Tamil Handwriting to Text Converter

Made for how Tamil is actually written

Tamil is written with 12 vowels, 18 consonants and the vowel signs that attach to them, giving 247 letter forms. In handwriting, a small change separates letters: ன, ண and ந; ல, ள and ழ; ர and ற. The pulli (the dot that marks a pure consonant) is often just a light tap of the pen. Miss it and the word changes.

This converter is told the text is Tamil and to attach every vowel sign and pulli to the right consonant, so the output is proper Unicode Tamil, not a jumble of separated marks that looks wrong when pasted.

Common uses

• Typing up school and college notes written in Tamil
• Saving grandparents' letters and diaries as searchable text
• Handwritten poems, songs and kolam notebooks
• Notes for Tamil language classes abroad
• Old family documents. Check names and dates carefully on very faded pages

No Tamil keyboard needed

Typing Tamil on a computer usually means installing a phonetic keyboard or learning Tamil99. If the text already exists on paper, it's quicker to photograph it and let the converter do the typing. Then you only fix the odd letter.

Photo tips for Tamil

• Get close enough that the pulli dots and small loops are clearly visible
• Ruled notebook lines are fine, but avoid shadows across the writing
• Ballpoint on white paper reads best; dark ink on lined paper is next

Frequently asked questions