Learn Sinhala
Learn Sinhala fast with an app that gets you speaking in minutes. Start today to build confidence with practical lessons you can use with family, friends and colleagues or with people you meet on your travels.
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Learn to speak Sinhala like a local
You may be looking to learn Sinhala to connect with Sri Lankan friends or explore your heritage. But it’s frustrating when you can’t find quality resources that focus on spoken Sinhala.
uTalk is the solution. We'll help you avoid:
- Missing out on conversations because you only learned written Sinhala script
- Wasting time on courses that don't teach practical phrases
- Losing confidence because lessons ignore how native speakers actually talk in daily life
Learn Sinhala online today and start making meaningful connections in person.
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Three steps to learn Sinhala fast
Learn without the hassle of class scheduling or confusing jargon. Just a clear path to learning Sinhala online.
Start in minutes
Subscribe now, then simply download the app or visit our website. Choose Sinhala and begin your first lesson.
Get StartedPractise real phrases
Quick, effective lessons feature native-speaker recordings and memory-boosting games. Customised reviews focus on the words you need to practise so you learn faster.
Speak like a local
Put your new Sinhala skills to the test in real-life situations. Both beginners and more experienced learners can develop practical spoken language skills and start enjoying authentic experiences.
Why uTalk is the best Sinhala learning app
uTalk helps you learn how to speak and recognise key Sinhala words and phrases. Our program is app-based, online and ready when you are.
Speak first
We offer practical content to help you learn greetings and everyday spoken Sinhala vocabulary about family, travel and much more.
Authentic native speakers
When you listen to Sinhala from Sri Lankans, not computer-generated voices, you’ll quickly get comfortable with the accent that's widely spoken across the country.
Beginner friendly, fun and effective
Game-like practice builds your confidence. The app’s Sinhala lessons are short, practical and based on real-life scenarios.
Learn Sinhala online (common phrases and audio)
uTalk helps you learn how to speak and recognise key words and phrases. It's app-based, online and ready when you are.
මම කැමතියි කෝපි එකකට.
mama kaematii koopi ekakata
I’d like a coffee, please.
හෙලෝ
heloo
Hello.
ඔව්.
ou
Yes.
ස්තුතියි.
stutii
Yes please.
නැහැ.
naehae
No.
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එපා. ස්තුතියි.
epaa stutii
No thanks.
කරුණාකරලා.
karunaakaɾalaa
Please.
ස්තූතියි.
stutii
Thank you.
බොහොම ස්තූතියි.
bohoma stutii
Thank you very much.
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ඒක සුළු දෙයක්.
eeka sulu deyak
You’re welcome.
බියර් දෙකක් දෙන්න.
biyar dekak denna
Two beers, please.
බස් එක
bas eka
bus
කාර් එක
kaar eka
car
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ටැක්සිය
taeksiya
taxi
කෝච්චිය
kootchtchiya
train
දුම්රියපල
dumriyapala
railway station
ගුවන් තොටුපල
guvan totupala
airport
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හෝටලය
hootalaya
hotel
පාස්පෝට් එක
paaspoot eka
passport
ටෙලිෆෝන් එක
telifoon eka
telephone
සමාවෙන්න.
samaawenna
Excuse me.
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දැන් වෙලාව කීයද?
daen welaawa kiiyada
What time is it?
කරුණාකරලා ආපහු කියන්න පුළුවන්ද?
karunaakaralaa aapahu kiyanna puluwanda
Can you repeat that please?
කරුණාකරලා ටිකක් හෙමින් කථාකරන්න.
karunaakaralaa tikak hemin kathaa karanna
Please speak more slowly.
මට තේරෙන්නෙ නැහැ.
mata teerenne naehae
I don’t understand.
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සමාවෙන්න.
samaawenna
Sorry.
ටොයිලට් එක කොහෙද තියෙන්නෙ?
toilat eka koheda tiyenne
Where are the toilets?
කාන්තා වැසිකිලීය
kaantaa waesikiliya
Ladies’ Toilet
පිරිමි වැසිකිලීය
pirimi waesikiliya
Gents’ Toilet
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වෙරළ කොහෙද තියෙන්නෙ?
verala kohede tiyenne
Where is the beach?
