Home and things in Sinhala
198 words Sinhala words on the topic “home and things”: ගෙදර — home, කූඩය — basket, කැඩිලා — broken, නවාතැන — housing. 198 words can be played from recordings.
198 words on the topic
- ගෙදරgedarahomeHome as your own place and 'homeward' are one word with no preposition at all: gedara yanava, 'I'm going home'. A house as a building is another word, ge
- කූඩයkūḍayabasketA woven basket and the shop's basket alike. A long u: kuu-daya
- කැඩිලාkæḍilābrokenFrom kæḍenavā, 'to break'. The same -lā state form as in æralā: a state, not an action
- නවාතැනnavātænahousingLiterally 'a place of staying': thena is a place. A rented student room is a bōḍima
- කාමරයkāmarayaroomFrom Sanskrit. One room is kāmarayak, two are kāmara dekak: with the non-living the plural is often shorter than the singular
- කුස්සියkussiyakitchenkus-si-ya: the doubled ss is held longer than a single one
- නාන කාමරයnāna kāmarayabathroomLiterally 'the washing room', from nānavā, 'to wash'. The toilet is separate: væsikiliya
- බැල්කනියbælkaniyabalconyThe English balcony with the ending -ya. In a simpler house the same spot will be called the veranda
- තට්ටුවtaṭṭuvastoreyThe second floor is deveni taṭṭuva. The floor under your feet is a different word, bima
- ලිෆ්ට් එකlifṭ ekaliftThe English lift plus eka. The letter fa is the youngest in the alphabet; it appeared for loanwords
- තරප්පුවtarappuvastairsIn speech you'll rather hear 'a row of steps' or simply tarappu, 'steps'
- මේසයmēsayatablePortuguese mesa: the Portuguese left in the language the table, the chair and the window
- පුටුවpuṭuvachairThe ṭ is the 'heavy' t, the tongue pressing the palate. A pair of chairs is puṭu dekak
- ඇඳændabede-nda: the n here is light, almost swallowed
- අල්මාරියalmāriyawardrobePortuguese armário. Through Arabic the same root gave English 'armoire'
- ජනේලයjanēlayawindowPortuguese janela. One more word that arrived together with the thing itself
- දොරdoradoorNative, not borrowed. 'The house door' is a set pair and means the whole household
- යතුරyaturakeyAlso 'a keyboard key' and 'a button': yathuru puvaruva is the keyboard
- ලාම්පුවlāmpuvalampA kerosene lamp and a desk lamp. An electric bulb is the English 'bulb'
- උණු වතුරuṇu vaturahot wateruṇu is 'hot'; the ṇ is a retroflex n, the tip of the tongue at the palate. Don't confuse it with una, 'a fever'
- කරන්ට් එකkaranṭ ekaelectricityThe English current. The bookish viduliya stands on bills, and at home people say 'the current went' when the power is out
- කුණුkuṇutrashThe word is always plural. The trash bin is kuṇu bāldiya
- පිරිසිදු කිරීමpirisidu kirīmacleaningLiterally 'the making clean': -īma turns a verb into a noun. At home people say it simpler: 'to make clean'
- රෙදි සේදීමredi sēdīmalaundryredi is cloth, clothes. In speech people more often use the verb: 'I'm washing the laundry'
- පිඟන්pingandishespi-ngan: the nga is one half-nasal sign, said as a knot
- තුවායtuvāyatowelPortuguese toalha. The sarong worn at home is a different thing entirely — the sarama you know
- සබන්sabansoapThrough Portuguese sabão — the same root as English soap. A bar of soap is saban kætayak
- අසල්වැසියාasalvæsiyāneighborLiterally 'the one living near': asal is nearby. The ending -yā marks the living; the plural is asalvæsiyō
- ගෙදර අයිතිකාරයාgedara āyitikārayālandlordLiterally 'the owner of the house': ayitiya is the right of ownership. One doesn't address him so but by age: aiyā, 'big brother', or mahattayā, 'sir'
- කුලියkuliyarentAlso the fare for a tuk-tuk: 'how much is the fare?'
