What Is Tanglish?
Tanglish (Tamil + English) is the practice of writing Tamil words using English letters. For example, writing "vanakkam" instead of "வணக்கம்". It has been popular in SMS and chat for decades because most phones and keyboards don't have a Tamil input method.
Tanglish typing tools take this a step further — as you type the romanised Tamil, the software automatically converts it to proper Tamil Unicode in real time. You type in Tanglish, you get Tamil.
How to Use Tanglish Typing on FontConvertor.in
- Go to the Font Converter page.
- In the Source Font dropdown, select Unicode (UTF-8) as both source and target.
- Enable the Tanglish toggle (the keyboard icon above the input area).
- Start typing Tamil words in English letters. The converter will show Tamil Unicode suggestions as you type. Press Space or Tab to accept the current suggestion.
Transliteration Rules
The engine follows standard phonetic transliteration. Here are the key rules:
Vowels
| Type | Tamil | Example |
|---|---|---|
| a | அ | am → அம் |
| aa / A | ஆ | aama → ஆமா |
| i | இ | inda → இந்த |
| ii / I | ஈ | iisa → ஈசா |
| u | உ | ulla → உள்ள |
| uu / U | ஊ | uuru → ஊரு |
| e | எ | enna → என்ன |
| ee / E | ஏ | een → ஏன் |
| o | ஒ | oru → ஒரு |
| oo / O | ஓ | ooddu → ஓடு |
Consonants — Key Distinctions
Tamil has multiple consonants that map to similar English letters. The key distinctions:
- k / g — க (ka sound, varies by position)
- ng — ங (nasal ng as in "sing")
- ch / s — ச (sa/cha sound)
- nj — ஞ (nasal ny sound)
- T / d — ட (retroflex T, tongue curled back)
- N — ண (retroflex N)
- t / th — த (dental t, softer)
- n — ந (dental n)
- p / b — ப (pa sound, varies)
- m — ம
- y — ய
- r — ர (light r)
- l — ல (dental l)
- v / w — வ
- zh / z — ழ (unique Tamil retroflex sound)
- L — ள (retroflex l)
- R / rr — ற (hard r/tr sound)
- nn / n (word-final) — ன (alveolar n)
Common Words as Examples
| Type this | Get this | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| vanakkam | வணக்கம் | Hello / Greetings |
| nandri | நன்றி | Thank you |
| enna | என்ன | What |
| epdi | எப்படி | How |
| saapidu | சாப்பிடு | Eat |
| paaru | பாரு | Look / See |
| vaa | வா | Come |
| poo | போ | Go |
| thamizh | தமிழ் | Tamil |
| aama | ஆமா | Yes |
| illai | இல்லை | No |
Tips for Better Accuracy
- Use double letters for long vowels: "aa" gives ஆ, "ee" gives ஏ, "oo" gives ஓ.
- Use capital letters for retroflex sounds: "T" and "N" and "L" give the retroflex variants ட, ண, ள.
- The "zh" combination is important: Tamil ழ is a unique sound. Type "zh" or "z" for it. Example: "thamizh" → தமிழ்.
- Accept suggestions with Space: When the tool shows a suggestion popup, press Space to accept the top suggestion, or click a specific suggestion from the list.
- For purananooru and formal Tamil, be more precise with your vowel lengths — short and long vowels change word meanings.
Tanglish vs. a Tamil Keyboard
Tanglish is best for casual use, chat, and composing text when you don't have a Tamil keyboard installed. For serious Tamil writing — academic work, formal documents, creative writing — installing a proper Tamil keyboard layout (such as Tamil99 or Inscript) gives you direct control over every character. However, for most users who type Tamil occasionally, Tanglish is far faster and more convenient.
Try Tanglish typing on FontConvertor.in — no installation required, works directly in your browser.