අක්කා
akkā[əkːaː]
The Sinhala word for sister is split into two forms depending on age. If unsure, use අක්කා (akkā). Wiktionary also lists නංගි (naṁgi).
Meaning: woman or girl having the same parents (noun)
Ways to say it
| Sinhala | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| අක්කා | akkā | [əkːaː] (narrow) |
| නංගි | naṁgi |
The term for sister is determined by the age relationship between the speaker and the woman or girl. අක්කා is used for an elder sister, while නංගි is used for a younger sister. In colloquial speech, these terms extend beyond biological siblings. අක්කා is a respectful way to address a woman who is slightly older than you, and නංගි is a friendly or polite way to address a younger woman or girl.
Which one should you use?
The two forms differ based on seniority: අක්කා specifically refers to an elder sister, whereas නංගි specifically refers to a younger sister.
How do you pronounce it?
akkā
Did you know?
- The term අක්කා shares its linguistic roots with the Tamil word அக்கா, reflecting the deep historical and cultural connections between the two languages.
- The distinction between අක්කා and නංගි is so strict that calling an older sister නංගි can be perceived as a playful joke or a mild insult.
- In Sinhala culture, even total strangers are often addressed as අක්කා or නංගි to establish a sense of familial warmth and social respect.
Examples in context
- මගේ අක්කා දැන් ඉන්නේ කොහේද?magē akkā dæn innē kohēda?Where is my elder sister now?
- අක්කා මට උදව් කළා.akkā maṭa udav kaḷā.The sister helped me.
- අක්කා ගොඩක් දක්ෂයි.akkā goḍak dakṣayi.The elder sister is very talented.
Example conversation
Tharindu is introducing his family to Sanduni.
- තරිඳු Tharinduමේ මගේ අක්කා.mƒ magƒ akka.This is my sister.
- සඳුනි Sanduniඇය හරිම ලස්සනයි.ƒya harima lassanayi.She is very beautiful.
- තරිඳු Tharinduස්තූතියි සඳුනි.sthuthiyi sanduni.Thank you, Sanduni.
- සඳුනි Sanduniඔයාට ස්තූතියි තරිඳු.oyƒta sthuthiyi tharindu.Thank you, Tharindu.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sister” translations and entries අක්කා, නංගි, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries අක්කා, CC BY-SA 4.0.
