mala

Mala is a term with several meanings across different cultures. In Sanskrit, mālā means garland. In Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, mala refers to a string of prayer beads used to count recitations, breaths, or mantras during meditation or devotional practices.

Mala beads are typically a loop of beads, commonly 108, though counts vary. They may be made from wood, seeds such as rudraksha, sandalwood, gemstones, or bone. Practitioners use the beads by moving one bead at a time with the thumb or finger, usually starting near a guru bead and continuing around the circle to keep track of repetitions.

Mala also describes a Chinese flavor profile, written as 麻辣 and pronounced ma la. It denotes a combination of numbness and heat, produced by Sichuan peppercorns and chili peppers respectively. This taste is central to Sichuan and Chongqing cuisine and appears in dishes such as mala hot pot, mapo tofu, and various spice blends, sauces, and snacks.

Beyond these senses, mala can be a personal name in several languages or appear in place names and cultural terms. The two primary uses here—spiritual beads and a spicy-numbing flavor—are distinct but share the same spelling in English transliteration.