Learn Tamil
Tamil letters
Tamil has 247 letters: 12 vowels, 18 consonants, the aytham and 216 combined letters. Tap any letter to see how it sounds and how to write it.
12 vowels உயிர் எழுத்துகள்
Five short and seven long. Long ones are held twice as long: அ a, ஆ aa.
18 consonants மெய் எழுத்துகள்
Written alone, each has a dot on top (the pulli) and no vowel: க் is k. Without the dot it says the letter with a: க is ka.
Hard sounds (vallinam) Said with a firm stop.
Soft sounds (mellinam) Nasal sounds, through the nose.
Middle sounds (idaiyinam) Neither hard nor soft.
Aytham
a soft h-like breath, used in a few words like எஃகு (ehku, steel)
The aytham (ஆய்த எழுத்து) is one letter of its own, three dots. You will see it rarely.
Vowel signs: how letters join
A consonant plus a vowel makes one combined letter (உயிர்மெய்). The vowel turns into a small sign. Here is each sign on க:
| Vowel | Sign | With க | Where it goes |
|---|---|---|---|
| அ | none | கka | No sign: the consonant already says a. |
| ஆ | ◌ா | காkaa | Written after the consonant. |
| இ | ◌ி | கிki | Joined on top, to the right. |
| ஈ | ◌ீ | கீkii | Joined on top, to the right. |
| உ | ◌ு | குku | Joined at the bottom; the shape changes by letter. |
| ஊ | ◌ூ | கூkuu | Joined at the bottom; the shape changes by letter. |
| எ | ◌ெ | கெke | Written before the consonant, but said after it. |
| ஏ | ◌ே | கேkee | Written before the consonant, but said after it. |
| ஐ | ◌ை | கைkai | Written before the consonant, but said after it. |
| ஒ | ◌ொ | கொko | Two parts: one before and one after the consonant. |
| ஓ | ◌ோ | கோkoo | Two parts: one before and one after the consonant. |
| ஔ | ◌ௌ | கௌkau | Two parts: one before and one after the consonant. |
One consonant, all 12 vowels
Pick a consonant to see its whole row.
All 216 combined letters
Rows are consonants, columns are vowels. Tap any letter.
| அ | ஆ | இ | ஈ | உ | ஊ | எ | ஏ | ஐ | ஒ | ஓ | ஔ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| க் | ||||||||||||
| ங் | ||||||||||||
| ச் | ||||||||||||
| ஞ் | ||||||||||||
| ட் | ||||||||||||
| ண் | ||||||||||||
| த் | ||||||||||||
| ந் | ||||||||||||
| ப் | ||||||||||||
| ம் | ||||||||||||
| ய் | ||||||||||||
| ர் | ||||||||||||
| ல் | ||||||||||||
| வ் | ||||||||||||
| ழ் | ||||||||||||
| ள் | ||||||||||||
| ற் | ||||||||||||
| ன் |
Shapes to know
The u and uu signs change shape with the letter. They come in three families:
Curl down and back
The stroke goes down and curls back to the left.
கு டு மு ரு ழு ளு
கூ டூ மூ ரூ ழூ ளூ
Small hook on the right
A short hook hangs on the right of the letter.
ஙு சு பு யு வு
ஙூ சூ பூ யூ வூ
Loop going up
The tail rises into a loop on the right.
ஞு ணு து நு லு று னு
ஞூ ணூ தூ நூ லூ றூ னூ
Easy to mix up
- பமpa and ma
- பயpa and ya
- லவla and va
- னணநthree n letters
- லளழthree l sounds
- ரறtwo r sounds
- ரகாra, and the aa sign in kaa: same shape
Borrowed letters (grantha)
Used for sounds from other languages, as in ஜன்னல் (jannal, window).
Tracing practice
Pick a letter and trace it with your finger or mouse. Tap Show me to watch the guide first.
Show me traces the letter's shape for you to follow. A teacher may write the parts in a different order.
Letter quiz
Pick a set to start a 10-question quiz.
Questions
How many letters are there in Tamil?
247: 12 vowels, 18 consonants, 1 aytham and 216 combined letters (each consonant with each vowel). You only learn 31 shapes and 11 vowel signs; the rest follow a pattern.
What is the dot on top of a Tamil letter?
It is the pulli. It takes the built-in 'a' sound off a consonant: க is ka, க் is just k.
Which Tamil letters are hardest to say?
ழ (zh), the curled-back sounds ட ண ள, and the two r sounds ர and ற. Tap them on this page to see how each one is said.