The Georgian Alphabet: A Beautiful Script & Phrases You Need
The first thing that strikes most visitors to Georgia isn't the mountains, the food, or the wine — it's the writing. Everywhere you look, signs and menus are covered in a script that looks like nothing else on Earth. Rounded, flowing, almost calligraphic — people describe it as "elvish," "alien," or simply "the most beautiful alphabet they've ever seen."
That script is the Georgian alphabet, and Georgia (the country in the Caucasus, between Turkey and Russia — not the US state) is one of only about 14 nations on the planet with a truly unique writing system. It's not derived from Latin, Cyrillic, Arabic, or anything else. It stands alone.
This guide is part cultural appreciation, part practical phrasebook. First, how the alphabet works and why it matters. Then, 30 phrases you'll actually use on your trip — in Georgian script, romanized, and with pronunciation tips. Finally, how to decode menus, signs, and metro stations so you're not navigating blind.
Why the Georgian Alphabet Matters
Georgian script is old. The earliest inscriptions date to the 5th century AD, though some scholars argue for even earlier origins. Over the centuries, Georgia developed not one but three distinct scripts — a rarity among the world's languages.
It's genuinely unique. The Georgian script (ქართული დამწერლობა) is not derived from any other alphabet. Linguists classify Georgian as a Kartvelian language, part of a small language family with no proven connection to Indo-European, Semitic, Turkic, or any other major group. The script is equally isolated — it developed independently.
It's one of only ~14 unique alphabets in active use worldwide. Georgian sits alongside Armenian, Korean Hangul, Ethiopic, and a handful of others as writing systems that belong entirely to one culture. As a comparison, the Latin alphabet is shared by hundreds of languages; Georgian belongs only to Georgia.
It's a UNESCO treasure. In 2016, the three historic Georgian scripts were inscribed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list — not just as artifacts, but as living writing systems still in daily use.
It's beautiful. This isn't just a travel writer's opinion — Georgian calligraphy is a recognized art form. The rounded, looping letterforms of the modern script (Mkhedruli) lend themselves to decoration, tattoos, and public art. In Batumi, the city built an entire 130-meter Alphabet Tower in their honor.
Georgia has three historic scripts, all still visible today. Asomtavruli (Mrgvlovani) — the ancient monumental script, found on church inscriptions and stone carvings. Nuskhuri — the ecclesiastical script, used in medieval religious manuscripts. Mkhedruli — the modern script you'll see everywhere, developed for everyday use. All three were jointly inscribed on the UNESCO list.
How the Georgian Alphabet Works
Good news: Georgian is one of the most logical writing systems in the world. Every letter represents exactly one sound. One letter, one sound — no exceptions, no silent letters, no combinations that change pronunciation depending on context. If you can read the letters, you can sound out any Georgian word.
The alphabet has 33 letters: 5 vowels and 28 consonants. There's no uppercase or lowercase — every letter has just one form. Words are written left to right, same as English.
The 5 Vowels
Learn these first. Once you recognize the five vowels, you'll start hearing familiar patterns in Georgian words everywhere.
| Georgian | Romanized | Sound | Like in English |
|---|---|---|---|
| ა | a | ah | father |
| ე | e | eh | bed |
| ი | i | ee | see |
| ო | o | oh | more |
| უ | u | oo | food |
Learn the five vowels first — they're the skeleton of every Georgian word. Once you can spot ა, ე, ი, ო, and უ in a word, the consonants between them start to make sense. You'll be sounding out street signs within hours.
Key Consonants
You don't need all 28 consonants on day one. Here are the 15 you'll encounter most often — in place names, food words, and everyday signs.
| Georgian | Romanized | Sound | You'll see it in... |
|---|---|---|---|
| ბ | b | b | batumi (ბათუმი) |
| გ | g | g (hard) | gamarjoba (გამარჯობა) |
| დ | d | d | madloba (მადლობა) |
| კ | k | k | kutaisi (ქუთაისი) |
| ლ | l | l | gelati (გელათი) |
| მ | m | m | mtskheta (მცხეთა) |
| ნ | n | n | ghino / wine (ღვინო) |
| პ | p | p | puri / bread (პური) |
| რ | r | r (rolled) | rioni (რიონი) |
| ს | s | s | svaneti (სვანეთი) |
| ტ | t | t | tbilisi (თბილისი) |
| ქ | k' | k (aspirated) | kutaisi (ქუთაისი) |
| შ | sh | sh | kashveti (კაშვეთი) |
| ჩ | ch | ch | churchkhela (ჩურჩხელა) |
| ხ | kh | kh (guttural) | khinkali (ხინკალი) |
Don't worry about getting every sound perfect. Georgians are endlessly patient with visitors who try, and your attempt will be understood even with an accent.
