Welcome to the Georgian script, known as Mkhedruli (მხედრული). It’s a beautiful and unique writing system with 33 letters. Unlike English, where letters can have many different sounds (think of the 'a' in 'apple', 'father', and 'gate'), Georgian is almost completely phonetic. This is great news for learners.

This means once you learn the sound for each letter, you can read any Georgian word. There are no silent letters or tricky combinations to memorize. Let's dive in and look at the full alphabet. The chart below shows the modern 33-letter alphabet, along with some older letters that are no longer in use.

Let's go through the letters. We'll break them into smaller groups. Grab a piece of paper and try writing each one as you go. Pay close attention to the pronunciation guide. Some sounds will be familiar, but a few are unique to Georgian.

Easy enough, right? Those first seven letters have straightforward English equivalents. Let's continue with the next batch.

Here we meet our first tricky letters. The sound for თ (tan) is an aspirated 't', like the 't' in the English word 'top'. You should feel a little puff of air when you say it.

Conversely, კ (k'an) is an ejective 'k'. To make this sound, you pronounce a 'k' sound while simultaneously closing your glottis, creating a sharp, popping sound with no puff of air. It's a sound that doesn't exist in English, so it takes practice.

Let's move on. This next group has a few more unique sounds.

Notice the three 'p' and 't' sounds. ფ (par) is like the English 'p' in 'pie', with air. პ (p'ar) is the ejective version, with no air. Similarly, თ (tan) is the airy 't', while ტ (t'ar) is the sharp, ejective 't'.

Ready for the final set? These include the guttural sounds, which are produced in the back of the throat.

The letters ღ (ghan), ყ (q'ar), and ხ (khan) can be the most challenging for English speakers. They are all pronounced in the back of the throat. The best way to learn them is to listen to native speakers and imitate the sounds.

Now that you've seen all the letters, the most important step is to practice. Write them out. Say them aloud. Look for Georgian text online or in books and try to sound out the words. You’ll be surprised how quickly you can start to recognize them.

Here are a few simple words to practice reading. See if you can sound them out based on the tables above.

Keep practicing the alphabet until it feels familiar. It's the foundation for everything else you'll learn in Georgian.

Ready to test your knowledge? Let's see how well you remember the letters and their sounds.

Learning a new alphabet is a big step. By mastering these 33 characters, you've unlocked the ability to read and pronounce an entire language.