Malayalam Alphabets in Unicode Digital Format UTF-8

Read and Type all Malayalam Aksharamaala Letters

in your computer off-line, as well as,

from your computer on the Internet on-line
using English/Malayalam Bilingual Keyboard in Windows OS.

See Malayalam Typing Live

Enter

Win-script (Windows Indian Script) keyboard for Malayalam

in Windows Operating System.

Note: This is NOT Transliteration.
Malayalam Letters including Chillaksharams are easily & perfectly rendered in this method.

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Unicode Character Codes Chart - The Unicode Standard, Version 6.2

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Bhangiyaayi Malayalam ezhuthuvaan Inscript Keyboardu labhyamaayittu polum computeril Malayalam ezhuthuvaan ippozhum mikkavarkkum thaalpparyam Manglishil ezhuthunnathilaanennu kaanumbol athbhuthavum sangadavum angine ullavarodu sahathaapavum thonnunnathil ashcharyappedenda kaaryam undoe? Ivar Manglishil type cheythittu transliterationil athu Malayalam pole (sarikkulla Malayalam kittanamenkil transliterationil valare naalathe prayathnam aavashyamaanennarinjittu koodi) aakki maatti, unicodil kittaathathu unicodilekku convert cheythu, pinne athu copy cheythu, ennittu paste cheythu pedunna pollaappu tharanam cheythu kazhinju aksharangal orumaathiri apoorna Malayalathil kittunnathu kandu saayoojyamadanjittu, saayippinte bhashaksharangalude sahaayathodu koodi labhicha Malayalam aanu saakshaal Malayalam ennu vaadichu jayikkaan sramikkunnavar arinjukondu thanne thanathu Malayalathe kollakkola cheyyubol maruvashathu oru pattam malayalikalum avare shahayikkan kurachu videshikalum chernnu thanathu malayalam computeril varuthaan prayathnikkunnu ennathu ariyunnilla ennu nadikkaruthu. Ithrayokke poranjittu Saayippinu Malayalam paddikkan uthakum vidham Malayalam parishkkarikkanam ennu koodi swadeshi malayalikal parayumbol varikalkkidayil vaayikkuvann endo onnu undo ennu samshayikkendiyirikkuunnu. Malayalam paddikkuvaan aathamardhamayi thaalparyam ulla saayippinu thanathu lipi paddikkuvaanaayirikkillae thaalparyam. Pinnendinaanee maattam?

It would have been easier to type the above paragraph in either English for all to read or in Malayalam for Malayalees to read. It is neither easy to type nor easy to read for either Englishmen or for Malayalees. The paragraph given below in English would be easier to read despite the mistakes.

Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabridge uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht frist and lsat ltteer is at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae we do not raed ervey lteter by it slef but the wrod as a wlohe.

So wouldn't it be better that we learn to write English in English and Malayalam in Malayalam?

ഇതു കൂടി നോക്കൂ - മംഗ്ലീഷില്‍ റ്റൈപ്പു് ചെയ്യാന്‍ എന്തൊക്കെ പഠിക്കണം!
ട്രാന്‍സ്ലിറ്ററേഷന്‍ വേണോ അതോ മലയാളം മലയാളത്തില്‍ റ്റൈപ്പു് ചെയ്തു ശീലിക്കണോ എന്നു് തീരുമാനിക്കേണ്ടതു് ഉപയോക്താവു് തന്നെയാണു്.
Try to type the text given below in transliteration.

Manglish Vs Malayalam Typing - Phonetic Vs Inscript Keyboard

Are you good at transliteration? Good. Continue in Manglish phonetic method if you -

Next >>

1. have very good speed at it.
2. can remember all sorts of key combinations to get proper letters
3. love the phonetic method of typing
4. are reluctant to study an extra keyboard layout
5. are not good at activating Malayalam in Windows
6. are not good at writing Malayalam
7. love to follow the crowd

But, if you are a beginner, it is better to study In-script method, because

1. It is the future
2. It is faster
3. It is more web-friendly
4. Type Malayalam directly the way you write Malayalam (Copy-paste not necessary)
5. It has lesser keystrokes
6. It renders chillaksharams and all sorts of koottaksharams better.
7. It has lesser key-combinations to be remembered
8. The layout has been standardized with uniformity for all Indian languages.
9. If you learn to type in any one Indian language you can type many other Indian languages.
10. Activation of the language in Windows is just once-in-a-life- time process.
11. On-line In-script  typing web-sites are available.
12. Type in Notepad and save file as UTF-8
13. Type directly into MS Office (Word, Excel, Power-point etc), Open Office, Graphics (Input text in MS Paint, Paint.NET etc), Web pages, E-mail, Chat, Blog pages etc etc.

