Learn Malayalam Through Topics You Actually Care About

LingoBear creates short Malayalam passages on topics you choose. Tap any word for an instant English translation and build your vocabulary as you read. Dravidian language of Kerala, Malayalam abugida with ~58 letters, agglutinative SOV grammar, recognised as a classical language of India, ~38M speakers.

Tap any word for instant translation

Every word in your Malayalam reading passage is clickable. Get English translations and grammar help as you read the rounded Malayalam script.

Read about topics you choose

Type any topic and LingoBear generates a fresh Malayalam reading passage — from coconut farming to Mollywood reviews.

What is Malayalam and where is it spoken?

Malayalam (മലയാളം) is a Dravidian language spoken by around 38 million people, mostly in Kerala and the Lakshadweep Islands, plus a large diaspora across the Gulf, the UK and the US. Recognised by India as a classical language in 2013, it split from Old Tamil between the 9th and 13th centuries and has absorbed substantial Sanskrit, Portuguese, Arabic and English vocabulary.

What's distinctive about the Malayalam script?

Malayalam is written in an abugida derived from the Grantha script, with around 58 letters in everyday use and a famously round, flowing shape — a result of being carved with a metal stylus on palm leaves. Its 'chillu' letters mark consonants without a following vowel, and conjunct letters fuse consonant clusters together. Reformed orthography in 1971 simplified many of these to fit modern typography.