LingoflyTransport in Maldivian
17 words in Maldivian on the topic “transport”: ދޯނި (dhoani) — dhoni (traditional boat), ފެރީ (feree) — ferry, ބަސް (bas) — bus, ޓެކްސީ (teksee) — taxi. 17 words can be played from recordings.
17 words on the topic
- ދޯނިdhoanidhoni (traditional boat)The traditional boat with a high curved bow. Today almost always motorized
- ފެރީfereeferryThe country's main transport: between the islands you travel only by water
- ބަސްbasbusThe same word also means 'language, speech': Dhivehi bas is the Dhivehi language. Context tells them apart — in Malé, buses only run the ring road anyway
- ޓެކްސީtekseetaxiIn Malé taxis run at a fixed fare; there are no meters
- ޑްރައިވަރުdraivarudriverEnglish driver. Opens with a bare d without a vowel
- ކިލޯމީޓަރުkiloameetarukilometer'Kilo' plus 'metre'. On the atolls distances are more often measured in boat-minutes, but on the map and in the taxi the kilometre stands.
- މަޑުކުރާ ތަންmadhukuraa thanbus stopLiterally 'the place where one stops'. In Malé people say the shorter English 'stop', as in 'bus stop'
- ފަސިންޖަރުfasinjarupassengerAn English word; the native 'traveler' also serves, and it fits a ferry and a plane alike
- ސީޓުseetuseatAbout the place in a car, a bus and a boat. The chair in a room is the native gondi; compare the borrowed seat in 'window seat'
- ހިފާ ދަނޑިhifaa dhandigrab railLiterally 'the stick one holds by': no separate word. On the boat you hold the same rail — it swings harder than the bus
- ޓިކެޓު ބަލާ މީހާtiketu balaa meehaaticket inspectorLiterally 'the person who looks at the ticket'. On a Maldivian bus the driver checks the ticket himself, on the ferry a sailor does
- ދަތުރު ފީdhathuru feethe fareFee means payment in general. A ride across Malé costs the same however far you go: the tariff is per trip, not per distance
- ތޮއްޖެހިފައިthoijehifaipacked (full)A participle: literally 'having squeezed in'. The same is said of Malé itself, the densest city on earth
- ހުސް ގޮނޑިhus gondia free seatLiterally 'an empty chair': compare hus from the vacant hotel room. About space in general people say 'empty space'
- ޓިކެޓު މެޝިންtiketu meshinticket machineA word from travels: Malé has none — you pay the driver by card or cash. Compare meshin from the washing machine
- ލަސްވުންlasvuna delayThe action noun from 'to run late'. Compare 'flight delay'; here the word stands alone, of any lateness
- ކަނޑުބޯޓުkanduboatushipFrom kandu, 'sea', and boatu, 'vessel'. This is how a big vessel is set apart from a dhoni and a speedboat: cargo between atolls and people to India travel on it
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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
ދޯނި (dhoani) — dhoni (traditional boat). The traditional boat with a high curved bow. Today almost always motorized.
ފެރީ (feree) — ferry. The country's main transport: between the islands you travel only by water.
ބަސް (bas) — bus. The same word also means 'language, speech': Dhivehi bas is the Dhivehi language. Context tells them apart — in Malé, buses only run the ring road anyway.
ޓެކްސީ (teksee) — taxi. In Malé taxis run at a fixed fare; there are no meters.
Test yourself
First by ear — the way you will meet the word in conversation. Click the speaker and pick the translation.
- What is this word?
It is ދޯނި (dhoani) — dhoni (traditional boat).
- What is this word?
It is ފަސިންޖަރު (fasinjaru) — passenger.
- What is this word?
It is ޓިކެޓު މެޝިން (tiketu meshin) — ticket machine.
- What is this word?
It is ޑްރައިވަރު (draivaru) — driver.
- What is this word?
It is ދަތުރު ފީ (dhathuru fee) — the fare.
Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “dhoni (traditional boat)” in Maldivian?
The traditional boat with a high curved bow. Today almost always motorized
- How do you say “passenger” in Maldivian?
An English word; the native 'traveler' also serves, and it fits a ferry and a plane alike
- How do you say “ticket machine” in Maldivian?
A word from travels: Malé has none — you pay the driver by card or cash. Compare meshin from the washing machine
- How do you say “driver” in Maldivian?
English driver. Opens with a bare d without a vowel
- How do you say “the fare” in Maldivian?
Fee means payment in general. A ride across Malé costs the same however far you go: the tariff is per trip, not per distance
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
Bus, metro, taxi, stop, station. These are words you need to recognize in writing — off a departure board and off a sign.
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 “dhoni (traditional boat)” in Maldivian?
«ދޯނި» (dhoani), read “dhoani”. The traditional boat with a high curved bow. Today almost always motorized. It is one of 17 words in the set “transport” — the rest are in the table above.
How many transport words do you need to start?
The whole set on this page is 17 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, 17 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.