There are 33 phonemes in Modern Standard Georgian: 5 vowels and 28 consonants. The Georgian alphabet has 33 graphemes (letters) for these 33 phonemes (sounds): one grapheme for each sound. Spelling usually coincides with pronunciation.

The Georgian alphabet has its own independent place among world alphabets. The oldest known Georgian inscriptions date from the beginning of the fifth century C. E. (the latest investigations suggest even earlier). The writing system has undergone considerable changes since then, and three stages of development may be distinguished:

• Mrgvlovani (V-IX cent.)
• Nuskhuri (IX-XI cent.)
• Mkhedruli (XI-until now)

There are thirty-three sounds and the same number of letters in the modern literary Georgian language. Each letter has its own unique designation; there are no capitals. Every letter is expressed by one sound value. There are no silent letters.

The description of pronunciation (articulation) of the Georgian sounds and spelling of the corresponding letters are based on Amiran Lomtadze, We learn to write and read Georgian, Tbilisi, 1997, and Rusudan Asatiani, Georgian Language for Foreigners, Tbilisi, 1996.