LingoflyAsking the way in Tamil
18 words in Tamil on the topic “asking the way”: எங்கே? (eṅgē) — where?, இங்கே (iṅgē) — here, அங்கே (aṅgē) — there, வலது பக்கம் (valadu pakkam) — to the right. 18 words can be played from recordings.
18 words on the topic
- எங்கே?eṅgē?where?In Jaffna speech it sounds shorter, eṅga. It stands at the end: kaḍai eṅgē?, literally 'the shop where?'
- இங்கேiṅgēhereIn Jaffna speech it becomes iñca. Its partner aṅgē, 'there', behaves the same way and becomes añca
- அங்கேaṅgēthereThe initial vowel points: a- to the far, i- to the near, e- asks the question. Tamil runs this row everywhere
- வலது பக்கம்valadu pakkamto the rightLiterally 'the right side': pakkam is obligatory. The right hand is vaḷatu kai — the only hand one eats with on the island
- இடது பக்கம்iḍadu pakkamto the leftThe partner of 'to the right'. Careful: iḍam without the ending means 'place', not 'left'
- நேராnērāstraight aheadFrom nēr, 'straight'. Also 'frankly, directly': nērā kadaikkirār, 'he speaks straight'
- கிட்டkiṭṭacloseAlso the case of 'at someone's, to someone's': eṉṉaṭṭa, 'at my place'; ḍāktariṭṭa, 'to the doctor'. One word for both place and person
- தூரம்tūramfarThe noun 'distance' working as an adverb: evvaḷavu tūram?, 'how far?'
- எப்பிடிப் போறதுeppiḍip pōṟaduhow do I walk toThe spoken 'in what manner' instead of the bookish one; the question is built on the verbal noun 'the going', not on the personal verb form
- வந்து சேருறன்vandu sēruṟaṉto reach'I go and arrive' is getting there; this one is arriving here, to the speaker. Tamil packs the direction into the verb itself
- அந்தப் பக்கத்திலandap pakkattilaon the other sideLiterally 'on that side'. The word for reasoning's 'on the other hand' is not the one for the road
- ரெண்டு அடி தூரம்reṇḍu aḍi tūramtwo steps awayAḍi is both 'a step' and 'the sole of the foot': closeness is measured in feet, not strides. The sense is the same — very close
- திருப்பத்துக்கு அப்பாலtiruppattukku appālaaround the cornerAppāla is 'beyond' something; what it lies beyond takes the 'to whom' form, not the possessive tail
- இடது பக்கத்திலiḍadu pakkattilaon the left ofThere is no preposition: what the thing is to the left of goes first, with the possessive tail
- வலது பக்கத்திலvaladu pakkattilaon the right ofThe partner of 'on the left of'. Bare 'to the right' is the same word; here it comes with the reference point in front
- மத்தியிலmattiyilain the middle ofMatti is the Sanskrit 'middle', the same root as in 'noon'. The plain word puts one in the midst of something; this one sets it dead centre
- அடுத்த திருப்பம்aḍutta tiruppamthe next turnTiruppam is both a turn of the road and a turn in one's affairs; with 'next' only the road remains
- வழியிலvaḻiyilaon the wayVaḻi is the road as a route, pādai the road as a trail. 'On the way' means 'in passing, while at it', not 'on the road surface'
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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
எங்கே? (eṅgē?) — where? In Jaffna speech it sounds shorter, eṅga. It stands at the end: kaḍai eṅgē?, literally 'the shop where?'
இங்கே (iṅgē) — here. In Jaffna speech it becomes iñca. Its partner aṅgē, 'there', behaves the same way and becomes añca.
அங்கே (aṅgē) — there. The initial vowel points: a- to the far, i- to the near, e- asks the question. Tamil runs this row everywhere.
வலது பக்கம் (valadu pakkam) — to the right. Literally 'the right side': pakkam is obligatory. The right hand is vaḷatu kai — the only hand one eats with on the island.
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 எங்கே? (eṅgē?) — where?
- What is this word?
It is தூரம் (tūram) — far.
- What is this word?
It is வலது பக்கத்தில (valadu pakkattila) — on the right of.
- What is this word?
It is வலது பக்கம் (valadu pakkam) — to the right.
- What is this word?
It is அந்தப் பக்கத்தில (andap pakkattila) — on the other side.
Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “where?” in Tamil?
In Jaffna speech it sounds shorter, eṅga. It stands at the end: kaḍai eṅgē?, literally 'the shop where?'
- How do you say “far” in Tamil?
The noun 'distance' working as an adverb: evvaḷavu tūram?, 'how far?'
- How do you say “on the right of” in Tamil?
The partner of 'on the left of'. Bare 'to the right' is the same word; here it comes with the reference point in front
- How do you say “to the right” in Tamil?
Literally 'the right side': pakkam is obligatory. The right hand is vaḷatu kai — the only hand one eats with on the island
- How do you say “on the other side” in Tamil?
Literally 'on that side'. The word for reasoning's 'on the other hand' is not the one for the road
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
Right, left, straight on, how far. You ask the way rarely — and always at the moment when there is no time to work it out.
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 “where?” in Tamil?
«எங்கே?» (eṅgē), read “eṅgē?” In Jaffna speech it sounds shorter, eṅga. It stands at the end: kaḍai eṅgē?, literally 'the shop where?' It is one of 18 words in the set “asking the way” — the rest are in the table above.
How many direction words do you need to start?
The whole set on this page is 18 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, 18 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.