Did You Know…Tamil Has Unique Words for Seven Generations?

Photo by Gowtham AGM on Unsplash

I watched a YouTube video in which a Punjabi named Jaswant Singh was speaking about Tamil in Tamil. He was born and raised in Tamil Nadu. I’ve attached the video at the bottom. (Watch it from 9 minutes and 31 seconds).

I came to know about the Tamil words for seven generations from him. I couldn’t forget this guy since then.

What fascinated me was not just the words, but his interest in Tamil language and culture. He explained that Tamil has unique names for successive generations instead of simply adding prefixes like grand and great, as English does.

He was so confident in saying that he had not found another language with distinct words. I fact-checked it, and he was right.

What surprised me even more was this: he had learned this long before the age of AI.

As a Tamil, I had never come across these words while growing up. I don’t remember anyone teaching them in school, nor do I remember anyone told me them.

Please find the traditional Tamil words for seven generations below:

Created by Author

1. Kanavan – Manaivi
2. Thandhai – Thaai
3. Paattan – Paatti
4. Poottan – Pootti
5. Ottan – Otti
6. Seyon – Seyol
7. Paran – Parai

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