LingoflyAsking the way in Sinhala
18 words in Sinhala on the topic “asking the way”: කොහෙද? (koheda) — where?, මෙතන (metana) — here, අතන (atana) — there, දකුණට (dakuṇaṭa) — to the right. 18 words can be played from recordings.
18 words on the topic
- කොහෙද?koheda?where?The stem kohe plus the question particle -da. Direction is shown not by a preposition but by a case ending: 'to where' and 'from where' each get their own
- මෙතනmetanahereFirst in a row of three: metana (here, by me), etana (there, by you), atana (over there). 'To here' takes a different ending
- අතනatanathereThe far point of the row metana / etana / atana — the thing you point a finger at. 'To there' and 'from there' get their own endings
- දකුණටdakuṇaṭato the rightAlready a case form: dakuṇa, 'the right side', plus -ṭa. 'On the right' and 'from the right' take other endings. The same word means 'south': the Southern Province is dakuṇu paḷāta
- වමටvamaṭato the leftThe pair to dakunata, built the same way: vama plus -ta. 'On the left' is vame. The left hand on the island counts as unclean, and offering things with it is not done
- කෙළින්keḷinstraight aheadThe 'heavy' l in the middle. The same word means 'straight' about a line and 'frankly' about talk: kelinma kiyanna, 'say it straight'
- ළඟḷanganearTwo letters, both with a curl: la is the 'heavy' l, and the nga is a half-nasal 'ng'
- දුරdurafarAlso the noun 'distance': dura kiyada?, 'how many kilometres?'. The predicate is durayi, the question durada
- කොහොමද යන්නේkohomada yannēhow do I get there?Literally 'how does one go?'. On foot or by bus — the verb is the same for both
- පැමිණෙනවාpæmiṇenavāto arriveThe bookish 'arrive' — that's what timetables write. In speech about a journey people use ḷangāvenavā, 'to reach', or just enavā, 'come'
- එහා පැත්තේehā pættēon the other sideehā is that side, mehā this one. Anit pætten also exists — but that's 'on the other hand' in an argument, not across the street
- පියවර දෙකක් දුරින්piyavara dekak durintwo steps awayDistances are measured exactly as you'd expect — in steps; durin adds 'at a distance'
- හැරවුමෙන් එහාhæravumen ehāaround the cornerhæravuma is 'the turn'; the tail -en ehā puts it 'beyond', past that point
- වම් පැත්තේvam pættēto the left ofvam is 'left'. What you count from stands first: pasal vam pættē — 'to the left of the school'
- දකුණු පැත්තේdakuṇu pættēto the right ofdakuṇu means both 'right' and 'southern': the south of the island is the Southern Province
- හරි මැදhari mædaright in the middlehari boosts it here: not just mæda, the middle, but exactly the middle
- ඊළඟ හැරවුමīḷanga hæravumathe next turnīḷaṁga is 'next in order'. To a driver one says it short: 'turn at the next turn'
- යන ගමන්yana gamanon the wayLiterally 'while going': the tail -gaman sticks to any verb and gives 'in passing, along the way'
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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
කොහෙද? (koheda?) — where? The stem kohe plus the question particle -da. Direction is shown not by a preposition but by a case ending: 'to where' and 'from where' each get their own.
මෙතන (metana) — here. First in a row of three: metana (here, by me), etana (there, by you), atana (over there). 'To here' takes a different ending.
අතන (atana) — there. The far point of the row metana / etana / atana — the thing you point a finger at. 'To there' and 'from there' get their own endings.
දකුණට (dakuṇaṭa) — to the right. Already a case form: dakuṇa, 'the right side', plus -ṭa. 'On the right' and 'from the right' take other endings. The same word means 'south': the Southern Province is dakuṇu paḷāta.
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 කොහෙද? (koheda?) — where?
- What is this word?
It is දුර (dura) — far.
- What is this word?
It is දකුණු පැත්තේ (dakuṇu pættē) — to the right of.
- What is this word?
It is දකුණට (dakuṇaṭa) — to the right.
- What is this word?
It is එහා පැත්තේ (ehā pættē) — on the other side.
Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “where?” in Sinhala?
The stem kohe plus the question particle -da. Direction is shown not by a preposition but by a case ending: 'to where' and 'from where' each get their own
- How do you say “far” in Sinhala?
Also the noun 'distance': dura kiyada?, 'how many kilometres?'. The predicate is durayi, the question durada
- How do you say “to the right of” in Sinhala?
dakuṇu means both 'right' and 'southern': the south of the island is the Southern Province
- How do you say “to the right” in Sinhala?
Already a case form: dakuṇa, 'the right side', plus -ṭa. 'On the right' and 'from the right' take other endings. The same word means 'south': the Southern Province is dakuṇu paḷāta
- How do you say “on the other side” in Sinhala?
ehā is that side, mehā this one. Anit pætten also exists — but that's 'on the other hand' in an argument, not across the street
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
Right, left, straight on, how far. You ask the way rarely — and always at the moment when there is no time to work it out.
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 “where?” in Sinhala?
«කොහෙද?» (koheda), read “koheda?” The stem kohe plus the question particle -da. Direction is shown not by a preposition but by a case ending: 'to where' and 'from where' each get their own. It is one of 18 words in the set “asking the way” — the rest are in the table above.
How many direction words do you need to start?
The whole set on this page is 18 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, 18 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.