Key Malayalam consonants, retroflex versus dental sounds, chillu letters, and vowel length for accurate pronunciation. Front: the sound pattern or example word. Back: meaning plus a plain-English pronunciation note.
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- അ vs ആ (a vs aa)
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A short vowel a versus a long vowel aa held about twice as long; the length can change a word's meaning.- ഇ vs ഈ (i vs ii)
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A short vowel i versus a long vowel ii; vowel length is meaningful in Malayalam.- ഉ vs ഊ (u vs uu)
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A short vowel u versus a long vowel uu, held for roughly twice the duration.- ട retroflex ta
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A retroflex t, pronounced with the tongue curled back against the roof of the mouth, distinct from the dental ത.- ത dental ta
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A dental t, pronounced with the tongue tip against the back of the upper teeth.- ഡ retroflex da
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A retroflex d, pronounced with the tongue curled back, distinct from the dental ദ.- ദ dental da
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A dental d, pronounced with the tongue against the upper teeth.- ണ retroflex na
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A retroflex n, pronounced with the tongue curled back, distinct from the alveolar ന.- ന alveolar na
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The plain everyday n sound, made with the tongue tip at the ridge behind the teeth.- ള retroflex la
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A retroflex l, pronounced with the tongue curled back, distinct from the plain alveolar ല.- ല alveolar la
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A plain l sound, similar to English l.- ഴ retroflex zha
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A retroflex approximant sound unique to Malayalam and Tamil, with no close English equivalent.- റ hard trilled ra
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A hard, often trilled or stopped r sound, distinct from the soft tapped ര.- ര soft tap ra
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A light single tap of the tongue, softer than the hard റ.- ശ vs സ (sha vs sa)
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A palatal sh as in shoe, versus a dental s as in sun; the two are distinct sounds in Malayalam.
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