Telugu — the 100 most common words

Written by: authorship not independently recorded. Maintained by Prakash. Reviewed by: not recorded. Updated: 2026-10-03. Editorial policy and corrections.

Draft: not yet reviewed by a native speaker. Existing availability and indexing are preserved by owner instruction; that is not an editorial approval. Suggest a correction.

🔊 Tap any speaker button to hear the words on this page spoken. Too fast or slow? Use the speed button at the bottom-right of the page.

If you learn one thing first, learn this. Every word below is high-frequency — you will hear it in the first hour of any real conversation. There are 100 words here, in eight groups you can take one at a time, and every one is written three ways: English, Hindi and Telugu (తెలుగు) with a pronunciation column.

Why start with frequency? A language is not a wall you climb; it is a snowball. The first 100 words unlock the parts of Telugu that repeat every day — greeting someone, saying what you want, saying who you mean, and saying when. Grammar without vocabulary is silent, and vocabulary without grammar is a shopping list. Start here, then let the grammar page show you how to bolt these words together.

A useful rule of thumb: with a few hundred high-frequency words and one verb pattern, a learner can already manage greetings, shops and simple questions. This page is the densest part of that set.

How to use this page. Do not swallow all 100 words in one sitting. Take one group a day, read the column aloud, cover the pronunciation column and say each word. Then test yourself with the topic quiz and keep the ones that will not stick in the review deck.

Greetings and politeness (13)

#	English	Hindi	Telugu	Say it
1	Hello (formal)	नमस्ते	నమస్కారం	namaskāraṁ
2	How are you? (formal)	आप कैसे हैं?	మీరు ఎలా ఉన్నారు?	mīru elā unnāru?
3	How are you? (familiar)	तुम कैसे हो?	నువ్వు ఎలా ఉన్నావు?	nuvvu elā unnāvu?
4	I'm fine	मैं ठीक हूँ	నేను బాగున్నాను	nēnu bāgunnānu
5	Thank you	धन्यवाद	ధన్యవాదాలు	dhanyavādālu
6	Yes / No	हाँ / नहीं	అవును / కాదు	avunu / kādu
7	Please	कृपया	దయచేసి	dayachēsi
8	Excuse me / Sorry	माफ़ कीजिए	క్షమించండి	kshamin̄chaṇḍi
9	Good morning	सुप्रभात	శుభోదయం	śubhōdayaṁ
10	Good night	शुभ रात्रि	శుభ రాత్రి	śubha rātri
11	Goodbye (said by the leaver)	चलता हूँ	వస్తాను	vastānu
12	See you again	फिर मिलेंगे	మళ్ళీ కలుద్దాం	maḷḷī kaluddāṁ
13	Welcome	स्वागत है	స్వాగతం	svāgataṁ

Pronouns (19)

#	English	Hindi	Telugu	Say it
1	I	मैं	నేను	nēnu
2	we (excluding you)	हम	మేము	mēmu
3	you (formal / plural)	आप / तुम सब	మీరు	mīru
4	you (intimate)	तू	నువ్వు	nuvvu
5	he	वह	అతను	atanu
6	she	वह	ఆమె	āme
7	it	यह / वह	అది	adi
8	they (people)	वे	వాళ్ళు	vāḷḷu
9	they (things)	वे	అవి	avi
10	this (thing)	यह	ఇది	idi
11	that (thing)	वह	అది	adi
12	what	क्या	ఏమిటి	ēmiṭi
13	who	कौन	ఎవరు	evaru
14	where	कहाँ	ఎక్కడ	ekkaḍa
15	when	कब	ఎప్పుడు	eppuḍu
16	why	क्यों	ఎందుకు	enduku
17	how	कैसे	ఎలా	elā
18	how much / how many	कितना	ఎంత	enta
19	which (thing)	कौन-सा	ఏది	ēdi

The 18 verbs you will use every day (18)