Why In-script has not gained much popularity.

1. Popularity of transliteration typing.
2. Lack of awareness about In-script
3. Non-availability in the Operating System by default
4. Unwillingness to learn another keyboard layout
5. Fear of losing speed on changeover.
6. Un-familiarity with Malayalam script (NRIs & Foreign Malayalees)

	Transliteration	In-script Keyboard
Learning	Not required	Nesessary
Softwares	Transliteration, Fonts	Winscript (Windows INdian SCRIPT), Fonts
Keyboard	Qwerty	Bi-lingual
Layout Learning	Known	Needs labeling & learning
Knowledge of the language	Only spoken need to be known	Written script needs to be known
Typing	Phonetic Method	Direct typing
Technique	Transliteration Conversion may be necessary Copy and Paste necessary	Direct typing like writing Conversion not necessary Copy and Paste not necessary
Eg:	Type M a l a y a l a m to get മലയാളം	Type മ ല യ ാ ള ം to get മലയാളം
Web friendly	Not Bad	Good
Key strokes	More	Less
Eg:	See above – 8 to get മലയാളം	See above – 6 to get മലയാളം
Speed	Qwerty speed	Faster (though slow when learning a new method)
Key combination	Complicated	Simple
Spelling Mistakes	More	Less
Letter Rendering	Fair	Very good
Fonts	Not much choice	Many choices
Samvrithokaram	Not clear Eg: ത് ല് ന് ള്	Clear തു് ലു് നു് ളു്
Koottaksharam	Not clear Eg: ക് ത	Clear Eg: ക്ത
Chillaksharam	Not clear ന് ല് ള് ണ് ര് ക്	Clear ന്‍ ല്‍ ല്‍ ണ്‍ ര്‍ ക്‍
Digits	Nil	൧൨൩൪൫൬൭൮൯0
Help
On-line training
Virtual Keyboard
On-Screen Keyboard
Public Awareness	More	Less
Interest	More	Less
Users and usefulness	Chatting	Web, Engineers, Media, Students, Teachers, Lawyers, Writers,
Un-interested people	Nil	Computer salesmen

Next >>

Languages than can be activated in Windows 7

About 160 various Scripts of the World are ready, to be activated in Windows - Video

 Next >>

Czeh (Czhech Republic)

Danish (Denmark)
Dari (Afghanistan)
Divehi (Maldives)
Dutch (Belgium)
Dutch (Netherlands)
English (Australia)
English (Beize)
English (Canada)
English (Caribbean)
English (India)
English (Ireland)
English (Jamaica)
English (Malaysia)
English (New Zealand)
English (Republilc of the Philippines)
English (Singapore)
English (South Africa)
English (Trinidad and Tobago)
English (United Kingdom)
English (United States)
English (Zimbabwe)
English (Estonia)
Faroese (Faroe Island)
Filipino (Philippines)
Finnish (Finland)
French (France)
French (Luxenbourg)
French (Monaco)
French (Switzerland)
French (Netherlands)
Galician (Galician)
Georgian (Georgia)
German (Austgria)
German (Germany)
German (Liechtenstein)
German (Luxembourg)
German (Switzerland)
Greek (Greece)
Greenlandic (Greenland)
Gujarati (India)
Hausa (Latin, Nigeria)
Hebrew (Israel)
Hindi (India)
Hungarian (Hungary)
Icelandic (Iceland)
Igmo (Nigeria)
Indonesian (Indonesia)
Inuktitut (Latin, Canada)
Intukitut (Syllabics, Canada)
Irish (Ireland)
IsoXhosa (South Africa)
isiZulu (South Africa)
Italian (Italy)
Italian (Swtzerland)
Japanese (Japan)
Kannada (India)
Kazakh (Kazakistan)
Khmer (Cambodia)
K'iche (Gautemala)
Kinyarwanda (Rwanda)
Kiswahli (Kenya)
Konkani (India)
Korean (Korea)
Kyrgyz (Kyrgyzstan)
Lao (Lao P. D. R.)
Lativian (Latvia)
Lithuanian (Lithuana)
Lower Sorbian (Germany)
Luxembourgish (Luxembourg)
Macedonian (Former Yougoslav Republic of Macedoan)
Malay (Brunei Darukkalam)
Malay (Malaysia)
Malayalam (India) (If Inscript is not available in the list of Languages as seen below, download Inscript Keyboard for Malayalam in Windows Operating System from HERE and un-zip the file >> Open the folder Inscript >>Double-click on the setup file. Inscript will get installed in your system and will appear in your list.)

