Dependent Vowels
To put consonants and vowels together, you need to use dependent vowels. To change the inherent a-sound of a consonant, you add a dependent vowel marker to indicate the new vowel. In the modern Malayalam script described here, all these markers stand apart from the consonant, usually to the right side of the consonant but sometimes on both sides (for ഒ ഓ ഐ and ഔ). (In the old script, some dependent vowels were joined directly to the consonant.)
| Initial | Dependent | Initial | Dependent | Initial | Dependent |
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See below how each dependent vowel connects to the letter ക:
The same dependent vowel markers are used with all basic consonants and the consonant clusters described below. The best way to learn the Malayalam script is to write all the basic consonants with all the dependent vowels over and over again. Try to write each group in a single line on the page. Something like this:
ക കാ കി കീ കു കൂ കൃ കെ കേ കൈ കൊ കോ കൗ
ഖ ഖാ ഖി ഖീ ഖു ഖൂ ഖൃ ഖെ ഖേ ഖൈ ഖൊ ഖോ ഖൗ
ഗ ഗാ ഗി ഗീ ഗു ഗൂ ഗൃ ഗെ ഗേ ഗൈ ഗൊ ഗോ ഗൗ
Do this twice a day for a week and you will be unable to forget these letters, especially if you pronounce each one as you go. Notice that some initial vowels and several dependent vowels extend below or above the imaginary lines within which each letter is written.
