Learning Tamil 🇮🇳🇱🇰🇸🇬🇲🇾🇵🇰

Learning Tamil

Tamil is the language spoken by the Tamil ethnicity in India, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, Pakistan, and many more. 
Tamil people were the first to discover the land now known as the country Singapore and the name Singapore comes from Tamil.

Ethnicities in Sri Lanka:

Map of the Tamil Nadu State in India:

Greetings

• Vanakam - Hello
• Eppati irrikirinkal (eppadi irrikiringal) (in casual settings eppati) - How are you 
• Irrikurom - I'm fine 
• Nalla Irrukorum - I'm good 
• Saukiyama or Eppadi sugam - How is your health 
• Sugam or Nalla sugam - I'm fine/I'm good

Words 

• Om - Yes 
• Illa - No 
• Kacu - Cash 
• Ethanaiyavathu - A word that exists in Tamil but not English, there is no English equivalent. Ethanaiyavathu or Ethanavathu which is a question what position something takes in a list. So for example, "Modi India vin ethanaiyavathu PM?" Is "Which/what number prime minister of India is Modi?" (11th)

Loan Words of Tamil Origin

• Kuruntham/ Kuruvintham - Ruby 
• Corundum comes from the tamil name Kuruntham/ Kuruvintham 
• Kattumaran - Catamaran A type of raft comes from the Tamil word for "logs tied together" Kattumaran 
• "Aanaik konraan"- Anaconda - Elephant killer 
• Paraiyar - Pariah - Outcast 
• Kalvettu - Culvert (those round things that empty drainage pipes into rivers) 

Food 

• Kanci - Congee 
• Kari - Curry
• Maangai - Mango 
• Moringa
• Murungai 
• Mulligatawny
• Milagu thani - literally "pepper water"
• Patchouli - The family of plants mint belongs to, "green leaf"
• Inji ver - Ginger

Family 

• Appa - Father
• Amma - Mother
• Mahan - Son
• Mahal - Daughter
• Sagothiran - Brother
• Sagothari - Sister

• Manaivi (formal) Pondati (casual) - Wife
• Kanavan (formal) Purushan (casual) - Husband
• Thozhan (formal) Nanban (casual) - Male friend
• Thozhi - Female Friend

• Anna - Older brother/any respected male acquaintance 
• Acca, pure form Thamakkai - Older sister/any respected female colleague 
• Thampi (p is pronounced like b) - Younger brother/ young man
• Thangaichi (thangai for short occasionally) - Younger sister 
  

• Thatha - Mother's father  
• Ammamma - Mother mother 
• Paati - Grandmother/respected elderly woman
• Appappa - Father father 
• Appamma - Father mother 
• Periappa - Father older brother 
• Chitthapa - Father younger brother 
• Mami - Father sister/ father brother wife
• Periamma - Mother older sister  
• Chitthi - Mother younger sister
• Mama - Mother brother/ father sister husband

• Marumahal - Daughter-in-law/niece
• Marumahan - Son-in-law/nephew
• Machchan - Brother in law
• Machchal - Sister in law