This is a guide that explains how to read (and pronounce) the Kannada language when it is written using the English alphabet and diacritics. I hope it proves useful.
Vowels:
| Letter | Pronounced like | Letter | Pronunced like |
| a | another | e | pen |
| ā | father | ē | hey |
| i | pin | ai | aisle |
| ī | need | o | opinion |
| u | oops (short u) | ō | yoke |
| ū | mood | au | flautist |
| ṛ | cruise (rolled r) | am | hum |
Consonants:
| Letter | Pronounced like | Letter | Pronounced like |
| ka | paprika | tha (aspirate) | pronounced like th (but with an out-breath) |
| kha (aspirate, out-breath) | thick honey (imagine pronouncing the two words together very fast) | da | the |
| ga | saga | dha (aspirate) | pronounced like the (but with an out-breath) |
| gha (aspirate) | big honey | na | cane |
| ṅa | ink | pa | epic |
| ca | chutney | pha (aspirate) | scoop honey |
| cha (aspirate) | much honey | ba | scuba |
| ja | japan | bha (aspirate) | rub honey |
| jha (aspirate) | raj honey | ma | aroma |
| na (pronounced like the regular n) | ninja | ya | employ |
| ṭa | turkey | ra | arachnid |
| ṭha (aspirate) | borscht honey | la | hula |
| ḍa | should | va | swill |
| ḍha (aspirate) | should honey | sh | shut (both with and without an out-breath) |
| ṇa (retroflex; say n, but get the tongue to touch the roof of the mouth) | NA | sa | suppose |
| ta | thing | ha | humble |
