Food and drink in Maldivian
213 words Maldivian words on the topic “food and drink”: ފެން — water, ކޮފީ — coffee, ސައި — tea, ބަތް — rice. 213 words can be played from recordings.
213 words on the topic
- ފެންfenwaterOn the islands all water is shipped in, so this word enters service earlier than most
- ކޮފީkofeecoffeeAn English loanword written in Thaana. There are many like it — listen for the familiar
- ސައިsaiteaSai means both tea and a light meal in general: the morning sai is breakfast
- ބަތްbaiyriceLiterally 'rice', but also 'food' in general: rice with fish is the base of the Maldivian table
- މަސްmasfishTuna is the backbone of Maldivian cooking
- ރޮށިroshiroshi (flatbread)A thin wheat flatbread, the base of breakfast — a relative of the Indian roti
- ކުކުޅުkukulhuchickenBoth the bird and the meat. Chicken curry is kukulhu rihaa
- ބިސްbiseggThe indefinite form is biyeh: the final s turns to h before the ending
- މޭވާmeyvaafruitA collective: one fruit or many — the plurality isn't marked separately
- ދޮންކެޔޮdhonkeyobananadhon (ripe, light) plus keyo (the banana plant). The local banana is smaller than the imported one
- ކާށިkaashicoconutThe ripe nut. The young one, full of water, is kurumba — a different word entirely
- ލޮނުlonusaltThe same word serves as 'salty'. From it also lonumedhu, 'garlic'; the sea in descriptions is lonugandu, 'salt water'
- ފޮނިfonisweetOf taste, and of a person — 'sweet-talking'. From it come the names of desserts
- މީރުmeerutasty, deliciousMost often heard with varah: varah meeru. From it comes meerukoh kaalaa, the local 'enjoy your meal'
- ކަނީkaneeI eatThe past is kai, with a changed stem. 'Drink' makes the same pair
- ބޮނީboneeI drinkThe same word serves for taking medicine: bes bonee
- ކިލޯkiloakilogramEnglish kilo. At the market people more often just say 'kilo', without the grams
- ތާޒާthaazaafreshBoth a's are long: TAA-zaa
- ދޮންdhonripeDental d — the tongue sits at the teeth, not at the ridge
- ކައްކާ މީހާkakkaa meehaacook (chef)Literally 'cooking person', by the same pattern as 'seller' and 'buyer'
- ހެނދުނުގެ ސައިhendhunuge saibreakfastLiterally 'morning tea': there is no separate word for breakfast in Dhivehi. The -ge ending is the same possessive as in 'my'. Later it appears whole in 'breakfast is included'
- މެންދުރު ކެއުންmendhuru keunlunchMendhuru is 'noon', keun is 'eating'. Like breakfast, lunch has no one-word name
- ރޭގަނޑުގެ ކެއުންreyganduge keundinnerThe same join as lunch, with reygandu, the night. From it will grow the phrase 'to cook dinner'
- ހަފަނީhafaneeto chewThe -nee form means 'is doing now', like 'I eat' and 'I drink'. The dictionary form ends in -n
- ދިރުވަނީdhiruvaneeto swallowAbout food and about a pill. At the pharmacy they'll say 'swallow the medicine'
- ކާހިތްވުންkaahihvunappetiteThe t before a consonant sounds like an h: KAA-hih-vun
- އެތިކޮޅުethikolhupieceEthi is 'a piece, an item', kolhu the diminutive ending. About a hunk of roshi they say fothi
- ވަސްvassmellA smell in Dhivehi 'runs': 'the smell goes' means 'it smells'. Taste is another word, raha
- ބަޓަރުbatarubutterEnglish butter. Vegetable oil has its own word — don't mix them
- އަލުވިaluvipotatoThrough Urdu: 'alu' is what the potato is called across the whole subcontinent. On the islands it's all imported
- ފުށްfuhflourA native word: flour and powder in general. Written with the cluster, heard as 'fuh'
- މާމުއިmaamuihoneyA native word. Flower plus sap: literally 'flower juice'
- ބަދަންbadhannutsFrom Persian 'almond'. The general word for nuts, except the coconut — that one is kaashi
