போ
pō/poː/
The Tamil phrase for 'chalo' is போ (pō).
போ is used to tell someone to leave or to suggest that it is time to go.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is romanized as pō and pronounced /poː/.
Did you know?
- While போ means 'go', the phrase போ போ (pō pō) repeated twice often functions as a dismissive 'whatever' or a way to signal that you do not believe what someone is saying.
- While 'chalo' in Hindi is a suggestion to move, saying போ to a person in Tamil can sound like a harsh command to 'get lost' or 'go away'.
- The word போ is a linguistic relative to the words for 'go' in Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada, reflecting a shared ancestry in the Proto-South Dravidian language.
Examples in context
- நீ கிளம்பி போ.Nee kilambi po.You leave now.
Example conversation
Vijay and Kavitha are finishing their shopping.
- விஜய் Vijayபொருட்கள் எல்லாம் வாங்கிட்டோம், போலாம்.Porutkal ellam vaangittom, polalam.We bought everything, let's go.
- கவிதா Kavithaஆமா, எனக்கு ரொம்ப களைப்பா இருக்கு.Aama, enakku romba kalappa irukku.Yes, I am very tired.
- விஜய் Vijayசரி, வீட்டுக்கு போ.Sari, veettukku po.Okay, go home.
- கவிதா Kavithaசரி விஜய், நான் கிளம்புறேன்.Sari Vijay, naan kilamburen.Okay Vijay, I am leaving.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry போ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries போ, CC BY-SA 4.0.
