Tamil typing practice

Learn to touch type in Tamil, free in your browser: lessons built from real Tamil words, classic Tamil books to type, and every Tamil letter on Tamil 99, the Tamil Nadu standard keyboard on Windows, macOS and Linux.

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What you can practise

Smart Lessons in Tamil

Real Tamil words in Tamil script, built around your slowest key. You start on six keys and add a letter at a time as the others come up to speed.

The Tamil alphabet

Every letter in order against the clock, with how to type each Tamil letter on your keyboard.

Typing games in Tamil

Pilot and Spaceship: steer through the gaps or shoot down enemy ships by typing Tamil words.

6 Tamil books

Classic Tamil books, out of copyright, typed a passage at a time.

பிரதாப முதலியார் சரித்திரம் மாயூரம் வேதநாயகம் பிள்ளை · 1879
அபிநவ கதைகள் தி. செல்வகேசவராய முதலியார் · 1921
சந்திரிகையின் கதை சி. சுப்பிரமணிய பாரதி · 1925
மனம்போல வாழ்வு வ. உ. சிதம்பரம் பிள்ளை · 1909
நவதந்திரக் கதைகள் சி. சுப்பிரமணிய பாரதி · 1928
பஞ்சதந்திரக் கதை தாண்டவராய முதலியார் · 1824

Tamil letters

Tamil has its own script, so the tables have a row for every letter: the twelve vowels, the aytham ஃ, the eighteen consonants, the grantha letters ஜ, ஷ, ஸ and ஹ, the vowel signs and the pulli ் that marks a bare consonant. A consonant and a vowel combine into one letter, an uyirmei: க and ஆ make கா.

Tamil 99, the Tamil Nadu government standard, has no keys for the vowel signs: type the consonant, then the vowel's key, and Tamil 99 joins them, so the tables give ஆ's key, Q, for ா. Pressing the same consonant twice puts a pulli between them (H H gives க்க), and F types the pulli on its own. Inscript has a key for each sign instead (ா on E, ஆ on Shift+E); it is on Windows and Linux, not macOS. macOS's Anjal and Windows' Tamil Phonetic convert whole words typed in English letters, so they have no key per letter to show.

On a Tamil 99 keyboard

Windows: Tamil 99 · macOS: Tamil 99 · Linux: Tamil (tamil99 (m17n))

Add it in Windows under Settings > Time & language > Language & region, in macOS under System Settings > Keyboard > Input Sources, in Linux under Settings > Keyboard > Input Sources (it needs IBus's m17n package).

Letter	Windows	macOS	Linux
அ	`அA`	`அA`	`அA`
ஆ	`ஆQ`	`ஆQ`	`ஆQ`
இ	`இS`	`இS`	`இS`
ஈ	`ஈW`	`ஈW`	`ஈW`
உ	`உD`	`உD`	`உD`
ஊ	`ஊE`	`ஊE`	`ஊE`
எ	`எG`	`எG`	`எG`
ஏ	`ஏT`	`ஏT`	`ஏT`
ஐ	`ஐR`	`ஐR`	`ஐR`
ஒ	`ஒC`	`ஒC`	`ஒC`
ஓ	`ஓX`	`ஓX`	`ஓX`
ஔ	`ஔZ`	`ஔZ`	`ஔZ`
ஃ	`Shift` `ஃF`	`Shift` `ஃF`	`Shift` `ஃF`
க	`கH`	`கH`	`கH`
ங	`ஙB`	`ஙB`	`ஙB`
ச	`ச[`	`ச[`	`ச[`
ஞ	`ஞ]`	`ஞ]`	`ஞ]`
ட	`டO`	`டO`	`டO`
ண	`ணP`	`ணP`	`ணP`
த	`தL`	`தL`	`தL`
ந	`ந;`	`ந;`	`ந;`
ப	`பJ`	`பJ`	`பJ`
ம	`மK`	`மK`	`மK`
ய	`ய'`	`ய'`	`ய'`
ர	`ரM`	`ரM`	`ரM`
ல	`லN`	`லN`	`லN`
வ	`வV`	`வV`	`வV`
ழ	`ழ/`	`ழ/`	`ழ/`
ள	`ளY`	`ளY`	`ளY`
ற	`றU`	`றU`	`றU`
ன	`னI`	`னI`	`னI`
ஜ	`Shift` `ஜE`	`Shift` `ஜE`	`Shift` `ஜE`
ஷ	`Shift` `ஷW`	`Shift` `ஷW`	`Shift` `ஷW`
ஸ	`Shift` `ஸQ`	`Shift` `ஸQ`	`Shift` `ஸQ`
ஹ	`Shift` `ஹR`	`Shift` `ஹR`	`Shift` `ஹR`
ா	`ஆQ`	`ஆQ`	`ஆQ`
ி	`இS`	`இS`	`இS`
ீ	`ஈW`	`ஈW`	`ஈW`
ு	`உD`	`உD`	`உD`
ூ	`ஊE`	`ஊE`	`ஊE`
ெ	`எG`	`எG`	`எG`
ே	`ஏT`	`ஏT`	`ஏT`
ை	`ஐR`	`ஐR`	`ஐR`
ொ	`ஒC`	`ஒC`	`ஒC`
ோ	`ஓX`	`ஓX`	`ஓX`
ௌ	`ஔZ`	`ஔZ`	`ஔZ`
்	`்F`	`்F`	`்F`

