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)
- 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)
- A short vowel i versus a long vowel ii; vowel length is meaningful in Malayalam.
- ഉ vs ഊ (u vs uu)
- A short vowel u versus a long vowel uu, held for roughly twice the duration.
- ട retroflex ta
- A retroflex t, pronounced with the tongue curled back against the roof of the mouth, distinct from the dental ത.
- ത dental ta
- A dental t, pronounced with the tongue tip against the back of the upper teeth.
- ഡ retroflex da
- A retroflex d, pronounced with the tongue curled back, distinct from the dental ദ.
- ദ dental da
- A dental d, pronounced with the tongue against the upper teeth.
- ണ retroflex na
- A retroflex n, pronounced with the tongue curled back, distinct from the alveolar ന.
- ന alveolar na
- The plain everyday n sound, made with the tongue tip at the ridge behind the teeth.
- ള retroflex la
- A retroflex l, pronounced with the tongue curled back, distinct from the plain alveolar ല.
- ല alveolar la
- A plain l sound, similar to English l.
- ഴ retroflex zha
- A retroflex approximant sound unique to Malayalam and Tamil, with no close English equivalent.
- റ hard trilled ra
- A hard, often trilled or stopped r sound, distinct from the soft tapped ര.
- ര soft tap ra
- A light single tap of the tongue, softer than the hard റ.
- ശ vs സ (sha vs sa)
- A palatal sh as in shoe, versus a dental s as in sun; the two are distinct sounds in Malayalam.
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