LingoflyGreetings and goodbyes in Tamil
9 words in Tamil on the topic “greetings and goodbyes”: வணக்கம் (vaṇakkam) — hello, எப்படி இருக்க? (eppaḍi irukka) — how are you (informal)?, எப்படி இருக்கிறியள்? (eppaḍi irukkiṟiyaḷ) — how are you?, நல்லா இருக்கிறன் (nallā irukkiṟaṉ) — I am doing well. 9 words can be played from recordings.
9 words on the topic
- வணக்கம்vaṇakkamhellova-nak-kam; hold the double kk about twice as long as a single k — length changes words in Tamil
- எப்படி இருக்க?eppaḍi irukka?how are you (informal)?The same question with the polite -ṅga taken off: for a peer, someone younger, a close friend. To an elder or a stranger only the full form eppaḍi irukkiṟiyaḷ will do
- எப்படி இருக்கிறியள்?eppaḍi irukkiṟiyaḷ?how are you?Literally 'how are you keeping?' The ending -iyaḷ is the polite you — the same one you meet all over Tamil
- நல்லா இருக்கிறன்nallā irukkiṟaṉI am doing wellThe standard answer to eppadi. Literally 'I am being well': Tamil states a condition where English reaches for a verb
- போயிட்டு வாறன்pōyiṭṭu vāṟaṉgoodbyeLiterally 'I will go and come back'. Saying a plain 'I am leaving' is bad luck, so you always promise to return
- காலை வணக்கம்kālai vaṇakkamgood morningVaṇakkam is the greeting for all day, and kālai is 'morning'. The island keeps no separate morning ritual: the compound sounds on the radio, while in the yard neighbours say plain vaṇakkam — and immediately ask whether you have eaten
- மதிய வணக்கம்madiya vaṇakkamgood afternoonAssembled like kālai vaṇakkam: only the first word changes. Madhiyam is noon
- மாலை வணக்கம்mālai vaṇakkamgood eveningMālai is 'evening' on its own too. Before sleep one says iṉiya iravu, and that is no longer a greeting
- இனிய இரவுiṉiya iravugood nightLiterally 'a sweet night'. Said when parting for bed, never on meeting — in the evening the greeting is mālai vaṇakkam
Download the word set (CSV) · Open the printable sheet
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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
வணக்கம் (vaṇakkam) — hello. Literally 'a bowing', said with palms together before the chest, at any hour of the day. Tamil keeps no separate casual greeting: vaṇakkam serves the elder and the friend alike.
எப்படி இருக்க? (eppaḍi irukka?) — how are you (informal)? The same question with the polite -ṅga taken off: for a peer, someone younger, a close friend. To an elder or a stranger only the full form eppaḍi irukkiṟiyaḷ will do.
எப்படி இருக்கிறியள்? (eppaḍi irukkiṟiyaḷ?) — how are you? Literally 'how are you keeping?' The ending -iyaḷ is the polite you — the same one you meet all over Tamil.
நல்லா இருக்கிறன் (nallā irukkiṟaṉ) — I am doing well. The standard answer to eppadi. Literally 'I am being well': Tamil states a condition where English reaches for a verb.
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 வணக்கம் (vaṇakkam) — hello.
- What is this word?
It is மாலை வணக்கம் (mālai vaṇakkam) — good evening.
- What is this word?
It is காலை வணக்கம் (kālai vaṇakkam) — good morning.
- What is this word?
It is நல்லா இருக்கிறன் (nallā irukkiṟaṉ) — I am doing well.
- What is this word?
It is எப்படி இருக்க? (eppaḍi irukka?) — how are you (informal)?
Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “hello” in Tamil?
Literally 'a bowing', said with palms together before the chest, at any hour of the day. Tamil keeps no separate casual greeting: vaṇakkam serves the elder and the friend alike
- How do you say “good evening” in Tamil?
Mālai is 'evening' on its own too. Before sleep one says iṉiya iravu, and that is no longer a greeting
- How do you say “good morning” in Tamil?
Vaṇakkam is the greeting for all day, and kālai is 'morning'. The island keeps no separate morning ritual: the compound sounds on the radio, while in the yard neighbours say plain vaṇakkam — and immediately ask whether you have eaten
- How do you say “I am doing well” in Tamil?
The standard answer to eppadi. Literally 'I am being well': Tamil states a condition where English reaches for a verb
- How do you say “how are you (informal)?” in Tamil?
The same question with the polite -ṅga taken off: for a peer, someone younger, a close friend. To an elder or a stranger only the full form eppaḍi irukkiṟiyaḷ will do
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
Every conversation starts here, and so does every first impression: say hello in the local language and you stop being a stranger in about a second.
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 “hello” in Tamil?
«வணக்கம்» (vaṇakkam), read “vaṇakkam”. Va-nak-kam; hold the double kk about twice as long as a single k — length changes words in Tamil. It is one of 9 words in the set “greetings and goodbyes” — the rest are in the table above.
How many greetings do you need to start?
The whole set on this page is 9 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, 9 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.