Emergency

36 phrases · Sinhala with romanization, English and audio

  1. උදව් කරන්න!

    u-dav ka-ran-na!

    Help me!

    Usage

    The most basic call for help in Sinhala, shouted in emergencies

    Grammar Note

    "උදව්" = help (noun). "කරන්න" is the imperative infinitive of "do." In real emergencies, just shouting "උදව්!" works. Sri Lanka emergency numbers: 119 (police), 110 (fire & rescue), 1990 (ambulance).

  2. පොලීසියට කතා කරන්න

    po-li-si-ya-ta ka-ta ka-ran-na

    Call the police

    Usage

    Emergency phrase to request someone to call the police

    Grammar Note

    "පොලීසිය" is borrowed from English "police." Sri Lanka's police emergency number is 119. The suffix "-යට" (-ya-ta) is the dative case marker meaning "to."

  3. මට වෛද්‍යවරයෙකු අවශ්‍යයි

    ma-ta væd-ya-va-ra-ye-ku a-vash-ya-yi

    I need a doctor

    Usage

    An important emergency phrase when medical attention is needed

    Grammar Note

    "වෛද්‍ය" derives from Sanskrit "vaidya" (physician). The suffix "-යෙකු" means "a (one)." Sri Lanka has both public and private hospitals; Colombo National Hospital is the largest.

  4. ගිනි ගන්නවා!

    gi-ni gan-na-vā!

    Fire!

    Usage

    Shouted in emergency when fire breaks out

    Grammar Note

    "ගිනි" (gi-ni) = fire. "ගිනි ගන්නවා" = fire is catching/burning. You can also shout just "ගිනි!" (fire!) in an emergency. Sri Lanka fire & rescue: 110.

  5. අනතුරක් සිදු වුනා

    a-na-tu-rak si-du vu-na

    An accident has occurred

    Usage

    Reporting that an accident or injury has occurred

    Grammar Note

    "අනතුර" (a-na-tu-ra) = danger/accident. "සිදු වෙනවා" = to happen/occur. Past tense form is "සිදු වුනා." The suffix "-ක්" indicates indefinite "an accident."

  6. මට මග වැරදුණා

    ma-ta ma-ga væ-ra-du-ṇā

    I am lost

    Usage

    Asking for help when you have lost your way

    Grammar Note

    "මග" (ma-ga) = path/way. "වැරදුණා" is the past form of "to go wrong"; "මග වැරදුණා" means "lost my way." In rural Sri Lanka, signage can be sparse — this phrase is useful near sites like Sigiriya.

  7. ගිලන් රථයක් කැඳවන්න

    gi-lan ra-tha-yak kæ-da-van-na

    Call an ambulance

    Usage

    When an ambulance is urgently needed for injury or illness

    Grammar Note

    "ගිලන" = sick/ill, "රථය" = vehicle/chariot. Together: "vehicle for sick people" = ambulance. Sri Lanka's ambulance number is 1990 (Suwaseriya service).

  8. මට කොල්ල කාලා

    ma-ta kol-la kā-lā

    I have been robbed

    Usage

    Reporting theft or robbery to police or bystanders

    Grammar Note

    "කොල්ල" (kol-la) = plunder/robbery. "කාලා" (kā-lā) is the anterior participle of කනවා ("to eat"); the idiom කොල්ල කනවා means "to be robbed." Report to police (119).

  9. හදිස්සිය!

    ha-dis-si-ya!

    Emergency!

    Usage

    Shouted to alert others to an emergency situation

    Grammar Note

    "හදිස්සිය" (ha-dis-si-ya) = emergency/urgency (noun). "හදිස්සි" is the adjective form meaning "urgent." Shouting this single word alerts people that an emergency is happening.

  10. රෝහල කොහේද?

    ro-ha-la ko-he-da?

    Where is the hospital?

    Usage

    Urgently asking for the location of the nearest hospital

    Grammar Note

    "රෝහල" (ro-ha-la) = hospital. Public hospitals in Sri Lanka provide free treatment. Colombo National Hospital is the largest public hospital. Private hospitals are also available.

  11. මට [ආහාරයකට] අසාත්මිකතාවයක් ඇත

    ma-ta [a-ha-ra-ya-ka-ta] a-sat-mi-ka-ta-va-yak æ-ta

    I am allergic to [food]

    Usage

    Informing restaurant staff or medical personnel about an allergy

    Grammar Note

    Replace [ආහාරයකට] with the specific allergen. Examples: "ඉස්සන්" (shrimp), "රටකජු" (peanuts), "කිරි" (milk). Sri Lankan cuisine uses many spices, so declaring allergies is essential.

