LingoflyShopping and money in Tamil
93 words in Tamil on the topic “shopping and money”: எவ்வளவு? (evvaḷavu) — how much does it cost?, விலை (vilai) — price, ரூபாய் (rūpāy) — rupee, கடை (kaḍai) — shop. 93 words can be played from recordings.
93 words on the topic
- எவ்வளவு?evvaḷavu?how much does it cost?Literally just 'how much' — no 'cost' in it, and at the market that is enough. About countable things one asks ettanai
- விலைvilaipriceDear and cheap are said through it: vilai adigam, vilai kuṟaivu. Do not confuse with viḷai, 'to be born' — that one has ḷ
- ரூபாய்rūpāyrupeeThe Sri Lankan rupee, not the Indian: the island mints its own currency under the same name. A hundredth of it is catam
- கடைkaḍaishopHere the position rule is audible: ḍ between vowels stays soft d — kaḍay, not kaṭay
- சந்தைsandaimarketA relative of candi, 'meeting, crossroads': a market is the place where people come together. Don't mix them up: the market ends in ஐ
- கடை மேசைkaḍai mēsaicounterLiterally 'the shop table'. A separate market stall is more often called simply 'shop'
- கடைக்காரர்kaḍaikkārarvendorThe suffix means 'the one at the trade': shop gives shopkeeper. The form with -r is already polite
- வாங்குறவர்vāṅguṟavarbuyerLiterally 'the buying one': the ending turns a verb into a person. 'To buy' becomes 'the buying one'
- தராசுtarāsuscalesThe vendor's balance scales. The word came through Persian and lives with the Sinhala neighbours too
- கிலோkilōkilogramIn the shop one simply says 'a kilo'. Half a kilo is 'half kilo', a quarter is 'quarter kilo'
- பிரெஷ்preṣfreshThe English fresh — at the market this is how one asks. The bookish word is 'new'; about greens one says 'green'
- பழுத்தpaḻuttaripepa-lut-ta; the lu carries the curled-back sound the language is named by
- விலைச் சீட்டுvilaic sīṭṭuprice tag'Price' plus 'slip of paper'. The same slip names a doctor's prescription and any paper scrap
- விலை அதிகம்vilai adigamexpensiveLiterally 'the price is high'. There is no separate adjective — one speaks of the price
- விலை குறைவுvilai kuṟaivucheapThe partner of 'the price is high': 'the price is low'
- தள்ளுபடிtaḷḷubaḍidiscountOn the shop window one writes the long word; in conversation people say the English 'discount'
- மீதி காசுmīdi kāsuchange (money)Literally 'the remaining money': kāsu is money in general, 'remainder' is what is left
- கேஷ்kēṣcashThe English cash: at the till they ask 'cash or card?'. The bookish word is 'ready money'
- ரசீதுrasīdureceiptReceipt, slip, written acknowledgement — all of it this word. In the shop the same paper is also called 'bill'
- எவ்வளவு ஆகுது?evvaḷavu āgudu?how much do I owe?Literally 'how much does it come to?' About one item one asks 'how much?'; about the whole purchase — like this
- இது மிகவும் விலைidu migavum vilaithis is expensiveMigavum, 'very', is the common bookish booster word, understood everywhere. Tamil Nadu speech says romba
- கொஞ்சம் குறைக்க முடியுமா?koñcam kuṟaikka muḍiyumā?can it be cheaper?Literally 'can it be brought down a little?' At the market haggling is normal; in a shop with price tags it is not
- இதை எடுக்கிறன்idai eḍukkiṟaṉI'll take itLiterally 'this I take'. 'This' turns into 'this-one' before the ending
- எனக்கு வேண்டாம்eṉakku vēṇḍāmI don't need itThe negation of 'want; need'. At the market the polite refusal is exactly this word
- இன்னொண்டுiṉṉoṇḍuone more'Still' plus 'one'. The bookish form is 'one more' with a different spine
