Bamini Tamil Keyboard
பாமினி விசைப்பலகை
Type with the Bamini keys you already know. Get Unicode that works everywhere.
Type a letter in English or Tamil to see which keys make it.
How it types
The Bamini Rules, Key by Key
On the Bamini font, the English keys printed Tamil shapes. That is why some rules look unusual: the signs that sit on the left of a letter are typed first, and a capital letter gives the consonant with ு, because the font had a separate shape for it. This keyboard keeps every one of those habits and stores the result as proper Unicode, in the order a computer expects.
| When you type | Keys | You get | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small letter key | F | க | The consonant, as on the Bamini font. |
| Capital letter key | Shift F | கு | The same consonant with ு. Sixteen letters have one. |
| n or N, then the consonant | NF | கெ | Signs printed on the left (ெ ே ை) are typed first. |
| i, then the consonant | IF | கை | i is the ை sign. |
| n, consonant, h | NFH | கொ | Two-part vowels are typed as their pieces: ெ க ா. |
| n, consonant, s | NFS | கௌ | The ௌ ending uses the s key. |
| Capital, then h | Shift FH | கூ | Turns ு into ூ, as on the font. |
| Consonant, then ; | F; | க் | ; is the pulli. |
| Vowel key twice | MM | ஆ | m m gives the long vowel; so do , , and c c. |
Bamini or Unicode?
Same Keys, Text That Works Everywhere
Text typed in the old Bamini font is really English letters dressed up by the font. Send it to someone without the font, paste it into WhatsApp, or search it in Google, and it turns into jkpo; instead of தமிழ்.
Unicode Tamil stores the actual letters. Every phone and computer can display it, search engines can read it, and it sorts and spell-checks correctly. This keyboard gives you Unicode by default.
Still need Bamini for a print job? Use Copy as Bamini above, or convert whole documents with Unicode to Bamini and Bamini to Unicode.
| Word | Bamini keys |
|---|---|
| வணக்கம் | TZF;FK; |
| தமிழ் | JKPO; |
| நன்றி | ED;WP |
| கொழும்பு | NFHShift OK;Shift G |
| யாழ்ப்பாணம் | AHO;G;GHZK; |
| பெயர் | NGAShift H |
| கைபேசி | IFShift NGRP |
| பூனை | Shift GHID |
Practise the layout with the Tamil typing lessons (choose Bamini), or check your speed with the Tamil typing test. A printable chart is on the keyboard layout charts page.
Layout and rules: the open-source Keyman keyboard Suratha Bamini by Suratha Yarl Vaanan, Mugunth and K. Sethu (MIT licence, © thamizha.com and SIL Global), checked against our Bamini font table. Not affiliated with them.
Questions People Ask
What is the Bamini Tamil keyboard?
Bamini was first a Tamil font in which each English key shows a Tamil letter: f is க, j is த, k is ம. Typists, especially in Sri Lanka and the Tamil diaspora, learned those positions. The Bamini keyboard keeps the same keys but produces Unicode Tamil, so your text works in every app and on every phone.
Do I need the Bamini font installed?
No. This page outputs Unicode, which every device can show with its built-in Tamil font. You only need the Bamini font if you choose Copy as Bamini to paste into an old document or DTP file that already uses Bamini.
How do I type கொ, கோ and கை in Bamini?
Type the pieces in the order they are written: n f h for கொ, N f h for கோ, and i f for கை. The sign waits for the next consonant, and the chart shows it as waiting. Follow each sequence in the editor before moving on to the next letter.
I have an old Bamini document. Can I convert it?
Yes. Paste the text into the Bamini to Unicode converter. To go the other way, use Unicode to Bamini. Keep the original text and test a short sample first. This keyboard composes new text; it does not infer a pasted paragraph’s encoding for you.
Which Bamini layout does this follow?
The open-source Keyman keyboard Suratha Bamini (MIT licence, © thamizha.com and SIL Global), rule for rule, including its fix-ups such as h ; giving ர். One difference: if you type a sign like n and then something that is not a consonant, we print the sign instead of silently dropping it, so you can see the slip.
Can I use the Bamini keyboard on my phone?
Yes. Tap the keys in the chart; on a phone it shows one hand at a time. The Shift key works for one tap, which is how you reach capitals like F (கு). Select the other hand on the chart if the key you need is not currently visible.
Should I choose Copy or Copy as Bamini for a print shop?
Use normal Copy when the print shop wants Unicode Tamil. Choose Copy as Bamini only when it explicitly requests legacy Bamini text and will apply the matching font. Send a short proof first and compare the letters. If it requests Vanavil or another encoding, use the matching converter rather than assuming that all older Tamil fonts use Bamini codes.
Why does a Bamini vowel sign seem to wait before appearing?
Some Bamini keys enter a sign before its consonant, so the tool holds that sign while you type the next piece. Follow the chart sequence rather than retyping the sign. If you enter an unrelated character instead, this tool prints the pending sign so you can spot the mistake. Remove the stray sign and try the consonant sequence again.
Does this Bamini keyboard automatically convert the English I type?
No. In Tamil mode it treats your keystrokes as Bamini key positions, not as English words to transliterate. Select English above the editor when you need an email address or English name, then switch back. For Tamil words spelled in English letters, use the phonetic Tamil editor instead of trying to spell them in the Bamini box.
Can I use the same Bamini keys in Word without this browser page?
Only after adding input software that supports the Bamini layout; opening this page does not change Word’s keyboard. Our software guide lists options and their official download sources. Check whether your chosen software outputs Unicode or legacy Bamini. That output setting matters separately from the familiar key positions, especially when you exchange documents with a printer.