Sri Lankan Tamil slang

• Enna elavu - Literal meaning What death (ceremony), usually used to describe an unknown and non-understandable situation. Enna Elavo theriyaathu means What death, I don’t know.

• Enna kothari - Meaning same as enna ellavu but true meaning of Kothari unknown. Kauthari is a bird usually seen in the night.

• Enna savam Meaning same as enna ellavu. Savam means a dead body.

• Alukkosu - Origin unknown but generally to denote a condition of assumed stupidity of the person being called as such

• Visar - Means gone mad to describe a person. Visar manisan or mad man can be used by a wife to denote a husband in a mild reproaching manner.

• Visar attam - Means dance induced by madness to describe an action of a person who is not rational to the user.

• Payithiyam* - Means a mad person.

• Thalai thattina kesu* - Compound Tamil-English word. Thalai means head. Thattina means knocked for mad and kesu is from English case for a patient.

• Moothevi - A Hindu terminology based on a goddess of bad luck. Usually used by mothers to scold their children.

• Naasam aruppu - Means destruction or destroyed to describe an event or situation that is looks defintely destructive to the user.

• Thadithchi* - Lit. meaning a fat woman can be used to describe any woman who is alleged to be uppitty and unrepentant to the user.

• Thadiyan* - Lit. meaning a fat man can be used to describe any man who is alleged to be uppity and unrepentant to the user.

• Kusukundi - Literally farting arse used to describe a person as a pejorative.

• Paraiya - Derived from a name of a Dalit like caste, used as a pejorative.

• Parachi - Female version of the above.

• Sakilli - Derived from a name of a Dalit like caste that came over relatively recently from India. Originally used by the Sinhalese majority to denote any person of Indian origin. Picked up by some Sri Lankan Tamils in the Colombo area as a pejorative.

• Naye* - Derived from the Tamil word for a dog, can be used as a combined word such as paranaye or sakkilinaye as a pejorative. Sorinaye* means a dog that has a skin problem.

• Madaiyan* - Lit. meaning stupid.

• Muttal* - Lit. meaning stupid.

• Vengayam* - Lit. meaning onion to denote there nothing inside the denoted persons brain. Stupid is the closest meaning. Uricha vengayam* means scale removed onion to denote a person who is stupider.

• Thevangu - Derived from Tamil name of an animal Loris which hangs upside down to denote a persons stupidity.

• Loos* - Means a stupid person, derived from English loose screw in ones head.

• Konangi - Origin unknown, means a stupid person.Joker

• Paradesi - Lit. mean foreigner. Used to denote a not-liked person. Panchapparadesi Literally a starving foreigner to denote a highly not liked person.

• Nappi - Lit. meaning stingy person can be used as Nappi doosu and Nappi pandaram.

• Kallabaduva* - Kalla means a thief. Baduva meaning unknown, can be derived from Vaduga for Telugu person. Used also by adults for children as a term of endearment.

• Kallarascal* - Another compound English- Tamil term. Means a thieving trouble maker.

• Ponnaya or Ponce' - For a male who behaves like a female also used amongst the Sinhalese.

• Maramandai* - For a thick skulled person or a person who doesn't care about insults or is not smart.

• Saniyan* - Derived from the Hindu astrological term for planet Saturn which is considered to be very hostile to the well being of people. Used by mothers to scold their children.

• Mundam* - Lit. meaning headless corpse for stupid person.

• Solaavaari - Meaning unknown used for a person trying get ahead without waiting his/her turn.

• Sampirani - Derived from item used in Hindu rituals which burns up after use. Someone who is useless.

• Kannadi polanga - One of the rare Tamil-Sinhalese compound swear words. To ridicule a person wearing specktacles or glasses. Kannadi means glass and polanga is potentially from Sinhalese for a snake. Used exclusively in Colombo area.

• Sandala - Anyone who has done something perceived to be bad. Derived from Sanskrit Chandala

• Attam* - Lit. meaning dance, for a person who is a show off.

• Andavane* - Similar to exclamation Oh god

• Appanne* - Same as above but means Oh father

• Isaku pisaku* - Something out of the ordinary usually related to censored behaviour.

• Karaicchal - Means problem

• Kilu kiluppu* - Means titillation, both sexual and asexual context.

• Siva perumane* - A word derived from Shiva a popular Hindu deity, used at the end of sentences to indicate some discomfort or end of a task. Used by all age groups but mostly by the elderly. Can also be Sivane.

• Kaacha - Under pants

• Kosu kadi* – Lit. Meaning, Mosquito bite to indicate a person is just annoying as such

• Kadiyan – Lit. meaning a biter to indicate an annoying person

• Nariyan – Lit. meaning a male Fox, to indicate a cunning person

• Kummalam* – Lit. meaning dance, derived from a folk form to indicate too much fun

• Nalla thanni* – Lit meaning, good water, to indicate one had too much alcohol to drink

• Nalla veri – Lit meaning one who is highly intoxicated

• Nalla attam – Lit. good dance to indicate too much fun

• 'Ariya koothu – Derived from a folk dance variety to mean too much fun at the expense of prudence.

