Day 9 · Travel & Transport 🚍
Learn to move around Sri Lanka — buses, tuk-tuks, directions and tickets.
1 · Core Words (12)
Bas eka [bas e-ka]
bas eke yanna 🚌
බස් එකේ යන්න
Bus
🚌 Go by bus
Thriwīl [thri-wīl]
thriwīl eke 🛺
ත්රීවීල් එකේ
Tuk-tuk
🛺 By tuk-tuk
Kōchchiya [kōch-chi-ya]
kōchchi istēshan 🚆
කෝච්චි ස්ටේෂන්
Train
🚆 Train station
Tikat [ti-kat]
tikat ganna 🎫
ටිකට් ගන්න
Ticket
🎫 Buy ticket
Kohēda? [ko-hē-da]
kohēda yanne ❓
කොහෙද යන්නේ
Where?
❓ Where are you going?
Yanna [yan-na]
dan yanna 🚶
දැන් යන්න
Go
🚶 Go now
Langa [lan-ga]
mē langa 📍
මේ ළඟ
Near
📍 Near here
Durai [du-rai]
hari durai 🌄
හරි දුරයි
Far
🌄 Very far
Wama [wa-ma]
wama harenna ↩️
වම හැරෙන්න
Left
↩️ Turn left
Dakuna [da-ku-na]
dakuna harenna ↪️
දකුණ හැරෙන්න
Right
↪️ Turn right
Navaththanna [na-vath-than-na]
mē navaththanna ⛔
මේ නවත්තන්න
Stop
⛔ Stop here
Kīyakda? [kī-yak-da]
tikat kīyakda 💬
ටිකට් කීයද
How much?
💬 How much is the ticket?
2 · Typical Phrases
Mama bas eke yannawa — I go by bus
Kohēda yanne? — Where are you going?
Tikat kīyakda? — How much is the ticket?
Mē langada? — Is it near?
Wama harenna — Turn left
Mē navaththanna — Stop here
3 · Dialogue
A: Oya kohēda yanne?
(Where are you going?)
B: Mama Nuvara yannawa.
(I am going to Kandy.)
A: Bas eke da?
(By bus?)
B: Ow, bas eke.
(Yes, by bus.)
A: Tikat kīyakda?
(How much is the ticket?)
B: Rupiyal deesiyai.
(Two hundred rupees.)
A: Mē langada?
(Is it near?)
B: Næ, tikak durai.
(No, a bit far.)
(Where are you going?)
B: Mama Nuvara yannawa.
(I am going to Kandy.)
A: Bas eke da?
(By bus?)
B: Ow, bas eke.
(Yes, by bus.)
A: Tikat kīyakda?
(How much is the ticket?)
B: Rupiyal deesiyai.
(Two hundred rupees.)
A: Mē langada?
(Is it near?)
B: Næ, tikak durai.
(No, a bit far.)
4 · Fun & Cultural Note 🇱🇰
Public transport is the heartbeat of Sri Lanka. Colourful buses connect every village, and tuk-tuks are the kings of short distances. Locals often help strangers with directions, so asking kohēda? usually starts a friendly conversation. Learning just a few transport phrases makes traveling around the island easy and fun.