Tamil Typing - A Comprehensive Guide PART 1: Understanding the Tamil Script and Keyboard Layout

Tamil has a unique script with 247 characters that are categorized into three main groups:

Uyir Ezhuthukkal (உயிரெழுத்துகள்) - 12 vowels
- அ (a), ஆ (aa), இ (i), ஈ (ii), உ (u), ஊ (uu), எ (e), ஏ (ee), ஐ (ai), ஒ (o), ஓ (oo), ஔ (au)
Mei Ezhuthukkal (மெய்யெழுத்துகள்) - 18 consonants
- க (ka), ங (nga), ச (cha), ஞ (nya), ட (ṭa), ண (ṇa), த (ta), ந (na), ப (pa), ம (ma),
  ய (ya), ர (ra), ல (la), வ (va), ழ (zha), ள (ḷa), ற (ṟa), ன (ṉa)
Uyirmei Ezhuthukkal (உயிர்மெய்யெழுத்துகள்) - 216 compound letters
- Formed by combining vowels and consonants.
- Example: க + இ = கி (ki), த + ஊ = தூ (thoo), ம + ஓ = மோ (moo)

Understanding these basic components of Tamil script is important before learning to type.

There are multiple ways to type in Tamil, depending on the keyboard layout you use:

Tamil99 Keyboard – A standard layout recognized by the Government of Tamil Nadu.
Inscript Keyboard – Uses a structured method for typing Tamil characters.
Phonetic Typing – Allows typing in Roman letters (English) and converting to Tamil.
Transliteration Tools – Google Input Tools and Tamil Typing Software help convert English letters into Tamil words automatically.

Familiarizing yourself with these keyboard layouts helps you choose the best one for your needs.