River in Malayalam

River is നദി (nadi) in Malayalam, the word children learn first and the one printed on maps. Kerala has dozens of them, and the names usually attach this word or its local equivalents. The vowels are short and even, as the transliteration suggests.

Most common translation

നദി (nadi)

River.

നദി ഇവിടെ ശാന്തമായി ഒഴുകുന്നു

nadi ivide shaanthamaayi ozhukunnu

The river flows calmly here.

All Malayalam words for “river”

nadi is the everyday word, kallolini and vaahini are literary names for a river, and vellam is simply water, used loosely of river water too.

Common questions

How do you say river in Malayalam?

The word is നദി (nadi).

Are kallolini and vaahini used in conversation?

Rarely. കല്ലോലിനി (kallolini) and വാഹിനി (vaahini) are poetic or classical choices, kept for verse and formal writing.