Food and drink in Sinhala
203 words Sinhala words on the topic “food and drink”: වතුර — water, තේ — tea, කෝපි — coffee, කිරි — milk. 203 words can be played from recordings.
203 words on the topic
- වතුරvaturawaterDrinking water is bona vatura, boiled water is thambapu vatura — on the island you ask that way, not for 'just water'. The bookish jala sits on utility bills
- තේtēteaThe country's main word: Ceylon tea is this very tē. When ordering you specify kiri tē, with milk, or plēn tē, plain
- කෝපිkōpicoffeeA long ō in the first syllable: 'koo-pi', not 'kopi'. The island runs on tea, and coffee in a roadside shop is almost always instant
- කිරිkirimilkLives in kiri tē, 'tea with milk', and in kiribath, the festive rice cooked in coconut milk. Fresh cow's milk is rare at home: more often it's powdered, kiri piṭi
- බත්batriceBoth 'rice' and 'a meal' in general: bat kanavā means 'to have a meal', whatever is being served
- මාළුmāḷufishA long mā and the 'heavy' ḷ: maa-ḷa. Don't confuse it with mala, 'a flower'. Fish curry, māḷu kari, is the coast's main dish
- පාන්pānbreadA Portuguese inheritance: pão stayed in the language together with the loaf itself
- බිත්තරbittaraeggOne shape for one egg and for a dozen; the number does the counting: bittara dekak. Hold the doubled tt long, or it will sound like bitara
- එළවළුeḷavaḷuvegetablesPlural by its very nature — you can't say 'one vegetable'. Two 'heavy' ḷ sounds in a row make it one of the hardest spellings in the course
- පොල්polcoconutGrated coconut goes into almost every dish; pol sambōla is what they'll serve with your rice
- කෙසෙල්keselbananaThe umbrella name for every variety, and the island grows dozens. One banana is kesel geḍiyak, a whole hand is kesel kæna
- අඹambamangoWritten with a single half-nasal letter: the 'mb' here is one sign, not two
- සීනිsīnisugarA long sī: 'seee-ni'. Tea without sugar is ordered as sīni nætuva, with less of it as sīni aḍuven
- ලුණුluṇusaltA retroflex ṇ at the end, tongue curled up. Mind lūnu, 'an onion': the difference is only the length of the first vowel, and at the shop they do hear it
- රසයිrasayitastyFrom rasa, 'taste', with the ending -yi that turns a quality into a ready statement. It's boosted with goḍak or harima. 'Not tasty' is simply rasa nǣ
- කනවාkanavāto eatOnly about food. 'To be' in the sense of existing is quite different words: one for things, one for the living
- බොනවාbonavāto drinkThe request is bonna, the past is bivvā. The same verb 'takes' medicine: pills are 'drunk', though you swallow them
- නැවුම්nævumfreshStands before the word: nævum māḷu, 'fresh fish'. In city speech people often use the English 'fresh' or alut, 'new'
- ඉදුණුiduṇuripeFrom the verb idenavā, 'to ripen'. Not ripe yet is idilā nǣ, 'hasn't ripened'
- කෑමට පස්සේkǣmaṭa passēafter a mealpassē is 'after' and stands after the word. Before a meal is 'before the food'
- උදේ කෑමudē kǣmabreakfastLiterally 'the morning food': udē is morning, kǣma is food. The bookish version stands in hotel menus; at home people say it just so
- දවල් කෑමdaval kǣmalunchdaval is 'day, midday'. The lunch break at work is literally 'the midday food time'
- රෑ කෑමrǣ kǣmadinnerrǣ is 'night, late evening'. All three meals are built the same way: morning / midday / night plus 'food'
- හපනවාhapanavāto chewThe past is hæpuvā. Chewing gum keeps its English name
- ගිලිනවාgilinavāto swallowThe past is gillā. At the doctor's you'll be asked: 'is swallowing difficult?'
