Malayalam Gender

Welcome to the fifth Malayalam lesson about gender. This time we will view a list of people, feminine and masculine, followed by grammar rules, finally a list of expressions in Malayalam to help you practice your daily phrases. To hear the pronunciation, just click on the sound icon.

man പുരുഷന്‍ [pu ru sśene‍]

woman സ്ത്രി [setherei]

husband ഭര്‍ത്താവ് [bhere‍thethav]

wife ഭാര്യാ [bhareya]

boy ആണ്‍ കുട്ടി [aṇe‍ ku ṭeṭei]

girl പെണ്‍ കുട്ടി [peṇe‍ ku ṭeṭei]

father അച്ഛന്‍ [achchhne‍]

mother അമ്മ [amem]

Gender Grammar Rules

In general, gender is used to distinguish between male and female, sometimes referred to as masculine and feminine. For example: my son and daughter are students the noun [son] is masculine, while [daughter] is feminine. The following examples use gender in different ways and places to demonstrate their behavior.

Grammar + Rules - Malayalam + Pronunciation
my son is a student [masculine + noun] എന്‍റെ മകന്‍ വിദ്യാര്‍ഥി ആണ് [ene‍ṟe mekne‍ veideyare‍thhei aṇ]
her daughter is a student [feminine + noun] അവളുടെ മകള്‍ വിദ്യാര്‍ഥി ആണ് [aveḷu ṭe mekḷe‍ veideyare‍thhei aṇ]
he has a tall brother [adjective + masculine] അദ്ദേഹത്തിന് ഉയരമുള്ള സഹോദരന്‍ ഉണ്ട് [adedehethetheine uyeremu ḷeḷe sehoderene‍ uṇeṭ]
she has a tall sister [adjective + feminine] അവള്‍ക്കു ഉയരമുള്ള സഹോദരി ഉണ്ട് [aveḷe‍kku uyeremu ḷeḷe sehoderei uṇeṭ]
his brothers are young [plural masculine + adjective] അയാളുടെ സഹോദരന്മാര്‍ ചെറുപ്പമാണ് [ayaḷu ṭe sehoderenemare‍ cheṟu pepemaṇ]
his sisters are young [plural feminine + adjective] അയാളുടെ സഹോദരിമാര്‍ ചെറുപ്പമാണ് [ayaḷu ṭe sehodereimare‍ cheṟu pepemaṇ]

The list below will probably provide more clarification. These are family members (males and females). I think it would be wise to memorize them as part of your important vocabulary list.

son മകന്‍ [mekne‍]

daughter മകള്‍ [mekḷe‍]

brother സഹോദരന്‍ [sehoderene‍]

sister സഹോദരി [sehoderei]

grandfather അപ്പുപന്‍ [apepu pene‍]

grandmother അമമുമ്മ [amemu mem]

child കുട്ടി [ku ṭeṭei]

children കുട്ടികള്‍ [ku ṭeṭeikḷe‍]

Expressions in Malayalam

Now it's time to practice expressions used in daily conversations. If you're a beginner in learning Malayalam, then the phrases below are something you would want to know.

English - Malayalam - Pronunciation
What do you mean? എന്താ ഉദ്ദേശിക്കുന്നത്? [enetha udedeṣeikku nenethe?]
I don't understand എനിക്ക് മനസ്സിലായില്ല [eneikk meneseseilayeilel]
I don't know എനിക്ക് അറിയില്ല [eneikk aṟeiyeilel]
What is that called in Malayalam? അതേങ്ങനെയാ മലയാളത്തില്‍ പറയുന്നത് [atheneneneya meleyaḷethetheile‍ peṟeyu neneth]
What is this? ഇതെന്താണ് [ithenethaṇ]
What does that word mean in English? ആ വാക്കിന് എന്താണ് ഇങ്ങ്ലിഷ് [a vakkine enethaṇe ineneleisś]
Sorry (if you made a mistake) ദുഖിക്കുന്നു [du khikku nenu]

I hope you enjoyed this lesson about the gender in Malayalam. Please check out our main menu here for more lessons: homepage. To see the full menu, you can also click on the "Menu" icon on the left side.