Plural Nouns
ബഹുവചനം
Malayalam pluralizes almost every noun the same way, every time. English mostly follows one rule too — until a small, stubborn set of words breaks it completely.
Grammar Comparison
Grammar Comparison
The regular rule: add -s
book → books, cat → cats
പുസ്തകം → പുസ്തകങ്ങൾ (add -കൾ)
Both languages have a default plural rule that covers the vast majority of nouns: English adds -s (or -es), Malayalam adds -കൾ. If a noun is new to you and you have no reason to think otherwise, this rule is a safe first guess in either language.
The exceptions Malayalam doesn't have
child → children, man → men, mouse → mice — the word changes shape instead of just adding -s
കുട്ടി → കുട്ടികൾ, പുരുഷൻ → പുരുഷന്മാർ — always the same -കൾ pattern
A handful of common English nouns pluralize irregularly, changing internally rather than just adding a suffix — child/children and mouse/mice look almost unrelated to their singular forms. Malayalam's -കൾ suffix has no such irregular class: every noun, common or rare, takes the same ending.
Vocabulary
Vocabulary
- Malayalam (previous course)
- പുസ്തകംpusthakam
- Malayalam (previous course)
- പുസ്തകങ്ങൾpusthakangal
- Malayalam (previous course)
- കുട്ടിkutti
- Malayalam (previous course)
- കുട്ടികൾkuttikal
- Malayalam (previous course)
- പുരുഷൻpurushan
- Malayalam (previous course)
- പുരുഷന്മാർpurushanmar
- Malayalam (previous course)
- സ്ത്രീsthree
- Malayalam (previous course)
- സ്ത്രീകൾsthreekal
- Malayalam (previous course)
- എലിeli
- Malayalam (previous course)
- എലികൾelikal