On an Inscript keyboard

Windows: Tamil · macOS: none · Linux: Tamil (InScript, with Arabic numerals)

Add it the same way. Linux's Tamil (TamilNet '99) follows the typewriter's keys, not Tamil 99, despite its name.

Letter	Windows	macOS	Linux
அ	`Shift` `அD`	Not on this layout	`Shift` `அD`
ஆ	`Shift` `ஆE`	Not on this layout	`Shift` `ஆE`
இ	`Shift` `இF`	Not on this layout	`Shift` `இF`
ஈ	`Shift` `ஈR`	Not on this layout	`Shift` `ஈR`
உ	`Shift` `உG`	Not on this layout	`Shift` `உG`
ஊ	`Shift` `ஊT`	Not on this layout	`Shift` `ஊT`
எ	`Shift` `எZ`	Not on this layout	`Shift` `எZ`
ஏ	`Shift` `ஏS`	Not on this layout	`Shift` `ஏS`
ஐ	`Shift` `ஐW`	Not on this layout	`Shift` `ஐW`
ஒ	`Shift` ஒ`	Not on this layout	`Shift` ஒ`
ஓ	`Shift` `ஓA`	Not on this layout	`Shift` `ஓA`
ஔ	`Shift` `ஔQ`	Not on this layout	`Shift` `ஔQ`
ஃ	`Shift` `ஃ-`	Not on this layout	`Shift` `ஃ-`
க	`கK`	Not on this layout	`கK`
ங	`Shift` `ஙU`	Not on this layout	`Shift` `ஙU`
ச	`ச;`	Not on this layout	`ச;`
ஞ	`ஞ]`	Not on this layout	`ஞ]`
ட	`ட'`	Not on this layout	`ட'`
ண	`Shift` `ணC`	Not on this layout	`Shift` `ணC`
த	`தL`	Not on this layout	`தL`
ந	`நV`	Not on this layout	`நV`
ப	`பH`	Not on this layout	`பH`
ம	`மC`	Not on this layout	`மC`
ய	`ய/`	Not on this layout	`ய/`
ர	`ரJ`	Not on this layout	`ரJ`
ல	`லN`	Not on this layout	`லN`
வ	`வB`	Not on this layout	`வB`
ழ	`Shift` `ழB`	Not on this layout	`Shift` `ழB`
ள	`Shift` `ளN`	Not on this layout	`Shift` `ளN`
ற	`Shift` `றJ`	Not on this layout	`Shift` `றJ`
ன	`Shift` `னV`	Not on this layout	`Shift` `னV`
ஜ	`ஜP`	Not on this layout	`ஜP`
ஷ	`Shift` `ஷ,`	Not on this layout	`Shift` `ஷ,`
ஸ	`ஸM`	Not on this layout	`ஸM`
ஹ	`ஹU`	Not on this layout	`ஹU`
ா	`ாE`	Not on this layout	`ாE`
ி	`ிF`	Not on this layout	`ிF`
ீ	`ீR`	Not on this layout	`ீR`
ு	`ுG`	Not on this layout	`ுG`
ூ	`ூT`	Not on this layout	`ூT`
ெ	`ெZ`	Not on this layout	`ெZ`
ே	`ேS`	Not on this layout	`ேS`
ை	`ைW`	Not on this layout	`ைW`
ொ	ொ`	Not on this layout	ொ`
ோ	`ோA`	Not on this layout	`ோA`
ௌ	`ௌQ`	Not on this layout	`ௌQ`
்	`்D`	Not on this layout	`்D`

Tips for typing Tamil

Consonant, then vowel

Tamil 99 builds every uyirmei from two keys: க (H) then ஆ (Q) gives கா, and க then இ (S) gives கி. There are no sign keys to learn, so the vowel keys under the left hand do double duty.

Let the pulli come by itself

Pressing a consonant twice adds the pulli between them: H H gives க்க, as in "அக்கா". For a pulli at the end of a word, as in "அவன்", press F.

Grantha letters are on Shift

ஸ, ஷ, ஜ and ஹ are Shift with Q, W, E and R, and ஃ is Shift+F. They are rarer than the rest, so the lessons bring them in last.

Which layout to learn

Tamil 99 is the one to learn if you are starting out: it is the state standard and the same on every system. Tamil Nadu's typewriting exams use the older typewriter layout instead, which this page does not cover.

Typing practice in other languages