Malayalam is the language spoken predominantly in the state of Kerala, in southern India. It is one of the 22 official languages of India, spoken by around 36 million people. A native speaker of Malayalam is called a "Malayalee" (or sometimes a "Keraleeyan" or "Keralite") and the slang "Mallu" refers to both the language and to the native speakers.

Malayalam is also spoken in Union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry (in Mahe/Mayyazhi). The language belongs to the family of Dravidian languages. Both the language and its writing system are closely related to Tamil. Malayalam has a script of its own.