Tamil Letters: All 247, Explained

247. There are 12 vowels (uyir), 18 consonants (mei), 216 letters that combine a consonant with a vowel (uyirmei, 18 × 12) and one special letter, the aytham ஃ. The grantha letters ஜ, ஷ, ஸ, ஹ, க்ஷ and ஸ்ரீ are used for borrowed words and are not counted in the 247.

Tamil grammar calls the 12 vowels and 18 consonants the primary letters (முதல் எழுத்துகள்), because every other letter is built from them. The 216 uyirmei letters and the aytham are dependent letters (சார்பு எழுத்துகள்). So "30" counts only the primary letters, and "247" counts every letter you write. You may also see "31": that adds the aytham to the 30, but grammar books count the aytham as a dependent letter.

They are grantha letters, borrowed from the Grantha script to write sounds from Sanskrit, English and other languages, as in ஜன்னல் (window) or பஸ் (bus). They are taught in school and used every day, but they are not part of the 247. Pure Tamil spellings avoid them where a Tamil letter will do: லட்சுமி instead of லக்ஷ்மி.

All three are n sounds. ந (n) is dental, with the tongue touching the teeth, and usually starts a word. ன (ṉ) is alveolar, with the tongue on the ridge behind the teeth, and appears in the middle or at the end. ண (ṇ) is retroflex, with the tongue curled back. நான் (naan, "I") has both ந and ன; கண் (kan, "eye") ends in ண்.

ல (l) is the ordinary l, as in பல் (pal, "tooth"). ள (ḷ) is a retroflex l, said with the tongue curled back, as in பள்ளி (palli, "school"). ழ (ḻ) is the sound special to Tamil, often written zh, as in தமிழ் (thamizh) and பழம் (pazham, "fruit"). On our editor you type them as l, L and zh.

ர (r) is a light, single tap, as in மரம் (maram, "tree"). ற (ṟ) is a stronger, trilled r, as in ஆறு (aaru, "river" or "six"). When ற is doubled, ற்ற, it is said like ttr: காற்று (kaatru, "wind"). Type ற with a capital R.

Yes. The uyirmei chart has the full 18 × 12 grid on a single A4 page, with a PDF download and a print button. Use the interactive alphabet here to inspect individual letters, then use that grid as a desk reference for repeated practice.

Start with the vowel and consonant sections rather than memorising the full combined grid at once. Tap a letter to inspect its sound and typing information, then compare a short-vowel letter with its long-vowel partner. Once the base shapes feel familiar, use the uyirmei chart to practise how those shapes combine.

The dot is the pulli, which removes the consonant’s inherent vowel. Compare க with க்: the first includes an a sound, while the dotted form is the consonant alone. Use the consonant section to compare dotted forms, then open the combined chart to see how vowel signs change them.

The letter panel can offer listening when your browser exposes a Tamil speech voice. Tap a letter to open its details and check the available controls. If listening is unavailable, the written pronunciation and letter breakdown remain usable. Treat synthetic audio as a practice aid and compare difficult sounds with a speaker or teacher.