விழி
viḻi/ʋɪɻiː/
The English phrase 'wake up' can be translated into Tamil as விழி (viḻi) or எழுந்திரு.
Meaning: to (become) awake (verb)
Ways to say it
| Tamil | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| விழி | viḻi | /ʋɪɻiː/ |
| எழுந்திரு | eḻuntiru | /ɛɻʊnd̪ɪɾɯ/ |
In Tamil, there are different ways to express waking up depending on whether you are focusing on the physiological state of becoming conscious or the physical act of rising.
Which one should you use?
விழி (viḻi) refers more specifically to the physiological act of opening one's eyes or becoming conscious. In contrast, எழுந்திரு (eḻuntiru) implies the physical act of getting up and is the more common way to tell someone to 'wake up' in the sense of getting out of bed.
How does it change in a sentence?
To create a polite or formal command from the base form எழுந்திரு, you can add the suffix '-ṅkaḷ' to produce எழுந்திருங்கள் (eḻuntiruṅkaḷ).
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation of viḻi is /ʋɪɻiː/.
Did you know?
- The word விழி (viḻi) is not just a verb for waking up, but is also the poetic word for 'eye' in Tamil.
- Beyond physical waking, விழி (viḻi) is used metaphorically to describe someone becoming alert or achieving enlightenment.
- The word விழி (viḻi) shares the same root as the Malayalam word for 'eye', which is മിഴി (miḻi).
Examples in context
- சீக்கிரம் எழுந்திருWake up early
- சூரியன் உதிக்கும் போது விழி.sūriyan utikkum pōtu viḻi.Wake up when the sun rises.
Example conversation
Santhosh is waking up Kavitha in the morning.
- சந்தோஷ் Santhoshகவிதா, விழி!Kavitā, viḻi!Kavitha, wake up!
- கவிதா Kavithaஇன்னும் ஐந்து நிமிடம் கொடுங்கள்.Iṉṉum aintu nimiṭam koṭuṅgaḷ.Give me five more minutes.
- சந்தோஷ் Santhoshநேரமாகிவிட்டது, சீக்கிரம் எழுந்துவிடு.Nēramāgi-viṭṭadu, sīkkiram eḻundu-viṭu.It is getting late, get up quickly.
- கவிதா Kavithaசரி, நான் விழித்துக்கொண்டேன்.Sari, nāṉ viḻittukkoṇṭēṉ.Okay, I am awake.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “wake up” translations and entries விழி, எழுந்திரு, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries எழுந்திரு, விழி, CC BY-SA 4.0.
