Counting to ten in Malayalam
One to ten, for prices, platforms, rooms and how many beers. Play the ten Malayalam words against the clock, with a note on how locals really use each one after every answer. All ten are written out below.
All 10 Malayalam phrases in this lesson
- ഒന്ന്ON-nu
- One
- രണ്ട്RAN-du
- Two
- മൂന്ന്MOON-nu
- Three
- നാല്NAA-lu
- Four
- അഞ്ച്AN-chu
- Five
- ആറ്AA-ru
- Six
- ഏഴ്AE-zhu
- Seven
- എട്ട്ET-tu
- Eight
- ഒൻപത്ON-pa-thu
- Nine
- പത്ത്PATH-thu
- Ten
The Malayalam number system is Dravidian in origin. "ഒന്ന്" is also used in compounds like "ഒന്നുകൂടി" (one more).
Used for counting and ordering. "രണ്ട് ചായ" means two teas. The final "ട്" is a retroflex sound unique to Dravidian languages.
Simple and common. You will need this at tea stalls and when asking for portions.
"അഞ്ച് രൂപ" is five rupees. At small stalls, items are often priced in fives and tens.
The zh is a curled-back sound unique to Malayalam and Tamil.
A very common denomination. Auto-rickshaws, small snacks, and bus fares often cost multiples of ten rupees.