Tamil Vocabulary

Tamil Vocabulary

Weekdays in Tamil


If you want to meet someone who is a tamil native speaker, it is useful to know this vocabulary.

Try to match the pronunciation as in the audio.

Monday

Tiṅkaṭkiḻamai
Tuesday

Cevvāykkiḻamai
Wednesday

Putaṉkalamai
Thursday

Viyāḻakalamai
Friday

Veḷḷikilamai
Saturday

Caṉikkiḻamai
Sunday

Ñāyiṟṟukkiḻamai

Tamil weekdays as PDF Download

Weekdays in Tamil poster
Download Tamil Weekdays

Numbers in Tamil


Once you know the numbers, you are sufficiently prepared for your first purchase in Tamil.

Try to match the pronunciation as in the audio.

0

Caivar
1

Ondu
2

Tandhu
3

Munduh
4

Nallu
5

Aingu
6

Aaru
7

Ēḻu
8

Eṭṭu
9

Oṉpatu
10

Pattu
11

Patiṉondu
12

Paandantu
13

Patiṉmundu
14

Patiṉalu
15

Patiṉaingu

Tamil numbers as PDF Download

Numbers in Tamil poster

Colors in Tamil


If you want to buy clothes, you need the vocabulary. In most stores there is no modern self-service, so you need to be able to explain to the salesperson what fabric/clothing you mean.

Red

Civappu
Orange

Ārañcu
Yellow

Mañcaḷ
Green

Paccai
Blue

Nīlam
Purple

Ūtā
Brown

Paḻuppu
White

Vellai
Black

Karupu

Directions in Tamil


Once you are in Tamil speaking areas you will need the directions to describe your destination to the Tuk Tuk driver.

left

Iṭappakkam
right

Valatupakkam
straight on

Nērā
back

Tirumpi
towards

Nōkki
before

Muṉ
to

-
up

-
there

Aṅku
north

Vaṭakku
east

Kiḻakku
south

Teṟku
west

Mēṟku

Welcome in Tamil


As you know, there are different greetings depending on the time. By using the following words, you will no longer have problems greeting Tamil people in a friendly way without making any mistakes.

Try to match the pronunciation as in the audio.

Hello

Vanakkam
Good Morning

Kālai Vanakkam
Good Evening

Mālai Vanakkam
Good Night

Iravu Vanakkam

hint: You can also say goodbye with the basic form "Vanakkam". You see this form for example in the farewell of newscasters.

Boy and Girl in Tamil


In Tamil, there is a peculiarity with girls. Where one word is enough for a boy, two versions are needed for the female gender. The actual word for a girl is peddai, but for cultural reasons this is not very respectful, so girls are often addressed as pillai. Which means baby/small child.

பொடியன்

Podiyan
பெட்டை

Peddai (unrespectful)
பிள்ளை

Pillai

Man and Women in Tamil


The following words are used in Tamil for the meaning of man (manusan) and woman (manisi).

Note: However, manusan and manisi are used to address an older man or woman. At the same time, this usage is used among married couples.

Āṇ

Man
மனுசன்

Manusan
Pen

Women
மனிசி

Manisi

Meals in Tamil (time-dependent)


The following words express meals depending on the time of day.

Note: The word "unavu" means meal, which is always added at the end. Word construction: time of day + "unavu

breakfast

Kaalai unavu
lunch

Matiya uṇavu
dinner

Iravu uṇavu

Drinks in Tamil


The following Tamil words represent the most common drinks in Tamil.

Tamils most often drink an aromatic black tea. This is served in two variants, once with and without milk.

water

Taṇṇī
plain-tea

Tetaṇṇī
Tea with milk

Paal Tetaṇṇī

Food



  • Apples - ஆப்பிள் பழங்கள் (Appil pazhangal)
  • Bananas - வாழைப் பழங்கள் (Vazhaip pazhangal)
  • Bread - ரொட்டி (rotti)
  • Butter - வெண்ணெய் (vennai)
  • Cheese - பாலாடைக் கட்டி (paladaik katti)
  • Chicken - கோழி (kozhi)
  • Coffee - காபி (kappi)
  • Eggs - முட்டைகள் (muttaigal)
  • Fish - மீன் (meen)
  • Food - உணவு(Unavu)
  • Fruit - பழவகைகள்(pazham)
  • Meat - இறைச்சி (Iraichchi)
  • Milk - பால் (Pal)
  • Onions - வெங்காயம் (vengayam)
  • Oranges - ஆரஞ்சுப் பழங்கள் (Aranjup pazhangal)
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