බබා
babā
The English word "baby" is translated into Sinhala as බබා (babā) or ළදරුවා.
Meaning: very young human being (noun)
Ways to say it
| Sinhala | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| බබා | babā |
| ළදරුවා | ḷadaruwā |
The term refers to a very young human being.
Which one should you use?
බබා (babā) is an informal, colloquial way to say baby, often used by parents or when speaking to children, whereas ළදරුවා (ḷadaruwā) is the other form provided.
How do you pronounce it?
babā
Did you know?
- In traditional Sri Lankan households, parents often avoid calling a baby by their actual name in public to ward off the 'evil eye', using බබා as a protective generic label instead.
- In Sinhala songs and poetry, the concept of a 'baby' is often personified through metaphors of 'lotus buds' or 'newly bloomed flowers' rather than the literal words for baby.
- The phonetic repetition in බබා (babā) mirrors the 'reduplication' pattern common in Sinhala to express smallness, cuteness, or affection.
Examples in context
- බබා නිදාගන්නවා.babā nidāgannavā.The baby is sleeping.
- ඒ බබා හරිම ලස්සනයි.ē babā harima lassanayi.That baby is very beautiful.
- බබා හඬනවා.babā han̆danavā.The baby is crying.
Example conversation
Tharindu and Kavindya are looking at a photo of a newborn.
- තරිඳු Tharinduබබා හරිම චූටි!babā harima chūṭi!The baby is so tiny!
- කවින්ද්යා Kavindyaඔව්, එයා ගොඩක් අහිංසකයි.ov, eyā goḍak ahinsakayi.Yes, he is very innocent.
- තරිඳු Tharinduබබාගේ නම මොකක්ද?babāgē nama mokakda?What is the baby's name?
- කවින්ද්යා Kavindyaතවම නමක් තීරණය කළේ නැහැ.tavama namak tīraṇaya kaḷē næhä.A name hasn't been decided yet.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “baby” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