Maltese (Malta)
Maori (New Zealand)
Mapudungun (Chile)
Marathi (India)
Mohawk (Mohawk)
Mongolian (Cyrillic, Mangolia)
Mongolian (Traditional Mangolian, PRC)
Nepali (Nepal)
Norwegian, Bokmal (Norway)
Nowegian, Nyork (Norway)
Pashto (Afghanisthan)
Persian
Polish (Poland)
Portuguese (Brazil)
Portuguese (Portugal)
Pujabi (India)
Quechua (Bolivia)
Quechua (Ecuador)
Quechua (Peru)
Romanian (Romania)
Romansh (Switerland)
Russian (Russia)
Sami, Inari (Finland)
Sami, Lule (Norway)
Sami, Lule (Sweden)
Sami, Northern (Finland)
Sami, Northern (Norway)
Sami, Northern (Sweden)
Sanskrit (India)
Scottish Gaelic (United Kingdom)
Serbian (Cyrilic, Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Serbian (Cyrilic, Montenegro)
Serbian (Cyrilic, Serbia and Montenegro (Former))
Serbian (Cyrilic, Serbia)
Serbian (Latin, Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Serbian (Latin, Montenegro)
Serbian (Latin, Serbia and Montenegro (Former))
Serbian (Latin, Serbia)
Sinhala (Sree Lanka)
Slovak (Slovakia)
Slovanian (Slovania)
Spanish (Argentina)
Spanish (Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela)
Spanish (Bolivia)
Spanish (Chile)
Spanish (Colombia)
Spanish (Costa Rica)
Spanish (Dominican Republic)
Spanish (Ecuador)
Spanish (El Savador)
Spanish (Guatimala)
Spanish (Honduras)
Spanish (Mexico)
Spanish (Nicaragua)
Spanish (Panama)
Spanish (Panama)
Spanish (Peru)
Spanish (Puerto Rico)
Spanish (Spain, International Sort)
Spanish (Spain Traditional Sort)
Spanish (United States)
Spanish (uruguay)
Spanish (Finland)
Spanish (Sweden)
Syriac (Syria)
Tahik (Cyrillic, Tajkistan)
Tamazight (Latin, Algeria)
Tamil (India)
Tatar (Russia)
Telugu (India)
Thai (Thailand)
Tibetan (PRC)
Turkish (Turkmenistan)
Ukranian (Ukraine)
Upper Sorbian (Germany)
Urdu (Islamic Republic of Pakistan)
Uyghur (PRC)
Uzbek (Latin, Uzbekistan)
Vietnamese (Vietnam)
Welsh (United Kingdom)
Wolof (Senegal)
Yakut (Russia)
Yi (PRC)
Yoruba (Nigeriia)

 Next >>

Enabling Malayalam in Windows 7

Next >>

If it is necessary to type and edit documents in more than one language, it is possible to add input languages to suit the requirement of the user. Many input languages support a variety of keyboard layouts.

The default language in Windows for the Graphic User Interface is English and the input language in the keyboard is English Qwerty. These can be changed as preferred by the user via the Control Panel.

Keyboard Layout:

1. English Qwerty can be changed to English Dvorak but having done so, the output letters that appear on the editors will no longer correspond to the keys in the keyboard. So they will have to be rearranged to suit the altered layout. The On-screen keyboard can be used as a reference to make the alterations.

2. It is possible to change / add an additional input language to enter text from the list shown HERE. All languages of the World, though inactive by default, are included with Windows, and needs to be added to the list of languages before they can be used. While doing so, Windows automatically adds the keyboard layout for that language both on the physical keyboard connected as well as on the on-screen keyboard. The on-screen keyboard can be used as a reference point to study the keyboard layout.

The Language bar provides a quick way to switch between the input language or keyboard layout from the desktop.

