Getting started
A keyboard enters characters. A converter changes their representation. A translator searches for meaning in another language. These three operations do not guarantee the same result.
Online Tifinagh keyboard
Choose letters, then copy your text. Everything you type stays in your browser. This keyboard writes Tifinagh; it does not translate.
A first word to copy and reread
This is ⴰⵣⵓⵍ , usually transcribed azul , a greeting. In this modern writing, read from left to right. The four characters here correspond to ⴰ = a · ⵣ = z · ⵓ = u · ⵍ = l .
Copy the word into your notes app, enlarge it, then compare each letter to the tifinagh chart . Then select a single character to verify that you have text and not an image.
Choose an input method
- For a few words: copy Unicode characters from a reliable chart, then check their order.
- To write regularly: look for a Tifinagh layout compatible with your system and its installation instructions.
- IRCAM presents font and keyboard resources. Check the listed compatibility before installing a driver.
- Test first in a short note. The available settings and keyboards differ depending on the device.
Do not install an application just because its name contains “amazigh”. Check that it allows the entry of the type of writing you are looking for and examine the permissions it requests. A simple keyboard should not be confused with a language course.
If the letters appear as squares
Empty squares may indicate that a font or application does not know how to display these characters. This does not prove that the original text is incorrect. Try an app and font that supports Tifinagh, then compare with the original word.
Send a short test to your recipient. Ask him to copy the text received into a note and read it again. A screenshot may show the desired appearance, but it does not replace selectable text for searching or correction.
Why converting is not enough to translate
Going from azul to ⴰⵣⵓⵍ changes the written representation of the same word. This alone does not explain its meaning, its exact pronunciation in a given speech or its use in a sentence.
A French text written with Tifinagh characters therefore does not become an Amazigh translation. To translate, specify the variety: Tariffit, Tachelhit, Tamazight from central Morocco, Kabyle or another. Our Tamazight translation guide details this step.
Exercise: find a missing letter
Copy ⴰⵣ_ⵍ and complete the word corresponding to azul . Then check that you have four letters, in the correct order.
See correction
The missing letter is ⵓ , corresponding to u . The result is ⴰⵣⵓⵍ .
To continue on paper, open the printable table and its exercises . Learning to type letters and learning to speak the language are two complementary practices.