Malayalam alphabet: every letter to copy
Malayalam (മലയാളം) is the language of Kerala and Lakshadweep, spoken by about 35 million people. It was declared a classical language of India in 2013. The Malayalam script is known for its beautiful round letters and for having one of the largest sets of characters among Indian scripts. This page has the Malayalam alphabet (അക്ഷരമാല): the vowels (സ്വരങ്ങൾ) അ ആ ഇ ഈ, the consonants (വ്യഞ്ജനങ്ങൾ) ക ഖ ഗ ഘ, the chillu letters, vowel signs and digits.
Tap any letter to copy it.
The Malayalam letters
- സ്വരങ്ങൾ (vowels): അ ആ ഇ ഈ ഉ ഊ ഋ എ ഏ ഐ ഒ ഓ ഔ.
- വ്യഞ്ജനങ്ങൾ (consonants): ക ഖ ഗ ഘ ങ, ച ഛ ജ ഝ ഞ, ട ഠ ഡ ഢ ണ, ത ഥ ദ ധ ന, പ ഫ ബ ഭ മ, യ ര ല വ ശ ഷ സ ഹ ള ഴ റ.
- Chillu letters: ൺ ൻ ർ ൽ ൾ ൿ, pure consonants without a vowel.
- Signs: ം anusvaram and ഃ visargam.
Chillu letters
Chillu letters are special to Malayalam. They are consonants that stand alone without any vowel sound, usually at the end of a syllable. For example, the final letter in അവൻ (he) is the chillu ൻ, and the final letter in കാൽ (leg) is ൽ. Each chillu is its own character in Unicode, so copying the right one keeps your spelling correct.
Vowel signs and conjuncts
Malayalam vowel signs attach to consonants: ാ ി ീ ു ൂ ൃ െ േ ൈ ൊ ോ ൌ. For example, ക + ാ = കാ and ക + ി = കി. Signs like െ and േ are drawn before the consonant but typed after it. The virama ്, called chandrakkala, removes the vowel from a consonant and joins consonants into conjuncts like ക്ക and ന്ത.
When copied alone, these signs may show on a dotted circle. Paste them after a consonant and they join.
Old and new script
In 1971, Kerala introduced a simplified way of writing Malayalam, separating some vowel signs from consonants so the script was easier to print and type. Many older books and signs use the traditional style, with more joined letters. Unicode stores the same letters for both, and the font decides which style you see.
Malayalam digits
Malayalam has its own digits ൦ ൧ ൨ ൩ ൪ ൫ ൬ ൭ ൮ ൯, plus special signs for fractions and dates. Today most Malayalam text uses 0 to 9, but traditional digits appear in old documents, calendars and decorative writing. Use them in Onam and Vishu greetings for a classic touch.
Typing Malayalam
Gboard and the iPhone keyboard support Malayalam with native and phonetic layouts, and Manglish typing tools turn English letters into Malayalam. For a chillu letter, a rare sign or a digit, copy it from this page.
Frequently asked questions
- What are chillu letters?
- They are Malayalam consonants with no vowel sound, like ൻ ർ ൽ ൾ ൺ, used at the end of syllables.
- How many letters are in the Malayalam alphabet?
- Malayalam is usually taught with 15 vowels and 36 to 37 consonants, plus chillu letters.
- What is the chandrakkala?
- It is the virama ്, a mark that removes a consonant’s vowel sound or joins consonants.
- What are Malayalam numbers?
- Malayalam digits are ൦ ൧ ൨ ൩ ൪ ൫ ൬ ൭ ൮ ൯.
- How do I type കാ?
- Copy ക, then copy the vowel sign ാ and paste it right after.