- රුචියruciyaappetiteOn its own ruciya means 'a liking, a taste for something'; about food people say 'the food appetite'. 'No appetite' is literally 'there is no liking'
- කෑල්ලkǣllachunkOne chunk is kællak. The word fits more than food: a chunk of glass is a shard
- සුවඳsuvandascentsuvanda is a good smell — it also means 'perfume'. A bad smell is a separate word, ganda, and swapping them is heard at once
- උදේ කෑමත් එක්කයිudē kǣmat ekkayibreakfast includedLiterally 'together with the morning food'. Ekka is 'together with', and -th is 'too, and'
- මාළු අල්ලනවාmāḷu allanavāto catch fishallanavā is 'to grab, to catch', and it fits a bus too: 'to catch the bus' is the same verb
- එළදෙනeḷadenacowExactly a milking cow. Cattle in general is another word, and on the road you'll meet that one more often
- තෙල්teloilVegetable and any liquid oil: coconut oil is 'the coconut one'. Butter from milk is called by the English 'butter'
- අලalapotatoThe word covers all tubers at once; the potato is specified with the English word, but at the market people just say ala
- පිටිpiṭiflourAny flour, and powder in general: 'millet flour', 'bread flour'
- මී පැණිmī pæṇihoneymii pae-ni: the ii is long and the n is retroflex
- කජුkajucashew nutsThe cashew is the nut of the island, and kaju is the default word for nuts. The peanut is 'the country cashew'
- ලූනුlūnuonionluu-nu: the uu is long. In 'salt' the vowel is short and the n is retroflex
- කැරට්kæraṭcarrotThe English carrot: the vegetable arrived on the island together with its name. It grows in the hills near Nuwara Eliya
- ගම්මිරිස්gammirispepperBlack pepper — the very spice ships sailed here for. The fiery pod is just miris, and they are different things
- බෝංචිbōṁcibeansBoth the bean and the green pod. The lentil, the mainstay of local cooking, is parippu
- කුළුබඩුkuḷubaḍuspicesku-lu-ba-du: the l is retroflex
- උයනවාuyanavāto cookCooking food in general. 'To cook rice' also simply means 'to make lunch'
- හෝදනවාhōdanavāto washTo wash dishes, vegetables, hands. Laundry is a different verb, and in speech the two blur together
- පිහියpihiyaknifeThe kitchen knife. The big cleaver that does everything on the island is a different word, kætta
- තම්බනවාtambanavāto boiltam-ba-na-va: the mb is one half-nasal sound
- බදිනවාbadinavāto fryTo fry in a pan or in deep oil. 'Fried' is the -pu form: 'fried rice'
- බේක් කරනවාbēk karanavāto bakeThe English bake plus karanavā: the oven arrived on the island with the word. Baking over an open fire is a native verb
- කපනවාkapanavāto cutTo cut, to chop, to trim — one verb: 'to cut the hair' is to have a trim
- වළඳvaḷandapotva-lan-da: the l is retroflex and the nda is a half-nasal
- තැච්චියtæcciyafrying panA proper Sinhala word for the pan, alive and frequent. The flat one for roti is 'the roti pan'
- ලිපlipastoveOriginally the hearth, now any stove: 'gas stove', 'electric stove'
- පිඟානpingānaplateOne plate. The plural also means 'tableware' in general
- කෝප්පයkōppayacupkoo-ppa-ya: the oo is long and the pp is doubled
- වීදුරුවvīduruvaglassBoth a glass and glass as material: 'a glass window'
- හැන්දhændaspoonhaen-da: the nda is a half-nasal, as in 'bed'
- ගෑරුප්පුවgǣruppuvaforkgae-ru-ppu-va: the æ is a long open vowel and the pp is doubled
- බෝතලයbōtalayabottleA bottle of water is 'a water bottle' — the day's first purchase in the heat
- ෆ්රිජ් එකfrij ekafridgeThe English fridge. The bookish word stands in manuals and adverts, but not in talk
- ටිෂු එකṭiṣu ekanapkinThe English tissue: the paper kind doubles as a handkerchief. The cloth one is 'a cloth square'
- කේතලයkētalayakettleThe English kettle with a Sinhala ending. The teapot for brewing is 'the tea pot eka'
- ට්රේ එකṭrē ekatrayThe English tray. The bookish word is known, but in the tea shop they say 'the tray eka'
- උණුuṇuhot (food)u-nu: the n is retroflex, the tongue tip curled back
- සීතලsītalacold (food)Before a noun it stands bare: 'cold water'. As a phrase 'it is cold' takes -yi. About drinks people often just say 'ice'
