LingoflyPeople and family in Sinhala
197 words in Sinhala on the topic “people and family”: යාළුවා (yāḷuvā) — friend, පවුල (pavula) — family, අම්මා (ammā) — mom, තාත්තා (tāttā) — dad. 197 words can be played from recordings.
197 words on the topic
- යාළුවාyāḷuvāfriendThe ending -ā marks the living: people and animals have it, things don't. The plural is yāḷuvō. A 'heavy' l sits in the middle
- පවුලpavulafamilyFamily in the narrow sense — parents and children. Kin in general has its own word. 'In the family' adds -ē
- අම්මාammāmomThe doubled m is held long, and the final -ā is obligatory: without it you get a word that doesn't exist. Address and mention share one word; yours or someone else's is told by the possessive
- තාත්තාtāttādadTwo long vowels in a row: 'taat-taa'. Respectful and bookish for father is another word; in the family people say only this one
- ළමයාḷamayāchildIt starts with the 'heavy' l. The plural, 'children', is heard more often than the singular. About one's own child people rather say 'son' or 'daughter'
- මුදලාලිmudalālishopkeeperThe owner of the shop, and at the same time the polite way to address him: 'Shopkeeper, how much?' — this is how the price talk starts
- ගනුදෙනුකරුවාganudenukaruvāshopperLiterally 'the one who makes the deal': ganudenu is trade. The ending -vā marks the living, as in 'friend'. In speech people often just say the English 'customer'
- 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'
- විශ්රාමිකයාviśrāmikayāretireeFrom vishrāma, 'repose', a Sanskrit root. 'To retire' is literally 'to go to repose'
- සගයාsagayācolleagueA bit bookish; in life people say 'the friend we work together with'
- මිනිසාminisāpersonThe plural is minissu, 'people', not a form built from this word. About a particular person in speech people rather say miniha, and 'someone, a certain one' is kenek
- පිරිමියාpirimiyāmanpirimi means 'male': a boy is a 'male child'. The ending -yā marks the living, as in the neighbour
- ගැහැණියgæhæṇiyawomangæhæṇu means 'female': a girl is a 'female child'. On signs and in announcements the bookish kānthāvā stands; the dictionary also lists gǣni
- තරුණයාtaruṇayāyoung mantaruṇa is 'young'. In live speech a guy is rather called the kid word, and addressed as aiyā, 'big brother'
- තරුණියtaruṇiyayoung womanThe female pair to 'young man': the ending -iya instead of -yā. The spoken word is kella, and a young woman is addressed as akkā, 'big sister'
- මහල්ලාmahallāold manA blunt, almost rude word. To the man himself one says sēyā, 'grandpa', or 'an aged person'
- නාඳුනන කෙනෙක්nāndunana kenekstrangerLiterally 'an unknown someone': hændunavā is 'to know by sight', nāndunana is 'unknown', kenek is 'a certain one'. The bookish single word is āgantukayā. An unknown place is nāndunana thenak
- සෙනඟsenangacrowdA word about a mass of people in general: 'the crowd is big'. People standing in line are a different word, pōlima, 'the queue'
- පුතාputāsonNot only one's own son: any boy gets called this — a shopkeeper, a neighbour, a driver. Daughter is duva. The ending -ā marks the living
- විදේශිකයාvidēśikayāforeignerA neutral word, good in any paper and in speech. The street word for a white person isn't considered polite
- රිසෙප්ෂනිස්ට්risepṣanisṭreceptionistThe English receptionist. It's simpler to address them by role: 'big brother' to a young man, 'big sister' to a young woman
- ධීවරයාdhīvarayāfishermandhii-va-ra-ya: the dh is an aspirated d, and the ii is long
- කොණ්ඩයkoṇḍayahairkon-da-ya: the nda is retroflex, the tongue tip curled back
- උසusatallAbout a person, a house and a mountain alike. As a separate phrase — usayi
- මිටිmiṭishort (height)About a person's height. About a low table it also works, but not about 'a low price' — that's a different word