30 Essential Georgian Phrases for Travelers
Greetings & Basics
| English | Georgian | Romanized | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hello | გამარჯობა | gamarjoba | ga-mar-JO-ba |
| Goodbye | ნახვამდის | nakhvamdis | nakh-VAM-dis |
| Yes | დიახ | diakh | dee-AKH |
| No | არა | ara | AH-ra |
| Please | გთხოვთ | gtkhov't | g-TKHOV-t |
| Thank you | მადლობა | madloba | mad-LO-ba |
| Excuse me | უკაცრავად | uk'atsravad | oo-ka-TSRA-vad |
| I don't understand | ვერ გავიგე | ver gavige | ver ga-VI-geh |
| Do you speak English? | ინგლისურად ლაპარაკობთ? | inglisur'ad lap'arak'obt? | in-gli-SOO-rad la-pa-ra-KOBT? |
| My name is... | მე მქვია... | me mkvia... | meh M-kvia... |
The single most important word: გამარჯობა (gamarjoba). It literally means "may you win" — a greeting rooted in the martial history of a country that has been invaded repeatedly and survived every time. Use it with everyone, everywhere.
Getting Around
| English | Georgian | Romanized | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where is...? | სად არის...? | sad aris...? | SAD AH-ris? |
| How much? | რა ღირს? | ra ghirs? | ra GHEERS? |
| Left | მარცხნივ | marts'khniv | MARTS-khniv |
| Right | მარჯვნივ | marjvniv | MARJ-vniv |
| Bus station | ავტოსადგური | avt'osadguri | av-to-SAD-goo-ri |
| Airport | აეროპორტი | aerop'ort'i | a-eh-ro-POR-ti |
| Stop here, please | აქ გაჩერდით, გთხოვთ | ak gacherdit, gtkhov't | AK ga-CHER-dit, g-TKHOV-t |
Download the Georgian language pack in Google Translate before your trip (tap the download icon next to Georgian in the app). The camera feature lets you point your phone at any sign, menu, or label and see an instant translation overlaid on the screen. It's not perfect, but it's a game-changer for navigating Georgian-only signs outside Tbilisi.
Food & Dining
This is where a few Georgian words go furthest. For the full breakdown of what these dishes actually are, see our Georgian food guide. For where to eat them in Tbilisi, see our restaurant guide.
| English | Georgian | Romanized | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delicious! | გემრიელია! | gemrielia! | gem-ri-EH-lia! |
| The bill, please | ანგარიში, გთხოვთ | angarishi, gtkhov't | an-ga-RI-shi, g-TKHOV-t |
| Water | წყალი | ts'q'ali | TSKAL-ee |
| Wine | ღვინო | ghvino | GHVEE-no |
| Bread | პური | p'uri | POO-ri |
| Cheers! | გაუმარჯოს! | gaumarjos! | ga-oo-MAR-jos! |
| I'm vegetarian | მე ვეგეტარიანელი ვარ | me veget'arianeli var | meh ve-ge-ta-ri-a-NEH-li var |
| One more, please | კიდევ ერთი, გთხოვთ | kidev ert'i, gtkhov't | KI-dev ER-ti, g-TKHOV-t |
The two words you'll use most at meals: გემრიელია (gemrielia — "delicious!") and გაუმარჯოს (gaumarjos — "cheers!"). Use them liberally. Georgians take enormous pride in their food and hospitality, and hearing a visitor say "delicious" in Georgian lights up the room.
Social & Toasting
Georgian feasts (supra) run on toasts, and the tamada (toastmaster) leads them with serious passion. You don't need to deliver a full toast yourself, but knowing these words earns you a place at the table. For the full supra experience, see our guide to the Georgian feast.
| English | Georgian | Romanized | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheers! / To victory! | გაუმარჯოს! | gaumarjos! | ga-oo-MAR-jos! |
| To your health | გაგიმარჯოს | gagimarjos | ga-gi-MAR-jos |
| Welcome | კეთილი იყოს თქვენი მობრძანება | k'etili iq'os tkveni mobrdzaneba | ke-TI-li ee-KOS tkve-ni mob-rdza-NE-ba |
| Friend | მეგობარი | megobari | me-GO-ba-ri |
| Beautiful | ლამაზი | lamazi | la-MA-zi |
გაუმარჯოს (gaumarjos) literally means "to your victory." Its root is the same as in გამარჯობა (gamarjoba — "hello"), both coming from marjvena meaning "right hand" — the sword hand, the hand of victory. In a country that has been invaded by the Persians, Arabs, Mongols, Turks, and Russians, wishing someone victory is more than a toast. It's a statement of survival.
