Animals

1. நாய்

   nāy

   Dog

   Usage

   Used for pets and street dogs alike. If you are bitten, rabies treatment is needed — show this at a clinic at once

2. தெரு நாய்

   teru nāy

   Stray dog

   Usage

   Literally "street dog". Present in every town and in packs at night — use it to ask your host whether a street has strays

3. பூனை

   pūṉai

   Cat

   Usage

   For the cat at your guesthouse or a shop. Far less common on the street than dogs

4. பசு

   pacu

   Cow

   Usage

   Sacred in Hinduism. Never chase or hit one, even in the road. Slaughter is restricted in Tamil Nadu too, so leave beef out of conversation. At the Pongal festival cattle are washed, their horns painted, and thanks given to them

5. எருமை

   erumai

   Water buffalo

   Usage

   The black, back-curved-horn animal that ploughs the paddies and gives milk. Named and treated separately from the cow

6. ஆடு

   āṭu

   Goat / Sheep

   Usage

   Tamil uses one word for goats and sheep. Say "semmari aadu" if you specifically mean a sheep. Meat sold as "mutton" is usually goat

7. பன்றி

   paṉṟi

   Pig

   Usage

   Keep this word to questions about ingredients. Aimed at a person it is a serious insult

8. கோழி

   kōḻi

   Chicken

   Usage

   Covers the live bird and the meat. "Naattu kozhi" is the free-range country chicken you see named on menus

9. வாத்து

   vāttu

   Duck

   Usage

   Seen around village ponds and paddies. Rarely appears as food

10. குதிரை

    kutirai

    Horse

    Usage

    Rides are offered at the hill stations of Ooty and Kodaikanal. Agree the price before you get on

11. கழுதை

    kaḻutai

    Donkey

    Usage

    Still used by washermen to carry loads. Applied to a person it means "idiot", so keep it to the animal

12. யானை

    yāṉai

    Elephant

    Usage

    Temple elephants bless worshippers, and wild herds roam the Western Ghats. Elephant rides are criticised on welfare grounds — it is fine to decline

13. குரங்கு

    kuraṅku

    Monkey

    Usage

    Everywhere around temples and hill stations. They snatch food and sunglasses — avoid eye contact and keep bags closed

14. புலி

    puli

    Tiger

    Usage

    Sought in the Mudumalai and Anamalai reserves. In Tamil the word also serves as a metaphor for strength

15. பாம்பு

    pāmpu

    Snake

    Usage

    Met in paddies and long grass. If bitten, say "paambu kadiththathu" and get to a hospital immediately

16. நாகப்பாம்பு

    nākappāmpu

    Cobra

    Usage

    Venomous, and also called by the euphemism "nalla paambu", the good snake — it is worshipped at snake shrines. Use the word when asking a hospital about antivenom

17. பல்லி

    palli

    House gecko

    Usage

    Lives on guesthouse walls and ceilings, harmless and eats mosquitoes. Tamil tradition reads omens from where one falls on your body

18. ஓணான்

    ōṇāṉ

    Garden lizard

    Usage

    The colour-changing lizard of gardens and walls — a different animal from the indoor gecko "palli"

19. எலி

    eli

    Rat / Mouse

    Usage

    Seen at stations and markets. It is the mount of the god Ganesha and appears in temple sculpture

20. கொசு

    kocu

    Mosquito

    Usage

    Carries dengue and chikungunya. The key word for asking a guesthouse for a net or a plug-in repellent

21. கரப்பான் பூச்சி

    karappāṉ pūcci

    Cockroach

    Usage

    The reason you give when asking to change rooms. "Poochi" on its own means any insect

22. ஈ

    ī

    Fly

    Usage

    One of the shortest words in Tamil. Unavoidable at street stalls, and a useful cue for deciding which one to skip

23. எறும்பு

    eṟumpu

    Ant

    Usage

    A trail will find any open snack packet in your room — keep food sealed

24. தேனீ

    tēṉī

    Bee

    Usage

    Literally "honey fly". Giant combs hang from the Western Ghats cliffs. If you are allergic to stings, show this at a clinic

25. சிலந்தி

    cilanti

    Spider

    Usage

    Common in the corners of budget rooms. Nearly all are harmless, but it works as a reason to ask for a clean-up

26. பறவை

    paṟavai

    Bird

    Usage

    The general word for birds — used when talking about migratory sanctuaries such as Vedanthangal

27. காகம்

    kākam

    Crow

    Usage

    In every town and after your rooftop food. On ancestral rite days they are fed offerings of rice

28. மீன்

    mīṉ

    Fish

    Usage

    Covers the animal and the food. Handy for checking that a vegetarian eatery really serves none

29. தவளை

    tavaḷai

    Frog

    Usage

    They start up all at once in the monsoon, and sometimes hop into guesthouse courtyards

30. ஆமை

    āmai

    Turtle

    Usage

    Kept in temple ponds, and sea-turtle nests are protected on the Chennai beaches

31. முதலை

    mutalai

    Crocodile

    Usage

    The crocodile bank near Chennai is well known. Use the word when checking whether a riverbank is safe to swim

32. முயல்

    muyal

    Rabbit

    Usage

    Comes up with children or at the zoo. You will rarely meet a wild one in town

33. வௌவால்

    vauvāl

    Bat

    Usage

    Large fruit bats leave the town trees at dusk, and they roost in temple towers and old buildings

34. அணில்

    aṇil

    Squirrel

    Usage

    The striped palm squirrel is in every park, and it has its own moment in the Ramayana

35. மயில்

    mayil

    Peacock

    Usage

    Tamil Nadu's state bird, seen on village roofs and in fields. As the mount of the god Murugan it fills temple carvings

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