Day 1 · Introduction & Greetings 🙏
Learn how to greet people politely and introduce yourself in spoken Sinhala.
1 · Core Words (12)
Ayubowan [a-yu-bo-wan]
ayubowan yāluwa 🙏
ආයුබෝවන් යාලුවා
Hello / Greetings
🙏 Hello, friend
Kohomada? [ko-ho-ma-da]
kohomada jīvithē 🙂
කොහොමද ජීවිතේ
How are you?
🙂 How is life?
Mama [ma-ma]
mama hondai 🙂
මම හොඳයි
I / Me
🙂 I am fine
Oya [o-ya]
oya hondai 🙂
ඔයා හොඳයි
You (informal)
🙂 You are fine
Mage [ma-ge]
mage nama 🙂
මගේ නම
My
🙂 My name
Nama [na-ma]
nama Nimal ✨
නම නිමල්
Name
✨ Name: Nimal
Ow [ow]
ow hondai 👍
ඔව් හොඳයි
Yes
👍 Yes, OK
Næ [næ]
næ hari 🙂
නැ හරි
No
🙂 No problem
Stuti [stu-ti]
stuti bohoma 🙏
ස්තුති බොහොම
Thank you
🙏 Thank you very much
Samawenna [sa-ma-wen-na]
samawenna podi 🙇
සමාවෙන්න පොඩි
Sorry / Excuse me
🙇 Excuse me a little
Hondai [hon-dai]
hari hondai 😊
හරි හොඳයි
Good / Fine
😊 Very good
Kawda? [kaw-da]
oya kawda? 🤔
ඔයා කව්ද
Who?
🤔 Who are you?
2 · Typical Phrases
Ayubowan! Kohomada? — Hello! How are you?
Mama hondai, stuti — I am fine, thank you
Mage nama Nimal — My name is Nimal
Oya kawda? — Who are you?
Samawenna, mata theruna næ — Sorry, I don’t understand
Ow, mama Sinhala kata karanawa — Yes, I speak Sinhala
3 · Dialogue
A: Ayubowan! Kohomada?
(Hello! How are you?)
B: Mama hondai, stuti. Oya kawda?
(I am fine, thank you. Who are you?)
A: Mage nama Nimal.
(My name is Nimal.)
B: Oya Sinhala kata karanawada?
(Do you speak Sinhala?)
A: Ow, mama podi podi Sinhala kata karanawa.
(Yes, I speak a little Sinhala.)
B: Hari hondai!
(Very good!)
A: Stuti!
(Thank you!)
B: Ayubowan!
(Greetings!)
(Hello! How are you?)
B: Mama hondai, stuti. Oya kawda?
(I am fine, thank you. Who are you?)
A: Mage nama Nimal.
(My name is Nimal.)
B: Oya Sinhala kata karanawada?
(Do you speak Sinhala?)
A: Ow, mama podi podi Sinhala kata karanawa.
(Yes, I speak a little Sinhala.)
B: Hari hondai!
(Very good!)
A: Stuti!
(Thank you!)
B: Ayubowan!
(Greetings!)
4 · Fun & Cultural Note 🇱🇰
Ayubowan literally means “may you live long” and is more than just “hello.” It is often said with palms together as a sign of respect. Using polite greetings is very important in Sri Lanka, even in short conversations. When you greet someone properly in Sinhala, people immediately feel warmth and friendliness.