LingoflyMaldivian (Dhivehi)
Maldivian — Indo-European family, about 380,000 speakers (estimate, Maldives census 2022, citizens). Script: Thaana — written right to left, with vowels as obligatory marks. This site has 4066 words and 24 letters with audio.
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Demo language: Maldivian
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ޝުކުރިއްޔާ
shukuriyyaa
thank you
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ޝުކުރިއްޔާ
shukuriyyaa
- thank you
- yes (casual)
- hello
- excuse me
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ޝުކުރިއްޔާ
thank you
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___، ވަރަށް ބޮޑަށް
Thank you very much
- އާން · aan
- މާފުކުރޭ · maafukurey
- ސަލާމް · salaam
- ޝުކުރިއްޔާ · shukuriyyaa
Show the answer
ޝުކުރިއްޔާ
thank you
Two checks complete
ޝުކުރިއްޔާ
thank you
This is a choice based on text. Conversation and remembering over time still need practice and checking.
How answers are counted
Answers stay on this page. Statistics include the demo stage, overall result, interface language and saved counter consent choice, without answer text or a profile.
Where to start
A young course: the words, the lessons and the recordings are all here, but a native speaker has not read it end to end yet. Spot a rough edge? Tell us and we will fix it.
- →Maldivian alphabetAll letters with sound
- →Maldivian wordsBy topic and alphabetically
- →PhrasebookPhrases ready to use
- →GrammarRules without jargon
- →Reading textsShort texts with translation
- →How to readThe writing course from zero
- →TransliterationThe table, both ways
- →PronunciationWhat you hear and what is hard
- →From scratchWhere to start, and in what order
- →How long to studyAn honest estimate, with caveats
First words
Every conversation starts with them — and so does the first impression: one greeting in the local language and you stop being a stranger within a second.
- ސަލާމްsalaamhelloAn all-purpose greeting for any time of day
- ކިހިނެއް؟kihineh?how are you?The ؟ sign is mirrored, because Thaana runs right to left. Literally just 'how?'; the standard answer is rangalhu
- ކިހިނެއްތޯ؟kihinehthoa?how are you (polite)?The polite upgrade: the particle -thoa raises the register. Among peers people simply say kihineh
- ޝުކުރިއްޔާshukuriyyaathank youFrom the Arabic shukran. There is no shorter native substitute — people say it in full, even for a small favor
- މާފުކުރޭmaafukureyexcuse memaafu is 'forgiveness', kurey is 'make' — literally 'make forgiveness'. It covers sorry as well as excuse me
- ތިޔަ ބޭފުޅާthiya beyfulhaayou (polite)The polite you for one person: beyfulhaa is a respectful 'person'. The safe choice with any stranger
- ފަހުންfahunsee you laterLiterally 'later'. When parting, Maldivians more often say dhanee ('I'm off') or fahun ('later') than any long farewell
- ބޭނުމެއް ނޫންbeynumeh noonI don't need itFrom beynun, 'want, need', and noon, 'no'. The polite refusal to a street seller
How it sounds
Five words spoken aloud: click the speaker and pick the translation. The sound works on any phone, and nothing needs to be installed.
- What is this word?
It is ސަލާމް (salaam) — hello.
- What is this word?
It is އާދެ (aadhe) — yes (polite).
- What is this word?
It is އަހަރެމެން (aharemen) — we.
- What is this word?
It is އިނގިރޭސި (ingireysi) — English (language).
- What is this word?
It is ބަރާބަރު (baraabaru) — great, excellent.
Curiosities in Maldivian
It is written right to left, like Arabic, yet the language itself is Indo-Aryan — a relative of Hindi and Sinhala. Its family has other cases like this: Persian and Urdu are Indo-European too, and also written right to left.
Xavier Romero-Frías, «The Maldive Islanders: A Study of the Popular Culture of an Ancient Ocean Kingdom», 1999
About the language
| Native name | ދިވެހި (dhivehi) · dhivehi |
| Other name | Dhivehi — the language’s own name, while “Maldivian” comes from the country where it is official |
| Official in | the Maldives |
| Also spoken in | India (Minicoy Island) |
| How many speakers | about 380,000 speakers (estimate, [Maldives census 2022, citizens](https://statisticsmaldives.gov.mv/census-2022/)) |
| Family | Indo-European family, Indo-Aryan group |
| Script | Thaana — written right to left, with vowels as obligatory marks |
| Writing direction | right to left |
Hard: right-to-left script and an almost total lack of textbooks in English.
Easy: simple grammar with no gender, short words.
What people most often take it up for: resort work, diving, island life.
How lessons work
A lesson is up to half an hour a day, split into three to five short sessions. A word comes back not on the course's schedule but at the moment you are about to forget it: the interval is computed by an algorithm from your own answers.
- The longer you want to keep a word, the longer the gap before reviewing it can be. To hold it for a week, review it after a day or two; to hold it for a year, after about three or four weeks.checked many timesCepeda et al., 2008, Psychological Science 19(11) · Over 1,350 participants, tested after delays of up to a year. The best gap is about 20–40% of the target interval when you need to remember for a week, and 5–10% when for a year.
- Recalling beats re-reading. Covering the translation and trying to remember it does more than reading it ten more times.checked many timesAdesope, Trevisan & Sundararajan, 2017, Review of Educational Research 87(3) · 188 experiments, 272 comparisons. g = 0.61; against plain re-reading 0.51, against passive review 0.93.
- A material reward promised for doing a task lowers the wish to take it up of your own accord once the reward is gone. Praise for what was done, on the contrary, keeps that wish alive.checked many timesDeci, Koestner & Ryan, 1999, Psychological Bulletin 125(6) · 128 experiments. A material reward promised in advance and the time later spent on the task by free choice: d = −0.44 for finishing, −0.40 for taking part, −0.28 for performance; a reward unrelated to the task, −0.14, not significant. Praise: +0.33.
Frequently asked
Where to start learning Maldivian?
With the script: 24 letters are worked through in a week or two, and after that words stop being pictures.
How many people speak Maldivian?
About 380,000 speakers — an estimate; source: Maldives census 2022, citizens. Nobody runs an exact census of languages, and sources disagree by noticeable amounts.
Is Maldivian hard?
Right-to-left script and an almost total lack of textbooks in English. At the same time, simple grammar with no gender, short words.
Where is Maldivian spoken?
An official language in: the Maldives. Noticeable communities: India (Minicoy Island).
Are Dhivehi and Maldivian the same thing?
Yes, they are two names of one language. The native name is ދިވެހި (dhivehi) · dhivehi; “Dhivehi” is the language’s own name, while “Maldivian” comes from the country where it is official.
Is Maldivian in Duolingo?
No. As of September 18, 2026, Duolingo’s catalogue has no such course at all, from any language. We have Maldivian in full: 4066 words, with audio, the script explained, a phrasebook and grammar in plain words.
Is Maldivian in Ling?
No. As of September 18, 2026, Ling’s catalogue has no such course at all, from any language. We have Maldivian in full: 4066 words, with audio, the script explained, a phrasebook and grammar in plain words.