- ඩිපොසිට් එකḍiposiṭ ekadepositWhen renting on the island people more often say 'advance' — attikārama — and it is usually two or three months paid ahead
- බිලbilautility billThe English bill, settled in as a native: the water bill, the current bill. A shop receipt is not this but the risīṭ you know
- අලුත්වැඩියාවalutvæḍiyāvarenovationLiterally 'work anew': alut, 'new', plus væḍa, 'work'
- සද්දෙයිsaddeyinoisyFrom saddē, 'noise'. The request to be quieter: 'reduce the noise'
- වැඩ කරන්නේ නෑvæḍa karannē nǣnot workingLiterally 'does no work' — about devices and about people alike. The negative nǣ, as always, is the last word
- කැඩිලා තියෙනවාkæḍilā tiyenavāit brokeThe -lā form plus tiyenavā: 'it stands broken'. About things it is exactly tiyenavā, never innavā
- කාන්දු වෙනවාkāndu venavāto leakAbout a tap, a roof and a boat alike. Venavā is 'to become', the second most frequent verb after karanavā
- කාර්මිකයෙක්ට කතා කරන්නkārmikayekṭa katā karannacall a technicianLiterally 'talk with a technician': phoning and talking are the same verb. The ending -ṭa marks the one you turn to
- ඔයා කවදාද එන්නේ?oyā kavadāda ennē?when will you come?kavadāda asks 'on which day'. The hour is asked with kīyaṭada. The verb in the question takes the -nnē form
- මට අරින්න බෑmaṭa arinna bǣI can't open itbǣ is 'I can't', the pair to puḷuvan, 'I can'. The scheme maṭa + verb-nna + bǣ works with any action
- උණු කරනවාuṇu karanavāto warm upThe familiar uṇu, 'hot', plus karanavā, 'to do': make hot. Reheating a cooked dish is rat karanavā, and 'it gets hot by itself' is rat venavā
- බඩුbaḍubelongingsA word with no singular: 'things, goods, stuff'. At the shop it names the goods too: 'do you have things?'
- නානවාnānavāto batheIn the sea and at home in the bathroom — one verb. From it comes the word for 'bathroom' from unit six
- වත්තvattagardenBoth the garden by the house and a plantation: a tea garden is a tea estate. The yard before the house has its own name
- වතුර දානවාvatura dānavāto waterLiterally 'to put water'. Dānavā is a very busy verb: to put, to pour, to sprinkle
- හෝදනවාhōdanavāto washTo wash dishes, vegetables, hands. Laundry is a different verb, and in speech the two blur together
- ලිපlipastoveOriginally the hearth, now any stove: 'gas stove', 'electric stove'
- ෆ්රිජ් එකfrij ekafridgeThe English fridge. The bookish word stands in manuals and adverts, but not in talk
- කේතලයkētalayakettleThe English kettle with a Sinhala ending. The teapot for brewing is 'the tea pot eka'
- වහලයvahalayaroofFrom vahanavā, to cover — the same verb as in 'to close the door'. Roof tiles are uḷu
- බිත්තියbittiyawallbit-ti-ya; the tti is long and dental, tongue right at the teeth
- නිදන කාමරයnidana kāmarayabedroomThe familiar kāmaraya, room, with a modifier from nidanavā, to sleep. The bathroom and dining room are built the same way
- මිදුලmidulacourtyardThe open patch in front of the house, swept every morning. A garden with trees is vatta
- සිවිලිමsivilimaceilingStraight from English ceiling. It settled so well that its bookish double is hardly ever remembered
- ගේට්ටුවgēṭṭuvagategeet-tu-va; the ttu is a long tt with the tongue at the palate
- වැටvæṭafenceA hedge and a wooden fence are one word. A wire fence is kambi væṭa
- ගරාජයgarājayagarageThe garage by the house and the car repair shop alike: the car is taken 'to the garage'
- තැපැල් පෙට්ටියtæpæl peṭṭiyamailboxThe familiar tæpal, mail, and peṭṭiya, box, together. The red street box is called the same
