Eight question words let you ask almost anything in Malayalam: who, what, where, when, why, how, which and how much. This guide shows each one in the questions you’ll actually use, such as who is that, what is this, what is this called, what happened and where are you, plus the one-letter trick that turns any sentence into a yes/no question. Everything comes with the Malayalam script, an easy romanised spelling and the English meaning.
🔊 Hear it spoken — tap play
Real colloquial pronunciation, the way it’s actually said in Kerala.
The eight question words
In everyday speech most question words take a final -aa: enthu becomes enthaa?, evide becomes evideyaa?. Use the short spoken forms in conversation; the dictionary forms appear in writing.
| Malayalam | Romanised | English |
|---|---|---|
| ആര് | Aaru (spoken: aaraa?) | Who |
| എന്ത് | Enthu (spoken: enthaa?) | What |
| എവിടെ | Evide (spoken: evideyaa?) | Where |
| എപ്പോൾ | Eppol (spoken: eppozhaa?) | When |
| എന്തിന് / എന്തുകൊണ്ട് | Enthinu / Enthukondu | Why |
| എങ്ങനെ | Engane | How |
| ഏത് | Ethu (spoken: ethaa?) | Which |
| എത്ര | Ethra (spoken: ethrayaa?) | How much / how many |
Who? Who is that?
Pair aaraa? with athu (that), ithu (this), avan (he) or aval (she). With elders and strangers, use the respectful ningal.
| Malayalam | Romanised | English |
|---|---|---|
| അത് ആരാ? | Athu aaraa? | Who is that? |
| ഇത് ആരാ? | Ithu aaraa? | Who is this? |
| അവൻ ആരാ? / അവൾ ആരാ? | Avan aaraa? / Aval aaraa? | Who is he? / Who is she? |
| നിങ്ങൾ ആരാ? | Ningal aaraa? | Who are you? (polite) |
| ആരാ ഫോണിൽ? | Aaraa phone-il? | Who’s on the phone? |
| അവൻ എന്റെ ചേട്ടനാ | Avan ente chettanaa | He’s my elder brother (a typical answer) |
What? What is this?
| Malayalam | Romanised | English |
|---|---|---|
| ഇത് എന്താ? | Ithu enthaa? | What is this? |
| അത് എന്താ? | Athu enthaa? | What is that? |
| ഇതിന്റെ അർത്ഥം എന്താ? | Ithinte artham enthaa? | What does this mean? |
| ഈ വാക്കിന്റെ അർത്ഥം എന്താ? | Ee vaakkinte artham enthaa? | What does this word mean? |
| എന്താ വേണ്ടത്? | Enthaa vendathu? | What do you need? / What would you like? |
What is this called?
Point and ask. This is the fastest way to grow your vocabulary in a market, a kitchen or a temple.
| Malayalam | Romanised | English |
|---|---|---|
| ഇതിന്റെ പേര് എന്താ? | Ithinte peru enthaa? | What is this called? (lit. what is its name?) |
| അതിന്റെ പേര് എന്താ? | Athinte peru enthaa? | What is that called? |
| ഇതിനെ എന്താ വിളിക്കുന്നേ? | Ithine enthaa vilikkunne? | What do you call this? |
| മലയാളത്തിൽ ഇതിന് എന്താ പറയുക? | Malayalathil ithinu enthaa parayuka? | What’s this called in Malayalam? |
| ഈ പഴത്തിന്റെ പേര് എന്താ? | Ee pazhathinte peru enthaa? | What is this fruit called? |
| ഇത് എന്താ? – അത് ചക്കയാ | Ithu enthaa? – Athu chakkayaa | What’s this? – That’s jackfruit |
What happened?
Ask enthaa pattiyathu? with concern when someone looks upset. Enthaa prashnam? is about a problem to solve.
| Malayalam | Romanised | English |
|---|---|---|
| എന്താ പറ്റിയത്? | Enthaa pattiyathu? | What happened? |
| എന്താ പറ്റിയേ? | Enthaa pattiye? | What’s wrong? (casual) |
| എന്താ പ്രശ്നം? | Enthaa prashnam? | What’s the problem? |
| എല്ലാം ശരിയാണോ? | Ellaam shariyaano? | Is everything okay? |
| എന്താ പറ്റിയത്? വിഷമം ഉണ്ടോ? | Enthaa pattiyathu? Vishamam undo? | What happened? Are you upset? |
Where? Where are you?
