r/tamil

Vanak'kam!! I've been learning Tamil and found that the words for sound and light are respectively ஒலி / ஒளி. Are these the words used in everyday language? I am aiming for CBE/Kongudhamizh and I've read that in spoken varieties the distinction is being lost between ல / ள and people pronounce both as ல

நண்பர்களே, நான் புதிதாக கட்டிக்கொண்டு இருக்கும் வீட்டிற்கு, தமிழில் ஒரு பெயர் வைக்க வேண்டும் என்று என் ஆசை.

ஏதாவது ஒரு நல்ல தமிழ் பெயர் உங்கள் மனதில் தோன்றினால், அதை பகிர்ந்து உதவி செய்யவும்.

நன்றிகள்.

Hi Guys

I have a son, and I named him Thileepan, it is tamil and has some historical significance for eelam tamil people. Is there a tamil name for girls which starts with V and has a similar historical impact?

வணக்கம்.

I'm currently designing a tattoo design in which I would like to have 'Seek Discomfort' included. I know Seek is translated to நாடு, but I'm having trouble finding translation for discomfort.

I would like to have a 2 Tamil word that sounds cool or at least not mixing sanskrit word like 'Asaukaraiyam'

நன்றி!!

I’m a complete beginner with zero knowledge of Tamil. I’d love to learn. I need a little bit of flexibility and adaptability. Preferably a younger tutor.

My DMs are open TO RELEVANT MESSAGES ONLY.

We named our daughter “பூர்ண மேகேந்தி” but we couldn’t decide on the exact english translation. We thought “Poorna Meghendi” is good. Need suggestions pls.

EDIT: Since many of you have provided different meaning for “மேகேந்தி” which is welcoming, I would also like to share what made us choose this name. We saw the name written on a Lord Muruga temple with a picture. மேகேந்தி means she is one of கார்த்திகைப் பெண்கள். We liked it because it’s nice and unique.

Anyone here in a random Tamil group chat where people just chill, shitpost, share memes, talk movies/games, and have fun? 😂
I’m looking to join one. No serious networking stuff — just casual fun and meeting random Tamil folks.
DM me if you’ve got a GC! 🫡

They will call you a terrorist or ltte sympathizer just cause I had a pfp of female child soilder just like how zionist call you hamas lover for supporting Palestine . They won't acknowledge all the atrocities committed by the govt or the hardliners even when I condemned Ltte .

Hi everyone, I've been learning Korean and for the past year or so and I started realising how similar it is to Tamil due to the same Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) structure. For background, I am a second generation immigrant, and I'm actually more comfortable in English than Tamil but here I was learning Korean by translating Korean sentences into Tamil to make sure I understood their structure.

So then I thought there's so many of us who are bilingual and know a language other than English. And a lot of languages, including Tamil, Korean, Hindi share the same SOV structure. So why are we learning these languages through English when we could learn it through another language with the same structure??

So it kicked off a personal project with me mapping Tamil to Korean so Korean learners who know Tamil can learn it through Tamil rather than English. Here it is: https://learnwithdari.com/

 I think its pretty cool to see the parallels between the two languages especially the sentence structure, the verb endings and the particle usages. I already have some more ideas on the pages I could add but wanted to see if its something that resonates with other people too before I build those out. So pls pls let me know your thoughts!!

 

DB

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If you've ever stood at a polyclinic counter translating a diagnosis for your grandmother, or explained a CPF form to your grandfather in a language you're not even that confident in — this is for you.

I'm working on a project called **"Say It For Me"**: a free phrasebook for the kid who ends up being the family interpreter. Not a dictionary — dictionaries already exist. The gap is different: the words our grandparents actually use aren't the textbook words, and doctors/bank staff/government counters have no idea what they mean.

Example from the Chinese side: a doctor asks about chest pain, and someone's grandmother says her heart is *"bo lat"* (Hokkien: no strength) or *"kiat"* (blocked/tight) — not "cardiac" anything. Nothing tells a nurse what that means. That same gap exists across every language here, and it's exactly what I can't find documented anywhere for Tamil.

**What I actually need from you:**

If you have a Tamil-speaking parent or grandparent, is there a word or phrase they use — for pain, feeling unwell, needing help, money troubles, or anything at a bank/CPF/HDB counter — that you've had to translate for them, or that isn't quite standard textbook Tamil?

Drop it in the comments with:

- the phrase (Tamil script and/or how it sounds)

- what it actually means

- where it usually comes up (clinic, hospital, bank, government counter)

This is going toward a free four-language guide (English, Mandarin, Malay, Tamil) that'll be distributed to polyclinics, Active Ageing Centres, and libraries — not sold, not commercial, just trying to make sure the kid standing in the middle has a glossary nobody gave them.

Thank you in advance — this only works if the community pitches in.

Looking for a good Tamil word to name a matchmaking app — suggestion

I am building a matchmaking/matrimony app for Tamil speakers (India and abroad) and I want a Tamil name rather than an English one.

Problem is my vocabulary is limited, so I keep landing on the same obvious words — anbu, kadhal, uravu, bandham — and those are all either taken or overused.

I want it to be a command, like someone telling another person not to think. Would யோசிக்காதே be correct?

Thanks in advanced!

Hey everyone! I'm 17M, Indian Tamil and from South London. I'm hoping to meet more Tamil people around 17–19 in London and make some genuine friends.

I'd love to meet people who are down to go out, explore London, grab food, go to the cinema, or just hang out and get to know each other.

I also really enjoy Indian movies, and I'm interested in watching the upcoming Tamil movie Vishwanath and Sons. It'd be really cool to get a small group together to watch it when it's showing in London and maybe grab some food afterwards. 🎬

If you're Tamil, 17–19, and from London or nearby, feel free to comment or DM me! I'm hoping to eventually get a little Tamil friend group together where we can actually make plans and hang out. 😊

இப்போது எழுதிவரும் சமகால கவிஞர்களின் கவிதைகளில் இருந்து உங்களுக்குப் பிடித்த கவிதைகளையோ கவிதை வரிகளையோ சொல்லுங்கள்.