Tamil Typing - consonants and vowels

Understanding Tamil Consonants and Vowels for Typing and Writing

Consonants and vowels form the foundation of any language, and Tamil (தமிழ்) — one of the world’s oldest classical languages — is no exception. To type or write Tamil accurately, it’s important to understand these basic elements and how they combine to form syllables and words.

Let’s explore the vowels (உயிரெழுத்துகள்) and consonants (மெய்யெழுத்துகள்) of the Tamil script, along with practical typing tips.

 Tamil Vowels (உயிரெழுத்துகள்)

In Tamil, vowels are called “உயிரெழுத்துகள் (Uyirezhuthugal)”, meaning “life letters.”
They represent pure sounds that give life to consonants and can also stand alone as complete syllables.

Tamil has 12 vowels:

அ (a), ஆ (ā), இ (i), ஈ (ī), உ (u), ஊ (ū), எ (e), ஏ (ē), ஐ (ai), ஒ (o), ஓ (ō), and ஔ (au).

Each vowel has a distinct sound, and these vowel symbols combine with consonants to form compound characters when typing.

Tamil Consonants (மெய்யெழுத்துகள்)

Consonants are called “மெய்யெழுத்துகள் (Meiyezhuthugal)”, which means “body letters.”
They represent sounds that require a vowel to form a complete syllable.

Tamil has 18 consonants, each representing a specific sound:

க (ka), ங (ṅa), ச (ca), ஞ (ña), ட (ṭa), ண (ṇa), த (tha), ந (na), ப (pa), ம (ma), ய (ya), ர (ra), ல (la), வ (va), ழ (ḻa), ள (ḷa), ற (ṟa), ன (ṉa).

These consonants can be combined with vowels to create syllabic characters, forming the backbone of Tamil writing and typing.

How Tamil Words Are Formed

In Tamil, most words are made up of consonant + vowel (CV) combinations.
Each consonant inherently carries the short vowel “அ (a).”
For example:

  • க = ka

  • ந = na

  • ப = pa

When you add another vowel sign to a consonant, its sound changes.
For example:

  • க (ka) + ◌ா (ā) → கா (kā)

  • ந (na) + ◌ி (i) → நி (ni)

  • ப (pa) + ◌ு (u) → பு (pu)

Understanding these vowel markers is key to accurate Tamil typing.

Tamil Typing Basics

To type Tamil using a phonetic or transliteration keyboard (like Google Input Tools or Tamil99):

  • Type Consonants: Use their English equivalents. For example, typing “k” gives க (ka).

  • Type Vowels: Use the vowel keys — typing “a” gives அ, and “i” gives இ.

  • Combine Consonant + Vowel: Type the consonant first, then the vowel.

    • Example: typing “ka” → க, “ki” → கி, “ku” → கு.

  • Special Characters: Some letters like ங (ṅa), ஞ (ña), ழ (ḻa), ள (ḷa), ற (ṟa), and ன (ṉa) require specific key combinations or may differ by keyboard layout.

You can view your keyboard’s Tamil layout in system settings or use a virtual Tamil keyboard to practice.

Final Tips for Learners

  • Start by familiarizing yourself with all 12 vowels and 18 consonants.

  • Practice combining them to form syllables — this builds strong muscle memory for Tamil typing.

  • Try Tamil typing tools like Azhagi+, Google Input Tools, or InScript Keyboard to get comfortable with various layouts.

  • Reading simple Tamil text while typing helps reinforce letter recognition and pronunciation.

 

With consistent practice and understanding of Tamil’s consonant-vowel structure, you can type naturally and confidently in Tamil — whether for digital communication, blogging, or creative writing.