Language/Tamil/Pronunciation/Alphabet-and-Pronunciation
Hello Polyglots,
In today's lesson, you will learn how to write the different letters of the Tamil alphabet, how to pronounce these letters whether it is through the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), or through a video with the pronunciation of the letters by a native speaker.
You will also find at the end of this lesson a virtual keyboard to be able to type each special character of this language.
Video - Tamil Alphabet Pronunciation by a Native Speaker
Tamil Alphabet and IPA Pronunciation
Consonants - Tamil Alphabet and Pronunciation
b
like 'b' in "bed"
c
like 's' in "supper", 'k' in "kid"
d
like 'd' in "dog"
f
like 'ph' in "phone"
g
like 'g' in "go", 'j' in "jello"
h
like 'h' in "help" (often silent in the UK and other Commonwealth countries)
j
like 'dg' in "edge"
k
like 'c' in "cat"
l
like 'l' in "love"
m
like 'm' in "mother"
n
like 'n' in "nice"
p
like 'p' in "pig"
q
like 'q' in "quest" (with "u", almost always)
r
like 'r' in "row", like 'r' in "feather" (often silent in the UK and other Commonwealth countries at end of word)
s
like 'ss' in "hiss", like 'z' in "haze"
t
like 't' in "top"
v
like 'v' in "victory"
w
like 'w' in "weight"
x
like 'cks' in "kicks", like 'z' in "haze" (at beginning of a word)
y
like 'y' in "yes", like 'ie' in "pie", like 'ee' in "flee"
z
like 'z' in "haze"
IPA table
| Letter | க் | ங் | ச் | ஞ் | ட் | ண் | த் | ந் | ப் | ம் | ய் | ர் | ல் | வ் | ழ் | ள் | ற் | ன் | ஜ் | ஶ் | ஷ் | ஸ் | ஹ் | க்ஷ் |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IPA | [k], [ɡ], [x], [ɣ], [h] | [ŋ] | [t͡ʃ], [d͡ʒ], [ʃ], [s], [ʒ], [z] | [ɲ] | [ʈ], [ɖ], [ɽ] | [ɳ] | [t̪], [d̪], [ð] | [n̪] | [p], [b], [β] | [m] | [j] | [ɾ] | [l] | [ʋ] | [ɻ] | [ɭ] | [r], [t], [d] | [n] | [d͡ʒ] | [ɕ], [ʃ] | [ʂ] | [s] | [h] | [kʂ] |
Common diphthongs
ay
like 'ay' in "say"
ai
like 'ay' in "say"
au
like 'awe'
ee
like 'ee' in "see"
ei
like 'ay' in "say"
ey
like 'ay' in "say", like 'ee' in "see"
ie
like 'ee' in "see"
oi
like 'oy' in "boy"
oo
like 'oo' in "food", like 'oo' in "good"
ou
like 'ow' in "cow", like 'oo' in "food", like 'o' in "cot"
ow
like 'ow' in "cow"
oy
like 'oy' in "boy"
ch
like 'ch' in "touch"
sh
like 'sh' in "sheep"
th
like 'th' in "this", like 'th' in "those"
gh
like 'f' in "fish"
ph
like 'f' in "fish"
Vowels - Tamil Alphabet and Pronunciation
| Letter | அ | ஆ | இ | ஈ | உ | ஊ | எ | ஏ | ஐ | ஒ | ஓ | ஔ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IPA | [ʌ] | [ɑː] | [i] | [iː] | [u], [ɯ] | [uː] | [e] | [eː] | [ʌj] | [o] | [oː] | [ʌʋ] |
Videos - Tamil Alphabet Pronunciation by a Native Speaker