Gujarati Typing - A Comprehensive Guide PART 1: Understanding the Gujarati Script and Keyboard Layouts

Gujarati Script Overview

Gujarati script consists of 48 main characters, divided into:

1. Vowels (સ્વર) [12]:

   • અ (a), આ (aa), ઇ (i), ઈ (ii), ઉ (u), ઊ (uu), ઋ (ru), ૠ (rū), એ (e), ઐ (ai), ઓ (o), ઔ (au)

2. Consonants (વ્યંજન) [36]:

   • ક (ka), ખ (kha), ગ (ga), ઘ (gha), ઙ (nga), ચ (cha), છ (chha), જ (ja), ઝ (jha), ઞ (nya), ટ (ṭa), ઠ (ṭha), ડ (ḍa), ઢ (ḍha), ણ (ṇa), ત (ta), થ (tha), દ (da), ધ (dha), ન (na), પ (pa), ફ (pha), બ (ba), ભ (bha), મ (ma), ય (ya), ર (ra), લ (la), વ (va), શ (sha), ષ (ṣa), સ (sa), હ (ha), ળ (ḷa), ક્ષ (kṣa), જ્ઞ (jna)

3. Vowel Signs (Matras - માટ્રાઓ) [10]:

   • These are modifiers added to consonants to form different syllables (e.g., ક + ા = કા).

Gujarati Keyboard Layouts

There are different ways to type Gujarati depending on the keyboard layout you use:

1. Inscript Keyboard – A structured layout following Unicode standards.
2. Phonetic Typing – Type in English letters, and it automatically converts to Gujarati.
3. Google Input Tools – Convert Romanized text into Gujarati text automatically.
4. Online Transliteration Tools – Websites like GujaratiTyping.com allow easy conversion from English to Gujarati.

Familiarizing yourself with these keyboard layouts will make Gujarati typing faster and easier.