Malayalam Typing - Special Characters and Punctuation

Malayalam punctuation is used to indicate the structure and organization of written text in the Malayalam script. While many punctuation marks are similar to those used in English and other languages, Malayalam also has its own unique punctuation marks. Here are some common Malayalam punctuation marks and their usage:

Full Stop (പൂർണ്ണവിരാമം): Used to indicate the end of a sentence or statement. It is similar to the English full stop or period.

Example: "അവൻ വന്നു."

Comma (അടിയന്തര വിരാമം): Used to separate items in a list or to indicate a pause within a sentence.

Example: "നായ, പശു, പടിയെ."

Question Mark (ചോദനാ ചിഹ്നം): Used at the end of a sentence to indicate a question.

Example: "നീയാണോ?"

Exclamation Mark (സന്തോഷചിഹ്നം): Used to express strong emotion, excitement, or surprise.

Example: "സുഖമാണ്!"

Quotation Marks (ഉദ്ധാരണ ചിഹ്നം): Used to enclose direct speech or a quotation.

Example: "അവൻ പറഞ്ഞു, 'ഞാൻ പോവുന്നു'."

Colon (കുറ്റമാക്കി): Used to introduce a list, explanation, or elaboration.

Example: "പുസ്തകം വായി: അതിനാൽ അവൻ അറിയും."

Semicolon (അര വിരാമം): Used to separate closely related independent clauses within a sentence.

Example: "അവൻ വന്നു; അവൻ പഠിച്ചു."

Hyphen (ഹൈഫൻ): Used to join words together or to separate syllables within a word.

Example: "അന്ധകാര-വും."

Ellipsis (അനിശ്ചയ ചിഹ്നം): Indicates an omission or continuation of a thought.

Example: "അവൻ പോവുന്നു..."

Parentheses (അവയവ ചിഹ്നം): Used to enclose additional or explanatory information within a sentence.

Example: "അവന്റെ പേര് (സുരേഷ്) അവന്റെ പടിയെ."

Brackets (കുത്തികൾ): Used to enclose supplementary information, often in a different context or author's note.

Example: "അവന്റെ പേര് [അണി] പടിയെ."

Danda (Vertical Line as Sentence Separator): Traditionally used to indicate the end of a sentence, similar to a full stop.

Example: "അവന്റെ പേര് | അവന്റെ പടിയെ."

These are some of the commonly used punctuation marks in Malayalam. They serve similar functions to those in English and are used to enhance the clarity and meaning of written text in the Malayalam language.