தக்காளி
takkāḷi/t̪ɐkːɑːɭiː/
The Tamil word for tomato is தக்காளி (takkāḷi).
தக்காளி refers to the fruit known as a tomato.
Meaning: fruit (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
takkāḷi
Did you know?
- In Tamil cinema and casual conversation, calling someone a தக்காளி (takkāḷi) can be a playful way to describe someone with an exceptionally red or flushed face.
- The price of தக்காளி is so vital to the economy that it is often used by news reporters as a shorthand indicator for the inflation rate of daily living.
- The tomato is not native to India, meaning the word தக்காளி was adapted to describe a foreign crop introduced by Europeans.
Examples in context
- எனக்கு தக்காளியுடன் ரொட்டி பிடிக்கும்.I like roti with tomato.This sentence shows how to express a preference for eating roti with தக்காளி.Tatoeba #12969346 by LeeSooHa, translation #13012230 by niroshan
- தக்காளி விலை அதிகமாக உள்ளது.thakkali vilai adhigamaaga ulladhu.The tomato price is high.
Example conversation
Karthik and Anitha are at a vegetable market.
- கார்த்திக் Karthikஒரு கிலோ தக்காளி எவ்வளவு?oru kilo thakkali evvalavu?How much is a kilo of tomatoes?
- அனிதா Anitaஅறுபது ரூபாய்.arubadhu roobai.Sixty rupees.
- கார்த்திக் Karthikசரி, ஒரு கிலோ கொடுங்கள்.seri, oru kilo kodungal.Okay, give me one kilo.
- அனிதா Anitaஇதோ தக்காளி.idho thakkali.Here are the tomatoes.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “tomato” translations and entries தக்காளி, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
