Good news: once you know 1–10 and the tens, you can build almost every number in between with one simple pattern. Here's the whole system in Romanised Malayalam (no script needed).
1 to 10
| 1 | ഒന്ന് | onnu |
| 2 | രണ്ട് | randu |
| 3 | മൂന്ന് | moonnu |
| 4 | നാല് | naalu |
| 5 | അഞ്ച് | anchu |
| 6 | ആറ് | aaru |
| 7 | ഏഴ് | ezhu |
| 8 | എട്ട് | ettu |
| 9 | ഒമ്പത് | onpathu |
| 10 | പത്ത് | pathu |
11 to 20
| 11 | പതിനൊന്ന് | patinonnu |
| 12 | പന്ത്രണ്ട് | panthrandu |
| 13 | പതിമൂന്ന് | patimoonnu |
| 14 | പതിനാല് | patinaalu |
| 15 | പതിനഞ്ച് | patinanchu |
| 16 | പതിനാറ് | patinaaru |
| 17 | പതിനേഴ് | patinezhu |
| 18 | പതിനെട്ട് | patinettu |
| 19 | പത്തൊമ്പത് | pathonpathu |
| 20 | ഇരുപത് | irupathu |
The tens (10–100)
| 10 pathu | 20 irupathu | 30 muppathu | 40 naalpathu |
| 50 ambathu | 60 arupathu | 70 ezhupathu | 80 enpathu |
| 90 thonnooru | 100 nooru |
Build any number: ten + unit
For 21–99, take the ten and add the single digit. The ten shifts to a joining form, then you add the unit:
| Number | Build | Romanised |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | 20 + 1 | irupatti onnu |
| 35 | 30 + 5 | muppatti anchu |
| 48 | 40 + 8 | naalpatti ettu |
| 99 | 90 + 9 | thonnootti onpathu |
Master 1–20 and the tens, practise that joining pattern aloud a few times, and you'll be counting to 100 with confidence.
Practise saying them out loud
Numbers are a mouth-and-ear skill. In a quick lesson I'll fix your pronunciation and get the rhythm natural — for shopping, prices, time and phone numbers.
Book a lesson →Frequently asked questions
How do you count 1 to 10 in Malayalam?
onnu, randu, moonnu, naalu, anchu, aaru, ezhu, ettu, onpathu, pathu.
How do you build 21 or 35?
Join the ten and unit: 21 = irupatti onnu, 35 = muppatti anchu.
What is 100 in Malayalam?
100 is nooru (നൂറ്).