It is spoken by several thousand people, predominantly in the Malabar Coast of Kerala state, southern India.

It can also be called a vernacular in general, or as a provincial patois, with the latter label being increasingly applicable in Colonial times.

All the forms of the Malayalam language, including Mappila, are mutually intelligible.

[5][6] The variety Arabi Malayalam is also used by lower castes non-Muslims in northern Kerala, Muslims in Dakshina Kannada, and different Mappila migrant communities in South East Asia.

Creating Arabi Malayalam made it easier for the Arabs who migrated to Kerala to spread the religion without a language barrier getting in the way.