Tamil Slang: 35 Words You'll Hear in Movies and at Home
Tamil slang explained: machan, sema, mokka, gethu, vera level and more, with transliteration, meaning, example lines and which ones to avoid with elders.
By the Bumi teamUpdated 8 min read
In this article
Much Tamil slang comes from the everyday speech of Chennai, known as Madras Bashai, a variety that borrows words from Hindustani, Indian English, Telugu and other languages (Wikipedia: Madras Bashai), and has spread worldwide through Tamil films. The words you'll hear most are மச்சான் (machan) ‘dude, bro’ and மச்சி (machi) ‘dude, bro’, செம (sema) ‘awesome, really’, மொக்க (mokka) ‘boring, lame’, கெத்து (gethu) ‘swagger, style’ and வேற லெவல் (vera level) ‘next level’. Below are 35 slang words and phrases with transliteration, meaning, and an example of how each is used, plus a quick guide to which ones are fine at a family dinner and which aren't.
Slang is informal by definition: it changes fast, varies by city and age group, and the same word can be friendly or rude depending on tone. Everything here is in everyday use and safe to know. We've left out swear words.
Friends and how to address them
| Slang | Meaning and usage |
|---|---|
| மச்சான்machandude, bro | Literally a brother-in-law or male cousin (Wiktionary). Between close friends it means "bro". |
| மச்சிmachidude, bro | Shorter, even more casual. Used by friends of any gender. |
| டேய்deihey! (to a guy) | Calling out to a male friend. Rude if said to an elder. |
| டா / டிda / dimate (male / female), tacked onto a sentence | வாடா (vaadaa) ‘come on, man’. Affectionate between friends and siblings, but too familiar with strangers. |
| தலைவாthalaivaaboss! chief! | From தலைவர் (thalaivar) ‘leader’. Fans' word for a film star; also a playful "boss" to a friend. |
| நண்பாnanbaamy friend | A warmer, slightly film-flavoured "buddy". |
Praise and hype
| Slang | Meaning and usage |
|---|---|
| செமsemaawesome; really | The all-purpose intensifier: செம படம் (sema padam) ‘an awesome film’, செம பசி (sema pasi) ‘really hungry’. |
| வேற லெவல்vera levelnext level | Something exceptional: அந்த சீன் வேற லெவல் (andha seen vera level) ‘that scene was next level’. |
| மாஸ்maasmass, crowd-pleasing, epic | A hero's big entrance is "mass". A மாஸ் சீன் (maas seen) ‘mass scene’ is made for whistles in the theatre. |
| மரண மாஸ்marana maasinsanely epic (lit. deadly mass) | Mass, turned up further. |
| தெறிtherifire, brilliant | Explosive good: தெறி பாட்டு (theri paattu) ‘a banger of a song’. |
| கெத்துgethuswagger, pride, style | கெத்தா நடக்கறான் (gethaa nadakkaraan) ‘he's walking with swagger’. |
| கலக்கிட்டkalakkittayou nailed it, you rocked it | Praise after a performance, a good meal, anything. |
| சூப்பர்supergreat | Borrowed from English and used constantly: சூப்பரா இருக்கு (superaa irukku) ‘it's great’. |
| ஜாலிjaalifun; happy | ஜாலியா இரு (jaaliyaa iru) ‘have fun, relax’. |
Teasing, mocking and complaining
| Slang | Meaning and usage |
|---|---|
| மொக்கmokkaboring, lame | A dull film or a bad joke: மொக்க போடாத (mokka podaadha) ‘stop with the lame jokes’. |
| கலாய்kalaaytease, roast | என்ன கலாய்க்காத (enna kalaaykkaadha) ‘don't make fun of me’. Here enna is the spoken form of என்னை (ennai) ‘me’, not "what". |
| பல்பு வாங்குbulbu vaanguget embarrassed, get owned (lit. receive a bulb) | பல்பு வாங்கிட்டான் (bulbu vaangittaan) ‘he got totally owned’. |
| சீன் போடாதseen podaadhastop showing off (lit. don't put on a scene) | When someone's acting important. |
| ஓவரா பண்ணாதoveraa pannaadhadon't overdo it | Calm down, you're too much. |
