How to Type Sri in Tamil (ஸ்ரீ): Every Keyboard

How to Type Sri in Tamil: ஸ்ரீ

ஸ்ரீ

ஸ்ரீ looks like one letter but is typed as four characters. Here is the quickest way on each keyboard, and a button to copy it.

Short answer

ஸ்ரீ is four Unicode characters: ஸ + ◌் + ர + ◌ீ. On a Tamil-script keyboard, type ஸ, the pulli, then ரீ. In English letters, type sri in the box below and press space. Or copy it with the button.

Type It in English Letters

Type sri, shri, sree or shree and press space.sriramஸ்ரீராம்

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How to Type Sri (ஸ்ரீ) on Each Tamil Keyboard

How to type ஸ்ரீ on different Tamil keyboards
Keyboard	What to press
This site (English letters)	`sri`, `shri`, `sree` or `shree` at the start of a word, then space
Tamil99 (Windows, Mac, phones)	`Shift`+`Q`, `F`, `M`, `W`
InScript (Windows “Tamil”)	`Shift`+`.` types the whole of ஸ்ரீ
Tamil typewriter	`Shift`+`-` types the whole of ஸ்ரீ
Our on-screen keyboard	Tap the ஸ்ரீ key in the Grantha row
Any Tamil-script phone keyboard	Tap ஸ, then the pulli ◌், then ர, then the vowel sign ◌ீ

On a phone or PC keyboard that writes Tamil from English letters (Gboard’s Tamil QWERTY layout, the iPhone’s Tamil transliteration, Windows Tamil Phonetic), try sri or shri and look for ஸ்ரீ in the suggestions. If it is not offered, switch to the keyboard’s Tamil-script layout and build it from the four parts. You can practise the keys on our Tamil99, InScript and typewriter keyboards, or tap it on the on-screen Tamil keyboard.

Why ஸ்ரீ Is Four Characters

Tamil Unicode stores letters by their parts, and the font draws the joined shape. ஸ்ரீ is the consonant ஸ with a pulli (so it has no vowel), followed by ர with the long vowel sign ◌ீ. Fonts traditionally draw this as one ligature.

The four Unicode characters in ஸ்ரீ
Part	Code point	Unicode name
ஸ	`U+0BB8`	Tamil letter sa
◌்	`U+0BCD`	Tamil sign virama (pulli)
ர	`U+0BB0`	Tamil letter ra
◌ீ	`U+0BC0`	Tamil vowel sign ii

That is also why Backspace can take ஸ்ரீ apart one piece at a time, and why a character counter shows 4 for what you see as one letter.

The Second Spelling: ஶ்ரீ

Before 2005, Unicode had no separate letter for the “sh” sound in Sanskrit words, so ஸ்ரீ was the standard way to write Sri. Unicode 4.1 added ஶ (U+0BB6), and the Unicode Standard now says the best match for the ligature is ஶ்ரீ. Because keyboards were slow to change, both spellings are widespread, and Unicode recommends treating them as equivalent.

In practice: most keyboards, including ours, type ஸ்ரீ, and that is what most people search for. If a search or a database lookup misses a name you know is there, try the other spelling. To find out which one a piece of text uses, paste it into the Tamil to English letters tool: in casual style ஸ்ரீ reads sree and ஶ்ரீ reads shree, and in ISO style they read srī and śrī.

Typing க்ஷ and Other Conjuncts

The other common Grantha cluster is க்ஷ, as in க்ஷத்திரியன் and லக்ஷ்மி. It looks like one letter, but it is three characters: க (U+0B95), the pulli ் (U+0BCD) and ஷ (U+0BB7). That is why it counts as 2 Tamil letters and 3 code points.

How to type க்ஷ on different Tamil keyboards
Keyboard	What to press
This site (English letters)	`ksha` for க்ஷ, or `lakshmi` for லக்ஷ்மி, then space
Tamil99	`Shift`+`Y` types the whole of க்ஷ
InScript	`Shift`+`7` types the whole of க்ஷ
Tamil typewriter	`\` or `Shift`+`B` types the whole of க்ஷ
Grantha keyboard	Tap the க்ஷ group, then the form you need
Any Tamil-script phone keyboard	Type க, the pulli ◌், then ஷ

Other clusters work the same way. Type the consonant, add a pulli, then the next consonant: க் + ஷ gives க்ஷ, and ஸ் + ரீ gives ஸ்ரீ. Our Grantha keyboard has a க்ஷ group with all 13 vowel forms, and the Tamil word counter shows how each cluster is counted.

