Thank You in Tamil, Plus Hello and I Love You

Hello in Tamil is வணக்கம் (vanakkam) ‘hello’, thank you is நன்றி (nandri) ‘thank you’, and I love you is நான் உன்னைக் காதலிக்கிறேன் (naan unnaik kaadhalikkiren) ‘I love you (romantic, textbook)’. Those three are correct everywhere. But in a real Chennai living room you'll also hear "hi", "thanks" and நான் உன்ன லவ் பண்றேன் (naan unna love panren) ‘I love you (everyday spoken)’, so this page covers both the textbook form and what people actually say, plus how to answer.

Jump to: Hello · How are you · Thank you · I love you · Goodbye

How to say hello in Tamil

வணக்கம் (vanakkam) ‘hello / greetings’ is the one word you need. It's polite, it works morning or night, and it's fine with an elder, a shopkeeper or a stranger. It's usually said with palms pressed together at the chest, a gesture of respect.

Some things the phrasebooks leave out:

• Friends rarely say vanakkam to each other. Among people your own age, "hi" or "hello" in English is normal, followed straight away by a real question like என்ன, எப்படி இருக்க? (enna, eppadi irukka?) ‘so, how are you? (casual)’.
• On the phone, everyone says ஹலோ (halo) ‘hello (on the phone)’. Answering a call with vanakkam sounds like a TV announcer.
• "Good morning" has a Tamil form, காலை வணக்கம் (kaalai vanakkam) ‘good morning’, but you'll mostly see it on posters and in WhatsApp forwards. In speech, people say "good morning" in English.
• Vanakkam is also how you open a speech or a video. Every Tamil YouTuber starts with some version of எல்லாருக்கும் வணக்கம் (ellaarukkum vanakkam) ‘hello, everyone’.

A greeting that's really a question

Two of the most common Tamil greetings aren't "hello" at all. An aunty who sees you at lunchtime will ask சாப்பிட்டீங்களா? (saappitteengalaa?) ‘have you eaten?’, and a neighbour who sees you leaving will ask எங்க போறீங்க? (enga poreenga?) ‘where are you going?’. Neither wants a detailed answer. ஆச்சு (aachchu) ‘done (yes, I've eaten)’ or இங்க தான் (inga thaan) ‘just nearby’ is plenty.

How to say "how are you?" in Tamil

The polite form is எப்படி இருக்கீங்க? (eppadi irukkeenga?) ‘how are you? (polite)’. Use it with anyone older than you or anyone you've just met. With a close friend, a younger cousin or a child, drop the respect ending: எப்படி இருக்க? (eppadi irukka?) ‘how are you? (casual)’.

The -nga ending is the single most useful thing to notice in spoken Tamil. It turns "you" into the respectful "you", and you'll hear it on almost every verb addressed to an elder.

The usual answer is நல்லா இருக்கேன் (nallaa irukken) ‘I'm fine’, followed by நீங்க? (neenga?) ‘and you?’.

Sri Lankan Tamil sounds noticeably different here. You may hear எப்பிடி இருக்கிறியள்? (eppidi irukkiriyal?) ‘how are you? (Sri Lankan, polite)’, and "yes" is often ஓம் (om) ‘yes (Sri Lankan Tamil)’ instead of the Indian ஆமா (aamaa) ‘yes’. Wiktionary lists it as Sri Lankan "yes". If your family is from Jaffna or Batticaloa, ask them which forms they use, and learn those first.

How to say thank you in Tamil

நன்றி (nandri) ‘thank you’ is thank you. To make it stronger:

One thing heritage learners need to know: nandri is stiff with family. Say it to your grandmother and you're treating her like a shopkeeper. Families show thanks with a smile, a compliment, or by eating a second helping. Compliment the food with சாப்பாடு ரொம்ப நல்லா இருக்கு (saappaadu romba nallaa irukku) ‘the food is really good’, and that will land better than any thank-you.

What to say when someone thanks you

Tamil doesn't have a set phrase like "you're welcome". People say one of these:

• பரவாயில்ல (paravaayilla) ‘it's fine / no problem’
• அதெல்லாம் ஒண்ணும் இல்ல (adhellaam onnum illa) ‘oh, it's nothing’

Or they just smile and nod, which is perfectly polite.

Hear it in real TamilWatch a 20-second clip with tap-to-translate captions and see how Bumi will work.

How to say I love you in Tamil

Here, the textbook and real life split the most.

Romantic love. The word for romantic love is காதல் (kaadhal) ‘romantic love’, and the verb is காதலி (kaadhali) ‘to love (romantically)’ (Wiktionary). So:

The word order is "I you love": naan (I) + unnai/unna (you, as the object) + the verb. Tamil puts the verb last.

Love for family and friends. Kaadhal is romantic, so don't say kaadhalikkiren to your mother. With parents, most people say it in English ("love you ma", "love you pa") or show it rather than say it. To a child or a friend, Tamil speakers say "I really like you" or use a term of endearment:

• எனக்கு உன்ன ரொம்ப பிடிக்கும் (enakku unna romba pidikkum) ‘I like you a lot / I'm very fond of you’: natural to a child or a close friend, unusual to a parent
• அம்மா, I love you (amma, I love you) ‘Mum, I love you’: with parents, English is the norm
• செல்லம் (chellam) ‘darling, sweetheart (to a child or partner)’
• கண்ணு (kannu) ‘dear (lit. eye; said to children)’

Related phrases that come up a lot:

• உன்ன மிஸ் பண்றேன் (unna miss panren) ‘I miss you’
• நீ எனக்கு ரொம்ப முக்கியம் (nee enakku romba mukkiyam) ‘you mean a lot to me’

How to say goodbye in Tamil

Nobody says just போறேன் (poren) ‘I'm going’ when they leave. You always say போயிட்டு வரேன் (poyittu varen) ‘bye (lit. I'll go and come back)’. The "come back" part is the whole point: a bare poren sounds like you're not coming back.

The person staying answers சரி, போயிட்டு வாங்க (sari, poyittu vaanga) ‘okay, go and come back (polite)’ or, to a friend, சரி, போயிட்டு வா (sari, poyittu vaa) ‘okay, see you (casual)’. To say "see you later", use அப்புறம் பாக்கலாம் (appuram paakkalaam) ‘see you later’.

Putting it together

A short, realistic exchange when you visit a relative:

Notice how aunty uses the casual saappittiyaa with you while you use the polite irukkeenga with her. That asymmetry is normal: elders speak casually to younger people, and younger people speak politely upward.

Where to go next

• The 50 everyday spoken Tamil phrases table extends this page into a full survival kit.
• Spoken vs written Tamil explains why unnai becomes unna and irukkiren becomes irukken. See the pattern in dozens of sentences in the spoken vs written Tamil library.
• Greeting relatives by the right name matters as much as the greeting. The family words explorer shows what to call each one.
• Paste any Tamil you see into the transliterator to read it in English letters.