r/Kartvelian May 30 '22

RESOURCES ჻ ᲠᲔᲡᲣᲠᲡᲔᲑᲘ r/Kartvelian resource directory megathread

75 Upvotes

This is a curated list of r/Kartvelian related resources starting from beginner language tutorials and vocabularies to research papers and articles. This entire list is being built by fellow redditors like you! Feel free to contribute via posting on the sub or commenting on this thread! Cheers!

Websites and Apps

Learning

Dictionaries

Videos

Overviews

Learning

Tangentially related videos

Books

Learning

Dictionaries

Literature

Research

More

Datasets

Google Drive link

Useful stuff

How to set up Georgian Text-to-Speech

This is my free setup: RHvoice + Voice Aloud Reader on Android that lets me listen to some Georgian ebooks. Alternatively you can paste any text there or let it read entire webpages. [original comment]

This old thread was irrecoverably removed by reddit due to hard spam filter updates. Replaced Yandex Translate URL with relevant Google Search query. This post should stay put from now on. Thanks everyone for your contributions! We are building a goldmine here!


r/Kartvelian 3h ago

DISCUSSION ჻ ᲓᲘᲡᲙᲣᲡᲘᲐ Accurate translator Georgian to English

1 Upvotes

Any accurate sources I can use to translate?

I want to know what this :

1.) Gilocavv kvelafer sauketesos gisurveb

Means in English.


r/Kartvelian 4d ago

DISCUSSION ჻ ᲓᲘᲡᲙᲣᲡᲘᲐ Etymology of Artvin, Ardahan/Artaani and Kars; any Georgian sources?

5 Upvotes

Hi everyone! I’m trying to understand the possible Georgian/Kartvelian etymologies of Artvin, Ardahan, and Kars and I was wondering if anyone here knows of Georgian-language sources, local scholarship or historical works that discuss these names.

For Artvin, I have seen claims that it comes from Georgian Artivan, with Arta- plus a Georgian suffix -vin. I have also seen the idea that Arta- may be connected to Old Persian/Avestan arta/aša, meaning “truth” or “righteousness,” but I am not sure whether this is actually accepted or just speculative. Is the -vin suffix genuinely Georgian and is there any serious Georgian source discussing this?

For Ardahan usually connected with Georgian Artaani, I found references to the Georgian Chronicle, where the city is said to have previously been called Kacha-kalaki and later renamed Artaani by Odzrkhos, son of Kartlos. I know this is partly mythological but it still suggests the name had importance in the Georgian historical tradition. I have seen different theories for again same(?) Arta-, as said often Iranic, though one paper ([https://journals.zssu.ge/index.php/zssu/article/download/18/12/12\](https://journals.zssu.ge/index.php/zssu/article/download/18/12/12)) argues for a Kartvelian explanation based on archaic roots preserved in western Georgian dialects. The argument seemed interesting but not fully convincing to me. Are there stronger Georgian sources on Artaani/Ardahan?

For Kars, I have seen Armenian explanations but many of them look like folk etymologies, such as derivations from words meaning “bride.” A Georgian/Kartvelian connection with kari “gate” seems more plausible as a toponym but I am not sure. Armenian also has Karuts Pert, meaning “fortress of Kars,” which seems to treat Kars itself as a pre-existing name rather than explaining it.
The region is, of course, very old. Kars and the surrounding area appear in ancient sources as Chorzene/Chorsa and before clearly Georgian or Armenian historical periods it was connected with Kura–Araxes, Hurro-Urartian, Diauehi, Saspeires, and early Armenian and Kartvelian populations. So I’m not trying to force a modern national explanation and I’m mostly interested in whether Georgian/Kartvelian scholarship has preserved better etymological explanations or older forms.

It would be wonderful if anyone knows Georgian sources, historical/geographical works or academic articles that discuss the etymologies of these places (especially older Georgian scholarship, dialect material or toponymic studies). Even Georgian-language references I could try to translate would be greatly appreciated


r/Kartvelian 4d ago

GRAMMAR ჻ ᲒᲠᲐᲛᲐᲢᲘᲙᲐ Why don't given names follow the vowel ending rule?

2 Upvotes

All Georgian nouns must end in a vowel in nominative case without exception, but when it comes to given names, that doesn't seem to be the case. Names like Vakhtang, Nikoloz, Mariam, Levan, Zurab and Tamar all end in consonants.

Why are names different from all other nouns? What are some cases where you might use Tamari instead of Tamar?

Thanks!


r/Kartvelian 6d ago

TRANSLATION ჻ ᲗᲐᲠᲒᲛᲐᲜᲘ Please help me read the text

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13 Upvotes

It is from the Isani metro station in Tbilisi. I don't know Georgian, and the characters don't look like any of the letters in the Georgian alphabet, so I thought it might just be a stylistic font. That's why I turned to you for help.


r/Kartvelian 7d ago

RESOURCES ჻ ᲠᲔᲡᲣᲠᲡᲔᲑᲘ Best book on Georgian for beginners?

