meitei-mayek-transliteration

Meitei Mayek Transliteration Tool converts Romanized Manipuri text into the Meitei Mayek script. It supports transliterating vowels, consonants, diphthongs, and special characters like Khudam Mayek. This tool helps users easily transform Manipuri text into its authentic script following standard rules.

MEITEI MAYEK SCRIPT

Overview

This document describes the Manipuri language written in Meitei (or Meetei) Mayek/script. Meitei Mayek characters are classified into several groups:

• Mapum Mayek
• Lonsum Mayek
• Cheitap Mayek
• Cheising Mayek
• Khudam Mayek (Special Characters)

Each group has distinct characteristics and rules for usage in the script. The transliteration process from English to Manipuri follows specific mapping rules and character substitutions, making the process more intricate than simple one-to-one mapping.

---

Classification of Characters

1. Mapum Mayek

Characters that have independent sounds and can stand alone without assistance from other characters.

• Total Characters: 27
• Table I: Mapum Mayek Characters

ꯀ (Kok)	ꯁ (Sam)	ꯂ (Laai)	ꯃ (Mit)
ꯄ (Paa)	ꯅ (Naa)	ꯆ (Chil)	ꯇ (Til)
ꯈ (Khou)	ꯉ (Ngou)	ꯊ (Thou)	ꯋ (Waai)
ꯌ (Yaang)	ꯍ (Hook)	ꯎ (Un)	ꯏ (Ee)
ꯐ (Pham)	ꯑ (Atiyaa)	ꯒ (Gok)	ꯓ (Jham)
ꯔ (Raai)	ꯕ (Baa)	ꯖ (Jil)	ꯗ (Dil)
ꯘ (Ghou)	ꯙ (Dhou)	ꯚ (Bham)

2. Lonsum Mayek

Characters that cannot appear as the first character of a syllable.

• Total Characters: 8
• Table II: Lonsum Mayek Characters

ꯛ (Kok Lonsum)	ꯜ (Laai Lonsum)	ꯝ (Mit Lonsum)
ꯞ (Paa Lonsum)	ꯟ (Naa Lonsum)	ꯠ (Til Lonsum)
ꯡ (Ngou Lonsum)	ꯏ (Ee Lonsum)

3. Cheitap Mayek

Characters that cannot stand alone and are used after Mapum Mayek to produce extended sounds.

• Total Characters: 8
• Table III: Cheitap Mayek Characters

ꯥ (aa)	ꯦ (e/ae)	ꯣ (o)	ꯧ (ou)
ꯨ (u/oo)	ꯩ (ei)	ꯤ (I/ee)	ꯪ (ng)

4. Cheising Mayek

Symbols representing numerical characters.

• Table IV: Cheising Mayek Characters

Number	Character
1	꯱
2	꯲
3	꯳
4	꯴
5	꯵
6	꯶
7	꯷
8	꯸
9	꯹
0	꯰

---

Transliteration

Types of Transliteration

1. Backward Transliteration: Mapping native English words to Manipuri script.
2. Forward Transliteration: Mapping Manipuri words (represented in English) back to the Manipuri script.

---

Character Mapping

1. Mapum Mayek Mapping

English Character(s)	Meitei Mayek
k	ꯀ
s, sh	ꯁ
l	ꯂ
m	ꯃ
p	ꯄ
n	ꯅ
c, ch	ꯆ
t	ꯇ
kh	ꯈ
ng	ꯉ
th	ꯊ
w	ꯋ
y	ꯌ
h	ꯍ
u	ꯎ
i, e	ꯏ
ph	ꯐ
a	ꯑ
g	ꯒ
jh	ꯓ
r	ꯔ
b, v	ꯕ
j, z	ꯖ
d	ꯗ
gh	ꯘ
dh	ꯙ
bh	ꯚ

2. Cheitap Mayek Mapping

Sound	Meitei Mayek
aa	ꯥ
e, ae	ꯦ
o	ꯣ
ou	ꯧ
u, oo	ꯨ
ei	ꯩ
I, ee	ꯤ
ng	ꯪ

3. Cheising Mayek Mapping

Number	Meitei Mayek
1	꯱
2	꯲
3	꯳
4	꯴
5	꯵
6	꯶
7	꯷
8	꯸
9	꯹
0	꯰

---

Mapping Rules for Transliteration

Vowel Mapping Rules (with examples)

1. Vowel 'aa' Mapping

   • Initial Position: If "aa" appears at the beginning of a word, it is mapped to ꯑꯥ.
     • Example: aanok (speck) → ꯑꯥꯅꯣꯛ
   • Middle & Final Position: If "aa" appears in the middle or at the end of a word, it is mapped to ꯥ.
     • Examples:
       • angaang (child) → ꯑꯉꯥꯡ
       • yaa (teeth) → ꯌꯥ

