Fast in Malayalam
Fast in the sense of going without food is ഉപവാസം (upavaasam) in Malayalam. Say u-pa-vaa-sam. It covers both a religious fast and a hunger strike, which is why it appears in temple notices and political news alike.
Fast, hunger-strike.
മുത്തശ്ശി ഇന്ന് ഉപവാസം ആണ്.
muthashi innu upavaasam aan.
Grandmother is fasting today.
All Malayalam words for “fast”
- ഉപവാസം (upavaasam) — Fast, hunger-strike.
- നൊയമ്പ് (noyambu) — Fast, vow.
- നോല്ക്കുക (nolkkuka) — Fast, undertake penance.
- വ്രതമനുഷ്ഠിക്കുക (vrathamanushtikkuka) — Fast.
- ഒരിക്കല് (orikkal) — A Hindu religious fast (having only one meal a day).
- ഓട്ടം (ottam) — Running, race, flight, fast progress.
- തട്ടുകട (thattukada) — A small shop on wheels, a shop on a cart selling fast food by the road side, cart-eatery.
ഉപവാസം (upavaasam) is the noun, നോല്ക്കുക (nolkkuka) and വ്രതമനുഷ്ഠിക്കുക (vrathamanushtikkuka) the verbs for keeping a fast, നൊയമ്പ് (noyambu) the term heard among Christians and Muslims in Kerala, and ഒരിക്കല് (orikkal) a Hindu fast of a single daily meal. The speed sense of English fast is not covered at all: ഓട്ടം (ottam) is running, and തട്ടുകട (thattukada) is a roadside cart selling fast food.
Common questions
How do you say fast in Malayalam?
For abstaining from food, ഉപവാസം (upavaasam); to say someone is fasting, the verb is നോല്ക്കുക (nolkkuka).
Does ഉപവാസം mean fast as in quick?
No. Malayalam uses entirely different words for speed, and this one only ever means going without food.