Food & Drinks

1. රයිස් ඇන්ඩ් කරි දෙන්න

   Rais ænd ka-ri den-na

   Please give me rice and curry

   Usage

   Ordering the national dish "rice and curry" — a staple of Sri Lankan cuisine

   Grammar Note

   "Denna" is the imperative of "give". Sri Lankan rice & curry comes with multiple curries and accompaniments on a large plate.

2. මේකේ මිල කීයද?

   Mē-kē mi-la kī-ya-da?

   How much does this cost?

   Usage

   Used to ask the price of a dish before ordering

   Grammar Note

   "Kīya" = how much/many. Adding "da" makes it a question. Sri Lankan currency is the Rupee (Rupiyala).

3. ඉතා රසයි

   I-thā ra-sa-yi

   Very delicious

   Usage

   Simple compliment for food

   Grammar Note

   "Rasa" (taste/flavor) + "yi" (affirmative suffix) = tasty. "Ithā" intensifies the adjective.

4. බිල ගෙනෙල්ලා දෙන්න

   Bi-la ge-nel-lā den-na

   Please bring the bill

   Usage

   Used at a restaurant when you want to pay

   Grammar Note

   "Genellā denna" = bring here + give = "please bring". Sinhala connects verbs in sequence to build complex meanings.

5. මට නිර්මාංශ කෑම ඕනේ

   Ma-ta nir-māṃ-sha kǣ-ma ō-nē

   I want vegetarian food

   Usage

   Sri Lanka has abundant vegetarian options due to Buddhist influence

   Grammar Note

   "Nirmāṃsha" is Sanskrit for "without meat". Vegetarian food is widely available in this predominantly Buddhist country.

6. වතුර ටිකක් දෙන්න

   Wa-tu-ra ti-kak den-na

   Please give me some water

   Usage

   Used during meals or on hot days to request water

   Grammar Note

   "Tikak" denotes an indefinite small amount. Bottled water = "bothal vatura". Hydration is key in the tropical climate.

7. කොත්තු රොටී දෙන්න

   Koth-thu ro-tī den-na

   Please give me kottu roti

   Usage

   Ordering kottu roti — a popular Sri Lankan street food of chopped flatbread stir-fried with vegetables and meat

   Grammar Note

   "Koththu" derives from the verb "to chop". Made fresh with dramatic clanging sounds — one of Sri Lanka's most beloved street foods.

8. කිරි තේ එකක් දෙන්න

   Ki-ri thē e-kak den-na

   One milk tea, please

   Usage

   Sri Lanka (Ceylon) is famous for tea. Sweet milk tea is the national drink

   Grammar Note

   "Denna" is the everyday request form ("please give"). "Kiri" (milk) + "thē" (tea). Ceylon tea is one of Sri Lanka's most famous exports.

9. ඉඳි ආප්ප දෙන්න

   In-di āp-pa den-na

   Please give me string hoppers

   Usage

   ඉඳි ආප්ප (indi āppa) are steamed rice-flour noodle cakes, a popular Sri Lankan breakfast. It is spelled as two words

   Grammar Note

   Idiyappa are squeezed rice-flour noodles steamed in round cakes, typically eaten with coconut milk curry.

10. මේ කෑම කන්න පුළුවන්ද?

    Mē kǣ-ma kan-na pu-lu-van-da?

    Can I eat this dish?

    Usage

    Used to check ingredients when you have allergies or dietary restrictions

    Grammar Note

    "Puluvan" = can/possible. Adding "da" creates a question. Useful when asking about allergens (alerjiya).

11. ලොකු ටිකක් දෙන්න

    Lo-ku ti-kak den-na

    Give me a larger portion

    Usage

    Used when you want a larger serving, especially at stalls or local eateries

    Grammar Note

    Adjectives precede nouns in Sinhala. "Loku tikak" literally means "a large bit" — a polite way to request more food.

12. ගොඩාක් කරවල

    Go-dāk ka-ra-wa-la

    Lots of dried fish

    Usage

    Requesting extra "karawala" (dried/salted fish) — a staple Sri Lankan condiment

    Grammar Note

    "Godāk" = a lot/plenty. "Karawala" is dried/salted fish, an essential accompaniment in traditional Sri Lankan meals.

13. බත්

    bath

    Cooked rice

    Usage

    Cooked rice specifically; uncooked rice is a different word, හාල් (hāl) — use this one in an eatery

14. පාන්

    pān

    Bread

    Usage

    Loaf and roll bread; in Sri Lanka the bread tuk-tuk plays a tune as it drives round the neighbourhood

15. නූඩ්ල්ස්

    nūḍls

    Noodles

    Usage

    English loanword for wheat and instant noodles; the rice-flour strands are a different food called ඉඳි ආප්ප (string hoppers)

16. සැර

    særa

    Spicy (hot with chilli)

    Usage

    Chilli heat. The same word also means "strong" for tea or liquor, so show it while food is the subject. Sri Lankan food is very hot by default

17. පැණි රස

    pæṇi rasa

    Sweet

    Usage

    Sweetness; a starting point for asking for less sugar, since Sri Lankan tea and sweets are very sweet

18. අමු

    amu

    Raw (uncooked)

    Usage

    Uncooked, for checking that something has been cooked through. It also means "unripe" for fruit, so point at the item as you show it

19. සුප්

    sup

    Soup

    Usage

    Loanword for Western-style soup; the thin gravy of a curry is a different thing called හොදි (hodi)

20. පලතුරු

    palathuru

    Fruit

    Usage

    Fruit in general — for asking for fruit at a stall or with breakfast

21. චීස්

    chīs

    Cheese

    Usage

    English loanword; not part of traditional Sri Lankan cooking, seen mainly at bakeries and pizza places

22. බටර්

    baṭar

    Butter

    Usage

    English loanword, used when asking for butter with bread

23. මී පැණි

    mī pæṇi

    Honey

    Usage

    Bee honey. The similar-sounding කිතුල් පැණි is kithul palm treacle, a different thing

24. යෝගට්

    yōgaṭ

    Yoghurt

    Usage

    Loanword for cup yoghurt; the traditional Sri Lankan version is buffalo curd, මී කිරි, eaten with palm treacle

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