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Alfabeto Tamil
Tamil Script
The Tamil script is one of the oldest scripts still in active use, with inscriptions dating back over 2,000 years. It is an abugida with 12 vowels, 18 consonants, and 1 special character (āytam). Combinations create 216 compound characters, for a total of 247 characters.
Vowels (Uyir / உயிர்)
| Carácter | Nombre | Romanización | Pronunciación |
|---|---|---|---|
| அ | A | a | like 'a' in 'apple' |
| ஆ | Aa | ā | like 'a' in 'father' (long) |
| இ | I | i | like 'i' in 'sit' |
| ஈ | Ii | ī | like 'ee' in 'meet' |
| உ | U | u | like 'u' in 'put' |
| ஊ | Uu | ū | like 'oo' in 'moon' |
| எ | E | e | like 'e' in 'met' |
| ஏ | Ee | ē | like 'a' in 'cake' |
| ஐ | Ai | ai | like 'i' in 'site' |
| ஒ | O | o | like 'o' in 'on' |
| ஓ | Oo | ō | like 'o' in 'go' |
| ஔ | Au | au | like 'ow' in 'how' |
Consonants (Mei / மெய்)
| Carácter | Nombre | Romanización | Pronunciación |
|---|---|---|---|
| க் | Ka | k / g / h | like 'k' in 'key' |
| ங் | Nga | ng | like 'ng' in 'sing' |
| ச் | Ca | s / ch | like 'ch' in 'cheese' |
| ஞ் | Nya | ny | like 'ny' in 'canyon' |
| ட் | Ta (retroflex) | ṭ | a retroflex 't' sound |
| ண் | Na (retroflex) | ṇ | a retroflex 'n' sound |
| த் | Ta | t / d / th | like 't' in 'top' |
| ந் | Na | n | like 'n' in 'night' |
| ப் | Pa | p / b | like 'p' in 'pen' |
| ம் | Ma | m | like 'm' in 'moon' |
| ய் | Ya | y | like 'y' in 'yes' |
| ர் | Ra | r | a flap 'r' |
| ல் | La | l | like 'l' in 'lamp' |
| வ் | Va | v / w | like 'v' in 'van' |
| ழ் | Zha (special) | ḻ | a retroflex lateral unique to Tamil |
| ள் | Lla (retroflex) | ḷ | a retroflex 'l' |
| ற் | Rra | ṟ | a trilled 'r' |
| ன் | Nna | ṉ | an alveolar 'n' |