Table of contents
1. Why learn Tamil? 2. The Tamil alphabet 3. Basic grammar 4. Greetings and polite expressions 5. Essential vocabulary — 50 words 6. Numbers 7. Useful everyday phrases 8. Tamil culture and traditions 9. The Tamil diaspora 10. Learn Tamil with Targumi
Why learn Tamil?
Tamil (தமிழ், tamiḻ) is one of the oldest living languages in the world, with documented literature dating back over 2,000 years. Spoken by approximately 80 million people, it is an official language in Tamil Nadu (India), Sri Lanka, Singapore and the territory of Pondicherry.A classical language of India
Tamil is one of the six classical languages recognised by the Indian government. The Sangam literature (3rd century BCE — 3rd century CE) is considered one of the greatest literary corpora of antiquity. The Thirukkural, a collection of 1,330 ethical couplets attributed to Thiruvalluvar, has been translated into over 80 languages.
The Dravidian family
Tamil belongs to the Dravidian language family, distinct from the Indo-European family of Hindi and Sanskrit. Dravidian languages (Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam) are spoken primarily in South India. Tamil is the earliest attested Dravidian language.
Kollywood and the cultural industry
The Tamil film industry, nicknamed Kollywood (from the Kodambakkam neighbourhood in Chennai), is India's second largest after Bollywood. It produces around 300 films per year and has influence throughout South Asia, Malaysia, Singapore and the diaspora. Tamil music, driven by legendary composers such as A.R. Rahman, is appreciated worldwide.
Multiple opportunities
- Chennai (formerly Madras) is a major tech hub
- Singapore uses Tamil as an official language
- The Tamil diaspora, highly skilled, is present in IT, medicine and engineering
- நான் சாதம் சாப்பிடுகிறேன் (nāṉ sātam sāppiṭukiṟēṉ) = I rice eat → "I eat rice"
- அவன் புத்தகம் படிக்கிறான் (avaṉ puttakam paṭikkiṟāṉ) = He book reads → "He reads a book"
- நீ வா (nī vā) — come (informal, between friends)
- நீங்கள் வாருங்கள் (nīṅkaḷ vāruṅkaḷ) — come (respectful)
- Dosa: fermented rice and lentil crepe
- Idli: steamed rice cake
- Sambar: spiced lentil and vegetable soup
- Rasam: peppery digestive broth
- Filter coffee: Chennai's famous filter coffee, served in a metal tumbler
- Restaurants: Sri Lankan and South Indian eateries along Boulevard de la Chapelle
- Hindu temples: the Ganesh temple (rue du Faubourg-Saint-Denis) and its annual processions
- Shops: saris, spices, jewellery, Tamil film DVDs
- Ganesh Festival (September): spectacular procession through the streets of Paris
- Thematic vocabulary with native speaker audio
- Tamil alphabet with interactive writing exercises
- Progressive grammar from beginner to advanced level
- Cultural context: traditions, cinema, Tamil music
- Community of learners and native speakers
The Tamil alphabet
The Tamil alphabet (தமிழ் எழுத்துக்கள்) is an abugida of remarkable elegance. It comprises 12 vowels, 18 consonants and 216 consonant-vowel combinations, plus a special character (ஃ, the āytam), totalling 247 characters.
Vowels (உயிர் எழுத்துக்கள்)
| Vowel |
| Long vowel |
| ------- |
| ------------ |
| அ (a) |
| ஆ (ā) |
| இ (i) |
| ஈ (ī) |
| உ (u) |
| ஊ (ū) |
| எ (e) |
| ஏ (ē) |
| ஒ (o) |
| ஓ (ō) |
| ஐ (ai) |
| ஔ (au) |
| Form |
| ------ |
| வீடு (vīṭu) |
| வீட்டில் (vīṭṭil) |
| வீட்டிலிருந்து (vīṭṭiliruntu) |
| வீடுகள் (vīṭukaḷ) |
| வீடுகளில் (vīṭukaḷil) |
| Tense |
| ------- |
| Present |
| Past |
| Future |
| English |
| Transliteration |
| --------- |
| ----------------- |
| Hello |
| vaṇakkam |
| How are you? |
| eppaṭi irukkīṅka? |
| Fine, thank you |
| nallā irukkēṉ, naṉṟi |
| Thank you |
| naṉṟi |
| Please |
| tayavuceytu |
| Excuse me |
| maṉṉikkavum |
| Goodbye |
| pōy varukiṟēṉ |
| Yes |
| āmā |
| No |
| illai |
| English |
| Transliteration |
| --------- |
| ----------------- |
| Water |
| taṇṇīr |
| Food |
| sāppāṭu |
| Rice |
| sātam |
| House |
| vīṭu |
| Family |
| kuṭumpam |
| Mother |
| ammā |
| Father |
| appā |
| Child |
| kuḻantai |