- போதும்pōdumenoughThis is what stops the pouring or the serving: 'enough, enough'
- மளிகைக் கடைmaḷigaik kaḍaigrocery storema-li-gay ka-day; the ḷ is made with the tongue curled back — not the plain l
- கூடைkūḍaibasketku-day; ṭ between vowels sounds like d, but like t at the start of a word
- வரிசைvarisaiqueueAlso 'a row'. 'Stand in the queue' is 'stand in the row'. People often say the English 'queue' too
- கவுண்டர்kavuṇḍarcheckoutThe English counter — that is what the island calls the till. Tamil Nadu calls the same place by another name
- பைpaibagAny sack and any bag. The polythene one is 'plastic bag'
- திறந்திருக்குtiṟandirukkuis openLiterally 'stands opened'. On the door they write the longer bookish form
- மூடியிருக்குmūḍiyirukkuis closedThe partner of 'is open'. If it is locked with a key, a third form appears: 'is locked'
- 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'
- அளவுaḷavusizea-la-vu; the ḷ is retroflex, the tongue curled back
- உடை மாற்றும் அறைuḍai māṟṟum aṟaifitting roomLiterally 'the room where clothes are changed'
- போட்டுப் பாக்கிறன்pōṭṭup pākkiṟaṉto try onLiterally 'I will put it on and look'. The pair 'do and look' means 'to try'
- அளவு சரியா இருக்குaḷavu sariyā irukkuit fitsLiterally 'the size is right'. Alavu is 'size'
- மிகவும் பெரிசுmigavum perisutoo bigThe booster word means both 'very' and 'too': the intonation negotiates the difference
- மிகவும் சின்னதுmigavum siṉṉadutoo small'Small' as a standalone word; before a noun it would be the short form
- உத்தரவாதம்uttaravādamwarrantyBoth a warranty on a device and a promise in general: 'I give my uththaravaadham'. In a shop people say the English 'warranty'
- பொருளை திருப்பிக் குடுக்கிறதுporuḷai tiruppik kuḍukkiṟaduproduct returnTamil manages without an action noun: 'the giving-back of the thing'. The -radhu ending turns a verb into a noun
- விளம்பரம்viḷambaramadvertisingAny notice: a billboard and a job ad alike. The verb is made with 'do' or 'put'
- விளம்பரப் படம்viḷambarap paḍamcommercialThe picture word covers photo, film and clip; which one is clear from the first word
- பிராண்ட்pirāṇṭbrandThe English 'brand'. The bookish 'trade imprint' lives in documents; at the shop they ask 'what brand is it?'
- சின்னம்siṉṉamlogoGenerally 'a sign, an emblem' — the same word in the memorial phrase and the symbol phrase. No separate word for a logo exists
- தள்ளுபடி விற்பனைtaḷḷubaḍi viṟpaṉaisalethallubadi, 'a discount', comes from 'to shove off': the price is shoved off. virpanai, 'a selling', from 'I sell'
- இலாபமான சலுகைilābamāṉa salugaia good dealilaabam, 'profit', plus the -aana ending makes the attribute. The same word for 'concession' means 'special terms' at a shop
- விலைகளை ஒப்பிடுறன்vilaigaḷai oppiḍuṟaṉto compare pricesoppidu, 'to compare', from oppu, 'likeness'. When two things are compared, the 'than' turn -ai vida is more common; oppidu is for comparing a whole row
- பக்கற்pakkaṟpackpak-kat; the final r sounds as a short clipped t
- கண்ணாடிkaṇṇāḍiglasskan-naa-di; the nn is a long retroflex n, and it tints the vowel after it
- உலோகம்ulōgama metalMetal as a substance. Iron is a separate word, and steel dishes at home are called the English 'steel' utensils
- பிளாஸ்திக்piḷāstikplastic materialOn the island it is written with one spelling, in Tamil Nadu with another. The bag at the shop is simply called a plastic bag
