For learning Malayalam language it is necessary to know alphabets in Malayalam. You have to know alphabets in Malayalam to learn writing in Malayalam language. Malayalam alphabets are the building blocks of Malayalam language. There are 53 characters in Malayalam alphabets. Malayalam alphabets are made up of Malayalam vowels and Malayalam consonants. The Malayalam alphabets contain 15 vowels and 41 consonants. Malayalam vs German gives a comparison between Malayalam and German alphabets.
Malayalam script is also known as Malayalam writing system or Malayalam orthography. The set of visible signs used to represent units of Malayalam language in a systematic way is called Malayalam Script. The Malayalam language uses Brahmic family and derivatives i.e. Malayalam alphabets are derived from Brahmic family and derivatives script. The script decides the writing direction of the any language, hence the writing direction of Malayalam is Left-To-Right, Horizontal. Learn Malayalam Greetings where you will find some interesting phrases.
Is Malayalam hard to learn? The answer to this question is that it depends on one's native language. One should start learning Malayalam language with Malayalam alphabets and Malayalam phonology.
Time taken to learn any language that is mentioned here is the approximate time required to learn specific language for the person who is proficient in English. You can also go through all Indian Languages and find if Malayalam is one of the language of India.