Iraicchi is closely connected with the extensive descriptions of natural phenomena or objects that characterise classical Tamil poetry.
[1] The technique of iraicchi involves using these descriptions to create an implication, or suggestion, which differs from the plain meaning of the words.
Some, such as Zvelebil,[5] Nadarajah[6] and Mariaselvam[7] treat iraicchi as being synonymous with uṭaṉuṟai, which is one of five types of indirect metaphor discussed in the Tolkappiyam, an early text on grammar and poetics.
This implied meaning conveys to the reader the emotion, feeling or mood (meyppāṭu) which the characters of the poem experience.
Dhvani, in contrast, lacks the structure of this type of convention and as a result is naturally polysemic, and the reader of poem requires the aid of commentators to fully understand its various levels of meaning.