Unisex · Tamil
Anbu
அன்புSay it UN-bu
- Meaning
- Love, affection; also kindness and devotion Tamil Lexicon, p. 183
- Say it
- UN-bu
- Written
- அன்பு
Anbu
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Anbu meaning
Anbu (அன்பு) is a Tamil unisex name, used for both girls and boys.
Love, affection; also kindness and devotion
Anbu (அன்பு) is the everyday Tamil word for love. The Tamil Lexicon of the University of Madras gives aṉpu as love and attachment, and its senses also cover friendship, compassion and devotion, citing the classical Paripāṭal. Love holds a special place in Tamil ethics: the Tirukkuṟaḷ gives a whole chapter, Aṉpuṭaimai, "the possession of love", to it, and one of its couplets says that the loveless keep everything for themselves, while the loving give even their bones to others. Name lists give Anbu simply as "love", in line with the dictionary. It is used on its own and in longer Tamil names such as Anbuselvan and Anbuselvi.
Source: Tamil Lexicon, University of Madras (1924–36), p. 183 · entry aṉpu (அன்பு) · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
References: Tamil Lexicon, aṉpu (அன்பு), p. 183 · Himalayan Academy, Tirukural, Chapter 8