- තරුණtaruṇayoungA young man is taruṇayek, a young woman taruṇiyak. An old person is 'of age', not 'old'
- රැවුලrævulabeardTo grow a beard is 'to plant the beard', to shave is 'to cut the beard'
- උඩු රැවුලuḍu rævulamoustacheLiterally 'the upper beard': uḍu is 'above'. The same logic as in 'the upper floor'
- කෙට්ටුkeṭṭuskinnyAbout a person — without offence, an ordinary description. About a thin cloth it isn't said
- මහතmahataplumpAs a phrase — mahatayi. The word is direct; politer is 'a little plump'
- හුරුබුහුටිhurubuhuṭicuteA warm word: about a child, a girl, a puppy. About looks in general there's 'pretty'
- පෙනුමpenumaappearanceFrom 'to be visible'. 'His appearance is good' — that's how people put it
- කරුණාවන්තkaruṇāvantakindka-ru-na-van-ta: the n is retroflex
- විනෝදකාමීvinōdakāmīcheerfulA bookish word. About a cheerful person in live speech they'll say 'a jolly one', from the English jolly
- දක්ෂdakṣacleverBoth 'clever' and 'skilful': 'a clever child' is a gifted one. The learned and well-read is a different word
- නපුරුnapuruevilAbout character, not about a moment's anger: angry now is one word, evil in general is this one
- සන්සුන්sansuncalmAbout a person and about the sea alike: 'the sea is calm'
- ආචාරශීලීācāraśīlīpoliteaa-cha-ra-shii-lii: three long vowels in a row
- කම්මැලිkammælilazyAbout a person and about a mood: 'I'm lazy' means 'I can't be bothered'
- නිර්භීතnirbhītabravenir-bhii-ta: the bh is an aspirated b, and the ii is long
- අවංකavaṁkahonestLiterally 'uncrooked'. 'Honestly speaking' is built from it with a tail
- ගතියgatiyacharacterTemper, ways, make-up: 'his character is good'. The bookish charitaya also means 'a character' in a story
- වේටර්vēṭarwaiterThe English waiter. Shouting across the cafe isn't done: raise a hand or say 'big brother'
- මනාලියmanāliyabridePairs with manālayā, the groom: -iya is the feminine ending, -yā the masculine — exactly like the nurse
- මනාලයාmanālayāgroomBride and groom together are manāla yuvala, the 'wedding pair'
- කසාද බඳිනවාkasāda bandinavāto get marriedka-saa-da ban-di-na-vaa; the nd is a nasal hum before the d, one sign for two sounds
- දික්කසාදයdikkasādayadivorceLiterally a 'divided marriage': dik, apart, plus kasāda. To divorce is dikkasāda venavā
- දෙමව්පියෝdemavpiyōparentsde-mav-pi-yoo; a final v in the cluster reads almost like a short oo
- අයියාayiyābrotherThe elder brother. The younger one is mallī; the general word for 'brother' is sahōdarayā, but in speech people usually say ayiyā or mallī. An unfamiliar man a bit older gets addressed this way too
- අක්කාakkāsisterThe elder sister; the younger is nangī. Akkā also works for a saleswoman or a neighbour slightly older than you
- ආච්චිāccīgrandmotheraach-chi; the cc is a long ch-ch and the first vowel stretches
- සීයාsīyāgrandfatherThe pair to āccī. Strangers' old men get called this too — it's polite, not familiar
- මාමාmāmāuncleStrictly the mother's brother or an aunt's husband; the father's brother is loku tāttā or bāppā. An older man you don't know gets hailed māmā too
- නැන්දාnændāauntnæn-daa; the nd is a knot with a nasal hum before the d, said as one lump
- මුනුබුරාmunuburāgrandsonThe granddaughter is minibiriyā. A living being, hence the -rā on the end
- නෑදෑයාnǣdǣyārelativenæ-dæ-yaa; both æ vowels are long, the word stretches three times longer than nǣ
- ඥාති සහෝදරයාgnāti sahōdarayāmale cousingnaa-ti sa-hoo-da-ra-yaa; the gn is said in one motion, the bookish norm being [dʒɲa]
- ළමයිḷamayichildrenThe plural of ḷamayā, 'child'. One's own children are more often daruvō
- පිරිමි ළමයාpirimi ḷamayāboyLiterally a 'male child': the sex is named by an adjective, there is no single word
