Dhivehi language and Thaana script: a short guide

Dhivehi (also spelt Divehi, and sometimes called Maldivian in English) is the language almost every Maldivian speaks at home. It is also spoken on Minicoy, an Indian island to the north, where it is known as Mahl.

Its family

Dhivehi belongs to the Indo-Aryan branch of languages, the same wider family as Hindi, Bengali and Sinhala. Its closest relative is Sinhala. The two share old roots and many basic words, but they are separate languages and speakers can’t simply understand each other.

Where its words come from

The oldest layer of the vocabulary goes back to the same sources as Sinhala, including Sanskrit and Pali. After the Maldives converted to Islam in the 12th century, many Arabic words arrived, especially for religion, law and learning. Trade later added words from Persian, Urdu, Hindi, Tamil, Portuguese and English.

A gift to English

One Dhivehi word is used all over the world. “Atoll”, the ring-shaped coral reef system the Maldives is made of, comes from the Dhivehi *atholhu*. Our atolls guide explains how they form.

Dhivehi is not the same everywhere. The standard form is based on the speech of Malé and the central atolls, and it is what you hear on radio, television and in schools.

The far south is different. The atolls of Huvadhoo, Fuvahmulah and Addu each have their own strong dialect, with older word forms and different pronunciation. Some words change a little; others are completely different, and northerners can find southern speech hard to follow. Most southerners switch easily to standard Dhivehi when they need to.

If you travel south, it’s worth listening for the difference. See our guides to Addu City, Fuvahmulah and Huvadhoo Atoll.

The Maldives has used more than one script over the centuries. Early dates are uncertain, so treat this as a broad outline.

Dives Akuru: “island letters”

The older scripts of the Maldives came from the Brahmi family of South Asia, like the scripts of Sri Lanka and India. They were written from left to right. The best known is Dives Akuru, which means “island letters”. Scholars sometimes call an earlier form Evēla Akuru.

These scripts appear on royal copper-plate grants known as *loamaafaanu*, the oldest from around the 12th century, and on carved coral stone. Dives Akuru stayed in use for a long time, especially in the southern atolls, where it was still written into the early 20th century.

You can still see old inscriptions at some heritage sites. Our guide to historical sites covers where to look.

The arrival of Thaana

Thaana grew up alongside Islam. Learned Maldivians needed to write Arabic words and phrases inside Dhivehi text, and a right-to-left script with Arabic-style vowel marks made that easier.

No one knows exactly when Thaana was created. Popular tradition links it to the time of Sultan Muhammad Thakurufaanu in the late 16th century, but there is no firm proof. The oldest surviving examples are carved on the door posts of the old Friday mosque on Kanditheemu, in the north, dated 1599 and 1611. By the early 1700s Thaana had become the main script for Dhivehi, and Dives Akuru slowly faded.

For the wider story of these centuries, read our history of the Maldives.

Thaana looks a little like Arabic at first glance, but it works in its own way.

Right to left

Thaana is written and read from right to left, like Arabic and Hebrew. Numbers are the exception: Maldivians usually write ordinary European digits, and those still read left to right.

Consonants carry the vowels

Every Thaana letter is a consonant. Vowels are written as small strokes, called *fili*, placed above or below the letter. There are ten vowel marks: five short vowels and five long ones (a, aa, i, ee, u, oo, e, ey, o, oa).

A consonant always carries a vowel mark. When there is no vowel after it, the letter takes a small circle called the *sukun*, which shows that the sound stops. Because the vowels are always written, Thaana is easier to read aloud than Arabic, where short vowels are often left out.

An example

The word for the language itself, *dhivehi*, looks like this:

ދިވެހި

Read it from the right. You have three letters: *dh*, *v* and *h*. Each carries a small vowel stroke: *i*, *e* and *i*. Put together, that gives *dhi-ve-hi*.

Where the letter shapes come from

The letters have an unusual origin. The first nine letters of the Thaana alphabet are based on Arabic numerals, and the next nine are based on old local numerals. Later letters came from other sources, and dotted letters were added in the mid-20th century to spell Arabic words. This is why the order of the alphabet doesn’t follow Arabic or any Indian script.

A link to the atolls

The Thaana alphabet runs: *haa*, *shaviyani*, *noonu*, *raa*, *baa*, *lhaviyani*, *kaafu*, *alifu*, *vaavu*, *meemu*, *faafu*, *dhaalu*, *thaa*, *laamu*, *gaafu* and onward. If those sound familiar, that’s because the administrative atolls are named after the letters, in order from north to south. Kaafu, home to Malé and to Dhiffushi, is the seventh letter.

You will mostly meet Dhivehi written in Latin (English-style) letters: on maps, island signs, boat names and booking confirmations.

The 1970s transliteration

In the mid-1970s the government adopted an official way of writing Dhivehi in Latin letters. The official rules were announced on 23 May 1977, according to the Dhivehi dictionary published by the University of Chicago’s Digital South Asia Library. For a short time Latin letters were used in official work, partly because telex machines could not handle Thaana. Thaana soon returned, but the Latin system is still used for island, street and personal names.

Reading Latin spellings

A few rules make Latin spellings much easier:

• dh and th are soft sounds made with the tongue against the teeth. They are not like the English “th” in “the”.
• lh is a special “l” made with the tongue curled back. A plain “l” is close enough for visitors.
• aa, ee and oo are long vowels, as in “father”, “see” and “moon”.
• Double consonants, as in *Dhiffushi*, are held a little longer.

Spellings are not always consistent, so the same island may appear two or three ways.

Many Dhivehi words turn up in place names, dive briefings and menus.

Places and the sea

• Atholhu: atoll.
• Rah: island (in everyday speech).
• Fushi and dhoo: common endings in island names, both linked to islands. Dhiffushi is one example.
• Faru: reef.
• Thila: an underwater reef top that rises close to the surface, a word every diver learns.
• Kandu: a channel between reefs, where currents run.
• Finolhu: a sandbank.
• Magu: street or road, seen on signs in Malé and on many local islands.
• Miskiy: mosque.

Food and daily life

• Mas: fish, almost always tuna.
• Huni: grated coconut, as in *mas huni*, the classic breakfast.
• Bai: rice.
• Dhoani: boat, the word behind the English “dhoni”.

For greetings, numbers and polite phrases with pronunciation, see our Dhivehi phrases for travellers.

English is widely spoken in tourism, so you can manage without Dhivehi, but a few words go a long way.

• Start with a greeting. “Assalaamu alaikum” and “shukuriyyaa” (thank you) are always welcome.
• Look for Thaana on signs. On local islands you’ll often see Thaana and Latin side by side on council offices, schools and shops. Try matching the two.

On Dhiffushi, as on any local island, you’ll hear Dhivehi all day and see Thaana on the island’s signs and notices. Our guide to Dhiffushi’s history and island life and our wider look at Maldivian culture, people and language are good next reads.