Malayalam Aksharamala Chart — അക്ഷരമാല

About the Malayalam alphabet

Malayalam has its own script. As in Hindi, every consonant carries a built-in “a” sound — ക is “ka” — and vowel signs change it: കാ, കി, കീ, കു. Children usually learn the letters first and the vowel signs after.

• Vowels. അ to ഔ, plus അം and അഃ, which most school charts list with the vowels. Malayalam has a short and a long എ / ഏ and ഒ / ഓ, which Hindi writes as one letter each.
• The five rows. The first 25 consonants come in rows of five, each ending in a nasal: ങ ഞ ണ ന മ. Then come യ ര ല വ, ശ ഷ സ ഹ and ള ഴ റ. ഴ (“zha”) is a sound found in Malayalam and Tamil.
• Not on this chart. The chillu letters (ൺ ൻ ർ ൽ ൾ), which end a syllable with no vowel, and the vowel signs — both usually come after the main letters.
• Letters without a picture. അം, അഃ, ങ, ഝ, ഠ, ഢ, ണ, ഥ, ള, ഴ, റ rarely or never begin a word a small child knows, so they are shown on their own.

The Malayalam words are ABC Fun!'s. If you spot one that is wrong or unusual where you live, please tell us.