- ගැහැණු ළමයාgæhæṇu ḷamayāgirlgæ-hæ-nu la-ma-yaa; the ṇ is a curled-tongue n and the ḷ the matching l
- දුවduvadaughterThe son is puthā. Parents hail their children with both words aloud, like 'daughter, come here'
- ඔයාට වයස කීයද?oyāṭa vayasa kīyada?how old are you?Literally 'to you age how much?' — the person stands in the -ṭa form, as in every state-of-being phrase. The same kīyada asks prices
- වැඩිහිටියාvæḍihiṭiyāadultLiterally 'one who has grown up'. The same word covers the elderly, to whom deference is due
- යෞවනයාyauvanayāteenageryau-va-na-yaa; the au sign is the 'ow' diphthong in one letter
- බබාbabābabyColloquial and very common. The bookish daruvā means a child of any age
- වයසvayasaageThe word for age itself. 'Old' about a person is vayasayi, not paraṇa, which is 'old' for things only
- මට අවුරුදු තිහයිmaṭa avurudu tihayiI am thirty years oldLiterally 'to me years thirty': age, like hunger and cold, is ascribed to a person through -ṭa. The -yi on the number makes the ready predicate
- රැළි කොණ්ඩේræḷi koṇḍēcurlyLiterally 'hair in curls' — the same ræḷi as in wrinkles. There's no separate adjective: the sign hangs on the hair itself
- තට්ටtaṭṭabald'He is bald' is 'he is taṭṭa'. The bald spot as a place is 'a taṭṭa head'
- පැහුණුpæhuṇugray-hairedpæ-hu-nu; the ṇ is the curled-tongue n
- උසusaheight (of a person)The same word as usa, 'tall': quality and measure aren't split here. 'What's your height?' asks 'your height is how much?'
- සිහින්sihinslenderA compliment, unlike keṭṭu, 'thin', which sounds more like a complaint
- සාමාන්ය උසයිsāmānya usayiof medium heightLiterally 'of ordinary height'. Sāmānya, 'ordinary', also stands in sāmānya dostara, the family doctor
- නොමසුරුnomasurugenerousLiterally 'not stingy': the compliment is built as a negation of 'stingy'
- ඉවසිලිවන්තivasilivantapatient (able to wait)The root is 'to endure'. 'Endure a little' — that's how you tell someone to be patient
- උත්සාහවන්තutsāhavantahardworkingLiterally 'zealous'. In everyday speech the same is said simpler: 'isn't lazy about working'
- විශ්වාසවන්තviśvāsavantareliableOne root with viśvāsa karanavā, 'to trust': reliable is the one who is trusted
- නිහතමානීnihatamānīmodestIn speech the same thought is turned inside out: 'not arrogant'
- කතාබහට කැමතිkatābahaṭa kæmatioutgoingLiterally 'loving conversation': katābaha is a talk, a conversation. There's no single word for 'sociable' in Sinhala
- සැලකිලිමත්sælakilimatcaringThe root is 'to treat someone well'. 'He takes good care of his parents' is said with exactly this verb
- බැරෑරුම්bærǣrumseriousbæ-ræ-room; the æ is long, twice the length of the short vowel
- හොඳට හැදිච්චhondaṭa hædiccawell-manneredLiterally 'well grown': hadanavā here isn't 'to fix' but 'to raise'. There's no separate word for 'well-mannered'
- සෙන්ස් ඔෆ් හියුමර් එකsens of hiyumar ekasense of humorEnglish sense of humor whole — said in Colombo and in the village alike. The bookish phrase lives in the literature textbook
- මසුරුmasurustingyThe pair to nomasuru, 'generous'. Stingy with money is said with money named: 'stingy for money'
- මුරණ්ඩුmuraṇḍustubbornmu-ran-du; the nd is retroflex
- රළුraḷurudeThe base sense is 'rough'; about a person it means harsh and impolite. The opposite of ācāraśīlī, 'polite'
- ලැජ්ජ නැතිlæjja nætishamelesslaj-ja næ-ti; the jj is a long j
- කපටිkapaṭicunningka-pa-ti; the ṭa is a retroflex t, unlike the dental one
- කටකාරkaṭakāratalkativeFrom kaṭa, 'mouth'. The shade is rather condemning: talks too much
- අවධානය නැතිavadhānaya nætiabsent-mindedLiterally 'without attention' — avadhānaya, 'attention', with a negation. About a forgetful person they say 'has a forgetting streak'
