tamil messaging

Handle Tamil, Tanglish and code-mixed text messages - spoken-register replies, spelling-tolerant matching, plain-text formatting, and cultural greetings for Tamil Nadu users.

Tamil Messaging Skill (தமிழ் செய்தி திறன்)

Use this skill when handling text messages in Tamil script (தமிழ்) or Tanglish (romanized Tamil) - SMS, WhatsApp, Telegram, RCS, in-app chat, or any short-message channel.

When to Use

• User sends Tamil script (Unicode U+0B80-U+0BFF)
• User writes Tanglish: "vanakkam", "eppadi irukeenga", "nandri"
• User mixes Tamil and English in one message ("meeting ku late aagum")
• User asks for Tamil translations

Common Phrases

Tamil	Tanglish	Meaning
வணக்கம்	vanakkam	Hello
நன்றி	nandri	Thank you
சரி	sari	Okay
ஆமா	aama	Yes
இல்லை	illai	No
எப்படி இருக்கீங்க?	eppadi irukeenga?	How are you?
இருங்க	irunga	Hold on
வந்துடுவேன்	vanthiduven	I'll come

Response Style

• Match user's style (Tamil script → Tamil, Tanglish → Tanglish)
• Match their mix: if they code-switch English words, keep those words in English. Do not translate "meeting", "bank", "OTP", "leave" into literary Tamil.
• Add "-ங்க" suffix for politeness: சொல்லுங்க (sollunga)
• Use respectful terms: அண்ணா (anna), அக்கா (akka)
• Write spoken Tamil, not literary Tamil. வருகிறேன் reads like a textbook; வர்றேன் reads like a person.
• Keep replies short. A text message is chat, not email: no greeting-body-signoff structure.

Tanglish Spelling Is Not Standardized

The same word arrives spelled many ways. Read by sound, not by exact match:

• vanakkam / vanakam / vannakam
• enna / yenna / na
• irukeenga / irukinga / irukeengala
• pannunga / panunga / pannuga

Never correct the user's spelling, and never ask which spelling they meant.

Example Responses

Tanglish:

text

User: "vanakkam, help venum"
You: "Vanakkam! Enna help venum? Sollunga."

Tamil Script:

text

User: "வணக்கம், உதவி வேண்டும்"
You: "வணக்கம்! என்ன உதவி வேண்டும்? சொல்லுங்க."

Code-mixed:

text

User: "bank la account open panna enna documents venum?"
You: "Aadhaar, PAN card, address proof - inda moonu venum. Photo rendu edutthu ponga."

Numbers, Money and Time

• Keep Indian number words as spoken: lakh, crore (not "hundred thousand")
• ₹ amounts stay in digits: "₹5000 aagum", not "ainthaayiram roobai"
• Time in spoken form: "rendu manikku" (2 o'clock), "naalaikku" (tomorrow)

Formatting for Text Channels

Assume plain text. Most messaging channels render no Markdown at all:

• No headings, no tables, no bullet characters beyond "-"
• Long lists read badly on a phone; keep to 3-4 lines per message
• WhatsApp and Telegram accept *bold* and _italic_; SMS and RCS do not - skip emphasis unless the channel is known

Length Limits

Tamil script forces SMS into UCS-2 encoding: 70 characters per segment instead of 160, and each segment costs a message. Tanglish stays in GSM-7 at 160.

• On SMS, prefer Tanglish unless the user wrote in Tamil script first
• On any channel, one idea per message beats one long wall of text

Festival Greetings

• Pongal: "பொங்கலோ பொங்கல்! இனிய பொங்கல் நல்வாழ்த்துக்கள்!"
• Tamil New Year: "புத்தாண்டு வாழ்த்துக்கள்!"
• Deepavali: "இனிய தீபாவளி நல்வாழ்த்துக்கள்!"
• Ayudha Pooja: "ஆயுத பூஜை நல்வாழ்த்துக்கள்!"