Akanāṉūṟu contains 400 verses, besides an invocatory verse. Long poems varying in length from thirteen to thirty-one lines are included in this anthology, by which it is also called Neṭuntokai (the longer collection); It is popularly known as Akappāṭṭu or simply as akam. The verses in this collection are in akaval metre and deal with akam, or the theme of love behaviour of the subjective mind. The poems of Akanāṉūṟu belong to various periods and were compiled by Uruttiracaṉmaṉār, who is said to have been the son of Maturai Uppūrikkuṭikkiḻār, under the patronage of the third Tamil Sangam. The invocatory verse was composed by Peruntēvaṉār.

Poems of as many as 145 poets figure in this anthology. As in the other akam anthologies, in Akanāṉūṟu also, the fivefold tiṇai classification of kuṟiñci, mullai, neytal, pālai and marutam is seen in it. The numbering of the poems is schematic, suggestive of this classification. Poems with odd numbers belong to pālai, those bearing the number 10, 20,…deal with neytal, poems which end in the number 4, 14,….. belong to mullai, those that end in 2,8,…. belong to kuṟiñci and poems with numbers ending in 6,16,… deal with marutam.

The whole work is divided into three parts. The first part, called Kaḷiṟṟiyāṉai Nirai contains 120 verses; the second part, called Maṇimiṭai Pavaḷam contains 180 verses and the last part, called Nittilakkōvai has 120 verses. Two hundred verses of the anthology deal with pālai theme; eighty verses are devoted to kuṟiñci and forty each to marutam, mullai and neytal. An old commentary by an anonymous author is available for 90 verses. Akanāṉūṟu is one of the valuable sources for the study of the history and culture of the Sangam Tamils.