Indulgences

1. ބަނގުރާ

   banguraa

   Alcohol (intoxicating drink)

   Usage

   ⚠ Illegal on inhabited islands. Under the Maldives' existing laws and regulations, selling alcohol and pork on inhabited islands is prohibited. Alcohol is served only at resorts, hotels and foreign-flagged safari boats; bringing it onto an inhabited island — Malé and Hulhumalé included — means confiscation and possible prosecution. Bottles you arrive with are held at the airport and returned when you leave. Learn this word to understand why there is none, not to order any

   Grammar Note

   It means "the name given to an intoxicating liquid", and covers three main kinds: biyaru (beer), wain (wine) and spiret (spirits). In oblique cases it appears as banguralaa / ralaa

2. ބިޔަރު

   biyaru

   Beer

   Usage

   ⚠ Illegal on inhabited islands. Served only in resort and hotel bars. Non-alcoholic beer is not generally stocked in shops on inhabited islands either

3. ދުންފަތް

   dhunfaiy

   Tobacco

   Usage

   Leaf tobacco. Unlike alcohol, tobacco itself is legal, but smoking is restricted indoors in public places, in eating places and on public transport. Chewing tobacco mixed into a betel quid (bileiygandu) is addictive and harmful

4. ދުންފަތުގެ އިސްތިއުމާލުކުރުން

   dhunfathuge isthiumaalukurun

   Smoking

   Usage

   The formal expression for smoking; this is the phrasing used on no-smoking notices and in official documents. If you want to ask whether you may smoke somewhere, pointing at this card and looking up is the reliable move

   Grammar Note

   The Arabic loan isthiumaalu ("use", from istiʿmāl) plus the verbal noun kurun ("doing"). ދުންފަތް takes the genitive -ge

5. ސުއްޓާ

   suttaa

   Cheroot (hand-rolled cigar)

   Usage

   A South Asian hand-rolled cigar. You still see older islanders smoking these

6. ބިޑި

   bidi

   Bidi (thin leaf-rolled cigarette)

   Usage

   The thin leaf-wrapped cigarette smoked across South Asia.

7. ގުޑުގުޑާ

   gudugudaa

   Hookah / shisha

   Usage

   The water pipe. Cafés in Malé and at resorts sometimes serve it, but indoor smoking restrictions apply

8. ވޭޕް

   veyp

   Vape / e-cigarette

   Usage

   ⚠ Banned to bring in and to hold. The Maldives bans the import, sale and use of e-cigarettes outright, and the ban applies to visitors. They are confiscated at the airport

   Grammar Note

   Some e-cigarettes are shaped like ordinary cigarettes, cheroots or pipes, and others like pens or USB drives

9. ދުފުން

   dhufun

   Chewing betel

   Usage

   Chewing a wrapped quid of betel leaf, areca nut and lime — in the Maldives also a gesture of hospitality towards a guest. Chewing it with tobacco added is a cause of oral cancer and is harmful to health

10. ބިލެތް

    bileiy

    Betel leaf

    Usage

    The betel leaf used for chewing. It is the leaf of a vine in the Piperaceae family, valued both for the psychoactive substances it contains and for its various medicinal uses, and is chewed most in Asia. Sold in bundles at markets and stalls

11. ފޯއް

    foah

    Areca nut (betel nut)

    Usage

    The areca nut wrapped in a betel leaf for chewing. Often offered sliced alongside bileiy

12. ބިލެތްގަނޑު

    bileiygandu

    Betel quid (paan)

    Usage

    One mouthful of betel leaf wrapped around areca nut, lime and often tobacco. The tobacco-bearing version is addictive and causes a range of health problems. If you are offered one and want to decline, a shake of the head and "shukuriyyaa" (thank you) is enough

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