Menu in Malayalam: how to write a Kerala menu card
Updated October 19, 2026
A Malayalam menu card is written in Malayalam script, and Kerala menus are usually split into breakfast (പ്രാതൽ) and meals (ഊണ്). Dish names are written the way Keralites say them: പൊറോട്ട (porotta), ബീഫ് ഫ്രൈ (beef fry), തലശ്ശേരി ബിരിയാണി (Thalassery biriyani). Machine translation struggles with exactly these names, so write your Malayalam names yourself and let customers switch the rest of the menu into മലയാളം. Kerala restaurants also serve visitors from other states and from the Gulf, which makes Hindi and Arabic worth a look too.
In short
- Kerala menus have two main parts: പ്രാതൽ (breakfast: appam, puttu, idiyappam) and ഊണ് (meals).
- Write dish names as they're said: പൊറോട്ട, കപ്പ, മീൻ കറി, not word-for-word translations.
- Chillu letters (ൻ, ർ, ൽ, ൾ, ൺ) end many words, such as ചിക്കൻ. Check them on a phone.
- In Menuthere: മലയാളം is on the language button from Lite. Malayalam second names replace the translation, on every plan.
- Malayalam or Arabic second names? Each dish has one, so choose. Details below.
Malayalam script on a menu
- Chillu letters. Malayalam has special final forms for some consonants: ൻ, ർ, ൽ, ൾ, ൺ. They end many food words: ചിക്കൻ (chicken), പനീർ (paneer). A font or keyboard that gets them wrong makes a menu look careless.
- The chandrakkala ( ് ). It marks a word-final consonant with a half vowel, as in ബീഫ് (beef) and ഊണ് (meals).
- Traditional and simplified styles. Malayalam fonts draw joined letters either in the traditional style or the simplified style many people learned at school. The text is the same and both are read; just check that your menu's font looks normal to your customers.
- Wide words. Malayalam names take more space than English ones on a phone. Keep second names short.
How Kerala menus spell dishes in English
| Malayalam | Kerala menu spelling | Note |
|---|---|---|
| പൊറോട്ട | Porotta (also Parotta, Porota) | Layered flatbread |
| ബിരിയാണി | Biriyani | Kerala menus usually add the extra "i" |
| കപ്പ | Kappa | Tapioca |
| മീൻ | Meen | Fish, as in Meen Curry |
| ഇറച്ചി | Erachi, Irachi | Meat, as in Erachi Choru |
| കോഴി | Kozhi | Chicken, as in Kozhi Curry |
| സദ്യ | Sadya | The vegetarian feast on a banana leaf |
Pick one spelling per dish and use it on your menu, on Google and on the delivery apps, so customers find the same name everywhere.
Useful Malayalam menu words
| English | Malayalam |
|---|---|
| Menu | മെനു |
| Breakfast | പ്രാതൽ |
| Meals | ഊണ് |
| Vegetarian | വെജ് (formal: സസ്യാഹാരം) |
| Non-vegetarian | നോൺ വെജ് |
| Spicy | എരിവ് |
| Sweets | മധുരം |
| Drinks | പാനീയങ്ങൾ |
Example: a Malayalam menu card section
A short sample for a Kerala restaurant.
| English (dish name) | Malayalam (second name) |
|---|---|
| Breakfast | പ്രാതൽ |
| Appam | അപ്പം |
| Puttu | പുട്ട് |
| Kadala curry | കടല കറി |
| Idiyappam | ഇടിയപ്പം |
| Egg curry | മുട്ടക്കറി |
| Meals | ഊണ് |
| Fish curry meals | മീൻ കറി ഊണ് |
| Kappa and fish curry | കപ്പയും മീൻകറിയും |
| Beef fry | ബീഫ് ഫ്രൈ |
| Porotta | പൊറോട്ട |
| Thalassery biriyani | തലശ്ശേരി ബിരിയാണി |
| Sweets | മധുരം |
| Payasam | പായസം |
| Drinks | പാനീയങ്ങൾ |
| Tea | ചായ |
| Black tea | കട്ടൻ ചായ |
| Lime juice | നാരങ്ങ വെള്ളം |
Who needs a Malayalam menu
| Your restaurant | Languages to offer | Read next |
|---|---|---|
| Anywhere in Kerala | Malayalam first, English always on | Online ordering in India · What Swiggy and Zomato really cost a Kerala restaurant |
| Kerala tourist towns: Kochi, Munnar, Alappuzha, Varkala | Malayalam, plus Hindi and Tamil for visitors from other states | Menu in Hindi · Menu in Tamil · Why tourists can't read your menu |
| Kozhikode, Kochi and towns with Gulf visitors | Malayalam and Arabic | Menu in Arabic |
| Malayali-run restaurants in the UAE, Qatar, Oman and Saudi Arabia | Malayalam alongside Arabic and English | UAE · Qatar · Oman · Saudi Arabia |
Comparing with the apps? See Zomato and Swiggy commission. Your own Malayalam menu has 0% commission on every Menuthere plan. And a translated menu is only half of it: read why ordering in Malayalam is more than translation.
