Asking the way in Maldivian
19 words Maldivian words on the topic “asking the way”: ކޮބާ؟ — where?, ކަނާތަށް — to the right, ވާތަށް — to the left, ސީދާ — straight ahead. 19 words can be played from recordings.
19 words on the topic
- ކޮބާ؟kobaa?where?Asked about a thing you're looking for: kobaa fen?, 'where is the water?'
- ކަނާތަށްkanaathahto the rightkanaath is 'the right hand', -ah the direction: literally 'toward the right hand'
- ވާތަށްvaathahto the leftVaath is 'the left hand' plus the same directional ending
- ސީދާseedhaastraight aheadOf a road, and of a person — 'straight, honest'
- ކައިރިkairicloseFrom it comes kaireegai, 'near' — the most frequent place phrase in the course
- ދުރުdhurufarPartner to kairi. 'Is it far?' is dhuruthaa?
- މިތާmithaahereMi, 'this', plus thaa, 'place'. Partner to ethaa, 'there'
- އެތާethaathereE, 'that', plus thaa, 'place'. Further from the speaker than mithaa
- މަގުmagustreet, roadStreet, road and way. In Malé addresses it's the second word: Majeedhee magu
- ކިހިނެއް ދާނީkihineh dhaaneehow do I get there?Literally 'how will I go'. To a stranger on the street you ask politely, with the -thoa particle
- ފޯރުންfoarunto get toLiterally 'to reach': about the end of the journey, not the walking itself. Day to day people just say 'to go'
- އަނެއް ކޮޅުގައިaneh kolhugaion the other sideKolhu is an end, an edge; faraath is the side of a thing. The course knows the phrase 'across the road'; here there's no object — just the other side
- ދެ ފިޔަވަޅު ދުރުގައިdhe fiyavalhu dhurugaitwo steps awayThe literal build: 'at the distance of two steps'. Livelier is 'not far at all' — and in Malé it's true: you walk the island in an hour
- ކަންމަތި ފަހަނައަޅާފައިkanmathi fahanaalhaafaiaround the cornerLiterally 'having passed the corner'. Malé has few corners in the European sense: the streets cut the island into a grid, and directions are given by corners
- ވާތްފަރާތުގައިvaaiyfaraathugaito the left ofWorks like a postposition: what you count from stands first in the genitive — 'of the bank, at the left side'. Vaath is the left hand
- ކަނާތްފަރާތުގައިkanaaiyfaraathugaito the right ofPartner to the left-of phrase. Kanaath is the right hand — the one you give and take with, which in a decent house matters more than the side of the road
- މެދުތެރޭގައިmedhuthereygaiin the middleThe course knows medhugai, 'amid a named thing'; medhutheregai stands alone, of the middle of a road or a square
- ދެން އޮތް ކަންމަތިdhen oiy kanmathithe next cornerLiterally 'the corner that lies further'. Oiy comes from the lying verb: streets and roads in Dhivehi lie rather than stand
- މަގުމަތިންmagumathinon the wayLiterally 'from the street': the -in tail here means 'along the road, in passing'. The same root as in passer-by and street lamp
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.
- ފިހާރަ ކޮބާ؟fihaara kobaa?Where is the shop?
- ދެން ކަނާތަށް ދޭdhen kanaathah dheyThen turn right
- ފިހާރަ ވާތަށް ހުރޭfihaara vaathah hureyThe shop is on the left
- ސީދާ ދޭseedhaa dheyGo straight
- ބޭންކު ވަރަށް ކައިރިbeynku varah kairiThe bank is very close
- މާރުކޭޓު ދުރެއް ނޫންmaarukeytu dhureh noonThe market isn't far
What is worth knowing about these words
ކޮބާ؟ (kobaa?) — where?. Asked about a thing you're looking for: kobaa fen?, 'where is the water?'
ކަނާތަށް (kanaathah) — to the right. kanaath is 'the right hand', -ah the direction: literally 'toward the right hand'
ވާތަށް (vaathah) — to the left. Vaath is 'the left hand' plus the same directional ending
ސީދާ (seedhaa) — straight ahead. Of a road, and of a person — 'straight, honest'
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 ކޮބާ؟ (kobaa?) — where?.
- What is this word?
It is އެތާ (ethaa) — there.
- What is this word?
It is ވާތްފަރާތުގައި (vaaiyfaraathugai) — to the left of.
- What is this word?
It is ވާތަށް (vaathah) — to the left.
- What is this word?
It is ކިހިނެއް ދާނީ (kihineh dhaanee) — how do I get there?.
Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “where?” in Maldivian?
Asked about a thing you're looking for: kobaa fen?, 'where is the water?'
- How do you say “there” in Maldivian?
E, 'that', plus thaa, 'place'. Further from the speaker than mithaa
- How do you say “to the left of” in Maldivian?
Works like a postposition: what you count from stands first in the genitive — 'of the bank, at the left side'. Vaath is the left hand
- How do you say “to the left” in Maldivian?
Vaath is 'the left hand' plus the same directional ending
- How do you say “how do I get there?” in Maldivian?
Literally 'how will I go'. To a stranger on the street you ask politely, with the -thoa particle
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
Right, left, straight on, how far. You ask the way rarely — and always at the moment when there is no time to work it out.
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 “where?” in Maldivian?
«ކޮބާ؟», read “kobaa?”. Asked about a thing you're looking for: kobaa fen?, 'where is the water?' It is one of 19 words in the set “asking the way” — the rest are in the table above.
How many direction words do you need to start?
A dozen is enough. The set of 19 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, 19 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.