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Sri Lanka has two official languages: Sinhala, spoken by roughly 75% of the population, and Tamil, spoken mainly in the north and east. English serves as a link language and is widely understood in tourist areas and cities. This guide covers Sinhala, the language you will encounter most frequently across the south, west coast, hill country, and Cultural Triangle. Sinhala uses its own script, but we have included romanised pronunciations to make learning straightforward.
Greetings and Basics
| English | Sinhala | Pronunciation |
|---|
| Hello | ආයුබෝවන් (Ayubowan) | ah-yoo-BOH-wan |
| Good morning | සුභ උදෑසනක් (Subha udaesanak) | SOO-bah oo-DAY-sah-nak |
| Goodbye | ගිහින් එන්නම් (Gihin ennam) | GIH-hin EN-nam |
| Yes / No | ඔව් / නැහැ (Ow / Naehae) | OW / NAE-hae |
| Please | කරුණාකර (Karunakara) | kah-roo-NAH-kah-rah |
| Thank you | ස්තූතියි (Istuti) | is-TOO-tee |
| Sorry / Excuse me | සමාවෙන්න (Samawenna) | sah-mah-WEN-nah |
| I don’t understand | මට තේරෙන්නේ නැහැ (Mata therenne naehae) | MAH-tah tay-REN-nay NAE-hae |
| Do you speak English? | ඔබ ඉංග්රීසි කතා කරනවාද? (Oba Ingrisi katha karanawada?) | OH-bah IN-gree-see KAH-tah kah-rah-NAH-wah-dah |
| How are you? | කොහොමද? (Kohomada?) | koh-HOH-mah-dah |
Getting Around
| English | Sinhala | Pronunciation |
|---|
| Where is…? | …කොහේද? (…koheda?) | …koh-HAY-dah |
| How much? | කීයද? (Keeyada?) | KEE-yah-dah |
| Left / Right | වමට / දකුණට (Wamata / Dakunata) | WAH-mah-tah / dah-KOO-nah-tah |
| Straight | කෙළින්ම (Kelinma) | keh-LIN-mah |
| Stop here | මෙතන නවත්තන්න (Methana nawattanna) | MEH-thah-nah nah-WAHT-tahn-nah |
| Train station | දුම්රිය ස්ථානය (Dumriya sthanaya) | doom-REE-yah stah-NAH-yah |
| Bus | බස් (Bas) | BAHS |
| Tuk-tuk | ත්රිවීලර් (Three-wheeler) | three-WHEE-ler |
| Too expensive | ඕනෙට වැඩි (Oneta waedi) | OH-neh-tah WAE-dee |
Food and Dining
| English | Sinhala | Pronunciation |
|---|
| I would like… | මට…ඕනෙ (Mata…one) | MAH-tah…OH-neh |
| Water | වතුර (Wathura) | WAH-thoo-rah |
| Rice | බත් (Bath) | BAHT |
| Chicken | කුකුළු මස් (Kukulu mas) | koo-KOO-loo MAHS |
| Fish | මාළු (Maalu) | MAH-loo |
| Spicy | සැරයි (Saerayi) | SAE-rah-yee |
| Not spicy | සැර එපා (Saera epa) | SAE-rah EH-pah |
| Delicious | රසයි (Rasayi) | RAH-sah-yee |
| The bill, please | බිල එන්න (Bila enna) | BIH-lah EN-nah |
| Tea | තේ (The) | TAY |
Numbers
| Number | Sinhala | Pronunciation |
|---|
| 1 | එක (Eka) | EH-kah |
| 2 | දෙක (Deka) | DEH-kah |
| 3 | තුන (Thuna) | TOO-nah |
| 4 | හතර (Hathara) | HAH-thah-rah |
| 5 | පහ (Paha) | PAH-hah |
| 6 | හය (Haya) | HAH-yah |
| 7 | හත (Hatha) | HAH-thah |
| 8 | අට (Ata) | AH-tah |
| 9 | නවය (Nawaya) | NAH-wah-yah |
| 10 | දහය (Dahaya) | DAH-hah-yah |
Emergency Phrases
| English | Sinhala | Pronunciation |
|---|
| Help! | උදව්! (Udaw!) | OO-dow |
| I need a doctor | මට වෛද්යවරයෙක් ඕනෙ (Mata waidyawarayek one) | MAH-tah WHY-dyah-wah-rah-yek OH-neh |
| Police | පොලිසිය (Polisiya) | poh-LIH-see-yah |
| Hospital | රෝහල (Rohala) | ROH-hah-lah |
| I am lost | මම මග හැරිලා (Mama maga haerila) | MAH-mah MAH-gah HAE-ree-lah |
| Ambulance | ගිලන්රථය (Gilanrathaya) | gih-LAN-rah-thah-yah |
Sinhala pronunciation follows consistent rules once you know the vowel sounds. The “ae” sound (as in naehae) is similar to the “a” in “cat.” Retroflex consonants like “t” and “d” are pronounced with the tongue curled back slightly. Do not worry about perfection - Sri Lankans are patient and encouraging with anyone who attempts their language. One of the fastest ways to pick up Sinhala phrases in context is on a guided Sri Lanka tour - local guides naturally use the language throughout the day and can correct your pronunciation on the spot. Note that in the north and east, Tamil is the primary language, and many phrases differ entirely, so consider learning a few Tamil basics if you plan to visit Jaffna or Trincomalee.
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