- ඉක්මනට තරහ යනikmanaṭa taraha yanahot-temperedLiterally 'quickly growing angry': ikmanaṭa, 'quickly', plus taraha, 'anger', plus a participle. Sinhala doesn't say it in one word
- උනන්දුවක් නැතිunanduvak nætiindifferentLiterally 'without interest': unanduva is interest, keenness. About one who doesn't care they also say 'no count'
- පුරුද්දpuruddahabitOne root with purudu venavā, 'to get used to'. 'A bad habit' is 'a bad purudda'
- යාළුවීyāḷuvīfemale friendThe feminine pair to 'friend'. In live speech about a girl people still usually say 'friend': Sinhala rarely marks a friend's sex
- දන්න කෙනෙක්danna kenekacquaintanceLiterally 'a person whom I know'. There's no separate word; nāndunana kenek, 'a stranger', is built exactly the same way
- දක්ෂතාවdakṣatāvatalentdak-sha-taa-va; the ṣ is a hissing sh
- ඉපදෙනවාipadenavāto be bornThe past is 'was born'. 'Where were you born?' puts the place in the -ē form because of the question
- ළමා කාලයḷamā kālayachildhoodla-maa kaa-la-ya; the ḷ is the palate-curled l
- තරුණ කාලයtaruṇa kālayayouthta-ru-na kaa-la-ya; the ṇ is the curled-tongue n
- වැඩිහිටි ජීවිතයvæḍihiṭi jīvitayaadult lifeVæḍihiṭiyā, 'an adult', drops its -yā tail before a noun
- පරම්පරාවparamparāvagenerationA generation of people and a lineage alike: 'our line' — our people, our forebears
- උපන් නගරයupan nagarayahometownLiterally 'the city of birth', from the same root as 'to be born'. About a village: 'the born-in village'
- රටේ අවුරුදු පහක් හිටියාraṭē avurudu pahak hiṭiyāto have lived in the country for five yearsThe verb 'to be, to stay' here means 'to have lived'. Paha, 'five', with a -k tail
- මතකයmatakayamemoryMemory as a faculty and a single recollection alike. Mataka tiyāgannavā, 'to hold in memory', is 'to memorize'
- පරණ ෆොටෝ එකparaṇa foṭō ekaold photographpa-ra-na fo-too e-ka; the ṇ is the curled-tongue n
- ඉරණමiraṇamafatei-ra-na-ma; the ṇ is the curled-tongue n
- අලුත් ජීවිතයක් පටන් ගන්නවාalut jīvitayak paṭan gannavāto start a new lifepaṭan gannavā is 'to begin'. Alut, 'new', with a -k tail on the noun
- පවුලක් පටන් ගන්නවාpavulak paṭan gannavāto start a familyPavula, 'family', with a -k tail. About the wedding itself they say it separately: 'to tie the marriage'
- පොහොසත්pohosatrichBefore a noun it stands bare: a rich family. In a predicate -yi is added, though colloquially the bare form sounds fine too
- දුප්පත්duppatpoorThe pair to 'rich' and behaves the same. About food or quality it isn't said — that takes the 'bad' word
- රූම්මේට්rūmmēṭroommateEnglish roommate — for students and flat-sharers it's the only word. A neighbor of the house is another word, asalvæsiyā
- පොඩි කාලේ යාළුවාpoḍi kālē yāḷuvāchildhood friendPoḍi kālē, 'as a kid', and yāḷuvā, 'friend', together — there's no single word. A school friend is 'a school friend'
- ඈත ඥාතියෙක්ǣta gnātiyekdistant relativeee-ta gnaa-ti-yek; a long vowel, and the gn is said in one motion, the bookish norm being [dʒɲa]
- ළමයි හදාගන්නවාḷamayi hadāgannavāto raise childrenLiterally 'to grow children': hadanavā, 'to make, to fix', with the -gannavā 'for oneself' tail. Hondaṭa hædicca, 'well-mannered', is from the same root
- ප්රසිද්ධprasiddhafamousIn a predicate it takes -yi. Janapriyayi, 'popular', is about being liked by many; this is about being known by many
- ශක්තිමත්śaktimatpowerfulThe same word as 'sturdy' about a thing: Sinhala doesn't split human strength from object sturdiness. In a predicate it takes -yi or shortens further
- එන්ගේජ්මන්ට් එකengējmanṭ ekaengagementEnglish engagement: in Colombo that's what they say. The native 'marriage promise' stands in the invitation
- විවාහ මුද්දvivāha muddawedding ringThe ring in general plus 'wedding' in front. Maṁgalyaya is the celebration itself
