ގަރުނު
“ގަރުނު” (garunu) — century in Maldivian. Noun, level A2, topic — time, days and hours. Arabic — a bookish word for a date. 'A hundred years' in the course stands in the everyday phrase, and it is the same span: the difference is register, not sense. A century as an 'epoch' is another word. In a live sentence: “ވިހި ވަނަ ގަރުނުގައި ރަށް ބަދަލުވި” — In the twentieth century the island changed. You can hear how it sounds right here.
In short
| Written in Maldivian | ގަރުނު |
| Read in Latin letters | garunu |
| Translation | century |
| Part of speech | noun |
| Level | A2 |
- ގަރުނުgarunucentury
Why it looks that way
Arabic — a bookish word for a date. 'A hundred years' in the course stands in the everyday phrase, and it is the same span: the difference is register, not sense. A century as an 'epoch' is another word.
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.
- ވިހި ވަނަ ގަރުނުގައި ރަށް ބަދަލުވިvihi vana garunugai rah badhaluviIn the twentieth century the island changed
Nearby words: time, days and hours
Today, tomorrow, in the morning, at six. You cannot arrange to meet without these — let alone understand the answer.
- މިއަދުmiadhutodayMi, 'this', plus adhu, 'day'. By the same pattern you get 'this year'
- މާދަމާmaadhamaatomorrowThe day after tomorrow is described: 'not tomorrow but the next day'
- އިއްޔެiyyeyesterdayThe day before yesterday is a separate word of its own
- ހެނދުނުhendhunumorningThe bare n without a vowel before dh is the standard spelling of prenasalization, not a dropped letter
- ހަވީރުhaveerueveningThe evening before sunset — roughly from three to maghrib. After sunset reygandu begins, and that is already 'night'
- ރޭގަނޑުreygandunightRey, 'night', plus gandu. Night starts with sunset; before it is haveeru
- ގަޑިgadihour; clockThe unit of time, the watch on your wrist, and the 'time' in kon gadigai?, 'at what time?'
- ކޮންއިރަކުން އަންނާނީ؟konirakun annaanee?when will you come?Kon is 'which', iru is 'time', -in means 'from, at' — literally 'from what time will you come'
- ދުވާލަކު ދެ ފަހަރުdhuvaalaku dhe faharutwice a dayDhuvaalaku is 'per day', faharu is 'an occasion'. Occasions are counted with the same 'two' as things
- ކެއުމަށްފަހުkeumahfahuafter mealsKeumah is 'food' (from 'eat'), plus 'after'. Fahu is the same root as 'later' from unit one
Test yourself
Five questions from the same set — “time, days and hours”. Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than knowing a familiar word on sight, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “century” in Maldivian?
Arabic — a bookish word for a date. 'A hundred years' in the course stands in the everyday phrase, and it is the same span: the difference is register, not sense. A century as an 'epoch' is another word.
- How do you say “hour; clock” in Maldivian?
The unit of time, the watch on your wrist, and the 'time' in kon gadigai?, 'at what time?'
- How do you say “yesterday” in Maldivian?
The day before yesterday is a separate word of its own
- How do you say “after meals” in Maldivian?
Keumah is 'food' (from 'eat'), plus 'after'. Fahu is the same root as 'later' from unit one
- How do you say “night” in Maldivian?
Rey, 'night', plus gandu. Night starts with sunset; before it is haveeru
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 “century” in Maldivian?
«ގަރުނު», read “garunu”. In a live sentence: “ވިހި ވަނަ ގަރުނުގައި ރަށް ބަދަލުވި” — In the twentieth century the island changed. You can hear how it sounds right on this page. Noun, level A2, from the set “time, days and hours”; written with the characters ގ, ަ, ރ, ު, ނ, ު.
How is “ގަރުނު” written in Latin letters?
garunu. 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?
Arabic — a bookish word for a date. 'A hundred years' in the course stands in the everyday phrase, and it is the same span: the difference is register, not sense. A century as an 'epoch' is another word. 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.