Learn Malayalam
മലയാളം
Malayalam · Malayalam script · ~38 million speakers · Kerala, Lakshadweep
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Browse Malayalam content
Every page below is free, with native script, romanisation and English. Print any of them or use them as flashcards.
Words
Phrases
Vocabulary
- Numbers 1–100112 entries
- Common verbs25 entries
- Common adjectives25 entries
- Common adverbs15 entries
- Pronouns11 entries
- Question words10 entries
- Family relations27 entries
- Colors13 entries
- Days, months & time31 entries
- Body parts24 entries
- Animals, fruits & vegetables46 entries
- Greetings by occasion23 entries
- Proverbs & idioms8 entries
Grammar
- Malayalam personal pronounsMalayalam pronouns distinguish formality and — like Tamil — an inclusive vs exclusive "we". Respectful third-person forms matter a lot socially.
- Malayalam present tense verbsMalayalam is unusual among Dravidian languages: verbs do NOT change for person, number or gender. The present tense adds -ഉന്നു (-unnu) to the stem, and the same form works for every subject. Shown here for ചെയ്യുക (cheyyuka, "to do").
- Malayalam negation with ഇല്ല and അല്ലMalayalam has two everyday negators: ഇല്ല (illa) denies existence or an action, while അല്ല (alla) denies identity — "is not (a) X".
- Malayalam case suffixesMalayalam is agglutinative — case endings attach directly to the noun rather than standing as separate words.
- Malayalam question words & yes/no questionsMalayalam wh-questions use a fixed set of question words; yes/no questions add -ഓ (-ō) to the end of the verb or word being questioned.
- Malayalam sentence structure — building a basic sentenceMalayalam follows Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) order. Adjectives come before the noun, and case suffixes attach after it.
- Malayalam numbers 1–10The Malayalam numerals 1 through 10.
Festivals
Malayalam festivals & celebrations
Onam — ഓണം
August–September · month of Chingam, culminating on the Thiruvonam star
Vishu — വിഷു
April 14 or 15 · first day of the month of Medam
Thrissur Pooram — തൃശ്ശൂർ പൂരം
April–May · the Pooram star in the month of Medam
Thiruvathira — തിരുവാതിര
December–January · the Thiruvathira star in the month of Dhanu
Vidyarambham — വിദ്യാരംഭം
September–October · Vijayadashami, the end of Navaratri
Attukal Pongala — ആറ്റുകാൽ പൊങ്കാല
February–March · the Pooram star in the month of Kumbham
Makaravilakku — മകരവിളക്ക്
January 14–15 · Makara Sankranti, climax of the Sabarimala season
Culture
Malayalam culture & traditions
Malayali food
Kerala cooking runs on coconut, rice and spice — the Malabar Coast was the centre of the ancient pepper trade. Alongside the vegetarian sadya, Kerala has rich seafood, Syrian Christian and Mappila (Malabar Muslim) traditions.
Malayali music
Kerala's music ranges from temple percussion that can go on for hours to the devotional sopana style and the Mappila songs of Malabar — alongside a hugely popular film-music tradition.
Malayali dance
Kerala is home to Kathakali's elaborate green-faced heroes, the graceful Mohiniyattam, the ritual Theyyam of North Malabar, and Koodiyattam — recognised by UNESCO as one of the world's oldest living theatre traditions.
Malayalam films
Malayalam cinema is admired across India for realistic, script-driven storytelling — from the art-house films of Adoor Gopalakrishnan to recent thrillers remade in half a dozen languages.
Malayali traditional attire
Kerala's signature look is off-white handloom with a gold kasavu border — the kasavu saree or two-piece mundum neriyathum for women, and the mundu (dhoti) for men, often folded up at the knee in everyday wear.