സിംഹം
siṁhaṁ/simhɐm/
The Malayalam word for lion is സിംഹം (siṁhaṁ).
The word സിംഹം refers to the big cat Panthera leo.
Meaning: big cat Panthera leo (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is siṁhaṁ. The IPA is /simhɐm/.
Did you know?
- In traditional Kerala culture, the സിംഹം often appears in temple architecture and art, despite lions not being native to India's southern region.
- While സിംഹം is the standard term, in certain poetic or older literary contexts, you might encounter the word കേസരി, which literally means 'the one with a mane'.
- The word സിംഹം is a direct loanword from Sanskrit, the ancient liturgical language of India, meaning it retains much of its classical phonetic structure.
Examples in context
- സിംഹം കാട്ടിലെ രാജാവാണ്.simham kaattile raajavaanu.The lion is the king of the forest.
Example conversation
Rahul and Sridevi are looking at a picture book of animals.
- ശ്രീദേവി Srideviരാഹുൽ, ഇത് ഏത് മൃഗമാണ്?Rahul, ithu ethu mrugamanu?Rahul, which animal is this?
- രാഹുൽ Rahulഇതൊരു സിംഹം ആണ്.Ithoru simham aanu.This is a lion.
- ശ്രീദേവി Srideviസിംഹം വളരെ ശക്തമാണോ?Simham valare shakthamano?Is the lion very strong?
- രാഹുൽ Rahulഅതെ, സിംഹം വളരെ ശക്തമാണ്.Athe, simham valare shakthamanu.Yes, the lion is very strong.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “lion” translations and entries സിംഹം, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries സിംഹം, CC BY-SA 4.0.
