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The Georgian Alphabets: How Many Scripts Are There?

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The Georgian language alphabet is unique among world scripts, with a rich history that surprises many learners and linguists. Instead of a single writing system, the Georgian language actually has three different scripts, each with its own shape, history, and role in preserving Georgian culture.

  • Asomtavruli: The oldest Georgian script, dating back to the 5th century, used historically for religious manuscripts and inscriptions.
  • Nuskhuri: Evolving around the 9th century, this script was used primarily in ecclesiastical texts, often paired with Asomtavruli in religious documents.
  • Mkhedruli: The modern Georgian script in everyday use today, developed around the 11th century and used for all contemporary writing in the Georgian language alphabet.

These three scripts share the same letters and sounds, which means that despite their visual differences, they align in terms of pronunciation. This layered history of the Georgian language alphabet shows the evolution of a language deeply tied to its identity and resilience.

Are you ready to delve into the three Georgian alphabets? If you are only interested in the modern script used today, you can skip ahead to the last section on the Mkhedruli Georgian Alphabet.

The Asomtavruli Georgian Alphabet

The Asomtavruli Georgian Alphabet (also known as Mrgvlovani) is the oldest form of the Georgian language alphabet, dating back to the 5th century. It emerged as part of Georgia’s Christianisation, used for religious manuscripts, inscriptions, and stone carvings. This alphabet laid the foundation for the Georgian written tradition, reflecting the cultural and religious identity of the Georgian people.

Historically, the Asomtavruli script was used by the Georgian Apostolic Autocephalous Orthodox Church, appearing in psalms, hymns, and inscriptions on icons and church items. It remains in ceremonial and decorative use, preserved by traditional craftspeople such as icon-painters, goldsmiths, and embroiderers, as well as by theological schools and scholars, helping to maintain a sense of cultural continuity across generations.

Despite its visual differences, the Asomtavruli Georgian Alphabet aligns with the same Georgian language pronunciation system used today, making it accessible to those studying Georgian for linguistic or cultural purposes.

Letters and Pronunciation in the Asomtavruli Georgian Alphabet

The Asomtavruli Georgian Alphabet consists of 38 letters in its classical form, though modern Georgian recognises 33 letters for practical use. Here are the 33 letters with their pronunciation, following scholarly transliteration to align with modern Georgian language pronunciation standards:

  1. Ⴀ (Ani) – /ɑ/ as in father 
  2. Ⴁ (Bani) – /b/ as in bat 
  3. Ⴂ (Gani) – /ɡ/ as in go 
  4. Ⴃ (Doni) – /d/ as in dog 
  5. Ⴄ (Eni) – /ɛ/ as in bed 
  6. Ⴅ (Vini) – /v/ as in voice 
  7. Ⴆ (Zeni) – /z/ as in zoo 
  8. Ⴇ (Tan) – /tʼ/ ejective t (glottalised)
  9. Ⴈ (In) – /i/ as in machine 
  10. Ⴉ (Kan) – /kʼ/ ejective k (glottalised)
  11. Ⴊ (Las) – /l/ as in light 
  12. Ⴋ (Man) – /m/ as in man 
  13. Ⴌ (Nar) – /n/ as in no 
  14. Ⴍ (On) – /ɔ/ as in thought 
  15. Ⴎ (Par) – /pʼ/ ejective p (glottalised)
  16. Ⴏ (Zhar) – /ʒ/ as in measure 
  17. Ⴐ (Rae) – /r/ rolled r 
  18. Ⴑ (San) – /s/ as in see 
  19. Ⴒ (Tar) – /t/ as in stop 
  20. Ⴓ (Un) – /u/ as in rule 
  21. Ⴔ (Phar) – /pʰ/ aspirated p 
  22. Ⴕ (Khar) – /kʰ/ aspirated k 
  23. Ⴖ (Ghan) – /ɣ/ voiced velar fricative (like French r in rue)
  24. Ⴗ (Qar) – /qʼ/ uvular ejective
  25. Ⴘ (Shin) – /ʃ/ as in she 
  26. Ⴙ (Chin) – /tʃ/ as in church 
  27. Ⴚ (Cil) – /ts/ as in cats 
  28. Ⴛ (Char) – /tʃʼ/ ejective ch 
  29. Ⴜ (Xan) – /x/ as in Bach (Scottish loch)
  30. Ⴝ (Jil) – /dʒ/ as in judge 
  31. Ⴞ (Cil) – /tsʼ/ ejective ts 
  32. Ⴟ (Hae) – /h/ as in hat 
  33. Ⴠ (He) – /ʔ/ glottal stop (historically used, now obsolete)

The Nuskhuri Georgian Alphabet

The Nuskhuri Georgian Alphabet is the second of the three Georgian scripts, developing around the 9th century as a more compact and practical evolution of the Asomtavruli script. It is part of what is known as the Khutsuri (ecclesiastical) script system, where Asomtavruli was used for titles and headings and Nuskhuri for the body text in religious manuscripts.

