Tamil Keyboard Online — Type in Tamil Free

Type Tamil With the Tamil99 Layout

This on-screen keyboard lets you write தமிழ் using the Tamil99 arrangement — the input standard adopted by the Government of Tamil Nadu in 1999 and still the most widely taught way to type the language. Instead of hunting for letters, you get the whole script grouped the way Tamil actually works: the twelve vowels sit together on the left, the consonants on the right, and the borrowed Grantha letters wait on the Shift layer. Press the keys on screen or use the matching positions on your physical keyboard.

Tamil is an abugida: every consonant already carries a built-in short "a". You change or remove that vowel by adding a vowel sign or the dot called புள்ளி, so a single syllable is often two or three keystrokes.

Try it: வணக்கம் — "hello" · நன்றி — "thank you" · அம்மா — "mother"

Building a Tamil Syllable Step by Step

A Tamil syllable is usually a consonant plus a vowel. On Tamil99 you tap the consonant first (right-hand keys), then the vowel sign (bottom row). Here is the word தமிழ் from start to finish.

1

Start with a bare consonant

Press த (the "L" position). On its own it reads ta, because the inherent "a" is already attached.

2

Add a consonant, then a vowel sign

Press ம ("K"), then the i sign ி on the bottom row. The two fuse into மி (mi).

3

Reach a Shift letter

Hold Shift and press the ள key to get ழ, the retroflex sound many people call the signature letter of Tamil.

4

Close it with the pulli

Press ் (the "F" position) to strip the inherent vowel and leave a pure ழ். Your text box now reads தமிழ். Watch the live counter climb as you go, then hit Copy.

Typed the wrong sign? Backspace removes one character at a time — handy when a vowel sign attached to the wrong consonant. Clear empties the box completely.

How the Tamil99 Keys Are Grouped

Tamil99 is a phonetic layout, not a typewriter map. Once you learn the two halves you rarely have to search:

Left home and top keys — vowels (உயிர்). அ ஆ இ ஈ உ ஊ எ ஏ ஐ ஒ line up across the "A" and "Q" rows, so every independent vowel is one press.
Right home and top keys — consonants (மெய்). க ப ம த ந ய sit under your right hand on the home row; ள ற ன ட ண ச ஞ run across the top.
Bottom row — vowel signs. ா ி ீ ு ூ ெ ே ை ொ are the marks that combine with consonants; the புள்ளி ் lives on "F".
Shift layer — Grantha and ligatures. The letters used for loanwords ride above the vowels (see below).

Vowel Signs That Jump to the Left

Three Tamil vowel signs are written before the consonant even though you type them after it. Press க then the e sign ெ and the result is கெ — the mark hops to the left automatically. The same happens with ே (ee) and ை (ai). The two-part signs ொ ோ ௌ wrap a consonant on both sides, as in கொ. You never rearrange anything by hand; the script does it for you.

The Characters, Group by Group

12 Vowels

அ ஆ இ ஈ உ ஊ எ ஏ ஐ ஒ ஓ ஔ — short and long pairs. The rarer ஓ and ஔ sit on Shift.

18 Consonants

க ங ச ஞ ட ண த ந ப ம ய ர ல வ ழ ள ற ன — the pure Tamil body letters, each carrying an inherent "a".

Vowel Signs

ா ி ீ ு ூ ெ ே ை ொ ோ ௌ — attach to a consonant to change its vowel.

The Pulli

் on the "F" key removes the inherent vowel, giving a bare consonant such as க்.

Grantha Letters

ஸ ஷ ஜ ஹ plus the ligatures ஸ்ரீ and க்ஷ handle Sanskrit and English loanwords, all on Shift.

Aytham

The three-dot ஃ — a character unique to Tamil — is on Shift of the அ and ் keys.

Worth Knowing About the Script

Tamil writing does not mark voicing or aspiration. The single letter க is read as ka, ga, or a soft ha depending on where it falls in the word — so the layout needs far fewer consonant keys than most Indian scripts.
Traditionally the script counts 247 letters: 12 vowels, 18 consonants, the aytham, and 216 combined vowel–consonant forms. This keyboard produces all of them from the combinations above.
Tamil is a Dravidian classical language with a literary record stretching back more than two thousand years, and it is an official language in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, Sri Lanka, and Singapore.

Tamil Typing Questions

How do I write a consonant with no vowel, like the final க்?

Type the consonant, then press the pulli ் on the "F" position. That dot cancels the built-in "a". For a doubled sound such as க்க in வணக்கம், type க, then ், then க again.

Why does the e sign appear to the left of the letter I typed?

That is correct Tamil rendering. The signs ெ, ே, and ை are always drawn before their consonant, and ொ ோ ௌ sit on both sides. You still type the consonant first; the script places the mark for you.

Where are ஜ, ஷ, ஸ, and ஹ for loanwords?

These Grantha letters live on the Shift layer above the vowel keys. Hold Shift and press the ஆ key for ஸ, the ஈ key for ஷ, the ஊ key for ஜ, and the ஐ key for ஹ. The ligatures ஸ்ரீ and க்ஷ are on Shift too.

How do I get the ழ sound and the aytham ஃ?

ழ is on Shift of the ள key. The aytham ஃ — the rare three-dot character — is on Shift of both the அ key and the pulli key, so either one produces it.

What is the difference between ன, ண, and ந?

Tamil has three distinct "n" letters. ந is dental (home-row, right hand), ண is retroflex (top row), and ன is alveolar (top row). They are separate keys because they change meaning — swapping them makes a real spelling mistake, so pick by sound, not by looks.

Can I touch-type using the Tamil99 positions on my own keyboard?

Yes. Click into the text box and the physical keys map to the same Tamil99 positions shown on screen — "A" gives அ, "H" gives க, and so on. Hold Shift for the Grantha layer. Mix clicking and typing however you like.