-கள்

Tamil

Etymology

Cognate with Telugu -లు (-lu), Malayalam -കള് (-kaḷŭ), Kannada -ಗಳು (-gaḷu).

Suffix

-கள் • (-kaḷ)

a suffix denoting plurality, mostly found in verbs and nouns.
‎எண் (eṇ, “number”) + ‎-கள் (-kaḷ) → ‎எண்கள் (eṇkaḷ, “numbers”)

Usage notes

The க் (k) in this suffix often becomes doubled after certain (but not all) consonant clusters. For example:

‎வாத்து (vāttu, “duck”) + ‎-கள் (-kaḷ) → ‎வாத்துக்கள் (vāttukkaḷ, “ducks”)

Also, if a word ends in ம் (m), it will become ங் (ṅ) before this suffix.

‎மரம் (maram, “tree”) + ‎-கள் (-kaḷ) → ‎மரங்கள் (maraṅkaḷ, “trees”)

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