Animals in Malayalam: word list with pictures
60 words · tap 🔊 to hear each one in Malayalam.
| Picture | English | Malayalam | Say it | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Cow | പശു | pashu | |
 | Bull | കാള | kaala | |
 | Buffalo | എരുമ | eruma | |
 | Goat | ആട് | aadu | |
 | Sheep | ചെമ്മരിയാട് | chemmariyaadu | |
 | Horse | കുതിര | kuthira | |
 | Donkey | കഴുത | kazhutha | |
 | Camel | ഒട്ടകം | ottakam | |
 | Pig | പന്നി | panni | |
 | Yak | യാക്ക് | yaakku | |
 | Dog | നായ | naaya | |
 | Cat | പൂച്ച | poocha | |
 | Rabbit | മുയൽ | muyal | |
 | Hamster | ഹാംസ്റ്റർ | haamstar | |
 | Mouse | ചുണ്ടെലി | chundeli | |
 | Elephant | ആന | aana | |
 | Lion | സിംഹം | simham | |
 | Tiger | കടുവ | kaduva | |
 | Leopard | പുലി | puli | |
 | Bear | കരടി | karadi | |
 | Monkey | കുരങ്ങ് | kurangu | |
 | Gorilla | ഗൊറില്ല | gorilla | |
 | Orangutan | ഒറാങ്ങുട്ടാൻ | oraanguttaan | |
 | Deer | മാൻ | maan | |
 | Zebra | സീബ്ര | seebra | |
 | Giraffe | ജിറാഫ് | jiraaf | |
 | Hippo | ഹിപ്പൊപ്പൊട്ടാമസ് | hippopottaamas | |
 | Rhino | കാണ്ടാമൃഗം | kaandaamrigam | |
 | Fox | കുറുക്കൻ | kurukkan | |
 | Wolf | ചെന്നായ | chennaaya | |
 | Jackal | കുറുനരി | kurunari | |
 | Squirrel | അണ്ണാൻ | annaan | |
 | Mongoose | കീരി | keeri | |
 | Porcupine | മുള്ളൻപന്നി | mullanpanni | |
 | Hedgehog | ഹെഡ്ജ്ഹോഗ് | hedjhog | |
 | Kangaroo | കംഗാരു | kangaaru | |
 | Koala | കോല | koala | |
 | Panda | പാണ്ട | paanda | |
 | Polar Bear | ധ്രുവക്കരടി | dhruvakkaradi | |
 | Sloth | സ്ലോത്ത് | sloth | |
 | Bat | വവ്വാൽ | vavvaal | |
 | Wild Boar | കാട്ടുപന്നി | kaattupanni | |
 | Indian Bison | കാട്ടുപോത്ത് | kaattupothu | |
 | Rat | എലി | eli | |
 | Fish | മീൻ | meen | |
 | Goldfish | സ്വർണമത്സ്യം | swarnamatsyam | |
 | Frog | തവള | thavala | |
 | Whale | തിമിംഗലം | thimingalam | |
 | Dolphin | ഡോൾഫിൻ | dolphin | |
 | Shark | സ്രാവ് | sraavu | |
 | Octopus | നീരാളി | neeraali | |
 | Crab | ഞണ്ട് | njandu | |
 | Prawn | ചെമ്മീൻ | chemmeen | |
 | Squid | കണവ | kanava | |
 | Seal | സീൽ | seel | |
 | Jellyfish | ജെല്ലിഫിഷ് | jellyfish | |
 | Pufferfish | പഫർ മീൻ | pafar meen | |
 | Otter | നീർനായ | neernaaya | |
 | Starfish | നക്ഷത്രമത്സ്യം | nakshathramatsyam | |
 | Seahorse | കടൽക്കുതിര | kadalkkuthira |
Children adore animals, which makes animal names in Malayalam the perfect first words. This page has 60 animals, each with a picture, the Malayalam name, the English name and a spoken audio clip. In Listen mode your child taps a picture and hears "ആന, elephant". In Find it, Golu the marble asks "Where is the പശു?" and your child picks the cow. Memory turns the same animals into a pairs game. The full list of animals name in Malayalam and English is in the word list above, with a pronunciation guide for grown-ups.
Ten animals to learn first
Do not try all 60 at once. Start with animals your child actually sees or hears about: പശു (pashu, cow), ആട് (aadu, goat), നായ (naaya, dog), പൂച്ച (poocha, cat), ആന (aana, elephant), കുരങ്ങ് (kurangu, monkey), മീൻ (meen, fish), തവള (thavala, frog), എലി (eli, rat) and അണ്ണാൻ (annaan, squirrel). These ten animals name in Malayalam cover a pet, farm, wild and water animal, and several are short enough for a two-year-old to say.
Domestic, wild and water animals
Domestic and farm animals. Kerala homes and farms know പശു (cow), കാള (kaala, bull), എരുമ (eruma, buffalo) and ആട് (goat). Pets name in Malayalam include നായ (dog), പൂച്ച (cat) and മുയൽ (muyal, rabbit).
Wild and forest animals. The Western Ghats along Kerala are home to ആന (elephant), കടുവ (kaduva, tiger), പുലി (puli, leopard), കരടി (karadi, bear), മാൻ (maan, deer) and കാട്ടുപോത്ത് (kaattupothu, Indian bison). A visit to Periyar or Wayanad is a chance to use these wild animals name in Malayalam for real. Lions and zebras are not Kerala animals, but children meet them in books, so they are in the game too: സിംഹം (simham, lion), സീബ്ര (seebra).
