முகம் கழுவுறேன்
“முகம் கழுவுறேன்” (mugam kaḻuvuṟēṉ) — to wash up in Tamil. Verb, level A1, topic — everyday life and routine. Literally 'I wash the face' — Tamil names what gets washed. 'To bathe whole' is a different verb. In a live sentence: “நான் குளிர்ந்த தண்ணியில முகம் கழுவுறேன்” — I wash up with cold water. You can hear how it sounds right here. Written with the characters ம, ு, க, ம, ், க, ழ, ு, வ, ு, ற, ே.
In short
| Written in Tamil | முகம் கழுவுறேன் |
| Read in Latin letters | mugam kaḻuvuṟēṉ |
| Translation | to wash up |
| Part of speech | verb |
| Level | A1 |
- முகம் கழுவுறேன்mugam kaḻuvuṟēṉto wash up
Why it looks that way
Literally 'I wash the face' — Tamil names what gets washed. 'To bathe whole' is a different verb
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.
- நான் குளிர்ந்த தண்ணியில முகம் கழுவுறேன்nāṉ kuḷirnda taṇṇiyila mugam kaḻuvuṟēṉI wash up with cold water
Nearby words: everyday life and routine
Work, home, rest, errands. The words the answer to “how are things?” is made of.
- 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
- 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'
Test yourself
Five questions from the same set — “everyday life and routine”. Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than knowing a familiar word on sight, and therefore more useful.
- 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 get undressed” in Tamil?
The partner of 'to get dressed': 'to take off'
- How do you say “to get up” in Tamil?
Assembled from 'to rise' and 'to be'. Waking and getting up are two different deeds
- 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 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 “to wash up” in Tamil?
«முகம் கழுவுறேன்», read “mugam kaḻuvuṟēṉ”. In a live sentence: “நான் குளிர்ந்த தண்ணியில முகம் கழுவுறேன்” — I wash up with cold water. You can hear how it sounds right on this page. Verb, level A1, from the set “everyday life and routine”; written with the characters ம, ு, க, ம, ், க, ழ, ு, வ, ு, ற, ே.
How is “முகம் கழுவுறேன்” written in Latin letters?
mugam 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?
Literally 'I wash the face' — Tamil names what gets washed. 'To bathe whole' is a different verb. 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.