  12. නවත්තන්න!

    navaththanna!

    Stop it!

    Usage

    A flat refusal for persistent touts, pushy vendors, or unwanted contact — shown on screen without saying a word

  13. මට අත ගාන්න එපා!

    maṭa atha gānna epā!

    Do not touch me!

    Usage

    Stops someone touching you — keep it ready to show in a crowded market or bus

  14. මට කරදර කරන්න එපා!

    maṭa karadara karanna epā!

    Leave me alone!

    Usage

    Cuts off a following guide or tout. It is blunt, and that is safer than a vague refusal

  15. මම පොලිසියට කතා කරනවා!

    mama polisiyaṭa kathā karanavā!

    I am calling the police!

    Usage

    Signals you will not back down against a scam or intimidation. Police emergency in Sri Lanka is 119, and there is a Tourist Police unit in Colombo

  16. හොරා

    horā

    Thief

    Usage

    Alerts the people around you right after a theft; the plural is horu

  17. ගැටකපන්නා

    gæṭakapannā

    Pickpocket

    Usage

    The person who lifts a wallet in a crowd; literally "knot-cutter", meaning cutpurse / pick-pocket

  18. පැහැරගැනීම

    pæhæragænīma

    Kidnapping

    Usage

    Reports that a person has been taken away. The same word also covers hijacking or seizing power, so point at the person you mean

  19. මිනීමැරීම

    minīmærīma

    Murder

    Usage

    Shown when reporting that a person has been killed

  20. බෝම්බය

    bōmbaya

    Bomb

    Usage

    Shown to report a suspicious object or a suspected explosive

  21. ගිනි ගන්නවා! දුවන්න!

    gini gannavā! duvanna!

    Fire! Run!

    Usage

    Shout this to announce a fire and tell people to get out

    Grammar Note

    "ගිනි ගන්නවා!" means "there is a fire!". The second half uses දුවනවා (to run, flee) with the imperative ending -න්න, also seen in කරන්න.

  22. හොරා! අල්ලන්න!

    horā! allanna!

    Thief! Catch him!

    Usage

    Shouted right after a theft to alert bystanders and ask them to stop the person

    Grammar Note

    හොරා means thief. අල්ලනවා means to lay hold of, catch, seize or arrest; it is a homograph of a different word meaning to agitate or shake. The imperative -න්න is also used in "උදව් කරන්න!".

  23. ගිනි නිවන රථයක් කැඳවන්න

    gini nivana rathayak kædavanna

    Please call a fire engine

    Usage

    Used at the scene of a fire to ask for a fire engine

    Grammar Note

    The same "call an X vehicle" pattern as «ගිලන් රථයක් කැඳවන්න» ("call an ambulance"), with ගිනි නිවන රථය (fire engine) in the slot

  24. පොලිස් ස්ථානය කොහේද?

    polis sthānaya kohēda?

    Where is the police station?

    Usage

    Used when asking where to file a report

    Grammar Note

    The same question frame as «රෝහල කොහේද?» ("where is the hospital?"), combining ස්ථානය (place, «මෙම ස්ථානය රෝද පුටු සඳහා ප්‍රවේශ විය හැකිද?») with the word පොලිස් (police)

  25. ජපන් භාෂාව කතා කරන කෙනෙක් ඉන්නවාද?

    japan bhāṣāva kathā karana kenek innavāda?

    Is there anyone who speaks Japanese?

    Usage

    Ask at a police or hospital counter whether anyone on duty speaks Japanese

    Grammar Note

    Same frame as «ඉංග්‍රීසි කතා කරන වෛද්‍යවරයෙක් ඉන්නවාද?» ("is there a doctor who speaks English?"), with the language replaced by ජපන් භාෂාව (ජපන් from «මම ජපන් ජාතිකයෙක්», භාෂාව from «ඔබලාට කුමන භාෂාවලින් සහාය අවශ්‍යද?») and the noun by කෙනෙක් («එක් කෙනෙක්»)

  26. මේ කෙනාට සිහිය නැහැ

    mē kenāṭa sihiya næhæ

    This person is unconscious

    Usage

    Show this to tell paramedics or bystanders the state of a collapsed person

    Grammar Note

    Uses a dative construction, also seen in "මට හිසේ රිදෙනවා" (my head hurts), to say "to this person there is no …". කෙනා is the definite form of කෙනෙක් (person). The negative නැහැ also appears in "උණු වතුර නැහැ" (there is no hot water).

