18 letters · 3 groups · Tricky sounds
Tamil consonants — மெய் எழுத்துகள்
Tamil has 18 consonants, called மெய் எழுத்துகள் (mei ezhuthukal). “Mei” means body. Each one is written with a dot on top — the புள்ளி (pulli) — which means “no vowel yet”.
வல்லினம் — hard sounds (6)
மெல்லினம் — soft (nasal) sounds (6)
இடையினம் — medium sounds (6)
In class, pure consonants are read with a short இ in front: க் is said “ik”. Hear all 18 in the learning app.
Tricky letters that sound alike
Three “n” letters
| Letter | How to say it | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ந | n — tongue at the teeth; mostly at the start of a word or before த | நாய் (dog) |
| ன | ṉ — tongue at the gum; mostly in the middle or end of a word | மீன் (fish) |
| ண | ṇ — tongue curled back | கண் (eye) |
Three “l” letters
| Letter | How to say it | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ல | l — as in “love” | பல் (tooth) |
| ள | ḷ — tongue curled back | தேள் (scorpion) |
| ழ | zh — tongue curled far back, special to Tamil | தமிழ் (Tamil) |
Two “r” letters
| Letter | How to say it | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ர | r — soft tapped r | நீர் (water) |
| ற | ṟ — strong trilled r | காற்று (wind) |
Hard and soft partners
Each hard letter (வல்லினம்) has a soft partner (மெல்லினம்) that often comes just before it inside a word:
| Soft + hard | Example word |
|---|---|
| ங் + க | சிங்கம் — lion |
| ஞ் + ச | மஞ்சள் — turmeric |
| ண் + ட | வண்டு — beetle |
| ந் + த | பந்து — ball |
| ம் + ப | பாம்பு — snake |
| ன் + ற | கன்று — calf |
Questions about Tamil consonants
Why do Tamil consonants have a dot on top?
The dot is called புள்ளி (pulli). It shows a pure consonant with no vowel sound, for example க் (k). When a vowel is added the dot goes away: க் + அ = க (ka).
What is the difference between ந, ன and ண?
All three are “n” sounds. ந is said with the tongue at the teeth and mostly starts words (நாய்) or comes before த (பந்து). ன is said with the tongue at the gum and comes in the middle or end of words (மீன்). ண is said with the tongue curled back (கண்).
What do vallinam, mellinam and idaiyinam mean?
They are the three groups of Tamil consonants. வல்லினம் (vallinam) are hard sounds: க் ச் ட் த் ப் ற். மெல்லினம் (mellinam) are soft, nasal sounds: ங் ஞ் ண் ந் ம் ன். இடையினம் (idaiyinam) are in-between sounds: ய் ர் ல் வ் ழ் ள்.
How do you say a Tamil consonant on its own?
In school a pure consonant is usually read with a short இ before it, so க் is said “ik” and ங் is said “ing”. This makes the consonant sound easy to hear.