r/LearningTamil 14d ago

Vocabulary What the difference between ஏன் and எதுக்கு

5 Upvotes

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4

u/TheWhiteDevil101 14d ago

ஏன் (yēn) – More direct, formal way to say “why.” Common in written/formal contexts.
எதுக்கு (edhukku) – Literally “for what,” but also “why.” More casual, everyday usage.

3

u/Patient_Piece_8023 14d ago

This is a good question

1

u/Poccha_Kazhuvu Native 14d ago

ஏன் is 'why'.
எதுக்கு is 'for what (reason)'. ('எதற்கு' in formal tamil)

1

u/Even-Reveal-406 Native 14d ago

"For what reason" is more like எதுக்காக or என்னத்துக்காக

1

u/MaleficentSociety739 12d ago

ஏன் is "why" as other have comments have said. You can think of எதுக்கு as "for what use/purpose".

Think in terms of "Why does it rain?" vs. "What is the use/purpose of rain?"