މާލެ
“މާލެ” (maale) — Malé (the capital) in Maldivian. Noun, level A1, topic — buildings and premises. The capital and the only city in the country. In Latin script it is written Malé, with an accent Thaana doesn't have. In a live sentence: “މާލެ ވަރަށް ކުޑަ” — Malé is very small. You can hear how it sounds right here. Written with the characters މ, ާ, ލ, ެ. One of 15 words in the set “buildings and premises” in the Maldivian course.
In short
| Written in Maldivian | މާލެ |
| Read in Latin letters | maale |
| Translation | Malé (the capital) |
| Part of speech | noun |
| Level | A1 |
- މާލެmaaleMalé (the capital)
What it is
A capital on an island less than two kilometers long, home to a third of the nation. One of the densest cities on earth: houses shoulder to shoulder, streets as wide as a motorbike, almost no greenery. The airport is on the neighboring island; you reach town by bridge or by dhoni.
This word does not reduce to a translation: the thing it names is not part of everyday life here, so a “translation” would end up a description in brackets. The easiest way to learn it is together with its surroundings — where you meet it and what it is for.
Why it looks that way
The capital and the only city in the country. In Latin script it is written Malé, with an accent Thaana doesn't have
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.
- މާލެ ވަރަށް ކުޑަmaale varah kudaMalé is very small
Nearby words: buildings and premises
Where to go and what is done there. These words are read off a sign more often than they are spoken.
- ދިވެހިރާއްޖެdhivehiraajjethe Maldivesdhivehi (Maldivian) plus raajje (kingdom, realm). In speech often just Raajje
- ރަށްrahislandThe key word for a nation of some 1,200 islands
- ސިޓީsiteecityEnglish city, written exactly like the 'letter' from unit ten — two different words sharing one spelling. The country has, in effect, one city: Male City; everything else is a rah
- ކަނޑުkandusea, oceanThe open sea, the ocean, and the channel between atolls. The shallow water inside the reef is falhu; the kandu begins beyond the reef
- ބަސް ޓަރމިނަލްbas tarminalbus terminalLiterally 'bus terminal'. There is no true one in the country: a terminus lot in Hulhumale, and boats carry passengers between islands
- ފާލަންfaalanjettyThe key word of the local road: everything that floats leaves from the faalan. The harbor as a whole is bandharu; the faalan is just the landing stage
- ފައިސާ ބަދަލުކުރާ ތަންfaisaa badhalukuraa thanmoney exchangeLiterally 'the place where money is changed': the verb-plus-than build names nearly every establishment. The action itself the course knows as 'changing money'
- ޒޫzoozooThere is not a single zoo in the Maldives; the word is known from books and trips abroad. It's said just like the English
- ސާކަސްsaakascircusLike zoo, a word with no local footing: no circuses in the country. Guest performers come for festivals, and people call the show 'show'
- އަލިފާން ނިއްވާ މަރުކަޒުalifaan nivvaa marukazufire stationThe same build as the familiar 'firefighter' and 'fireboat'. Markazu is a center — the island health center wears the same word
Test yourself
Five questions from the same set — “buildings and premises”. Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than knowing a familiar word on sight, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “Malé (the capital)” in Maldivian?
The capital and the only city in the country. In Latin script it is written Malé, with an accent Thaana doesn't have
- How do you say “money exchange” in Maldivian?
Literally 'the place where money is changed': the verb-plus-than build names nearly every establishment. The action itself the course knows as 'changing money'
- How do you say “city” in Maldivian?
English city, written exactly like the 'letter' from unit ten — two different words sharing one spelling. The country has, in effect, one city: Male City; everything else is a rah
- How do you say “fire station” in Maldivian?
The same build as the familiar 'firefighter' and 'fireboat'. Markazu is a center — the island health center wears the same word
- How do you say “jetty” in Maldivian?
The key word of the local road: everything that floats leaves from the faalan. The harbor as a whole is bandharu; the faalan is just the landing stage
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 “Malé (the capital)” in Maldivian?
«މާލެ», read “maale”. In a live sentence: “މާލެ ވަރަށް ކުޑަ” — Malé is very small. You can hear how it sounds right on this page. Noun, level A1, from the set “buildings and premises”; written with the characters މ, ާ, ލ, ެ.
How is “މާލެ” written in Latin letters?
maale. 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?
The capital and the only city in the country. In Latin script it is written Malé, with an accent Thaana doesn't have. 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.