ސާކަސް
“ސާކަސް” (saakas) — circus in Maldivian. Noun, level A1, topic — buildings and premises. Like zoo, a word with no local footing: no circuses in the country. Guest performers come for festivals, and people call the show 'show'. In a live sentence: “ސާކަސް ބަލަން ކުދިން ވަރަށް ބޭނުން” — The children really want to see a circus. You can hear how it sounds right here. Written with the characters ސ, ާ, ކ, ަ, ސ, ް.
In short
| Written in Maldivian | ސާކަސް |
| Read in Latin letters | saakas |
| Translation | circus |
| Part of speech | noun |
| Level | A1 |
- ސާކަސްsaakascircus
Why it looks that way
Like zoo, a word with no local footing: no circuses in the country. Guest performers come for festivals, and people call the show 'show'
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.
- ސާކަސް ބަލަން ކުދިން ވަރަށް ބޭނުންsaakas balan kudhin varah beynunThe children really want to see a circus
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
- މާލެmaaleMalé (the capital)The capital and the only city in the country. In Latin script it is written Malé, with an accent Thaana doesn't have
- 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
- 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 “circus” in Maldivian?
Like zoo, a word with no local footing: no circuses in the country. Guest performers come for festivals, and people call the show 'show'
- 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 do you say “island” in Maldivian?
The key word for a nation of some 1,200 islands
- 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 “bus terminal” in Maldivian?
Literally 'bus terminal'. There is no true one in the country: a terminus lot in Hulhumale, and boats carry passengers between islands
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 “circus” in Maldivian?
«ސާކަސް», read “saakas”. In a live sentence: “ސާކަސް ބަލަން ކުދިން ވަރަށް ބޭނުން” — The children really want to see a circus. You can hear how it sounds right on this page. Noun, level A1, from the set “buildings and premises”; written with the characters ސ, ާ, ކ, ަ, ސ, ް.
How is “ސާކަސް” written in Latin letters?
saakas. 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?
Like zoo, a word with no local footing: no circuses in the country. Guest performers come for festivals, and people call the show 'show'. 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.