Lingoflyவாசிக்கிறன்
- வாசிக்கிறன்vāsikkiṟaṉto read
“வாசிக்கிறன்” (vāsikkiṟaṉ) — to read in Tamil. Verb, level A1, topic — verbs. In Tamil Nadu the same verb covers both 'to read' and 'to study', which muddles things. On the island one reads with this verb and leaves the other to study. It also plays an instrument: 'I play the veena' is 'I read the veena'. In a live sentence: “நான் இரவில புத்தகம் வாசிக்கிறன்” (nāṉ iravila puttagam vāsikkiṟaṉ) — At night I read a book. You can hear how it sounds right here.
In short
| Written in Tamil | வாசிக்கிறன் (vāsikkiṟaṉ) |
| Read in Latin letters | vāsikkiṟaṉ |
| Translation | to read |
| Part of speech | verb |
| Level | A1 |
Why it looks that way
In Tamil Nadu the same verb covers both 'to read' and 'to study', which muddles things. On the island one reads with this verb and leaves the other to study. It also plays an instrument: 'I play the veena' is 'I read the veena'
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.
Nearby words: verbs
I want, I can, I am going, I know. The verb holds a sentence together: a few of the most frequent ones cover more everyday talk than a long list of nouns.
- வேணும்vēṇumwant; needBuilt like 'to me ... is wanted': eṉakku ṭī vēṇum, 'I need tea'. The wanting one stands in the 'to whom' form
- போறன்pōṟaṉto goTamil has no dictionary form at all: the lexicon holds the stem, and the verb is named in the first person, 'I go'. The ending -ēṉ is the 'I'. On foot or by bus — the verb is one
- சாப்பிடுறன்sāppiḍuṟaṉto eatFirst person, 'I eat'; the lexicon stem is sāppiṭu-. Nothing to do with 'there is, to have': existence is a different verb
- குடிக்கிறன்kuḍikkiṟaṉto drinkFirst person, 'I drink'. The same verb smokes: 'I drink a cigarette', literally
- பேசுறன்pēsuṟaṉto speakFirst person, 'I speak'. On the island the livelier verb is 'to chat', but this one is understood everywhere
- இருக்கிறன்irukkiṟaṉto beFirst person, 'I am'. Also 'I am located' and 'I live': 'I am in Jaffna' is how one says 'I live in Jaffna'
- கத்துக்கிறன்kattukkiṟaṉto studyFirst person, 'I learn, I study'. One word for both 'to study something' and 'to be a student'. Teaching someone is a different verb — literally 'to give learning'
- தேர்ந்தெடுக்கிறன்tērndeḍukkiṟaṉto chooseThe verb is given in the 'I do' form — here 'I choose'. In the shop people say it simpler: 'I will look and take'
- படிக்கிறன்paḍikkiṟaṉto be a studentIt also means 'I read': the root serves both studying and reading. The other verb is about mastering a skill
- ஞாபகம் வைக்கிறன்ñābagam vaikkiṟaṉto memorizeLiterally 'I place into memory': 'memory' is the first word. 'I forgot' is another verb
Test yourself
Five questions from the same set — “verbs”. Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than knowing a familiar word on sight, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “to read” in Tamil?
In Tamil Nadu the same verb covers both 'to read' and 'to study', which muddles things. On the island one reads with this verb and leaves the other to study. It also plays an instrument: 'I play the veena' is 'I read the veena'
- How do you say “to study” in Tamil?
First person, 'I learn, I study'. One word for both 'to study something' and 'to be a student'. Teaching someone is a different verb — literally 'to give learning'
- How do you say “to eat” in Tamil?
First person, 'I eat'; the lexicon stem is sāppiṭu-. Nothing to do with 'there is, to have': existence is a different verb
- How do you say “to memorize” in Tamil?
Literally 'I place into memory': 'memory' is the first word. 'I forgot' is another verb
- How do you say “to be” in Tamil?
First person, 'I am'. Also 'I am located' and 'I live': 'I am in Jaffna' is how one says 'I live in Jaffna'
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 read” in Tamil?
«வாசிக்கிறன்» (vāsikkiṟaṉ), read “vāsikkiṟaṉ”. In a live sentence: “நான் இரவில புத்தகம் வாசிக்கிறன்” (nāṉ iravila puttagam vāsikkiṟaṉ) — At night I read a book. You can hear how it sounds right on this page. Verb, level A1, from the set “verbs”; written with the characters வ, ா, ச, ி, க, ், க, ி, ற, ன, ்.
How is “வாசிக்கிறன்” (vāsikkiṟaṉ) written in Latin letters?
vāsikkiṟaṉ. 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?
In Tamil Nadu the same verb covers both 'to read' and 'to study', which muddles things. On the island one reads with this verb and leaves the other to study. It also plays an instrument: 'I play the veena' is 'I read the veena'. 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 this 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.