Maldivian (Dhivehi)
Maldivian — Indo-European family, about 350 thousand speakers (estimate, Ethnologue). Script: Thaana — written right to left, with vowels as obligatory marks. This site has 4066 words and 35 letters with audio.
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.
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.
About the language
| Native name | ދިވެހި · dhivehi |
| Other name | Dhivehi — that is the name the language carries in references and in ISO 639 |
| Official in | the Maldives |
| Also spoken in | India (Minicoy Island) |
| How many speakers | about 350 thousand speakers (estimate, Ethnologue) |
| Family | Indo-European family, Indo-Aryan group |
| Writing | 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 and no articles, short words.
What Russian speakers 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 rarer its repetitions should be. To hold it for a week, review every day; to hold it for a year, about once a month.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% of the target interval on a horizon of weeks, and 5–10% on a horizon of 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.
- Pay someone to study and they study less, not more. Praise and a clear explanation of their mistakes do the opposite — they help.checked many timesDeci, Koestner & Ryan, 1999, Psychological Bulletin 125(6) · 128 experiments. Material reward: d = −0.40 for taking part, −0.36 for finishing. Praise and feedback: +0.33.
Frequently asked
Where to start learning Maldivian?
With the script: 35 letters are worked through in a week or two, and after that words stop being pictures.
How many people speak it in Maldivian?
About 350 thousand speakers — an estimate from Ethnologue. 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 and no articles, short words.
Where is it spoken in Maldivian?
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; under “Dhivehi” it stands in references and in ISO 639. The familiar name Maldivian comes from the country where it is official: the Maldives.
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.