Basic Words In Tamil: 20+ Most Useful Vocabulary

Do you know that Tamil is the world’s eighteenth most spoken language? Knowing the basic words in Tamil opens the door to a large body of art in the Tamil language.

Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken primarily by the Tamil people of South Asia. In the four other South Indian states, Tamil is spoken by a minority population. Due to the popularity of Tamil, you should learn the basic words in Tamil. Also, speaking Tamil can assist you in business and vacation journeys.

In addition, communication with locals can lead to experiences that only people who speak the country’s local language can have. So, explore the language and learn the basic Tamil words with this complete guide!

Status Of Tamil Language 

As the official language of Singapore and Sri Lanka, Tamil is spoken worldwide. As of now, there are at least 80 million native Tamil speakers. But it came from a long history of changing languages and cultures. After evolving from an old literary culture, the basic Tamil words have undergone significant phonological alterations and sound shifts.

Counting all the vowels and consonants, there are 31 words in the Tamil dialect. Moreover, Tamil is as adaptable as Sanskrit and Latin in terms of creating new words.

Some Basic Words In Tamil 

If you only want to know what to say when speaking in Tamil, these basic phrases, expressions, and words will assist! For example, the word “today” has a Tamil translation as “இன்று” “Iṉṟu.” It is the most commonly used word in any language.

Take another example of the basic word “food” translated as “உணவு” “Uṇavu.” Like these, many other basic words in Tamil are important to learn. The majority of the words below have common usage in regular speech, so memorizing them may come in helpful.

English words	Pronunciation	Basic words in Tamil
Come	Vāruṅkaḷ	வாருங்கள்
Go	Pō	போ
Take	Eṭuttukkoḷ	எடுத்துக்கொள்
Slow	Metuvāka	மெதுவாக
Today	Iṉṟu	இன்று
Day	Nāḷ	நாள்
Night	Iravu	இரவு
Sleep	Tūṅku	தூங்கு
Food	Uṇavu	உணவு
To drink	Kuṭikka	குடிக்க
Enough	Pōtum	போதும்

Basic Greeting In Tamil

Can you say “Hello” in multiple languages?

Why not put in a bit of effort and learn a few more greetings? For example, you can modify how you greet people depending on the time of day!

Start your day with the phrase “Good morning” “காலை வணக்கம்” “Kālai vaṇakkam!” The Tamil phrase for “good night” “இனிய இரவு” “Iṉiya iravu” is comparable to “goodbye” “பிரியாவிடை” “Piriyāviṭai” in English. So only say this one before going to bed. Learn more basic words in Tamil from below. 

English words	Pronunciation	Tamil words
Hi!	Vaṇakkam	வணக்கம்
Good morning!	Kālai vaṇakkam	காலை வணக்கம்
Good afternoon!	Matiya vaṇakkam	மதிய வணக்கம்
Good evening!	Mālai vaṇakkam	மாலை வணக்கம்
Good night!	Iṉiya iravu	இனிய இரவு
Good bye!	Piriyāviṭai	பிரியாவிடை

Basic Words In Tamil For Travelers 

Tamil is a rich language. If you travel to any other South Indian city where Tamil is not an official language, you can talk in Tamil. It is because most people are familiar with spoken Tamil. 

Do you need to learn and speak Tamil for travel purposes? You can start by learning the basic words that have wide usage worldwide. Also, consider learning some common phrases. For example, learn the phrase “Where is the restaurant?” s “உணவகங்கள் எங்கே?” “Uṇavakaṅkaḷ eṅkē?” 

It is important to learn the above phrase when you are in another country. You will need to visit restaurants and often ask about the location from the locals. So, the first thing is to study those phrases that you believe can make your traveling easy and worthwhile. Below are some of the other traveling phrases that every traveler must learn. 

