ދެ
“ދެ” (dhe) — two in Maldivian. Numeral, level A0, topic — numbers and counting. Numbers don't change for gender or case in Dhivehi: one shape for everything. In a live sentence: “ދެ ރޮށި ބޭނުން” — I want two flatbreads. You can hear how it sounds right here. Written with the characters ދ, ެ. One of 58 words in the set “numbers and counting” in the Maldivian course.
In short
| Written in Maldivian | ދެ |
| Read in Latin letters | dhe |
| Translation | two |
| Part of speech | numeral |
| Level | A0 |
- ދެdhetwo
Why it looks that way
Numbers don't change for gender or case in Dhivehi: one shape for everything
A word with a story stays in memory longer than one learned as a “spelling — translation” pair: memory holds on to meaning, not to a string.
In a live sentence
A single word almost never appears alone in conversation. A sentence shows where it fits and what stands next to it.
- ދެ ރޮށި ބޭނުންdhe roshi beynunI want two flatbreads
Nearby words: numbers and counting
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.
- އެއްehoneThe number stands before the noun: eh kofee, 'one coffee'
- 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'
Test yourself
Five questions from the same set — “numbers and counting”. Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than knowing a familiar word on sight, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “two” in Maldivian?
Numbers don't change for gender or case in Dhivehi: one shape for everything
- 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 “four” in Maldivian?
Three syllables: ha-ta-ru. The longest of the first five
- How do you say “half” in Maldivian?
The core meaning is 'part, share'; 'half' is the commonest of them. About time: 'a quarter to four' is said through bai too
- How do you say “seven” in Maldivian?
Written with a final t that softens before a pause: it sounds like 'hai'. Bai, 'rice', behaves the same way
How not to forget this word
Reading a word and remembering it are different jobs. A day later, little survives of a single reading — and that is not bad memory, that is how memory works.
- This has been tested on foreign words too. The difference shows up most when you test yourself a few days later rather than straight away.checked many timesKim & Webb, 2022, Language Learning 72(2) · 48 experiments, 3,411 participants, 98 comparisons.
- 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.
- An answer you worked out yourself sticks better than one handed to you.checked many timesBertsch et al., 2007, Memory & Cognition 35(2) · 86 studies, 445 comparisons, d = 0.40.
Frequently asked
How do you say “two” in Maldivian?
«ދެ», read “dhe”. In a live sentence: “ދެ ރޮށި ބޭނުން” — I want two flatbreads. You can hear how it sounds right on this page. Numeral, level A0, from the set “numbers and counting”; written with the characters ދ, ެ.
How is “ދެ” written in Latin letters?
dhe. This is a practical spelling — you need it to read aloud and be understood, not to meet an academic standard.
Why does this word look the way it does?
Numbers don't change for gender or case in Dhivehi: one shape for everything. A word with a story stays in memory longer than a “spelling — translation” pair: memory holds on to meaning, not to a string.
Can I hear how it sounds?
Yes, right on this page: click the word and it will play. The sound works on any phone, and nothing needs to be installed.