Tamil alphabet for kids தமிழ் எழுத்துக்கள்

Tamil alphabet chart with pictures

30 letters · tap 🔊 to hear each one.

Picture	Letter	Word	Meaning	Listen
	அ	அம்மா	mother	🔊
	ஆ	ஆடு	goat	🔊
	இ	இலை	leaf	🔊
	ஈ	ஈ	housefly	🔊
	உ	உரல்	stone mortar	🔊
	ஊ	ஊஞ்சல்	swing	🔊
	எ	எலி	rat	🔊
	ஏ	ஏணி	ladder	🔊
	ஐ	ஐந்து	five	🔊
	ஒ	ஒட்டகம்	camel	🔊
	ஓ	ஓணான்	garden lizard	🔊
	ஔ	ஔவையார்	poet Avvaiyar	🔊
	க்	கப்பல்	ship	🔊
	ங்	சங்கு	conch	🔊
	ச்	சட்டை	shirt	🔊
	ஞ்	ஞாயிறு	sun	🔊
	ட்	பட்டம்	kite	🔊
	ண்	கண்	eye	🔊
	த்	தக்காளி	tomato	🔊
	ந்	நண்டு	crab	🔊
	ப்	பந்து	ball	🔊
	ம்	மயில்	peacock	🔊
	ய்	யானை	elephant	🔊
	ர்	ரயில்	train	🔊
	ல்	லட்டு	laddu (sweet)	🔊
	வ்	வண்டு	beetle	🔊
	ழ்	மழை	rain	🔊
	ள்	தேள்	scorpion	🔊
	ற்	சிறகு	wing	🔊
	ன்	மான்	deer	🔊

The Tamil alphabet for kids begins with two short families of letters: 12 vowels called உயிர் எழுத்துக்கள் (uyir ezhuthukkal, "life letters") and 18 consonants called மெய் எழுத்துக்கள் (mei ezhuthukkal, "body letters"). This page shows all 30, each with a picture word your child already knows, like அ for அம்மா (amma) and ஆ for ஆடு (aadu, goat). Tap a letter to hear it, then play Find it.

How many letters are in the Tamil alphabet?

Tamil has 247 letters in total, but children do not learn 247 separate shapes. The count works like this:

So 12 + 18 + 1 + 216 = 247. The 216 uyirmei letters are made by joining a consonant to a vowel sign, the same idea as Hindi barakhadi. Once a child knows the 30 basic letters and the vowel signs, the rest follow a pattern. Schools also teach a few borrowed Grantha letters, such as ஜ (ja), ஷ (sha), ஸ (sa) and ஹ (ha), for words from other languages. They come later.

Uyir ezhuthukal: the 12 Tamil vowels

The vowels come in short and long pairs. Short ones are called குறில் (kuril) and long ones நெடில் (nedil). Saying them in pairs helps children hear the difference:

• அ (a) and ஆ (aa): அம்மா, ஆடு
• இ (i) and ஈ (ee): இலை (ilai, leaf), ஈ (ee, housefly)
• உ (u) and ஊ (oo): உரல் (ural, stone mortar), ஊஞ்சல் (oonjal, swing)
• எ (e) and ஏ (ae): எலி (eli, rat), ஏணி (aeni, ladder)
• ஐ (ai): ஐந்து (ainthu, five)
• ஒ (o) and ஓ (oa): ஒட்டகம் (ottagam, camel), ஓணான் (oanaan, garden lizard)
• ஔ (au): ஔவையார், the poet Avvaiyar, whose ஆத்திசூடி (Aathichoodi) verses many children learn in school

Mei ezhuthukal: the 18 consonants

Each consonant is written with a small dot on top, the புள்ளி (pulli), which means "no vowel here". Traditionally they are recited with a short "i" in front: இக், இங், இச், இஞ். That is why the game says "ik" for க். Teachers group them in three sets of six:

The last letter of the Tamil alphabet is ன் (n), shown here with மான் (maan, deer). Several consonants rarely begin a word, so their picture word has the letter in the middle or end: சங்கு (sangu, conch) for ங், and கண் (kan, eye) for ண்.