Use nee with friends and younger people, ningal with elders. To answer, add -ilaa to the place: njaan veettilaa (I’m at home). More answers are in the home and phone phrases.
| Malayalam | Romanised | English |
|---|---|---|
| നീ എവിടെയാ? | Nee evideyaa? | Where are you? (casual) |
| നിങ്ങൾ എവിടെയാ? | Ningal evideyaa? | Where are you? (polite) |
| ഇപ്പോ എവിടെയാ? | Ippo evideyaa? | Where are you now? |
| ബസ് സ്റ്റാൻഡ് എവിടെയാ? | Bus stand evideyaa? | Where is the bus stand? |
| ഞാൻ ഇവിടെയാ | Njaan ivideyaa | I’m here |
When?
| Malayalam | Romanised | English |
|---|---|---|
| എപ്പോഴാ? | Eppozhaa? | When? |
| നീ എപ്പോ വരും? | Nee eppo varum? | When will you come? |
| ബസ് എപ്പോഴാ? | Bus eppozhaa? | When is the bus? |
| കല്യാണം എപ്പോഴാ? | Kalyaanam eppozhaa? | When is the wedding? |
Why?
| Malayalam | Romanised | English |
|---|---|---|
| എന്തിനാ? | Enthinaa? | Why? / What for? |
| എന്താ വരാത്തത്? | Enthaa varaathathu? | Why didn’t you come? |
| എന്തുകൊണ്ട്? | Enthukondu? | Why? (more formal) |
How?
| Malayalam | Romanised | English |
|---|---|---|
| എങ്ങനെ? | Engane? | How? |
| ഇത് മലയാളത്തിൽ എങ്ങനെ പറയും? | Ithu Malayalathil engane parayum? | How do you say this in Malayalam? |
| അവിടെ എങ്ങനെ പോകും? | Avide engane pokum? | How do I get there? |
| സുഖമാണോ? | Sukhamaano? | How are you? (lit. are you well?) |
Which?
| Malayalam | Romanised | English |
|---|---|---|
| ഏതാ? | Ethaa? | Which one? |
| ഏത് ബസ്? | Ethu bus? | Which bus? |
| ഇതിൽ ഏതാ നല്ലത്? | Ithil ethaa nallathu? | Which of these is good? |
How much? How many? How far?
| Malayalam | Romanised | English |
|---|---|---|
| എത്രയാ? | Ethrayaa? | How much is it? |
| എത്ര ദൂരം? | Ethra dooram? | How far is it? |
| എത്ര പേരുണ്ട്? | Ethra perundu? | How many people are there? |
| എത്ര വയസ്സായി? | Ethra vayassaayi? | How old are you? |
Yes/no questions: just add -o
Malayalam has no “do you” or “are you.” Add -o to the end of a statement and it becomes a question: varum (will come) becomes varumo? (will you come?).
| Malayalam | Romanised | English |
|---|---|---|
| വരുമോ? | Varumo? | Will you come? |
| ചായ വേണോ? | Chaaya veno? | Do you want tea? |
| ഇത് ശരിയാണോ? | Ithu shariyaano? | Is this right? |
| മലയാളം അറിയാമോ? | Malayalam ariyaamo? | Do you know Malayalam? |
Put it together: asking your way
You: Chetta, bus stand evideyaa? — Brother, where is the bus stand?
Man: Ee vazhi neere pokoo. — Go straight down this road.
You: Ethra dooram? — How far is it?
Man: Oru kilometer. — One kilometre.
You: Ernakulam bus eppozhaa? — When is the Ernakulam bus?
Man: Pathu minute-il. — In ten minutes.
For a slower, step-by-step lesson on how these words are built, try the interactive question-words guide. Travelling? See the Malayalam travel phrases.
Frequently asked questions
What are the question words in Malayalam?
Aaru (who), enthu (what), evide (where), eppol (when), enthinu / enthukondu (why), engane (how), ethu (which) and ethra (how much). In speech they usually end in -aa: aaraa?, enthaa?, evideyaa?
How do you say what is this in Malayalam?
“Ithu enthaa?” (ഇത് എന്താ?). To ask what something is called, say “ithinte peru enthaa?”
How do you say who is that in Malayalam?
“Athu aaraa?” (അത് ആരാ?). “Who is this?” is “ithu aaraa?”
How do you say where are you in Malayalam?
“Nee evideyaa?” with friends, or “ningal evideyaa?” with elders.
How do you say what happened in Malayalam?
“Enthaa pattiyathu?” (എന്താ പറ്റിയത്?). Casually: “enthaa pattiye?”
How do you ask a yes/no question in Malayalam?
Add -o to the end: “varum” (will come) becomes “varumo?” (will you come?).
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