What is the Kazhutha card game called in English?

Kazhutha means donkey in Malayalam, so in English it is called Donkey. Elsewhere the same game is known as Bhabhi, Thulla or Getaway.

What is vettu in Kazhutha?

Vettu (a cut) is when you have no card of the suit that was led and play a card of another suit. The round ends, and the player with the highest card of the led suit picks up all the cards.

Can I play Kazhutha online?

Yes. On donkeycardgame.com you create a room, share the link and play with 3 to 8 friends in the browser, free and without sign-up.

Kazhutha card game: rules in English and how to play online

Kazhutha (കഴുത) is the card game every Malayali family seems to know, from Onam holidays to long train journeys. Everyone tries to get rid of their cards, and the last player still holding cards is the kazhutha, the donkey. In Tamil Nadu it is Kazhudhai (கழுதை). You can play Kazhutha online with friends here, for free.

What is Kazhutha called in English?

Kazhutha is Malayalam for donkey, so in English the game is simply called Donkey. The same game is known as Bhabhi or Thulla in north India and Pakistan, and as Getaway in English rule books. Some people call the game Kazhutakali (കഴുതകളി), “the donkey game”.

Vettu: the move that decides the game

When a suit is led and you have no card of that suit, you play any other card. That is a vettu (വെട്ട്), a cut. The round stops at once, and whoever has played the highest card of the led suit takes all the cards on the table into their hand. A good vettu passes your worst card to someone else; getting caught by one is how you end up as the kazhutha.

Example: Anu leads 7♥, Biju plays A♥, and Cini has no Hearts, so she plays 3♣ as a vettu. Biju played the highest Heart, so Biju picks up 7♥, A♥ and 3♣, and leads the next round.

The rules in English

Kazhutha is the same game as Donkey: the Ace of Spades starts, everyone follows suit, a clean round is thrown away, and a vettu makes the highest card of the led suit pick up the pile. The last one left holding cards is the kazhutha. The full rules with examples explain everything step by step.

Kazhutha, Donkey or Bhabhi: is it the same game?

Yes. The core is the same everywhere: follow suit, cut when you can't, highest card picks up. Families differ only in small things, such as who starts the next game or whether the session is scored. Be careful with one name, though: in Britain and the Caribbean, “Donkey” is also a different children's game in which you pass cards to collect four of a kind and grab a spoon. That game has nothing to do with Kazhutha.

Play Kazhutha online with family

Cousins in Dubai, friends in Bengaluru, parents at home: everyone can play Kazhutha online here from their own phone, free, with no download. For tips on not ending up as the kazhutha, see the strategy guide.

Play Kazhutha online