- ފިޔާfiyaaonionA native word. The base of nearly any Maldivian cooking, together with the green chili
- ކެރެޓުkeretucarrotEnglish carrot. Carrots are imported, and so is the word
- މިރުސްmiruschili pepperA native word: both the chili and pepper in general. Maldivian cooking doesn't happen without it
- ބީންސްbeensbeansEnglish beans. No native word for them — they were never grown on the islands
- ހަވާދުhavaadhuspice mixA native word: the ready blend of spices that goes into curry. From Arabic, through the spice trade
- ކައްކަނީkakkaneeto cookThe -nee form of the cooking verb. From it comes 'cook' from unit nine
- ދޮންނަނީdhonnaneeto washWashing dishes, washing clothes, washing hands — all one verb. The doubled n is written as two letters
- ވަޅިvalhiknifeA native word. The coconut billhook is 'the big valhi'
- ފެނު ކައްކަނީfenu kakkaneeto boilLiterally 'cook in water': fen with an ending. That's how boiling is set apart from frying
- ތެލުލަނީthelulaneeto fryFrom the word for oil: literally 'I oil it through'. The Maldivian snacks are all fried
- ފިހަނީfihaneeto bakeBoth baking in an oven and on a dry pan: 'baking roshi' uses it
- ކޮށަނީkoshaneeto chopTo cut and to hack — of food, of paper, of a branch
- ތެލިthelipotA native word; the same root as 'oil' — the vessel things are boiled and fried in
- ތަވާthavaagriddleThrough Urdu. The flat pan roshi is baked on
- އުނދުންundhunstoveA native word: hearth, oven, stove. The gas one is 'the gas undhun'
- ތަށިthashiplateA native word. The plural 'dishes' is known from unit six
- ޖޯޑުjoaducupA native word. A cup of tea is 'a tea joadu'
- ބިއްލޫރި ތަށިbilloori thashiglass (drinking)The doubled l: bil-luuri thashi
- ސަމުސާsamusaaspoonA native word. In the Maldives people eat with the hand more often, but a spoon stands on the table
- ފޯކުfoakuforkEnglish fork. A visitor's item — and a visitor's word
- ފުޅިfulhibottleA native word. A bottle of water is 'a water fulhi'
- ޓިޝޫtishootissueEnglish tissue. Both the napkin and the paper handkerchief
- ކެޓްލިketlikettleEnglish kettle. The teapot is a different word
- ތަބައްthabahtrayThe same tail as in 'rice': 'thabai'
- ހޫނުކޮށްhoonukohserved hotThe final cluster releases as a light breath: 'hoonukoh', almost 'hoonuko'
- ފިނިކޮށްfinikohserved coldThe partner of 'served hot', from 'cold'. 'Water served cold' is water the cooler the better
- ބަނޑުހައިbanduhaihungryBelly plus hunger. 'I'm hungry' is 'the hunger has come upon me'
- ރަހަrahatasteA native word. 'The taste is fine' is how 'tasty' is said
- ލޮނުގަދަlonugadhasaltedSalt plus strong — the same build as 'loud' and 'fierce'
- ހުތްhuiysourThe final t is a light glide: 'hui', not 'hut'
- ހިތިhithibitterA native word. Coffee without sugar is 'bitter coffee'
- ކުޅިkulhispicyA native word. Maldivian food is spicy by default; to ask for it milder, add 'less'
- ބަނޑުފުރިފައިbandufurifaisatiatedLiterally 'the belly is filled'. The ending gives the state, as in 'grown angry'
- ރަހަ ބަލަނީraha balaneeto taste (sample)Literally 'I look at the taste': the looking verb serves the tongue in Dhivehi too
- މެނޫmenoomenu (list)English menu. In the little hotaas there is none — they point at the display case
- ވެއިޓަރުveitaruwaiterEnglish waiter. No native word: a restaurant in the Maldives is a new thing
- އޯޑަރުoadaruan orderEnglish order. Both the order at a cafe and an order of goods
- އޯޑަރު ކުރަނީoadaru kuraneeto place an orderThe doing-verb turns the noun into a verb — as with 'to argue' and 'to repair'
- ބާވަތްbaavaiya dishA native word: 'a kind, a sort'. Of food it means a dish, of things a variety
- ޕޯޝަންpoashanportionEnglish portion. About its size one asks 'how big?'