- මනාලියගේ ඇඳුමmanāliyagē ændumawedding dressLiterally 'the bride's dress', from manāliya, 'bride', and ænduma, 'clothes'. There's no separate word like English 'bridal gown'
- අලුත් යුවළalut yuvaḷanewlywedsa-lut yu-va-la; the ḷ is the palate-curled l
- හනිමූන් එකhanimūn ekahoneymoonEnglish honeymoon. A calque 'honey month' exists, but you'd meet it only in a song
- ගෘහ ප්රවේශයgṛha pravēśayahousewarminggri-ha pra-vee-sha-ya; the gri is one syllable
- ශෝකයśōkayamourningBoth grief and mourning: Sinhala doesn't split them. A house in mourning is 'a sorrow house'
- බුද්ධිමත්buddhimatsensibleFrom buddhiya, 'intellect'. Dakṣa, 'capable', is about one who does well; this is about one who thinks well
- කරුණාවkaruṇāvakindnessKindness as a property of a person. The same word stands in the polite 'please' — literally 'having made kindness'
- සංයමයsaṁyamayaself-controlThe ability not to crack. The patience word is about enduring the long; this is about holding yourself in one moment
- ඉවසීමivasīmapatienceThe action noun of 'to endure'. In a Buddhist sermon it's one of the chief virtues, and the word weighs heavier than English
- ආත්මාර්ථකාමීත්වයātmārthakāmītvayaselfishnessaat-maar-tha-kaa-mii-tva-ya; a long word, read evenly
- කම්මැලිකමkammælikamalazinessFrom kammæli, 'lazy', with the -kama tail. Kammæliyi means 'I'm lazy', with no subject at all
- මුරණ්ඩුකමmuraṇḍukamastubbornnessFrom muraṇḍu, 'stubborn': said most about a child. The same -kama tail. Persistence without the reproach is named differently — 'not letting go of the hand'
- කුතුහලයkutuhalayacuriosityBoth the thirst to learn the new and curiosity in the bad sense — one word. 'He looked with curiosity' uses it
- අවංකකමavaṁkakamaintegrityFrom 'honest, straight' with the -kama tail. The word is broader than English: it covers honesty, decency and directness alike
- උපායශීලීත්වයupāyaśīlītvayaresourcefulnessFrom the 'tactic, move' word — the same root as the ruse word. Here the word is praise: the person finds a way out rather than deceiving
- නොසැලකිලිමත්කමnosælakilimatkamacarefree attitudeLiterally 'unattentiveness': the negative prefix plus sælakilimat, 'attentive', plus -kama. Three pieces at once, and by them the word reads off the page
- අධිෂ්ඨානශීලීadhiṣṭhānaśīlīdecisivea-dhish-thaa-na-shii-lii; the shtha is a meeting of two retroflexes
- ලැජ්ජාශීලීlæjjāśīlīshyFrom læjjā, 'shame', with the same prone-to tail. Careful: the predicate shape læjjayi means 'I am ashamed', not 'I am shy'
- ඉක්මනට හිත රිදෙනikmanaṭa hita ridenaeasily offendedLiterally 'whose heart hurts quickly': the hurt verb is involuntary, and it's not the person who hurts but his heart. Ikmanaṭa taraha yana means hot-tempered — there anger, here hurt
- පහසුවෙන් එකඟ වෙනpahasuven ekanga venaeasygoingLiterally 'easily agreeing', from ekanga venavā, 'to agree'. Don't confuse with kīkaru, 'obedient': the easygoing agrees by himself, the obedient submits
- සියලු විස්තර බලනsiyalu vistara balanameticulousLiterally 'who looks at all the details', from vistara, 'details'. Sinhala gives no single word; in jest they say 'he looks even at the last line'
- අහංකාරahaṁkārapridefulFrom the word for 'I': the one whose own I comes first. The word always carries a reproach; pride without one is another word, and can even be praiseworthy
- උදව්වට එනudavvaṭa enahelpfulLiterally 'who comes to help', from udav, 'help'. A similar turn, udavvaṭa innavā, 'filling in', is about work; this one about a cast of character
- තනියම ඉන්න කැමතිtaniyama inna kæmatireservedLiterally 'liking to be alone', from taniyama, 'alone', and kæmati, 'to like'. Sinhala doesn't count it a fault, and there's no reproach in the turn
