chillu

C3H4I1L1L1U1

noun

A type of letter used in Malayalam which does not have an inherent vowel, used to represent a pure consonant without the use of a virama.

“There are five chillus currently in use: ൺ (ṇ), ൻ (ṉ), ർ (ṟ), ൽ (l) and ൾ (ḷ). There are also four archaic ones: ൿ (k), ൔ (m), ൕ (y) and ൖ (ḻ).”

Similar
chillaksharam
OriginMalayalam ചില്ല് →
Scrabble 11
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Meanings

nounchillu (plural chillus)

plural chillus

  1. grammarA type of letter used in Malayalam which does not have an inherent vowel, used to represent a pure consonant without the use of a virama.

    There are five chillus currently in use: ൺ (ṇ), ൻ (ṉ), ർ (ṟ), ൽ (l) and ൾ (ḷ). There are also four archaic ones: ൿ (k), ൔ (m), ൕ (y) and ൖ (ḻ).

    Synonyms: chillaksharam

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA type of letter used in Malayalam which does not have an inherent vowel, used to represent a pure consonant without the use of a virama.

Similar
chillaksharam
Also see
chillaksharam

Origin

  1. Malayalamചില്ല്
  2. Englishchillu

Borrowed from Malayalam ചില്ല് (cillŭ).

More words from Malayalam

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

chillu. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chillu

MLA

“chillu.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chillu. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “chillu,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chillu.

Source: chillu on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.