Malayalam Ligatures (Koottaksharangal)
We’ve published a focused video lesson on Malayalam ligatures (koottaksharangal / കൂട്ടക്ഷരങ്ങൾ) — the conjunct consonants that join two or more consonants into a single written unit. Ligatures are a core part of Malayalam orthography and essential for fluent reading and correct spelling.
What You’ll Learn
- Common ligatures / conjunct consonants used in Malayalam
- How the candrakkala (virama / ്) suppresses the inherent vowel and enables ligatures.
- Common, high-frequency Malayalam ligatures and how to read/write them
Short technical note (for teachers & developers)
Malayalam orthography underwent a government-led reform in 1971, which reduced the number of required printed glyphs and changed how many clusters were displayed in print. Modern (reformed) orthography tends to use fewer historical full-ligature glyphs and more sequences with visible candrakkala or separate signs; digital fonts may implement conjuncts differently. For correct rendering across devices, be aware of Unicode recommendations for Malayalam conjuncts and chillu encoding.
How ligatures are formed (simple explanation)
- A consonant letter normally carries an inherent vowel. To remove that vowel, Malayalam uses the candrakkala (്) — equivalent to virama/halant in other Indic scripts. The candrakkala allows consonants to join.
- When one dead consonant (C₁ + candrakkala) and a following consonant (C₂) are combined, the result may be displayed as:
- a full conjunct glyph (a single combined shape), or
- a half-form + full form (first consonant reduced and attached to second), or
- a visible candrakkala + full form (no ligature; both letters shown with virama).
In the video, we have shown only the first two cases. The other type can be read easily if we already know the combining consonants.
Why ligatures matter
- Ligatures are ubiquitous in Malayalam text — newspapers, books, and signage frequently use conjuncts.
- Knowing ligatures lets you decode words quickly, improving reading speed and comprehension.
- For typographers and developers, understanding ligature rules helps ensure correct rendering across devices and fonts.
Most Malayalam courses skip ligatures while Aashaan teaches you all the common and uncommon Malayalam ligatures/conjuncts.
Watch the video and practice the ligatures — once these patterns become automatic, reading Malayalam becomes much faster and more enjoyable.
Team Aashaan