Transport in Tamil
20 words Tamil words on the topic “transport”: பஸ் — bus, ரயில் — train, டாக்ஸி — taxi, ஆட்டோ — tuk-tuk. 20 words can be played from recordings.
20 words on the topic
- பஸ்basbusThe English bus, written with the grantha letter reserved for foreign sounds
- ரயில்rayiltrainThe English rail. Words snap together: 'rail station' is the railway station, 'rail box' a carriage
- டாக்ஸிṭāksitaxiA car with a driver. The three-wheeler, of which there are many more on the island, has its own name: auto
- ஆட்டோāṭṭōtuk-tukThe three-wheeled taxi. In the south of the island it is a 'tuk-tuk', in the north simply an 'auto'
- டிரைவர்ḍraivardriverThe English driver. The bookish word exists too
- டிக்கட்ṭikkaṭticketThe English ticket — that is what one says at the station. The bookish word lives on plates and in announcements
- பிளாட்பாரம்plāṭpāramplatformThe English platform. The bookish word is known, but at the station nobody uses it
- ரயில் பெட்டிrayil peṭṭitrain carriageLiterally 'the train's box': a box, a suitcase and a carriage are one word
- விமானம்vimāṉamairplaneThat is what people say in speech. 'To fly' is 'I go by airplane', literally
- படகுpaḍaguboatpa-da-gu; the t between vowels sounds like d, and the k at the end like g
- நிறுத்தம்niṟuttamstopFrom 'to stop'. You know the bus stop compound and the last stop; the bare word suits any stop
- பயணிpayaṇipassengerFrom 'journey'. The tourist of the course is the same word with a modifier in front
- இருக்கைirukkaiseatFrom 'to sit, to be located'. A chair at home is another word; a seat in transport is this one
- கைப்பிடிக் கம்பிkaippiḍik kambihandrailYou know the grab phrase from the door handle; in the bus it is a grip on a rod — hence the second word
- டிக்கட் சோதனையாளர்ḍikkaṭ sōdaṉaiyāḷarticket inspectorThe root is 'examination'. In an island bus the conductor sells the tickets, and this one checks them — different people
- பயணக் கட்டணம்payaṇak kaṭṭaṇamfareThe second word is any levy; with 'journey' it is precisely for the ride
- நெரிசலானnerisalāṉajam-packedThe root is 'a crush', the same as in a traffic jam. The adjective lives only by a noun, never alone
- காலி இடம்kāli iḍamfree seat'Empty, vacant'; you know the vacant room. About a seat on the bus one asks shortly: 'is this free?'
- டிக்கட் இயந்திரம்ḍikkaṭ iyandiramticket machineThe second word is 'machine, mechanism', as in the washing machine. On the island you will hardly meet one: the conductor sells the ticket
- லேட்lēṭdelayThe English 'late' has become a noun on the island: 'the bus is late'. The native delay word the course keeps for a run-out term
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.
- பஸ் இன்னும் வரேல்லைbas iṉṉum varēllaiThe bus has not come yet
- ரயில் கொழும்புக்கு போகுதுrayil koḻumbukku pōguduThe train goes to Colombo
- ஒரு டாக்ஸி கூப்பிடுங்கoru ṭāksi kūppiḍuṅgaCall a taxi
- ஆட்டோவில போவம்āṭṭōvila pōvamLet's go by tuk-tuk
- பஸ் டிரைவர் நல்லா ஓட்டுறார்bas ḍraivar nallā ōṭṭuṟārThe bus driver drives well
- ரெண்டு டிக்கட் தாங்கreṇḍu ṭikkaṭ tāṅgaGive me two tickets
What is worth knowing about these words
பஸ் (bas) — bus. The English bus, written with the grantha letter reserved for foreign sounds
ரயில் (rayil) — train. The English rail. Words snap together: 'rail station' is the railway station, 'rail box' a carriage
டாக்ஸி (ṭāksi) — taxi. A car with a driver. The three-wheeler, of which there are many more on the island, has its own name: auto
ஆட்டோ (āṭṭō) — tuk-tuk. The three-wheeled taxi. In the south of the island it is a 'tuk-tuk', in the north simply an 'auto'
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 பஸ் (bas) — bus.
- What is this word?
It is ரயில் பெட்டி (rayil peṭṭi) — train carriage.
- What is this word?
It is டிக்கட் சோதனையாளர் (ḍikkaṭ sōdaṉaiyāḷar) — ticket inspector.
- What is this word?
It is ரயில் (rayil) — train.
- What is this word?
It is விமானம் (vimāṉam) — airplane.
Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “bus” in Tamil?
The English bus, written with the grantha letter reserved for foreign sounds
- How do you say “train carriage” in Tamil?
Literally 'the train's box': a box, a suitcase and a carriage are one word
- How do you say “ticket inspector” in Tamil?
The root is 'examination'. In an island bus the conductor sells the tickets, and this one checks them — different people
- How do you say “train” in Tamil?
The English rail. Words snap together: 'rail station' is the railway station, 'rail box' a carriage
- How do you say “airplane” in Tamil?
That is what people say in speech. 'To fly' is 'I go by airplane', literally
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
Bus, metro, taxi, stop, station. These are words you need to recognize in writing — off a departure board and off a sign.
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 “bus” in Tamil?
«பஸ்», read “bas”. The English bus, written with the grantha letter reserved for foreign sounds. It is one of 20 words in the set “transport” — the rest are in the table above.
How many transport words do you need to start?
A dozen is enough. The set of 20 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, 20 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.