ய்
The ‘y’ sound — like at the end of play
நாய்
nāy
Medium Consonants – இடையினம் (6)
Tap any letter or picture to hear it pronounced.
The six medium consonants — iṭaiyinam (இடையினம்) — sit between the hard stops and the soft nasals. They’re continuous, sustainable sounds: glides, liquids and approximants. One of them — ழ — is unique to Tamil and gives the language its name.
The six medium consonants
ர்
A single tap ‘r’ — like Spanish
வேர்
vēr
ல்
The ‘l’ sound — like at the end of pal
பல்
pal
வ்
A ‘v’ or soft ‘w’ — depending on position
செவ்வாய்
cevvāy
ழ்
A retroflex glide — unique to Tamil
தமிழ்
tamiḻ
ள்
A retroflex ‘l’ — tongue curled back
வாள்
vāḷ
Try it
Read each example aloud, twice. These consonants are smooth and continuous — you can hold them as long as your breath lasts.
- நாய் nāy
- வேர் vēr
- பல் pal
- செவ்வாய் cevvāy
- தமிழ் tamiḻ
- வாள் vāḷ