கை கழுவுறேன்
“கை கழுவுறேன்” (kai kaḻuvuṟēṉ) — wash your hands in Tamil. Phrase, level A2. After eating with the hand it is done always, and the request 'come having washed your hands' sounds in every house. In a live sentence: “சாப்பிடுறதுக்கு முந்தி நான் கை கழுவுறேன்” — Before eating I wash my hands. You can hear how it sounds right here. Written with the characters க, ை, க, ழ, ு, வ, ு, ற, ே, ன, ். A word from the everyday Tamil course, level A2.
In short
| Written in Tamil | கை கழுவுறேன் |
| Read in Latin letters | kai kaḻuvuṟēṉ |
| Translation | wash your hands |
| Part of speech | phrase |
| Level | A2 |
- கை கழுவுறேன்kai kaḻuvuṟēṉwash your hands
Why it looks that way
After eating with the hand it is done always, and the request 'come having washed your hands' sounds in every house
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.
- சாப்பிடுறதுக்கு முந்தி நான் கை கழுவுறேன்sāppiḍuṟadukku mundi nāṉ kai kaḻuvuṟēṉBefore eating I wash my hands
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 “wash your hands” in Tamil?
«கை கழுவுறேன்», read “kai kaḻuvuṟēṉ”. In a live sentence: “சாப்பிடுறதுக்கு முந்தி நான் கை கழுவுறேன்” — Before eating I wash my hands. You can hear how it sounds right on this page. Phrase, level A2; written with the characters க, ை, க, ழ, ு, வ, ு, ற, ே, ன, ்.
How is “கை கழுவுறேன்” written in Latin letters?
kai kaḻuvuṟēṉ. 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?
After eating with the hand it is done always, and the request 'come having washed your hands' sounds in every house. 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.