ஹோலி
hōli
The English phrase 'Holi' is translated into Tamil as ஹோலி (hōli).
ஹோலி refers to the Hindu festival.
Meaning: Hindu festival (name)
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is hōli.
Did you know?
- In Tamil Nadu, mentioning ஹோலி often evokes images of Bollywood films rather than local tradition, as the festival is primarily a North Indian import.
- The way ஹோலி is written in Tamil involves the character ஹ (ha), which is a specialized letter used primarily to represent sounds from Sanskrit or foreign languages. Standard native Tamil words rarely utilize this specific consonant.
- While ஹோலி is a festival of colors, the Tamil word for color வண்ணம் also means 'character' or 'description'.
Examples in context
- இந்த வருடம் ஹோலி பண்டிகை எப்பொழுது?indha varudam holi pandigai eppozhudhu?When is the Holi festival this year?
- எனக்கு ஹோலி பிடிக்கும்.enakku holi pidikkum.I like Holi.
- நாங்கள் ஹோலி கொண்டாடப் போகிறோம்.nāṅkaḷ holi kōnṭāṭap pōkiṟōm.We are going to celebrate Holi.
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing upcoming holiday plans.
- அனிதா Anitaஅருண், இந்த ஆண்டு ஹோலி எப்போது?Arun, inta āṇṭu hōli eppōtu?Arun, when is Holi this year?
- அருண் Arunஅடுத்த வாரம் ஹோலி வருகிறது.Aṭutta vāram hōli varukiṟatu.Holi is coming next week.
- அனிதா Anitaநாம் ஒன்றாகக் கொண்டாடலாமா?Nām oṉṟākak koṇḍāṭalāmā?Can we celebrate it together?
- அருண் Arunநிச்சயமாக, அனிதா, கொண்டாடலாம்.Niccayāmaka, Anita, koṇḍāṭalām.Of course, Anita, let's celebrate.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “holi” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
