ದಾದ
dāda
The Tulu word for "what" is ದಾದ (dāda).
Meaning: what? (interrogative pronoun) (pron)
How do you pronounce it?
dāda
Did you know?
- Depending on the social hierarchy, a speaker might avoid using the blunt ದಾದ and instead use a more indirect phrase to ask 'what' when speaking to an elder.
- Tulu is a Dravidian language spoken mainly in coastal Karnataka and Northern Kerala, but it uses the Kannada script for ದಾದ instead of having its own widely used alphabet.
- A Tulu speaker might use ದಾದ to mean 'anything' or 'whatever' depending on the grammatical context of the particle following it.
Example conversation
Ashwini asks Manish what he is holding in his hand.
- ಮನೀಶ್ Manishಅಶ್ವಿನಿ, ಈದಲೆನ ತೂಲೆ.Ashwini, idalena tule.Ashwini, look at this.
- ಅಶ್ವಿನಿ Ashwiniದಾದ ಉಂಡ ಅಡೆಟ್?Dada und adet?What is in it?
- ಮನೀಶ್ Manishಒಂಜಿ ಪುತಿನ ಪಲಕ.Onji putina palaka.A new tablet.
- ಅಶ್ವಿನಿ Ashwiniಓ, ಬಾರಿ ಖುಷಿ ಆಂಡ್!Oh, bari khushi and!Oh, I am very happy!