Water and sea animals. Kerala has 590 km of coast and the backwaters, so water words matter: മീൻ (fish), ഞണ്ട് (njandu, crab), ചെമ്മീൻ (chemmeen, prawn), കണവ (kanava, squid), നീരാളി (neeraali, octopus) and തിമിംഗലം (thimingalam, whale). Chemmeen is also the title of a famous Malayalam novel and film about fishing families.
Why the elephant is special in Kerala
If your child learns one Malayalam animal, make it ആന. Elephants appear at temple festivals like Thrissur Pooram, in songs, in stories and on the state emblem. A baby elephant is ആനക്കുട്ടി (aanakkutti), and the trunk is തുമ്പിക്കൈ (thumbikkai). Notice how -ക്കുട്ടി (-kkutti, little one) makes baby animal words: പൂച്ചക്കുട്ടി is a kitten and കടുവക്കുട്ടി a tiger cub. Children love inventing their own.
Animal sounds and homes in Malayalam
Malayalam animal sounds are fun to copy. A dog says ബൗ ബൗ, a cat says മ്യാവൂ, a goat says മേ മേ, and a cow says അമ്പേ (ambe). For homes, a cow lives in a തൊഴുത്ത് (thozhuthu, cowshed), a rabbit in a മാളം (maalam, burrow), and a lion in a ഗുഹ (guha, cave). For the same ideas in English and Hindi, see the animals name page.
Animal games to play at home
- Guess the animal. Make a sound or walk like an animal; your child shouts its Malayalam name.
- Story time. Many animal stories for kids in Malayalam, from the Panchatantra retold by grandparents, feature a clever fox (കുറുക്കൻ, kurukkan) or a crow. Pause and let your child name each animal.
- Letter link. Some animals start letters on the Malayalam alphabet chart: ആ for ആന, പ for പശു.
- Two languages. In Gulf and Western homes where English is strong, say the Malayalam name first, then the English. The game does the same.
Birds such as the crow, parrot (തത്ത, thatha) and peacock (മയിൽ, mayil) are Kerala favourites too; you will find some of them on the alphabet chart. When animals feel easy, move on to fruits in Malayalam or body parts in Malayalam, or head back to the Learn Malayalam hub.
Animal lists parents ask for
This page is one big list of animals name in English and Malayalam, and the word list above works both ways, as animals name in English to Malayalam and back. Malayalam animal names are grouped below so you can find the name of animals in Malayalam quickly.
Domestic animals name in Malayalam and English: cow, goat, buffalo, horse, donkey. These are the domestic animals name in Malayalam most children know first. Pet animals name in Malayalam: dog, cat, rabbit, hamster. Farm animals in Malayalam include the bull and the pig. Forest animals name in Malayalam and wild animals name in English and Malayalam cover the tiger, bear, deer and bison. Sea animals name in Malayalam and water animals name in Malayalam include whale, shark, octopus and crab.
Quick answers: elephant in Malayalam is aana; cow in Malayalam is pashu; dog in Malayalam is naaya; cat in Malayalam is poocha; tiger in Malayalam is kaduva; lion in Malayalam is simham; monkey in Malayalam is kurangu; fish in Malayalam is meen; crab in Malayalam is njandu. The animal meaning in Malayalam is mrigam.
We do not have 100 animals name in Malayalam, but 60 is plenty for small children, and all animals name in Malayalam lists start with these. Each card here is animals name in Malayalam with picture. The game also teaches animal sounds in Malayalam, baby animals in Malayalam, and animals with their home names. Birds name in Malayalam, like the crow and parrot, turn up on the alphabet chart. These Malayalam words for kids are some of the most loved.
മൃഗങ്ങളെ പരിചയപ്പെടാം
കുട്ടികൾക്ക് മൃഗങ്ങളെ വളരെ ഇഷ്ടമാണ്. അതുകൊണ്ട് മലയാളം പഠിക്കാൻ ഏറ്റവും നല്ല തുടക്കം മൃഗങ്ങളുടെ പേരുകളാണ്. പശു, ആട്, പൂച്ച, നായ, ആന എന്നിങ്ങനെ ചുറ്റും കാണുന്ന മൃഗങ്ങളിൽ നിന്ന് തുടങ്ങാം.
മുകളിലെ കളിയിൽ ചിത്രത്തിൽ തൊട്ടാൽ മൃഗത്തിന്റെ പേര് മലയാളത്തിലും ഇംഗ്ലീഷിലും കേൾക്കാം. "ആന എവിടെ?" എന്ന് ഗോലു ചോദിക്കുമ്പോൾ കുട്ടി ശരിയായ ചിത്രം തൊടണം. തെറ്റിയാലും പ്രശ്നമില്ല, ശരിയുത്തരം തെളിഞ്ഞുവരും.
മൃഗങ്ങളുടെ ശബ്ദം അനുകരിച്ചും കഥകൾ പറഞ്ഞും കളിക്കൂ. മൃഗശാലയിലോ കാട്ടിലോ പോകുമ്പോൾ കുട്ടിയോട് പേരുകൾ ചോദിക്കൂ.
How to use this page at home
Say it, then find it
Play for a few minutes, then look for the same thing away from the screen: malayalam words on the shelf, in the kitchen, on the way to school. A child learns a word properly when they meet it twice, once on the screen and once in their hand.
Ten minutes is enough
Short and happy beats long and tired. Stop while your child still wants more, and come back tomorrow: the same page on five short days teaches far more than one long sitting. Nothing here is scored, so there is no reason to push.
Use both languages
Tap the language button at the top to hear the words in your home language first and the second language after. Hearing the same picture named in two languages is one of the few things research agrees builds attention as well as vocabulary.
