ഉറക്കം
uṟakkaṁ/urɐkkɐm/
The English phrase 'sleep' translates to Malayalam as ഉറക്കം (uṟakkaṁ).
ഉറക്കം is primarily used as a noun to describe the state of reduced consciousness or an instance of sleeping. To express the feeling of being sleepy, you can use the phrase ഉറക്കം വരുന്നു, which literally translates to 'sleep is coming'.
Meaning: to rest in state of reduced consciousness (verb)
Which one should you use?
ഉറക്കം is the noun form meaning 'sleep', whereas ഉറങ്ങുക is the verb form meaning 'to sleep'.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb 'to sleep' is ഉറങ്ങുക. For the present tense, such as 'sleeps' or 'is sleeping', use ഉറങ്ങുന്നു. To express the past tense 'slept', use ഉറങ്ങി.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is uṟakkaṁ (/urɐkkɐm/).
Did you know?
- The phrase ഉറക്കം വരുന്നു (sleep is coming) treats sleep as an active agent that arrives, rather than a feeling the person experiences.
- While ഉറക്കം refers to the physical act of sleeping, Malayalam uses the word നിദ്ര (nidra) in poetic or formal contexts, a term derived from Sanskrit.
- ഉറക്കം is a cognate with the Tamil word உறக்கம் (uṟakkam), reflecting the shared ancestral roots of the Dravidian language family.
Example conversation
Meera and Arjun are talking late at night.
- മീര Meeraഅർജുൻ, നിനക്ക് ഉറക്കം വരുന്നുണ്ടോ?Arjun, ninakku urakkam varunnundo?Arjun, are you feeling sleepy?
- അർജുൻ Arjunഅതെ, എനിക്ക് നല്ല ഉറക്കം വരുന്നു.athe, enikku nalla urakkam varunnu.Yes, I am feeling very sleepy.
- മീര Meeraഎങ്കിൽ വേഗം പോയി ഉറങ്ങിക്കോളൂ.engil vegam poyi urangikkolu.Then go and sleep quickly.
- അർജുൻ Arjunശരി മീര, ഗുഡ് നൈറ്റ്.shari Meera, good night.Okay Meera, good night.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry ഉറക്കം, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ഉറക്കം, CC BY-SA 4.0.