- කෙළින්ම කියනkeḷinma kiyanabluntLiterally 'speaking straight': the same word that means 'in a straight line' about a road. About a person it's praise and reproach at once — by tone
- කරන දේ කියන්න බැරිkarana dē kiyanna bæriunpredictableLiterally 'of whom one cannot say what he will do'. The direct opposite of the 'you could see it coming' turn
- කීකරු වෙනවාkīkaru venavāto obeyFrom kīkaru, 'obedient', literally 'doing what was said'. About a child, a dog, a worker. Ahanavā, 'to listen', won't do here
- උදම් අනනවාudam ananavāto show offLiterally 'to trumpet about oneself': the first word is an old one for loud boasting. A live idiom, heard every day
- කේලාම් කියනවාkēlām kiyanavāto gossipThe gossip word, always plural. A word of strong censure: the gossiper takes the doer tail, as the swindler does
- මවා පානවාmavā pānavāto feignLiterally 'to show the imagined': the same root as in the fiction word. About illness, joy, ignorance
- ඉවසාගන්නවාivasāgannavāto hold backFrom ivasanavā, 'to endure', with the 'for oneself' tail: to hold oneself. The same root as ivasīma, 'patience'
- විහිළුවක් කරනවාvihiḷuvak karanavāto play a prankFrom vihiḷuva, 'joke'. On whom takes the -ṭa tail. A mean prank is named the same way, and only the tone tells them apart
- බොරුවක් ගහනවාboruvak gahanavāto tell a fibThe colloquial 'to spin a lie': boruva, 'lie', with the strike verb, which here loses its striking sense. Boru kiyanavā, 'to lie', is the habit; this is once
- හොරෙන් අහගෙන ඉන්නවාhoren ahagena innavāto eavesdropLiterally 'to sit listening like a thief': the thief word inside. The same thief word gives 'to peep'
- බලෙන් ළං වෙනවාbalen ḷaṁ venavāto muscle inLiterally 'to draw near by force', from balaya, 'power', and ḷanga, 'near'. About one who pushes into company, friendship, other people's affairs
- කිව්ව දේ කරනවාkivva dē karanavāto keep one's wordLiterally 'to do the said thing'. It uses the promise word and 'to carry out'; this turn is more colloquial and sounds homely
- හිමි කරගන්නවාhimi karagannavāto deserveLiterally 'to make it one's own by right': the root means 'belonging'. Hamba karanavā is about earning money, and it isn't taken for praise
- බැණ වදිනවාbæṇa vadinavāto reproachTo say it to the face. Dos kiyanavā, 'to speak fault', means condemning — that one is a judgment behind the back, while this is said to the person directly
- හොඳයි කියලා කියනවාhondayi kiyalā kiyanavāto commendLiterally 'to say that it's good' — the same turn with the saying tag as in reported speech. The bookish 'to praise' is a related word: that one is solemn, this homely
- හෙළා දකිනවාheḷā dakinavāto judgeLiterally 'to look down on', from dakinavā, 'to see'. A weighty word: written in statements and said at meetings. A court verdict is a completely different matter
- කරදරේ දානවාkaradarē dānavāto let someone downLiterally 'to put into difficulty', from karadaraya, 'trouble'. English 'let down' isn't translated literally: Sinhala names what the person was put into
- හිතාමතාමhitāmatāmadeliberatelyLiterally 'having thought and decided', from hitanavā, 'to think', with the booster -ma. Its opposite is 'it happened by itself', said of the hand
- මෝඩකමටmōḍakamaṭaover something sillyFrom mōḍa, 'silly', with the -kama and -ṭa tails. That's how one apologizes for an act: 'a thing done out of silliness'
- හොඳ හිතින්honda hitinwith the best intentionsLiterally 'with a good heart', from honda, 'good', and hita, 'heart', with the -en tail. Its pair is 'with an evil heart'
- ඒක ලස්සන වැඩක් නෙවෙයිēka lassana væḍak neveyithat's not niceLiterally 'that is not a beautiful deed': lassana, 'pretty', about an act means 'worthy'. That's how a remark is made to child and adult alike