- බඩගිනියිbaḍaginiyihungryLiterally 'fire in the belly': belly plus fire. With the dative — 'I am hungry'
- රසrasatasteThe noun from which 'tasty' is made. 'No taste' means 'not tasty'
- ලුණු රසයිluṇu rasayisalty (of food)Literally 'salt taste'. Oversalted is 'much salt', undersalted — 'little salt'
- ඇඹුල්æmbulsouraem-bul: the mb is one half-nasal sound
- තිත්තtittabitterThe bitter gourd is the island's chief bitter vegetable. 'It is bitter' takes -yi
- සැරයිsærayispicyThe most needed word in a local eating house. To ask for milder: 'give it with less heat'
- බඩ පිරිලාbaḍa pirilāfull upLiterally 'the belly has filled'. To refuse a second helping: 'enough, the belly is full'
- රස බලනවාrasa balanavāto tasteLiterally 'to look at the taste'. About any attempt — 'to look': 'try doing it' is built the same way
- මෙනු එකmenu ekamenuThe English menu. At a roadside eating house there is none — they list aloud what there is today
- වේටර්vēṭarwaiterThe English waiter. Shouting across the cafe isn't done: raise a hand or say 'big brother'
- ඕඩර් එකōḍar ekaorderThe English order. The bookish word lives on invoices
- ඕඩර් කරනවාōḍar karanavāto orderAgain 'a foreign word plus do'. One can say it even simpler: 'to me one kottu'
- කෑම එකkǣma ekadishkae-ma: the æ is a long open vowel
- ප්ලේට් එකplēṭ ekaportionAt an eating house a portion is measured in plates: 'a full plate' and 'a half plate'
- දෙන්නෙකුට මේසයක්dennekuṭa mēsayaktable for twodennek is 'two people': the living have their own counter, not the things' one
- අතුරුපසaturupasadessertLiterally 'the thing after'. The island's usual dessert is curd and treacle: buffalo curd with palm syrup
- මස් නැතුවmas nætuvawithout meatNætuva is 'without'. A vegetarian will put it simpler: 'I don't eat meat'
- ටිප් එකṭip ekatipThe English tip. A restaurant bill usually already carries a service charge, and then a tip isn't owed
- කේක් එකkēk ekacakeStraight English cake. The New Year molasses sweet is kēvum and counts as its own thing, not a cake
- පාස්ටාpāsṭāpastaThe Italian word through English. Instant noodles have their own name: noodles
- යෝගට්yōgaṭyogurtThe kind in a plastic cup. The local buffalo curd is another thing, sold in a clay pot
- ක්රීම්krīmcreamEnglish cream. The same word serves face cream — context does the splitting
- අයිස්ක්රීම්ayiskrīmice creamCounted with eka: 'one ice cream' is one serving
- චොකලට්cokalaṭchocolateA bar is 'one chocolate'. Hot chocolate is hardly drunk on the island
- බිස්කට්biskaṭcookiesA collective; one piece is 'one biscuit'. They're what gets served with tea
- හරක් මස්harak masbeefLiterally 'bull meat': harakā is the cow. Meat on the island is always named by the animal
- එළු මස්eḷu maslambe-lu mas; the ḷ is the curled-tongue l
- ඉස්සොissoprawnsis-so; the doubled ss stretches
- මිදිmidigrapesA collective, as in English. A bunch is 'a cluster of grapes'
- පිපිඤ්ඤාpipiññācucumberpi-pin-nyaa; the ñ is a soft ny, a rare letter
- ගෝවාgōvācabbageCabbage curry is a standard side to rice
- සුදු ලූනුsudu lūnugarlicLiterally 'white onion': the familiar lūnu plus 'white'. A clove is 'a bit of white onion'
- වට්ටක්කාvaṭṭakkāpumpkinOne of the commonest curries on the island
- වම්බටුvambaṭueggplantvam-ba-tu; the ṭa is a retroflex t
- දෙහිdehilemonOn the island this is the green lime, and it stands in for the lemon everywhere. The yellow imported one is 'lemon' on its own
- පැණි කොමඩුpæṇi komaḍuwatermelonpæ-ni ko-ma-du; the ṇ is the curled-tongue n
- ස්ට්රෝබෙරිsṭrōberistrawberriesGrows only in the hills by Nuwara Eliya and costs a lot, so the word stayed English
- පෙයාර්ස්peyārspearEnglish pears whole, -s and all: the imported fruit never got a native name
- පීච්pīcpeachAlso imported and also English. More often met in compote than fresh
- රෙසිපි එකresipi ekarecipeEnglish recipe. The familiar 'doctor's prescription' is a different thing entirely
- එළවළු පොතු ගානවාeḷavaḷu potu gānavāto peel the vegetablesLiterally 'to scrape the skin of vegetables': potta is peel, skin