Set up a Malayalam menu in Menuthere
- Write the Malayalam name on each dish (every plan). Edit Porotta in
Menu, tap Add secondary name and type പൊറോട്ട. The Malayalam line appears under the English name and follows the dish into the cart. - Put മലയാളം on the language button (Lite). In
Settings → Store details → Currency & Language, enable Offer other languages and select മലയാളം, plus Hindi or Tamil for visitors. Malayalam readers see your names; everything around them is translated. - Choose the opening language. Set മലയാളം as primary if most customers read it. Visitors can switch, and their choice is remembered on their next visit.
- Look at it on a phone, paying attention to chillu letters and the chandrakkala.
Malayalam on the language button needs Lite: US$17 a month, which Indian stores pay in rupees, with a 7-day free trial (a card is needed to start).
Malayalam or Arabic second names?
A dish has one second name. On a Malayalam menu, a Malayalam-script second name replaces the translation. On an Arabic menu, Menuthere always shows the second name, whatever script it's in. So:
| Your customers are mostly | Write second names in | Offer on the language button |
|---|---|---|
| Malayalam readers | Malayalam | Malayalam, Hindi, Tamil. Leave Arabic off, or Arabic readers would see Malayalam names |
| Gulf visitors and Arabic readers | Arabic | Arabic, plus Malayalam (translated automatically) |
Malayalam menu card checklist
- Dish names written as Keralites say them, not translated.
- Chillu letters and the chandrakkala display correctly on a phone.
- One English spelling per dish (Porotta or Parotta).
- Breakfast dishes set to show only in the morning, with Set Time on each dish (every plan).
- Your second-name language decided (Malayalam or Arabic) before you offer Arabic.
FAQs
How do you write menu in Malayalam?
Menu is usually written മെനു on Malayalam menu cards.
What does ഊണ് mean on a Kerala menu?
ഊണ്, said oonu, means meals: the full rice meal with curries. Breakfast dishes such as appam and puttu are listed under പ്രാതൽ.
Is it Porotta or Parotta?
Both are used in Kerala, along with Porota. Pick one spelling and use it everywhere: on your menu, on Google and on the delivery apps.
Can a Kerala restaurant show both Malayalam and Arabic dish names?
Not both as second names, because each dish has one. On an Arabic menu the second name always shows, whatever its script, so choose Malayalam or Arabic second names based on your main customers.
Do I need a paid plan for a Malayalam menu?
Malayalam second names on your dishes are on every plan, including Free. The language button that switches the whole menu to Malayalam is on Lite.
Sources (5)
- Menuthere Docs, Menu in several languages for customers: https://menuthere.com/docs/online-store/menu-in-several-languages-for-customers (accessed 19 Oct 2026)
- Menuthere Docs, Dish names in a second language: https://menuthere.com/docs/menu/dish-names-in-a-second-language (accessed 19 Oct 2026)
- Menuthere Docs, Show dishes at set times: https://menuthere.com/docs/hours/show-dishes-at-set-times (accessed 19 Oct 2026)
- Unicode Consortium, Malayalam code chart (chillu letters U+0D7A–U+0D7F): https://www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/U0D00.pdf (accessed 19 Oct 2026)
- Google autocomplete (19 Oct 2026); Ahrefs Keywords Explorer (19 Oct 2026)