Tamil is written in an Abugida script that is used by Tamil speakers in Tamil Nadu, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and in many other parts of the world. The Tamil alphabet has 12 independent vowels, 8 dependent vowels, 18 consonants and few special characters.

Let's start with vowels.

Tamil Vowels

In Tamil vowels also called உயிர் எழுத்துக்கள் (u-yi-r e-zhu-th-thu-k-kaL) which means the `life` (uyir) or `soul` letters. There are two types of vowels in Tamil Script. The first one is an independent vowel, which is used at the beginning of a syllable. The second one is dependent vowel, which is used when the vowel follows a consonant.

Independent Vowels:

[a]
[aa]
[i]
[ii]
[u]
[uu]
[e]
[ee]
[ai]
[o]
[oo]
[au]

Dependent Vowels:

[aa]
ி
[i]
◌ீ
[ii]
[u]
[uu]
[e]
[ee]
[ai]

Tamil Consonants

In Tamil, they are known as `மெய்யெழுத்து (meyyeḻuttu)` which means `body letters`. There are 18 consonants in Tamil Script and if added with vowels, it makes 216 (18 by 12) of them.

[ka]
[nga]
[ca]
[ja]
[nya]
[tta]
[nna]
[ta]
[na]
[nnna]
[pa]
[ma]
[ya]
[ra]
[rra]
[la]
[lla]
[llla]
[va]
[sha]
[ssa]
[sa]
[ha]

Tamil Numerals

Tamil numerals are the symbols used to write numbers in the Tamil script. They are also used to write decimal numbers, instead of the latin numbers.

[zero]
[1]
[2]
[3]
[4]
[5]
[6]
[7]
[8]
[9]
.

Features

  • Tamil is a Dravidian language and has its influence in Sanskrit.
  • Tamil is written from left toward the right which is the same as English.
  • Tamil has its own numerals system which is used to write numbers.
  • Each letter in the Tamil alphabet has its own independent and distinct sound. This means Tamil words are pronounced exactly as they are written.

Interesting Facts about Tamil Language

  • Tamil is one of the oldest living languages of the world and has a huge volume of literature and grammar.
  • UNESCO had declared Tamil as a classical language because of its antiquity, rich and varied ancient text.
  • Tamil is the only language that is also worshipped as a god in Tamil Nadu state of India.
  • Tamil language is also the official language of three countries. Sri Lanka, Singapore, and the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Puducherry.
  • Tamil language is spoken by more than 77 million speakers across the world and it is 5th most spoken language in India.
  • Tamil is the first Indian language to be printed and published.
  • Tamil gave many root words as well as grammar to almost 400 languages including Sanskrit, Greek, Latin and Korean. Also in Egypt more than 4000 town names are in Tamil.
  • Apart from being the name of the language, Tamil has several meanings. For e.g. `Tamil` also means things like beauty, sweet and natural.

Tamil at a glance

Tamil (தமிழ், tæmɪl), is an official language of the state of Tamil Nadu in India. Tamil is also spoken in Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Island. There are 69 million (6.9 Crore) total speakers of Tamil in India and another 77 million (7.7 Crore) as second language speakers across the world. Below is the quick summary:

Pronunciation: [Tamiḻ]
Native Name: Tamil (தமிழ்)
Number of Speakers: 77 million
Language family: Brahmi Script
Spoken in: India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Mauritius, Fiji, and South Africa.
Status: Official language in the Indian State of Tamil nadu, Puducherry. It is also an official language in Sri Lanka.
Two digit language code (ISO 639-1): ta

A Complete Tamil Alphabet Chart

Below is a list of complete Tamil Varnamala Chart

Independent Vowels:

[a]
[aa]
[i]
[ii]
[u]
[uu]
[e]
[ee]
[ai]
[o]
[oo]
[au]

Dependent Vowels:

[aa]
ி
[i]
◌ீ
[ii]
[u]
[uu]
[e]
[ee]
[ai]

Two Part Dependent Vowels:

[o]
[oo]
[au]

Consonants:

[ka]
[nga]
[ca]
[ja]
[nya]
[tta]
[nna]
[ta]
[na]
[nnna]
[pa]
[ma]
[ya]
[ra]
[rra]
[la]
[lla]
[llla]
[va]
[sha]
[ssa]
[sa]
[ha]

Digit:

[zero]
[1]
[2]
[3]
[4]
[5]
[6]
[7]
[8]
[9]
.

Tamil Numerics:

[10]
[100]
[1000]

Special Characters:

.
,
◌்

Tamil Calendrical Symbols:


Tamil Clerical Symbols:


Currency Symbols


Type in English, Get In Malayalam. E.g. Typing halea becomes ഹലോ.
Type in English, Get In Tamil. E.g. Typing Vanakkam becomes வணக்கம்.
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