- නටවනවාnaṭavanavāto bring to a boilLiterally 'to make dance' — that's how Sinhala sees boiling. The familiar 'to cook' doesn't replace it
- කලවම් කරනවාkalavam karanavāto stirIn the kitchen and about mixing in general: 'it got all mixed up'
- ලුණු දානවාluṇu dānavāto saltLiterally 'to put salt': the familiar luṇu. There's no separate verb 'to salt'
- රත් කරනවාrat karanavāto heat upLiterally 'to make hot'. The next unit brings its pair — 'gets hot'
- නිවෙන්න තියනවාnivenna tiyanavāto cool downLiterally 'to set to cool off': nivenavā is cooling and going out alike. No separate transitive verb exists
- බිත්තර ගහනවාbittara gahanavāto beat the eggsThe familiar 'egg' plus 'to strike' — in exactly the English whisking sense, not breaking
- වතුර ටිකක් දානවාvatura ṭikak dānavāto add waterThe familiar 'a little' is near mandatory here: without it the phrase sounds like 'flood it with water'
- ග්රිල් කරනවාgril karanavāto grillEnglish grill. The native 'to fry' is pan-frying in oil, a different act
- එක්ස්පයරි ඩේට් එකeksapayari ḍēṭ ekaexpiration dateEnglish expiry date. The packaging itself prints the Sinhala phrase
- නරක් වෙලාnarak velāwent badLiterally 'became bad'. About curdled milk they say it differently: 'the milk has split'
- බෝයමbōyamajarA glass jar with a lid, the kind jam lives in. The familiar bōtalaya is the bottle
- තව ටිකක්tava ṭikaksecond helpingLiterally 'a little more'. At the table that's enough: 'put some more?'
- පාර්සල් කරලාpārsal karalāto take awayLiterally 'having packed': at the eatery they say it just so. The familiar 'parcel' is the mail kind
- සීනි නැතුවsīni nætuvasugar-freeThe familiar sīni plus 'without'. On the island you have to say it: tea comes sweet by default
- මම මස් මාළු කන්නේ නෑmama mas māḷu kannē nǣI'm a vegetarianLiterally 'I don't eat meat and fish'. That's exactly how it's said; the bookish word just gets questioned at the shop
- හොඳට කන්නhondaṭa kannaenjoy your mealSinhala has no set phrase for it. The host says 'eat well', and that's the nearest thing to it
- තෙල් කෑමtel kǣmafatty foodLiterally 'oily food': on the island fatty means fried in oil. The familiar 'food' plus 'oil'
- ටොෆි එකṭofi ekacandyEnglish toffee, and on the island the word means any candy, not only toffee. Sweets in general are another word
- ජාතික කෑමjātika kǣmatraditional dish'National' plus the familiar food. On the island that's rice and curry
- පාරේ කෑමpārē kǣmastreet foodLiterally 'food on the road', from the familiar road and food. What's sold from a cart: kottu, ulundu Wade, achcharu
- ඌරු මස්ūru masporkūrā is the living pig; the meat of any animal is mas with the animal's name in front. Not everyone eats pork, and at the shop it sits on its own counter
- කුකුල් මස්kukul maschicken (meat)kukuḷā is the living bird, kukul mas is it on the plate. Cafe menus more often carry the English 'chicken'
- තාරා මස්tārā masduck (meat)tārāvā is the duck itself. Duck is rarely eaten on the island, and it is easier to find in a Chinese shop than at the market
- මින්ස් මස්mins masminced meatThe English mince stuck for good; the native koṭapu mas, 'beaten meat', will be understood, but at the counter people ask for mins
- හැම් එකhæm ekahamAn English word, and the tag eka is obligatory with it. It lies in the supermarket fridge next to the sausages; a home table almost never sees it
- සොසේජ් එකsosēj ekasausageIt is not boiled but fried in a pan for the morning bread; the language never gave it a native name
- කෙළවල්ලාkeḷavallātunaThe fish is named like a beast, with the living ending -ā. At the market people ask for keḷavallā, while the tin on the shelf says 'tuna'
- සැමන් මාළුsæmon māḷusalmonNo fresh salmon around the island: sæmon here is almost always a tin, bought as a store-cupboard supply
- ඉස්සාissāshrimpissā is one shrimp, issō is many of them, and the menu uses exactly the plural
- මුහුදු ආහාරmuhudu āhāraseafoodThe bookish collective from restaurant signs. In speech people don't generalise — they list: prawns, small fish, crabs
