In short: To say "I'm from [place]", say ഞാൻ ___ നിന്നാ (njaan ___ ninnaa), e.g. njaan London-il ninnaa. To ask "where are you from?": എവിടെനിന്നാ? (evideninnaa?).
Variations & related phrases
| Malayalam | Romanised | English |
|---|---|---|
| ഞാൻ ___ നിന്നാ | Njaan ___ ninnaa | I'm from ___ |
| ഞാൻ ഇന്ത്യയിൽ നിന്നാ | Njaan Indiayil ninnaa | I'm from India |
| എവിടെനിന്നാ? | Evideninnaa? | Where are you from? |
| എന്റെ നാട് ___ | Ente naadu ___ | My hometown is ___ |
When & how to use it
Add -il ninnaa ("from") to a place. Naadu ("hometown/native place") is a warm way to say where you're originally from.
Example sentences
| Malayalam | Romanised | English |
|---|---|---|
| എവിടെനിന്നാ? - ഞാൻ അമേരിക്കയിൽ നിന്നാ. | Evideninnaa? - Njaan Americayil ninnaa. | Where are you from? - I'm from America. |
| എന്റെ നാട് കൊച്ചിയാ. | Ente naadu Kochiyaa. | My hometown is Kochi. |
Want to hear this used in a real conversation? Listen to Episode 7 - Meeting Someone New in the free Listen & Learn library — every line has a Malayalam, romanised and English transcript.
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Book a lesson →Frequently asked questions
How do you say I'm from in Malayalam?
Say ഞാൻ ___ നിന്നാ (njaan ___ ninnaa) with the place name.
How do you ask where are you from in Malayalam?
Say എവിടെനിന്നാ? (evideninnaa?).
How do you say I'm from India in Malayalam?
Say ഞാൻ ഇന്ത്യയിൽ നിന്നാ (njaan Indiayil ninnaa).
What does naadu mean?
"Hometown / native place".