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Tamil Uyirmei Letters Chart

உயிர்மெய் எழுத்துக்கள் are the letters you get by putting a vowel on a consonant. There are 216 of them, which sounds like a great deal to learn and is not: they are 18 consonants crossed with 12 vowels, and the 12 signs are the same 12 on every row. Learn them once and the whole chart opens up.

How one letter is built

A consonant on its own wears a dot — மெய் — which means it is said with no vowel after it. Swap the dot for a vowel sign and you have a whole syllable.

க்k+ஆaa=காkaa

The whole chart

Read across a row to hear one consonant take each vowel in turn. The 12 letters with a coloured background are the ones the lessons teach so far — the rest are here to read.

Every Tamil uyirmei letter. Consonants run down the first column and vowels across the top row; each cell is the letter the two make.
Consonantஅaஆaaஇiஈeeஉuஊooஎeஏayஐaiஒoஓohஔow
க்kககாகிகீகுகூகெகேகைகொகோகௌ
ங்ngஙஙாஙிஙீஙுஙூஙெஙேஙைஙொஙோஙௌ
ச்chசசாசிசீசுசூசெசேசைசொசோசௌ
ஞ்nyஞஞாஞிஞீஞுஞூஞெஞேஞைஞொஞோஞௌ
ட்hard tடடாடிடீடுடூடெடேடைடொடோடௌ
ண்hard nணணாணிணீணுணூணெணேணைணொணோணௌ
த்thததாதிதீதுதூதெதேதைதொதோதௌ
ந்soft nநநாநிநீநுநூநெநேநைநொநோநௌ
ப்pபபாபிபீபுபூபெபேபைபொபோபௌ
ம்mமமாமிமீமுமூமெமேமைமொமோமௌ
ய்yயயாயியீயுயூயெயேயையொயோயௌ
ர்rரராரிரீருரூரெரேரைரொரோரௌ
ல்lலலாலிலீலுலூலெலேலைலொலோலௌ
வ்vவவாவிவீவுவூவெவேவைவொவோவௌ
ழ்zhழழாழிழீழுழூழெழேழைழொழோழௌ
ள்hard lளளாளிளீளுளூளெளேளைளொளோளௌ
ற்hard rறறாறிறீறுறூறெறேறைறொறோறௌ
ன்nனனானினீனுனூனெனேனைனொனோனௌ

Lessons

க comes first, because a child who has met all 12 signs on one familiar consonant has learned the pattern every other row repeats.

A tip for grown-ups

Do not work down the chart. The useful thing is the sign, not the consonant, so a child who knows கா, மா and பா can read far more than one who has memorised all twelve of க and nothing else. Once a couple of rows feel easy, point at a shop sign and read it together.

Before the compounds

The chart only makes sense once the vowels and consonants it is built from do.

The 31 basic letters