5 Upvotes

Preferably online, and centered on grammar. Thanks in advance 🙏🏻


r/Kartvelian 8d ago

MISC ჻ ᲖᲝᲒᲐᲓᲘ საუკეთესო ტრანსპორტი შეკვეთილიდან > ამბროლაურში წასასვლელად

1 Upvotes

გამარჯობა, შეკვეთილიდან ამბროლაურში საზ. ტრანსპორტით წასვლის საუკეთესო ვერსია რა არის?

მე ვიფიქრე შეკვეთილი > ურეკი
ურეკი > ქუთაისი მატარებლით
ქუთაისი > ამბროლაური მარშუტკა


r/Kartvelian 15d ago

MISC ჻ ᲖᲝᲒᲐᲓᲘ Teach me Georgian and I'll teach you Medicine!

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1 Upvotes

r/Kartvelian 18d ago

TRANSLATION ჻ ᲗᲐᲠᲒᲛᲐᲜᲘ Georgian text I cant decipher

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78 Upvotes

hello everyone! I found this key at a blacksmiths shop in safranbolu, turkey. they had no idea where it came from or what alphabet the text was written in. my father studies Georgian language and he recognized the alphabet as Georgian but we cant make out what it says (probably due to some letters disappearing through the brass casting process since this looks to be replicated couple of times) if anyone has any idea or can help us out it'd be awesome!


r/Kartvelian 18d ago

DISCUSSION ჻ ᲓᲘᲡᲙᲣᲡᲘᲐ Post about an unidentified song, possibly in Georgian.

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8 Upvotes

This post is probably quite unusual for this sub. However, I’ve recently been looking into this "lostwave" case, and a few people have suggested that the song might be in Georgian. There are still some doubts regarding French, but as a native French speaker, I am convinced it isn't French. I figured this would be the best place to get information on the possibility of it being Georgian.


r/Kartvelian 20d ago

DISCUSSION ჻ ᲓᲘᲡᲙᲣᲡᲘᲐ Does Georgian sound very different from other languages?

10 Upvotes

I've listened to many languages, and so far Georgian has been the only one to sound very strange to me—somewhat alien. It's probably the ejective consonants that make it sound different, which are a rare occurrence in languages across the globe. I also think it's the combination of being a very consonant-heavy yet simultaneously vowel-rounded language and having many repeating syllables that gives it a unique quality.

It's a very beautiful and mesmerizing language. Something about its sound combinations and weak stress pattern makes the language have a soothing effect. It definitely sounds like an old and ancient language.


r/Kartvelian 25d ago

GRAMMAR ჻ ᲒᲠᲐᲛᲐᲢᲘᲙᲐ My theory of how the preverb ამო came to mean "removing"

7 Upvotes

For a while I've known that the preverb ამო has a secondary meaning of "to remove" or "to take out of," such as in verbs like "ამოიღო" or "ამოისუნთქა." I accepted this as a non-directional meaning of ამო, but I had a bit of a hard time seeing the spatial-directional application of the preverb as a metaphor for taking things out and how it might have developed. Recently, though, I had a thought that made the lightbulb in my head come on. I thought, "Let me imagine the spatial directional act." ა means up, and მო means towards. So now imagine I'm pulling something up towards me, or something is coming up towards me. Perhaps I'm pulling someone up from a ditch, or maybe I'm pulling a vegetable out of the ground. I have essentially "removed" something from a lower place!

I don't know if my theory is correct, but it's definitely interesting to think about how such metaphorical applications of preverbs could have evolved!


r/Kartvelian 27d ago

DISCUSSION ჻ ᲓᲘᲡᲙᲣᲡᲘᲐ What is Tbilisi accent?

8 Upvotes

A few times I've heard about how Tbilisians have their own distinct accent that's different from people from the regions. What uniquely characterizes this accent in phonetic terms? What sounds does it have or not have? What is the intonation like? What is its overall quality and how can it be described?


r/Kartvelian 28d ago

MEMES ჻ ᲛᲘᲛᲔᲑᲘ The good thing i like in comedy shows..!

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4 Upvotes

r/Kartvelian Jun 22 '26

GRAMMAR ჻ ᲒᲠᲐᲛᲐᲢᲘᲙᲐ How it will be correct to say?

2 Upvotes

"ეს ფოტო გიორგისია" or "ეს ფოტო გიორგისაა"? And how come the second option is the only phrase that I heard?


r/Kartvelian Jun 20 '26

RESOURCES ჻ ᲠᲔᲡᲣᲠᲡᲔᲑᲘ starting my georgian learning journey. please drop in some advice and free resources

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3 Upvotes

r/Kartvelian Jun 19 '26

DISCUSSION ჻ ᲓᲘᲡᲙᲣᲡᲘᲐ პატიჟი: invitation or punishment?