The famous zha

ழ் (zha) is a sound few languages have. The tongue curls back without touching the roof of the mouth. It is in the word தமிழ் (Tamil) itself and in மழை (mazhai, rain), the picture word on this page. Do not worry if your child says "la" at first. Most children master zha by 6 or 7.

Tamil alphabet vs Hindi and English

Parents who know Hindi often ask why Tamil has fewer letters. Tamil does not write separate letters for aspirated sounds like kh or gh, and one letter can change sound by position: க is "k" in கப்பல் (kappal, ship) but closer to "g" or "h" in the middle of some words. Children pick this up by ear, which is one more reason to speak Tamil before teaching letters. Compared with the 26-letter English ABC, Tamil has more letters but a very regular, sound-based system.

How to teach Tamil letters easily to kids

1. Uyir first. Teach vowels in pairs over two to three weeks. Say the letter, the word, and point to the picture.
2. Then mei, six at a time. Vallinam, mellinam, idaiyinam. Use the pulli as a game: "The dot means stop!"
3. Then uyirmei. Show க் + அ = க, then கா கி கீ. Children love seeing the pattern.
4. Trace big. Draw letters in rice flour, like a small kolam, or in sand. Large movements come before pencil work.
5. Sing. Tamil alphabet songs that chant "a, aa, i, ee" help memory.

For writing practice, print this page from your browser. The letter list below the game prints cleanly, and your child can copy each letter underneath.

Ages matter: at 3, just listen and point. At 4 (LKG), most children recognise the uyir letters. At 5 (UKG), many know all 30 and start reading words like பந்து (panthu, ball) and மயில் (mayil, peacock). Never rush writing before the hand is ready.

Tips for Tamil families abroad

If your child reads English at school, Tamil letters can feel like a second puzzle. Keep it playful. Show that letters carry their own name, family names and favourite foods: லட்டு (laddu) for ல் gets a laugh every time. Weekend Tamil schools in many cities follow the same uyir, mei, uyirmei order, so this page is good revision between classes.

After the alphabet: what to play next

Letters make more sense when they sit inside words your child already loves. After a few days on this page, open animals name in Tamil and look for animals that begin with a letter you learned: யானை starts like ய், மயில் starts like ம். On fruits name in Tamil, find மாம்பழம் and ask which letter comes first. For counting, numbers in Tamil teaches ஐந்து, the same word that illustrates ஐ here.

If your child also learns Hindi or another Indian script, compare shapes and sounds with the Hindi varnamala or the Telugu alphabet. Children notice quickly that all of them start with "a, aa, i, ee". That shared order, from the old Brahmi family of scripts, is a nice thing to point out to a curious 6-year-old.

பெற்றோருக்கு

தமிழ் எழுத்துக்களைக் கற்றுக்கொடுக்க அவசரம் வேண்டாம். முதலில் உயிர் எழுத்துக்கள் பன்னிரண்டு. குறில், நெடில் என்று ஜோடியாகச் சொல்லுங்கள்: அ, ஆ; இ, ஈ.

பிறகு மெய் எழுத்துக்கள் பதினெட்டு. வல்லினம், மெல்லினம், இடையினம் என்று ஆறு ஆறாகப் பிரித்துச் சொல்லுங்கள். புள்ளியைக் காட்டி விளையாடுங்கள். அரிசி மாவில் பெரிதாக எழுதிப் பாருங்கள்.

ஒவ்வொரு எழுத்தையும் தொட்டால் அதன் ஒலியும் ஒரு சொல்லும் கேட்கும். குழந்தை தவறு செய்தால் பரவாயில்லை. முயற்சியைப் பாராட்டுங்கள்.