- බිම් මහලbim mahalabasementLiterally the 'earth floor'. Basements are rare on the island, so it usually means the ground level of a mall
- පිඟන් හෝදනවාpingan hōdanavāto wash the dishesThe familiar pingan, dishes, and hōdanavā, to wash, together — Sinhala assembles housework exactly like this
- අතුගානවාatugānavāto sweepSweep the floor or the yard. The broom is idala, made of palm, no handle
- රෙදි හෝදනවාredi hōdanavāto do laundryLiterally 'to wash cloth': there is no single verb for laundry. The familiar redi sēdīma names the same act
- ඉස්තිරික්ක කරනවාistirikka karanavāto do the ironingFrom the Portuguese estirar, to stretch — another colonial trace. Stroking a person's head is a different verb altogether
- රෑ කෑම උයනවාrǣ kǣma uyanavāto make dinnerThe familiar rǣ, night, kǣma, food, and uyanavā, to cook. Breakfast is udē kǣma, lunch daval kǣma
- කුණු ගෙනියනවාkuṇu geniyanavāto take out the trashgeniyanavā is 'to carry off', a fused 'taking plus going'. The familiar kunu is the trash
- වැක්කුම් ක්ලීනර් එකvækkum klīnar ekavacuum cleanerEnglish whole: no native word, no bookish double either. Homes rarely have one — sweeping is the norm
- බුරුසුවburusuvabrushFrom the Portuguese brossa. A toothbrush is dat burusuva, from the familiar data, tooth
- බාල්දියbāldiyabucketMore Portuguese inheritance: balde. A bucket of water is vatura bāldiyak
- ඉස්තිරික්කයistirikkayaclothes ironis-ti-rik-ka-ya; the kk is a long, doubled k
- උදව් කරනවාudav karanavāto helpThe familiar udav, help, plus karanavā. The one helped stands in the -ṭa form: 'help me' is maṭa udav karanna
- දොර වහන්නdora vahannaclose the doorThe familiar dora, door, and vahanavā, to close — the same verb as in 'shut'. Softer with the tag: dora vahannakō
- ජනේලය අරින්නjanēlaya arinnaopen the windowarinavā, to open, is the same verb as in 'you can't open it for me'. Its pair is vahanna, close
- ඒක මට දෙන්නකෝēka maṭa dennakōpass meThe -kō tag at the end softens the request into a homely 'pass it, would you'. Official speech drops it
- කරුණාකර සද්දේ අඩු කරන්නkaruṇākara saddē aḍu karannaquieter, pleaseLiterally 'lessen the noise': Sinhala asks you to take the sound away, not to 'be quieter'. saddē is the colloquial shape of the familiar 'it's noisy'
- ගෙයක් කුලියට ගන්නවාgeyak kuliyaṭa gannavāto rent an apartmentLiterally 'to take a house for rent': the familiar kuliya, rent, in the -ṭa form. Speech doesn't split flat and house: both are gedara
- කුලියට දෙනවාkuliyaṭa denavāto rent out an apartmentThe pair to the previous one: gannavā, to take, becomes denavā, to give. The fence says it outright: 'for rent'
- කුලී ගිවිසුමkulī givisumaleaseThe familiar givisuma, contract. The kulī shape is its modifier, as in 'a hire car'
- මාසේ කුලියmāsē kuliyarent amountLiterally the 'month's rent' — that's exactly how people ask about it. Kuliya on its own is just 'rent'
- කුලී කාලයkulī kālayalease termkālaya is a term, a period — the same word as in the probation period. The usual term here is a year with renewal
- ගෙවල් බ්රෝකර්geval brōkarreal estate agentLiterally a 'house broker': geval is the plural of gedara. His fee is usually one month's rent
- ගෙදර බලන්න යන එකgedara balanna yana ekaapartment viewingLiterally 'a going to look at the house': Sinhala builds the noun out of a whole phrase with eka. There's no separate word for it
- ෆර්නිෂ්ඩ් ගෙදරfarniṣḍ gedarafurnished apartmentEnglish furnished. The ad writes the bookish 'with household goods', but aloud people just ask 'furnished-da?'
