I’m Menelaos

A Language Nobody Was Teaching (Properly)

Here's something most people don't realise: Georgian is not on Duolingo. After 148 courses and millions of learners, the world's most popular language app still hasn't added one of the oldest living languages in Europe. Georgian — spoken by over five million people, with a UNESCO-protected alphabet and a continuous written history stretching back 1,500 years — is essentially invisible in mainstream language learning tools.

The few apps that do exist take shortcuts. They skip the real script, lean on romanisation, and offer vocabulary lists without any structure or audio. That's not learning Georgian. That's learning approximations of Georgian.

So I decided to build something better.

What Is Learn Georgian Language?

Learn Georgian Language is a structured Android app for English speakers who want to learn Georgian seriously — starting with the real Mkhedruli script from lesson one, not a transliteration crutch.

The app covers:

• The full 33-letter Georgian alphabet taught progressively — you read ქართული as it actually is, not through English phonetics
• Native speaker audio for every word, phrase, and verb conjugation — authentic pronunciation from the first lesson
• Grammar for every chapter, learning grammar is as important as learning new words
• SM-2 spaced repetition (SRS) — the same algorithm behind Anki, scheduling each review at the exact moment before you forget
• 8 interactive learning modes: flashcards, multiple choice, match pairs, fill-in-the-blank, listening exercises, word scramble, and dialog practice
• Daily streaks and unlockable achievements to sustain motivation over weeks and months
• Fully offline — every lesson, audio file, and game works without an internet connection, from a plane to a mountain hike

Why I Built It

Georgian has an unusual property that makes it genuinely learnable: it's completely phonetic. Its 33 letters map consistently to sounds, which means once you've learned the alphabet, you can read anything aloud correctly. That's a real, tangible milestone — the kind that keeps learners going.

But there was nothing that taught it properly. Most apps either ignored the script entirely or treated it as an afterthought. I wanted to build the app I'd want to use myself: offline-first, audio-rich, and grounded in how language acquisition actually works — not just gamification for its own sake.

This was also a significant personal technical challenge. Learn Georgian Language is one of my first full .NET MAUI cross-platform mobile application, which meant learning a new development stack in parallel with building all the content, audio pipeline, and SRS logic from scratch.

Who Is It For?

• English speakers with a genuine interest in learning Georgian — not just tourist phrases
• Heritage learners with Georgian, Caucasian, or diaspora roots wanting to reconnect with the language
• Language enthusiasts drawn to non-Indo-European scripts and phonology
• Travellers, academics, or anyone with personal ties to Georgia or the wider Caucasus region

The core app is free to download with no account required.

You can explore the app at learngeorgian.menelabs.com or download it directly from Google Play. If you're learning Georgian — or just curious about one of the world's most beautiful scripts — I'd love to hear how you get on.