• Periya pahudi* – Lit. meang big humor to indicate good humor or interesting person

• Pokku vaakku - Unknown origin to indicate no rational in actions

• Machchan* – Derived from cousin to indicate a friend also used amongst the Sinhalese

• Missi – Derived from English "mistress" to indicate a girl who is not behaving or even as an endearment term

• Pudunkki/Pudukki – Lit. meaning one who is plucking to indicate an annoying person

• Amukku* – Lit. meaning submerge to indicate one who is hiding something

• Sooran - Derived from Sanskrit Asura to indicate a very capabale person. Opposite of its original meaning.

• Nallam pallu - Derived from the names of two Jaffna based Dalit-like castes namely Nalavar and Pallar. Used as a pejorative.

• Panang kottai – Lit. meaning seed of the popular palm tree in Jaffna pejorative for Tamils of Jaffna used by others. It can be shortened to Kottai.

• Mukaal – Lit. meaning three fouths (3/4) alluding to removal of foreskin in the process of circumcision of Muslim boys. Pejorative for Muslims. It is also used by the Sinhalese as thunkaala the same meaning as mukaal.

• Thulukan* – Derived from Turk, a pejorative for Muslims

• Vadakathayan– Lit. meaning northerner, a pejorative for any Indian person

• Thovanna – Derived from Thotta Kaadu, a pejorative for Tamils of Indian origin working on Tea and Rubber estates (Thottam is an estate in Tamil)

• Modaya – Lit. meaning stupid for a Sinhalese person. It is derived from a self deprecatory song popular amongst Sinhalese.

       Sinhalaya modaya, kavun kandha yodaya 

Meaning Sinhalese are stupid and are only good for eating Kavun, a popular side dish. In reality the poem is urging the Sinhalese get smarter viz a vie the Jaffna Tamils. It is used in opposition to the popular slur of Para Demala or foreign Tamil, used by the Sinhalese against any ethnic Tamil.

• Theevan – Lit meaning Islander, pejorative for Tamils from the islets off the Jaffna peninsula, used as a pejorative by mainland Tamils. (See Islands of Sri Lanka)

• Mattakalappan – Lit. meaning from the city of Baticaloa a very mild pejorative for any Tamil from the eastern province in Sri Lanka.

• Sappattai - Lt. meaning flat for the apparent flat noses of East Asians.

• Karuppa - Lt. meaning Black for people of African descent in Europe or North America. Very mild pejorative as it can be used as a term of endearment amongst fellow Tamils.

• Vellaya - Lit. meaning White for any person of Caucasian ancestry in Europe or North America. Very mild pejorative as it can be used as a term of endearment amongst fellow Tamils

• Sarrakku - Derived from grocery items to be sold. Used to describe women of some attraction. Nalla vadivana sarakku means beautiful girl/women. Only used amongst boys/men unrelated to the girl/women being described. Not a vulgar term but considered to be demeaning to a woman.

• Saman - From items to be sold in a shop. Describes male genitalia. Typically used by men in informal conversation. An offensive word.

• Kunchamani - Lit. meaning little bell to describe the male genitalia of very young boys by their parents, can also be used by adults amongst themselves. Not an offensive word.

• Chachi - To describe breast of a women. Not an offensive word.

• Thambi - Used by girls/women to describe the male genitalia. Not an offensive word.

• Pundai* - Used to boys/men to describe a female genitalia in a non friendly manner. It is considered to be rude to use this word when directly spoken to a girl/woman. Can be used by men to refer to each other also. (See also Punani). It is a vulgar term. Also used amongst the Sinhalese.

• Punna - Same as above but just the first syllable is used so as not to say what is considered to be a vulgar word.

• Koothi* - Another vulgar term for female genitalia.

• Pundaiyandi* - Means a slave of female genitals. Term considered to be rude when used in anger but can be used by boys/men in a playful manner too. Used extensively as a swear word in internet flame wars.

• Masir/Mayir* - Pubic hair, used in the context of periya masir enda ninaippu. Literal meaning, he considers himself a big pubic hair but the indirect meaning is that he is just a pubic hair.

• Masirandi/Mayirandi* - Lit. meaning slave of pubic hair which means a person overly concerned about having sex or addicted to sex. Term considered to be rude when used in anger but can be used by boys/men in a playful manner too.

• Okku/Okka* - Lit. meaning to have sexual intercourse, rhymes with English "fuck" in meaning and usage also.

• Otha* - Same as above.

• Sunni* - Male genitalia, unknown origin

• Nalla vilachal - Some times used to describe bountiful female breasts generally by boys/men but also can be used by girls/women.

• Thullu - Lit. meaning jingling to denote female breasts bountiful or not.

• Kottai* - Li. meaning balls to describe male testacies

• Kottai atti - Lit. meaning one who shows off his testacies.

• Kottaiandi - Means a Slave of the male testacies to infer that person is gay when he is not.

• Aunty* - An older women but of some attraction to those who are talking about her. From the English word for an aunt

• Amma okka - Same as mother fucker in meaning and usage.

• Kai addi* - For male masturbation

• Kundi* - Ones back side. Although it is a literal not a slang term it is rarely used in public discourse hence attaining the status of slang term when used.

• Arrippu – Derived from a place name that indicates a place of sea erosion in the Puttalam district. It can also mean an itch, hence used to indicate sexual urge or a girl who is supposedly dying to have sex according to the speaker deploying the term usually a bragging male.

• Koothi* - Female genitalia