Georgian alphabet practice becomes more useful when you read whole words. In this lesson you will decode 20 words, starting with short forms and finishing with words that appear in Tbilingo’s beginner stories. Read each group before opening its answers. You do not need to know all the meanings in advance.
Keep the alphabet chart with audio nearby. When a shape stops you, check that letter, return to the word, and read from the beginning. Saying the letter names is useful for discussing the alphabet; reading a word means joining the sounds instead.
Round one: five short words
Start with მე, მზე, ხე, ორი, სამი. Point to each letter as you read. These words have between two and four letters. Length is only a rough guide to difficulty: two consonants together can take more attention than a longer sequence of familiar sounds.
ს + ა + მ + ი → სამი
s + a + m + i → sami → three
Check the first five words
| Georgian | Latin hint | Meaning / note |
|---|---|---|
| მე | me | I |
| მზე | mze | sun |
| ხე | khe | tree |
| ორი | ori | two |
| სამი | sami | three |
If you confused a letter rather than a sound, compare it at large size in the similar-letter practice guide. Spend a moment on that pair, then return here. You do not need to restart the whole alphabet.
Round two: ten words without Latin hints
Read the following list aloud or quietly to yourself. On paper, write a number from 6 to 15 and your best Latin rendering beside it. Leave a small mark beside uncertain letters. Open the answer table only after attempting the whole list.
Check words 6–15
| Georgian | Latin hint | Meaning / note |
|---|---|---|
| ათი | ati | ten |
| ერთი | erti | one |
| ნული | nuli | zero |
| ოთხი | otkhi | four |
| ხუთი | khuti | five |
| შვიდი | shvidi | seven |
| კატა | k’at’a | cat |
| ქალი | kali | woman |
| დიდი | didi | big |
| ჩიტი | chit’i | bird |
In ქალი, the initial letter is ქ; in კატა it is კ. Their sounds differ. The apostrophe in k’at’a identifies ejective consonants; it is not an English stress mark.
Round three: five longer words in context
The final words are გამარჯობა, მადლობა, ნახვამდის, ვაშლი, წიგნი. Look for letters you already recognized in the earlier rounds. Do not assume that a familiar-looking part has a separate meaning: the grouping here is just a reading aid.
- A conversation begins: გამარჯობა!
- Someone helps you: მადლობა.
- You leave: ნახვამდის!
- From the counting story: მე მაქვს რვა ვაშლი.
- From the same story: სკამზე დევს ექვსი წიგნი.
Check words 16–20 and the sentences
| Georgian | Latin hint | Meaning / note |
|---|---|---|
| გამარჯობა | gamarjoba | hello |
| მადლობა | madloba | thank you |
| ნახვამდის | nakhvamdis | goodbye |
| ვაშლი | vashli | apple |
| წიგნი | ts’igni | book |
The last two sentences mean “I have eight apples” and “On the bench lie six books.” The target words are apple and book. You are practising recognition here, not learning the whole grammar of these sentences.
Hear the longer examples in the beginner stories and the greetings in the greetings guide. Use the recording to check your reading rather than guessing pronunciation from English spelling.
A short self-check
Close every answer panel. Read the 20 words again in reverse order so that you cannot rely on remembering the sequence. Count a word as read when you can identify its letters without opening the chart; record meaning separately. Reading an unfamiliar word and knowing its meaning are different skills.
Choose three words that still need work. Write them on a card, read them later, and compare your attempt with the answer. Then try the available alphabet and vocabulary lessons in Tbilingo. Your aim is a reliable connection between shapes and sounds, not a perfect score on the first pass.
Where the examples come from
The numbers, greetings, and story examples come from Tbilingo’s existing learning material. Basic nouns also appear in the vocabulary of Tamar Makharoblidze’s Basic Georgian. The exercise order and answer activities were created for this guide. Latin hints use the convention explained in our transliteration guide.