Overview

This keyboard uses the Mozhi layout to let you type in Malayalam. It is a phonetic keyboard, based on the normal English (QWERTY) keyboard letters. This makes the keyboard easy to use for anybody familiar with Malayalam, or with a normal keyboard.

If a special font is needed for this language, most computers will download it automatically.

Click here to see other keyboard layouts for Malayalam.

Using this Keyboard

Quickstart

The Mozhi keyboard layout was designed to make it easy to type in Malayalam. The characters are arranged according to the closest English consonants and vowels. Most Malayalam characters have both consonant and vowel parts, and each part should be typed separately. The consonant part is always typed before the vowel, no matter where the vowel part is written.

For example, typing i will produce the vowel ഇ. If the i key is typed after a consonant, though, the vowel will be combined with the consonant. For example, typing ki produces കി. If you press Backspace once, only the vowel part will be erased, and you can type a different vowel.

Examples

Keyboard Details

The On Screen Keyboard shows the 35 normal consonants ക ഖ ഗ ഘ ങ ച ഛ ജ ഝ ഞ ട ഠ ഡ ഢ ണ ത ഥ ദ ധ ന പ ഫ ബ ഭ മ യ ര ല വ ശ ഷ സ ഹ ള ഴ റ, the vowels അ ആ ഇ ഈ ഉ ഊ ഋ എ ഏ ഐ ഒ ഓ ഔ, and the ് mark. There are also numbers and punctuation marks.

Malayalam vowels and consonants are usually combined, so when you type a consonant and a vowel part, they will be joined into one character. If you use the arrow keys to move through the text, you only need to press an arrow key once to move past each character. If you press Delete before (on the left of) a combined consonant and vowel, it will be erased completely, but if you press Backspace after a character, only the vowel part will be erased (even if the vowel part appears before the consonant).

Vowels and Consonants

When you type consonants and vowel parts, you should always type the consonant part first, even when the vowel part appears on the left of the consonant. If you type any of the independent vowels, they will not be combined with consonants. If you want to type just the vowel part, without a consonant, type @, then the vowel. For example, typing e produces എ, while typing @e produces െ.

In Malayalam writing, all the consonants naturally include the vowel sound അ. If you want to write a consonant with no vowel, you need to add the ് mark. With the Mozhi keyboard, this mark is added automatically every time you type a consonant. You can also add the mark by typing ~ right after typing a consonant. After you have typed the ് mark, you cannot type a vowel to combine with that consonant.

Malayalam includes many combined consonants, and these are not on the keyboard. To type a combined consonant, type the first consonant, then the second consonant, and then a vowel. The computer will then combine the two consonants into a single combined character. For example, typing kka produces the combined consonant ക്ക.

Keystroke Examples

In the following table you can see examples of how to type the different vowels with the consonant ക. For a table of all the normal Malayalam characters and how to type them, click here.

Consonant	Vowel	Combined	Keystrokes
ക	്	ക്	k
	അ	ക	ka
	ആ	കാ	kA
	ഇ	കി	ki
	ഈ	കീ	kI
	ഉ	കു	ku
	ഊ	കൂ	kU
	ഋ	കൃ	kr^
	എ	കെ	ke
	ഏ	കേ	kE
	ഐ	കൈ	kai
	ഒ	കൊ	ko
	ഓ	കോ	kO
	ഔ	കൌ	kau

Troubleshooting

Fonts

If you see squares when you type, or the Malayalam characters do not appear correctly, please read the KeymanWeb troubleshooting guide.

Problem Solving

If a vowel does not combine with a consonant, make sure you have typed the consonant first. Also check that you have not typed another vowel already, or a standalone vowel, or the ് mark.

Further Resources

Other Internet Resources

Download Malayalam Basic for Keyman Desktop

Malayalam Alphabet at Omniglot.com
Malayalam Language at Wikipedia.org
Malayalam Script at Wikipedia.org

Technical Information

System Requirements

It is recommended that you use an English QWERTY hardware keyboard with this keyboard.

Unicode Version

This keyboard complies with Unicode 5.1

Keyboard Authorship

The Mozhi Malayalam Keyboard is Copyright 2006 by Raj Nair. Tavultesoft gratefully acknowledges the contribution made by the authors in developing this keyboard and making it freely available for use with Keyman Desktop and KeymanWeb. Their effort assists in enabling people to communicate in their own language.

Copyright and Terms of Use

The Mozhi Malayalam Keyboard for Keyman Desktop and KeymanWeb is Copyright 2008 Tavultesoft. It may be freely distributed and used, but must not be modified or adapted in any way without written permission from Tavultesoft.

THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY TAVULTESOFT PTY LTD "AS IS" AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL TAVULTESOFT PTY LTD BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.