മുത്തച്ഛന്
muttacchaṉ
The English word 'grandfather' is translated into Malayalam as മുത്തച്ഛന് (muttacchaṉ) or അപ്പൂപ്പന്.
Meaning: grandfather (from either side) (noun)
Ways to say it
| Malayalam | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| മുത്തച്ഛന് | muttacchaṉ |
| അപ്പൂപ്പന് | appūppaṉ |
Both forms are used to refer to a grandfather from either side of a family.
Which one should you use?
The term മുത്തച്ഛൻ (muttacchan) is more formal or standard, whereas അപ്പൂപ്പൻ (appūppan) is more colloquial and common in everyday speech.
How does it change in a sentence?
Note that the default forms provided, മുത്തച്ഛന് and അപ്പൂപ്പന്, are in the dative case, meaning 'to grandfather' or 'for grandfather'. The nominative or subjective forms are മുത്തച്ഛൻ (muttacchan) and അപ്പൂപ്പൻ (appūppan).
How do you pronounce it?
muttacchaṉ
When do people say it?
It is common in Malayalam culture to address grandparents by their respective titles without the need to include their personal names.
Did you know?
- In some regional dialects of Kerala, you might hear വല്യപ്പൻ (valyappan) for grandfather, which literally translates to 'big father'.
- Malayalam has a rich system of kinship terms where the specific word for 'grandfather' can change depending on whether the family follows a matrilineal or patrilineal tradition.
- In many traditional Kerala households, children might use അപ്പൂപ്പൻ (appūppan) even for an elderly man who is not a biological relative as a sign of respect.
Example sentences for Malayalam are not verified yet.
Example conversation
Anjali and Arjun are talking about a birthday gift.
- അർജുൻ Arjunനീ മുത്തച്ഛന് എന്ത് സമ്മാനം നൽകി?Nee muthachanan enthu sammanam nalki?What gift did you give to grandfather?
- അഞ്ജലി Anjaliഞാൻ അദ്ദേഹത്തിന് ഒരു പുതിയ വാച്ച് വാങ്ങി.Njan addehatthin oru puthiya watch vangi.I bought him a new watch.
- അർജുൻ Arjunഅത് നല്ലൊരു കാര്യമാണ്.Athu nalloru karyamanu.That is a good thing.
- അഞ്ജലി Anjaliഅതെ, മുത്തച്ഛന് അത് ഒരുപാട് ഇഷ്ടമായി.Athe, muthachanan athu orupadu ishtamayi.Yes, grandfather liked it a lot.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “grandfather” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