Common Words With ஸ்ரீ

Common Tamil words that begin with ஸ்ரீ
Tamil	Type	Meaning
ஸ்ரீ	`sri`	Sri, an honorific and auspicious word
ஸ்ரீமதி	`srimathi`	Srimathi, an honorific for a married woman, and a name
ஸ்ரீராம்	`sriram`	Sriram, a name
ஸ்ரீனிவாசன்	`srinivasan`	Srinivasan, a name (also spelt ஸ்ரீநிவாசன், offered as a suggestion)

Sri Lanka is usually written இலங்கை (ilangai) in Tamil. For the honorific “Mr”, formal Tamil uses திரு (thiru).

Questions People Ask

How do I type ஸ்ரீ in English letters?

On this site, type sri, shri, sree or shree at the start of a word and press space. Names work too: sriram gives ஸ்ரீராம் and srimathi gives ஸ்ரீமதி. Check the completed form in the editor before copying it into a name or title.

Why is there no ஸ்ரீ key on my Tamil keyboard?

Because ஸ்ரீ is not one letter. It is four Unicode characters: ஸ, the pulli ◌், ர and the vowel sign ◌ீ. The font joins them into one shape. Some layouts add a shortcut key, but you can always build it from the four parts.

What are the Tamil99 keys for ஸ்ரீ?

Press Shift+Q (ஸ), F (pulli), M (ர) and W (ஈ, which joins as ◌ீ). Our Tamil99 keyboard also gives the whole of ஸ்ரீ on Shift+T. These instructions refer to this site’s layout; check your installed keyboard’s mapping if you type in another application.

Is ஸ்ரீ the same as ஶ்ரீ?

They look almost the same but are stored differently: ஸ்ரீ starts with U+0BB8 (ஸ) and ஶ்ரீ with U+0BB6 (ஶ), a letter added in Unicode 4.1. The Unicode Standard says both are widespread and should be treated as equivalent. Most Tamil keyboards, including ours, type ஸ்ரீ.

What is the Tamil word for Sri as a title?

ஸ்ரீ is borrowed from Sanskrit. In formal Tamil, திரு (thiru) is the usual honorific for a man, as in திரு. ராமன். For a person’s name or an existing official record, preserve the spelling used there rather than automatically replacing the title.

Can I copy Sri in Tamil without learning a keyboard shortcut?

Yes. Copy ஸ்ரீ from this page and paste it where you need the title or name. Check the surrounding spelling after pasting. The page also explains the alternative ஶ்ரீ sequence, so if you are matching an existing official name, keep the sequence used in that record rather than changing it for appearance.

Is Sri a single Unicode character?

No. The common ஸ்ரீ spelling uses four code points: U+0BB8, U+0BCD, U+0BB0 and U+0BC0. A font can draw that sequence as a joined ligature. For a developer inspecting copied text, count the encoded characters separately from the visible shape; a joined appearance does not mean there is one dedicated Sri code point.

Why does Sri look joined in one font and separate in another?

The font’s shaping rules determine how the letter sequence is drawn. Unicode describes the Sri ligature, but copying the text does not copy a font into every receiving app. Check the result in the actual font and application you will print from. Keep the underlying spelling intact rather than inserting spaces to imitate a particular shape.

Will searching for ஸ்ரீ always find ஶ்ரீ as well?

Do not assume it will. These spellings begin with different Unicode letters even when a font makes them look alike. When checking a name list or document, search for both forms if you need to catch both spellings. For a form submission, copy the spelling from the person’s existing record rather than relying on visual similarity.

Can I type Sri here and paste it into a design document?

Yes. Copy the checked Tamil sequence and paste it into the design document, then inspect the result using the font you intend to print. This page supplies Unicode text, not a legacy-font encoding or an image. If the printer requires Bamini, use the Unicode to Bamini converter and confirm the required font separately.