- ދެ މީހުންނަށް މޭޒެއްdhe meehunnah meyzeha table for twoLiterally 'a table for two people': the ending marks the addressee, as in 'to me'
- ފޮނިކާނާfonikaanaadessert'Sweet' from unit two plus 'food'. Literally 'sweet food'
- މަސް ނުލައިmas nulaiwithout meatCareful: mas means both 'fish' and 'meat'. Declining either sounds the same
- ކޭކުkeykucakeFrom English 'cake'. At a birthday the big cake is cut; with tea come small ones — little pastries.
- ޕާސްތާpaasthaapastaItalian pasta by way of English. The word is always singular: 'ate some pasta'.
- ޔޯގަޓުyoagatuyogurtEnglish 'yoghurt'. The product is imported, and so is the word.
- ކްރީމުkreemucreamCream, face cream and cake cream alike: one word for everything.
- އައިސްކްރީމުaiskreemuice creamFrom 'ice' and 'cream'. The first part is English too, but it settled into Dhivehi on its own.
- ޗޮކްލެޓުchokletuchocolateEnglish 'chocolate' with a vowel added at the end — the usual way Dhivehi takes a foreign word in.
- ބިސްކޯދުbiskoadhucookiePortuguese biscoito, a colonial arrival by way of India, not from English.
- ގެރި މަސްgeri masbeefLiterally 'cow flesh'. Mas means fish and meat alike, so the animal's name is compulsory.
- ބަކަރި މަސްbakari masmuttonBakari is goat and sheep alike: Dhivehi does not tell them apart, and mutton and goat meat share one word.
- ޑިނގާdingaashrimpThe n before the g is bare, a nasal hum: DIN-gaa
- މޭބިސްކަދުރުmeybiskadhurugrapesLiterally 'date berry': meybisk is the date, the Maldives' main imported fruit.
- ކިއުކަމްބާkiukambaacucumberEnglish 'cucumber': cucumbers do not grow on the islands and arrive at the shop already wearing an English name.
- ކެބެޖުkebejucabbageEnglish 'cabbage'. Cabbage is imported: none grows here.
- ލޮނުމެދުlonumedhugarlicLiterally 'salty core': 'salt', from the second wave, plus 'middle'.
- ބަރަބޯbaraboapumpkinA native word, and the pumpkin is local too: pumpkin curry is an everyday home dish.
- ބަށިbashieggplantThe same root as the Indian word; it grows all over the Maldives.
- ލުނބޯlunboalemonThe n before the b is bare: LUN-bo
- ކަރާkaraawatermelonThe Maldivian watermelon is the fruit of Ramadan: it is served first in the evening.
- ސްޓޯބެރީstoabereestrawberryEnglish 'strawberry'. The berry is imported and expensive.
- ޕެއަރުpearupearEnglish 'pear': the pear is imported and never got a name of its own.
- ޕީޗުpeechupeachEnglish 'peach'. It does not grow on the islands and is met most often canned.
- ކެއްކުމުގެ ރެސިޕީkekkumuge resipeerecipe'Of cooking' with a tail. The bare word is understood too, but next to a pharmacy prescription it is better to be specific.
- ތަރުކާރީ ތޮށި މެށުންtharukaaree thoshi meshunto peel the vegetablesLiterally 'to scrape the skin off the vegetables': 'vegetables', 'skin, peel', 'to scrape'.
- ކެކުވަނީkekuvaneeto bring to a boilTo bring to a boil. The familiar 'to cook' is about food in water; this one is about the water itself.
