Welcome to the Georgian language, or ქართული ენა (kartuli ena). The first step to learning it is getting to know its unique alphabet, called მხედრული (Mkhedruli). It has 33 letters, and it doesn't look like any other writing system in the world.

The best part? Georgian is almost perfectly phonetic. Words are pronounced exactly as they are written. Once you know the sound each letter makes, you can read any word you see. This makes learning to read much easier than in languages like English or French, where spelling can be tricky.

Let's dive into the 33 letters of the Mkhedruli script. Below is a complete list showing each letter, its name, its Latin equivalent, and a guide to its pronunciation. Some sounds will be familiar, while others are unique to Georgian and might take a little practice.

Notice the letters with an apostrophe in their transliteration (კ, პ, ტ, წ, ჭ). These are ejective consonants. To make this sound, you pronounce the consonant while holding your breath, creating a sharp, popping sound.

The Georgian script has a long and fascinating history. The current alphabet, Mkhedruli, is the most recent of three writing systems that have been used for the language. It became the standard script for secular and everyday writing around the 11th century, eventually replacing the older ecclesiastical script called Khutsuri.

The alphabet used to have more letters. In the 19th century, five letters were removed because they were considered redundant. These letters are no longer used in modern Georgian but can be found in older texts.

Now it's time to put your new knowledge to the test. Try sounding out these simple Georgian words using the table above as your guide. Remember, it’s phonetic, so just pronounce each letter one by one.

Learning a new alphabet takes time and practice. Don't worry if it feels challenging at first. Keep reviewing the letters and their sounds, and you'll be reading Georgian before you know it.