- අලුත් ගෙදරට එනවාalut gedaraṭa enavāto move inLiterally 'to come to the new house'. The first entry into a new home is a rite in its own right, with monks and kin invited
- ගෙදරින් යනවාgedarin yanavāto move outThe -n form says where from: gedarin, 'from the house'. The pair to 'coming to the new house'
- ගෙදර මාරුවgedara māruvathe movemāruva is a change, a swap — you know it from 'change it'. A job transfer is said the same way: 'a work change'
- ගෙදර මාරු වෙනවාgedara māru venavāto move houseThe verb to the previous one. Where to takes the -ṭa form: 'we're moving to Colombo'
- බඩු උස්සන කම්කරුවාbaḍu ussana kamkaruvāmoverLiterally a 'worker lifting things': ussanavā, to lift, in the modifier form. There's no separate word for a mover
- ඔතනවාotanavāto pack upTo wrap in paper or cloth. The familiar 'pack the things' is bag-packing; otanavā wraps each piece
- බඩු එළියට ගන්නවාbaḍu eḷiyaṭa gannavāto unpackba-du e-li-ya-ta; the ḷ is the curled-tongue l
- අලුත් ලිපිනයalut lipinayathe new addressThe familiar alut, new, and lipinaya, address. A change of address is said with 'the address changed'
- බඩු ගෙනියන එකbaḍu geniyana ekathe transport of your thingsLiterally 'the things being carried': geniyanavā, to carry off. The bookish phrase is painted on the side of the truck
- පදිංචි වෙනවාpadiṁci venavāto settle inTo settle and put down roots. From it also comes 'residence' on forms — and the familiar residence permit
- අලුත් තැනට පුරුදු වෙනවාalut tænaṭa purudu venavāto get used to the new placetæna, place, in the -ṭa form plus purudu, accustomed. What you get used to always goes through -ṭa
- ෆර්නිචර්farnicarfurnitureEnglish furniture with no additions. The bookish phrase stands on the furniture shop's sign
- සෝෆා එකsōfā ekasofaEnglish sofa. The long wooden bench of an old house has another name, bankuva
- අත් පුටුවat puṭuvaarmchairLiterally a 'chair with arms': the familiar at, hands, and puṭuva, chair
- රාක්කයrākkayashelfraak-ka-ya; a long aa and a long kk
- කාපට් එකkāpaṭ ekacarpetEnglish carpet. People know the bookish palasa, but homes have almost no carpets: on the floor there's a woven mat, pædura
- කණ්ණාඩියkaṇṇāḍiyamirrorkan-naa-di-ya; the nn is a long curled-tongue n and the ḍ a back d
- තිර රෙද්දtira reddacurtainti-ra red-da; the dd is long
- කොට්ටයkoṭṭayapillowThe pillowcase is 'the pillow's shirt'. The doubled tt is retroflex and stretches
- පොරවනයporavanayablanketFrom poravanavā, to cover oneself. In the hot climate it's rare; more often you take a sheet
- එල්ලෙන ලාම්පුවellena lāmpuvaceiling lampLiterally the 'hanging lamp': the familiar lāmpuva plus 'to hang'. There's no separate word for a chandelier
- තීන්තtīntapaintAn old borrowing from Portuguese. The brush for it is the familiar burusuva
- බිත්ති තීන්ත ගානවාbitti tīnta gānavāto paint the wallsgānavā is 'to smear': the same word spreads butter on bread and ointment on skin. The familiar wall word stands in the plural
- බිත්ති කඩදාසිbitti kaḍadāsiwallpaperLiterally 'wall paper': kadadāsiya is paper. Wallpaper is almost unheard of in a Lankan home — walls get painted
- ටයිල්ṭayiltilesEnglish tiles, always plural. Floors in a new house are almost always tiled
- ඉස්කුරුප්පු නියනiskuruppu niyanascrewdriveris-ku-rup-pu ni-ya-na; the pp is long
- ඩ්රිල් එකḍril ekadrillEnglish drill. To bore a hole is literally 'to pierce a hole'
