இலக்கம்
“இலக்கம்” (ilakkam) — digit in Tamil. Noun, level A2, topic — basic words. A digit, a house number and a phone number in one. A number as quantity is a different word; an amount of money is the 'amount' word. In a live sentence: “கடைசி இலக்கம் எனக்கு விளங்கேல்லை” — I could not make out the last digit. You can hear how it sounds right here. Written with the characters இ, ல, க, ், க, ம, ்.
In short
| Written in Tamil | இலக்கம் |
| Read in Latin letters | ilakkam |
| Translation | digit |
| Part of speech | noun |
| Level | A2 |
- இலக்கம்ilakkamdigit
Why it looks that way
A digit, a house number and a phone number in one. A number as quantity is a different word; an amount of money is the 'amount' word
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.
- கடைசி இலக்கம் எனக்கு விளங்கேல்லைkaḍaisi ilakkam eṉakku viḷaṅgēllaiI could not make out the last digit
Nearby words: basic words
Yes, no, good, bad, very. The small change of a language — and no sentence assembles without it.
- நல்லnallagoodStands only in front of a noun: nalla aḷ, a good person. To say 'he is good' you need a different form, nallavar
- ஆமாம்āmāmyesIn conversation people often skip it and repeat the verb instead: 'Are you going?' — 'Going'
- இல்லைillainoAlso the all-purpose negator: after a verb it stands last — Tamil says 'I come not' for 'I am not coming'
- பெரியperiyabigOnly before a noun. 'It is big' switches to perisu: itu perisu. The same word names the elder of a family: periyappā, 'father's elder brother'
- சின்னsiṉṉasmallThe partner of periya, with the same rule: before a noun ciṉṉa, on its own ciṉṉatu. Also 'younger': ciṉṉammā, 'mother's younger sister'
- அழகுaḻagubeautifulThe noun 'beauty' working as a verdict: 'this is beauty' means 'this is beautiful'. Before a noun it becomes aḻagāṉa
- அரைaraihalfStands before the word: 'half kilo', 'half hour'
- இன்னொண்ணுiṉṉoṇṇuone more'Still' plus 'one'. The bookish form is 'one more' with a different spine
- போதும்pōdumenoughThis is what stops the pouring or the serving: 'enough, enough'
- மொத்தம்mottamin totalAltogether, as the sum: 'how much in total?'
Test yourself
Five questions from the same set — “basic words”. Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than knowing a familiar word on sight, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “digit” in Tamil?
A digit, a house number and a phone number in one. A number as quantity is a different word; an amount of money is the 'amount' word
- How do you say “half” in Tamil?
Stands before the word: 'half kilo', 'half hour'
- How do you say “no” in Tamil?
Also the all-purpose negator: after a verb it stands last — Tamil says 'I come not' for 'I am not coming'
- How do you say “in total” in Tamil?
Altogether, as the sum: 'how much in total?'
- How do you say “beautiful” in Tamil?
The noun 'beauty' working as a verdict: 'this is beauty' means 'this is beautiful'. Before a noun it becomes aḻagāṉa
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 “digit” in Tamil?
«இலக்கம்», read “ilakkam”. In a live sentence: “கடைசி இலக்கம் எனக்கு விளங்கேல்லை” — I could not make out the last digit. You can hear how it sounds right on this page. Noun, level A2, from the set “basic words”; written with the characters இ, ல, க, ், க, ம, ்.
How is “இலக்கம்” written in Latin letters?
ilakkam. 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?
A digit, a house number and a phone number in one. A number as quantity is a different word; an amount of money is the 'amount' word. 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.