Thief in Malayalam
കള്ളന് (kallan) is the thief of everyday Malayalam, and Kerala uses it as freely for a liar or a sly child as for a burglar. The feminine and the plural are built on the same stem.
Most common translation
Thief, liar.
രാത്രി കള്ളന് അടുക്കളയിൽ കയറി.
raathri kallan adukkalayil kayari
At night a thief got into the kitchen.
All Malayalam words for “thief”
- കള്ളന് (kallan) — Thief, liar.
- തസ്കരന് (thaskaran) — Thief, robber, burglar, despicable person.
- തിരുടന് (thirudan) — Thief, robber.
- മൂഷികന് (mooshikan) — Rat, thief.
- പാര്ശ്വകന് (paarshwakan) — One who stands close and cheats, a fraudulent person, thief.
- ആനക്കള്ളന് (anakkallan) — A big thief, thief who will steal even big things like elephants.
തസ്കരന് (thaskaran) and തിരുടന് (thirudan) are the formal and the Tamil-flavoured words for thief, and ആനക്കള്ളന് (anakkallan) is the elephant thief, a joking name for somebody who steals on a grand scale.
Common questions
How do you say thief in Malayalam?
കള്ളന് (kallan).
Can the word be affectionate?
Yes. Parents call a mischievous child കള്ളന് (kallan) with no suggestion of actual stealing.