Kindle in Malayalam

To kindle a fire, Malayalam says തീ കത്തിക്കുക (thee kathikkuka), joining the word for fire to the verb for burning. It is a two-word phrase and perfectly ordinary in speech, whether you are lighting a stove or a bonfire. The first word is a single long syllable, thee.

Most common translation

തീ കത്തിക്കുക (thee kathikkuka)

Set fire to, kindle.

തണുപ്പ് മാറാൻ അവർ തീ കത്തിച്ചു.

thanuppu maaraan avar thee kathichu.

They lit a fire to ward off the cold.

All Malayalam words for “kindle”

കൊള്ളിവയ്ക്കുക is much narrower and heavier: it means setting fire to something in order to destroy it, and it is also used for lighting a funeral pyre.

Common questions

How do you say kindle in Malayalam?

തീ കത്തിക്കുക (thee kathikkuka) is the everyday way to say kindle or set alight.

When would kollivaykkuka be used instead?

കൊള്ളിവയ്ക്കുക (kollivaykkuka) suits burning something down or lighting a pyre, so it carries destruction or ritual with it.