- އެއްކުރަނީehkuraneeto mixLiterally 'makes one'. The same word says 'to gather together' — about people and about money.
- ލޮނު ލަނީlonu laneeto add saltLiterally 'puts salt'. There is no separate verb 'to salt': salt stays a noun.
- ހޫނުކުރަނީhoonukuraneeto heat upFrom 'hot' plus 'to do'. Its pair — 'to cool' — is in this same lesson.
- ފިނިކުރަނީfinikuraneeto coolBoth 'to cool down' and 'to chill in the fridge'. The air conditioner is spoken of with the same word.
- ބިސް ގިރުންbis girunto beat the eggsGirun is 'to stir until smooth', the same as instant coffee. The Maldivian breakfast dish comes from this word too.
- ފެން އެޅުންfen elhunto add waterElhun is 'to pour' and 'to pour out': liquids and loose things are not told apart in Dhivehi.
- ގްރިލްކުރުންgrilkurunto grillThe native verb means 'to bake', 'to burn' and 'to get burned' alike — so English was taken for the grill.
- މުއްދަތު ހަމަވާ ތާރީޚުmuddhathu hamavaa thaareekhuexpiration dateLiterally 'the date when the term runs out'. All three words have appeared before, Units 21 and 23.
- ފީވެއްޖެfeevejjespoiledThe rot root; the ending says it has already happened. The same root as in 'tooth decay', Unit 22.
- ދަޅުdhalhucanA tin can and a canned one are one word. A glass jar gets another phrase.
- އިތުރު ބައިithuru baisecond helpingLiterally 'an extra part'. Bai is the same 'share, part' as the appliance detail in Unit 34.
- ޕާރުސަލްކޮށްpaarusalkohtakeawayFrom English 'parcel'. The tail turns the noun into an adverb: 'as a parcel, to take away'.
- ހަކުރު ނާޅާhakuru naalhaawithout sugarLiterally 'not putting sugar': the negative prefix merged with the verb. Hakuru you know from 'diabetes', Unit 22.
- އަހަރެން މަހެއް ނުކަންaharen maheh nukanI am a vegetarianLiterally 'I do not eat flesh'. There is no word 'vegetarian' in Dhivehi, and in a country where fish is the base of the table, this is how it is explained.
- މީރުކޮށް ކާލާmeerukoh kaalaaenjoy your mealDhivehi has no 'bon appetit': at the table a prayer is said, and the guest is wished 'eat tasty'. 'Tasty' plus a tail.
- ފާން ފިހާ މީހާfaan fihaa meehaabakerLiterally 'a person who bakes bread': faan is bread, fihaa is bakes. No single word 'baker' exists.
- ބިލު ބަހަނީbilu bahaneeto split the bill'Bill', Unit 2, plus 'divides'. In Male among one's own the bill is rarely split: whoever invited, pays.
- ބޯފެންboafendrinking waterLiterally 'water that is drunk': from 'drinks'. On the islands drinking water is rain or desalinated, and the word sets it apart from the sea's.
- ލީޓަރުleetaruliterEnglish 'litre'. Drinking water on the islands is sold by the litre and in five-litre bottles.
- ގްރާމުgraamugramEnglish 'gram' with a compulsory little tail: Dhivehi does not like words ending in a bare consonant.
- ތެޔޮ ކާނާtheyo kaanaafatty foodLiterally 'oily food': the oil word covers butter and fat alike. Coconut oil is everywhere in Maldivian cooking, and the word is everyday.
- ޚާއްޞަ ރޭގަނޑުގެ ކެއުންkhaassa reyganduge keunfestive dinnerLiterally 'a special evening meal': 'special'. There is no adjective 'festive' in Dhivehi; 'special' or 'grand' stands in for it.
- ޓޮފީtofeecandyEnglish 'toffee'. In South Asia the word names any candy, not just toffees.
- ޤައުމީ ކެއުންqaumee keunnational dish'National', from 'country', plus 'food'. With the same national word the anthem of Unit 5 is built.
