Animals

1. බල්ලා

   ballā

   Dog

   Usage

   Street dogs are everywhere. Rabies is present, so see a doctor at once if bitten — "ballā kǣvā" means a dog bit me

2. බළලා

   baḷalā

   Cat

   Usage

   Common at guesthouses and eateries. The spelling is close to "ballā" (dog), so look carefully

3. කුරුල්ලා

   kurullā

   Bird

   Usage

   The general word for birds. Sri Lanka is rich in endemics — Sinharaja forest is the classic birding site

4. මොණරා

   moṇarā

   Peacock

   Usage

   Wild peacocks stand casually by the road in the dry zone — you will see them at Yala and Udawalawe

5. මාළුවා

   māḷuvā

   Fish

   Usage

   The animal. As food it appears as "māḷu" — also show this to declare a fish allergy

6. හරකා

   harakā

   Cattle / cow

   Usage

   Cattle often lie in the road. Cows are widely regarded as sacred, so pick your moment before raising beef

7. මී හරකා

   mī harakā

   Water buffalo

   Usage

   The big animal you see most in paddies and tanks — and the source of the buffalo curd eaten with treacle

8. ඌරා

   ūrā

   Pig

   Usage

   Plenty of people here do not eat pork, so it matters when stating food preferences

9. කුකුළා

   kukuḷā

   Chicken

   Usage

   In every village. The national bird, the Sri Lanka junglefowl, is the wild relative you meet in forests

10. තාරාවා

    tārāvā

    Duck

    Usage

    Kept in villages near water — wild ducks also turn up in the wetlands

11. එළුවා

    eḷuvā

    Goat

    Usage

    Grazed in dry-zone villages, and the meat in a mutton curry

12. බැටළුවා

    bæṭaḷuvā

    Sheep

    Usage

    The sheep — rarely seen here, but it comes up in food descriptions

13. අශ්වයා

    ashvayā

    Horse

    Usage

    The horse — riding is sometimes offered around Galle Fort

14. අලියා

    aliyā

    Elephant

    Usage

    The animal that stands for Sri Lanka — the Minneriya "gathering" and Udawalawe are the famous sites. Meeting one on a road at night is genuinely dangerous, so avoid rural night driving

15. වඳුරා

    vandurā

    Monkey

    Usage

    The general word for monkeys — they crowd ruins and temples. Carrying food or a plastic bag makes you a target

16. රිලවා

    rilavā

    Toque macaque

    Usage

    The endemic macaque with a cap of hair on its head — the one you meet at Sigiriya and Dambulla

17. දිවියා

    diviyā

    Leopard

    Usage

    The endemic Sri Lankan subspecies. Yala has one of the highest densities anywhere, and it is what every safari is hoping for

18. වළහා

    vaḷahā

    Sloth bear

    Usage

    It lives in the dry-zone forests. Sightings are rare, but it is short-tempered and has injured people — follow your guide

19. ලේනා

    lēnā

    Squirrel

    Usage

    The small animal in every street tree and garden. The stripes on its back have their own legend here

20. සර්පයා

    sarpayā

    Snake

    Usage

    The general word. They live in long grass and paddies — if bitten, a photo of the snake speeds up treatment

21. නයා

    nayā

    Cobra

    Usage

    The Indian cobra — highly venomous and found around fields and houses, yet depicted in Buddhist art as the Buddha's protector

22. කිඹුලා

    kimbulā

    Crocodile

    Usage

    Mugger crocodiles live in rivers and tanks — do not swim in rural waterways. Useful for checking what a warning sign means

23. තලගොයා

    thalagoyā

    Land monitor lizard

    Usage

    The metre-long lizard that strolls across gardens and parks. Harmless despite the shock. The water-dwelling species is "kabaragoyā"

24. හූනා

    hūnā

    House gecko

    Usage

    The small gecko on guesthouse walls. It eats insects, so people leave it be — and its chirp is read as an omen in local lore

25. ඉබ්බා

    ibbā

    Tortoise / freshwater turtle

    Usage

    The land and pond turtle. A sea turtle is the separate word "kæsbǣvā"

26. කැස්බෑවා

    kæsbǣvā

    Sea turtle

    Usage

    Seen along the south coast at Hikkaduwa and Kosgoda — the word for hatchery visits and nesting watches

27. ගෙම්බා

    gembā

    Frog

    Usage

    They chorus all night in the rains. Sri Lanka has a remarkable number of endemic frog species

28. මීයා

    mīyā

    Rat / mouse

    Usage

    The rat — show it at reception to report one in your room

29. හාවා

    hāvā

    Rabbit / hare

    Usage

    The hare — Buddhist tales here tell of the one whose image was left on the moon

30. වවුලා

    vavulā

    Bat

    Usage

    Big flying foxes hang from Colombo's street trees in broad daylight, and their dusk flight is a sight in itself

31. මදුරුවා

    maduruvā

    Mosquito

    Usage

    The dengue carrier, and dengue hits the cities too. They bite by day, so use repellent from morning. A net is "maduru dæl"

32. කරපොත්තා

    karapoththā

    Cockroach

    Usage

    Show it at reception to report one in the room — just showing it usually gets action

33. කුහුඹුවා

    kuhumbuvā

    Ant

    Usage

    The ant. The red "kæḍiya" bites hard, so check before you sit down under a tree

34. මී මැස්සා

    mī mæssā

    Bee

    Usage

    "Mī" (honey) + "mæssā" (fly). Honey is "mī pæṇi". Also use it to declare a sting allergy

35. මකුළුවා

    makuḷuvā

    Spider

    Usage

    The spider — nearly all harmless, but show it if one turns up in your room

36. පත්තෑයා

    paththǣyā

    Centipede

    Usage

    Its bite swells badly and it hides in shoes and bags — an important word to show a doctor

37. සමනලයා

    samanalayā

    Butterfly

    Usage

    The word inside "Samanala Kanda" — the Sinhala name for Adam's Peak, "butterfly mountain", from the swarms said to fly there in pilgrimage season

38. මැස්සා

    mæssā

    Fly

    Usage

    The fly — useful when asking a street stall to keep food covered

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