Lingoflyކިތައް އަހަރު؟
- ކިތައް އަހަރު؟kithah aharu?how old are you?
“ކިތައް އަހަރު؟” (kithah aharu?) — how old are you? in Maldivian. Phrase, level A1, topic — people and family. Literally 'how many years?': there is no pronoun in the question, the talk supplies it. The question mark faces left, like the script. In a live sentence: “ކަލެއަށް ކިތައް އަހަރު؟” (kaleah kithah aharu) — How old are you? You can hear how it sounds right here. Written with the characters ކ, ި, ތ, ަ, އ, ް, އ, ަ, ހ, ަ, ރ, ު.
In short
| Written in Maldivian | ކިތައް އަހަރު؟ (kithah aharu) |
| Read in Latin letters | kithah aharu? |
| Translation | how old are you? |
| Part of speech | phrase |
| Level | A1 |
Why it looks that way
Literally 'how many years?': there is no pronoun in the question, the talk supplies it. The question mark faces left, like the script.
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.
Nearby words: people and family
Mum, friend, child, neighbour. The first thing people ask you about, and the first thing you tell about yourself.
- ރައްޓެހިrattehifriendNeutral about a man or a woman. Friendship as a feeling has its own longer word
- އާއިލާaailaafamilyArabic aa'ila. It covers kin more widely than parents and children
- މަންމަmammamomThe household address and the ordinary word for 'mother' at once: there is no other in daily use
- ބައްޕަbappadadPartner to mamma. Grandfather is kaafa, grandmother maama
- ދަރިފުޅުdharifulhuchilddhari, 'offspring', plus the affectionate -fulhu. It's how you speak of someone else's child too
- ވިއްކާ މީހާvikkaa meehaasellerLiterally 'selling person': vikkaa is 'sells', meehaa is 'person'. There is no separate noun 'seller' in Dhivehi
- ގަންނަ މީހާganna meehaabuyerBy the same pattern as 'seller': ganna is 'buys'. The first word changes, the second stays
- އަވަށްޓެރިޔާavahteriyaaneighborFive syllables: a-vah-te-ri-yaa
- ގޭގެ ވެރިޔާgeyge veriyaalandlordGeyge is 'of the house' (from ge), veriyaa is 'master, owner'. The same word names the head of the country
- ޑޮކްޓަރުdoktarudoctorEnglish doctor. The bare k-sign holds 'k' without a vowel, hence 'dok-ta-ru'
Test yourself
Five questions from the same set — “people and family”. Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than knowing a familiar word on sight, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “how old are you?” in Maldivian?
Literally 'how many years?': there is no pronoun in the question, the talk supplies it. The question mark faces left, like the script.
- How do you say “buyer” in Maldivian?
By the same pattern as 'seller': ganna is 'buys'. The first word changes, the second stays
- How do you say “mom” in Maldivian?
The household address and the ordinary word for 'mother' at once: there is no other in daily use
- How do you say “doctor” in Maldivian?
English doctor. The bare k-sign holds 'k' without a vowel, hence 'dok-ta-ru'
- How do you say “seller” in Maldivian?
Literally 'selling person': vikkaa is 'sells', meehaa is 'person'. There is no separate noun 'seller' in Dhivehi
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 “how old are you?” in Maldivian?
«ކިތައް އަހަރު؟» (kithah aharu), read “kithah aharu?” In a live sentence: “ކަލެއަށް ކިތައް އަހަރު؟” (kaleah kithah aharu) — How old are you? You can hear how it sounds right on this page. Phrase, level A1, from the set “people and family”; written with the characters ކ, ި, ތ, ަ, އ, ް, އ, ަ, ހ, ަ, ރ, ު.
How is “ކިތައް އަހަރު؟” (kithah aharu) written in Latin letters?
kithah aharu? 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?
Literally 'how many years?': there is no pronoun in the question, the talk supplies it. The question mark faces left, like the script. 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 this 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.