| Brother (elder/younger) |
| aṇṇaṉ / tampi |
| Sister (elder/younger) |
| akkā / taṅkai |
| Friend |
| naṇpaṉ |
| Love |
| kātal |
| Money |
| paṇam |
| Work |
| vēlai |
| School |
| paḷḷi |
| Book |
| puttakam |
| Road |
| sālai |
| Car |
| kār |
| Day |
| nāḷ |
| Night |
| iravu |
| Sun |
| sūriyaṉ |
| Moon |
| nilā |
| Rain |
| maḻai |
| Sea |
| kaṭal |
| Mountain |
| malai |
| Tree |
| maram |
| Flower |
| pū |
| Big |
| periya |
| Small |
| ciṟiya |
| Good |
| nalla |
| Bad |
| keṭṭa |
| Beautiful |
| aḻakāṉa |
| Hot |
| cūṭu |
| Cold |
| kuḷir |
| Eat |
| sāppiṭu |
| Drink |
| kuṭi |
| Sleep |
| tūṅku |
| Go |
| pō |
| Come |
| vā |
| Speak |
| pēcu |
| See |
| pār |
| Hear |
| kēḷ |
| Know |
| teri |
| Want |
| vēṇum |
| Can |
| muṭi |
| Love (verb) |
| kātali |
| Temple |
| kōyil |
| Film |
| paṭam |
| Country |
| nāṭu |
| Man |
| āṇ |
| Number |
| Transliteration |
| -------- |
| ----------------- |
| 1 |
| oṉṟu |
| 2 |
| iraṇṭu |
| 3 |
| mūṉṟu |
| 4 |
| nāṉku |
| 5 |
| aintu |
| 6 |
| āṟu |
| 7 |
| ēḻu |
| 8 |
| eṭṭu |
| 9 |
| oṉpatu |
| 10 |
| pattu |
| 20 |
| irupatu |
| 50 |
| aimpatu |
| 100 |
| nūṟu |
| 1000 |
| āyiram |
| English |
| Transliteration |
| --------- |
| ----------------- |
| What is your name? |
| uṅkaḷ peyar eṉṉa? |
| My name is... |
| eṉ peyar... |
| I don't understand |
| eṉakku puriyavillai |
| Speak slowly |
| metuvāka pēcuṅkaḷ |
| How much does it cost? |
| itu evvaḷavu? |
| Where are the toilets? |
| kaḻivaṟai eṅkē? |
| I'm learning Tamil |
| nāṉ tamiḻ kaṟṟukkoḷkiṟēṉ |
| It's delicious! |
| mikavum cuvaiyāka irukkiṟatu! |
| I come from England |
| nāṉ iṅkilāntiliruntu varukiṟēṉ |
| Help me please |
| tayavuceytu utavuṅkaḷ |
Tamil culture and traditions
Pongal — the harvest festival
Pongal (January) is the most important festival in Tamil Nadu. Over four days, Tamils celebrate the rice harvest by letting milk boil over in a clay pot — the overflowing symbolises abundance. The cry "Pongal ō Pongal!" echoes in every household.Dravidian temples
Tamil temple architecture is spectacular. The gopurams (gateway towers) of the temples of Madurai, Thanjavur and Rameswaram are among the most imposing in the world. Bharatanatyam, a classical dance born in Tamil temples, is one of the oldest dance forms in human history.
Kollywood and music
Tamil cinema is a cultural phenomenon. Actors like Rajinikanth are revered as demigods. Film music, blending Carnatic traditions with modern sounds, dominates the charts in South India. A.R. Rahman, the Oscar-winning composer, is a son of Tamil Nadu.
Tamil cuisine
Tamil Nadu cuisine is predominantly vegetarian and is traditionally served on a banana leaf. Must-try dishes include:
The Tamil diaspora
In France — La Chapelle and beyond
France is home to the largest Tamil community in Europe, estimated at 100,000 to 150,000 people. The La Chapelle neighbourhood (Paris 10th/18th arrondissement) is the vibrant heart of this community, nicknamed "Little Jaffna":
The Tamil diaspora in France is primarily of Sri Lankan origin, having arrived from the 1980s due to the civil war.
In Canada — Toronto
Toronto is home to the largest Tamil diaspora outside South Asia, with over 200,000 people. The Scarborough neighbourhood is the centre of Tamil community life.In the United Kingdom
London (East Ham, Wembley, Harrow) has a significant Tamil community, with temples, language schools and Tamil media.In Singapore and Malaysia
Tamil is one of the four official languages of Singapore. Little India in Singapore is a vibrant neighbourhood where Tamil is the everyday language. In Malaysia, Tamils make up about 7% of the population.
Learn Tamil with Targumi
On Targumi, we offer a complete method to learn Tamil:
Tamil is a gateway to one of the oldest continuous civilisations in the world. Every word you learn connects you to 2,000 years of poetry, philosophy and wisdom.
வணக்கம்! (Welcome!)---
Article written by Meenakshi Sundaram, certified Tamil teacher and Targumi collaborator. At Targumi, we make learning Tamil accessible to everyone.