Reading Malayalam road signs

Malayalam, the script of Kerala, is known for its round, looping letters. Each consonant carries a short ‘a’, vowel signs are added around it, and some letter pairs join into a single shape.

In GeoGuessr, Malayalam on a sign means Kerala; reading it gives you the town. Learn the common letters and കൊല്ലം (Kollam) or കൊച്ചി (Kochi) read themselves.

Malayalam at a glance

Malayalam is the script of Kerala. It is read left to right; each letter is a consonant with an ‘a’ built in, and other vowels are signs around it.

Its round letters often merge into new shapes when consonants meet, so names can look longer than they sound.

Every consonant comes with an ‘a’

On its own, a consonant is read with a short ‘a’, and the ‘a’ is said even at the end of a word. ത is written th in names: തൃശ്ശൂർ is Thrissur.

The built-in ‘a’ is not written, so below it is shown in a lighter colour.

• കka
• ഗga
• ചcha
• ജja
• ടta
• തtha
• ദda
• നna
• പpa
• ബba
• മma
• യya
• രra
• ലla
• വva
• സsa

Vowel signs

Every other vowel is a sign added to the consonant, replacing the built-in one. Even a long ‘a’ has its own sign: കാ is kā (as in “father”), while ക alone is the short ka. The line over a vowel just marks it as long; English names drop it.

െ and േ are written before the letter, and ൊ and ോ on both sides, but they are always read after it.

• കാkā
• കിki
• കീkī
• കുku
• കൂkū
• കെke
• കേkē
• കൈkai
• കൊko
• കോkō

Letters that close a syllable

Five letters have a special form for when no vowel follows. The small circle ം is m: names in -ം end in -m.

• ൻn
• ർr
• ൽl
• ൾl
• ൺn
• ലംlam

Letters only Malayalam has

ഴ is the soft, r-like zh of Kozhikode and Alappuzha. റ is a hard r, and doubled (റ്റ) it is read tt. ള is a heavier l.

• ഴzha
• റra
• റ്റtta
• ളla
• ഞnja

Doubled and merged letters

Doubled letters are everywhere, written as one stacked or merged shape. ന്ത is nth and മ്പ mb.

• ക്കkka
• ട്ടtta
• ത്തttha
• പ്പppa
• ല്ലlla
• ന്നnna
• ണ്ണnna
• ങ്ങnga
• ന്തntha
• മ്പmba
• ശ്ശssha

The half ‘u’ at the end

A ് at the end of a word is a short, half-swallowed ‘u’. English names write it as an ‘e’ or leave it out: കോഴിക്കോട് is Kozhikode.

Name parts worth knowing

Some pieces come back again and again. Spot them and half the name is read.

Older English names are still about: കൊച്ചി was Cochin, തൃശ്ശൂർ Trichur and കോഴിക്കോട് Calicut. When you type, both count.

Try it

Which city is on the sign?

All the letters

Consonants

• കk
• ഖkh
• ഗg
• ഘgh
• ങng
• ചch
• ഛchh
• ജj
• ഝjh
• ഞnj
• ടt
• ഠth
• ഡd
• ഢdh
• ണn
• തth
• ഥth
• ദd
• ധdh
• നn
• പp
• ഫf
• ബb
• ഭbh
• മm
• യy
• രr
• ലl
• വv
• ശsh
• ഷsh
• സs
• ഹh
• ളl
• ഴzh
• റr

Letters that never carry a vowel

• ൺn
• ൻn
• ർr
• ൽl
• ൾl
• ൿk

Vowels

• അa
• ആa
• ഇi
• ഈi
• ഉu
• ഊu
• ഋri
• എe
• ഏe
• ഐai
• ഒo
• ഓo
• ഔau

Vowel signs, shown on ക

• കka
• കാka
• കിki
• കീki
• കുku
• കൂku
• കൃkri
• കെke
• കേke
• കൈkai
• കൊko
• കോko
• കൌkau
• കൗkau

Other signs

• ക്k
• കംkam
• കഃkah

Clusters in these place names

• ക്കkka
• പ്പppa
• ട്ടtta
• ത്തttha
• മ്പmba
• ങ്ങnga
• ന്നnna
• റ്റtta
• ശ്ശssha
• ണ്ടnda
• ള്ളlla
• ന്തntha
• ല്ലlla
• ഞ്ചnja
• ങ്കnka
• ണ്ണnna
• യ്യyya
• ന്മnma
• ച്ചccha
• ഞ്ഞnja
• ശ്വshwa
• ന്ദnda
• മ്മmma
• ശ്രshra

A consonant with no vowel sign carries an unwritten a; the sign ് removes it. ൻ and ൺ (n), ർ (r), ൽ and ൾ (l) never carry a vowel. A doubled sound is one stacked letter (ക്ക → kk, ട്ട → tt, റ്റ → tt). The small circle ( ം ) is m.

The 200 places in the quiz

The quiz has 200 towns of Kerala: all city corporations and municipalities, and about a hundred well-known smaller towns.