LingoflyPolite words in Tamil
11 words in Tamil on the topic “polite words”: நன்றி (naṉṟi) — thank you, மன்னிக்கவும் (maṉṉikkavum) — excuse me, தயவுசெய்து (tayavuseydu) — please (when asking), நீங்கள் (nīṅgaḷ) — you (polite). 11 words can be played from recordings.
11 words on the topic
- நன்றிnaṉṟithank youThe letters ṉṟ sound as 'ndr', so the word runs nan-dri, not na-ri. You will hear it a dozen times a day
- மன்னிக்கவும்maṉṉikkavumexcuse meBoth an apology and the polite way to open a talk with a stranger — the word you reach for before any question
- தயவுசெய்துtayavuseyduplease (when asking)Opens a request: tayavuseydu, give me tea. Never used as a reply to thank you — that slot stays empty in Tamil
- நீங்கள்nīṅgaḷyou (polite)The polite you: for strangers, elders and everyone you are not on first-name terms with. Its verbs take the ending -iyaḷ
- எனக்கு வேண்டாம்eṉakku vēṇḍāmI don't need itThe negation of 'want; need'. At the market the polite refusal is exactly this word
- ஒரு நிமிஷம் இருங்கோoru nimiṣam iruṅgōwait a minuteLiterally 'be a minute'. 'Minute' is a Sanskrit loan; the bookish form has a d
- மரியாதையாmariyādaiyāpoliteThe root is 'respect' — the very thing for which an elder is spoken of with the plural you
- லேட்டா வந்ததுக்கு மன்னிக்கவும்lēṭṭā vandadukku maṉṉikkavumsorry for being lateLiterally 'for having come late, forgive'. The tail on the verbal noun means 'for the fact that'
- பரவாயில்லைparavāyillaino problemThe universal reply to an apology. With it one also answers 'it will do, not bad' when asked about quality
- பரவாயில்லைparavāyillaidon't mention itThe same word serves as 'no problem': one reply covers both thank you and the apology
- சந்திச்சது சந்தோஷம்sandiccadu sandōṣamnice to meet youThe same pattern as 'it was pleasant to talk': a verbal noun plus sandōṣam, 'joy'. Bookishly: sandittatil magizcci
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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
நன்றி (naṉṟi) — thank you. The letters ṉṟ sound as 'ndr', so the word runs nan-dri, not na-ri. You will hear it a dozen times a day.
மன்னிக்கவும் (maṉṉikkavum) — excuse me. Both an apology and the polite way to open a talk with a stranger — the word you reach for before any question.
தயவுசெய்து (tayavuseydu) — please (when asking). Opens a request: tayavuseydu, give me tea. Never used as a reply to thank you — that slot stays empty in Tamil.
நீங்கள் (nīṅgaḷ) — you (polite). The polite you: for strangers, elders and everyone you are not on first-name terms with. Its verbs take the ending -iyaḷ.
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 நன்றி (naṉṟi) — thank you.
- What is this word?
It is லேட்டா வந்ததுக்கு மன்னிக்கவும் (lēṭṭā vandadukku maṉṉikkavum) — sorry for being late.
- What is this word?
It is நீங்கள் (nīṅgaḷ) — you (polite).
- What is this word?
It is சந்திச்சது சந்தோஷம் (sandiccadu sandōṣam) — nice to meet you.
- What is this word?
It is மரியாதையா (mariyādaiyā) — polite.
Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “thank you” in Tamil?
The letters ṉṟ sound as 'ndr', so the word runs nan-dri, not na-ri. You will hear it a dozen times a day
- How do you say “sorry for being late” in Tamil?
Literally 'for having come late, forgive'. The tail on the verbal noun means 'for the fact that'
- How do you say “you (polite)” in Tamil?
The polite you: for strangers, elders and everyone you are not on first-name terms with. Its verbs take the ending -iyaḷ
- How do you say “nice to meet you” in Tamil?
The same pattern as 'it was pleasant to talk': a verbal noun plus sandōṣam, 'joy'. Bookishly: sandittatil magizcci
- How do you say “polite” in Tamil?
The root is 'respect' — the very thing for which an elder is spoken of with the plural you
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
“Thank you”, “please” and “sorry” carry you while the rest of the words are still missing: with them even a gesture reads as a request rather than a demand.
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 “thank you” in Tamil?
«நன்றி» (naṉṟi), read “naṉṟi”. The letters ṉṟ sound as 'ndr', so the word runs nan-dri, not na-ri. You will hear it a dozen times a day. It is one of 11 words in the set “polite words” — the rest are in the table above.
How many polite words do you need to start?
The whole set on this page is 11 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, 11 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.