Sri Lankan Language

Welcome to our guide to learning Sinhala, basic phrases for traveling Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is renowned for being a safe and welcoming destination with warm, hospitable people rooted in Buddhist values of compassion and kindness. While incidents are rare, knowing these essential phrases ensures you can seek help when needed and communicate effectively during emergencies, medical situations, or when requiring special assistance.
As with anywhere on the world, we always think it’s a good idea to get a few useful words and sentences before you arrive. Sinhala, one of the official languages of Sri Lanka recognized in the constitution, is deeply connected to the island’s rich Buddhist heritage and UNESCO World Heritage sites. In this article, we have compiled essential Sinhala phrases according to various situations. Sinhala is the language that’s spoken by the majority of people in Sri Lanka.
Starting a conversation with someone new for the first time can be challenging, especially when you are new to the Sinhala language. Sri Lankan people are known for their warm hospitality and friendliness, making it easier to connect with locals whether you’re visiting Buddhist temples, exploring tea plantations, markets, cultural sites or relaxing on the beaches. Proper use of pronouns shows respect for Sri Lankan culture and Buddhist traditions, making your interactions more meaningful with locals and other cultural centers. These phrases will help you to create meaningful connections during the journey.
Planning a trip to Sri Lanka, Learning a few basic Sinhala phrases can make your experience far more enriching. In the tourist areas, locals always appreciate it when travellers make an effort to speak the native language. In this guide, we’ll introduce you to essential Sinhala phrases for tourists. From greetings to dining to getting around. These simple expressions will help you navigate Sri Lanka with more confidence and connect with locals on a deeper level.

Learn basic phrases:

English	Transcription	Sinhala
Excuse me	Samavenna	සමාවෙන්න
Welcome	Ayubovan	ආයුබෝවන්!
Good morning	Subha udaesanak	සුභ උදෑසනක්
Please	Karunakarala	කරුණාකරලා
Thank you	Stutiyi	ස්තූතියි
Thank you very much	Bohoma stutiyi	බොහොම ස්තූතියි
Yes	Ov	ඔව්
No	Naeta	නැත
Very good	Ita hondai	ඉතා හොඳ
No problem	Prashnayak nae	ප්රශ්නයක්නෑ
I’m sorry	Mata kanagatuyi	මට කණගාටුයි
Left	Vama	වම
Right	Dakuna	දකුණ
Where?	Kohedha?	කොහෙද
Here	Metaena	මෙතැන
What is your name?	Oyāge nama mokadda?	ඔයාගේ නම මොකද්ද?
I’ll go and come back	Gihin Ennam	ගිහින් එන්නම්
Have a safe journey	Suba gamanak	ආරක්ෂිත ගමනක් යන්න
Where are you from?	Oba paeminiye kohe sitada?	ඔබ පැමිණියේ කොහේ සිටද?
I am from…(country)	Ma paeminiye ……..	මා පැමිණියේ…..
How are you doing?	Itin kohomada?	ඉතින් කොහොමද?
I don’t speak Sinhala	Singhala danna naa	මම සිංහල කතා කරන්නෙ නෑ
Please can you repeat that?	Karunakara ayet kiyanna	කරුණාකර ආයෙත් කියන්න
I don’t understand	Mata novaetahe	මට නොවැටහේ
How much is it?	Eka kiyada?	එය කීයද?
Which way?	Kumana paetteda?	කුමන පැත්තේද?
Police	Polīsiya	පොලීසිය
Do you speak English?	Ingirisi dannevada?	ඉංගිරිසි දන්නවද?
Help!	Udav karanna!	උදව් කරන්න!
I’m hungry	Mata badaginiyi	මට බඩගිනියි
Delicious food	Pranita ahara	ප්රනීත ආහාර
No sugar please	Seeni netuwa	සීනි නැත
Vegetarian	Nirmamsa	නිර්මාංශ
I’m fine, thank you	Mama hondin innavā,stutiyi	මම හොඳින් ඉන්නවා, ස්තුතියි
My name is…	Magē nama …	මගේ නම …
Have a nice day	Subha dinayak!	සුබ දිනයක්!
See you later	Pasuva hamu vemu	පසුව හමු වෙමු
Good luck / Best wishes	Jaya vēvā	ජය වේවා

Sri Lankan Language

Learn basic phrases:

More Information