LingoflyNumbers and counting in Maldivian
58 words in Maldivian on the topic “numbers and counting”: އެއް (eh) — one, ދެ — two, ތިން (thin) — three, ހަތަރު (hatharu) — four. 58 words can be played from recordings.
58 words on the topic
- އެއްehoneThe number stands before the noun: eh kofee, 'one coffee'
- ދެdhetwoNumbers don't change for gender or case in Dhivehi: one shape for everything
- ތިންthinthreeThe th is a soft t with the tongue at the back of the teeth. The English th sound doesn't exist here
- ހަތަރުhatharufourThree syllables: ha-ta-ru. The longest of the first five
- ފަސްfasfiveThe first five numbers cover almost all everyday counting: prices, quantities, time
- ހަhasixThe shortest numeral: two letters. Don't confuse it with the haa inside haas, 'thousand'
- ހަތްhaiysevenWritten with a final t that softens before a pause: it sounds like 'hai'. Bai, 'rice', behaves the same way
- އަށްaheightWritten exactly like the directional ending -ah, 'to, into'. Only its place in the phrase tells them apart
- ނުވަnuvanineThe last unit before dhiha. In the hundreds and the ordinals the stem doesn't change: nuvasatheyka, nuvavana
- ދިހަdhihatenFrom it comes dhihavana, 'tenth'. The teens are built on entirely different stems
- ބައިbaihalfOne syllable: the a and i blend, close to 'bye'
- އެގާރަegaaraelevenFrom Sanskrit ekaadasha via Pali — the same eka root as 'one'. The eleven-to-nineteen row is native and doesn't split into ten-plus-unit
- ބާރަbaaratwelvebaa-ra, with a long a in the first syllable
- ތޭރަtheyrathirteenLinked to thin, 'three', only by history: you can no longer hear the three inside it
- ސާދަsaadhafourteenThe full-moon night is called saadhaveerey, 'the night of the fourteenth' — the lunar month lives inside the word
- ފަނަރަfanarafifteenThe fifteenth is the usual payday, so the word comes up often
- ސޯޅަsoalhasixteensoa-lha, with the tongue curled back on the last syllable
- ސަތާރަsathaaraseventeenDon't mix it up with satheyka, 'hundred': the openings match, the endings part ways
- އަށާރަashaaraeighteenThe start from ah, 'eight', is audible; the -aara ending is the same as in baara, 'twelve', and sathaara, 'seventeen'
- ނަވާރަnavaaranineteenNuva, 'nine', plus the same -aara tail. The last of the row: after it comes vihi, 'twenty'
- ވިހިvihitwentyIts own word that doesn't split into 'two tens' — the tens row never became transparent
- ތިރީސްthireesthirtyThe start from thin, 'three', is audible; the -ees ending is shared by thirty and forty
- ސާޅީސްsaalheesfortyA partner to thirees by the same -ees tail. The tens after that are built differently
- ފަންސާސްfansaasfiftyRelated to fas, 'five', though you can barely hear it
- ފަސްދޮޅަސްfasdholhassixtyHere the fas, 'five', is visible plainly, though it's the sixth number: the old count went differently
- ހަތްދިހަhahdhihaseventyHaiy, 'seven', plus dhiha, 'ten'. From seventy to ninety the tens stack up transparently
- އަށްޑިހަahdihaeightyAh, 'eight', plus dhiha, with the d hardening into a retroflex one — written with the retroflex letter, not the plain one
- ނުވަދިހަnuvadhihaninetyNuva, 'nine', plus dhiha; here the d of dhiha stays in place, unlike in eighty
- ސަތޭކަsatheykahundredThe hundreds are built by putting the number in front: dhuisatthaa, 'two hundred'; thinsatheyka, 'three hundred'
- ހާސްhaasthousandA number always stands in front of it: eh haas, 'one thousand'; fas haas, 'five thousand'
- މިލިއަންmilianmillionEnglish million. There is no native word: the old count never reached such magnitudes
- ސުމެއްsumehzeroThe Arabic sifr gave sumeh; in a phone number it's read as English zero
- ފުރަތަމަfurathamafirstThe same word as 'at first': Dhivehi doesn't split the ordinal from the adverb
- ދެވަނަdhevanasecondDhe, 'two', plus -vana. From the second on, all ordinals take this tail; only 'first' stands apart
- ތިންވަނަthinvanathirdThin plus -vana. By the same pattern come fourth, fifth and so on forever
- އެންމެ ފަހުenme fahulastLiterally 'the most behind': enme is the superlative, fahu is 'after'. No separate word exists
- ކިތައްkithahhow many?How many — about counting pieces. For price there's the other question, kihaavareh
- ޖޯޑުjoadua pairA pair of shoes or of people. The same word means 'cup': the neighbor word decides
- އެތިethipiece (item)A piece, a thing. In counting, ethi stands where English 'pieces' goes: fas ethi, 'five pieces'
- އިންސައްތަinsatthapercentLiterally 'in the hundred': in is 'from', satthaa is 'hundred'. In speech people more often say the English 'percent'
- ކޮންމެkonmeeach, everyStands before the noun and never changes: konme dhuvahaku, 'every day'; konme meehaku, 'every person'
