Read the te script — vowels.

• అashort 'a' — the neutral 'uh' sound, like the 'u' in 'cup' or the 'a' in 'about'
• ఆālong 'aa' — like the 'a' in 'father' (same as అ but held twice as long)
• ఇishort 'i' — like the 'i' in 'sit'
• ఈīlong 'ee' — like the 'ee' in 'see' (same as ఇ but held longer)
• ఉushort 'u' — like the 'u' in 'put'
• ఊūlong 'oo' — like the 'oo' in 'food' (same as ఉ but held longer)
• ఋṛvocalic 'r' — a brief 'ru' where the r itself acts as the vowel; roughly the 'ru' in 'true' (in modern Telugu often pronounced 'ru')
• ౠṝlong vocalic 'r' — a held-out version of ఋ; very rare, mainly in classical Sanskrit loanwords
• ఌḷvocalic 'l' — an 'l' used as a vowel ('lu'); extremely rare, only in old Sanskrit words
• ఎeshort 'e' — like the 'e' in 'pen' (clipped, not a glide)
• ఏēlong 'ee/ay' — like the 'e' in French 'café' or the vowel in 'gate' but pure (no 'y' glide); held longer than ఎ
• ఐaidiphthong 'ai' — like the 'i' in 'high' or the 'ai' in 'aisle'
• ఒoshort 'o' — like the 'o' in 'pot' (clipped)
• ఓōlong 'oh' — like the 'o' in 'go' but pure (no 'w' glide); held longer than ఒ
• ఔaudiphthong 'au' — like the 'ow' in 'cow'
• అంaṁ (anusvāra/sunna)a nasal hum (m/n) added after a vowel — like the 'm' in 'hum'; a modifier, not a true vowel
• అఃaḥ (visarga)a soft breathy 'h' puff added after a vowel — a quiet 'ah-ha'; a modifier, not a true vowel