Tamil Alphabets for Kids
The Tamil alphabet has 31 basic letters, and combining a vowel with a consonant builds the rest. Rather than one long chart, they come in 13 short lessons of three or four letters — meet a letter, hear it, then find it again. Free, and no account needed.
உயிர் எழுத்துக்கள்
Uyir Ezhuthukkal
12 letters · The twelve vowels. Every Tamil word starts with one of these sounds.
- அa — as in aboutஅம்மா — Mother
- ஆaa — as in fatherஆடு — Goat
- இi — as in sitஇட்லி — Idli
- ஈee — as in see
- உu — as in putஉப்பு — Salt
- ஊoo — as in foodஊஞ்சல் — Swing
- எe — as in bedஎட்டு — Eight
- ஏay — as in cakeஏழு — Seven
- ஐai — as in kiteஐந்து — Five
- ஒo — as in potஒன்று — One
- ஓoh — as in goஓடம் — Boat
- ஔow — as in cow
மெய் எழுத்துக்கள்
Mei Ezhuthukkal
18 letters · The eighteen consonants. Each one wears a dot on top, which means it is said without a vowel.
- க்k — as in bookமூக்கு — Nose
- ங்ng — as in singசிங்கம் — Lion
- ச்ch — as in chairபச்சை — Green
- ஞ்ny — as in canyonமஞ்சள் — Yellow
- ட்hard t — tongue curled backமுட்டை — Egg
- ண்hard n — tongue curled backகண் — Eye
- த்th — as in thisதாத்தா — Grandfather
- ந்soft n — tongue on the teethகுழந்தை — Baby
- ப்p — as in topஅப்பா — Father
- ம்m — as in himமாம்பழம் — Mango
- ய்y — as in boyவாய் — Mouth
- ர்r — a light tapகார் — Car
- ல்l — as in ballபால் — Milk
- வ்v — as in love
- ழ்zh — curl your tongue backதமிழ் — Tamil
- ள்hard l — as in curlவெள்ளை — White
- ற்hard r — a rolled rநாற்காலி — Chair
- ன்n — as in tenமூன்று — Three
ஆய்த எழுத்து
Aytham
1 letter · One letter of its own, and the shortest lesson on the path.
- ஃak — a short puff of breathஎஃகு — Steel
உயிர்மெய் எழுத்துக்கள்
Uyirmei Ezhuthukkal
12 letters · The twelve vowel signs, learned on க first. The same twelve work on all eighteen consonants, which is how 216 letters turn out to be one pattern.
See the full chart of all 216- கka
- காkaaகார் — Car
- கிki
- கீkee
- குkuகுரங்கு — Monkey
- கூkoo
- கெke
- கேkay
- கைkai
- கொkoகொய்யாப்பழம் — Guava
- கோkoh
- கௌkow
A tip for grown-ups
Start with the vowels and stop there for a few days. Twelve letters is already a lot, and a child who can pick அ out of a line of four has genuinely learned something. The consonants make far more sense once the vowels are familiar, because every one of them is written with a vowel hanging off it later on.
After the letters
The word units teach Tamil the same way, with a picture and a clip on every word. Browse all the Tamil lessons.