Writing Tamil words using Baraha transliteration scheme is as easy as writing our names in English. For example, தமிழ் மொழி இனியது can be written as tamizh mozhi iniyatu. The transliteration rules are shown below with examples.

See: Transliteration Examples

Vowels:

அ=a, ஆ=A,aa, இ=i, ஈ=I,ee, உ=u, ஊ=U,oo, எ=e, ஏ=E, ஐ=ai, ஒ=o, ஓ=O, ஔ=au,ou, ஃ=H (Aytham)

Consonants:

க்=k,K,kh,g,G,gh, ங்=~g

ச்=c,s,ch,C,Ch, ஞ்=~j

ட்=T,Th,D,Dh, ண்=N

த்=t,th,d,dh, ந்=~n

ப்=p,P,ph,b,B,bh, ம்=m,M

ய்=y,Y, ர்=r, ல்=l, வ்=v,w, ழ்=zh,Lx, ள்=L, ற்=R,rx, ன்=n

ஜ்=j,jh,J, ஶ்=sh, ஷ்=Sh, ஸ்=S, ஹ்=h,~h

க்ஷ=kSha (k + Sh + a)

ஸ்ரீ=SrI (S + r + I)

Others:

Zero Width Joiner = ^

Zero Width Non Joiner = ^^

Punctuation Marks:

The English symbols [ ] { } ( ) - + * / = | ; : . , " ? ! % \ ~ _ @ # $ will translate into the same symbols in Tamil also.

Quotation Marks:

` ' characters are converted to single smart quotes (‘ ’) characters. We can get double smart quotes (“ ”) by using them twice.

~ Usage:

'~' character when used with other characters form a different character as shown below.

When a consonant character is used alone, it results in a dead consonant (மெய் எழுத்து).

When a consonant character is followed by a vowel character, it results in a live consonant (உயிர்மெய் எழுத்து).

ZWJ, ZWNJ characters:

^ = ZWJ (zero width joiner)

^^ = ZWNJ (zero width non joiner)

If two English characters are making one Tamil vowel (ex: ai, ou), then, ZWJ or ZWNJ character can be used to separate them into different vowels.

Except for the above case, ZWJ and ZWNJ have no use in Baraha Tamil transliteration.