh" (aspirated k) |
| ଗ | ga | "g" in "go" |
| ଘ | gha | "gh" (aspirated g) |
| ଙ | ṅa | "ng" in "sing" |
Your First Words
Let's combine what you've learned:
- ✦କା (kā) = "caw" (sound a crow makes)
- ✦ଖା (khā) = "eat" (command)
- ✦ଗୋ (go) = "cow"
Practice Exercise
Read these simple syllables:
- ✦କ + ଆ = କା
- ✦ଖ + ଇ = ଖି
- ✦ଗ + ଉ = ଗୁ
Key Takeaway
Odia letters are round because they were written on palm leaves. Sharp corners would tear the leaves!
Congratulations! You've learned your first Odia letters. In the next lesson, we'll learn numbers.