Telugu Typing - A Comprehensive Guide PART 1: Understanding the Telugu Script and Keyboard Layouts

Telugu Script Overview

The Telugu script consists of 56 characters, classified into:

1. Vowels (Achulu - అచులు) [16]

   • అ (a), ఆ (aa), ఇ (i), ఈ (ii), ఉ (u), ఊ (uu), ఋ (ru), ౠ (rū), ఎ (e), ఏ (ee), ఐ (ai), ఒ (o), ఓ (oo), ఔ (au), అం (am), అః (aha)

2. Consonants (Hallulu - హల్లులు) [36]

   • క (ka), ఖ (kha), గ (ga), ఘ (gha), ఙ (nga), చ (cha), ఛ (chha), జ (ja), ఝ (jha), ఞ (nya), ట (ṭa), ఠ (ṭha), డ (ḍa), ఢ (ḍha), ణ (ṇa), త (ta), థ (tha), ద (da), ధ (dha), న (na), ప (pa), ఫ (pha), బ (ba), భ (bha), మ (ma), య (ya), ర (ra), ల (la), వ (va), శ (sha), ష (ṣa), స (sa), హ (ha), ళ (ḷa), క్ష (kṣa), ఱ (ṟa)

3. Vowel Signs (Guninthalu - గుణింతాలు) [16]

   • These are modifications added to consonants to form syllables (e.g., క + ా = కా).

Telugu Keyboard Layouts

There are multiple ways to type Telugu, depending on the keyboard layout you use:

1. Inscript Keyboard – A structured layout following Unicode standards.
2. Phonetic Typing – Type in English letters and get Telugu output.
3. Google Input Tools – Convert Roman text into Telugu text automatically.
4. Online Transliteration Tools – Websites like TeluguTyping.com allow easy conversion from English to Telugu.

Familiarizing yourself with these keyboard layouts makes Telugu typing easier.