▶ Hear it spoken by a native voice.
In short: To ask "what is this?" in spoken Malayalam, say ഇത് എന്താ? (ithu enthaa?). To ask what a word means, say ഇതിന്റെ അർത്ഥം എന്താ? (ithinte artham enthaa?) — "what does this mean?". The core question word is എന്ത് (enthu) = "what".
Variations & related phrases
| Malayalam | Romanised | English |
|---|---|---|
| ഇത് എന്താ? | Ithu enthaa? | What is this? |
| ഇതിന്റെ അർത്ഥം എന്താ? | Ithinte artham enthaa? | What does this mean? |
| അത് ആരാ? | Athu aaraa? | Who is that? |
| എപ്പോഴാ? | Eppozhaa? | When? |
When & how to use it
Question words make you independent fast: എന്ത് (enthu) what, ആര് (aaru) who, എവിടെ (evide) where, എപ്പോൾ (eppol) when, എന്തുകൊണ്ട് (enthukondu) why. In casual speech they often end in -ആ (-aa): enthaa, aaraa, evideyaa.
Example sentences
| Malayalam | Romanised | English |
|---|---|---|
| ഇത് എന്താ? എനിക്ക് അറിയില്ല. | Ithu enthaa? Enikku ariyilla. | What is this? I don't know. |
| ഈ വാക്കിന്റെ അർത്ഥം എന്താ? | Ee vaakkinte artham enthaa? | What does this word mean? |
Want to hear this used in a real conversation? Listen to Episode 24 - 'I'm Still Learning Malayalam' (Survival) 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 Dr. Reshmi trains your mouth — real-time correction only a teacher can give.
Book a lesson →Frequently asked questions
How do you say what is this in Malayalam?
Say ഇത് എന്താ? (ithu enthaa?).
How do you ask what something means in Malayalam?
Say ഇതിന്റെ അർത്ഥം എന്താ? (ithinte artham enthaa?).
What is the Malayalam word for what?
"What" is എന്ത് (enthu); casually it becomes എന്താ? (enthaa?).
How do you say who is that in Malayalam?
Say അത് ആരാ? (athu aaraa?).