In short: "Congratulations!" is അഭിനന്ദനങ്ങൾ! (abhinandanangal!) or ആശംസകൾ! (aashamsakal!) ("best wishes!"). Casually, a warm കൊള്ളാം! (kollaam!) ("nice!") or നന്നായി! (nannaayi!) ("well done!") also works.
Variations & related phrases
| Malayalam | Romanised | English |
|---|---|---|
| അഭിനന്ദനങ്ങൾ! | Abhinandanangal! | Congratulations! |
| ആശംസകൾ! | Aashamsakal! | Best wishes! |
| നന്നായി! | Nannaayi! | Well done! |
| കൊള്ളാം! | Kollaam! | Nice! / great! |
When & how to use it
Abhinandanangal is the proper "congratulations"; aashamsakal is "best wishes" (also used for festivals). For a quick, casual cheer, kollaam! and nannaayi! are perfect.
Example sentences
| Malayalam | Romanised | English |
|---|---|---|
| അഭിനന്ദനങ്ങൾ! വലിയ സന്തോഷം! | Abhinandanangal! Valiya santhosham! | Congratulations! So happy for you! |
| നന്നായി ട്ടോ, അഭിനന്ദനങ്ങൾ! | Nannaayi tto, abhinandanangal! | Well done, congratulations! |
Want to hear this used in a real conversation? Listen to Episode 22 - Feelings & Compliments in the free Listen & Learn library — every line has a Malayalam, romanised and English transcript.
Practise speaking it for real
These pages train your ear. A live 1-to-1 lesson with Reshmi trains your mouth — real-time correction only a teacher can give.
Book a lesson →Frequently asked questions
How do you say congratulations in Malayalam?
Say അഭിനന്ദനങ്ങൾ! (abhinandanangal!).
How do you say best wishes in Malayalam?
Say ആശംസകൾ! (aashamsakal!).
How do you say well done in Malayalam?
Say നന്നായി! (nannaayi!) or കൊള്ളാം! (kollaam!).
Is abhinandanangal formal?
It's the standard word; for casual praise, nannaayi / kollaam feel more relaxed.