Quick Facts Type Syllabic Alphabetic Genealogy Brahmi Location South Asia Time 12th century CE to Present CE Direction Left to Right

The Malayalam script is used to write the language of Malayalam spoken in the southern Indian state of Kerala, as well as the Konkani language in Goa. It is a descendent of the Grantha script.

The following is the basic Malayalam script.

Like other South Asian scripts, a Malayalam letter has an inherent vowel of /a/. To change this vowel to another, extra strokes called matras are added to the basic letter, as in the following example:

Related Links

• Languages and Scripts of India.
• Eden"s Page: Scripts of all of Asia.