Maldivian (ދިވެހި)

Maldivian is an Indo-Aryan language spoken main in the Maldives, and also in India by about 340,500 people. In 2012 there were 331,000 speakers of Maldivian in the Maldives, where it is a statutory national language. In India Maldivian has about 9,500 speakers, mainly in Minicoy Island (Maliku), part of the Union territory of Lakshadweep, and also in the state of Kerala.

Maldivian is also known as Dhivehi, Divehli, Mali, Malikh or Malki. Native names areދިވެހި‎ (Divehi), andދިވެހިބަސް‎ (Divehi-bas).

Major dialects of Maldivian are Malé, Huvadhu, Mulaku, Addu, Haddhunmathee and Maliku. The Malé dialect of the Maldivian capital is considered the standard. In Minicoy the Maliku dialect is spoken and is known as Mahl or Maliku bas.

Maldivian is closely related to, though not mutually intelligible with, Sinhalese. It has been influenced by and aborbed words from languages such as Arabic, French, Persian, Portuguese, Urdu and English.

Written Maldivian

The Thaana script was developed during the 18th century by an unknown inventor. It first appeared in government documents in 1703 and replaced an older alphabet known asDives akuru.

Some of the Taana letters were derived from Dives akuru, while others were modelled onArabic numerals. Vowel indication is modelled on the Arabic system of diacritics.

In Minicoy the Mahl dialect of Maldivian has been written with the Devanagari script since the 1950s.

Notable features

Type of writing system: vocalisedabjad / consonant alphabet
Writing direction: Words are written from right to left, but numerals are written from left to right.
Used to write: Maldivian (ދިވެހި)
Originally Arabic numerals were used, however nowadays Western numerals (1, 2, 3, etc) are used.
Vowels are indicated with diacritics which appear above or below the consonants. When vowels are come at the beginning of a word or are pronounced separately, they are attached to the letteralifu.
When thesukun symbol is combined with the letteralifu it either doubles the following consonant, or if it appears at the end of a word after an "e", it adds and "h" sound.
A number of letters are used solely for writing Arabic loan words./li>

Thaana script

How to write and pronounce the Thaana alphabet

Letters used for transliterating Arabic words (thiki jehi thaana)

Top row: Thaana letters, bottom row: the Arabic letters on which they are modelled

Letters used for transliterating Arabic words (toko jehee taana)

Note

the letter zaa is also used to write the English sound /ʒ/.

Devanagari script for Mahl dialect

Download script charts for Maldivian (Excel format)

Sample texts

Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Maldivian

Transliteration

Hurihaa insaanun ves ufanvanee, dharajaaai haqquthakugai minivankamaai hamahamakan libigenvaa baegge gothugaeve. Emeehunnah heyo visnumaai, heyo buhdheege baaru libigenveeve. adhi emeehun ekaku anekakaa medhu.

Hear a recording of this text

Sample video in Maldivian

Information about Maldivian |Phrases |Numbers |Tower of Babel

Links

Information about Maldivian and Thaana
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divehi_language
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thaana
http://www.maldivesculture.com/thaana01.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahl_writing_systems
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_Alphabet_of_Mahl_Transliteration

Free Thaana fonts
http://www.wazu.jp/gallery/Fonts_Thaana.html
http://www.haveeru.com.mv/downloads/fonts.zip
http://www.mitf.net/index.php/projects/thaana/font-unicode.html
http://all1.thefreebizhost.com/Fonts.htm
http://www.saturn.in/foss/thanaunicode/ (Linux)

Dhivehi thaana - reading and writing the Maldivian language
http://www.maldivesculture.com/thaana01.html

Divehi phrases
https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Dhivehi_phrasebook
http://maldives.tourism-srilanka.com/travel-tips/useful-phrases.html
http://wikitravel.org/en/Dhivehi_phrasebook

Haveeru Online - online version of a daliy newspaper in Divehi and English (uses dynamic fonts):http://www.haveeru.com.mv