- පයිප්පයpayippayapipeEnglish pipe with a Sinhala tail. When it leaks, it's the familiar 'leak venavā'
- බල්බ් එක ගියාbalb eka giyāthe bulb has blownLiterally 'the bulb has gone': yanavā, to go, about appliances means it died. Said of the light altogether too: 'the current went'
- උණුසුම් කිරීමuṇusum kirīmaheatingu-nu-sum ki-rii-ma; the ṇ is the curled-tongue n
- ගෙදර අලුත්වැඩියා කරනවාgedara alutvæḍiyā karanavāto do renovation workThe familiar alutvæḍiyāva, renovation, turned into a verb here. Literally 'to do the house new work'
- මීටරයmīṭarayameter (device)The same word as the unit of length: metre and meter aren't distinguished here. The topic settles which is meant
- මීටර් රීඩිං එකmīṭar rīḍiṁ ekameter readingEnglish reading. Once a month a person comes and writes it down in a little book
- වතුර බිලvatura bilathe water billThe familiar vatura, water, and bila, bill. The electricity bill is built in the same order
- කරන්ට් බිලkaranṭ bilathe electricity billThe familiar 'karanṭ eka', electricity, loses its eka here: before another noun the tag isn't needed
- වතුර කපලාvatura kapalāthey have cut off the waterLiterally 'the water has been cut': kapanavā, to cut. No one says who cut it — just like 'they cut off the water' in English
- කුණු බාල්දියkuṇu bāldiyathe rubbish containerThe familiar kunu, trash, and bāldiya, bucket. Trash on the island gets sorted into two buckets, and the truck comes by days
- ගොඩනැගිල්ලේ පිවිසුමgoḍanægillē pivisumathe entrance hallLiterally 'the entrance of the building'. There's no stairwell in the local sense: houses are one-story, and new blocks say 'the entrance'
- ඉන්ටර්කොම් එකinṭarkom ekathe intercomEnglish intercom, and only in new high-rises. An ordinary house has a bell at the gate — bel eka
- අසල්වැසියන්ගේ සද්දේasalvæsiyangē saddēthe neighbors' noiseThe familiar asalvæsiyā, neighbor, in the plural with -gē, plus saddē, noise. The -gē ending is for the living; for things it's -ē in its place
- ගෙදර නීතිgedara nītithe building rulesnītiya is law, rule, in the plural nīti. The same word names the laws of the country
- අවන් එකavan ekaovenEnglish oven. Not a must in a Lankan kitchen: nearly everything cooks on the familiar hearth
- මයික්රෝවේව් එකmayikrōvēv ekamicrowaveEnglish microwave. 'Heat it in the microwave' is said with exactly this word
- ග්රේටර් එකgrēṭar ekagraterEnglish grater. Coconut flesh is scraped not with it but with a special seat-shaped scraper
- ලොකු හැන්දloku hændaladleLiterally 'the big spoon': everyday speech has no separate word for it
- මූඩියmūḍiyalidOn the pot and on the jar alike. 'Put the lid on' is 'put the lid'
- කපන ලෑල්ලkapana lǣllacutting boardka-pa-na læl-la; a long vowel and a long ll
- ඇප්රන් එකæpran ekaapronEnglish apron. At home a towel over the shoulder usually does the job
- මේස රෙද්දmēsa reddatableclothThe familiar 'table' plus 'cloth': curtain and tablecloth are built identically
- බ්ලෙන්ඩර් එකblenḍar ekablenderEnglish blender. Spices are still ground on stone the old way — 'the chili stone'
- ලන්ච් බොක්ස් එකlanc boks ekafood containerEnglish lunch box: on the island rice goes to work in one. A bare plastic box is another word
- පනාවpanāvacombTo comb one's hair is another verb altogether: 'to comb the hair-do'
- රේසර් එකrēsar ekarazorEnglish razor. The native 'bristle knife' sounds old-fashioned, but the village will get it