- ދުއިސައްތަdhuisatthaatwo hundredThe odd one out: not 'two hundreds' but a fused dhui- + satthaa. Every other hundred is built regularly — number plus satheyka
- ތިންސަތޭކަthinsatheykathree hundredThin, 'three', plus satheyka, 'hundred'. The special counting rows — for people, for things — never reach the hundreds: a hundred is counted the same way for everyone
- ހަތަރުސަތޭކަhatharusatheykafour hundredHatharu plus satheyka, with no change in the stem
- ފައްސަތޭކަfassatheykafive hundredThe only hundred where the stem changes: fas before satheyka shortens instead of doubling
- ހަސަތޭކަhasatheykasix hundredHa, 'six', plus satheyka. The short ha is easy to lose on paper — listen for the vowel length
- ހަތްސަތޭކަhaiysatheykaseven hundredHaiy plus satheyka. The final t of haiy sounds as a brief hold before the s
- އަށްސަތޭކަahsatheykaeight hundredAh plus satheyka; in speech it comes out close to 'assatheyka'
- ނުވަސަތޭކަnuvasatheykanine hundredThe last hundred before haas, 'thousand': nuva plus satheyka
- ހަތަރުވަނަhatharuvanafourthThe number plus -vana. The ordinal stands before the noun and never changes for gender — there are no genders
- ފަސްވަނަfasvanafifthFas plus -vana; unlike five hundred, the stem isn't doubled here
- ހަވަނަhavanasixthHa plus -vana. One of the shortest words — three letters
- ހަތްވަނަhaiyvanaseventhHaiy plus -vana. The same word names the seventh day of the week
- އަށްވަނަahvanaeighthAh plus -vana. The final t sounds as a slight hold
- ނުވަވަނަnuvavananinthNuva plus -vana. Two va letters in a row aren't a typo: the first from the number, the second from the tail
- ދިހަވަނަdhihavanatenthDhiha plus -vana. The row keeps building the same way forever
- ސަތޭކަވަނަsatheykavanahundredthSatheyka plus -vana. The tail hooks onto thousands too: 'thousandth'
- އަދަދުadhadhunumberAn Arabic loanword. A phone number is nambaru, already English
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How it sounds in a sentence
A word list is a blank. Conversation is made of sentences, and these are the ones the words fit into most often.
What is worth knowing about these words
އެއް (eh) — one. The number stands before the noun: eh kofee, 'one coffee'.
ދެ (dhe) — two. Numbers don't change for gender or case in Dhivehi: one shape for everything.
ތިން (thin) — three. The th is a soft t with the tongue at the back of the teeth. The English th sound doesn't exist here.
ހަތަރު (hatharu) — four. Three syllables: ha-ta-ru. The longest of the first five.
Test yourself
First by ear — the way you will meet the word in conversation. Click the speaker and pick the translation.
Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “one” in Maldivian?
The number stands before the noun: eh kofee, 'one coffee'
- How do you say “eight” in Maldivian?
Written exactly like the directional ending -ah, 'to, into'. Only its place in the phrase tells them apart
- How do you say “fourteen” in Maldivian?
The full-moon night is called saadhaveerey, 'the night of the fourteenth' — the lunar month lives inside the word
- How do you say “thirty” in Maldivian?
The start from thin, 'three', is audible; the -ees ending is shared by thirty and forty
- How do you say “hundred” in Maldivian?
The hundreds are built by putting the number in front: dhuisatthaa, 'two hundred'; thinsatheyka, 'three hundred'
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
A price, the change, a house number, the time you agreed on, the floor. Numbers are the first thing you have to catch by ear — and the first thing people say fast.
A list is read in a minute and forgotten in a day. What works: hide the translation, try to recall, get it wrong — and come back to the same words tomorrow.
- 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.
- Study spread over days wins not only in experiments but in ordinary classrooms, with real students.checked many timesMawson & Kang, 2025, Behavioral Sciences 15(6):771 · 22 studies, d = 0.54 (confidence interval 0.31–0.77). The authors warn that individual studies disagree widely.
Frequently asked
How do you say “one” in Maldivian?
«އެއް» (eh), read “eh”. The number stands before the noun: eh kofee, 'one coffee'. It is one of 58 words in the set “numbers and counting” — the rest are in the table above.
How many numbers do you need to start?
The whole set on this page is 58 words, but there is no need to start with all of it: the words you will need in the next few days are enough. Take them a few at a time — five to seven new ones per session.
Is there audio?
Yes, 58 words on this page can be played — click the speaker next to the word. The sound works on any phone, and nothing needs to be installed.