---
name: locale-ml-in
description: Use when working with the Malayalam (India) locale (`ml-IN`) — its endonym മലയാളം (ഭാരതം), Malayalam script, left-to-right (LTR) 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.
---

# Locale: Malayalam (India) (ml-IN)

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

## Identifiers

- **BCP 47 tag:** `ml-IN`
- **ISO 639-1:** `ml`
- **ISO 639-3:** `mal`
- **Script:** Mlym (Malayalam)
- **Region:** IN (India)
- **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

## Base locale

This is a regional variant of [[locale-ml-001]] (Malayalam), the base/macro locale for this language.

## 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

Apply [[locale-ml-001]] with the conventions of India (Kerala).

- **Formats:** rupee (₹), Indian grouping, dates DD/MM/YYYY; the Malayalam calendar (Kollavarsham) is used culturally.
- **Context:** Malayalam is the official language of Kerala and Lakshadweep; English mixing is common in business.
- **Names:** many Malayali names have initials before the given name; keep the initials.

## Common pitfalls

- Dropping initials from names.
- Using Tamil or Telugu characters.
- The general pitfalls in [[locale-ml-001]] also apply.

## 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.
- Unicode CLDR locale data for number grouping, calendars, and currency (https://cldr.unicode.org)