Nuskhuri played a central role in Georgian religious and cultural life, particularly within the Georgian Apostolic Autocephalous Orthodox Church. It was used for writing psalms, hymns, and theological texts, helping preserve religious traditions and serving as a tool for transmitting Georgian identity through centuries of change. Craftspeople and church communities continue to use the Nuskhuri Georgian Alphabet today in icon inscriptions, church decorations, and manuscript copying, maintaining cultural continuity across generations.

Despite its distinct appearance, the Nuskhuri Georgian Alphabet shares the same letter system and aligns with modern Georgian language pronunciation, making it consistent for learners interested in the historical and liturgical aspects of the Georgian language alphabet.

Letters and Pronunciation in the Nuskhuri Georgian Alphabet

The Nuskhuri Georgian Alphabet uses the same 33 letters as the Asomtavruli and Mkhedruli scripts, maintaining a consistent Georgian language pronunciation system across all forms of the Georgian language alphabet. Here are the letters in Nuskhuri with their pronunciation for learners and researchers:

  1. ⴀ (Ani) – /ɑ/ as in father 
  2. ⴁ (Bani) – /b/ as in bat 
  3. ⴂ (Gani) – /ɡ/ as in go 
  4. ⴃ (Doni) – /d/ as in dog 
  5. ⴄ (Eni) – /ɛ/ as in bed 
  6. ⴅ (Vini) – /v/ as in voice 
  7. ⴆ (Zeni) – /z/ as in zoo 
  8. ⴇ (Tan) – /tʼ/ ejective t 
  9. ⴈ (In) – /i/ as in machine 
  10. ⴉ (Kan) – /kʼ/ ejective k 
  11. ⴊ (Las) – /l/ as in light 
  12. ⴋ (Man) – /m/ as in man 
  13. ⴌ (Nar) – /n/ as in no 
  14. ⴍ (On) – /ɔ/ as in thought 
  15. ⴎ (Par) – /pʼ/ ejective p 
  16. ⴏ (Zhar) – /ʒ/ as in measure 
  17. ⴐ (Rae) – /r/ rolled r 
  18. ⴑ (San) – /s/ as in see 
  19. ⴒ (Tar) – /t/ as in stop 
  20. ⴓ (Un) – /u/ as in rule 
  21. ⴔ (Phar) – /pʰ/ aspirated p 
  22. ⴕ (Khar) – /kʰ/ aspirated k 
  23. ⴖ (Ghan) – /ɣ/ voiced velar fricative
  24. ⴗ (Qar) – /qʼ/ uvular ejective
  25. ⴘ (Shin) – /ʃ/ as in she 
  26. ⴙ (Chin) – /tʃ/ as in church 
  27. ⴚ (Cil) – /ts/ as in cats 
  28. ⴛ (Char) – /tʃʼ/ ejective ch 
  29. ⴜ (Xan) – /x/ as in Bach 
  30. ⴝ (Jil) – /dʒ/ as in judge 
  31. ⴞ (Cil) – /tsʼ/ ejective ts 
  32. ⴟ (Hae) – /h/ as in hat 
  33. ⴠ (He) – /ʔ/ glottal stop (historically used)

Through Nuskhuri, the Georgian language alphabet evolved into a refined script for religious use, preserving the sounds and structure of the language while providing a practical, flowing form for manuscript writing, making it a valuable resource for those studying Georgian language pronunciation within a historical context.

The Mkhedruli Georgian Alphabet

The Mkhedruli Georgian Alphabet is the script used for writing the Georgian language today, forming the core of modern Georgian literacy, media, and education. Emerging around the 10th century and stabilising by the 11th century, Mkhedruli evolved from the Nuskhuri script, designed for secular use and everyday writing. Unlike Asomtavruli and Nuskhuri, which were tied closely to the church, the Mkhedruli Georgian Alphabet became the script for administrative, literary, and later educational purposes.

Today, the Mkhedruli Georgian Alphabet is the official script taught in Georgian schools, forming the basis for the Georgian educational system. It is used in newspapers, books, official documents, and everyday communication, making it the most practical script for learners aiming to achieve fluency in Georgian language pronunciation and literacy.

