Locale Dv Mv
Use when working with the Divehi (Maldives) locale (`dv-MV`) — its endonym ދިވެހި (ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ), Thaana script, right-to-left (RTL) direction, or spoken-population data. Reference data and translation guidance (register, grammar, idiom, typography) for this specific locale; see [[locale]] for general i18n/l10n concepts (BCP 47, plural rules, RTL) that apply across all locales.
Reference data for the Divehi (Maldives) locale — endonym ދިވެހި (ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ), written in the Thaana script, right-to-left (RTL).
Identifiers
- BCP 47 tag:
dv-MV - ISO 639-1:
dv - ISO 639-3:
div - Script: Thaa (Thaana)
- Region: MV (Maldives)
- Text direction: rtl — right-to-left (RTL)
Speakers (approximate)
- L1 (native): 340,000
- L2 (additional): 30,000
- L1+L2 (total): 370,000
Set dir="rtl" for this locale (per Locale's text-direction guidance) rather than assuming left-to-right layout.
Pluralization
CLDR plural categories for this locale: one, other (2 forms).
- one —
n = 1(e.g. 1) - other — everything else (e.g. 0, 2~16, 100, 1000, …)
See Unicode Messageformat for writing plural messages using these categories.
Translating into this locale
Dhivehi (ދިވެހި) is the national language of the Maldives, written in the Thaana script from right to left. It is an Indo-Aryan language with its own grammar and vocabulary. This guidance is lower-confidence; have a native reviewer check it.
Translate ideas, not words.
- Dhivehi is subject-object-verb. Reorder English sentences; do not translate word for word.
- Use Dhivehi terminology from the Dhivehi Bahuge Academy where established; many modern terms come from English, Arabic, or Hindi-Urdu and should follow the established spelling in Thaana.
- Re-express idioms by meaning.
Register.
- Dhivehi has several pronoun and honorific levels depending on the status of the addressee. For UI and public text, use a neutral polite form and confirm it with a native reviewer. Religious and national content should follow local norms.
Orthography and typography.
- Thaana is written right to left, with vowels shown as marks (fili) above or below the consonant letters. Use Unicode Thaana (U+0780 to U+07BF) and never use look-alike Arabic letters.
- Spaces separate words; punctuation uses the Arabic comma
،and question mark؟. Digits: Arabic (Western) digits in UI. Currency: Maldivian rufiyaa (MVR, ރ.).
Common pitfalls
- Breaking right-to-left display.
- Using Arabic or Urdu letters in place of Thaana.
- Using the wrong honorific level.
- Leaving English terms untranslated where a standard Dhivehi term exists.
Learn more
- Locale for BCP 47 identifiers, locale-sensitive formatting, pluralization, and text-direction concepts that apply across all locales.
- Unicode Messageformat for writing plural/selection messages correctly for this locale's grammar.
- Dhivehi Bahuge Academy
- Unicode Standard, Thaana block