▶ Hear it spoken by a native voice.
In short: To ask "who is that?" say അത് ആരാ? (athu aaraa?). "Who are you?" is നീ ആരാ? (nee aaraa?) (casual) or നിങ്ങൾ ആരാ? (ningal aaraa?) (polite). The question word for "who" is ആര് (aaru).
Variations & related phrases
| Malayalam | Romanised | English |
|---|---|---|
| അത് ആരാ? | Athu aaraa? | Who is that? |
| ഇത് ആരാ? | Ithu aaraa? | Who is this? |
| നീ ആരാ? | Nee aaraa? | Who are you? (casual) |
| അവൻ/അവൾ ആരാ? | Avan/aval aaraa? | Who is he/she? |
When & how to use it
Aaru ("who") becomes aaraa? in casual questions. Pair with athu (that), ithu (this), avan (he), aval (she) to ask about anyone.
Example sentences
| Malayalam | Romanised | English |
|---|---|---|
| അത് ആരാ ഫോണിൽ? | Athu aaraa phonil? | Who's that on the phone? |
| അവൻ എന്റെ ചേട്ടനാ. | Avan ente chettanaa. | He's my elder brother. |
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.
Practise speaking it for real
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Book a lesson →Frequently asked questions
How do you say who is that in Malayalam?
Say അത് ആരാ? (athu aaraa?).
How do you say who are you in Malayalam?
Casually നീ ആരാ? (nee aaraa?); politely നിങ്ങൾ ആരാ? (ningal aaraa?).
What is the Malayalam word for who?
"Who" is ആര് (aaru).
How do you ask who is he or she?
Say അവൻ ആരാ? (avan aaraa?) (he) or അവൾ ആരാ? (aval aaraa?) (she).