LingoflyBuildings and premises in Sinhala
13 words in Sinhala on the topic “buildings and premises”: ලංකාව (laṁkāva) — Sri Lanka, කොළඹ (koḷamba) — Colombo, මුහුද (muhuda) — sea, බස් නැවතුම්පොළ (bas nævatumpoḷa) — bus station. 13 words can be played from recordings.
13 words on the topic
- ලංකාවlaṁkāvaSri LankaIn speech the country is simply Laṁkāva; the 'Sri' belongs to the official name
- කොළඹkoḷambaColomboThe European 'Colombo' comes from here: the Portuguese heard the local name and wrote it down their own way
- මුහුදmuhudaseaThe sea as water; the beach is a separate word, muhudu verala. Don't confuse it with muhuna, 'a face': the beginning is shared, then they part ways
- බස් නැවතුම්පොළbas nævatumpoḷabus stationThe ordinary bus stop is 'the bus halt eka'; this is the big ground where the long-distance buses gather
- ජැටියjæṭiyajettyThe English jetty stuck for good; the native toṭupoḷa stayed with the river ferry
- මුදල් මාරු කරන තැනmudal māru karana tænamoney exchangeThe place is named by description, 'where money is changed'; on the sign you'll see the English Money Exchange
- සත්තු වත්තsattu vattazooLiterally 'the garden of beasts', and in Dehiwala that is exactly what it's called. The bookish word stays on the sign
- සර්කස් එකsarkas ekacircusAn English word, and without the eka tail it won't bend into a Sinhala sentence
- ගිනි නිවන ඒකකයgini nivana ēkakayafire stationgini nivana is 'fire-extinguishing', the same phrase as in the fire engine; ēkakaya is a unit, a detachment
- වාහන සෝදන තැනvāhana sōdana tænacar washNo native word — people say 'the place where cars are washed'; the sign says Car Wash
- සංචාරක නියෝජිතායතනයsaṁcāraka niyōjitāyatanayatour agencyA long bookish word straight off a sign; in speech people say the English tour agency
- ප්රධාන වීදියpradhāna vīdiyamain streetvīdiya is a street inside the city, unlike pāra, which doubles as a road: maha pāra is the highway between towns
- ටිකට් කවුන්ටරයṭikaṭ kavunṭarayaticket counterA cashier's till is one thing; where tickets are handed out there is a counter, the English counter adapted
Download the word set (CSV) · Open the printable sheet
The CSV contains spelling, reading guides, translations and links to word pages. Use the browser menu to save the printable sheet as a PDF.
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
ලංකාව (laṁkāva) — Sri Lanka. In speech the country is simply Laṁkāva; the 'Sri' belongs to the official name.
කොළඹ (koḷamba) — Colombo. The European 'Colombo' comes from here: the Portuguese heard the local name and wrote it down their own way.
මුහුද (muhuda) — sea. The sea as water; the beach is a separate word, muhudu verala. Don't confuse it with muhuna, 'a face': the beginning is shared, then they part ways.
බස් නැවතුම්පොළ (bas nævatumpoḷa) — bus station. The ordinary bus stop is 'the bus halt eka'; this is the big ground where the long-distance buses gather.
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 ලංකාව (laṁkāva) — Sri Lanka.
- What is this word?
It is සර්කස් එක (sarkas eka) — circus.
- What is this word?
It is කොළඹ (koḷamba) — Colombo.
- What is this word?
It is ගිනි නිවන ඒකකය (gini nivana ēkakaya) — fire station.
- What is this word?
It is මුහුද (muhuda) — sea.
Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “Sri Lanka” in Sinhala?
In speech the country is simply Laṁkāva; the 'Sri' belongs to the official name
- How do you say “circus” in Sinhala?
An English word, and without the eka tail it won't bend into a Sinhala sentence
- How do you say “Colombo” in Sinhala?
The European 'Colombo' comes from here: the Portuguese heard the local name and wrote it down their own way
- How do you say “fire station” in Sinhala?
gini nivana is 'fire-extinguishing', the same phrase as in the fire engine; ēkakaya is a unit, a detachment
- How do you say “sea” in Sinhala?
The sea as water; the beach is a separate word, muhudu verala. Don't confuse it with muhuna, 'a face': the beginning is shared, then they part ways
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
Where to go and what is done there. These words are read off a sign more often than they are spoken.
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 “Sri Lanka” in Sinhala?
«ලංකාව» (laṁkāva), read “laṁkāva”. In speech the country is simply Laṁkāva; the 'Sri' belongs to the official name. It is one of 13 words in the set “buildings and premises” — the rest are in the table above.
How many words for buildings and places do you need to start?
The whole set on this page is 13 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, 13 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.