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Malayalam — the 104 most common words

Written by: authorship not independently recorded. Maintained by Prakash. Reviewed by: not recorded. Updated: 2026-10-17. Editorial policy and corrections.

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If you learn one thing first, learn this. Every word below is high-frequency — you will hear it in the first hour of any real conversation. There are 104 words here, in eight groups you can take one at a time, and every one is written three ways: English, Hindi and Malayalam (മലയാളം🔊🔊) with a pronunciation column.

Why start with frequency? A language is not a wall you climb; it is a snowball. The first 104 words unlock the parts of Malayalam that repeat every day — greeting someone, saying what you want, saying who you mean, and saying when. Grammar without vocabulary is silent, and vocabulary without grammar is a shopping list. Start here, then let the grammar page show you how to bolt these words together.

A useful rule of thumb: with a few hundred high-frequency words and one verb pattern, a learner can already manage greetings, shops and simple questions. This page is the densest part of that set.

Greetings and politeness (13)

Pronouns (23)

The 18 verbs you will use every day (18)

Family (13)

Colours (6)

Core nouns (13)

Time words (11)

Days of the week (7)

What to do after these 104

You now own the skeleton of Malayalam. The next step is not more words — it is sentences. Take five verbs from the list above and build one sentence each about your own day. Then read the grammar basics guide for the word order (ഞാൻ ചോറ് കഴിക്കുന്നു🔊🔊.), and the speaking-alone plan so the words come out of your mouth and not just off the page.

More guides in this course

• Beginner's guide — MalayalamHow to learn from scratch, and the honest first 30 days.
• Alphabet, letter by letter — MalayalamEvery letter with the sound it makes.
• Grammar basics — MalayalamWord order, verbs and the sentence ladder.
• Phrases for travel — MalayalamStations, hotels, fares and the phrases you will use.
• Numbers 1 to 100 — MalayalamCounting, prices and time — with the counting pattern.
• Common mistakes — MalayalamThe traps learners fall into in this language, and the fix for each one.
• How to read the script — MalayalamA step-by-step path from letters to reading real sentences.
• vs Hindi — MalayalamWhat Hindi speakers already know, and what trips everyone else up.
• Practise speaking alone — MalayalamShadowing, self-talk and a routine you can keep without a tutor.