Mcl Vaidehi Tamil Fonts Keyboard Layout 31 -
Open Notepad or Word, select the MCL Vaidehi font, and switch keyboard to Layout 31. Type using the phonetic mapping.
MCL (Madras Christian College – MCL) developed a series of Tamil Unicode and non-Unicode fonts.
Vaidehi is one of their popular Tamil fonts.
Layout 31 refers to a specific keyboard mapping scheme for typing Tamil using the Vaidehi font.
⚠️ Important: MCL Vaidehi was widely used in pre-Unicode Tamil computing (e.g., with programs like Tamil 99 or Murasu Anjal). Today, Unicode Tamil fonts (like Bamini, Avarangal, or Noto Sans Tamil) are preferred for web and cross-platform use. But Layout 31 still appears in old documents, databases, and specialized publishing.
To share text online, convert legacy MCL text to Unicode using:
Unlike modern Tamil phonetic keyboards (where typing k + a gives க + அ = க), Layout 31 often uses direct mapping for consonants and special shift keys for vowels. mcl vaidehi tamil fonts keyboard layout 31
Example (typical mapping — may vary slightly by implementation):
| Key Press | Tamil Output |
|-----------|--------------|
| k | க |
| K (Shift+k) | ங |
| a | அ |
| A (Shift+a) | ஆ |
| i | இ |
| e | எ |
| t | த |
| T (Shift+t) | ந |
| p | ப |
| r | ர |
| y | ய |
Vowel signs (diacritics) are typed using separate keys after the consonant, e.g.,
k + a = க + அ = க (no change because vowel sign needed separately — this is where Layout 31 differs from modern phonetic).
In practice, Layout 31 often requires pressing a vowel sign key (like a for ்? No — careful).
📌 Better example (actual typical Layout 31):
Typek→க
Then typeM(for ்) →க்
Then typei→கி
This is non-intuitive for new users. Open Notepad or Word, select the MCL Vaidehi
Thus, Layout 31 is not recommended for beginners unless required for legacy document editing.
Layout 31 is a typewriter-style phonetic layout based on the Tamil typewriter keyboard.
It maps English (QWERTY) keys to Tamil characters in a predictable way:
| English Key | Tamil Output (Vaidehi Layout 31) | |-------------|----------------------------------| | a | அ | | aa / A | ஆ | | i | இ | | ii / I | ஈ | | u | உ | | uu / U | ஊ | | e | எ | | ee / E | ஏ | | k | க் | | ka | க | | kaa | கா | | ki | கி | | ke | கெ | | th | த் | | tha | த |
The layout is phonetic → you type as you pronounce, and the font maps the key combinations to Tamil syllables. MCL (Madras Christian College – MCL) developed a
Cause: Wrong order (should type consonant first, then vowel sign).
Fix: Type d (த) THEN , (ொ) to get "தொ". Reverse order gives nonsense.
🟡 Note: Most modern Tamil typing tools have moved to Unicode (Tamil 99, Anjal, Bamini). Layout 31 is now primarily used to edit or convert old MCL/TSCII documents.
| Problem | Likely Cause | Solution | |---------|--------------|----------| | Typed English letters show as Tamil, but wrong characters | Wrong keyboard layout selected | Ensure Layout 31 is active | | Typed Tamil shows as boxes or gibberish | Font not applied | Select MCL Vaidehi font explicitly | | No Layout 31 in Windows 10/11 | Old .kbd not supported | Use Unicode font + Tamil 99 or Anjal keyboard instead, or use a virtual keyboard tool | | Can’t copy-paste to web | MCL Vaidehi is non-Unicode | Use a converter tool to change non-Unicode Tamil to Unicode |