யானை
yāṉai/jɑːnɐɪ̯/
The Tamil word for elephant is யானை (yāṉai).
The word refers to the mammal known as an elephant.
Meaning: mammal (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced yāṉai (/jɑːnɐɪ̯/).
Did you know?
- In Tamil culture, the elephant is often associated with the deity கணேசன் (Ganesha), who is depicted with an elephant head to symbolize wisdom and the removal of obstacles.
- In Tamil literature and classical poetry, an elephant is often described using the term கஜம், which is a loanword from Sanskrit.
- The word யானை is part of a larger family of Dravidian words, making it a linguistic relative of the Malayalam word ആന and the Kannada word ಆನೆ.
Examples in context
- யானை தும்பிக்கையினாலே பணத்தையெடுக்கும்Elephant takes money with its trunkThis sentence shows how an elephant might use its trunk.
- அந்த யானை மிகவும் பெரியது.anta yāṉai mikavum periyatu.That elephant is very big.
Example conversation
Divya and Arun are visiting a zoo.
- திவ்யா Divyaஅருண், அந்த யானையை பார்!Arun, anta yānaiyai pā r!Arun, look at that elephant!
- அருண் Arunஆமாம், அது எவ்வளவு உயரமாக இருக்கிறது!āmām, atu evvalavu uyaramāka irukkiratu!Yes, it is so tall!
- திவ்யா Divyaஎனக்கு யானை என்றால் மிகவும் பிடிக்கும்.enakku yānai eṉṟāl mikavum pidikkum.I like elephants very much.
- அருண் Arunஎனக்கும் தான், திவ்யா.enakku m tān, Divyā.Me too, Divya.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “elephant” translations and entries யானை, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries யானை, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
