Pronunciation guide
How to say “Food” in Tamil
Say “unavu”. Written உணவு in Tamil.
உணவு
Say it: “unavu”
Formal notation: uṇavu
Syllable breakdown
Try saying the word one syllable at a time:
u·ṇa·vu
Speaking tips for this word
- Retroflex consonants (ṭ, ḍ, ṇ, ṣ) are pronounced with the tongue curled back, touching the roof of the mouth — different from English t/d/n/sh.
Saying “Food” in Tamil — frequently asked
How do you pronounce "Food" in Tamil?
Say "unavu" — broken into syllables: u-ṇa-vu. The native spelling is உணவு.
What is the simplest way to say "Food" in Tamil?
The most common Tamil word for "food" is உணவு, pronounced "unavu". It works in everyday speech with no formality concerns.
Is "uṇavu" the same as "unavu"?
Yes. "uṇavu" uses IAST notation with diacritics — the long lines (ā ī ū) mean "hold the vowel longer". "unavu" is the same word written the way an English speaker might spell it phonetically.
Want more context?
See the full Tamil word page for “Food” →Includes alternate translations, example sentences, related vocabulary and the word in cultural context.
Learn 1,000+ Tamil words, phrases & lessons on the Bhasha app
Daily 5-minute lessons, audio from native speakers, progress tracking and 1,000+ words. Free to start — first 8 units unlocked, no card required.
- ✓ Native-speaker audio
- ✓ Offline lessons
- ✓ Progress sync
- ✓ Ad-free for kids