Emergency & Practical
| English | Georgian | Romanized | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Help! | დამეხმარეთ! | damekhmaret! | da-mekh-MA-ret! |
| Police | პოლიცია | p'olitsia | po-LI-tsi-a |
| Hospital | საავადმყოფო | saavadmq'opo | sa-a-vad-MKO-po |
| I need a doctor | ექიმი მჭირდება | ekimi mch'irdeba | e-KI-mi MCHIR-de-ba |
Reading Georgian in the Wild
Decoding Menus
You don't need to read the entire menu — just these 12 words will cover 80% of what's on offer at a traditional Georgian restaurant.
| Georgian | Romanized | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| ხინკალი | khinkali | Soup dumplings |
| ხაჭაპური | khachapuri | Cheese bread |
| მწვადი | mtsvadi | Grilled meat skewers |
| ლობიანი | lobiani | Bean-filled bread |
| ფხალი | pkhali | Herb-walnut spreads |
| ლობიო | lobio | Bean stew |
| სალათი | salati | Salad |
| ღვინო | ghvino | Wine |
| ლუდი | ludi | Beer |
| წყალი | ts'q'ali | Water |
| პური | p'uri | Bread |
| ჩაი | chai | Tea |
For what to order at specific restaurants, see our Tbilisi restaurant guide.
Street Signs & Metro Stations
Good news: Tbilisi's metro stations display names in both Georgian and Latin script. Major road signs on highways also use dual script. The challenge comes in smaller cities, on marshrutkas, and in rural areas where signs may be Georgian-only.
- Tbilisi Metro: All station names are in Georgian + Latin. The announcements are in Georgian, but the next-stop displays are bilingual.
- Marshrutka destinations: Usually written only in Georgian on the windshield. This is where reading even a few Georgian letters becomes genuinely useful.
- Road signs: Main highways have dual-script signs. Secondary roads outside cities may be Georgian-only.
Before taking a marshrutka, screenshot your destination name in Georgian script from Google Maps and show it to the driver. Many marshrutka drivers outside Tbilisi speak limited English, and having the destination written in Georgian eliminates confusion. This one tip will save you from ending up in the wrong village. See our transport guide for more on navigating Georgian marshrutkas.
Tips for Learning Before Your Trip
You don't need to be fluent — even 30 minutes of practice makes a noticeable difference. Here's how to prepare:
Apps:
- Drops — Has a dedicated Georgian script course. Visual, game-like, 5 minutes/day. The alphabet module is free.
- Memrise — Community-created Georgian courses. Good for phrases and listening comprehension.
- Scripts — Specifically designed for learning new alphabets. Georgian is included.
Google Translate:
- Download the Georgian offline pack before your trip (Settings → Offline Translation → Georgian). This lets you use the camera feature without data.
- The camera mode reads Georgian text and overlays an English translation in real-time. Not perfect, but extremely useful for menus and signs.
Practice material:
- Browse Georgian restaurant menus online and try to sound out dish names.
- Look at Georgian wine labels — many are available on wine retailer sites. The grape varieties (rkatsiteli, saperavi, mtsvane) are great pronunciation practice.
- Search for Georgian calligraphy on Instagram — it's a thriving art form, and a beautiful way to get familiar with the letterforms.
The flight to Georgia is the perfect classroom. Print or screenshot the alphabet table from this guide, and practice writing each letter during the flight. With 33 letters and no uppercase/lowercase to worry about, most people can recognize all the letters by the time they land. You'll step off the plane already able to sound out the airport signs.
Why Learning Even a Little Changes Your Trip
Here's the truth: you don't need Georgian to travel in Georgia. English is spoken in Tbilisi's tourist areas, Russian works with the older generation, and Google Translate covers the gaps. You can have a perfectly good trip without learning a word.
But you'll have a better trip if you try.
Georgians respond to effort with overwhelming warmth. Say "gamarjoba" to a shopkeeper and watch their face change. Attempt "gemrielia" after a meal and the cook might come out of the kitchen to meet you. Toast "gaumarjos" at a supra and you'll be treated like family, not a tourist.
The language barrier in Georgia isn't really a barrier — it's a door. And even a few words are enough to push it open.
For more on connecting with locals as a traveler, see our solo travel guide.
Experience Georgia With a Local Guide
Our 8-day tour includes a Georgian-speaking guide who bridges the gap — translating menus, navigating marshrutkas, explaining traditions, and opening conversations with locals that simply don't happen when you're on your own. You'll learn more Georgian in a week with a guide than in a month with an app.
Experience Georgia With a Local Guide
Our 8-day small group tour includes a Georgian-speaking guide who handles translations, reads menus, and opens doors that stay closed to independent travelers. Max 10 guests, from $1,150.
Ready to put your new Georgian to use? Start with things to do in Tbilisi →
