Language/Tamil/Grammar/Nouns

Tamil Grammar - Nouns

Hi Tamil learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will be learning about Tamil nouns! Nouns are important as they are the backbone of any sentence; and it is necessary to have a good understanding of nouns to construct sentences correctly.

Don't miss the chance to check out these pages as you wrap up this lesson: Adjective and Adverb Relationships, Tamil Finite Verbs Conjugation, Nouns and Pronouns & Negatives.

What are Nouns?

Before diving deep into Tamil nouns, let's understand what a noun is. A noun is a word that describes and defines a person, place, thing, event, or quality. They are usually used as the subject or the object of the sentence, and they add meaning to the sentence.

In Tamil, a noun is a word that describes a person, place, thing, or idea. In Tamil grammar, nouns are classified into multiple categories, mainly gender and number; and the endings of the noun vary based on these categories.

Gender in Tamil Nouns

In Tamil, a noun is categorized into three genders: masculine, feminine, and neuter. The gender of a noun depends on the context or physical characteristics of the noun. There are no specific rules to determine gender, but certain endings and letters are commonly associated with particular genders.

Here are some examples of Tamil nouns categorized by gender:

Tamil	Pronunciation	English
மனிதன்	manitan	Human (Masculine)
பெண்	peṇ	Woman (Feminine)
மரம்	maram	Tree (Neuter)
தாய்	tāy	Mother (Feminine)
அண்டம்	anṭam	Egg (Neuter)

Number in Tamil Nouns

In Tamil, nouns are also classified into two numbers: singular and plural. The endings of a noun change based on the number of the noun. Singular nouns describe a single object, while plural nouns describe more than one object.

Here are some examples of Tamil nouns categorized by number:

Tamil	Pronunciation	English
மணி	maṇi	Gem (Singular)
மணிகள்	maṇikaḷ	Gems (Plural)
பாடல்	pāṭal	Song (Singular)
பாடல்கள்	pāṭalgaḷ	Songs (Plural)
மாமிசம்	māmisaṃ	Mango (Singular)
மாமிசங்கள்	māmisagaḷ	Mangoes (Plural)

In Tamil, plural nouns are formed by adding specific endings to the singular noun. The endings vary based on the gender and ending of the singular noun.

Here are some rules for forming plural nouns:

- Masculine Nouns: Add "கள்" or "க்கள்" to the singular noun. - Feminine Nouns: Add "கள்" to the singular noun. - Neuter Nouns: Add "கள்" to the singular noun if it ends with a consonant, or "க்குகள்" if it ends with a vowel.

Tamil Nouns Examples in Context

To understand Tamil nouns better, let's have a dialogue adding some Tamil nouns in context:

• Person 1: நான் திருமணம் செய்ய வந்தேன். (Nāṉ tirumaṇam ceyya vantēṉ.) (I came to get married.)
• Person 2: உங்கள் பணம் நன்குகொடுத்தால் எங்கு நீங்கள் திருமணம் செய்யலாம். (Uṅkaḷ paṇam naṉkukotuttāl engu nīṅkaḷ tirumaṇam ceyyalām.) (If you pay your money well, where can't you marry?)

Here are some more examples:

Tamil	Pronunciation	English
வண்ணம் சிகப்பு	vaṇṇam sikappu	Color Red
வெண்ணிலா	veṇṇilā	Sky Blue
மலை	malai	Mountain
கடல்	kaṭal	Sea

Learning from Tamil Natives

To better your Tamil understanding, it is always best to learn from Tamil natives who will give you a real-time understanding of the language's concepts. You can find Tamil natives on Polyglot Club. Find native speakers and ask them any questions. You can also find more Tamil language learning materials on the [Language/Tamil|Tamil] page of Polyglot Club.

Sources

• Tamil grammar - Wikipedia
• Tamil Nouns
• The Tamil Case System

Other Lessons

• Continuous tense
• Present Tense
• Tamil Finite Verbs Conjugation
• Pronouns
• How to Use Be
• Cases
• Personal Pronouns
• Strong Middle Weak Verbs
• That, This, and Question Words
• Negatives