Half of every conversation is questions. Master these few small words and you can ask about anything in Malayalam — and finally understand what your Malayali family keeps asking you.
🔊 Hear it spoken — tap play
Real colloquial pronunciation, the way it’s actually said in Kerala.
The essential seven
| Malayalam | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| enthu / enthaa | what | ithu enthaa? — what is this? |
| evide | where | nee evide? — where are you? |
| aaru / aaraa | who | athu aaraa? — who is that? |
| eppol / eppozhaa | when | eppol varum? — when will you come? |
| engane | how | engane undu? — how is it? |
| enthukondu / enthinaa | why / what for | enthinaa karayunne? — why are you crying? |
| ethra | how much / many | ithu ethra? — how much is this? |
The words you hear constantly
Enthu (usually spoken as enthaa) is everywhere — the all-purpose “what?”. Evide powers the most common phone greeting in Kerala: nee evideyaa? — “where are you?”. And ethra is your shopping superpower: point at anything, say ithu ethra?, and you’re bargaining like a local (full guide: Malayalam for shopping).
How question words fit into sentences
Beautifully simply: the question word usually sits right where the answer would. Nee evide pokunnu? (you where going?) → answer: njaan kadayil pokunnu (I’m going to the shop). No word-order changes, no helper verbs — see grammar basics for why Malayalam questions are so clean.
Yes/no questions need no question word at all
Just add -o to the verb and raise your tone. That tiny -o is one of the most useful syllables in the language.
Practise with real conversations
Try building five questions about your own day, then check them against the beginner conversation examples. Want them corrected live? Book a lesson and we’ll have you asking and answering naturally within a session.
Frequently asked questions
What does enthu mean in Malayalam?
Enthu (spoken as enthaa) means "what". Ithu enthaa? means "what is this?" — one of the most-used words in the language.
What does evide mean?
Evide means "where". Nee evideyaa? — "where are you?" — is one of the most common questions in everyday Kerala phone calls.
How do you ask a yes/no question in Malayalam?
Add -o to the verb and raise your tone: varuno? (are you coming?), veno? (do you want?). No extra words are needed.
What does aaru mean in Malayalam?
Aaru (spoken aaraa) means "who". Athu aaraa? means "who is that?".
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