What language is Dhivehi similar to?

The Origin and Linguistic Lineage of Dhivehi

Dhivehi, alternatively known as Maldivian, is the official language of the Maldives and is spoken by around 340,000 speakers. The language belongs to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family. Dhivehi originated from Elu Prakrit, an early Middle Indo-Aryan language, which also gave rise to Sinhala, the language of Sri Lanka. As a result, Dhivehi shares some linguistic similarities with Sinhala, though it has evolved over time due to external influences and isolation within the Maldivian archipelago. The script used to write Dhivehi is called Thaana, which is an indigenous script developed from a combination of Arabic numerals and other Indic scripts. This unique script further transforms the language, distinguishing it from its relatives.