- ප්ලම් ගෙඩියplam geḍiyaplumThe island grows no plums; the fruit is imported and keeps its English name. Geḍiya is tagged onto any round fruit
- රාස්බෙරිrāsberiraspberryThere is no local berry and no word for one: people say it in English, explaining to a child as 'a small red fruit'
- මී කොමඩුmī komaḍumelonYou already know komadu and pæṇi komadu as watermelon; the melon is set apart with mī, 'honey' — by taste, not by colour
- දෙළුම්deḷumpomegranateThe tree grows in dry-zone yards, and the fruit is counted as medicine as much as food
- අන්නාසිannāsipineappleBy the road it is sold cut, with salt and chilli on top — eaten sweet, it is rarer here
- නාරංnāraṁmandarinDoḍam is the big sweet orange; nāraṁ is the small one you peel with your fingers. At the shop the two are never mixed up
- කිවි ගෙඩියkivi geḍiyakiwi (fruit)An imported, expensive fruit, sold by the piece in supermarkets. The language knows no kiwi bird, so there is nothing to confuse it with
- අලිගැටපේරaligæṭapēraavocadoLiterally 'elephant pear'. On the island it is eaten sweet, with sugar and milk, not in salads; tourist cafes will write 'avocado'
- මුද්දරප්පලම්muddarappalamraisinsA long, old word, from midi, 'grape'. They go into cake and into the yellow festive rice
- අත්තික්කාattikkāfigThe tree grows on the island and counts as sacred, but the fruit is more often eaten dried, from a packet
- මාළු මිරිස්māḷu mirissweet pepperLiterally 'fish pepper' — a large mild pod, cut into salads and curries. The fierce small one is kochchi, and gammiris, which you know, is the peppercorn
- සුකිනිsukinizucchiniA new vegetable with an English name, living in supermarkets. In the old garden its place belongs to vattakkā, the pumpkin
- බීට්රූට්bīṭrūṭbeetrootAn English word, but the curry made of it is thoroughly local — red and a little sweet, served with rice
- රාබුrāburadishThe local radish is white and long, closer to a daikon; no red globes here
- පලා කොළpalā koḷaleafy greenspalā is any edible leaf, koḷa is a leaf in general. Together they are what the market sells in bunches
- ඩිල් කොළḍil koḷadillAt the market people ask for the English 'dill'; the bookish, apothecary name of the herb is sathkuppa
- පාර්ස්ලි කොළpārsli koḷaparsleyAn imported herb with an English name. In local cooking its place belongs to karapincha, the curry leaf — it goes into everything
- ඉඟුරුingurugingerA root in every second curry and in cold-weather tea: inguru tē is drunk in the evening when you've caught a draft
- බඩ ඉරිඟුbaḍa iringucornCobs off the coals are sold by the road for pennies. The popcorn made from it has already taken an English name
- නිවිතිnivitispinachThe local niviti is not European spinach but the closest leaf to it; it is cooked as mællum, with coconut
- බනිස්banisbunA soft bakery bun — sweet, or with fish or beans inside. Loaf bread you know as pān
- පයි එකpayi ekapieAn English word. The local one-bite stuffed pastry has a different name, pātis, and is not the same thing
- පේස්ට්රි එකpēsṭri ekapastryBehind the bakery glass everything small and sweet is called pēsṭri. A whole cake is kēk eka, which you know
- ඩෝනට් එකḍōnaṭ ekadoughnutA ring in sugar, an English word. The island's own fried sweet is a different thing — kævum — and looks nothing like it
- බේකරි කෑමbēkari kǣmabaked goodsThe collective name for everything pulled out of the oven. To use it you already need to know the bun, the pie and the doughnut one by one
- ජෑම් එකjǣm ekajamAn English word with a local filling — most often nellī or pineapple. The runny, syrupy kind is not cooked here
- සිරප් එකsirap ekasyrupBoth the sweet topping on a pancake and the cough mixture from the pharmacy — one word, and only the shelf tells them apart
- පොප්කෝන්popkōnpopcornNo eka tag here: popcorn is loose, like chips. The corn it is made of keeps its own word, baḍa iriṅu
- චිප්ස්chipspotato chipsBoth the packet from the shop and hot fried potatoes in a cafe — one English word, and the island took both senses