Enabling Malayalam  - Video Or pdf file

Download and Install the required softwares from HERE before you begin to enable Malayalam

Enable Malayalam in Windows : Go to >> Start >> Control Panel >> Region and Languages >> Keyboard and Languages >> Change Keyboards >> Text Services and Input Languages >> General Tab >> Add >> Add Input Language >> Malayalam >> Keyboard >> Tick mark select "Inscript keyboard for Malayalam in Windows Operating System" & "Malayalam" >> Apply&OK >> Apply&OK. (Tick-selecting "Malayalam" is an additional option  to activate the default Malayalam in Windows 7 also)

2. After you are done check if 'EN' has appeared in the Task Bar. If No, go to >> Start >> Control Panel >> Region and Languages >> Keyboard and Languages >> Change keyboards >> Text Services and Input Languages >> Language Bar >> Docked in the Task Bar >> Apply&OK.

3. Check whether pressing the Shift+Alt keys makes the symbols alternate between 'EN' and 'MY'.

Select EN when typing English.
Select MY when typing Malayalam and tick-select In-script Keyboard for Malayalam

(Note: If you have activated both "Malayalam" & "In-script keyboard for Malayalam in Windows Operative System" the Language bar will show both "Malayalam" & "In-script keyboard for Malayalam in Windows Operative System" along with English. If you have activated only  either one of the two, then the Language Bar will show only "Malayalam"  with English.)

While typing you can toggle between English and Malayalam anywhere in the middle of a sentence by the using the key combination Shift+Alt (Remember that this is a Bi-lingual Keyboard).

If this does not work, Go To Start >> Control Panel >> Language >> Change Keyboard or other input methods >> Keyboard and Languages Tab >> Change Keyboard Button >> Advanced settings Tab >> Under Hot keys for input Languages Action, Select Between Input Languages >> Change Key Sequence Button >> Under - Switch Input Language, Select Left Alt+Shift and under - Switch Keyboard Layout select Ctrl+Shift >> OK >> Apply&OK >> Apply&OK

The Language bar - Video

The Language bar is a toolbar that appears on your desktop automatically when you add text services, such as input languages, keyboard layouts, handwriting recognition, speech recognition, or input method editors (IMEs). The Language bar provides a quick way to change the input language or keyboard layout from your desktop. You can move the Language bar anywhere on your screen, minimize it to the taskbar, or hide it.

The set of buttons and options on the Language bar changes depending on the text services you have installed and the software program that's currently active.

For more information go to Start >> Control Panel >> Regional Languages >> Change Keyboards or other input methods >> How do I change the keyboard layout?

Keyboard Layout - Printable - Click on picture >> Right click in next page >> Save as

Next >>

English Malayalam Bilingual Keyboard

Next >>

The in-script key board layout is in such a way that Swaras and Swara-chihnams come on the left fingered-keys and most of the Vyanjanams under the right-fingered keys which makes it convenient to type the vyanjanam first followed by the swaras as in writing Malayalam. Regarding the swaras and swara-chihnams, the chihnams are got without the shift keys and the swara-aksharams with the shift keys. The Vyanjanam are arranged so that the first two letters are in the middle row and the next two on the upper row just above this. Only the fifth letter is away. Eg: Ka & Kha on K key and Ga & Gha on the key above. Nga is allotted the key close by.

The common complaint about Inscript Keyboard for Malayalam in Windows is the difficulty to get chillaksharam. This problem occurs when Malayalam Malayalam is selected in the language bar. All that need be done is deselect this by selecting Malayalam and Inscript keyboard for Malayalam. This simple procedure will solve the problem about getting chillaksharam

See Video

To get chillaksharam, type the first letter in it followed by d] { d is ് & ] is ഞ without shift}

To get nta, type vdJ (capital J) {ന ് റ }

To get Koottaksharam, split the letter with d in-between {ക്ത = ക  ്  ത}

After having labelled the keyboard, typing is easy - Initially by pic-and-poke and later by blind method after understanding the letter layout. One need not look at the English letters as mentioned above

On-screen Keyboard in Widows

Malayalam Typing Windows7 Inscript Unicode Vol:08 Live Typing Bi-lingual Keyboard
 Watch in You Tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtZcgYGqWCA

Next >>

How to type Malayalam in Inscript Keyboard

Next >>

Check list
1. Has Malayalam been activated?
2. Can you see the Language Bar?

If no, go back to the page Malayalam Typing - Enabling in Windows, and come back later.
If ready, proceed.

Set the Language bar to Malayalam and In-script Keyboard.

First of all, study the Keyboard layout of the Malayalam letters.

