අයියා
ayiya
The Sinhala word for "older brother" is අයියා (ayiya).
අයියා is used to address or refer to an older brother. It is also used as a friendly or respectful way to address any young man slightly older than oneself.
Meaning: single-word translations (noun)
Which one should you use?
අයියා is gender-specific for a brother. To refer to an older sister, use අක්කා. While අයියා refers to an older brother, the term for a younger sister is නංගි.
How do you pronounce it?
ayiya
Did you know?
- While අයියා is for older brothers, the word for a younger brother is මල්ලි, which literally means 'bud' or 'small flower'.
- In traditional Sinhala households, calling an older brother by his first name is often considered disrespectful, making අයියා a necessary social shield.
- Using අයියා can sometimes act as a linguistic buffer to soften a request or a complaint when speaking to a shopkeeper or a driver.
Examples in context
- මගේ අයියා එන්නේ නෑ.magē ayiyā ennē næ.My older brother is not coming.
- අයියා කොහේද ඉන්නේ?ayiyā kohēda innē?Where is older brother?
- අයියා මට උදව් කළා.ayiyā maṭa udav kaḷā.Older brother helped me.
Example conversation
A sister asks her brother about their older brother's whereabouts.
- ඉෂානි Ishaniතරිඳු, අයියා ගියාද?tarindu, ayiyā giyāda?Tharindu, did older brother leave?
- තරිඳු Tharinduඔව්, අයියා දැන් ගියා.ow, ayiyā dæn giyā.Yes, older brother left just now.
- ඉෂානි Ishaniඅයියා එන්නෙත් නැද්ද?ayiyā enneth nædda?Is older brother not coming back either?
- තරිඳු Tharinduනෑ, එයා එන්නේ නෑ.næ, eyā ennē næ.No, he is not coming.
