Doubled consonants,

Many Malayalam words are spelled with doubled consonants, two of the same consonant written together into one syllable. Doubled consonants are written both horizontally and vertically. The second consonant in the cluster often uses a shortened form of the full consonant. Notice particularly the small triangle shape that doubles the letters ച യ and വ. Since doubled consonants occur frequently, you should get comfortable with these combining forms. Letters from the ക and ങ (nasals) columns (not rows) above frequently double; other letters may double, but more rarely. Here are the most common doubled consonants.

Finally, many Malayalam words combine more than one consonant together into a conjunct or cluster. Usually, a conjunct combines two consonants by joining them horizontally at a common stroke or by using the echo vowel marker on the first. You shouldn’t have to memorize every possible cluster, because the methods or patterns of combining consonants are limited. Notice the patterns in some of the more common conjunct consonants:

Some n-sounds are tricky in how they combine with other consonants.

The remaining conjunct consonants often use the echo vowel marker to make conjuncts. Traditionally, these conjuncts would have been written vertically, with the second letter below the first. You will see both.

Finally, a few special combining consonant markers for the semivowels (യ ര/റ ല and വ) are used to make the writing less cluttered. These frequent combining forms are simplified or stylized versions of the regular consonant. These are the dependent semivowels.

ത് + യ = ത്യ
വ് + ര = പ്ര
പ് + ല = പ്ല
സ് + വ = സ്വ

Once you have mastered the basic consonants and common conjuncts above, you will easily recognize other conjuncts that occur.