Sore-eye in Malayalam
A sore or red eye is ചെങ്കണ്ണ് (chenkannu), a compound of the words for red and eye. Kerala uses it when conjunctivitis goes round a school or a neighbourhood in the monsoon. Three syllables, nasal at the join.
Most common translation
Sore-eye, red-eye, xerophthalmia.
കുട്ടിക്ക് ചെങ്കണ്ണ് വന്നതിനാൽ സ്കൂളിൽ പോയില്ല.
kuttikk chenkannu vannathinaal skoolil poyilla.
The child did not go to school because of sore eyes.
Dictionary entry
- ചെങ്കണ്ണ് (chenkannu) — Sore-eye, red-eye, xerophthalmia.
The entry also lists xerophthalmia, but in ordinary Kerala usage the word means an inflamed, red eye, most often conjunctivitis.
Common questions
How do you say sore eye in Malayalam?
ചെങ്കണ്ണ് (chenkannu), literally red eye.
Is this the word for conjunctivitis?
Yes, it is what people say during an outbreak, while the clinical term is the English one.