Learn Sinhala Online: Essential Food Vocabulary for Beginners

If you’re looking to learn Sinhala online, one of the best ways is by starting with practical vocabulary you’ll use every day. Food is at the center of Sri Lankan culture, family life, and hospitality. Whether you’re dining with locals, shopping at a street market, or cooking at home, knowing food-related Sinhala words will make your experience much richer.

This guide is perfect for beginners who want to learn Sinhala online and expand their everyday vocabulary. We’ll cover five main categories: fruits, vegetables, meats, common foods, and drinks. 

Additionally, you will be able to practice and hear the pronunciation of all these words once the Learn Sinhala Platform launches. Learn Sinhala is an interactive platform to help beginners learn Sinhala online fun and engaging through gamified quizes. For more details, check out this related article.

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What is “Food” in Sinhala?

The general word for food in Sinhala is kæmə (කෑම). You’ll often hear it when people ask if you’ve eaten:

• kævadə? (කෑවද?) – “Did you eat?”

Another useful word is paləturu (පළතුරු), which means “fruits.” Since fruits are a major part of the Sri Lankan diet, it’s a good word to recognize early on.

Pronunciation Tips

• The symbol ə (called schwa) is pronounced like a quick, relaxed, and unstressed “uh” sound, as in the first syllable of about.

• The symbol æ is pronounced like a short “a” sound, similar to the vowel in the English word cat.

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1. Fruits in Sinhala

Sri Lanka is famous for its tropical fruits. Here are a few essentials:

English	Sinhala (Latin)	Sinhala (Script)
Watermelon	koməḍu	කොමඩු
Banana	kesel	කෙසෙල්
Orange	dodam	දොඩම්
Pineapple	annāsi	අන්නාසි

Pronunciation Tips

• The symbol ā is pronounced as a long “a” sound, like the vowel in the English word father.

• The symbol ḍ represents a retroflex “d” sound. To pronounce it, curl your tongue back so it touches the roof of your mouth, just behind the alveolar ridge. It’s harder than the normal “d” and doesn’t exist in standard English

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2. Vegetables in Sinhala

Vegetables appear in nearly every Sri Lankan meal, usually in the form of spicy curries.

English	Sinhala (Latin)	Sinhala (Script)
Spinach	niviti	නිවිති
Tomatoes	takkāli	තක්කාලි
Green beans	bōṁci	බෝංචි
Potatoes	alə	අල

Pronunciation Tips

• The symbol ō is a long “o” sound, similar to the vowel in the English word go or more. Hold the sound slightly longer than a short o.

• The symbol ṁ represents a nasalized “m” sound, often written with a dot above the letter. It is similar to the “ng” sound in English song or long.

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3. Meat in Sinhala

When learning Sinhala food vocabulary, meats are essential if you want to order confidently in restaurants.

English	Sinhala (Latin)	Sinhala (Script)
Chicken	kukul mas	කුකුල් මස්
Fish	malu	මාළු
Pork	ūru mas	ඌරු මස්
Beef	harak mas	හරක් මස්

Here, mas (මස්) simply means “meat.” Combine it with the animal word, and you get different meat types.

Pronunciation Tips

• The symbol ū is pronounced like a long “u” sound, similar to the vowel in the English word “food.”

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4. Common Food Staples

Staples are everyday foods you’ll find in any Sri Lankan home.

English	Sinhala (Latin)	Sinhala (Script)
Rice	bat	බත්
Bread	pan	පාන්
Honey	mī pæṇi	මී පැණි
Eggs	bittərə	බිත්තර

Rice (bat) is the most central part of Sri Lankan meals, while bread (pan) is a legacy of Portuguese influence.

Pronunciation Tips

• The symbol ī is a long “ee” sound, like the vowel in the English word see or tree. Hold the sound longer than the short i.

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5. Drinks in Sinhala

Of course, no guide on Sri Lankan food is complete without drinks.

English	Sinhala (Latin)	Sinhala (Script)
Water	vaturə	වතුර
Tea	tē	තේ
Coffee	kopi	කෝපි
Milk	kiri	කිරි

Pronunciation Tips

• The symbol ē is a long “e” sound, similar to the vowel in the English word they or late. It’s held longer than the short e.

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6. How to Learn Sinhala Online with Food Vocabulary

Many free resources exist if you want to learn Sinhala online free: YouTube lessons, flashcards, or blogs like this one, which have been detailed in this related article

And remember: once learn-sinhala.com officially launches, you’ll have access to gamified quizzes that will help you learn and practice all of these words in an interactive, fun, and effective way. Click the sign up and you'll get an email when the site launched.

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Conclusion

Whether you want to learn Sinhalese online for travel, work, or family connections, food vocabulary is an excellent starting point. From paləturu (fruits) and takkāli (tomatoes) to tē (tea) and kukul mas (chicken), these words will help you navigate everyday life in Sri Lanka with confidence.

If you’re hungry for more, check out our other beginner-friendly lessons - like counting numbers from 1–100 in Sinhala - and keep practicing daily. That’s the secret to mastering Sinhala one step at a time.