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Malayalam basics — the script, sounds and first steps
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The starting point: the Malayalam, your first words, and the honest answer to where to begin. Malayalam has the roundest letters of any Indian script — all curves, no headline bar, written left to right. It is fully phonetic: each letter is one sound, always. There are 13 vowels (അ ആ ഇ ഈ ഉ ഊ ഋ എ ഏ ഐ ഒ ഓ ഔ, plus അം/അഃ) and 34 consonants, including the famous ഴ (ḻa) — a sound between r, l and d that even other Indians practise (മഴ, maḻa, rain). Letters stack into tall conjuncts: സ + ് + ത + ് + ര + ീ = സ്ത്രീ (strī, woman). Read slowly and sound every curve.
The alphabet at a glance
The Malayalam script has 13 vowels and 36 consonants. The full tables with sounds are on the pronunciation page — learn to recognise them before you memorise any words.
Your first five words
| English | Hindi | Malayalam | Say it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hello! (respectful) | नमस्कार | നമസ്കാരം! | Namaskāram! |
| works any time of day, for everyone | |||
| Are you well? | आप ठीक हैं? | സുഖമാണോ? | Sukhamāṇō? |
| the classic 'how are you' — സുഖം = wellness | |||
| I'm well | मैं ठीक हूँ | എനിക്ക് സുഖമാണ് | Enikkŭ sukhamāṇŭ |
| What is your name? | आपका नाम क्या है? | നിങ്ങളുടെ പേരെന്താണ്? | Niṅṅaḷuḍe pērentāṇŭ? |
| My name is … | मेरा नाम … है | എന്റെ പേര് … | Ente perŭ … |
The order to learn in
- Script + sounds — Malayalam is phonetic: learn the letters and you can read anything.
- Greetings + pronouns — say hello, introduce yourself, ask where.
- Numbers 1–20 — prices, time and quantities unlock immediately.
- Word order + present tense — one pattern (ഞാൻ ചോറ് കഴിക്കുന്നു.) builds a thousand sentences.
- Topics (food, travel, shopping) — learn what your life needs first.