- ෂැම්පුṣæmpushampooThe word came home: English shampoo itself came from Hindi. On the island it's sold in single-wash sachets
- කතුරkaturascissorsSingular here, unlike English: 'one scissors'
- ඉඳිකටුවindikaṭuvaneedlein-di-ka-tu-va; the nd is one sound and the ṭa a retroflex t
- නූල්nūlthreadA collective. The temple charm on the wrist is the same nūla, the 'pirith thread'
- විසි කරනවාvisi karanavāto throw awayBoth 'to toss' and 'to chuck in the trash'. 'Don't litter' is said with the same verb
- තියාගන්නවාtiyāgannavāto storeLiterally 'to keep on oneself'. 'Keep it in the fridge' is said with it
- වොෂිං මැෂින් එකvoṣiṁ mæṣin ekawashing machineEnglish washing machine. The familiar 'to do laundry' still works: 'wash in the machine'
- ඩිෂ්වොෂර් එකḍiṣvoṣar ekadishwasherEnglish dishwasher. A rare thing in a Lankan home, so the word is English only
- ෆ්රීසර් එකfrīsar ekafreezer compartmentMore often the top drawer of the familiar fridge, not a separate cabinet
- ෆෑන් එකfǣn ekafan (cooling)fæn e-ka; the æ is a long vowel
- හීටර් එකhīṭar ekaheaterUnneeded in the lowlands; the word comes in handy in Nuwara Eliya. The water heater takes the same word
- හෙයාර් ඩ්රයර් එකheyār ḍrayar ekahairdryerEnglish hair dryer. At the hotel they ask: 'is there a hairdryer?'
- එක්ස්ටෙන්ෂන් කෝඩ් එකeksṭenṣan kōḍ ekaextension cordEnglish extension cord. At the shop a shorter ask works: 'an extension'
- ස්විච් එකsvic ekalight switchEnglish switch. From it also come the familiar on/off verbs
- ඉස්කුරුප්පුවiskuruppuvawood screwThe familiar 'screwdriver' is literally a 'screw tool', from this very word
- ස්පැනර් එකspænar ekaadjustable wrenchEnglish spanner. The familiar 'key' won't do here: that one is for doors
- ප්ලයර් එකplayar ekapliersEnglish pliers, but in the singular — like nearly every tool name
- ඉන්සියුලේෂන් ටේප්insiyulēṣan ṭēpelectrical tapeEnglish insulation tape. At the shop 'black tape' is enough
- ගම්gamglueFrom English gum. The same word serves chewing gum
- සෙලෝ ටේප්selō ṭēpadhesive tapeFrom the Sellotape brand, just like 'Scotch tape' from Scotch. The wide packing kind is 'brown tape'
- ලණුවlaṇuvaropela-nu-va; the ṇ is the curled-tongue n
- අලවනවාalavanavāto glue onKin to 'to stick'. Said of a stamp on an envelope too
- තද කරනවාtada karanavāto screw inLiterally 'to make tight': tada is tight, firm. Unscrewing is another verb
- මනිනවාmaninavāto measureLength, weight and temperature alike. 'Measure with the tape' is said with it
- අතින්ම හදාගන්නවාatinma hadāgannavāto fix it yourselfLiterally 'to fix for oneself with the very hand': hadanavā here is 'to fix', and the -gannavā tail means 'for oneself'
- ෂවර් එකṣavar ekashowerEnglish shower — the spray and the act alike. Washing in general is the familiar other verb, and on the island it usually means a bucket and a scoop
- අලාම් ඔරලෝසුවalām oralōsuvaalarm clockThe clock word with English alarm in front makes the alarm clock. These days the phone wakes you, and they say 'the alarm on the phone'
- තර්මෝමීටරයtarmōmīṭarayatemperature gaugeAn English word with the Sinhala -ya tail. The bookish version, from the familiar 'temperature', is school fare
- ටෝස්ටර් එකṭōsṭar ekatoasterEnglish as is. The bread in it is the familiar paan, and the toasted slice is 'toast'
- මහන මැෂිමmahana mæṣimasewing machinema-ha-na mæ-shi-ma; the ṣ is a hissing sh
- අත්තිවාරමattivāramafoundationsOnly about a building's foundation. The basis of a conclusion from the proof unit is a different word: English 'foundation' covers both senses, Sinhala splits them