English words	Pronunciation	Tamil words
Do you speak English?	Nī āṅkilam pēcukiṟāyā?	நீ ஆங்கிலம் பேசுகிறாயா?
How much does this cost?	Itaṉ vilai evvaḷavu?	இதன் விலை எவ்வளவு?
Where are the restaurants?	Uṇavakaṅkaḷ eṅkē?	உணவகங்கள் எங்கே?
Wait! I must pay the bill.	Kāttiru! Nāṉ pil kaṭṭa vēṇṭum.	காத்திரு! நான் பில் கட்ட வேண்டும் .
Where is the nearest bank?	Arukil uḷḷa vaṅki eṅkē?	அருகில் உள்ள வங்கி எங்கே?
Can you guide me, please?	Tayavuceytu eṉakku vaḻikāṭṭa muṭiyumā?	தயவுசெய்து எனக்கு வழிகாட்ட முடியுமா?
Can you say that more slowly?	Iṉṉum metuvāka colla muṭiyumā?	இன்னும் மெதுவாக சொல்ல முடியுமா?
Order food, please.	Tayavuceytu uṇavai ārṭar ceyyuṅkaḷ.	தயவுசெய்து உணவை ஆர்டர் செய்யுங்கள்.

Basic Tamil Words For Family

Family is important to Indians, regardless of their first language. Ask about their family if you want to have a long conversation with someone from Tamil Nadu.

Now is the moment to skip formal conversation and start making contact with locals in Tamil. Take some interest in learning and beat the table with your speaking skills.

English words	Pronunciation	Tamil words
Mother	Amma	அம்மா
Father	Appā	அப்பா
Grandfather	Tāttā	தாத்தா
Grandmother	Pāṭṭi	பாட்டி
Mother’s sister	Citti	சித்தி
Uncle	Māmā	மாமா
Aunt	Attai	அத்தை
Elder sister	Mūtta cakōtari	மூத்த சகோதரி
Younger sister	Iḷaiya cakōtari	இளைய சகோதரி
Elder brother	Mūtta aṇṇaṉ	மூத்த அண்ணன்
Younger brother	Iḷaiya cakōtarar	இளைய சகோதரர்

Basic Tamil Words And phrases For Daily Use

If you want to interact with more people, learn the basic everyday words. Firstly, learn to say Yes and No in Tamil. These words will help you a lot if you do not speak Tamil well. So, learn to say “No” in Tamil, which means “இல்லை” “Illa.” Other everyday words and their Tamil meanings are below. 

English phrases	Pronunciation	Tamil Phrases
Thank you, Roma.	Naṉṟi, rōmā.	நன்றி, ரோமா.
And you?	Maṟṟum nī?	மற்றும் நீ?
Good!	Nalla!	நல்ல!
Can you help me?	Nīṅkaḷ eṉakku utava muṭiyumā?	நீங்கள் எனக்கு உதவ முடியுமா?
I am lost.	Nāṉ tolaintuviṭṭēṉ!	நான் தொலைந்துவிட்டேன்!
What is your name?	Uṅkaḷ peyar eṉṉa?	உங்கள் பெயர் என்ன?
You are welcome!	Nīṅkaḷ varavēṟkappaṭukiṟīrkaḷ!	நீங்கள் வரவேற்கப்படுகிறீர்கள்!
Can you repeat that please!	Atai mīṇṭum colla muṭiyumā?	அதை மீண்டும் சொல்ல முடியுமா?

Learn The Tamil Language With Ling! 

Learning a new language using language learning tools is a useful step. Ling App is a language learning tool that exhibits unique features.

The Ling app provides effective remote learning and frees you from the traditional classroom system. It has game modes that make learning easy and quick.

You can learn Tamil and many other languages from Ling free of cost. People who speak English can learn Tamil by conversing with the instructors on Ling App. This is the second entry in our new Tamil blog, so why not check out the first, No Tamil on Rosetta Stone?

Instructors and chatbots offer practical sessions to help you learn Tamil expressions and basic words. You can also get the answers to questions from the instructors. Further, stay tuned for more upcoming Tamil lessons. Till then, download Ling – Learn Tamil on the App Store or Play Store to learn to speak the most common phrases in the Tamil language for every situation.