Everyday life and routine in Tamil
11 words Tamil words on the topic “everyday life and routine”: வேலை — work, விழிக்கிறேன் — to wake up, எழுந்திருக்கிறேன் — to get up, முகம் கழுவுறேன் — to wash up. 11 words can be played from recordings.
11 words on the topic
- வேலைvēlaiworkWork, job and position at once. 'I work' is 'I do work'; 'I am busy' — 'I am at work'
- விழிக்கிறேன்viḻikkiṟēṉto wake upFrom viḻi, 'eye': to wake up is to open the eyes. The image is transparent
- எழுந்திருக்கிறேன்eḻundirukkiṟēṉto get upAssembled from 'to rise' and 'to be'. Waking and getting up are two different deeds
- முகம் கழுவுறேன்mugam kaḻuvuṟēṉto wash upLiterally 'I wash the face' — Tamil names what gets washed. 'To bathe whole' is a different verb
- தலை சீவுறேன்talai sīvuṟēṉto comb one's hairLiterally 'I comb the head'. 'Comb' the noun comes from the same root
- ஷேவ் பண்றேன்ṣēv paṇṟēṉto shaveAn English root with the Tamil 'to do'. This is how Tamil adopts borrowings
- உடுப்பு போடுறேன்uḍuppu pōḍuṟēṉto get dressedLiterally 'I put on clothes'. 'Put' is a very loaded verb: to put, to wear, to pour
- உடுப்பு கழட்டுறேன்uḍuppu kaḻaṭṭuṟēṉto get undressedThe partner of 'to get dressed': 'to take off'
- உட்காருறேன்uṭkāruṟēṉto sit downBoth 'to sit down' and 'to sit'. The polite invitation is 'please sit'
- படுக்கிறேன்paḍukkiṟēṉto lie downBoth 'to lie down' and 'to lie'. 'Bed' comes from the same root
- ஓய்வு எடுக்கிறேன்ōivu eḍukkiṟēṉto restLiterally 'I take rest'. Ōivu is also 'rest' the noun and 'pension' in the set phrase 'to receive pension'
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.
- இன்னிக்கு நிறைய வேலை இருக்குiṉṉikku niṟaiya vēlai irukkuThere is much work today
- நான் ஏழு மணிக்கு விழிக்கிறேன்nāṉ ēḻu maṇikku viḻikkiṟēṉI wake up at seven
- நான் அரை மணி நேரம் கழிச்சு எழுந்திருக்கேன்nāṉ arai maṇi nēram kaḻiccu eḻundirukkēṉaI get up in half an hour
- நான் குளிர்ந்த தண்ணியில முகம் கழுவுறேன்nāṉ kuḷirnda taṇṇiyila mugam kaḻuvuṟēṉI wash up with cold water
- அவங்க கண்ணாடி முன்னாடி தலை சீவுறாங்கavaṅga kaṇṇāḍi muṉṉāḍa talai sīvuṟāṅgaShe combs her hair in front of the mirror
- நான் ஒரு நாள் விட்டு ஒரு நாள் ஷேவ் பண்றேன்nāṉ oru nāḷ viṭṭu oru nāḷ ṣēv paṇṟēṉI shave every other day
What is worth knowing about these words
வேலை (vēlai) — work. Work, job and position at once. 'I work' is 'I do work'; 'I am busy' — 'I am at work'
விழிக்கிறேன் (viḻikkiṟēṉ) — to wake up. From viḻi, 'eye': to wake up is to open the eyes. The image is transparent
எழுந்திருக்கிறேன் (eḻundirukkiṟēṉ) — to get up. Assembled from 'to rise' and 'to be'. Waking and getting up are two different deeds
முகம் கழுவுறேன் (mugam kaḻuvuṟēṉ) — to wash up. Literally 'I wash the face' — Tamil names what gets washed. 'To bathe whole' is a different verb
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 வேலை (vēlai) — work.
- What is this word?
It is உடுப்பு கழட்டுறேன் (uḍuppu kaḻaṭṭuṟēṉ) — to get undressed.
- What is this word?
It is முகம் கழுவுறேன் (mugam kaḻuvuṟēṉ) — to wash up.
- What is this word?
It is ஓய்வு எடுக்கிறேன் (ōivu eḍukkiṟēṉ) — to rest.
- What is this word?
It is உடுப்பு போடுறேன் (uḍuppu pōḍuṟēṉ) — to get dressed.
Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “work” in Tamil?
Work, job and position at once. 'I work' is 'I do work'; 'I am busy' — 'I am at work'
- How do you say “to get undressed” in Tamil?
The partner of 'to get dressed': 'to take off'
- How do you say “to wash up” in Tamil?
Literally 'I wash the face' — Tamil names what gets washed. 'To bathe whole' is a different verb
- How do you say “to rest” in Tamil?
Literally 'I take rest'. Ōivu is also 'rest' the noun and 'pension' in the set phrase 'to receive pension'
- How do you say “to get dressed” in Tamil?
Literally 'I put on clothes'. 'Put' is a very loaded verb: to put, to wear, to pour
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
Work, home, rest, errands. The words the answer to “how are things?” is made of.
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 “work” in Tamil?
«வேலை», read “vēlai”. Work, job and position at once. 'I work' is 'I do work'; 'I am busy' — 'I am at work'. It is one of 11 words in the set “everyday life and routine” — the rest are in the table above.
How many everyday words do you need to start?
A dozen is enough. The set of 11 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, 11 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.