Sinhala is spoken by around 20 million people in Sri Lanka, including 18 million as a first language. An Indo-Aryan language written in its own Brahmic alphabet, it is one of the island's two official languages alongside Tamil. From Colombo to Kandy, from Galle to Jaffna: with this kit, you have the bare minimum to get by at the airport, in a tuk-tuk, at a restaurant and in case of trouble.
Sinhala is one of Sri Lanka's two official languages, spoken by around 20 million people including 18 million as a first language. It is an Indo-Aryan language of the southern branch, geographically isolated from its northern Indian cousins, which has allowed it to develop original features: prenasalized consonants rare in the family, loss of aspiration distinctions inherited from Sanskrit, subject-object-verb (SOV) word order typical of left-branching languages. Sinhala is written in its own Brahmic alphabet, the Sinhala script, whose elegant curves derive from Brahmi writing via a long passage through southern Indian scripts. It is an abugida: consonants carry an inherent vowel "a", modifiable by diacritics. The language has a marked diglossia between an archaic literary variety and a simpler spoken variety, which can surprise learners. Beyond the language, Sri Lanka is a garden island between tropical beaches, mountain forests (Knuckles, Horton Plains), tea plantations (Nuwara Eliya, Ella) and exceptional Buddhist heritage: Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Sigiriya Rock, Dambulla, the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy. The cuisine is famed for its rice and curry, hoppers, kothu rotti, Ceylon tea. This kit gathers the bare essentials to handle an arrival in Colombo, a tuk-tuk ride, a restaurant order, a medical emergency and a smooth departure. Memorize these expressions and your first contacts with Sri Lankans will be infinitely warmer.
Here is how these phrases play out in real life. Each scene sets the stage and gathers the useful expressions.
You land at Colombo Bandaranaike airport. You greet the immigration staff in Sinhala, thank them after the stamp, then look for the exit towards tuk-tuks and taxis.
You hop in a tuk-tuk to reach your hotel in Colombo. You ask the price before leaving, give the address and ask to be dropped at the entrance.
You enter a local restaurant in Kandy. The waiter brings the menu, you ask for water, specify your spice preferences and settle the bill.
You feel sick after an over-spiced meal. You ask where the nearest hospital is, mention an allergy and ask someone to call a doctor or ambulance.
On the morning of departure, you settle the room at reception, warmly thank the staff and take a tuk-tuk to the station or airport.
What you need to know before travelling to a sinhala-speaking country.
The traditional Sinhala greeting consists of joining hands in front of the chest while saying "Ayubowan", which means "may you live long". More respectful than a handshake, it is particularly suited to monks, elders and in temples.
In Buddhist temples (Temple of the Tooth in Kandy, Dambulla, Anuradhapura), remove shoes and hats, cover shoulders and knees. Never turn your back on a Buddha statue for a photo, it is highly frowned upon.
In Sri Lanka, people wobble their head from left to right to say "yes" or "okay", a gesture that can surprise Europeans. This sway also means "I understand" or "that works". Adapt, it is very frequent.
Rice and curry is the national dish, but "curry" does not mean a single dish: it is an assortment of small preparations (vegetables, lentils, fish, meat) served around rice. Spice levels vary enormously, ask for "not too sara" if you are not used to it.
The tuk-tuk (three-wheeler) is the basic urban transport. Negotiate the price before getting in or explicitly ask "by meter". In Colombo, the PickMe or Uber apps offer fare-fixed rides without negotiation.
Tipping remains modest but appreciated: 10% at restaurants if you enjoyed the service, a few rupees for the hotel porter or tuk-tuk driver. Check if a service charge is not already included on the bill.
Sri Lanka's recent history remains marked by the civil war between Sinhalese and Tamils (1983-2009). Ethnic, religious and political topics are still sensitive. Listen rather than argue, especially in the north and east of the island.
Preview. The full glossary (30 words) and all the phrases are in the PDF.
ඔව්
O-vou
Yes
නෑ
nay
No
ස්තූතියි
sthou-TI-yi
Thank you
කරුණාකරලා
ka-rou-NA-ka-ra-la
Please
සමාවෙන්න
sa-MA-ven-na
Sorry
වතුර
va-THOU-ra
Water
පාන්
PANN
Bread
හෝටලය
HO-ta-la-ya
Hotel
ගුවන් තොටුපළ
gou-VAN to-TOU-pa-la
Airport
රෝහල
RO-ha-la
Hospital
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Every translation is cross-checked against at least two concordant sources among the references below.
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