Maldives websites
http://www.visitmaldives.com.mv
http://www.maldive.com

Indo-Aryan languages

Awadhi,Assamese,Bagri,Bengali,Bhili,Bishnupriya Manipuri,Braj,Chakma,Chhattisgarhi,Chittagonian,Desiya,Dhatki,Dhivehi,Dhundari,Fiji Hindi,Gawar Bati,Gujarati,Hajong,Halbi,Haryanvi,Hindi,Hindko,Kannauji,Khandeshi,Konkani,Kotia,Kumaoni,Kutchi,Lambadi,Marathi,Marwari,Mewari,Modi,Nimadi,Noakhailla,Odia,Parkari Koli,Punjabi,Rajasthani,Rajbanshi,Rangpuri,Rohingya,Saraiki,Sarnámi Hindustani,Sindhi,Sinhala,Sourashtra,Sugali,Sylheti,Tanchangya,Urdu

Abugidas / Syllabic alphabets

Ahom,Aima,Arleng,Badagu,Badlit,Basahan,Balinese,Balti-A,Balti-B,Batak,Baybayin,Bengali,Bhaiksuki,Bhujimol,Bilang-bilang,Bima,Blackfoot,Brahmi,Buhid,Burmese,Carrier,Chakma,Cham,Cree,Dehong Dai,Devanagari,Dham Lipi,Dhankari / Sirmauri,Ditema,Dives Akuru,Dogra,Ethiopic,Evēla Akuru,Fox,Fraser,Gond,Goykanadi,Grantha,Gujarati,Gunjala Gondi,Gupta,Gurmukhi,Halbi Lipi,Hanifi,Hanuno'o,Hočąk,Ibalnan,Incung,Inuktitut,Jaunsari Takri,Javanese,Kaithi,Kadamba,Kamarupi,Kannada,Kawi,Kharosthi,Khema,Khe Prih,Khmer,Khojki,Khudabadi,Kirat Rai,Kōchi,Kodava Lipi,Komering,Kulitan,Kurukh Banna,Lampung,Lanna,Lao,Lepcha,Limbu,Lontara/Makasar,Lota Ende,Magar Akkha,Mahajani,Malayalam,Meitei (Modern),Manpuri (Old),Marchen,Meetei Yelhou Mayek,Meroïtic,Masarm Gondi,Modi,Mon,Mongolian Horizontal Square Script,Multani,Nandinagari,Newa,New Tai Lue,Ojibwe,Odia,Ogan,Pahawh Hmong,Pallava,Phags-pa,Purva Licchavi,Qiang / Rma,Ranjana,Rejang (Kaganga),Sasak,Savara,Satera Jontal,Shan,Sharda,Sheek Bakrii Saphaloo,Siddham,Sinhala,Sorang Sompeng,Sourashtra,Soyombo,Sukhothai,Sundanese,Syloti Nagri,Tagbanwa,Tai Noi,Takri,Tamil,Tanchangya (Ka-Pat),Tani,Thaana,Telugu,Thai,Tibetan,Tigalari,Tikamuli,Tocharian,Tolong Siki,Vatteluttu,Warang Citi

Other writing systems

Languages written with theDevanāgarī alphabet

Aka-Jeru,Angika,Athpare,Avestan,Awadhi,Bahing,Balti,Bantawa,Belhare,Bhili,Bhumij,Bilaspuri,Bodo,Bhojpuri,Braj,Car,Chamling,Chhantyal,Chhattisgarhi,Chambeali,Danwar,Dhatki,Dhimal,Dhundari,Digaro Mishmi,Dogri,Doteli,Gaddi,Garhwali,Gondi,Gurung,Halbi,Haryanvi,Hill Miri,Hindi,Ho,Jarawa,Jaunsari,Jirel,Jumli,Kagate,Kannauji,Kham,Kangri,Kashmiri,Khaling,Khandeshi,Kharia,Khortha,Korku,Konkani,Kullui,Kumaoni,Kurmali,Kurukh,Kusunda,Lambadi,Limbu,Lhomi,Lhowa,Magahi,Magar,Mahasu Pahari,Maithili,Maldivian,Malto,Mandeali,Marathi,Marwari,Mewari,Mundari,Nancowry.Newar,Nepali,Nimadi,Nishi,Onge,Pahari,Pali,Pangwali,Rajasthani,Rajbanshi,Rangpuri,Sadri,Sanskrit,Santali,Saraiki,Sirmauri,Sherpa,Shina,Sindhi,Sunwar,Sylheti,Tamang,Thakali,Thangmi,Wambule,Wancho,Yakkha,Yolmo

Page last modified: 16.03.23

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