- චුවිංගම්chuviṁgamchewing gumFrom English chewing gum, fused into a single word. It lies by the till together with the small candies
- ලෙමනේඩ්lemanēḍlemonadeOn the island it is a fizzy drink from a bottle, not a homemade one; fresh lime juice is laim jūs
- මිනරල් වතුරminaral vaturamineral waterA bottle from the shop is almost always just purified water, but it keeps the name — nobody bottles spring water here
- සෝඩා වතුරsōḍā vaturasparkling waterBare sōḍā means fizzy drinks in general, sweet ones too; sōḍā vatura specifies the sugarless kind
- කොක්ටේල් එකkokṭēl ekacocktailBoth the fruity one in a tall glass and the alcoholic one at the bar — one word, and the place tells them apart
- කොකෝවාkokōvācocoaBoth the tin of powder and the bedtime mug. The tree grows on the island, but cocoa is drunk more by visitors than by locals
- ඉන්ස්ටන්ට් කෝපිinsṭanṭ kōpiinstant coffeeAt the office and at home coffee is powder from a jar; the brewed kind is set apart as brū kōpi and served only in cafes
- ටී බෑග් එකṭī bǣg ekatea bagThe island sells tea by the leaf, yet at home people still drop in a bag. The teapot has all but vanished from daily life
- නටන වතුරnaṭana vaturaboiling waterLiterally 'dancing water' — water boiling right now. You know uṇu vatura, just hot; this one is livelier
- මත්පැන්matpænalcoholThe bookish-official word: it is written in laws and on shop signs. In speech people say arrack for the strong stuff or just name the drink
- බීමbīmabeverageFrom bonavā, 'to drink'. The menu column is named exactly so — bīma varga, 'kinds of drinks'
- පලතුරුpalaturufruitYou know eḷavaḷu, vegetables, and kesel, bananas. Palaturu is always plural; one fruit is palaturak. Assembled from pala, 'fruit', and turu, 'tree'
- ඇපල්æpalappleAn English word: apples don't grow on the island and arrive by ship. One apple is æpal geḍiyak — geḍiya counts round fruits
- තක්කාලිtakkālitomatoA Tamil word, like much in the kitchen. It stands in the plural even about one: takkāli geḍiyak. In curries they go in last so they don't fall apart
- සලාදsalādasaladA Portuguese word. A salad on the island is raw vegetables cut for rice; coconut sambol doesn't count — it is its own thing
- සුප්supsoupAn English word: the island has no soup of its own. In its place people drink koththamalli, a cold-relief broth, and the Tamil rasam, hot and thin
- චීස්cīscheeseAn English word, and the cheese is a visitor too: the island doesn't make it. It never lands in curries — it lives on toast and pizza
- මස්masmeatYou know kukul mas, chicken. Bare mas is meat in general; on a menu it is sorted by animal: harak mas, beef; ūru mas, pork
- ජූස්jūsjuiceThe bookish 'fruit juice' stands on packaging, but at the shop people ask for jūs. Street juice is named by the fruit: doḍam jūs, orange
- රෙස්ටුරන්ට් එකresṭuranṭ ekarestaurantThe course knows kæfē eka, the cafe. Careful with hoṭal: in Sri Lanka that is an eatery, not a hotel — a restaurant with tables and waiters is this word, and then there is no confusion
- කොත්තුkottukottuThe full name is kottu roti: first they bake the flatbread, then chop the very same one
- පොල් රොටීpol roṭīpol rotiPol is coconut — this word will appear in every second dish name
- ආප්පāppahoppersThe batter is set the night before with coconut water — the fermentation gives the sour note
- ඉඳිආප්පindiāppastring hoppersCounted by pieces: 'ten string hoppers' is a normal adult portion
- පිට්ටුpiṭṭupittuThe shape depends on the vessel: a bamboo tube gives its own smell, a metal one doesn't
- පොල් සම්බෝලpol sambōlapol sambolIt is ground by hand, in a mortar or on a stone: a mixer gives a different texture
- කිරිබත්kiribatkiribathkiri is milk, bath is cooked rice — the name is built from these two words
- සීනි සම්බෝලsīni sambōlaseeni sambolsīni is sugar — the name warns you that this sambol is sweet
- මාළු පාන්māḷu pānfish bunpān is bread, from Portuguese pão — three hundred years of colonial inheritance
- ගොටුකොළgoṭukoḷagotu kolaThe same leaf is sold in European pharmacies as 'gotu kola', a supplement for the blood vessels
