Bamini to Unicode Font Converter

Understanding Bamini Tamil and Unicode Standards

Bamini is one of the oldest and most widely used Tamil typewriter font layouts. Developed to replicate the mechanical Tamil typewriter, Bamini enabled an entire generation of typists, journalists, and government clerks to type in Tamil on standard QWERTY computer keyboards.

However, because Bamini assigns Tamil letters to English ASCII code points (e.g., typing jkpo; visually renders as தமிழ்), the text cannot be searched, shared on social media, or archived in digital databases without Unicode conversion.

Key Rules in Bamini to Unicode Conversion

1. Pre-Base Vowel Signs (Kombu):

   • In Bamini, typing the single kombu (n) before f (க) produces கெ.
   • Double kombu (N) before f produces கே.
   • Kombu with aa sign produces the compound letter ொ and ோ.
   • Our conversion engine identifies these combinations and outputs the proper Unicode code points.

2. Pulli (Virama):

   • Pure consonants require a pulli (dot above the letter, e.g., க், த்). Bamini uses specific keystrokes or semicolon combinations to indicate pulli.

3. Grantha Consonants:

   • Bamini keystrokes for Sanskrit-derived Tamil letters (ஜ, ஷ, ஸ, ஹ, க்ஷ) are accurately translated to Unicode equivalents.

How to Convert

1. Paste or type your Bamini text in the left panel.
2. The converted Unicode Tamil text appears instantly in the right panel.
3. Click Copy Converted or Download to use the text anywhere across the web.