വ + ◌ീ
വീ
+
ട്
Alphabets
The Malayalam alphabet അക്ഷരമാല
Meet every letter of Malayalam, hear how it sounds, and learn how letters join to make words.
About Malayalam
Malayalam is spoken by about 38 million people, most of them in Kerala. It is written in the Malayalam script (മലയാളം ലിപി) from left to right, with rounded letters and many joined forms. The script is phonetic. Every consonant carries a built-in "a" sound; vowel signs change it, and the candrakkala (്) removes it. Malayalam also has five chillu letters (ചില്ലക്ഷരങ്ങൾ) – the pure consonants n, r, l, ḷ and ṇ that end so many words, as in അവൻ (he) and കടൽ (sea).
- 13
- vowels സ്വരങ്ങൾ
- 36
- consonants വ്യഞ്ജനങ്ങൾ
- 5
- chillu letters ചില്ലുകൾ
- L → R
- writing direction
Vowels സ്വരങ്ങൾ
A vowel can stand on its own at the start of a word. After a consonant it is written as a vowel sign instead – shown here on ക. Malayalam has short and long e and o. Tap a letter to hear it.
Two extra signs
Anusvaram – an "m" sound at the end of the syllable.
Visargam – a short breathy "h".
Consonants വ്യഞ്ജനങ്ങൾ
The first 25 consonants are arranged by where in the mouth the sound is made: plain, breathy, voiced, voiced + breathy, nasal. After them come the semivowels, the hissing sounds and three letters special to Malayalam.
Velar ക-വർഗം
from the back of the throat
Palatal ച-വർഗം
tongue against the hard palate
Retroflex ട-വർഗം
tongue curled back to the roof of the mouth
Dental ത-വർഗം
tongue touching the upper teeth
Labial പ-വർഗം
with the lips
Semivowels മധ്യമം
between a vowel and a consonant
Sibilants & h ഊഷ്മാവ്
hissing sounds made with breath
Dravidian letters ദ്രാവിഡ അക്ഷരങ്ങൾ
sounds Sanskrit does not have
Chillu letters ചില്ലക്ഷരങ്ങൾ
pure consonants with no vowel – type them with Ctrl or Alt
Malayalam has three r / l-like letters of its own: ള (ḷa), ഴ (ḻa – the "zh" in പഴം, fruit) and റ (ṟa, a trilled r).
How letters join to make words
Malayalam words are built syllable by syllable. Three simple rules cover almost everything.
-
1
Every consonant has a built-in "a"
On its own, ക is read ka, not just k.
ക് +അ =ക -
2
A vowel sign replaces the "a"
Add a vowel sign to change the vowel: ka becomes kā, ki, ku…
ക +◌ാ =കാ -
3
The candrakkala joins consonants
The small curve ് (candrakkala) removes the "a" so that two consonants join.
ക് +ക =ക്ക
Where does the vowel sign go?
After
കാ കി കീ കു
Written after the consonant, or joined to it.
Before
കെ കേ കൈ
Written first, but said after the consonant.
Both sides
കൊ കോ കൌ
One part before and one part after the consonant.
Below
കൃ
Hangs under the consonant.
Build real words
വ + ◌െ
വെ
+
ള് + ള + ◌ം
ള്ളം
പ + ◌ു
പു
+
സ് + ത
സ്ത
+
ക + ◌ം
കം
പ + ◌ൂ
പൂ
+
വ്
അ
+
മ് + മ
മ്മ
സ് + ക + ◌ൂ
സ്കൂ
+
ൾ
മ
+
ല
+
യ + ◌ാ
യാ
+
ള + ◌ം
ളം
സ് + ന + ◌േ
സ്നേ
+
ഹ + ◌ം
ഹം
Good to know
The half-u at the end
A ് at the end of a word is said as a short "ŭ": വീട് is vīṭŭ, കണ്ണ് (eye) is kaṇṇŭ.
Chillu letters end words
Words ending in n, r, l, ḷ or ṇ use a chillu: അവൻ (he), അവർ (they), കടൽ (sea), അവൾ (she). Type them with Ctrl or Alt.
The special ഴ
The "zh" sound of ഴ – in പഴം (pazham, fruit) and മഴ (mazha, rain) – is shared only with Tamil.
Ready to type in Malayalam?
Use the on-screen keyboard to write these letters, or translate your first sentence.