காலை வணக்கம்
kālai vaṇakkam/kɑːlɐɪ̯ ʋɐɳɐkːɐm/
The English phrase "good morning" is translated into Tamil as காலை வணக்கம் (kālai vaṇakkam).
காலை வணக்கம் is used as a greeting when seeing someone for the first time in the morning.
Meaning: when seeing someone for the first time in the morning (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of kālai (morning) and vaṇakkam (greeting/salutation).
Which one should you use?
While காலை வணக்கம் is the full expression for good morning, in many casual morning encounters, people may simply use vaṇakkam (greetings) instead.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is kālai vaṇakkam. The IPA is /kɑːlɐɪ̯ ʋɐɳɐkːɐm/.
Did you know?
- Because vaṇakkam can mean 'worship' or 'adoration', using it to greet a peer is a way of showing deep respect for the divinity within the other person.
- While காலை வணக்கம் is a literal translation of 'good morning', traditional Tamil greetings were historically more centered on the act of respect rather than the time of day.
- In many formal or traditional Tamil contexts, a person might pair the greeting with a 'Vanakkam' gesture, which involves joining the palms together in front of the chest. The words and the gesture are often seen as a single unit of politeness.
Examples in context
- காலை வணக்கம் சார்/மேடம்Good morning, sir/madam.
- காலை வணக்கம் என்று சொல்லுங்கள்Please say good morning.
- அனைவருக்கும் காலை வணக்கம்.Anaivarukkum kālai vaṇakkam.Good morning to everyone.
- காலை வணக்கம், எப்படி இருக்கிறீர்கள்?Kālai vaṇakkam, eppaṭi irukkirīrkaḷ?Good morning, how are you?
- அப்பாவுக்கு காலை வணக்கம் சொல்லுங்கள்.Appāvukku kālai vaṇakkam sollungaḷ.Say good morning to father.
Example conversation
Karthik and Divya meet at the office entrance.
- கார்த்திக் Karthikகாலை வணக்கம், திவ்யா!Kālai vaṇakkam, Divyā!Good morning, Divya!
- திவ்யா Divyaகாலை வணக்கம், கார்த்திக்.Kālai vaṇakkam, Kārtik.Good morning, Karthik.
- கார்த்திக் Karthikகாபி குடித்தீர்களா?Kāpi kuṭittīrkaḷā?Did you drink coffee?
- திவ்யா Divyaஆம், குடித்தேன்.Ām, kuṭittēṉ.Yes, I did.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “good morning” translations and entries காலை வணக்கம், CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