2. Vowel 'a' Mapping

   • Initial Position: If "a" appears at the beginning of a word, it is mapped to ꯑ.
     • Example: atiyaa (sky) → ꯑꯇꯤꯌꯥ
   • Middle & Final Position: If "a" appears in the middle or at the end, it is mapped to null (it is omitted).
     • Examples:
       • maku (owl) → ꯃꯀꯨ
       • aroiba (end) → ꯑꯔꯣꯏꯕ

3. Vowel 'u' Mapping

   • Initial Position: If "u" appears at the beginning, it is mapped to ꯎ.
     • Example: upaal (tree) → ꯎꯄꯥꯜ
   • Middle & Final Position: If "u" appears in the middle or at the end, it is mapped to ꯨ.
     • Examples:
       • achumba (right) → ꯑꯆꯨꯝꯕ
       • machu (colour) → ꯃꯆꯨ

4. Vowel 'e' Mapping

   • Initial Position: If "e" appears at the beginning, it is mapped to ꯏ.
     • Example: eche (sister) → ꯏꯆꯦ
   • Middle & Final Position: If "e" appears in the middle or at the end, it is mapped to ꯦ.
     • Examples:
       • chetpa (tide) → ꯆꯦꯠꯄ
       • ene (aunty) → ꯏꯅꯦ

5. Vowel 'ee' Mapping

   • Initial Position: If "ee" appears at the beginning of a word, it is mapped to ꯏ.
     • Example: ee (blood) → ꯏ
   • Middle & Final Position: If "ee" appears in the middle or at the end, it is mapped to ꯤ.
     • Examples:
       • Geeta (person name) → ꯒꯤꯇ
       • eikhoigee (ours') → ꯑꯈꯣꯏꯒꯤ

6. Vowel 'i' Mapping

   • Initial Position: If "i" appears at the beginning, it is mapped to ꯏ.
     • Example: ima (mother) → ꯏꯃ
   • Middle & Final Position: If "i" appears in the middle or at the end, it is mapped to ꯤ.
     • Examples:
       • ishing (water) → ꯏꯁꯤꯡ
       • ishingchaibi (waterfall) → ꯏꯁꯤꯡꯆꯥꯏꯕꯤ

7. Vowel 'o' Mapping

   • Initial Position: If "o" appears at the beginning of a word, it is mapped to ꯑꯣ.
     • Example: oja (teacher) → ꯑꯣꯓ
   • Middle Position:
     • If "o" is the first sound in a syllable, it is mapped to ꯑꯣ.
       • Example: a-on-ba (change) → ꯑꯑꯣꯟꯕ
     • If "o" is not the first sound in a syllable, it is mapped to ꯣ.
       • Example: ki-hom (pineapple) → ꯀꯤꯍꯣꯝ
   • Final Position: If "o" appears at the end of a word or syllable, it is mapped to ꯣ.
     • Examples:
       • kabo (name of a place) → ꯀꯕꯣ
       • ka-bo-kang (water hyacinth) → ꯀꯕꯣꯀꯪ

---

Vowel Rules

1. Initial Position:

   • aa -> ꯑꯥ
   • a -> ꯑ
   • u -> ꯎ
   • e -> ꯏ
   • ee -> ꯏ
   • i -> ꯏ
   • o -> ꯑꯣ

2. Middle and Final Positions:

   • aa -> ꯥ
   • a -> null
   • u -> ꯨ
   • e -> ꯦ
   • ee -> ꯤ
   • i -> ꯤ
   • o -> ꯣ

Diphthong Rules

• ui (initial): u -> ꯎ, i -> ꯏ
• ao (initial): a -> ꯑ, o -> ꯑꯪ
• ai (initial): a -> ꯑ, i -> ꯏ
• ei (initial): ei -> ꯑꯩ
• oi (initial): o -> ꯑꯪ, i -> ꯏ
• ou (any position): ou -> ꯑꯧ

---

Rules for Lonsum Mayek

1. In a syllable, if a vowel is followed by a character with a lonsum, the lonsum character should be used.
2. Example:
   • Word: Matam (time) -> ꯃꯇꯝ

---

Re-Substitution Rules

1. Replace ae in the beginning of a word with ꯑꯦ.

   • Example: Aekaagaari (bicycle) -> ꯑꯦꯀꯥꯒꯥꯔꯤ.

2. Replace y after a vowel at the end of a syllable with ꯏ.

   • Example: joychandra -> ꯖꯣꯏꯆꯟꯗ꯭ꯔ.

3. Replace y after a consonant at the end of a syllable with ꯤ.

   • Example: pony -> ꯄꯣꯅꯤ.

---

Usage Guidelines

1. Reading and Writing: Always adhere to vowel and consonant placement rules to ensure proper pronunciation and writing.
2. Numerals: Use Cheising Mayek for numerical representations in text.
3. Cultural Context: Maintain the integrity of the Meitei language by following established transliteration rules.

---

Conclusion

Meitei Mayek is a rich and unique script that beautifully represents the Manipuri language. By understanding the character classifications, transliteration rules, and cultural nuances, users can effectively read, write, and translate text between English and Manipuri. This document serves as a comprehensive guide to learning and using Meitei Mayek.