Kannada Letter Cha

Say “cha” with a small puff of breath after the “ch.”

The UN’s Latin transliteration uses “chha”; ISO 15919 and ALA-LC use “cha.” In modern Kannada, aspiration appears mainly in Sanskrit loans and may weaken in fast or dialectal speech.

Kannada and Telugu share roots in Brahmi, an ancient South Asian script. Scholars suggest palm leaves influenced their rounded forms. Kadamba and Chalukya inscriptions attest early forms (4th–7th century CE). The Halmidi inscription (circa 450 CE) records a two-village grant and is identified as the earliest Kannada-language inscription. Telugu script became distinct by the 13th century CE.