Famine in Malayalam
പഞ്ഞം (panjam) is the everyday word, covering famine together with the grinding scarcity that comes with it, and it is stretched loosely to any shortage. ക്ഷാമകാലം (kshaamakaalam) is a compound naming a famine period, joining the formal word for scarcity to the word for time. News writing and history take the second, ordinary talk the first.
Poverty, famine.
മഴ ഇല്ലാത്തിനാൽ നാട്ടിൽ പഞ്ഞം വന്നു.
mazha illaatthathinaal naattil panjam vannu
With no rain famine came to the village.
All Malayalam words for “famine”
- പഞ്ഞം (panjam) — Poverty, famine.
- ക്ഷാമകാലം (kshaamakaalam) — Time of famine.
ക്ഷാമകാലം (kshaamakaalam) names the span of time, so it suits dated episodes and historical chapters rather than the condition itself.
Common questions
How do you say famine in Malayalam?
പഞ്ഞം (panjam) in ordinary use, and ക്ഷാമകാലം (kshaamakaalam) when you mean a time of famine.
Can പഞ്ഞം (panjam) mean something other than famine?
Yes. It also means poverty and plain shortage, so people use it for a scarcity of money or of any one commodity.