The Suntommy Tamil typing keyboard is aimed at Tamil speakers who want to type in their native script on a standard computer keyboard. It is most commonly available as:
It utilizes a non-Unicode TrueType legacy encoding model.
To type a standard consonant with a dot (Pulli), combine the letter with its associated modifier key.
The Suntommy Tamil typing keyboard, also known as the Tamil 99 keyboard, boasts several innovative features:
It’s a good budget solution for learning or occasional Tamil typing, but don’t expect premium quality. For frequent, long-form Tamil typing, invest in a better mechanical keyboard and high-grade stickers (or a dedicated Tamil mechanical keycap set). For one-time use or casual needs, Suntommy is fine.
After extensive research and testing, Rajkumar developed the Tamil 99 keyboard layout, which was later popularized by Suntommy, a leading Tamil software company. The new layout was designed to reduce finger movement, alternating hand use, and other inefficiencies associated with traditional keyboard layouts.
While Suntommy was revolutionary, it had a significant limitation: Because it was a proprietary font, if a user sent a document typed in Suntommy to someone who did not have the font installed, the text would appear as random English characters or symbols.
Best for DTP operators, local government document specialists, and legal typists.
Unlike modern fonts that use Unicode (a universal standard for text representation), Suntommy relied on the or similar proprietary encoding systems. This meant that the keyboard layout was specifically designed to map Tamil characters to English QWERTY keys in a way that felt logical to the bilingual user.
✅ – For stickers: clean your keys, peel and stick. For pre-printed: plug-and-play via USB.
The Suntommy keyboard maps Tamil alphabets directly onto a standard English QWERTY keyboard. Unlike phonetic inputs like Anjal, Suntommy is a dedicated shape-and-character map.
The Suntommy Tamil typing keyboard, also known as the Tamil 99 keyboard, has revolutionized the way Tamil language is typed on computers and mobile devices. Its innovative design and optimized letter placement have significantly improved typing efficiency, accuracy, and productivity. As a result, the Suntommy keyboard has become an essential tool for Tamil language users worldwide.