- މަގުމަތީ ކާނާmagumathee kaanaastreet foodLiterally 'food of the street': 'street' plus 'top, surface'. In Male this is above all the evening stalls with snacks.
- އޮލަolathickAbout liquids: thick gravy, thick syrup. About dense cloth it is not said — that takes the other word.
- ދިޔާdhiyaawateryThe pair to 'thick'. From the same root comes the word for juice, liquid.
- އޫރު މަސްooru masporkAssembled from ooru, 'pig', and mas, 'fish, meat'. The word exists, the dish doesn't: pork is forbidden, so you meet it on labels and abroad
- ކުކުޅު މަސްkukulhu maschicken (meat)The course knows the bird as kukulhu; to make meat, mas steps in behind. The same mas means 'fish' — on these islands meat and fish share a word
- ބާދު މަސްbaadhu masduck (meat)The same build as chicken. Ducks are hardly kept on the atolls, so this is holiday and imported meat
- ކީމާkeemaaminced meatIt came from Urdu with the dish: keemaa is both the mince and what you fry from it. Natively you'd have to describe it — 'meat chopped small'
- ހޭމްheymhamAn English word on the packaging. True ham is pork and therefore forbidden: in the shop fridge you'll find kukulhu heym, chicken ham
- ސޮސެޖުsosejusausageEnglish with the Dhivehi tail -u, like 'ticket'. Local ones are made of chicken or beef and sold frozen in packs
- ކަނޑުމަސްkandumastunaLiterally 'sea fish' — no specifying needed: tuna is what gets served with rice. The whole local cuisine and half the country's exports rest on it
- ސެލްމަންselmansalmonAn English word, and an English fish: no salmon swims in a warm ocean — it arrives frozen for resort kitchens
- ޕްރޯންproanprawnThe course knows the native dhiygaa for shrimp in general. On price tags and menus you'll see the English prawn: the big frozen one that goes to resort kitchens
- ކަނޑުގެ ކާނާkanduge kaanaaseafoodLiterally 'food of the sea': a category, not a thing, which is why it's A2. In daily life people don't name the class — they say tuna or shrimp directly
- ޕްލަމްplamplumPlums don't grow on the atolls and have no native name, so the English one is borrowed. Fresh ones are rare; more often dried, in a pack
- ރާސްބެރީraasbereeraspberryNo berries grow here at all — neither raspberry nor strawberry. The word is English, and you're likelier to meet it on a jar of jam than at a stall
- މެލަންmelanmelonWatermelon has its own word, karaa, but the melon stayed English: it's imported, and the price tag is in English
- އަންނާރުannaarupomegranateAn old Persian word that arrived by sea with the fruit. Trees grow in island yards but give little
- އަލަނާސިalanaasipineappleA settled loanword with a Dhivehi ending. Pineapples grow in the yard garden, and the price tag calls them just what people say
- މެންޑަރިންmendarinmandarinThe crate is labeled in English, and that's how it's said. In shops the orange is 'orange', and the mandarin is told apart simply by size
- ކީވީkeeveekiwi (fruit)A loanword with no variants: the fruit doesn't grow here — there's a box in the fridge of a big Malé shop
- އެވޮކާޑޯevokaadoaavocadoAn English word at a resort price: avocados come by plane, and a small-island shop usually has none
- ކިސްމިސްkismisraisinsAn old word from the west of the ocean, not an English one. Raisins go into bondibai, the sweet rice
- އަންޖީރުanjeerufigsA Persian word, and an old one — the fruit is known from books and from the fast, not from gardens: fig trees don't grow on the atolls, and figs are sold dried
- ކެޕްސިކަމްkepsikamcapsicum (bell pepper)The course knows mirus, the hot little chili in every dish. The big sweet one is called by the English name — and it is precisely not hot
- ޒުކީނީzukeeneezucchiniDoesn't grow on the islands and never got a native name. The local lookalike on the plate is barabo, the yard pumpkin
