Day 92 · Politeness & Respect 🙏

1 · Core Words (12)

Karunakarala
[ක-රු-ණා-ක-ර-ලා]
karunakarala kiyala 🙇
කරුණාකරලා
Please
politely
Stuti
[ස්තු-ති]
bohoma stuti 😊
ස්තුති
Thank you
thanks a lot
Samawenna
[ස-මා-වෙ-න්න]
samawenna kiyala 🙏
සමාවෙන්න
Sorry
excuse me
Gaurawaya
[ගෞ-ර-ව-ය]
loku gaurawaya 🤝
ගෞරවය
Respect
honor
Winiithai
[වි-නී-තයි]
winiithai widihata 🌸
විනීතයි
Polite
well-mannered
Hondai
[හො-න්-දයි]
oya hari hondai 💛
හොඳයි
Kind / good
nice person
Wædiya
[වැ-ඩි-ය]
wædiya kenekta 🙇
වැඩියා
Elder
older person
Oba
[ඔ-බ]
oba hari hondai 🙂
ඔබ
You (formal)
polite you
Kiyanna
[කි-ය-න්න]
winiitha widihata kiyanna 🗣️
කියන්න
Speak
say
Ahagena innawa
[අ-හ-ගෙ-න ඉ-න්න-වා]
hondatama ahagena 👂
අහගෙන ඉන්නවා
Listen
hear carefully
Sinawenna
[සි-නා-වෙ-න්න]
sinawenna 😊
සිනා වෙන්න
Smile
be friendly
Hæda hætiya
[හැ-ඩ හැ-ටි-ය]
hondai hæda hætiya 🌿
හැඩ හැටිය
Behavior
manner

2 · Typical Phrases (6)

Karunakarala mata kiyannada?
Please, can you tell me?
Bohoma stuti!
Thank you very much!
Samawenna, mage waraddak.
Sorry, it’s my mistake.
Oba hari winiithai.
You are very polite.
Wædiya ayata gaurawen kata karanna.
Speak respectfully to elders.
Hondatama ahagena inne.
Listening carefully.

3 · Practice Dialogue (8)

A: Karunakarala mata podi udawwak karannada?
B: Ow, kiyanna.
A: Bohoma stuti, oba hari hondai.
B: Kamak næ, samawenna kiyanna epa.
A: Oba wædiya kenek, mama gaurawen kata karanawa.
B: Eka hari lassanai.
A: Oya winiithai widihata kata karanawa.
B: Stuti, oyatama hari hondai.

4 · Cultural & Life Notes

Politeness and respect are central values in Sri Lankan society. The way you speak is often more important than what you say. Using words like karunakarala, stuti, and samawenna immediately makes conversations warmer. Respect toward elders is deeply rooted and expected. Smiling, listening carefully, and speaking softly are signs of good behavior. People appreciate humility more than confidence. Even disagreements are usually expressed gently. Learning polite Sinhala helps you build trust and friendships. It also helps you avoid misunderstandings. When you speak respectfully, people feel comfortable and open with you.