The language of the Maldivians is Dhivehi and displays much resemblance to several other languages from Sri Lanka , South East Asia, North India . It contains many Arabic, Hindi and English words.

Historically speaking the early people spoke "Elu" a form of ancient Singhalese. The language had gone many transformations and the present day Dhivehi is written from left to right, probably to incorporate many Arabic words.

Modern Thaana script was invented in the 16th century following the overthrow of Portuguese. The earliest Dhivehi is inscribed on copper plates known as the "Loamaafaanu". The script is written with letters and vowels separately on top or below the letters, depending on the sound.

Dhivehi is used equivocally in the administration of the country. Until the 1960s, Dhivehi was also the medium of teaching in al schools, but with the need for further education, Dhivehi medium syllabuses changed to English medium teaching.

For this reason, English is widely understood, spoken and written by the locals.

Useful Dhivehi Phrases