Tamil99 Typing

Tamil99 is a Tamil keyboard layout standard approved by the Government of Tamil Nadu in 1999 (G.O. Ms. No. 17, IT Department). ^[1] It was designed to be phonetically logical for Tamil speakers.

In the Tamil99 layout, vowels are placed on the left side of the keyboard and consonants on the right side. The pulli (virama) is placed on the F key at the centre of the home row for easy access.

Tamil99 is used by: Tamil Nadu state government employees, court typists, TNPSC exam candidates, students learning Tamil typing, and Tamil communities in Singapore and Malaysia.

This typing page uses the Tamil99 keyboard layout. The virtual keyboard on screen shows the Tamil99 key mappings. When you press a key on your physical keyboard or click a key on the virtual keyboard, the corresponding Tamil character is inserted into the text area.

Key positions to remember:

• Vowels (உயிரெழுத்து) — Left side (A, S, D, W, E, etc.)
• Consonants (மெய்யெழுத்து) — Right side (H, J, K, L, Y, U, I, etc.)
• Pulli / Virama (்) — F key (centre home row)

Refer to the Tamil99 Keyboard Mapping panel above to see all key assignments.

The Tamil99 keyboard layout is the standard used across Tamil Nadu government offices for all official Tamil-language correspondence. This includes:

1. State Government Departments: Letters, circulars, notices, and internal communications are typed using Tamil99.

2. Courts & Judiciary: The Tamil Nadu High Court and district courts use Tamil99 for legal documents, orders, and court proceedings.

3. Local Bodies: Municipal corporations, panchayat offices, and district collector offices use Tamil99.

4. Educational Institutions: Government schools and colleges in Tamil Nadu have Tamil99 in their computer labs.

Several government recruitment exams require Tamil typing proficiency with the Tamil99 layout:

1. TNPSC (Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission): Typist, Junior Assistant, Steno-Typist, Data Entry Operator posts. Tamil99 is widely used at TNPSC exam centres.

2. TNDTE (Tamil Nadu Directorate of Technical Education): The Government Technical Examination in Typewriting is conducted twice a year. The Senior Grade certificate is required for TNPSC Typist posts.

3. SSC (Staff Selection Commission): For Tamil Nadu cadre posts (LDC, DEO, Postal Assistant), SSC requires a Data Entry Speed Test in Tamil.

4. Tamil Nadu High Court: Court Typist recruitment requires Tamil typing proficiency, and Tamil99 is the standard layout used in courts.

The three layouts differ in their key mappings, history, and usage:

Tamil99: Designed in 1999 by the Tamil Nadu government. Phonetically logical — vowels on the left, consonants on the right, pulli on F. Widely used in Tamil Nadu state government offices.

Tamil Inscript: The Unicode-standard layout mandated by the Government of India. Used in central government posts and TNPSC written exams. If your exam notification specifies Inscript, practise that layout.

Tamil Typewriter: Based on mechanical typewriter conventions. Still used in some older government departments and certain judicial typing tests.

For government office work after recruitment, Tamil99 proficiency is essential — it is the day-to-day standard in Tamil Nadu government.

To install the Tamil99 keyboard layout on your computer for offline use, download the keyboard layout driver from ELCOT (Electronics Corporation of Tamil Nadu) ^[5] — the official government source.

Windows:
1. Download the Tamil99 keyboard layout installer from the ELCOT website.
2. Run the installer and follow the on-screen instructions.
3. After installation, go to Settings → Time & Language → Language → Preferred languages and add Tamil, then select the Tamil99 keyboard as your input method.

Mac:
1. Download the Tamil99 keyboard layout from ELCOT or a trusted source.
2. Copy the layout file to ~/Library/Keyboard Layouts/.
3. Go to System Preferences → Keyboard → Input Sources and add Tamil99.