  27. මාව රැවටුවා

    māva rævaṭuvā

    I was deceived

    Usage

    For reporting that you were cheated — an overcharge, a fake guide, or a similar scam

    Grammar Note

    The same "මාව + verb of deceiving" shape as «මාව රවට්ටන්න එපා» ("do not cheat me"). රැවටුවා is the preterite of රවටනවා

  28. මගේ පසුම්බිය කොල්ල කාලා

    magē pasumbiya kolla kālā

    My wallet was stolen

    Usage

    For reporting a stolen wallet to the police

    Grammar Note

    Keeps the predicate of «මට කොල්ල කාලා» ("I was robbed") and names what was taken: මගේ පසුම්බිය (my wallet). මගේ is the form used in «මගේ බෑගේජ් තවම ආ නෑ»

  29. මගේ බෑගේජ් අමතක වුනා

    magē bǣgēj amathaka vunā

    I left it behind

    Usage

    Say this when you have left your belongings behind on a bus or in a shop

    Grammar Note

    "මගේ බෑගේජ්" is the phrase of «මගේ බෑගේජ් තවම ආ නෑ» and "වුනා" the past form of «අනතුරක් සිදු වුනා» ("an accident happened"). අමතක is මතක (remembrance) with the negative prefix අ-, formed like අසනීප (unwell) from සනීප

  30. හදිසි පිටවීමෙන් දුවන්න

    hadisi piṭavīmen duvanna

    Please escape through the emergency exit

    Usage

    Show it during a fire or an earthquake while pointing others toward the escape route

    Grammar Note

    "හදිසි පිටවීම" (emergency exit) is the wording on emergency-exit signs, here with the ablative ending -එන්. දුවනවා means "to run, flee" and the imperative -න්න is as in «උදව් කරන්න!»

  31. දැන්ම එන්න!

    dænma enna!

    Please come right away

    Usage

    Use it on the phone to ask the police, an ambulance, or hotel staff to come at once

    Grammar Note

    Places දැන්ම (right now) before එන්න (come).

  32. මාව රෝහලට රැගෙන යන්න

    māva rōhalaṭa rægena yanna

    Please take me to a hospital

    Usage

    Ask a taxi driver or a bystander to take you to a hospital

    Grammar Note

    මාව is from «ඔබ මාව සිනා ගෙනෙනවා» / «මාව රවට්ටන්න එපා», රෝහල from «රෝහල කොහේද?», රැගෙන from «මට මාර්ගෝපදේශ බල්ලා රැගෙන ඒමට හැකිද?» ("bringing a guide dog") and යන්න from «කෙළින්ම යන්න» ("go straight"). The dative -ට is as in ("පොලීසියට")

  33. මගේ කාමරය කොල්ල කාලා

    magē kāmaraya kolla kālā

    My room was broken into

    Usage

    Tell a hotel or the police that your room was entered and robbed while you were out

    Grammar Note

    Keeps the predicate of «මට කොල්ල කාලා» ("I was robbed") and puts the place that was hit in subject position. This verb can also take a place as its argument: "හෝටලය කොල්ල කෑ" (the hotel was ransacked) and "සොහොන් බිම කොල්ල කෑ" (the tomb site was plundered)

  34. ඒ කෙනා වැරදිකරු

    ē kenā væradikaru

    That person is the culprit

    Usage

    Used to point out the offender to the police; show it while pointing

    Grammar Note

    A copula-less nominal sentence, like «මම වීගන් කෙනෙක්, කිසිම සත්ව ආහාරයක් කන්නේ නෑ.» ("I am a vegan"). The demonstrative ඒ is from «ඒ විහාරස්ථානය ඉතාම ලස්සනයි» ("that temple") and කෙනා is the definite form of කෙනෙක් («එක් කෙනෙක්»)

  35. මට පහර දුන්නා

    maṭa pahara dunnā

    I was beaten

    Usage

    For telling the police or a doctor that you were assaulted

    Grammar Note

    පහර means a knock, blow, slap or stroke; දෙනවා means to give (preterite දුන්නා). "පහර දෙනවා" (to deal a blow) is the ordinary way of saying "beat", and the victim stands in the dative මට — the same dative-subject construction as «මට හිසේ රිදෙනවා» ("my head hurts")

  36. මාව ඇන්නා

    māva ænnā

    I was stabbed

    Usage

    For telling paramedics or the police that you were stabbed

    Grammar Note

    අනිනවා means to pierce, prick, stab, gore or sting; its preterite is ඇන්නා. මාව marks the object of a transitive verb, as in "මාව රවට්ටන්න එපා" (do not cheat me) and the past-tense "මාව රැවටුවා" (I was deceived).

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