The Mkhedruli Georgian Alphabet originally contained 38 letters, but five letters became obsolete, leaving 33 letters in current use. These letters represent the essential sounds of the Georgian language pronunciation, making Mkhedruli a phonetic script where each letter typically corresponds to a single sound.

Letters and Pronunciation in the Mkhedruli Georgian Alphabet

Here are the 33 letters of the Mkhedruli Georgian Alphabet, with their pronunciation to help learners align reading and speaking skills for the Georgian language:

  1. ა (Ani) – /ɑ/ as in father 
  2. ბ (Bani) – /b/ as in bat 
  3. გ (Gani) – /ɡ/ as in go 
  4. დ (Doni) – /d/ as in dog 
  5. ე (Eni) – /ɛ/ as in bed 
  6. ვ (Vini) – /v/ as in voice 
  7. ზ (Zeni) – /z/ as in zoo 
  8. თ (Tan) – /tʼ/ ejective t 
  9. ი (In) – /i/ as in machine 
  10. კ (Kan) – /kʼ/ ejective k 
  11. ლ (Las) – /l/ as in light 
  12. მ (Man) – /m/ as in man 
  13. ნ (Nar) – /n/ as in no 
  14. ო (On) – /ɔ/ as in thought 
  15. პ (Par) – /pʼ/ ejective p 
  16. ჟ (Zhar) – /ʒ/ as in measure 
  17. რ (Rae) – /r/ rolled r 
  18. ს (San) – /s/ as in see 
  19. ტ (Tar) – /t/ as in stop 
  20. უ (Un) – /u/ as in rule 
  21. ფ (Phar) – /pʰ/ aspirated p 
  22. ქ (Khar) – /kʰ/ aspirated k 
  23. ღ (Ghan) – /ɣ/ voiced velar fricative
  24. ყ (Qar) – /qʼ/ uvular ejective
  25. შ (Shin) – /ʃ/ as in she 
  26. ჩ (Chin) – /tʃ/ as in church 
  27. ც (Cil) – /ts/ as in cats 
  28. ძ (Char) – /dz/ as in adze 
  29. წ (Cil) – /tsʼ/ ejective ts 
  30. ჭ (Char) – /tʃʼ/ ejective ch 
  31. ხ (Xan) – /x/ as in Bach 
  32. ჯ (Jil) – /dʒ/ as in judge 
  33. ჰ (Hae) – /h/ as in hat 

The Mkhedruli Georgian Alphabet provides learners with a clear, direct system to connect reading and speaking, reflecting the Georgian language pronunciation used in everyday life. Its consistent letter-to-sound structure makes it practical for learners aiming to read Georgian newspapers, engage in conversation, or watch Georgian films while following along with subtitles, allowing a full immersion into the living Georgian language.

About the Georgian Language

Where is the Georgian language spoken?

The Georgian language is spoken primarily in Georgia, a country in the South Caucasus bordered by Russia, Turkey, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. It is the official language of Georgia and used in education, government, and media, with speakers also found in Georgian diaspora communities in Russia, Turkey, the United States, and parts of Europe.

What language family does the Georgian language belong to?

The Georgian language belongs to the Kartvelian language family, a unique language group that is unrelated to Indo-European, Turkic, or Semitic languages. It is the most widely spoken language within this family, which also includes Mingrelian, Laz, and Svan, spoken in different regions of Georgia. This linguistic uniqueness adds to the interest in learning the Georgian language alphabet and understanding its distinctive structure.

How difficult is it to learn the Georgian language?

The Georgian language presents a moderate to high challenge for English speakers, partly due to its unique Georgian language alphabet and unfamiliar grammatical structures. According to the American Foreign Service Institute (FSI), it typically requires around 1100 hours of study to reach general proficiency. However, learners find the logical structure of the Georgian language pronunciation and its consistent phonetic alphabet helpful once they get past the initial stage of learning the Georgian script.

How can I learn Georgian?

The best way to learn the Georgian language is through structured lessons with a native teacher, providing consistent practice in the Georgian language alphabet, pronunciation, grammar, and conversation. At Listen & Learn, we offer face-to-face and online Georgian courses tailored to your goals and current level, whether you need Georgian for travel, cultural interest, or business.

Are you ready to start learning the fascinating Georgian language? Contact Listen & Learn today, and we will match you with the best Georgian teacher to start your personalised learning journey efficiently and confidently.