බැංකුව කොහෙද තියෙන්නෙ?
baengkuva koheda tiyenne
Where is the bank?
මේකෙ ගාන කීයද?
meeke gaana kiiyada
How much does this cost?
ක්රෙඩිට් කාඩ් එක
kredit kaad eka
credit card
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ඒටීඑම් එක
eetiiem eka
cash machine
නැවත හමුවෙමු.
naewata haeamuwemu
Goodbye.
පැරසිටමෝල්
paerasitamool
paracetamol
යතුරු
yatura
keys
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සිතියම
sitiyama
map
වම
vama
left
දකුණ
dakuna
right
එක
eka
one
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දෙක
deka
two
තුන
tuna
three
Where is it spoken?
Sri Lanka
Number of speakers
18,000,000
Language family
Indo-European
Indo-Iranian
Indo-Aryan
Fun facts | Sinhala
- Where English has 'here' and 'there', Sinhala has four words: 'here, close to me', 'there, close to you', 'there, close to that visible person' and 'there, close to that invisible person'.
- There's a Sinhala phrase, 'What use is a lamp to a blind man?', which means don't give useless things to people.
- Sinhala is an Indo-Aryan language and is thus related to the languages of North India rather than neighbouring South Indian ones, which belong to the Dravidian language family.
How our Sinhala lessons work
Learning Sinhala should feel simple and natural. Start with friendly greetings and everyday Sinhala words. Then move on to practical topics like family, numbers and useful phrases. Our Sinhala lessons are short, fun and designed for beginners. You'll reinforce your learning with native speaker audio and memory-boosting tests. Review sessions adapt to you by testing you more on the words you find the trickiest.
Once you pick a category, like ‘Out and About’, our app organises the content so you can get quick wins. You can change your language of instruction and switch topics any time. Just follow the path that suits your goals. You can also learn online or offline, on your mobile uTalk app or on your desktop. If you have questions, our friendly UK-based team is here to help. Simply check the in-app help feature or contact online support.
Sinhala vs. Sinhalese
You might see both “Sinhala” and “Sinhalese” used for this language, so it’s useful to know what each term means before you begin.
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Key points
- Sinhala and Sinhalese refer to the same language. Sinhala is the more common term used today, especially in Sri Lanka and by native speakers. It's an Indo-Aryan language and the mother tongue of the Sinhalese people, who make up the largest ethnic group in Sri Lanka.
- Sinhalese is an older English term for the same language. You'll see it in some books and academic writing, but most learners and speakers now use Sinhala. The language itself hasn't changed, just the preferred name.
- In uTalk, we list it as Sinhala so you can find it easily and start learning right away.
Sinhala and other Sri Lankan languages
- Sinhala is one of the official languages of Sri Lanka, spoken by millions of people across the country. It's particularly common in the southern, western and central regions, making it essential for travel, business and connecting with local culture.
- Tamil is the other official language in Sri Lanka. It's widely spoken in the north and east. Both languages are important to the country's identity and history. If you want to explore Sri Lankan languages further, uTalk also offers Tamil.
- Learning Sinhala opens doors to understanding Sri Lankan traditions, society and daily life. Spoken Sinhala helps you connect with people and feel at home, whether you’re visiting, working or rediscovering your heritage.
"We make learning Sinhala easy"
"We understand it can feel frustrating when you want to learn a new language but can't find resources that focus on speaking. At uTalk, we believe every language is important. We recorded Sinhala because it's an essential part of people's culture and identity in Sri Lanka. And we recorded native speakers so you can learn the most authentic and natural pronunciations. Get started learning with uTalk today."
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Richard Howeson
uTalk Founder
Why learners trust uTalk for Sinhala vocabulary
At uTalk, we are passionate about minority and regional languages. And our content is recorded by native speakers from Sri Lanka to ensure an authentic learning experience. Our app is accessible for speakers of English and more than 140 other languages. Check our reviews and see for yourself how learners are turning their practice into progress with our Sinhala course.
Your Sinhala language learning journey
Maybe you'd like to connect with family, explore your roots or communicate for work or travel. Sinhala is the most widely spoken language across Sri Lanka, used in daily life from Colombo to Kandy. We know it can be a challenge to find quality Sinhala lessons that focus on spoken language, but it doesn't have to be hard.
