If you want the Tamil word for “smartphone”, “blog” or “lawn mower”, the state government keeps an official answer. Sorkuvai, the online word bank at sorkuvai.tn.gov.in, held more than 15.5 lakh terms by August 2026, according to the Tamil Development Department’s latest policy note as reported by Deccan Chronicle. It is run from an office on Santhome High Road in MRC Nagar, and anyone can search it free.
This guide explains who runs Sorkuvai, how big it has grown, how its words are chosen and how a student, translator or office clerk in Chennai can use it.
Who runs it
Sorkuvai is a project of the Senthamizh Etymological Dictionary Project Directorate, part of the Tamil Development and Information Department. The directorate was founded in 1974 under then Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, with the scholar Devaneya Pavanar as its first director, according to the directorate’s e-magazine Solvayal (August 2023).
Its office address is First Floor, Urban Administrative Office Campus, No. 75, Santhome High Road, MRC Nagar, Chennai 600 028. The listed email is solvayal@gmail.com.
How big it is, and how fast it has grown
| Date | Terms in Sorkuvai | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 (start) | About 3 lakh | Solvayal, October 2024 |
| 14 August 2023 | 12,16,492 | Solvayal, August 2023 |
| October 2024 | 15,33,669 | Solvayal, October 2024 |
| August 2026 | Over 15.5 lakh | Policy Note 2026-27, via Deccan Chronicle |
The October 2024 issue of Solvayal says the word bank now spans over 600 subject fields. An upgraded version of the portal on the government domain was launched on 8 October 2024 by Minister M. P. Saminathan, who held the Tamil Development portfolio at the time.
How new words are made
The jump from about 3 lakh to over 15 lakh terms in roughly five years reflects a deliberate push to cover specialist subjects, from agriculture to information technology, rather than general vocabulary alone. Sorkuvai is not only a list of old words. Much of it is technical vocabulary: Tamil equivalents for terms in science, farming, law, computing and daily life. The August 2023 issue explains the main routes. A term may be drawn from existing Tamil vocabulary, taken from classical literature, or built as a transliteration, and is then reviewed and refined with help from dictionary experts, linguists and scholars. Contributions come from professors, students, researchers and Tamil speakers abroad, and the magazine calls on teachers and the media to join in.
Some examples from the directorate’s own pages:
- Smartphone: திறன்பேசி (thiranpesi)
- Blog: வலைப்பூ (valaippoo)
- Plastic: நெகிழி (negizhi)
- Apartment: அடுக்ககம் (adukkagam)
- Catch crop: ஊடுபயிர் (oodupayir)
- Entomologist: பூச்சியியலாளர் (poochiyiyalalar)
Some of these have passed into everyday use, and negizhi in particular is now common in Tamil news reports about plastic bans. Others are mainly used in formal writing and official documents.
Other work by the same directorate
The Tamil Development Department’s 2024-25 policy note lists more. The directorate publishes student, pocket, synonym, idiom and homonym dictionaries and a dictionary of foreign words. It has sent booklets of technical terms to 48 government departments. A grant of ₹8 crore, ₹2 crore a year for four years, was sanctioned for a comparative etymological dictionary of Tamil and the Indo-European languages, and its first volume was released on 18 January 2024 at the Chennai International Book Fair. Solvayal, the monthly e-magazine, is also posted on the Sorkuvai site.
Who finds it useful
- Students and teachers preparing Tamil-medium projects in science or commerce, where textbook terms need to match standard usage.
- Translators and journalists who need a consistent Tamil term for a new technology or policy word.
- Government staff drafting letters and orders in Tamil, a requirement reinforced by a state circular in April 2025.
- Shopkeepers and signboard painters looking for a Tamil version of a trade name or product category, since name boards must show Tamil first.
How to use it
- Open sorkuvai.tn.gov.in in a browser on a phone or computer.
- Search for the English term you need. Because the bank is organised by subject field, check that the Tamil equivalent you pick belongs to the right field when one English word has several meanings.
- For official writing, such as a petition or a school project, use the term the site gives rather than a coinage you found on social media.
- If a word is missing or a term seems odd, write to the directorate by email. The magazine invites the public to take part.
Quick answers
Is Sorkuvai free?
Yes. It is a government portal open to anyone.
How many words does it have?
More than 15.5 lakh terms as of August 2026.
Who runs it?
The Senthamizh Etymological Dictionary Project Directorate, set up in 1974, from its office in MRC Nagar, Chennai.
Where can I read Solvayal?
Issues of the monthly e-magazine are posted as PDFs on the Sorkuvai site.
Information checked against official sources on 18 October 2026. Fees, dates and rules can change; confirm on the linked official pages before acting.
Sources
- Solvayal e-magazine, October 2024 (Senthamizh Etymological Dictionary Project Directorate)
- Solvayal e-magazine, August 2023 (Senthamizh Etymological Dictionary Project Directorate)
- Tamil Development Department Policy Note 2024-25 (Government of Tamil Nadu)
- Major budget and digital initiatives for Tamil development (Deccan Chronicle)
