This keyboard is designed for the Tamil language and based on the new Tamil typewriter layout. The keyboard is designed for users who are familiar with both this layout and the Tamil script, and is intended for use with a normal QWERTY (English) keyboard.
This keyboard layout is based on the Tamil typewriter, with separate keys for consonants, vowels and vowel components. Most of the characters used in Tamil are combinations of consonants and vowels, and these do not appear on the keyboard. Instead, the appropriate vowel component is typed before or after the consonant depending on its position.
For example, the standalone vowel இ is entered by typing ,, but in combination with a consonant, the ி component (p key) is usually typed instead, after the consonant, and the consonant-vowel combinant will be displayed. Pressing Backspace once will delete only the vowel component, so the character displayed on the screen will change back to the consonant, and change again if a different component is typed.
Grantha letters, which are used for typing Sanskrit, appear on the keyboard and are treated as normal consonants.
| Language | Phrase | Meaning | Type the following keys |
| Tamil | தமிழ் | "Tamil" | jkpH; |
The visible keyboard layout consists of the eighteen consonants க ங ச ஞ ட ண த ந ப ம ய ர ல வ ழ ள ற ன, the five Grantha consonants and SRiiஸ ஷ ஜ ஹ க்ஷ ஸ்ரீ, eleven vowels அ ஆ இ ஈ உ ஊ எ ஏ ஐ ஒ ஓ, a range of vowel components and combinants characters, and the Pulli ் and Aytham ஃ marks, as well as various punctuation marks. The majority of characters are typed using a combination of keystrokes.
Although many Tamil characters are typed using separate keys for consonants and components, the characters that appear on screen will be combinants, which the computer sees as a single character. This means that while two (or more) keystrokes are required to display most consonant-vowel combinants, when you use the arrow keys to move the cursor through the text, only a single keystroke is needed to move past each character. Moving the cursor to the left of a combinant character and pressing Delete will erase the whole character, but if you move the cursor to the right of a combinant and press Backspace, only the last-typed component will be erased.
The standalone vowel characters which are on the keyboard will produce that character and will not combine with consonants. Long vowels have their own keys. Vowel-consonant combinant characters are entered either by typing a specific key for that combinant or by typing the consonant and vowel components separately.
Vowel components that combine with consonants are typed either before or after the consonants, depending on whether the vowel component appears to the left or right of the consonant component.
Because the consonants contain the implicit vowel அ, to produce a pure consonant it is necessary to add the Pulli mark ் by typing a semicolon ; immediately after the consonant. In every case, a consonant-Pulli mark combinant behaves the same way as a consonant-vowel combinant when you use the arrow, Backspace and Delete keys. Any vowel component that is typed immediately after typing the Pulli mark will not be combined with the consonant. Also, typing a semicolon after a standalone vowel or a space will produce a semicolon, not the Pulli mark.
This character is entered by typing _ (Shift+Underscore or Shift+Hyphen). Currently, some browsers do not display this character correctly.
Note: for a complete table of characters and keystrokes, click here.
The following table gives specific examples of how to input characters based on the consonant க. The Grantha consonants, which are entered with [S*] key combinations, use the same input method. Examples of these with the consonant ஜ are also given below.
| Tamil Consonants | Grantha Consonants | |||||||
| Consonant | Vowel/Pulli | Combinant | Keystrokes | Consonant | Vowel/Pulli | Combinant | Keystrokes | |
| க | ் | க் | f; | ஜ | ் | ஜ் | $; | |
| அ | க | f | அ | ஜ | $ | |||
| ஆ | கா | fh | ஆ | ஜா | $h | |||
| இ | கி | fp | இ | ஜி | $p | |||
| ஈ | கீ | fP | ஈ | ஜீ | $P | |||
| உ | கு | F | உ | ஜு | $% | |||
| ஊ | கூ | T | ஊ | ஜூ | $^ | |||
| எ | கெ | bf | எ | ஜெ | b$ | |||
| ஏ | கே | nf | ஏ | ஜே | n$ | |||
| ஐ | கை | if | ஐ | ஜை | i$ | |||
| ஒ | கொ | bfh | ஒ | ஜொ | b$h | |||
| ஓ | கோ | nfh | ஓ | ஜோ | n$h | |||
| ஔ | கௌ | bfs | ஔ | ஜௌ | b$s | |||
The following chart lists all the characters available with this keyboard. Below each character are the keystrokes required to type it.
