Transliteration of Maldivian
A correspondence table between the Maldivian script and Latin letters: 35 letters, with names and sounds. The rendering is practical — it exists so you can read aloud and be understood, not to meet a scholarly standard.
Maldivian character → Latin
| Character | Name | In Latin | How it sounds |
|---|---|---|---|
| ބ | baa | b | The ordinary “b” of “bus” |
| ސ | senu | s | The ordinary “s” of “sun” |
| މ | memu | m | The ordinary “m” of “map” |
| ނ | nonu | n | The ordinary “n” of “net” |
| ަ | abafili | a | Short “a”: އަ is “a”, on a consonant ބަ is “ba” |
| ް | sukun | sukun (no vowel) | No vowel at all: ބް is just “b” |
| ާ | aabafili | aa | Long “a”: އާ is “aa”, on a consonant ބާ is “baa” |
| ި | ibifili | i | Short “i”: އި is “i”, on a consonant ބި is “bi” |
| ު | ubufili | u | Short “u”: އު is “u”, on a consonant ބު is “bu” |
| ފ | faafu | f | The ordinary “f” of “fan” |
| ލ | lamu | l | Lighter and thinner than the English “l”, almost “ly” |
| ީ | eebifili | ee | Long “i”: އީ is “ii”, on a consonant ބީ is “bii” |
| ެ | ebefili | e | Short “e”: އެ is “e”, on a consonant ބެ is “be” |
| ޭ | eybeyfili | ey | Long “e”: އޭ is “ee”, on a consonant ބޭ is “bee” |
| ޮ | obofili | o | Short “o”: އޮ is “o”, on a consonant ބޮ is “bo” |
| ކ | kaafu | k | The ordinary “k” of “kite” |
| ރ | raa | r | A quick tap of the tongue — the tt of American “butter”, never the curled r of English “red” |
| ހ | haa | h | A breath of air, like English “h” |
| ވ | vaavu | v | Between English “v” and “w” |
| ދ | dhaalu | dh | A soft dental “d”: the tongue rests at the teeth, not at the ridge |
| ޫ | ooboofili | oo | Long “u”: އޫ is “uu”, on a consonant ބޫ is “buu” |
| ޯ | oaboafili | oa | Long “o”: އޯ is “oo”, on a consonant ބޯ is “boo” |
| ތ | thaa | th | A soft dental “t” — the tongue touches the teeth |
| ގ | gaafu | g | The ordinary “g” of “go” |
| އ | alifu | alifu (a placeholder) | No sound of its own: it carries the vowel sign |
| ޔ | yaa | y | Like “y” in “yes” |
| ށ | shaviyani | sh | A “sh” with the tongue curled back — darker than English “sh” |
| ޅ | lhaviyani | lh | A dark “l” with the tongue curled back — English has nothing like it |
| ޓ | taviyani | t | A sharp “t” with the tongue curled back |
| ޑ | daviyani | d | A sharp “d” with the tongue curled back |
| ޒ | zaviyani | z | The ordinary “z” of “zoo” |
| ޕ | paaviyani | p | The ordinary “p” of “pen” |
| ޖ | javiyani | j | Like “j” in “jam” |
| ޗ | chaviyani | ch | Like “ch” in “church” |
| ޏ | gnaviyani | gn | A soft nasal “ny”, as in the middle of “canyon” |
How practical transliteration differs from the scholarly kind
Any script has several Latin renderings, and they solve different problems. The scholarly one (ISO, GOST) is reversible: the original spelling can be restored character for character — which is why it is full of marks that are not on any keyboard and that nobody ever reads aloud correctly.
The practical one solves the reverse problem: a person reads it aloud and is understood. That is what the table above uses, and that is what our courses use.
What to watch out for
Twenty-four consonants. The order is the canonical one — haa, shaviyani, nonu, raa… It is not an alphabet in the familiar sense: the first nine signs descend from numerals. You can see it in their shapes.
Ten fili — vowel signs. Five short and five long, in pairs. Without a fili a consonant is not read: ބ is not “b” but an unfinished sign. Here they are shown on alifu (އ), a letter with no sound of its own, which is why އަ sounds simply “a”.
Sukun. The eleventh sign in the fili row, and the only one that means the absence of a vowel.
Frequently asked
How to write Maldivian text in Latin letters?
Using the table above, character by character. The practical rendering records sound, not spelling, so the original text cannot always be restored from it backwards.
Why do transliterations differ across sources?
Because they solve different problems: the scholarly one is reversible and precise, the practical one is readable, the passport one is fixed by the country's rules. They are not required to agree.