- ބީޓްރޫޓުbeetrootubeetrootEnglish with the Dhivehi tail -u. Beetroot comes from India, and it's rarely boiled here — more often sliced raw into salad
- ރެޑިޝްredishradishA root has nowhere to grow in coral sand, so the word is foreign. At the Malé market it appears some weeks, with the rest of the Indian cargo
- ފަތްޕިލާވެލިfathpilaavelileafy greensA native collective from fath, 'leaf': everything green and edible at once. The local green is murangafath, moringa leaves
- ޑިލްdildillAn English word off a supermarket bunch: local cooking has no dill — fish is run by curry leaf and chili
- ޕާސްލީpaasleeparsleyLike dill, a price-tag word. Coriander is better known in Malé — it goes into curry — while parsley lives in restaurant kitchens
- އިނގުރުingurugingerA native word, and an old one: ginger goes into tea, into curry, and into sore-throat remedies. For a cold it's brewed together with its neighbor root
- ކޯންkoancornThere are no fields on the atolls, and corn arrives in a can or a frozen pack — hence the English name from the label
- ސްޕިނެޗްspinechspinachA packaging word. The native leaf is murangafath, moringa leaf — it fills the same place on the plate as spinach
- ބަނަސްbanasbunEnglish bun with a Dhivehi ending. In the hotaa, banas is a soft round roll, taken with evening tea
- ޕައިpaipieAn English word: local baking doesn't do pies in the European sense. Its own tea-time bakes — bajiyaa and biskeemiyaa — are never called pie
- ޕޭސްޓްރީpeystreepastryThe course knows keyku, the whole cake. A single piece in a coffeehouse case takes the English 'pastry' — a city word, from Malé
- ޑޯނަޓުdoanatudoughnutEnglish with the tail -u. Locals do have their own oil-fried gulha, fish balls — but nobody calls those a sweet doughnut
- ފިހާ ބާވަތްތައްfihaa baavaiythahbaked goodsLiterally 'baked kinds', from known fihaanee and baavathah. A class of things rather than a thing — you need to know bun and pie first
- ޖޭމުjeymujamEnglish with the tail -u, and always about a shop jar: there's nothing on an atoll to make jam from
- ސިރަޕްsirapsyrupEnglish — a bottle for lemonade or a medicine. Locals have their own syrup under its own name: dhiyaa hakuru, palm molasses
- ޕޮޕްކޯންpopkoanpopcornPut together from pop and corn, both halves English. The country has one cinema, in Malé, so popcorn is more often made at home on the stove
- ޗިޕްސްchipspotato chipsEnglish, and always in the plural, as in the source language. One pack is 'a chips packet' — a counter word in front
- ޗުއިންގަމްchuingamchewing gumEnglish wholesale. The elders' chew is a different thing — areca nut, foh, with betel leaf — and nobody calls it gum
- ލެމަނޭޑްlemaneydlemonadeEnglish. The homemade lime drink is lunbo fani, and in the heat that's what people drink
- މިނަރަލް ފެންminaral fenmineral waterAn English modifier on the native fen — the usual Dhivehi build. There are no springs on an atoll: all bottled water is desalinated
- ސޯޑާ ފެންsoadaa fensparkling waterThe same build: a borrowed modifier plus fen. Sweet soda gets a different name — soft drink
- ކޮކްޓެއިލްkokteilcocktailOn an inhabited island a cocktail is always alcohol-free — a fruit one: liquor is banned there. With alcohol, only at a resort
- ކޮކޯkokoacocoaA loanword, and about the drink from a pack. Don't confuse it with kaashi, coconut: they sound close to each other, in Dhivehi they share nothing
- އިންސްޓަންޓް ކޮފީinstant kofeeinstant coffeeThe course knows kofee. The modifier is English because the jar is: in offices that's what's drunk — and 'going for coffee' means sitting with people
- ޓީ ބޭގުtee beygutea bagBoth halves are English, though tea itself is the native sai. The bag arrived with the goods and has no other name
- ކެކިކެކި ހުރި ފެންkekikeki huri fenboiling waterNo separate word: people say 'water that keeps boiling' — the doubling shows ongoing action. The course knows hunu fen, plain hot water
