Bengali Typing Help

Typing Bengali words using Pramukh IME is as easy as typing our names in English. For quick help, checkout the following image. This image shows which letter(s) will be typed when you press a particular key (combination). Press F9 (or your preferred Shortcut Key) to switch between currently selected language and last selected language.

Note: Typing is case-sensitive. Typing small “a” and capital “A” will yield different letters. Make sure “Caps Lock” key is not ON.

Quick Links: Vowel, Consonant, Additional Consonant, Vowel Sign, Digit, Additional Digit, Other, Symbol, Rule, ZWJ/ZWNJ character, Example

Vowel

Consonant

Additional Consonant

ৎ = t_ (Khand t)
ড় = R/D*
ঢ় = Rh/Dh*
য় = y/y*

Vowel Sign

Note: Dotted round symbol represents placeholder for consonant character

Digit

If the setting “Digit in English” is not set, Bengali and English digits are typed this way
০ = 0, ১ = 1, ২ = 2, ৩ = 3, ৪ = 4, ৫ = 5, ৬ = 6, ৭ = 7, ৮ = 8, ৯ = 9
0 = 0-, 1 = 1-, 2 = 2-, 3 = 3-, 4 = 4-, 5 = 5-, 6 = 6-, 7 = 7-, 8 = 8-, 9 = 9-

If the setting “Digit in English” is set, Bengali and English digits are typed this way
০ = 0-, ১ = 1-, ২ = 2-, ৩ = 3-, ৪ = 4-, ৫ = 5-, ৬ = 6-, ৭ = 7-, ৮ = 8-, ৯ = 9-
0 = 0, 1 = 1, 2 = 2, 3 = 3, 4 = 4, 5 = 5, 6 = 6, 7 = 7, 8 = 8, 9 = 9

Additional Digit

৴ = 1_ (Numerator one – historic usage)
৵ = 2_ (Numerator two – historic usage)
৶ = 3_ (Numerator three – historic usage)
৷ = 4_ (Numerator four – historic usage)
৸ = 12_ (Numerator one less than denominator – historic usage)
৹ = A_ (Bengali ana sign – historic usage)

Other

Note: Dotted round symbol represents placeholder for consonant character

Symbol

The English symbols [ ] { } ( ) < > – + / = ; . , ” ? ! % \ _ & $ # ~ ^ are transliterated into the same symbols.
Symbols * : | ‘ @ have special meaning. You can type this way
* = *-
: = :-
| = |-
‘ = ‘-
@ = @-/@@

These symbols will type Bengali characters first but if “-” will be followed, it will remove previously typed Bengali character and then type the symbol.

Rule

1. Consonant is followed by vowel sign character to make a live consonant.

Example
ক কা কি কী কু কূ কৃ কৄ কৢ কৣ কে কৈ কো কৌ কঁ কং কঃ
ko ka ki kee ku koo kRi kRI kLi- kLI- ke koi kO kou koM- koM ko:

2. Two or more consecutive consonants make consonant cluster. The last consonant takes the full form and all preceding consonants within cluster take half form

Example
নমস্কার = nomoskar

3. Special consonant cluster forms (ligature) will be automatically created if it is available in the font. Look at the examples for clarification. All possible ligatures may not be given in the example. Try typing the consonant combinations according to ligature pronounciation and it will work. For example, try typing “vidhyaa”, “viDyaa”, “vidyaa” to get the correct ligature for “dy” in “vidyaa”.

4. Character “-” is followed by consonant will be transliterated as ্ (Hasant/Viram)

Example
খ ক্হ ঘ গ্হ ছ চ্হ ঝ জ্হ ঠ ট্হ ঢ ড্হ থ ত্হ ধ দ্হ ফ প্হ ভ ব্হ শ স্হ ষ শ্হ
kho k-ho gho g-ho chho ch-ho jho j-ho Tho T-ho Dho D-ho tho t-ho dho d-ho pho p-ho bho b-ho sho s-ho Sho S-ho

5. If two English characters are making one Bengali Vowel (i.e. ai, au), then “-” character is used to separate them into two different vowels.

Example
ঐরাবত = oirabot
অইরাবত = o-irabot

6. Character “y” transliterates to “য়” but if the word begins with “y” or the consonant cluster contains “y” in the non-first position, it would transliterate to “য”

Example
যায় = yay
ন্যায় = nyay

7. Character “x” transliterates to “এক্স” and “kx” transliterates to “ক্ষ”

8. Character “n”/”m” will be automatically transliterated to panchamakshar of the varg of the consonant following “n”/”m”.

ZWJ/ZWNJ character

Zero-width Joiner (ZWJ) and Zero-width non-joiner (ZWNJ) characters are used to produce alternate rendering of ligature.

1. A consonant followed by ZWJ character will produce half-formed consonant character.

Example
প্রশ্ন = proshno
প্রশ্‍ন = prosh–no

2. A consonant followed by ZWNJ character will produce dead consonant character.

Example
প্রশ্ন = proshno
প্রশ্‌ন = prosh—no

Example

সুপ্রভাত = suprobhat
কর্ম = korm
শ্রী = shree
বিদ্যা = bidya
পদ্ম = podm
পদ্‌ম = pod—m
প্রশ্ন = proshno
প্রশ্‍ন = prosh–no
ঐ = oi
অই = o-i
ঔ = ou
অউ = o-u