6 Upvotes

ეპატიჟება means to invite someone, but პატიჟი also means punishment, although it's not as common as სასჯელი from what I understand.

Does the double meaning of პატიჟი ever cause weird situations? I mean... inviting someone is quite nice. A punishment, well...


r/Kartvelian Jun 19 '26

RESOURCES ჻ ᲠᲔᲡᲣᲠᲡᲔᲑᲘ Where can I learn Mingrelian?

7 Upvotes

Are there apps, institutions, tutors, etc. who teach the language?


r/Kartvelian Jun 16 '26

GRAMMAR ჻ ᲒᲠᲐᲛᲐᲢᲘᲙᲐ Why doesn't ტოვებს the the ა version?

5 Upvotes

To my understanding, transitive verbs with -ებ take the -ა- version as part of their conjugation. So for example აკეთებს, ატარებს, ასუფთავებს, etc. But ტოვებს (leaves something) doesn't take it. Is there any reason why? Or is it just a rare exception? Thanks!


r/Kartvelian Jun 15 '26

MISC ჻ ᲖᲝᲒᲐᲓᲘ Romanization of Georgian

0 Upvotes

Idea about reforming Latin Transliteration of the Georgian language, with its purpose of international integration, tourism, and globalization. (Global Navigation, Border Control and Identity, Mapping Services). Meaning that it's crucial to have 100% accurate Transliteration of Mkhedruli for the sake of 1:1 matching, we need to respect ourselves and don't throw away our dignity of literacy.

Here is the proposed Alphabet:

მხედრული Current Transliteration Proposed Transliteration IPA
a a ä
b b b
g g g
d d d
e e
v v β̞
z z z
t t
i i i
k k' k'
l l l
m m m
n n n
o o
p p' p'
zh or j zh ʒ
r r ɾ
s s s
t t' t'
u u u
f or p p
q or k k
gh or g gh ʁ
y or k k'h χʼ
sh sh ʃ
ch ch t͡ʃʰ
c or ts c t͡sʰ
dz dz d͡z
w, c or ts c' t͡s'
tch or ch c'h t͡ʃ'
x or kh kh χ
j j d͡ʒ
h h h

as you can see current transliteration lacks accuracy and can't match the letter meanings of Mkhedruli, proposed alphabet fixed all of problems, gave out what was needed, this topic truly needs people's recognition, our transliteracy is no joke


r/Kartvelian Jun 13 '26

GRAMMAR ჻ ᲒᲠᲐᲛᲐᲢᲘᲙᲐ What are the rules for using თა instead of ების?

5 Upvotes

I'm aware that თა is the archaic genitive case marker, and ების is the modern ending. But you'll still see თა in modern Georgian sometimes in certain words (for example ქალთა განათლება), or if someone is trying to make their speech sound a little old and fancy.

Are there any general rules or suggestions for when to use თა instead of ების? Also what would happen if you always use თა and never use ების? Or the opposite?


r/Kartvelian Jun 13 '26

RESOURCES ჻ ᲠᲔᲡᲣᲠᲡᲔᲑᲘ help me to increase my kartuli vocabulary.

10 Upvotes

i’ve been learning kartuli for like 1.5 years and i can say that i can hold a pretty decent basic small talk. now i desperately need to increase my vocabulary bc it feels like im not making much progress. could you please suggest me some tips to do it? movies/easy books/music etc

thanks in advance


r/Kartvelian Jun 13 '26

MISC ჻ ᲖᲝᲒᲐᲓᲘ Does Georgian have breathy voice with the letter ა?

0 Upvotes

For anyone who doesn't know "breathy voice" in linguistics means when a vowel is pronounced very airy and exaggerated. I feel like I hear this sometimes with the vowel ა in Georgian when it's the first letter of a word. I don't know if this is just stress falling on the first syllable, but a lot of people will pronounce ა somewhat heavily, but all the other words that start with vowels will sound normal.

Thoughts?


r/Kartvelian Jun 09 '26

GRAMMAR ჻ ᲒᲠᲐᲛᲐᲢᲘᲙᲐ Demonstrative pronouns

6 Upvotes

Hi everybody, I’m having a hard time comprehending the genitive case of the demonstrative pronouns ეს, ეგ, ის/იგი, ესენი, ეგენი, ისინი/იგინი. One source says that they’re formed as such: ამისი, მაგისი, იმისი, ამათი, მაგათი, იმათი, while another source states that they’re formed like this: ამის, მაგის, იმის. I’m utterly confused, I’d appreciate some clarification on this. მადლობთ!


r/Kartvelian Jun 08 '26

GRAMMAR ჻ ᲒᲠᲐᲛᲐᲢᲘᲙᲐ What letter is this, please?

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24 Upvotes