අම්මා
ammā/ammaː/
The Sinhala word for mother is අම්මා (ammā).
අම්මා is a noun used to refer to a female human who gives birth to or parents a child.
Meaning: female (human) who gives birth to or parents a child (noun)
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The standard form is අම්මා, but you may also encounter the informal form අම්මි (ammi). අම්මි is a more affectionate or colloquial way to say 'mother' used by children or within families.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is ammā. The IPA transcription is /ammaː/.
Did you know?
- In many Sinhala households, the term අම්මා is used as a respectful way to address almost any older woman, not just one's own biological mother.
- The word අම්මා was borrowed from Tamil, reflecting the deep historical and linguistic exchange between the two primary languages of Sri Lanka.
- The word අම්මා can sometimes be used in literature to personify 'Motherland' or 'Mother Nature', elevating the term from a person to a symbol of devotion.
Examples in context
- අම්මා උයනවා.amma uyanawa.Mother is cooking.
- අම්මා ඉතාමත් කරුණාවන්තයි.amma ithamath karunawanthayi.Mother is very kind.
Example conversation
Nupun and Nimalshi are talking about their families.
- නුපුන් Nupunඔයාගේ අම්මා මෙහේ ඉන්නවද?oyāgē ammā mehē innavada?Is your mother here?
- නිමල්ෂි Nimalshiඔව්, මගේ අම්මා ගෙදර ඉන්නවා.ov, magē ammā gedara innavā.Yes, my mother is at home.
- නුපුන් Nupunඇය හොඳ කෙනෙක් කියලා මම ඇහුවා.æya honda kenek kiyalā mama æhuvā.I heard that she is a good person.
- නිමල්ෂි Nimalshiස්තූතියි නුපුන්.stutiyi Nupun.Thank you, Nupun.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “mother” translations and entries අම්මා, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries අම්මා, CC BY-SA 4.0.