Get StarteduTalk can help. Start by choosing a subject with basic greetings like ayubowan. Practise useful Sinhala words and phrases based on real life situations. Listen to native speakers, record yourself copying them and compare the two. Our games make learning fun for beginners, but the practical content can be useful for more experienced learners wanting to fill in gaps in their vocab or pronunciation. Whether you’re online or offline, you can choose to follow a guided learning process or explore the program and choose for yourself what you want to learn and when.
The outcome is simple. You'll speak Sinhala with confidence and understand more of what people say. Soon you'll use your new skills with friends and family and make new connections in Sri Lanka - all in a way that works for you.
Learn real-life topics in Sinhala
Explore the Indo-Aryan language family
Sinhala belongs to the Indo-Aryan language family, which includes many languages spoken across South Asia. This family shares historical roots and often similar vocabulary and sentence structure, so cross-learning these languages might feel familiar once you begin.
If you're curious to compare Sinhala words, sounds or everyday phrases across the family, check out Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kutchi, Marathi, Nepali, Odia, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Sindhi and Urdu.
Learning one Indo-Aryan language can help you recognise patterns in others, making your second language easier to pick up.
Get StartedYour Sinhala questions, answered
Do you offer live online classes or is it just an app?
uTalk is an app and online language learning software. Lessons are digital, short and practical. If you want a tutor, the app still helps you prepare for class and review between sessions.
Can I start as a beginner?
Yes. The course begins with basic greetings and everyday words and phrases and takes you to an A1-A2 level on the CEFR scale. Some of our topics even cover material you’d learn as you grow your skills to B1 or B2.
What application languages do you support? Can I learn without English?
Yes. uTalk works for speakers of more than 140 languages. Choose the one that suits you in Settings.
How is content selected and ordered?
Topics are based on real life situations. You can select any category and the app suggests a smart learning order for beginners. You can change it at any time.
How does uTalk compare with YouTube lessons?
YouTube can be useful, but it’s hard to check pronunciation or get structured reviews. uTalk gives you native speaker audio, games that test tricky words more often and a clear path from basic to practical use.
Where can I learn a language with uTalk?
We’re available on iOS, Android, web, Mac and PC. Get started now and you’ll be directed to download uTalk for your device.
Is Sinhala the same as Sinhalese?
Yes. Sinhala and Sinhalese refer to the same language. Sinhala is the term more commonly used today by native speakers and in Sri Lanka. Sinhala is spoken by Sinhalese people.
Is Sinhala on Duolingo?
No, Sinhala is not available on Duolingo. But it is available on uTalk, which features 150+ languages, highlighting and preserving a variety of languages from all over the world.
How fast can I learn to speak Sinhala?
Short, frequent practice sessions work best. After a few weeks of steady lessons, many learners can join in simple conversations. Your progress depends on how often you use the app and how much you review.
Can I learn Sinhala for free with uTalk?
You can start with uTalk for free and then subscribe to get the most out of the app. Cancel anytime you need to. We want you to love uTalk, so we offer a 28-Day Money Back Guarantee if you're not satisfied.
Topics
- First Words
- Transport
- Restaurant
- Food and Drink
- Cooking
- Places
- Directions
- Illness
- Doctor
- Body
- Emergencies
- Social Phrases
- Leisure
- Likes and Dislikes
- Football Match Abroad
- Football Commentary
- Sports
- Shopping Words
- Fruit
- Vegetables
- Clothes
- Ingredients
- Home
- Bathroom
- Kitchen
- Tools
- Family
- Occupations
- Animals
- Animals' Bodies
- Farming
- Technology
- School
- Business
- Numbers up to Twenty
- Numbers up to Ten Million
- Essential Phrases
- Adjectives
- Prepositions
- Colours
- Countries
- Calendar
- Time
- Timetable
- Outdoors
- Holiday
- Skiing
- Camping
- Golf
- Sailing
- Driving
- Olympics
- Summer Olympics
- Winter Olympics
- Military Commands
- Military Peace Keeping
- Military Intelligence
- Accommodation
- Shopping Phrases
- Travelling
- Free Starter Words
- Disaster Relief - Volunteers
- Natural Disasters
Get by with basic greetings, words and phrases including 'hello', 'thank you' and 'I'd like a coffee please'.