Quarter in Malayalam
A quarter, one fourth of something, is കാൽ (kaal), a single long syllable ending in the retroflex l. It is the word in a quarter kilo of chilli or quarter past the hour, and it is also, confusingly for learners, the word for leg or foot. The longer and more explicit form is കാൽഭാഗം (kalbhagam).
Quarter, one fourth of something, as in a quarter kilo or a quarter hour.
എനിക്ക് കാൽ കിലോ പഞ്ചസാര വേണം.
enikku kaal kilo panchasaara venam.
I need a quarter kilo of sugar.
All Malayalam words for “quarter”
- കാൽ (kaal) — Quarter, one fourth of something, as in a quarter kilo or a quarter hour.
- കാൽഭാഗം (kalbhagam) — Quarter; one fourth of something. A three month period of the year is usually called kvartar.
- അഗ്നികോണം (agnikonam) — The south-east quarter.
- ഉഴക്ക് (uzhakk) — A measure, quarter of a 'nazhy', a little.
For a three month quarter of the financial year Malayalam borrows the English term rather than using kaal; അഗ്നികോണം (agnikonam) is the southeast quarter of the compass and ഉഴക്ക് (uzhakk) is an old grain measure.
Common questions
How do you say quarter in Malayalam?
കാൽ (kaal) for one fourth, or കാൽഭാഗം (kalbhagam) when you want to be unambiguous.
How do you say a quarter of the year?
Business Malayalam keeps the English quarter as a loan word; kaal would be read as one fourth of an amount, not a period.