- කිතුල්kitulkitul treacleThe hard form is called hakuru, the liquid one — kitul pæni
- හකුරුhakurujaggery (hakuru)A sugar bowl on the table is a rarity: the sweetness is taken as a lump, not with a spoon
- කැවුම්kævumkavum (sweet)The little spout forms by itself if the oil is hot enough and the heat right — that is the whole craft
- කොකිස්kokiskokis (cookie)From the Dutch koekje, 'a little cake' — the same root as the English cookie
- මුං කැවුම්muṁ kævummung kavumMung is the mung bean, the same one as in Indian cooking
- කිරි තේkiri tēmilk tea (kiri thé)Kiri is the same milk as in milk rice
- තැඹිලිtæmbiliking coconut (thambili)It differs from the green coconut by the colour and taste of the water: thambili is sweeter
- අඹරැල්ලාambarællāambarellaThe packet of salt and chilli is called lunumiris: it goes with any sour fruit
- රඹුටන්rambuṭanrambutanA Malay name: rambut is 'hair', after those very soft spines
- බත් සහ ව්යංජනbat saha vyaṁjanarice and curryOrdered with the one English phrase, even when talking in Sinhala
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.
- මම වතුර බොනවාmama vatura bonavāI drink water
- මට කිරි තේ එකක්maṭa kiri tē ekakI'll have tea with milk
- මට කෝපි එකක් දෙන්නmaṭa kōpi ekak dennaGive me a coffee
- තේ එකට කිරි ඕනේද?tē ekaṭa kiri ōnēda?Does the tea need milk?
- මට බත් ටිකක් දෙන්නmaṭa bat ṭikak dennaGive me a little rice
- අද මාළු තියෙනවද?ada māḷu tiyenavada?Is there fish today?
What is worth knowing about these words
වතුර (vatura) — water. Drinking water is bona vatura, boiled water is thambapu vatura — on the island you ask that way, not for 'just water'. The bookish jala sits on utility bills
තේ (tē) — tea. The country's main word: Ceylon tea is this very tē. When ordering you specify kiri tē, with milk, or plēn tē, plain
කෝපි (kōpi) — coffee. A long ō in the first syllable: 'koo-pi', not 'kopi'. The island runs on tea, and coffee in a roadside shop is almost always instant
කිරි (kiri) — milk. Lives in kiri tē, 'tea with milk', and in kiribath, the festive rice cooked in coconut milk. Fresh cow's milk is rare at home: more often it's powdered, kiri piṭi
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 වතුර (vatura) — water.
- What is this word?
It is මාළු (māḷu) — fish.
- What is this word?
It is කෙසෙල් (kesel) — banana.
- What is this word?
It is කනවා (kanavā) — to eat.
- What is this word?
It is උදේ කෑම (udē kǣma) — breakfast.
Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “water” in Sinhala?
Drinking water is bona vatura, boiled water is thambapu vatura — on the island you ask that way, not for 'just water'. The bookish jala sits on utility bills
- How do you say “fish” in Sinhala?
A long mā and the 'heavy' ḷ: maa-ḷa. Don't confuse it with mala, 'a flower'. Fish curry, māḷu kari, is the coast's main dish
- How do you say “banana” in Sinhala?
The umbrella name for every variety, and the island grows dozens. One banana is kesel geḍiyak, a whole hand is kesel kæna
- How do you say “to eat” in Sinhala?
Only about food. 'To be' in the sense of existing is quite different words: one for things, one for the living
- How do you say “breakfast” in Sinhala?
Literally 'the morning food': udē is morning, kǣma is food. The bookish version stands in hotel menus; at home people say it just so
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
A menu, a market, a shop sign, the question “what is this?”. Food is the most frequent subject of the first weeks and the safest excuse to start talking.
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 “water” in Sinhala?
«වතුර», read “vatura”. Drinking water is bona vatura, boiled water is thambapu vatura — on the island you ask that way, not for 'just water'. The bookish jala sits on utility bills. It is one of 203 words in the set “food and drink” — the rest are in the table above.
How many food words do you need to start?
A dozen is enough. The set of 203 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, 203 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.