Tamil Keyboard Online
A Tamil typing keyboard with every letter on screen. Tap, copy, paste anywhere.
Vowelsஉயிர்
Vowel signsகுறியீடுகள்
Consonantsமெய்
Try it:தமஇழ்தமிழ்
Tap, join, copy
How to Type in Tamil on This Keyboard
Tap a consonant. The consonant keys give the letter with its built-in “a” sound: க is “ka”.
Tap a vowel to change the sound. The vowel joins the consonant: க then இ gives கி. While a consonant is waiting, the vowel keys show the letter you will get.
Tap ் for a consonant on its own. The pulli (dot) stops the vowel sound: ம then ் gives ம், as in அம்மா.
Press Copy. Paste into WhatsApp, Facebook, Gmail, Word or Google Docs. The text is standard Unicode Tamil, so it shows correctly everywhere.
Press and hold a consonant to see all thirteen of its forms at once (க் க கா கி and the rest). Slide to one and let go, or tap it. With a mouse, right-click a consonant; with the keyboard, press Shift F10 on it.
On a computer, your keys can type Tamil too. Choose what they type in Your keys type: Phonetic (type vanakkam and press space to get வணக்கம்), the Tamil99, Typewriter, Bamini or InScript layout, or plain English letters.
Made a mistake? ⌫ removes one piece at a time, so கி becomes க and you can tap a different vowel. You can also tap a vowel sign straight after a joined letter to swap it: கி then ா gives கா. On a computer, Tab moves into the keys and the arrow keys move between them.
The Tamil alphabet
247 Letters From 30 Primary Letters
Tamil has 12 vowels (உயிர், uyir, “life”) and 18 consonants (மெய், mei, “body”). Every consonant combines with every vowel to make an உயிர்மெய் (uyirmei) letter: 18 × 12 = 216. Add the aytham ஃ, and you have 12 + 18 + 216 + 1 = 247 letters.
You never need 247 keys. Each uyirmei letter is a consonant plus a vowel sign, which is exactly how this keyboard builds it. Here is one consonant across all twelve vowels:
| Vowel | அ | ஆ | இ | ஈ | உ | ஊ | எ | ஏ | ஐ | ஒ | ஓ | ஔ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sign | none | ◌ா | ◌ி | ◌ீ | ◌ு | ◌ூ | ◌ெ | ◌ே | ◌ை | ◌ொ | ◌ோ | ◌ௌ |
| க் + | க | கா | கி | கீ | கு | கூ | கெ | கே | கை | கொ | கோ | கௌ |
Vowels உயிர் · 12
அ ஆ இ ஈ உ ஊ எ ஏ ஐ ஒ ஓ ஔ
Short and long pairs: அ ஆ, இ ஈ, உ ஊ, எ ஏ, ஒ ஓ, plus ஐ and ஔ.
Consonants மெய் · 18
க் ங் ச் ஞ் ட் ண் த் ந் ப் ம் ய் ர் ல் வ் ழ் ள் ற் ன்
Hard (வல்லினம்), soft (மெல்லினம்) and medium (இடையினம்) sounds, six of each.
Aytham ஆய்தம் · 1
ஃ
A special letter, as in எஃகு (steel).
Grantha கிரந்தம்
ஜ ஷ ஸ ஹ க்ஷ ஸ்ரீ
For Sanskrit and borrowed words and names: ஜன்னல், ஸ்ரீ. They join with vowels the same way.
Which tool to use
When Phonetic Typing Is Faster
An on-screen keyboard is the right choice when you cannot add a Tamil keyboard to the device: an office or library PC, a borrowed laptop, or a phone where you only need a few words. It is also the easiest way to type a letter you know by sight but not by sound, and a good way to learn how Tamil letters are built.
For anything longer than a line or two, tapping is slow. If you can spell Tamil words in English letters, our online Tamil typing tool is much faster: type vanakkamவணக்கம் on your normal keyboard and it converts as you go. If you learned on a typewriter, try the Tamil typewriter keyboard, and if you would rather speak, try Tamil voice typing.
Questions People Ask
How do I type Tamil without a Tamil keyboard?
Use the keyboard on this page. Tap the letters, then press Copy and paste the text into WhatsApp, Gmail, Word or anywhere else. Nothing to install, and it works on a shared or office computer where you cannot add a keyboard. If you would rather spell words in English letters, use the phonetic Tamil typing tool.
How do I type கி, கு or கொ on this keyboard?
Tap the consonant, then the vowel: க then இ gives கி, க then உ gives கு, க then ஒ gives கொ. After a consonant, the vowel keys show the letter you will get, so you can see it before you tap. Faster still: press and hold க, and all its forms (க் க கா கி கீ கு கூ கெ கே கை கொ கோ கௌ) open above it. Slide to the one you want and let go.
Can I type Tamil with my computer keyboard on this page?
Yes. On a computer, the Your keys type menu above the text sets what your physical keys do. Phonetic turns each word you type in English letters into Tamil when you press space: vanakkam becomes வணக்கம். You can also pick Tamil99, Typewriter, Bamini or InScript to type with that layout, or English letters to leave your keys alone. The on-screen keys work the same in every mode.
How do I type a consonant with a dot, like க்?
Tap the consonant, then the pulli key ். In the word அம்மா, tap அ, ம, ், ம, ஆ. If you tap a vowel straight after a dotted consonant, the dot is replaced: க் then இ gives கி. Add the dot only after choosing the consonant you need.
How many letters are in the Tamil alphabet?
247: 12 vowels (uyir), 18 consonants (mei), 216 vowel-consonant letters (uyirmei, 18 × 12), and the aytham ஃ. Grantha letters such as ஜ, ஷ, ஸ and ஹ are used for borrowed words and names and are counted separately. Use the keyboard groups to find these letters rather than looking for 247 separate keys.
Does the Tamil keyboard work on my phone?
Yes. On a phone the keys are grouped under Vowels, Consonants and Signs so each key stays big enough to tap. The groups follow what you type: after a consonant the vowels open by themselves, and after a vowel, a sign or a space you are back on the consonants. Press and hold a consonant to pick any of its forms in one move.
Is text from this Tamil keyboard sent to a server?
No. Everything happens in your browser. Your draft is kept only in this browser, so it is still here if you close the tab, and you can clear it at any time. Copy an important passage somewhere safe before clearing your browser data or moving to another device.
How do I fix a vowel without deleting the whole word?
Use the on-screen Backspace key to remove one piece, then enter the replacement vowel. For example, கி becomes க before you add a different vowel. You can also place the cursor after a joined letter and tap a vowel sign to change its vowel. Check the edited word before copying it.
Can I use the on-screen Tamil keys without a mouse?
Yes. Use Tab to reach the keyboard, then move between its keys with the arrow keys. Activate the focused key with your keyboard. To open the forms of a consonant, focus it and press Shift + F10. This gives you the same letter choices as pressing and holding with a finger.
Can this keyboard help if I cannot read Tamil yet?
It can help you enter letters, but it cannot check whether you chose the right word. Start with a short name or phrase supplied by someone who reads Tamil, and compare each letter. If you know the spoken word in English letters, try the phonetic editor; ask a fluent reader to check names before you send or print them.