- காகிதம்kāgidampaperOne sheet is 'a paper'. Office papers are the document word, but in everyday speech this one serves
- உறுதியானuṟudiyāṉadurableFrom urudhi, 'firmness, solidity'. About a person the same word means 'firm in a decision'
- தரமானtaramāṉahigh-qualityFrom tharam, 'quality, grade'. 'The quality is low' is how they say a thing is shoddy
- வணிக வளாகம்vaṇiga vaḷāgamshopping mallvaṇigam 'trade' + valaagam 'a complex, a compound'. Among the young people simply say the English 'mall'
- காட்சிப் பெட்டிkāṭcip peṭṭishop windowkaatchi 'a display, a view' + petti 'a box'. Both the glazed cabinet inside the shop and the window outside are one word
- காசாளர்kāsāḷarcashierFrom the money word. The till itself is the English 'counter'
- கொள்வனவுkoḷvaṉavua purchaseAn island word: in Tamil Nadu you would hardly hear it — there they use the buying noun or the English 'shopping'
- சலுகை அட்டைsalugai aṭṭailoyalty cardSalugai is 'a concession, a discount'; attai is 'a card', as in the identity card
- பரிசுப் பொதிparisup podigift wrappingThe gift word + podi, 'a bundle', the same word as in 'I am packing up the things'
- கடைத் தள்ளுவண்டிkaḍait taḷḷuvaṇḍishopping trolleythallu 'to push' + vandi 'a cart'. The station luggage trolley is the same cart; here the shop word pins it down
- சாமானை மாத்துறன்sāmāṉai māttuṟaṉto exchange an itemmaaththu, 'to change', the same word as in 'I am moving house'. The bookish form has a longer tail
- காசு திரும்பி வாங்குறன்kāsu tirumbi vāṅguṟaṉto get a refundLiterally 'I take the money back'. Returning the thing itself is said with the give-back phrase
- குறைபாடானkuṟaipāḍāṉadefectiveFrom kuraipaadu, 'a flaw'. At the shop people put it more simply: 'there is a problem with this one'
- அளவு சரிவரேல்லைaḷavu sarivarēllaithe size does not fitsaru, 'to come out right', plus the negation -ēllai. When it fits: 'the size is right'
- ரசீதை வைச்சிருங்கோrasīdai vaicciruṅgōkeep the receiptvaicchiru, 'keep it with you' — the polite imperative. Without the receipt no exchange happens anywhere
- இது போலிidu pōliit is a fakepoli means 'counterfeit, false'. The real thing is 'this is the original' or 'this is the true one'
- சரக்கு இருக்குsarakku irukkuin stocksarakku is 'goods, cargo' — a word of the shop and the warehouse. Out of stock is 'the goods have run out'
- வேற நிறத்துக்கு மாத்துறன்vēṟa niṟattukku māttuṟaṉto change to another colourveru is the spoken 'other', the bookish form is longer. The colour word stands in the 'to whom' form: 'to another colour'
- கைக் கடிகாரம்kaik kaḍigāramwristwatchkai 'hand' + the clock word. The wall kind takes the wall word in front
- வாசனைத் திரவியம்vāsaṉait tiraviyamperfumevaasanai 'a scent' + thiraviyam 'a liquid'. At the shop they ask more simply: 'got any scent?'
- அழகுசாதனம்aḻagusādaṉamcosmeticsazhagu 'beauty' + saadhanam 'a means'. The shop department is signed with exactly this word
- பாவிச்சpāviccasecond-handpaa-vich-cha; the cch is a double 'ch'
- பேரம் பேசுறன்pēram pēsuṟaṉto haggleperam is 'a bargain, a deal'. At the Jaffna market it is the done thing; in a mall with price tags it is not
- புத்தகக் கடைputtagak kaḍaibookstorePuththagam, 'book', plus kadai, 'shop'. Book and textbook share the word; the school one is named by its subject
- மொத்தமாmottamāwholesaleFrom moththam, 'all together'. The opposite, 'retail', has its own adverb
- உத்தரவாதக் காலம்uttaravādak kālamwarranty periodUththaravaadham is 'a standing guarantee'. At the shop they ask: 'is there a guarantee?'