- අවසන් වැඩavasan væḍafinishing workLiterally 'the finishing works': plaster, paint, tiles. From the same final word as 'to conclude'. Trim on clothes is another matter and another word
- පහත් කරනවාpahat karanavāto lowerpahata is 'low', karanavā is 'to do'
- තල්ලු කරනවාtallu karanavāto moveBoth 'push' and 'move'. 'To pull toward oneself' is a different verb
- වට්ටනවාvaṭṭanavāto dropFrom væṭenavā, 'to fall': to make something fall
- බිමින් අහුලනවාbimin ahulanavāto pick upbima is both 'floor' and 'ground'. Ahulanavā is 'to pick up'
- එල්ලනවාellanavāto hang upOn a hook, on a rope, on a nail
- රාක්කයෙන් ගන්නවාrākkayen gannavāto take downrākkaya is 'a shelf'. A Sinhalese will simply say ganna, 'take it off the shelf'
- නවනවාnavanavāto foldTo fold in two, to bend. Paper is folded with the same verb
- එළනවාeḷanavāto lay outTo lay out over a surface. The same verb lays out a mat
- ඔතනවාotanavāto wrap upTo wind around. The same verb wraps rice in a banana leaf
- පාර්සලේ ලිහනවාpārsalē lihanavāto unwraplihanavā is 'to untie, to undo': a parcel is precisely undone
- අරිනවාarinavāto openThe same verb lets go and releases: 'let go of my hand'
- වහනවාvahanavāto closeThe same verb closes eyes and shuts a shop for the night
- අගුල් දානවාagul dānavāto lockagula is the lock, the bolt. 'To close' and 'to lock' are distinguished, as in English
- අගුල් අරිනවාagul arinavāto unlockNo verb of its own: the lock is simply 'opened'
- ලයිට් දානවාlaiṭ dānavāto turn on the lightThe English light plus dānavā, 'to put, to place'. Everyone says it this way
- ලයිට් නිවනවාlaiṭ nivanavāto turn off the lightnivanavā is 'to extinguish': a lamp, a fire, a thirst
- ඔබනවාobanavāto pressPress a button, a key, a pedal
- හෑන්ඩලේ කරකවනවාhǣnḍalē karakavanavāto turn the handlekarakavanavā is 'to rotate'. Hǣnḍalē is 'handle', from English
- දොරට තට්ටු කරනවාdoraṭa taṭṭu karanavāto knockthaṭṭu is the knock; the word itself knocks
- බෙල් එක ගහනවාbel eka gahanavāto ring the doorbellThe eka tag is obligatory with a borrowed thing-name; without it the phrase isn't said
- එළිපත්තeḷipattathresholdeḷi is 'outward': the threshold is exactly the border of house and street
- දොර හෑන්ඩලේdora hǣnḍalēdoor handleThe English handle with a Sinhala tail. The handle you write with is a different word, pǣna
- දොර අගුලdora aguladoor lockagula is both a lock and a bolt; from it comes 'to lock up'
- දොර බෙල් එකdora bel ekadoorbellbel eka is any bell, even a school one; dora specifies which
- ජනේල පඩියjanēla paḍiyawindowsillpadiya is 'a step': the same word names the stairs' steps
- කර්ටන් එකkarṭan ekawindow curtainIn speech the English word; the native thira redda sounds bookish
- රෑ ලාම්පුවrǣ lāmpuvanight lightlāmpuva comes from Portuguese lâmpada — the kerosene lamp has the same name
- බේසමbēsamasinkThe English basin with a Sinhala tail; in the bathroom and in the kitchen the word is the same
- බාත් ටබ් එකbāt ṭab ekabathtubIn a Lankan bathroom you'll find a shower; the word is known from hotels
- කොමඩයkomaḍayatoiletFrom the English commode. In notices it's written as væsikiliya, 'the retiring place'
- හෝස් එකhōs ekahoseThe garden hose; no native name ever grew for it
How it sounds in a sentence
A word list is a blank. Conversation is made of sentences, and these are the ones the words fit into most often.
