இதுக்கு என்ன பேர்?
“இதுக்கு என்ன பேர்?” (idukku eṉṉa pēr?) — what is it called? in Tamil. Phrase, level A2. Literally 'what is the name of this?'. The same per names a person and a thing alike. In a live sentence: “இது ஒரு மீன் — இதுக்கு என்ன பேர்?” — This is a fish — what is it called? You can hear how it sounds right here. Written with the characters இ, த, ு, க, ், க, ு, எ, ன, ், ன, ப.
In short
| Written in Tamil | இதுக்கு என்ன பேர்? |
| Read in Latin letters | idukku eṉṉa pēr? |
| Translation | what is it called? |
| Part of speech | phrase |
| Level | A2 |
- இதுக்கு என்ன பேர்?idukku eṉṉa pēr?what is it called?
Why it looks that way
Literally 'what is the name of this?'. The same per names a person and a thing alike
A word with a story stays in memory longer than one learned as a “spelling — translation” pair: memory holds on to meaning, not to a string.
In a live sentence
A single word almost never appears alone in conversation. A sentence shows where it fits and what stands next to it.
- இது ஒரு மீன் — இதுக்கு என்ன பேர்?idu oru mīṉ — idukku eṉṉa pēr?This is a fish — what is it called?
How not to forget this word
Reading a word and remembering it are different jobs. A day later, little survives of a single reading — and that is not bad memory, that is how memory works.
- This has been tested on foreign words too. The difference shows up most when you test yourself a few days later rather than straight away.checked many timesKim & Webb, 2022, Language Learning 72(2) · 48 experiments, 3,411 participants, 98 comparisons.
- 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.
- An answer you worked out yourself sticks better than one handed to you.checked many timesBertsch et al., 2007, Memory & Cognition 35(2) · 86 studies, 445 comparisons, d = 0.40.
Frequently asked
How do you say “what is it called?” in Tamil?
«இதுக்கு என்ன பேர்?», read “idukku eṉṉa pēr?”. In a live sentence: “இது ஒரு மீன் — இதுக்கு என்ன பேர்?” — This is a fish — what is it called? You can hear how it sounds right on this page. Phrase, level A2; written with the characters இ, த, ு, க, ், க, ு, எ, ன, ், ன, ப.
How is “இதுக்கு என்ன பேர்?” written in Latin letters?
idukku eṉṉa pēr?. This is a practical spelling — you need it to read aloud and be understood, not to meet an academic standard.
Why does this word look the way it does?
Literally 'what is the name of this?'. The same per names a person and a thing alike. A word with a story stays in memory longer than a “spelling — translation” pair: memory holds on to meaning, not to a string.
Can I hear how it sounds?
Yes, right on this page: click the word and it will play. The sound works on any phone, and nothing needs to be installed.