- එයා නරක හිතින් කරපු එකක් නෙවෙයිeyā naraka hitin karapu ekak neveyihe doesn't mean any harmLiterally 'this is not what he did with an evil heart' — the direct pair to 'with the best intentions'. That's how one speaks up for a person
- විශ්වාසයviśvāsayatrustThe one place where Sinhala gives no second word: one and the same word carries faith. Sinhala doesn't split faith from trust, and inventing a pair would be untrue. The subject tells them apart: faith in God, trust between people
- ඊර්ෂ්යාවīrṣyāvaenvyiir-shyaa-va; three signs in a row with no vowel between
- දයාවdayāvapityPity and mercy at once. Anukampāva means sympathy: there another's pain is shared as an equal, while this looks from above
- බලපෑමbalapǣmainfluenceFrom the influence verb. It appears in the 'human impact on nature' turn; here about a person's influence on a person
- ගරුත්වයgarutvayaauthorityFrom garu, 'respected', with the -tva tail: the weight others give a person. Balaya, 'power', is power that is taken; this one is received
- දෙපැත්තෙන්මdepættenmamutuallyLiterally 'from both sides': pætta, 'side', with de-, 'two', and the booster -ma. The bookish 'reciprocal' turns up in contracts
- සමානවsamānavaas equalsFrom the same equal word as in 'equality'. 'Neck and neck' about quantities takes another turn: there numbers are compared, here people
- සමඟියෙන් ඉන්නවාsamangiyen innavāto hit it offLiterally 'to live in accord': the accord word is harmony, concord. About neighbors, kin, new colleagues
- අයින් වෙලා ඉන්නවාayin velā innavāto stay on the sidelinesLiterally 'to stand having stepped aside': ayina means 'edge, rim'. About a quarrel, politics, other people's affairs
- සැමියාsæmiyāhusbandThe tail -yā marks a living being. In speech he is more often mahattayā, 'the master, the mister'
- බිරිඳbirindawifeThe pair to sæmiyā. In conversation you'll sooner hear nōnā, 'madam'
- මිනිස්සුminissupeopleThe plural of minihā, and an irregular one. Plurals of living beings are built with their own set of tails
- නැන්දම්මාnændammāmother-in-lawnændā is the father-side aunt, and by the old reckoning she became the husband's mother; -ammā sets her off from an aunt
- බිරිඳගේ අම්මාbirindagē ammāwife's motherNo separate word: the husband's mother and the wife's mother are both nændammā, so the wife's one is just 'the wife's mother'
- මාමණ්ඩියmāmaṇḍiyafather-in-lawmāmā is the mother-side uncle; the husband's father gets the honorific māmaṇḍiya
- බෑණාbǣṇāson-in-lawThe same word means a sister's-side nephew: by the old count he was the son-in-law in waiting
- ලේලිlēlidaughter-in-lawThe son's wife. The same word covers a cousin on the uncle's side — the father's and mother's lines split again
- සහෝදරයාගේ පුතාsahōdarayāgē putānephewNo single word: a brother's son is just puthā, a sister's son is bǣṇā. To keep them apart, people name the parent
- සහෝදරයාගේ දුවsahōdarayāgē duvanieceThe same scheme as the nephew: a brother's daughter is duva, a sister's daughter is lēli
- මිනිබිරියminibiriyagranddaughterThe pair to munuburā, the grandson. The -ya tail here is feminine, not thing-like
- නිවුන් දරුවෝnivun daruvōtwinsnivun already means 'twinned'. The word goes in the plural; one twin is 'a nivun child'
- නෑදෑ කට්ටියnǣdǣ kaṭṭiyathe whole clankaṭṭiya is a crowd, a gang — colloquial. The bookish gnātīn sounds like it belongs on a wedding invitation
- ලොකු අයියාloku ayiyāolder brotherayiyā already means an elder brother — the younger is mallī; loku, big, picks out the eldest of several
- නංගීnaṁgīyounger sisterThe age sits in the word itself: elder is akkā, younger is nangī. The language has no cover-all 'sister'
- එකම දරුවාekama daruvāonly childThe -ma after eka gives 'the one and only'. daruvā is a child of the family, ḷamayā a child in general
