Malayalam alphabet learning guide
Malayalam Aksharamala With 5 Words per Letter: Audio, Tracing and Printable Chart
Learn the Malayalam Aksharamala with words, pronunciation and writing practice. This guide covers 13 commonly taught independent vowels, 36 core consonants, 245 practice words and a separate chillu-letter reference.
How to learn Malayalam letters with words
1. Hear the sound
Listen to the group audio and repeat the isolated letter before reading words.
2. Trace the shape
Follow the light letter forms with your finger, then write the character five times.
3. Read real words
Read the five examples and identify whether the letter begins or appears inside the word.
Accuracy note: Malayalam has letters—especially aspirated or retroflex letters—that rarely begin everyday native words. For these, this guide uses Sanskrit-derived words, loanwords, proper names or words containing the target sound. This is more accurate than forcing artificial “first-letter” examples.
Malayalam vowels with five words for each letter
Independent vowels are used when a syllable begins with a vowel. When a vowel follows a consonant, Malayalam normally uses a dependent vowel sign instead.
Listen to all vowel sounds and example words.
അ · a
Words beginning with this letter
ആ · aa
Words beginning with this letter
ഇ · i
Words beginning with this letter
ഈ · ee
Words beginning with this letter
ഉ · u
Words beginning with this letter
ഊ · oo
Words beginning with this letter
ഋ · ri
Words beginning with this letter
എ · e
Words beginning with this letter
ഏ · ee / ay
Words beginning with this letter
ഐ · ai
Words beginning with this letter
ഒ · o
Words beginning with this letter
ഓ · oo / oh
Words beginning with this letter
ഔ · au
Words beginning with this letter
Malayalam consonants with five practice words per letter
The consonants are traditionally learned in sound groups. Each audio player below should contain slow and natural-speed pronunciation for its group.
ക through ഞ, then the remaining consonant groups.
ക · ka
Words beginning with this letter
ഖ · kha
Mostly loan, Sanskrit or proper-name examples
ഗ · ga
Words beginning with this letter
ഘ · gha
Mostly loan, Sanskrit or proper-name examples
ങ · nga
Sound practice: the letter appears within these words
ച · cha
Words beginning with this letter
ഛ · chha
Mostly loan, Sanskrit or proper-name examples
ജ · ja
Words beginning with this letter
ഝ · jha
Mostly loan, Sanskrit or proper-name examples
ഞ · nya
Words beginning with this letter
ട · ta (retroflex)
Mostly loan, Sanskrit or proper-name examples
ഠ · tha (retroflex)
Sound practice: the letter appears within these words
ഡ · da (retroflex)
Mostly loan, Sanskrit or proper-name examples
ഢ · dha (retroflex)
Sound practice: the letter appears within these words
ണ · na (retroflex)
Sound practice: the letter appears within these words
ത · tha (dental)
Words beginning with this letter
ഥ · thha
Sound practice: the letter appears within these words
ദ · dha (dental)
Words beginning with this letter
ധ · dha
Words beginning with this letter
ന · na
Words beginning with this letter
പ · pa
Words beginning with this letter
ഫ · pha / fa
Mostly loan, Sanskrit or proper-name examples
ബ · ba
Mostly loan, Sanskrit or proper-name examples
ഭ · bha
Words beginning with this letter
മ · ma
Words beginning with this letter
യ · ya
Words beginning with this letter
ര · ra
Words beginning with this letter
ല · la
Words beginning with this letter
വ · va
Words beginning with this letter
ശ · sha
Words beginning with this letter
ഷ · sha (retroflex)
Sound practice: the letter appears within these words
സ · sa
Words beginning with this letter
ഹ · ha
Words beginning with this letter
ള · la (retroflex)
Sound practice: the letter appears within these words
ഴ · zha
Sound practice: the letter appears within these words
റ · ra (hard)
Sound practice: the letter appears within these words
Why some Malayalam letters do not have five common starting words
Letters such as ങ, ഠ, ഢ, ണ, ള, ഴ and റ frequently appear inside words rather than at the beginning. Aspirated letters such as ഛ, ഝ and ഥ are more common in Sanskrit-derived vocabulary, proper names or formal registers. The labels above tell learners whether they are practising an initial letter or locating its sound within a word.
Malayalam chillu letters
Chillu letters represent consonants without an inherent vowel and commonly occur at syllable or word endings. Modern Unicode includes six chillu characters in the Malayalam block; ൿ is uncommon in everyday modern Malayalam.
| Chillu | Where you see it | Example | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ൺ | ൺ in കൺ | കൺ | kannu | eye |
| ൻ | ൻ in അവൻ | അവൻ | avan | he |
| ർ | ർ in അവർ | അവർ | avar | they |
| ൽ | ൽ in കാൽ | കാൽ | kaal | leg |
| ൾ | ൾ in ആൾ | ആൾ | aal | person |
| ൿ | rare chillu k | ൿ | chillu k | rare in modern everyday writing |
Technical reference: Unicode Malayalam character chart.
Seven-day Malayalam Aksharamala practice plan
- Day 1: Learn and trace the 13 vowels.
- Day 2: Practise ക–ങ and ച–ഞ sound groups.
- Day 3: Practise ട–ണ and compare retroflex sounds.
- Day 4: Practise ത–ന and compare dental sounds.
- Day 5: Practise പ–മ, then യ–വ.
- Day 6: Practise ശ–ഹ and the Malayalam-specific letters ള, ഴ and റ.
- Day 7: Review chillu letters and read 25 words without transliteration.
Once the core letters are familiar, continue with our step-by-step Malayalam reading and writing guide.
Download the Malayalam Aksharamala printable chart
The printable pack should include the full alphabet chart, five-word picture chart, tracing pages and a seven-day progress tracker.
Continue learning Malayalam
Frequently asked questions
What is Malayalam Aksharamala?
How many letters are in Malayalam Aksharamala?
Why do some letters have words that do not start with the letter?
What is the difference between a vowel and a vowel sign?
How should children practise Malayalam letter tracing?
Should beginners memorise all Malayalam letters at once?
About the author
Jobin MJ
Jobin MJ is the founder and pedagogy specialist at Decode Malayalam. He creates practical learning resources for children, NRI families and beginners learning to speak, read and write Malayalam.