The On-screen Keyboard, shown above, can be brought on your screen, Start >> Help >> Type on-screen keyboard in the search box and hit Enter >> Click on Type without using the keyboard (On-screen Keyboard). Hit Shift+Alt or Select Malayalam from the Language Bar to see the Malayalam Layout.

Now, how do you write Malayalam? Vyanjanam followed by swaram.
Type ക to get ക.
First of all, study the Keyboard Layout.
To add a swaram to the vyanjanam just type ക ച ട ത or പ (right-fingered keys) followed by ി ീ ു ൂ ൃ െ േ ൈ ൊ ോ ൗ ം ഃ whichever you want (left-fingered keys) {this arrangement is what makes the typing easy} to get the lettes, say: കാ കി കീ കു കൂ കൃ കെ കേ കൈ കൊ കൊ കൗ കം കഃ etc.

To get koottakshaaram, split the component letters of the koottaksharm with a ് in the middle (like in the new lipi parishkaram of 1971). Eg: ക ് ത without the space in between renders ക്ത. This same method is applicable for any koottaksharam.

To get Chillaksharam (Make sure that Malayalam- Inscript and not Malayalam-Malayalam had been selected in the Language Bar, because rendering of chillaksharam is proper only in the former and never in the latter). Type the vyanjanam component of the chillu followed by ് ] (this ] is the ഞ key without shift) Eg: ന ് ] = ന്‍

CORRECTION : To get chillaksharam using Malayalam (default in Windows 7) type vyanjanam+്+Control_Shift_1 key-combination. Eg: ന+്+ContrlShift1 = ന്‍

See Video

To get nta properly type ന ് റ without the space in between = ന്റ.
(ന്‍റ is not the proper usage, but you can use it to type ഹെന്‍റി - ഹ െ ന ് ] റ ി ).

The Zero Width Non Joiner (ZWNJ) is a charecter that does not appear in the typed document. It is placed between two characters to disconnect two charecters that would otherwise be connected. Eg: In the word സോഫ്റ്റ്വേര്‍ ഫ്റ്റ് and വ should remain disconnected. Adding ' \ ' between ഫ്റ്റ് and വ keeps the letters disconnected to get സോഫ്റ്റ്‌വേര്‍.

Since you can get all letters properly without the Alt key modifier's 3rd layer its use has no additional advantage over the original In-script keyboard. Moreover this Atomic chillaksharam obtained with the Alt modifier keys does not match the shape and size of the accompanying font letters when typing in notepad offline. See below

Advantages of In-script:

1. It is the future
2. It is faster
3. It is more web-friendly
4. Type Malayalam directly the way you write Malayalam (No Copy-paste necessary).
5. It has lesser keystrokes.
6. It renders chillaksharams and all sorts of koottaksharams better.
7. The key-combinations to be remembered is negligible.
8. The layout has been standardized with uniformity for all Indian languages.
9. If you learn to type in any one Indian language you can type many other Indian languages.
10. Activation of the language in Windows is just once-in-a-life- time process.
11. On-line In-script  typing web-sites are available.
12. Type in Notepad and save file as UTF-8
13. Type directly into MS Office (Word, Excel, Power-point etc), Open Office, Graphics (Input text in MS Paint, Paint.NET etc), Web pages, E-mail, Chat, Blog pages etc etc.

Difficulty in learning

1. Key Layout has to be studied or labelled. (It is not as difficult as learning Qwerty!)

Keep trying even if you have difficulty in the beginning. Do not go back to Manglish transliteration even if you have difficulty to get chillaksharam. Review this page if necessary.

Good luck.

Next >>

Key Combinations

Next >>

The key combinations are very few and there is a fixed basic pattern of typing that alternates between the right and left fingers which makes typing easy and fast. There is not a single letter in Malayalam that cannot be obtained in this method

With the development of Unicode 6.2 more letters that were discarded in 1971 and on earlier occasions are staging a come back. Let us hope the Vyanjanam 5 letters in the Valsyam Vargam between Thakaram and Ttakaaram and Swarams ilu and Iluu also will come back making it possible to write any word imported from any other language in Malayalam script.

Next >>

Old Lipi - sample

See the possibles of typing letters in In-Script Key Board

Next >>

Next >>

Old/New Lipi

The New Lipi though boasting of being different from the old Lipi is in fact an illogical combination of something new and somethings old, and basically it should not have been adopted for writing at all in the first place.

Read more about how Malayalam underwent the transformation HERE

...................PLEASE COME BACK TO THIS PAGE AFTER IT IS COMPLETED