Locale Ml 001

Reference data for the Malayalam locale — endonym മലയാളം, written in the Malayalam script, left-to-right (LTR).

Identifiers

• BCP 47 tag: ml-001
• ISO 639-1: ml
• ISO 639-3: mal
• Script: Mlym (Malayalam)
• Region: 001 (World)
• Text direction: ltr — left-to-right (LTR)

Speakers (approximate)

• L1 (native): 37,000,000
• L2 (additional): 1,000,000
• L1+L2 (total): 38,000,000

Regional variants

This is the base/macro locale for Malayalam. Region-specific variants in this dataset:

• Locale Ml in (Malayalam (India))

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

Malayalam (മലയാളം) is a Dravidian language of Kerala, written in the Malayalam script. It is agglutinative, subject-object-verb, and heavily influenced by Sanskrit in its vocabulary. See Locale Ml in.

Translate ideas, not words.

• Malayalam attaches case endings, postpositions, and tense markers to stems. Reorder English sentences; do not translate word for word.
• Malayalam has no verb agreement for person or number (the verb form stays the same for "I", "you", and "he"), so the subject must be clear from context or a pronoun.
• Written (literary) and spoken Malayalam differ. Use the standard written form; formal writing uses more Sanskrit-origin vocabulary.
• Accept established English loans written in Malayalam script (ഫയൽ, പാസ്‌വേഡ്, ആപ്പ്).

Grammar that trips translators.

• Case endings follow the noun: -നെ/-യെ (accusative), -ന്/-യ്ക്ക് (dative), -ൽ (locative), -ന്റെ (genitive). Nouns and numerals have specific forms before the case.
• Politeness is expressed with the honorific plural "നിങ്ങൾ" and polite verb endings.
• Sandhi (sound joining) rules apply to compounds; use a dictionary for the correct joined form.

Register.

• "നിങ്ങൾ" is the polite or plural "you" used in UI and public text; "നീ" is informal. UI commands use the polite imperative or the infinitive ("സേവ് ചെയ്യുക"). Be consistent.

Orthography and typography.

• Use Unicode Malayalam with atomic chillu letters (ൺ ൻ ർ ൽ ൾ); older fonts and text may use a ZWJ sequence, which creates inconsistent text. Use a normalized form.
• After the 1971 script reform, many conjuncts are written as separate letters (the new style), while the traditional conjunct forms remain in print. Follow the project's convention.
• Digits: Arabic digits in UI; Malayalam digits (൦-൯) are historic. Currency ₹; Indian grouping.

Common pitfalls

• Mixing ZWJ chillu sequences and atomic chillu letters.
• Dropping sandhi or using the wrong case ending.
• Using Tamil spellings.
• Translating the verb with person agreement that Malayalam does not have.

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.
• Microsoft Localization Style Guides for Indian languages (https://learn.microsoft.com/globalization/reference/microsoft-style-guides)
• Kerala State Institute of Languages and Sahitya Akademi