Georgian Language: The Alphabet and 20 Useful Phrases

The short answer: Georgian is written in its own alphabet, Mkhedruli, with 33 letters and no capitals. The language belongs to the small Kartvelian family and is not related to any language outside the region. You don't need it to travel: English is common among younger people in Tbilisi, and Russian is widely understood by older Georgians. But a few words, starting with gamarjoba (hello) and madloba (thank you), go a long way. Below: how the alphabet works, the sounds that trip people up, and 20 useful phrases.

A language family of its own

Georgian is the largest of the four Kartvelian languages. The others are Mingrelian (Megrelian), spoken in Samegrelo in the west; Svan, spoken in the mountains of Svaneti; and Laz, spoken mostly in north-eastern Turkey [1]. No relationship between the Kartvelian languages and any other language family has been demonstrated [1]. Georgian has about 4 million native speakers [1].

So in Svaneti you may hear Svan between family members, and in Zugdidi, Mingrelian. Everyone also speaks Georgian.

The alphabet: Mkhedruli

Modern Georgian uses the Mkhedruli script, with 33 letters [2]. Its rounded, curling letters look like nothing else, and it is not a version of the Cyrillic, Greek or Armenian alphabets. A few things make it easier than it looks:

• No capital letters. Contemporary Georgian has no upper and lower case; a set of capital-style letters exists but is used only decoratively, for example on signs and headings [2].
• One letter, one sound. Georgian is written much as it is spoken, so once you know the letters you can sound out a word.
• Old as well as new. The oldest known inscription in Mkhedruli, at Ateni Sioni church, dates from 982 [2].

Mkhedruli is one of three Georgian scripts. The other two, the older Asomtavruli (Mrgvlovani) and Nuskhuri, are still used in church books and by scholars. In 2016 UNESCO added the "Living culture of three writing systems of the Georgian alphabet" to its list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity [3]. In Batumi, the Alphabet Tower on the seafront is a monument to the script.

Learning the letters pays off faster than you might think: they help with road signs, shop names and minibus destinations [4]. Many signs in Tbilisi and on main roads are also in Latin letters.

The sounds that trip people up

• kh is the throaty sound in Scottish "loch" or German "Bach" [5].
• gh is a softer throaty sound, a little like a French "r".
• Ejectives. Georgian has pairs of consonants, such as k and k', t and t', p and p', ts and ts'. The ones written with an apostrophe are said with a closed throat and no puff of air [5]. Tourists are forgiven for getting them wrong.
• Consonant clusters. Georgian famously strings consonants together: vprtskvni ("I am peeling it") has eight consonants in a row [4].

20 useful phrases

Each phrase is given in Georgian script, then in transliteration, then in English [5][6][7].

Greetings

1. გამარჯობა (gamarjoba): hello. Works all day, with anyone.
2. გაგიმარჯოს (gagimarjos): the reply to gamarjoba, "hello to you".
3. როგორ ხარ? (rogor khar?): how are you? (informal). The polite form is როგორ ბრძანდებით? (rogor brdzandebit?).
4. კარგად (kargad): fine, well.
5. დილა მშვიდობისა (dila mshvidobisa): good morning.
6. საღამო მშვიდობისა (saghamo mshvidobisa): good evening.
7. ნახვამდის (nakhvamdis): goodbye.

Yes, no, please and thank you

8. კი (k'i): yes. The more formal yes is დიახ (diakh), and in casual speech you will hear ჰო (ho).
9. არა (ara): no.
10. მადლობა (madloba): thanks. დიდი მადლობა (didi madloba) is "thank you very much"; გმადლობთ (gmadlobt) is the polite "thank you".
11. თუ შეიძლება (tu sheidzleba): please (literally "if possible").
12. ბოდიში (bodishi): sorry, excuse me.

Getting by

13. ინგლისური იცით? (inglisuri itsit?): do you speak English?
14. არ მესმის (ar mesmis): I don't understand.
15. რა ღირს? (ra ghirs?): how much is it?
16. სად არის ტუალეტი? (sad aris t'ualet'i?): where is the toilet?

At the table

17. წყალი (ts'q'ali): water.
18. ძალიან გემრიელი (dzalian gemrieli): very tasty. Say it to your host and you will make a friend.
19. ანგარიში, თუ შეიძლება (angarishi, tu sheidzleba): the bill, please.
20. გაუმარჯოს (gaumarjos): cheers. It shares its root with gamarjoba and means, roughly, "to victory".

Russian and English

Russian was the official language in Soviet times and is widely spoken by older Georgians, less so by people who grew up after independence, who mostly learned English at school [4]. In practice, English works in Tbilisi hotels, restaurants and with younger people; in villages and markets, a few Georgian words, a smile and your driver-guide do the rest. Georgians are usually delighted when a visitor tries a word or two of Georgian, so try that first.

Where you will use these words

Gamarjoba and madloba will get you through shops, cafés and guesthouses. Gaumarjos is the word you will hear most at a supra, the Georgian feast, where the tamada, the toastmaster, leads a long series of toasts; our guide to the supra, the tamada and Georgian toasts explains the order and the etiquette. At the same table you may hear the old polyphonic songs, on UNESCO's list since 2001; read more in Georgian polyphonic singing.

Practising with us

Your driver-guide speaks English and will happily coach your gamarjoba. On the private Tbilisi city walk you see the Georgian alphabet on every sign and try your first words at a coffee stop. The private supra evening with polyphonic singers, at a family house in Tbilisi, is where gaumarjos and madloba get the most use. See each tour page for the current price, or build your own trip and we send you a plan and a price. Nothing to pay now.

Sources

1. Wikipedia, "Kartvelian languages": en.wikipedia.org
2. Wikipedia, "Georgian scripts": en.wikipedia.org
3. UNESCO, "Living culture of three writing systems of the Georgian alphabet" (2016): ich.unesco.org
4. Wikivoyage, "Georgia (country)", Talk section: en.wikivoyage.org
5. Wikivoyage, "Georgian phrasebook": en.wikivoyage.org
6. EasyGeorgian, "20 Georgian phrases for travelers": easygeorgian.com
7. Sakhva Travel, "Georgian Phrases: Words Every Tourist Needs" (2026): sakhva-travel.com

Last checked: September 2026.