- ඥාති සහෝදරියgnāti sahōdariyafemale cousingnāti is 'by kinship', the pair to the male cousin form. In speech she's still akkā or nangī — by age
- සුළු අම්මාsuḷu ammāstepmothersuḷu is 'lesser'. The same phrase names the mother's younger sister — the talk makes clear which one is meant
- සුළු තාත්තාsuḷu tāttāstepfatherThe same suḷu by the father. Face to face nobody says this — they just say tāttā
- අනාථ දරුවාanātha daruvāorphananātha is 'without support'; the same word stands in 'orphanage', anātha nivāsaya
- වැන්දඹුවvændambuvawidowThere's no native word for a widower: he'll be named by grafting the same stem onto 'man'
- සහකරුsahakaruhusband (formal)saha- is 'co-, together'. A word of documents and formal speech; at home you'd say the everyday word for husband
- සහකාරියsahakāriyawife (formal)The feminine pair to sahakaru. In everyday speech it's still birinda, the wife
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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.
What is worth knowing about these words
යාළුවා (yāḷuvā) — friend. The ending -ā marks the living: people and animals have it, things don't. The plural is yāḷuvō. A 'heavy' l sits in the middle.
පවුල (pavula) — family. Family in the narrow sense — parents and children. Kin in general has its own word. 'In the family' adds -ē.
අම්මා (ammā) — mom. The doubled m is held long, and the final -ā is obligatory: without it you get a word that doesn't exist. Address and mention share one word; yours or someone else's is told by the possessive.
තාත්තා (tāttā) — dad. Two long vowels in a row: 'taat-taa'. Respectful and bookish for father is another word; in the family people say only this one.
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 යාළුවා (yāḷuvā) — friend.
- What is this word?
It is අසල්වැසියා (asalvæsiyā) — neighbor.
- What is this word?
It is තරුණයා (taruṇayā) — young man.
- What is this word?
It is රිසෙප්ෂනිස්ට් (risepṣanisṭ) — receptionist.
- What is this word?
It is උඩු රැවුල (uḍu rævula) — moustache.
Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “friend” in Sinhala?
The ending -ā marks the living: people and animals have it, things don't. The plural is yāḷuvō. A 'heavy' l sits in the middle
- How do you say “neighbor” in Sinhala?
Literally 'the one living near': asal is nearby. The ending -yā marks the living; the plural is asalvæsiyō
- How do you say “young man” in Sinhala?
taruṇa is 'young'. In live speech a guy is rather called the kid word, and addressed as aiyā, 'big brother'
- How do you say “receptionist” in Sinhala?
The English receptionist. It's simpler to address them by role: 'big brother' to a young man, 'big sister' to a young woman
- How do you say “moustache” in Sinhala?
Literally 'the upper beard': uḍu is 'above'. The same logic as in 'the upper floor'
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
Mum, friend, child, neighbour. The first thing people ask you about, and the first thing you tell about yourself.
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.
- Study spread over days wins 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 “friend” in Sinhala?
«යාළුවා» (yāḷuvā), read “yāḷuvā”. The ending -ā marks the living: people and animals have it, things don't. The plural is yāḷuvō. A 'heavy' l sits in the middle. It is one of 197 words in the set “people and family” — the rest are in the table above.
How many family words do you need to start?
The whole set on this page is 197 words, but there is no need to start with all of it: the words you will need in the next few days are enough. Take them a few at a time — five to seven new ones per session.
Is there audio?
Yes, 197 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.