IAST (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration) is essential for representing Indian languages, including Kannada, in the Latin alphabet. It provides a standardized, unambiguous method for transcribing Indic scripts, enabling clear communication in academic and linguistic contexts. IAST allows for accurate representation of Kannada phonemes, making it invaluable for language learners, scholars, and in digital environments where Kannada script may not be supported.
| Kannada | IAST | Kannada | IAST | Kannada | IAST | Kannada | IAST | Kannada | IAST |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ಅ | a | ಆ | ā | ಇ | i | ಈ | ī | ಉ | u |
| ಊ | ū | ಎ | e | ಏ | ē | ಐ | ai | ಒ | o |
| ಓ | ō | ಔ | au | ಂ | ṃ (anusvara) | ಃ | ḥ (visarga) |
| Kannada | IAST | Kannada | IAST | Kannada | IAST | Kannada | IAST | Kannada | IAST |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ಕ | ka | ಖ | kha | ಗ | ga | ಘ | gha | ಙ | ṅa |
| ಚ | ca | ಛ | cha | ಜ | ja | ಝ | jha | ಞ | ña |
| ಟ | ṭa | ಠ | ṭha | ಡ | ḍa | ಢ | ḍha | ಣ | ṇa |
| ತ | ta | ಥ | tha | ದ | da | ಧ | dha | ನ | na |
| ಪ | pa | ಫ | pha | ಬ | ba | ಭ | bha | ಮ | ma |
| ಯ | ya | ರ | ra | ಲ | la | ವ | va | ಶ | śa |
| ಷ | ṣa | ಸ | sa | ಹ | ha | ಳ | ḷa |
ಕನ್ನಡ → kannaḍa
ನಮಸ್ಕಾರ → namaskāra
ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು → beṅgaḷūru
ಜ್ಞಾನ → jñāna
ಐಶ್ವರ್ಯ → aiśvarya
ಔಷಧ → auṣadha
ಕೃಷ್ಣ → kr̥ṣṇa
Incorrect: bengaluru (Missing the ḷ and ū)
Correct: beṅgaḷūru
Incorrect: jnana (Missing the ñ and ā)
Correct: jñāna