| பீட்டர் விடாதpeter vidaadhastop showing off in English | "Peter" is slang for putting on posh English. |
| கப்சாkapsaa tall tale, a lie | கப்சா விடாத (kapsa vidaadha) ‘stop making stuff up’. |
| அலப்பறைalapparaia big fuss, showing off | Loud attention-seeking. |
| ஆப்புaappua trap; being screwed over (lit. a wedge) | ஆப்பு வச்சுட்டான் (aappu vachchuttaan) ‘he set me up / he screwed me over’. |
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Reactions you'll hear all day
| Slang | Meaning and usage |
|---|---|
| ஐயோaiyooh no! oh dear! | The national exclamation. Pain, surprise, sympathy, mock horror. |
| அடப்பாவிadappaaviyou rascal! (lit. you sinner) | Teasing disbelief when someone does something cheeky. Friendly in tone. |
| சும்மாsummaajust; for no reason; just kidding | சும்மா தான் கேட்டேன் (summaa thaan ketten) ‘I was just asking’. |
| அப்படியா?appadiyaa?really? is that so? | Neutral and polite. Safe with anyone. |
| டென்ஷன் ஆகாதtenshan aagaadhadon't stress, chill | English "tension" plus Tamil grammar. |
| கிளம்புkilambuget going; get lost | Literally "set off". Playful with friends, rude if said sharply. |
| கிளம்பு கிளம்பு காத்து வரட்டும்kilambu kilambu kaaththu varattumget lost (lit. go, go, let the breeze come in) | A classic comic brush-off. |
| ஒத்துoththumove aside | Chennai street-speak. Blunt. |
Code-mixed slang: English with Tamil grammar
A lot of modern Tamil slang is English with Tamil endings. The verb பண்ணு (pannu) ‘do’ turns any English verb into Tamil, and -aa turns an English word into an adverb:
| Slang | Meaning |
|---|---|
| சைட் அடிsait adicheck someone out (lit. hit a sight) | Eyeing someone you fancy. Not for family dinners. |
| ஃபீல் பண்ணாதfeel pannaadhadon't feel bad, don't get upset | Comforting a friend. |
| லைட்டாlaittaaa little, slightly (from "light") | லைட்டா தலை வலிக்குது (laittaa thalai valikkudhu) ‘I've got a slight headache’. |
Sri Lankan Tamil: different everyday words
Tamil speakers in Sri Lanka and the Sri Lankan diaspora (large in Canada and the UK) use many words that Chennai speakers don't, and the reverse is true too. Sri Lankan Tamil preserves features of older Tamil that Indian dialects have lost (Wikipedia: Sri Lankan Tamil dialects). A few everyday markers:
- ஓம் (om) ‘yes (Sri Lankan)’ instead of the Indian ஆமா (aamaa) ‘yes’ (Wiktionary)
- எப்பிடி (eppidi) ‘how (Sri Lankan)’ instead of எப்படி (eppadi) ‘how’
- பெடியன் (pediyan) ‘boy, lad (Sri Lankan)’
- வடிவு (vadivu) ‘beautiful, pretty (Sri Lankan; in India it means 'shape')’
Slang from popular films travels widely, but if your family is from Jaffna, they'll recognise machan from films and use their own words at home.
Using slang without embarrassing yourself
- Match the person. Slang is for friends your own age. With elders, speak polite spoken Tamil with the -nga ending, as in our everyday phrases list.
- Tone is everything. டேய் (dei) ‘hey!’ to a best friend is affectionate. The same word to a waiter is rude.
- Learn it by hearing it. Slang is almost never written in textbooks, and meanings shift with context. Hear a word in a few real scenes before you use it.
- Know the base forms first. Slang sits on top of spoken Tamil. If பண்ணாத (pannaadha) ‘don't do’ or வாங்கிட்டான் (vaangittaan) ‘he got (it)’ still look strange, read spoken vs written Tamil first.
Films, vlogs and comedy podcasts are where Tamil slang lives, which is why real clips are the fastest way to absorb it. Bumi, the app we're building, will explain words like these in the context of the clip you're watching. It's in development and not available yet. You can pre-order as a founding member.
