Meet the Achulu (అ ఆ ఇ ఈ)

Technique explanation

Achulu (అచ్చులు) are the vowels of Telugu — the sounds every word is built from. Let’s meet the first four. They come in short/long pairs, like a quick sound and a stretched-out sound.

  • అ = a — like the “u” in up.
  • ఆ = aa — a long “a” like in father. (అ stretched out!)
  • ఇ = i — like the “i” in sit.
  • ఈ = ee — a long “ee” like in see. (ఇ stretched out!)
Worked examples

Here are real Telugu words that begin with each letter:

  • అ → అమ్మ (amma) = mother
  • ఆ → ఆవు (aavu) = cow
  • ఇ → ఇల్లు (illu) = house
  • ఈ → ఈగ (eega) = fly