Goal: you will pronounce the ejectives კ პ ტ წ ჭ ყk' p' t' ts' ch' q'.
Course progress: lesson 5 / 200
LIMBA audio course · Georgian
This written course gives you the grammar, the words and the script. The LIMBA audio course trains your ear and your mouth: you listen, you repeat, you answer — the perfect complement to these lessons.
Download the Georgian audio courseOrder form · your download link arrives by emailDay 3. Coffee and a bakery
My first morning alone in Tbilisi. I walk into a small café near the house and decide to order in Georgian.
Today's six letters are the real challenge of Georgian pronunciation: the "popped" consonants. Good news: they are easier than they look.
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ყავა | q'ava | coffee |
| წყალი | ts'q'ali | water |
| პური | p'uri | bread |
| ჭიქა | ch'ika | glass, cup (for a drink) |
| ტაქსი | t'aksi | taxi |
| კარი | k'ari | door |
| ქარი | kari | wind |
| წიგნი | ts'igni | book |
| ყველი | q'veli | cheese |
| კატა | k'at'a | cat |
| ერთი | erti | one |
| ინებეთ | inebet | here you are (polite, when you hand something) |
The pronunciation is written in English letters, following Georgia’s official romanization. Say every letter: a as in father, e as in pet, i as in machine, o as in port, u as in rule; r is rolled; g is always hard; kh as in Scottish loch; gh a soft gargled g, like a French r; sh as in shop; zh like the s in pleasure; ch as in church; ts as in cats; dz as in adze; j as in jam. An apostrophe marks a “popped” consonant, said with a little click in the throat and no puff of air: k’, p’, t’, ts’, ch’, q’ (q’ is made deep in the throat). Without an apostrophe, k, p, t, ts, ch have a small puff of air. Use the Pronunciation button at the top to hide or show it.
These six sounds are called ejectives. To make one, you close your throat for a moment, as if you were holding your breath, say the consonant, and let it go with a small pop. There is no puff of air afterwards. Try it: hold your breath, say k, and release. That is კk'.
The difference between a breathy and a popped consonant is not a detail: it changes the word.
| breathy | popped |
|---|---|
| ქარიkari k-ari: wind | კარიk'ari k'-ari: door |
| ფურიpuri p-uri: cow | პურიp'uri p'-uri: bread |
| ჩაიchai ch-ai: tea | ჭიქაch'ika ch'-ik'a: glass |
If you say "puri" with a big puff of air, a Georgian will understand cow, not bread. Usually the context saves you, but aim for the pop.
ყq' is a popped k made much further back, deep in the throat, where you gargle. It is the hardest sound for English speakers. Many people start by saying it as a strong popped კk' and slowly move it back. You will hear it in very common words: ყავაq'ava (coffee), წყალიts'q'ali (water), ყველიq'veli (cheese).
To ask for one thing, put ერთიerti (one) before it, and say თუ შეიძლებაtu sheidzleba. For a glass of something, say ერთი ჭიქაerti ch'ika + the drink, with no word for "of":
The six ejectives in the Latin letters all carry an apostrophe: k', p', t', ts', ch', q'. On street signs and in passports the apostrophe is often left out, so "Tsqaltubo" is really წყალტუბოts'q'alt'ubo, ts'q'alt'ubo.
ინებეთinebet is what a waiter or a shop assistant says when they give you something: "here you are". It is polite and very common.
Choose an answer for each question, then press Check my answers. Score 70% or more and the lesson is ticked on your course map.
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Say your answer out loud, write it down, then open the model answer.
Lesson finished? Now train your ear
This written course gives you the grammar, the words and the script. The LIMBA audio course trains your ear and your mouth: you listen, you repeat, you answer — the perfect complement to these lessons.
Download the Georgian audio courseOrder form · your download link arrives by email