| \ Vowels Consonants\ |
் ; |
அ m |
ஆ M |
இ , |
ஈ < |
உ c |
ஊ C |
எ v |
ஏ V |
ஐ I |
ஒ x |
ஓ X |
ஔ xs |
| க f |
க் f; |
க f |
கா fh |
கி fp |
கீ fP |
கு F |
கூ T |
கெ bf |
கே nf |
கை if |
கொ bfh |
கோ nfh |
கௌ bfs |
| ங ' |
ங் '; |
ங ' |
ஙா 'h |
ஙி 'p |
ஙீ 'P |
ஙு '[ |
ஙூ '{ |
ஙெ b' |
ஙே n' |
ஙை i' |
ஙொ b'h |
ஙோ n'h |
ஙௌ b's |
| ச r |
ச் r; |
ச r |
சா rh |
சி rp |
சீ rP |
சு R |
சூ N |
செ br |
சே nr |
சை ir |
சொ brh |
சோ nrh |
சௌ brs |
| ஞ " |
ஞ் "; |
ஞ " |
ஞா "h |
ஞி "p |
ஞீ "P |
ஞு "Q |
ஞூ Q} |
ஞெ b" |
ஞை n" |
ஞை i" |
ஞொ b"h |
ஞோ n"h |
ஞௌ b"s |
| ட l |
ட் l; |
ட l |
டா lh |
டி lp |
டீ lP |
டு L |
டூ L: |
டெ bl |
டே nl |
டை il |
டொ blh |
டோ nlh |
டௌ bls |
| ண z |
ண் z; |
ண z |
ணா zh |
ணி zp |
ணீ zP |
ணு q |
ணூ q} |
ணெ bz |
ணே nz |
ணை iz |
ணொ bzh |
ணோ nzh |
ணௌ bzs |
| த j |
த் j; |
த j |
தா jh |
தி jp |
தீ jP |
து J |
தூ J} |
தெ bj |
தே nj |
தை ij |
தொ bjh |
தோ njh |
தௌ bjs |
| ந e |
ந் e; |
ந e |
நா eh |
நி ep |
நீ eP |
நு E |
நூ E} |
நெ be |
நே ne |
நை ie |
நொ beh |
நோ neh |
நௌ bes |
| ப g |
ப் g; |
ப g |
பா gh |
பி gp |
பீ gP |
பு g[ |
பூ g{ |
பெ bg |
பே ng |
பை ig |
பொ bgh |
போ ngh |
பௌ bgs |
| ம k |
ம் k; |
ம k |
மா kh |
மி kp |
மீ kP |
மு K |
மூ K: |
மெ bk |
மே nk |
மை ik |
மொ bkh |
மோ nkh |
மௌ bks |
| ய a |
ய் a; |
ய a |
யா ah |
யி ap |
யீ aP |
யு a[ |
யூ a{ |
யெ ba |
யே na |
யை ia |
யொ bah |
யோ nah |
யௌ bas |
| ர u |
ர் u; |
ர u |
ரா uh |
ரி up |
ரீ uP |
ரு U |
ரூ U: |
ரெ bu |
ரே nu |
ரை iu |
ரொ buh |
ரோ nuh |
ரௌ bus |
| ல y |
ல் y; |
ல y |
லா yh |
லி yp |
லீ yP |
லு Y |
லூ Y} |
லெ by |
லே ny |
லை iy |
லொ byh |
லோ nyh |
லௌ bys |
| வ t |
வ் t; |
வ t |
வா th |
வி tp |
வீ tP |
வு t[ |
வூ t{ |
வெ bt |
வே nt |
வை it |
வொ bth |
வோ nth |
வௌ bts |
| ழ H |
ழ் H; |
ழ H |
ழா Hh |
ழி Hp |
ழீ HP |
ழு G |
ழூ G: |
ழெ bH |
ழே nH |
ழை iH |
ழொ bHh |
ழோ nHh |
ழௌ bHs |
| ள s |
ள் s; |
ள s |
ளா sh |
ளி sp |
ளீ sP |
ளு S |
ளூ S: |
ளெ bs |
ளே ns |
ளை is |
ளொ bsh |
ளோ nsh |
ளௌ bss |
| ற w |
ற் w; |
ற w |
றா wh |
றி wp |
றீ wP |
று W |
றூ W} |
றெ bw |
றே nw |
றை iw |
றொ bwh |
றோ nwh |
றௌ bws |
| ன d |
ன் d; |
ன d |
னா dh |
னி dp |
னீ dP |
னு D |
னூ D} |
னெ bd |
னே nd |
னை id |
னொ bdh |
னோ ndh |
னௌ bds |
| Grantha Consonants | |||||||||||||
| ஜ $ |
ஜ் $; |
ஜ $ |
ஜா $h |
ஜி $p |
ஜீ $P |
ஜு $% |
ஜூ $^ |
ஜெ b$ |
ஜே n$ |
ஜை i$ |
ஜொ b$h |
ஜோ n$h |
ஜௌ b$s |
| ஷ & |
ஷ் &; |
ஷ & |
ஷா &h |
ஷி &p |
ஷீ &P |
ஷு &% |
ஷூ &^ |
ஷெ b& |
ஷே n& |
ஷை i& |
ஷொ b&h |
ஷோ n&h |
ஷௌ b&s |
| ஸ ! |
ஸ் !; |
ஸ ! |
ஸா !h |
ஸி !p |
ஸீ !P |
ஸு !% |
ஸூ !^ |
ஸெ b! |
ஸே h! |
ஸை i! |
ஸொ b!h |
ஸோ n!h |
ஸௌ b!s |
| ஹ + |
ஹ் +; |
ஹ + |
ஹா +h |
ஹி +p |
ஹீ +P |
ஹு +% |
ஹூ +^ |
ஹெ b+ |
ஹே n+ |
ஹை i+ |
ஹொ b+h |
ஹோ n+h |
ஹௌ b+s |
| க்ஷ \ |
க்ஷ் \; |
க்ஷ \ |
க்ஷா \h |
க்ஷி \p |
க்ஷீ \P |
க்ஷு \% |
க்ஷூ \^ |
க்ஷெ \B |
க்ஷே \n |
க்ஷை \i |
க்ஷொ \Bh |
க்ஷோ \nh |
க்ஷௌ \Bs |
| Other Characters | ஸ்ரீ _ |
ஃ ` |
* ~ |
ஹ + |
! | |
, . |
? > |
. / |
_ ? |
' * |
" @ |
% # |
|
| ( ( |
) ) |
- - |
= = |
: : |
; ; |
? _ |
|||||||
This keyboard was created by Mugunth (mugunth@gmail.com), Umar (csd_one@yahoo.com) and K. Sethu (skhome@gmail.com). For more information about keyboards produced by these developers, see http://thamizha.com. Tavultesoft gratefully acknowledges the contribution made by the authors in developing this keyboard and making it freely available for use with Keyman Desktop and KeymanWeb. Their effort assists in enabling people to communicate in their own language.
