இ — i
«i» is a vowel of Tamil, the “Tamil script” script, read as “i”. The usual short 'i' as in 'bit'. For example, in the word “இல்லை” — no. The Tamil alphabet has 49 letters in total, and this character can be played right here. It appears, for example, in the word “எப்படி இருக்க?” — how are you (informal)?
In short
| Character | இ |
| Name | i |
| Sound | i |
| What it is | a vowel |
In our course the character comes 3rd of 49: the order here is not alphabetical but from familiar to unfamiliar, its neighbours in the course are ஆ and ஈ, appears in 307 words of this site.
How it sounds
The usual short 'i' as in 'bit'
The character in a word
A lone character is hard to remember: memory holds on to meaning, and a letter has none. The word it stands in provides that anchor.
- இல்லைillaino
The character in the “uyir — the twelve vowels” group
'Uyir' means 'soul': Tamil grammar counts the vowel the soul of the syllable and the consonant its body. A vowel is written as a separate letter only at the beginning of a word.
Words with this character
- எப்படி இருக்க?eppaḍi irukka?how are you (informal)?
- எப்படி இருக்கீங்க?eppaḍi irukkīṅga?how are you?
- நல்லா இருக்கேன்nallā irukkēṉI am doing well
- இல்லைillaino
- இலங்கைilaṅkaiSri Lanka
- ருசியா இருக்குrusiyā irukkutasty
- இங்கேiṅgēhere
- இடது பக்கம்iḍadu pakkamto the left
- இன்னிக்குiṉṉikkutoday
- இரவுiravunight
- இருக்கேன்irukkēṉto be
- இது ரொம்ப விலைidu romba vilaithis is expensive
How to remember this character
A single letter is the hardest thing to remember: memory has nothing to hold on to — a character has no meaning. A three-step loop works: see the character, try to recall the sound (for «i» it is “i”, as in the word “இல்லை”), see the right answer.
And come back to it the next day, not in an hour: a check a day or two later beats a check the same day. Nobody holds the whole alphabet — 49 letters — at once.
- It is better to test yourself the next day than at the end of the same session. That is why a word comes back to you tomorrow.checked many timesAdesope, Trevisan & Sundararajan, 2017, Review of Educational Research 87(3) · g = 0.82 when tested a day or two later, against 0.56 on the same day.
- Studying a little every day gets more into your head than spending the same total time in one sitting.checked many timesDonovan & Radosevich, 1999, Journal of Applied Psychology 84(5) · 63 studies compared, difference d = 0.46 — a sizeable figure for a learning effect.
Frequently asked
How does the Tamil character இ read?
As “i” — it is a vowel of the “Tamil script” script. The usual short 'i' as in 'bit'. For example, in the word “இல்லை” — no.
What is the letter இ called?
I. A character's name and its sound are different things in the Tamil script: it is called “i” and reads as “i”. Learn the second one: the name only helps when the alphabet is recited aloud.