- ބަނގުރާbanguraaalcoholA native word, and the ban itself: on inhabited islands liquor is outside the law, drinking it is possible only at a resort. Plain raa is fresh palm sap — sweet and allowed
- ބުއިންbuina drink (beverage)The action noun from bonee, 'drink' — and the drink itself. One drink is buimeh, with the indefinite tail
- ޕާންpaanbreadThe word came with the Portuguese through India and means shop bread: the sliced loaf, the bun banas. The homemade roshi doesn't call itself bread — it's baked for fish
- ޗީޒްcheezcheeseAn English word for an imported thing: there are no dairy herds on the atolls. Cheese arrives in jars or toast slices, on the shelf next to the butter
- މަސްmasmeatThe same word that names fish: the catch and the flesh aren't split. Which meat — the animal says, in front: 'cattle mas' is beef, 'goat mas' is mutton, 'chicken mas' is poultry
- ސޫޕްsoopsoupAn English word for a bowl of soup in a cafe. The local one goes by its own name: garudhiya, the strong tuna broth poured over rice and splashed with lime
- ސެލެޑްseledsaladAn English word: greens with tomato and cucumber. The local dish of the same seat at the table is mas huni, grated coconut with tuna and onion — nobody calls that salad
- ޓޮމާޓޯtomaatoatomatoAn English word; the tomato has no native name. On the islands it's grown in a pot on the veranda next to the chili, and to the shop it comes by ferry
- އާފަލުaafaluappleApple trees don't grow on the atolls: apples come from India and cost more than the banana. That's why an apple is more often gifted to a sick person than eaten just so
- ޖޫސްjoosjuiceEnglish. In a cafe they'll ask which one: mango juice, watermelon juice; it's served with ice and almost always sweet
- ކާންkaanto eatThe dictionary form in -n; it stands before beynun and jehey — 'to-eat is wanted', I want to eat. The course knows the personal kanee, 'I eat': the verb doesn't change for person, only the form tells the cards apart
- ބޯންboanto drinkThe same dictionary shape as 'to eat'; the personal bonee the course knows. Tea is drunk all day on the islands, and sai boan means not only 'have tea' but 'have a bite'
- ރެސްޓޯރަންޓުrestoaranturestaurantThe course has kefe, the cafe. On the islands the bill draws the line: pay at the counter and it is a cafe; they bring it to your table and it is a restaurant
- މަސްހުނިmashunimas huniMas is fish, huni is grated coconut — those two words make up half the Maldivian menu
- ގަރުދިޔަgarudhiyagarudhiyaThe taste comes not from spice but from the fish: garudhiya is cooked from the morning's catch
- ރިހާކުރުrihaakururihaakuruIt's what remains at the bottom of the pot garudhiya was boiled in: nothing gets thrown away
- ކުރުނބާkurumbakurumbaThe ripe one is kaashi; kurumba is precisely young: more water, less flesh
- ދިޔާހަކުރުdhiyaahakurudhiyaa hakuruIts partner is hakuru in the solid, cake form. Dhiyaa is the same sugar, just not boiled down to crystals
- ސަޓަނިsatanisataniThe name came from the Indian chutney, but the make-up is Maldivian — coconut instead of fruit
- ފަނިfanifaniDon't confuse it with fen, plain water. Fani is always sweet and diluted — rose, mango, any flavor at all
- ހެދިކާhedhikaahedhikaaThe general build: fried this-and-that with tea. The shop that serves them is called the sai hotaa — the 'tea house'
- ބޮނޑިބަތްbondibaiybondibaiFrom bai, boiled rice. The festive version differs by coconut milk instead of water
- ފިހުނު މަސްfihunu masfihunu masFihunu comes from fihenee, 'to bake on fire'; mas is fish — the name is the recipe
- ބިލެތްbileiybetel leafDhivehi even has a separate verb, 'to chew betel' — it's that ordinary a thing here
- ވަޅޯމަސްvalhoamasvalhoamasIn Sri Lanka and India the very same product is sold under the name Maldive fish — it flavors curries across South Asia
