Numbers and counting in Maldivian
58 words Maldivian words on the topic “numbers and counting”: އެއް — one, ދެ — two, ތިން — three, ހަތަރު — four. 58 words can be played from recordings.
58 words on the topic
- އެއްehoneThe number stands before the noun: eh kofee, 'one coffee'
- ދެdhetwoNumbers don't change for gender or case in Dhivehi: one shape for everything
- ތިންthinthreeThe th is a soft t with the tongue at the back of the teeth. The English th sound doesn't exist here
- ހަތަރުhatharufourThree syllables: ha-ta-ru. The longest of the first five
- ފަސްfasfiveThe first five numbers cover almost all everyday counting: prices, quantities, time
- ހަhasixThe shortest numeral in the course: two letters. Don't confuse it with the haa inside haas, 'thousand'
- ހަތްhaiysevenWritten with a final t that softens before a pause: it sounds like 'hai'. Bai, 'rice', behaves the same way
- އަށްaheightWritten exactly like the directional ending -ah, 'to, into'. Only its place in the phrase tells them apart
- ނުވަnuvanineThe last unit before dhiha. In the hundreds and the ordinals the stem doesn't change: nuvasatheyka, nuvavana
- ދިހަdhihatenFrom it comes dhihavana, 'tenth'. The teens are built on entirely different stems
- ބައިbaihalfTwo syllables, ba-i — not one blended 'bye'
- އެގާރަegaaraelevenFrom Sanskrit ekaadasha via Pali — the same eka root as 'one'. The eleven-to-nineteen row is native and doesn't split into ten-plus-unit
- ބާރަbaaratwelveBAA-ra, with a long a in the first syllable
- ތޭރަtheyrathirteenLinked to thin, 'three', only by history: you can no longer hear the three inside it
- ސާދަsaadhafourteenThe full-moon night is called saadhaveerey, 'the night of the fourteenth' — the lunar month lives inside the word
- ފަނަރަfanarafifteenThe fifteenth is the usual payday, so the word comes up often
- ސޯޅަsoalhasixteenSOA-lha, with the tongue curled back on the last syllable
- ސަތާރަsathaaraseventeenDon't mix it up with satheyka, 'hundred': the openings match, the endings part ways
- އަށާރަashaaraeighteenThe start from ah, 'eight', is audible; the -aara ending is shared by the whole row
- ނަވާރަnavaaranineteenNuva, 'nine', plus the same -aara tail. The last of the row: after it comes vihi, 'twenty'
- ވިހިvihitwentyIts own word that doesn't split into 'two tens' — the tens row never became transparent
- ތިރީސްthireesthirtyThe start from thin, 'three', is audible; the -ees ending is shared by thirty and forty
- ސާޅީސްsaalheesfortyA partner to thirees by the same -ees tail. The tens after that are built differently
- ފަންސާސްfansaasfiftyRelated to fas, 'five', though you can barely hear it
- ފަސްދޮޅަސްfasdholhassixtyHere the fas, 'five', is visible plainly, though it's the sixth number: the old count went differently
- ހަތްދިހަhahdhihaseventyHaiy, 'seven', plus dhiha, 'ten'. From seventy to ninety the tens stack up transparently
- އަށްޑިހަahdihaeightyAh, 'eight', plus dhiha, with the d hardening into a retroflex one — written with the retroflex letter, not the plain one
- ނުވަދިހަnuvadhihaninetyNuva, 'nine', plus dhiha; here the d of dhiha stays in place, unlike in eighty
- ސަތޭކަsatheykahundredThe hundreds are built by putting the number in front: dhuisatthaa, 'two hundred'; thinsatheyka, 'three hundred'
- ހާސްhaasthousandA number always stands in front of it: eh haas, 'one thousand'; fas haas, 'five thousand'
- މިލިއަންmilianmillionEnglish million. There is no native word: the old count never reached such magnitudes
- ސުމެއްsumehzeroThe Arabic sifr gave sumeh; in a phone number it's read as English zero
- ފުރަތަމަfurathamafirstThe same word as 'at first' from a later unit: Dhivehi doesn't split the ordinal from the adverb
- ދެވަނަdhevanasecondDhe, 'two', plus -vana. From the second on, all ordinals take this tail; only 'first' stands apart
- ތިންވަނަthinvanathirdThin plus -vana. By the same pattern come fourth, fifth and so on forever
- އެންމެ ފަހުenme fahulastLiterally 'the most behind': enme is the superlative, fahu is 'after'. No separate word exists
- ކިތައްkithahhow many?How many — about counting pieces. For price there's the other question, kihaavareh, from unit two
- ޖޯޑުjoadua pairA pair of shoes or of people. The same word means 'cup' from unit two: the neighbor word decides
- އެތިethipiece (item)A piece, a thing. In counting, ethi stands where English 'pieces' goes: fas ethi, 'five pieces'
- އިންސައްތަinsatthapercentLiterally 'in the hundred': in is 'from', satthaa is 'hundred'. In speech people more often say the English 'percent'
- ކޮންމެkonmeeach, everyStands before the noun and never changes: konme dhuvahaku, 'every day'; konme meehaku, 'every person'
- ދުއިސައްތަdhuisatthaatwo hundredThe odd one out: not 'two hundreds' but a fused dhui- + satthaa. Every other hundred is built regularly — number plus satheyka
- ތިންސަތޭކަthinsatheykathree hundredThin, 'three', plus satheyka, 'hundred'. The special counting rows — for people, for things — never reach the hundreds: a hundred is counted the same way for everyone
