All vowels and consonants of the Malayalam script with pronunciation, vowel signs, barakhadi, conjuncts and numerals. Tap any letter to hear it.
Malayalam is written in the Malayalam script, a Brahmic script used for the Malayalam language of Kerala and Lakshadweep. It is an abugida: each consonant carries an inherent "a" sound, and vowel signs are attached to change it. The script developed from the old Vatteluttu and Grantha scripts, and its rounded shapes are easy to tell apart from Tamil, Telugu and Kannada.
The Malayalam alphabet, called aksharamala, has no single agreed letter count. Common school lists give 13 swarakshara (vowels) and 36 vyanjanakshara (consonants), and most then add anusvara (ം), visarga (ഃ) and the five chillu letters, which gives totals such as 51, 53 or 56. Other books reach 52 or 57 by including or leaving out ഋ, ൿ and the older letters. The core set shown below is the same in all of them.
Each consonant combines with each vowel sign to form a table often called barakhadi, and two consonants can join into a koottaksharam (conjunct). Learn the vowels, then the consonant rows, then the chillu letters and vowel signs, and you can read most Malayalam text.
Malayalam Vowels (സ്വരാക്ഷരങ്ങൾ)
Malayalam Consonants (വ്യഞ്ജനാക്ഷരങ്ങൾ)
ക-വർഗ്ഗം (Ka varga, velar)
ച-വർഗ്ഗം (Cha varga, palatal)
ട-വർഗ്ഗം (Ta varga, retroflex)
ത-വർഗ്ഗം (Tha varga, dental)
പ-വർഗ്ഗം (Pa varga, labial)
മധ്യമം, ഊഷ്മാക്കൾ and others (Non-varga consonants)
Vowel Signs (Swara Chihnangal)
When a vowel follows a consonant, it is written as a sign (chihnam) attached to the consonant. The signs for e, ae and ai are written before the consonant, ാ comes after it, and the signs for o and oh wrap around it on both sides.
Vowel
Sign
With ക
Sound
അ
-
ക
ka
ആ
◌ാ
കാ
kaa
ഇ
◌ി
കി
ki
ഈ
◌ീ
കീ
kee
ഉ
◌ു
കു
ku
ഊ
◌ൂ
കൂ
koo
ഋ
◌ൃ
കൃ
kru
എ
◌െ
കെ
ke
ഏ
◌േ
കേ
kē
ഐ
◌ൈ
കൈ
kai
ഒ
◌ൊ
കൊ
ko
ഓ
◌ോ
കോ
kō
ഔ
◌ൗ
കൗ
kau
അം
◌ം
കം
kam
അഃ
◌ഃ
കഃ
kah
Malayalam Barakhadi Chart
Every consonant combined with every vowel sign. Scroll sideways on small screens, and tap any syllable to hear it.
Common Conjunct Letters (Koottaksharangal)
Koottaksharangal join two or more consonants with no vowel between them. Many are written as one combined shape, and in the old script they were drawn as stacked forms. The pronunciation of some, such as ണ്ട and ന്ത, is not simply the sum of the parts.
Malayalam Numerals
Chillu Letters (Chillaksharangal)
Chillu letters are consonants that stand alone at the end of a syllable with no vowel at all. The five common ones are ൺ, ൻ, ർ, ൽ and ൾ, which are the pure forms of ണ, ന, ര, ല and ള. A sixth, ൿ, is rare and mostly seen in older texts. Chillus appear most often at the end of words, as in കടൽ (kadal, sea), അവൻ (avan, he) and അവൾ (aval, she). Since Unicode 5.1 they are encoded as separate characters, so they look the same on every device.
Chandrakkala and Samvruthokaram
The chandrakkala (്), also called virama, is the sign that removes the inherent "a" from a consonant. It is what makes ക് a bare "k", and it joins consonants in conjuncts, as in ക് + ക = ക്ക.
At the end of many Malayalam words, a consonant is followed by a very short, centralised "u" sound called samvruthokaram (the "closed u"). It is usually written with the consonant plus chandrakkala, so വീട് is read veedu with a faint final u, not veed. Learners often hear this clipped final vowel as the most distinctive feature of spoken Malayalam.
Old Script vs Reformed Script
Traditional Malayalam printing had hundreds of ligatures, including separate shapes for consonants joined with the signs ു, ൂ, ൃ and the letter ര. In the 1960s and 1970s the Kerala government pushed a simplified script, and a 1971 order made it official for schools and government use. The reform wrote vowel signs such as ു, ൂ and ് as separate marks beside the letter and split many stacked conjuncts, which cut the number of type pieces sharply. Most books and websites now use the reformed script, but modern fonts also support the traditional ligatures, and you may still see them in older books and some logos.
Type in Malayalam with an English keyboard
Practise the letters by typing them. Type words in English letters and get Malayalam script instantly, with no special keyboard needed.
How many letters are there in the Malayalam alphabet?
There is no single agreed count. Many school lists give 13 vowels and 36 consonants, and adding anusvara, visarga and the five chillu letters gives totals such as 51, 53 or 56. Other sources say 52 or 57 depending on whether ഋ, ൿ and the older letters are included. The letters themselves are the same in all of them.
What is the difference between Malayalam letters and aksharamala?
Aksharamala (അക്ഷരമാല) is simply the Malayalam word for the alphabet, literally a garland of letters. So "Malayalam letters", "Malayalam alphabet" and "Malayalam aksharamala" all refer to the same set of vowels, consonants and chillu letters shown on this page.
What are chillu letters in Malayalam?
Chillu letters are consonants that stand alone at the end of a syllable with no vowel, written ൺ ൻ ർ ൽ ൾ. They are the pure forms of ണ ന ര ല ള, as in കടൽ (kadal, sea). A sixth letter, ൿ, exists but is rarely used.
What is the difference between ള, ഴ and റ in Malayalam?
ള (La) is a retroflex "l" made with the tongue curled back, ഴ (zha) is a unique sound made with the tongue curled back and no full contact, as in മഴ (mazha, rain), and റ (Ra) is a strong tapped or trilled r. Tamil has ழ for the same sound as ഴ. These three letters have no exact English equivalent, so listening to examples helps most.
What are koottaksharangal in Malayalam?
Koottaksharangal are conjunct letters, where two or more consonants join with no vowel between them, as in ക്ക, ന്ന, മ്മ, ക്ഷ and പ്ര. Malayalam has many of them, and each is formed by writing the first consonant with a chandrakkala and joining it to the next.
Do people use Malayalam numerals in everyday life?
Rarely. Malayalam has its own digits ൦ ൧ ൨ ൩ ൪ ൫ ൬ ൭ ൮ ൯, but everyday writing in Kerala uses the Western 0-9 digits. The Malayalam digits are mostly seen in older books, some traditional or decorative uses, and when learning the script.
How can I learn the Malayalam alphabet quickly?
Start with the 13 vowels, then learn one consonant row at a time, saying the example word aloud. Next learn the vowel signs and the chillu letters, then practise the barakhadi for a few consonants each day. Tapping a letter on this page plays its sound.
How do I type Malayalam on an English keyboard?
Use the English to Malayalam typing tool at /english-to-malayalam-typing/. Type Malayalam words in English letters, for example amma, and the tool converts them into അമ്മ. To translate whole sentences instead, use the translation page at /english-to-malayalam-translation/.
