Useful Sinhala and Tamil Phrases for Travellers

Sri Lanka has two official languages: Sinhala, spoken by the majority, and Tamil, spoken mainly in the north, east and the tea country. English is widely understood in tourist areas. You don't need to learn either language to travel, but even a few words are warmly appreciated.

Pronunciation here is simplified for English speakers.

Greetings and basics

English	Sinhala	Tamil
Hello / welcome (formal)	Ayubowan (ah-yu-bo-wan)	Vanakkam (va-nuk-kum)
How are you?	Kohomada? (ko-ho-ma-da)	Eppadi irukkeenga? (ep-pa-dee ee-ruk-keen-ga)
I'm fine	Hondai (hon-dai)	Nallam (nal-lum)
Thank you	Stuti (stu-ti) / Bohoma stuti (thank you very much)	Nandri (nun-dree)
Yes	Ow (oh)	Aamaam (aa-maam)
No	Naha (na-ha)	Illai (il-lai)
OK / fine	Hari (ha-ree)	Sari (sa-ree)
Sorry / excuse me	Samavenna (sa-ma-ven-na)	Mannikkavum (man-nik-ka-vum)
Goodbye	Gihin ennam (gi-hin en-nam) — "I'll go and come back"	Poittu varen (poy-tu va-ren)

Ayubowan means "may you live long" and is said with palms pressed together. It's the classic greeting you'll hear at hotels and temples.

Useful phrases

English	Sinhala	Tamil
How much?	Kiyada? (kee-ya-da)	Evvalavu? (ev-va-la-vu)
Too expensive	Ganan wadi (ga-nan wa-dee)	Vilai adhigam (vee-lai a-dhi-gam)
I don't want it	Mata epa (ma-ta e-pa)	Enakku vendaam (e-nuk-ku ven-daam)
Where is…?	…koheda? (ko-he-da)	…enge? (en-ge)
Water	Wathura (wa-thu-ra)	Thanneer (than-neer)
Tea	Thé (tay)	Thé (tay)
Delicious!	Rasai! (ra-sai)	Rusiyaa irukku! (ru-see-yaa ee-ruk-ku)
Not spicy, please	Sera nathuwa (sae-ra na-thu-wa)	Kaaram vendaam (kaa-ram ven-daam)
Bill, please	Bill eka denna (bil e-ka den-na)	Bill tharungal (bil tha-run-gal)
I don't understand	Mata therenne naha (ma-ta the-ren-ne na-ha)	Puriyavillai (pu-ree-ya-vil-lai)

Numbers

	Sinhala	Tamil
1	eka	ondru
2	deka	rendu
3	thuna	moondru
4	hathara	naangu
5	paha	ainthu
10	dahaya	paththu
100	siyaya	nooru

Food words

• Bath (Sinhala) / soru (Tamil) — rice
• Maalu (S) / meen (T) — fish
• Kukul mas (S) / koli (T) — chicken
• Elavalu (S) / kaai kari (T) — vegetables
• Pol (S) / thengai (T) — coconut
• Kiri (S) / paal (T) — milk

See our vegetarian guide for food requests and our street food guide for dishes.

Body language

• The head wobble — a side-to-side tilt of the head usually means "yes", "OK" or "I understand", not "no".
• Use your right hand to give, receive and eat.
• Pressing your palms together while saying Ayubowan or Vanakkam is a respectful greeting.

More customs in our culture and etiquette guide.

Where each language is spoken

• Sinhala — most of the south, west, centre and Cultural Triangle.
• Tamil — Jaffna and the north, much of the east (Trincomalee, Batticaloa) and among tea-estate communities in the hill country. Many Sri Lankan Muslims also speak Tamil.