- අපේ ගෙදර මුහුද ළඟapē gedara muhuda ḷangaOur home is near the sea
- කූඩයට එළවළු දාන්නkūḍayaṭa eḷavaḷu dānnaPut the vegetables in the basket
- මේ පුටුව කැඩිලාmē puṭuva kæḍilāThis chair is broken
- මම කොළඹ නවාතැනක් හොයනවාmama koḷamba navātænak hoyanavāI'm looking for housing in Colombo
- කාමරය ලොකුයිkāmaraya lokuyiThe room is big
- අම්මා කුස්සියේ ඉන්නවාammā kussiyē innavāMom is in the kitchen
What is worth knowing about these words
ගෙදර (gedara) — home. Home as your own place and 'homeward' are one word with no preposition at all: gedara yanava, 'I'm going home'. A house as a building is another word, ge
කූඩය (kūḍaya) — basket. A woven basket and the shop's basket alike. A long u: kuu-daya
කැඩිලා (kæḍilā) — broken. From kæḍenavā, 'to break'. The same -lā state form as in æralā: a state, not an action
නවාතැන (navātæna) — housing. Literally 'a place of staying': thena is a place. A rented student room is a bōḍima
Test yourself
First by ear — the way you will meet the word in conversation. Click the speaker and pick the translation.
- What is this word?
It is ගෙදර (gedara) — home.
- What is this word?
It is බැල්කනිය (bælkaniya) — balcony.
- What is this word?
It is අල්මාරිය (almāriya) — wardrobe.
- What is this word?
It is කුණු (kuṇu) — trash.
- What is this word?
It is ගෙදර අයිතිකාරයා (gedara āyitikārayā) — landlord.
Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “home” in Sinhala?
Home as your own place and 'homeward' are one word with no preposition at all: gedara yanava, 'I'm going home'. A house as a building is another word, ge
- How do you say “balcony” in Sinhala?
The English balcony with the ending -ya. In a simpler house the same spot will be called the veranda
- How do you say “wardrobe” in Sinhala?
Portuguese armário. Through Arabic the same root gave English 'armoire'
- How do you say “trash” in Sinhala?
The word is always plural. The trash bin is kuṇu bāldiya
- How do you say “landlord” in Sinhala?
Literally 'the owner of the house': ayitiya is the right of ownership. One doesn't address him so but by age: aiyā, 'big brother', or mahattayā, 'sir'
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
Room, key, water, electricity. You will need them on your first day in a rented flat.
A list is read in a minute and forgotten in a day. What works: hide the translation, try to recall, get it wrong — and come back to the same words tomorrow.
- Recalling beats re-reading. Covering the translation and trying to remember it does more than reading it ten more times.checked many timesAdesope, Trevisan & Sundararajan, 2017, Review of Educational Research 87(3) · 188 experiments, 272 comparisons. g = 0.61; against plain re-reading 0.51, against passive review 0.93.
- This holds not only in experiments but in ordinary classrooms, with real students.checked many timesMawson & Kang, 2025, Behavioral Sciences 15(6):771 · 22 studies, d = 0.54 (confidence interval 0.31–0.77). The authors warn that individual studies disagree widely.
Frequently asked
How do you say “home” in Sinhala?
«ගෙදර», read “gedara”. Home as your own place and 'homeward' are one word with no preposition at all: gedara yanava, 'I'm going home'. A house as a building is another word, ge. It is one of 198 words in the set “home and things” — the rest are in the table above.
How many household words do you need to start?
A dozen is enough. The set of 198 words on this page covers nearly every everyday case on the topic — but it is best taken a few at a time, not all at once.
Is there audio?
Yes, 198 words on this page can be played — click the speaker next to the word. The sound works on any phone, and nothing needs to be installed.