तमिल
tamil/t̪ə.mɪl/feminine
In Hindi, the word for the English name "Tamil" is तमिल (tamil). Wiktionary also lists तामिल (tāmil).
Meaning: the language (name)
Ways to say it
| Hindi | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| तमिल | tamil | /t̪ə.mɪl/ (Hindi, Standard) | feminine |
| तामिल | tāmil | feminine |
तमिल refers to the Tamil language. It can also be used as an adjective to describe things of or pertaining to the Tamil people, culture or language or as a noun to refer to a Tamil person.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The word is categorized as feminine.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 2 syllables and is pronounced /t̪ə.mɪl/ (tamil).
Did you know?
- The word तमिल shares a deep historical connection with the word द्रविड़, which is used to name the entire Dravidian language family. They are linguistic doublets that trace back to the same ancient source.
- When a Hindi speaker describes 'Tamil literature', they use the phrase तमिल साहित्य. Because of the classical status of the language, this specific combination of words carries a high level of formal prestige in India.
- The Hindi pronunciation of तमिल replaces the unique Tamil 'zh' sound with a standard 'l' because the original retroflex approximant does not exist in the Hindi alphabet.
Examples in context
- इसके अतिरिक्त यह भाषा गोवा, कर्णाटक, गुजरात, आंध्र प्रदेश, मध्य प्रदेश, तमिल नाडु और छत्तीसगढ़ में बोली जाती है।Other than there, this language is spoken in Goa, Karnataka, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Chattisgarh.This sentence is useful for identifying where the language is spoken, specifically using the form तमिल.Tatoeba #8938171 by simranbansal, translation #9415368 by abracadebby
- मुझे तमिल सीखना पसंद है।mujhe tamil seekhna pasand hai.I like learning Tamil.
- क्या आप तमिल बोल सकते हैं?kya aap tamil bol sakte hain?Can you speak Tamil?
Example conversation
Anjali and Aditya are discussing different languages at a library.
- अंजलि Anjaliक्या तुम्हें तमिल आती है?kya tumhe tamil aati hai?Do you know Tamil?
- आदित्य Adityaनहीं, मैं बस थोड़ा बहुत समझ सकता हूँ।nahin, main bas thoda bahut samajh sakta hoon.No, I can only understand a little bit.
- अंजलि Anjaliआदित्य, तुम्हें यह भाषा सीखनी चाहिए।aditya, tumhe yeh bhasha seekhni chahiye.Aditya, you should learn this language.
- आदित्य Adityaहाँ, यह बहुत दिलचस्प है।haan, yeh bahut dilchasp hai.Yes, it is very interesting.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “tamil” translations and entries तमिल, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries तमिल, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