- ހަތަރުސަތޭކަhatharusatheykafour hundredHatharu plus satheyka, with no change in the stem
- ފައްސަތޭކަfassatheykafive hundredThe only hundred where the stem changes: fas before satheyka shortens instead of doubling
- ހަސަތޭކަhasatheykasix hundredHa, 'six', plus satheyka. The short ha is easy to lose on paper — listen for the vowel length
- ހަތްސަތޭކަhaiysatheykaseven hundredHaiy plus satheyka. The final t of haiy sounds as a brief hold before the s
- އަށްސަތޭކަahsatheykaeight hundredAh plus satheyka; in speech it comes out close to 'assatheyka'
- ނުވަސަތޭކަnuvasatheykanine hundredThe last hundred before haas, 'thousand': nuva plus satheyka
- ހަތަރުވަނަhatharuvanafourthThe number plus -vana. The ordinal stands before the noun and never changes for gender — there are no genders
- ފަސްވަނަfasvanafifthFas plus -vana; unlike five hundred, the stem isn't doubled here
- ހަވަނަhavanasixthHa plus -vana. One of the shortest words in the course — three letters
- ހަތްވަނަhaiyvanaseventhHaiy plus -vana. The same word names the seventh day of the week
- އަށްވަނަahvanaeighthAh plus -vana. The final t sounds as a slight hold
- ނުވަވަނަnuvavananinthNuva plus -vana. Two va letters in a row aren't a typo: the first from the number, the second from the tail
- ދިހަވަނަdhihavanatenthDhiha plus -vana. The row keeps building the same way forever
- ސަތޭކަވަނަsatheykavanahundredthSatheyka plus -vana. The tail hooks onto thousands too: 'thousandth'
- އަދަދުadhadhunumberAn Arabic loanword. A phone number is nambaru, already English
How it sounds in a sentence
A word list is a blank. Conversation is made of sentences, and these are the ones the words fit into most often.
- އެއް ކޮފީ ބޭނުންeh kofee beynunI want one coffee
- ދެ ރޮށި ބޭނުންdhe roshi beynunI want two flatbreads
- ތިން ދުވަސް ފަހުންthin dhuvas fahunIn three days
- ހަތަރު ގަޑިއިރު ދުރުގައިhatharu gadiiru dhurugaiFour hours away
- ފެރީ ފަސް މިނިޓު ފަހުންferee fas minitu fahunThe ferry leaves in five minutes
- ހަ ދުވަސް ރަށުގައިha dhuvas rashugaiSix days on the island
What is worth knowing about these words
އެއް (eh) — one. The number stands before the noun: eh kofee, 'one coffee'
ދެ (dhe) — two. Numbers don't change for gender or case in Dhivehi: one shape for everything
ތިން (thin) — three. The th is a soft t with the tongue at the back of the teeth. The English th sound doesn't exist here
ހަތަރު (hatharu) — four. Three syllables: ha-ta-ru. The longest of the first five
Test yourself
First by ear — the way you will meet the word in conversation. Click the speaker and pick the translation.
- What is this word?
It is އެއް (eh) — one.
- What is this word?
It is އަށް (ah) — eight.
- What is this word?
It is ސާދަ (saadha) — fourteen.
- What is this word?
It is ތިރީސް (thirees) — thirty.
- What is this word?
It is ސަތޭކަ (satheyka) — hundred.
Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “one” in Maldivian?
The number stands before the noun: eh kofee, 'one coffee'
- How do you say “eight” in Maldivian?
Written exactly like the directional ending -ah, 'to, into'. Only its place in the phrase tells them apart
- How do you say “fourteen” in Maldivian?
The full-moon night is called saadhaveerey, 'the night of the fourteenth' — the lunar month lives inside the word
- How do you say “thirty” in Maldivian?
The start from thin, 'three', is audible; the -ees ending is shared by thirty and forty
- How do you say “hundred” in Maldivian?
The hundreds are built by putting the number in front: dhuisatthaa, 'two hundred'; thinsatheyka, 'three hundred'
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
A price, the change, a house number, the time you agreed on, the floor. Numbers are the first thing you have to catch by ear — and the first thing people say fast.
A list is read in a minute and forgotten in a day. What works: hide the translation, try to recall, get it wrong — and come back to the same words tomorrow.
- 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.
- This holds not only in experiments but in ordinary classrooms, with real students.checked many timesMawson & Kang, 2025, Behavioral Sciences 15(6):771 · 22 studies, d = 0.54 (confidence interval 0.31–0.77). The authors warn that individual studies disagree widely.
Frequently asked
How do you say “one” in Maldivian?
«އެއް», read “eh”. The number stands before the noun: eh kofee, 'one coffee'. It is one of 58 words in the set “numbers and counting” — the rest are in the table above.
How many numbers do you need to start?
A dozen is enough. The set of 58 words on this page covers nearly every everyday case on the topic — but it is best taken a few at a time, not all at once.
Is there audio?
Yes, 58 words on this page can be played — click the speaker next to the word. The sound works on any phone, and nothing needs to be installed.