- ஓடருக்கு ஏத்தபடிōḍarukku ēttapaḍimade to orderLiterally 'according to the order'. 'According to' follows its noun, as in 'by law'
- எடுக்கிறன்eḍukkiṟaṉto takeAlso 'to photograph': paḍam eḍukka, 'to take a picture'. Two meanings far apart
- கொடுக்கிறன்koḍukkiṟaṉto giveThe receiver takes the -kku ending: eṉakku koḍunga, 'give it to me'
- வாங்குறன்vāṅguṟaṉto buyAlso 'to receive': paṇam vāṅga, 'to receive money'. Context tells the two apart
- கிலோ எவ்வளவு?kilō evvaḷavu?how much per kilogram?'How much?' is the price question; the measure is put in front of it without any case, and there is no verb in the question at all
- தள்ளுபடி இருக்கா?taḷḷubaḍi irukkā?is there a discount?'Is there?' is the question tail from 'to be'. In a shop with price tags discounts are not given, at the market one haggles — there the question fits
- உங்களிட்ட இருக்கா?uṅgaḷiṭṭa irukkā?do you have...?The tail is the case 'at someone's', the spoken form of the bookish one. The name of the goods goes first, before the pronoun
- இதை எடுக்கிறன்idai eḍukkiṟaṉI will take thisThe present instead of the future: the decision is announced in the same time as the action, on the verb 'to take'
- எனக்கு ஒரு பை வேணும்eṉakku oru pai vēṇumI need a bag'Need', and the one who needs stands in the 'to whom' form. Shops now charge for the bag, so one asks for it aloud
- கவுண்டர் எங்க?kavuṇḍar eṅga?where is the checkout?Built on the word for the checkout. The question word in Tamil stands at the end, not at the front
- இவ்வளவுதான்ivvaḷavudāṉthat's all'This much' plus the limiting particle: it comes out as 'only this much'. With it one closes the order at the counter
- காசா, கார்டா?kāsā, kārḍā?cash or card?The choice is built from two question tails, one of them on 'cash', and there is no word for 'or' between them
- மிச்சம் வேண்டாம்miccam vēṇḍāmkeep the change'Remainder' plus 'not needed'. This is said to a taxi driver and a delivery man; in a shop one takes the change — leaving it is not the custom
- சாமான் பட்டியல்sāmāṉ paṭṭiyalshopping list'Goods, provisions' plus 'list' — the same word as in the job list. On a signboard they write the longer island word
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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
எவ்வளவு? (evvaḷavu?) — how much does it cost? Literally just 'how much' — no 'cost' in it, and at the market that is enough. About countable things one asks ettanai.
விலை (vilai) — price. Dear and cheap are said through it: vilai adigam, vilai kuṟaivu. Do not confuse with viḷai, 'to be born' — that one has ḷ.
ரூபாய் (rūpāy) — rupee. The Sri Lankan rupee, not the Indian: the island mints its own currency under the same name. A hundredth of it is catam.
கடை (kaḍai) — shop. Here the position rule is audible: ḍ between vowels stays soft d — kaḍay, not kaṭay.
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 எவ்வளவு? (evvaḷavu?) — how much does it cost?
- What is this word?
It is வாங்குறவர் (vāṅguṟavar) — buyer.
- What is this word?
It is விலை குறைவு (vilai kuṟaivu) — cheap.
- What is this word?
It is கொஞ்சம் குறைக்க முடியுமா? (koñcam kuṟaikka muḍiyumā?) — can it be cheaper?
- What is this word?
It is வரிசை (varisai) — queue.
Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “how much does it cost?” in Tamil?
Literally just 'how much' — no 'cost' in it, and at the market that is enough. About countable things one asks ettanai
- How do you say “buyer” in Tamil?
Literally 'the buying one': the ending turns a verb into a person. 'To buy' becomes 'the buying one'
- How do you say “cheap” in Tamil?
The partner of 'the price is high': 'the price is low'
- How do you say “can it be cheaper?” in Tamil?
Literally 'can it be brought down a little?' At the market haggling is normal; in a shop with price tags it is not
- How do you say “queue” in Tamil?
Also 'a row'. 'Stand in the queue' is 'stand in the row'. People often say the English 'queue' too
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
How much it costs, whether there is a smaller one, whether cards are accepted. A shop forgives mistakes: miss a word and they will show you the thing with their hands anyway.
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 “how much does it cost?” in Tamil?
«எவ்வளவு?» (evvaḷavu), read “evvaḷavu?” Literally just 'how much' — no 'cost' in it, and at the market that is enough. About countable things one asks ettanai. It is one of 93 words in the set “shopping and money” — the rest are in the table above.
How many shopping words do you need to start?
The whole set on this page is 93 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, 93 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.