- ކުޅިމަސްkulhimaskulhimasKulhi is 'spicy', mas is fish. The name describes the taste, not the shape
- ބިސްކީމިޔާbiskeemiyaabiskeemiyaaBis means both 'egg' and 'two' — but in this word it's the egg
- ގުޅަgulhagulhaThe same word simply means 'ball' — it was the shape that gave the name
- ބަޖިޔާbajiyaabajiyaaThe name came from India together with the shape; the content stayed local
- ރާraaraaDhiyaa hakuru, the syrup, is boiled down from it: one raw material, two products
- ކްރޮސާންkroasaancroissantDhivehi writes the loan by sound: k with a sukun is a bare consonant — hence the kr- cluster no native word ever has
- ކިރުkirumilkKiru steps in front of a word as a description: kiru kofee, 'milk coffee'. There is no separate preposition for 'with'
- ހަކުރުhakurusugarThe word itself never changes, even in the negative: in hakuru naalhaa, 'without sugar', the 'not' lives inside the verb, and hakuru stands as it stood
- ކިރު ކޮފީkiru kofeecoffee with milkThe description first, no preposition: kiru plus kofee — the same order as hunu fen, 'hot water'
- ކޮފީ ޖޯޑެއްkofee joadeha cup of coffeeIndefiniteness is an ending, not an article: joadu, 'a cup', takes -eh and becomes joadeh, 'one cup'
- ހަކުރު އަޅާhakuru alhaawith sugarThe partner of hakuru naalhaa, 'without sugar': take the negation off the verb and what is left is 'put sugar'
- ކްރޮސާނާއި ކޮފީkroasaanaai kofeea croissant and a coffee'And' is no separate word: -aai glues onto the first name, and kroasaan plus -aai turns into kroasaanaai
- ހޮޓާhotaacafe, tea shopOn the islands a cafe and a tea shop are one word: hotaa. It opens at dawn and pours coffee in a glass, not a cup. You go hotaa-ah — the -ah ending answers 'to where?', as everywhere
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.
What is worth knowing about these words
ފެން (fen) — water. On the islands all water is shipped in, so this word enters service earlier than most
ކޮފީ (kofee) — coffee. An English loanword written in Thaana. There are many like it — listen for the familiar
ސައި (sai) — tea. Sai means both tea and a light meal in general: the morning sai is breakfast
ބަތް (baiy) — rice. Literally 'rice', but also 'food' in general: rice with fish is the base of the Maldivian table
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 ފެން (fen) — water.
- What is this word?
It is ބިސް (bis) — egg.
- What is this word?
It is ކަނީ (kanee) — I eat.
- What is this word?
It is މެންދުރު ކެއުން (mendhuru keun) — lunch.
- What is this word?
It is ބަޓަރު (bataru) — butter.
Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “water” in Maldivian?
On the islands all water is shipped in, so this word enters service earlier than most
- How do you say “egg” in Maldivian?
The indefinite form is biyeh: the final s turns to h before the ending
- How do you say “I eat” in Maldivian?
The past is kai, with a changed stem. 'Drink' makes the same pair
- How do you say “lunch” in Maldivian?
Mendhuru is 'noon', keun is 'eating'. Like breakfast, lunch has no one-word name
- How do you say “butter” in Maldivian?
English butter. Vegetable oil has its own word — don't mix them
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
A menu, a market, a shop sign, the question “what is this?”. Food is the most frequent subject of the first weeks and the safest excuse to start talking.
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 “water” in Maldivian?
«ފެން», read “fen”. On the islands all water is shipped in, so this word enters service earlier than most. It is one of 213 words in the set “food and drink” — the rest are in the table above.
How many food words do you need to start?
A dozen is enough. The set of 213 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, 213 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.