LingoflyBuildings and premises in Tamil
19 words in Tamil on the topic “buildings and premises”: இலங்கை (ilaṅkai) — Sri Lanka, யாழ்ப்பாணம் (yāḻppāṇam) — Jaffna, கடல் (kaḍal) — sea, விமான நிலையம் (vimāṉa nilaiyam) — airport. 19 words can be played from recordings.
19 words on the topic
- இலங்கைilaṅkaiSri LankaThe same word as Sinhala 'Lanka': both peoples call the island by one name
- யாழ்ப்பாணம்yāḻppāṇamJaffnaThe great Tamil city of the island — and its name carries that very ḻ sound
- கடல்kaḍalseaBefore another word it becomes kaḍaṟ-: kaḍaṟkarai, 'the seashore'. The island is ringed by sea on three sides, and the word is heard everywhere
- விமான நிலையம்vimāṉa nilaiyamairportNilaiyam, 'station', is the same word as in tabāl nilaiyam, 'post office'
- விடுதிviḍudihotelOn the island the English 'hotel' more often means an eatery, while one sleeps in this kind of place — do not mix up the signs
- கடற்கரைkaḍaṟkaraibeachka-dar-kay-ray; the r here is a firm r, not an l
- துறைமுகம்tuṟaimugamporttu-ray-mu-gam; the r is rolled, the g between vowels sounds like g
- காடுkāḍuforestkaa-du; the t between vowels sounds like d, at the start it would be t
- மலைmalaimountainAlso a hill on the larger side. The island's hill country is 'mountain land'
- பஸ் நிலையம்pas nilaiyambus stationNilaiyam is 'station': one stop is a bus stop, but the place all the routes start from is the bus station
- படகுத்துறைpaḍaguttuṟaiboat jetty'Boat' plus 'descent to the water'. The big port is a different compound — that one is about ships
- நாணய மாற்று நிலையம்nāṇaya māṟṟu nilaiyamcurrency exchangeNāṇayam is 'currency, coin'. The action itself is 'changing money'; the sign on the island is more often in English
- மிருகக் காட்சிசாலைmirugak kāṭcisālaizoo'Animal' plus 'hall of showing'. In speech people say the short English 'zoo'
- சர்க்கஸ்sarkkascircusAn English word, no native one. At the end it loses its vowel — no trailing u
- தீயணைப்பு நிலையம்tīyaṇaippu nilaiyamfire station'Fire' plus 'extinguishing'. The fire engine and the firefighter share the same first root
- வாகனம் கழுவும் இடம்vāgaṉam kaḻuvum iḍamcar washNo single word exists — it is unfolded into 'the place where a vehicle is washed'. The verb is the same as for dishes
- சுற்றுலா முகவர் நிலையம்suṟṟulā mugavar nilaiyamtravel agency'Touring' plus 'agent, middleman'. A signboard word; in speech one says the English 'travels'
- பிரதான வீதிpiradāṉa vīdimain streetPiradānam is the Sanskrit 'chief'; the same word makes the main entrance. A country lane is a 'small path'
- டிக்கட் கவுண்டர்ḍikkaṭ kavuṇṭarticket officeThe counter of a shop gets 'ticket' added at the station. The long bookish name sits only on the plate
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How it sounds in a sentence
A word list is a blank. Conversation is made of sentences, and these are the ones the words fit into most often.
What is worth knowing about these words
இலங்கை (ilaṅkai) — Sri Lanka. The same word as Sinhala 'Lanka': both peoples call the island by one name.
யாழ்ப்பாணம் (yāḻppāṇam) — Jaffna. The great Tamil city of the island — and its name carries that very ḻ sound.
கடல் (kaḍal) — sea. Before another word it becomes kaḍaṟ-: kaḍaṟkarai, 'the seashore'. The island is ringed by sea on three sides, and the word is heard everywhere.
விமான நிலையம் (vimāṉa nilaiyam) — airport. Nilaiyam, 'station', is the same word as in tabāl nilaiyam, 'post office'.
Test yourself
First by ear — the way you will meet the word in conversation. Click the speaker and pick the translation.
- What is this word?
It is இலங்கை (ilaṅkai) — Sri Lanka.
- What is this word?
It is காடு (kāḍu) — forest.
- What is this word?
It is தீயணைப்பு நிலையம் (tīyaṇaippu nilaiyam) — fire station.
- What is this word?
It is கடல் (kaḍal) — sea.
- What is this word?
It is பஸ் நிலையம் (pas nilaiyam) — bus station.
Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “Sri Lanka” in Tamil?
The same word as Sinhala 'Lanka': both peoples call the island by one name
- How do you say “forest” in Tamil?
A forest and any wild place beyond the village. Before a case ending the consonant doubles: 'in the forest'
- How do you say “fire station” in Tamil?
'Fire' plus 'extinguishing'. The fire engine and the firefighter share the same first root
- How do you say “sea” in Tamil?
Before another word it becomes kaḍaṟ-: kaḍaṟkarai, 'the seashore'. The island is ringed by sea on three sides, and the word is heard everywhere
- How do you say “bus station” in Tamil?
Nilaiyam is 'station': one stop is a bus stop, but the place all the routes start from is the bus station
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
Where to go and what is done there. These words are read off a sign more often than they are spoken.
A list is read in a minute and forgotten in a day. What works: hide the translation, try to recall, get it wrong — and come back to the same words tomorrow.
- 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.
- Study spread over days wins not only in experiments but in ordinary classrooms, with real students.checked many timesMawson & Kang, 2025, Behavioral Sciences 15(6):771 · 22 studies, d = 0.54 (confidence interval 0.31–0.77). The authors warn that individual studies disagree widely.
Frequently asked
How do you say “Sri Lanka” in Tamil?
«இலங்கை» (ilaṅkai), read “ilaṅkai”. The same word as Sinhala 'Lanka': both peoples call the island by one name. It is one of 19 words in the set “buildings and premises” — the rest are in the table above.
How many words for buildings and places do you need to start?
The whole set on this page is 19 words, but there is no need to start with all of it: the words you will need in the next few days are enough. Take them a few at a time — five to seven new ones per session.
Is there audio?
Yes, 19 words on this page can be played — click the speaker next to the word. The sound works on any phone, and nothing needs to be installed.