#	English	Hindi	Telugu	Say it
1	eat	खाना	తినడం	tinaḍaṁ
2	go	जाना	వెళ్ళడం	veḷḷaḍaṁ
3	come	आना	రావడం	rāvaḍaṁ
4	do	करना	చేయడం	chēyaḍaṁ
5	speak	बोलना	మాట్లాడడం	māṭlāḍaḍaṁ
6	see	देखना	చూడడం	chūḍaḍaṁ
7	give	देना	ఇవ్వడం	ivvaḍaṁ
8	take	लेना	తీసుకోవడం	tīsukōvaḍaṁ
9	understand	समझना	అర్థం చేసుకోవడం	arthaṁ chēsukōvaḍaṁ
10	read	पढ़ना	చదవడం	chadavaḍaṁ
11	write	लिखना	రాయడం	rāyaḍaṁ
12	live / stay	रहना	ఉండడం	uṇḍaḍaṁ
13	like	पसंद करना	ఇష్టపడడం	iṣṭapaḍaḍaṁ
14	love	प्यार करना	ప్రేమించడం	prēmin̄chaḍaṁ
15	sleep	सोना	నిద్రపోవడం	nidrapōvaḍaṁ
16	buy	खरीदना	కొనడం	konaḍaṁ
17	learn	सीखना	నేర్చుకోవడం	nērchukōvaḍaṁ
18	drink	पीना	తాగడం	tāgaḍaṁ

Family (13)

#	English	Hindi	Telugu	Say it
1	mother	माँ	అమ్మ	amma
2	father	पिता	నాన్న	nānna
3	elder brother	बड़ा भाई	అన్న	anna
4	younger brother	छोटा भाई	తమ్ముడు	tammuḍu
5	elder sister	बड़ी बहन	అక్క	akka
6	younger sister	छोटी बहन	చెల్లి	chelli
7	son	बेटा	కొడుకు	koḍuku
8	daughter	बेटी	కూతురు	kūturu
9	husband	पति	భర్త	bharta
10	wife	पत्नी	భార్య	bhārya
11	friend (male)	दोस्त	స్నేహితుడు	snēhituḍu
12	friend (female)	सहेली	స్నేహితురాలు	snēhiturālu
13	family	परिवार	కుటుంబం	kuṭumbaṁ

Colours (6)

#	English	Hindi	Telugu	Say it
1	red	लाल	ఎరుపు	erupu
2	blue	नीला	నీలం	nīlaṁ
3	green	हरा	ఆకుపచ్చ	ākupachcha
4	yellow	पीला	పసుపు	pasupu
5	white	सफ़ेद	తెలుపు	telupu
6	black	काला	నలుపు	nalupu

Core nouns (13)

#	English	Hindi	Telugu	Say it
1	book	किताब	పుస్తకం	pustakaṁ
2	house / home	घर	ఇల్లు	illu
3	work	काम	పని	pani
4	school	स्कूल	బడి	baḍi
5	teacher	शिक्षक	ఉపాధ్యాయుడు	upādhyāyuḍu
6	student	छात्र / छात्रा	విద్యార్థి	vidyārthi
7	car	गाड़ी	కారు	kāru
8	road	सड़क	రోడ్డు	rōḍḍu
9	money	पैसा	డబ్బు	ḍabbu
10	day	दिन	రోజు	rōju
11	week	हफ़्ता	వారం	vāraṁ
12	month	महीना	నెల	nela
13	year	साल	సంవత్సరం	sanvatsaraṁ

Time words (11)

#	English	Hindi	Telugu	Say it
1	today	आज	ఈరోజు	īrōju
2	tomorrow	कल (आने वाला)	రేపు	rēpu
3	yesterday	कल (बीता)	నిన్న	ninna
4	now	अब	ఇప్పుడు	ippuḍu
5	later	बाद में	తర్వాత	tarvāta
6	morning	सुबह	ఉదయం	udayaṁ
7	noon	दोपहर	మధ్యాహ్నం	madhyāhnaṁ
8	evening	शाम	సాయంత్రం	sāyantraṁ
9	night	रात	రాత్రి	rātri
10	What time is it?	कितने बजे हैं?	టైమ్ ఎంత?	ṭaim enta?
11	3 o'clock	तीन बजे	మూడు గంటలు	mūḍu gaṇṭalu

Days of the week (7)

#	English	Hindi	Telugu	Say it
1	Sunday	रविवार	ఆదివారం	ādivāraṁ
2	Monday	सोमवार	సోమవారం	sōmavāraṁ
3	Tuesday	मंगलवार	మంగళవారం	maṅgaḷavāraṁ
4	Wednesday	बुधवार	బుధవారం	budhavāraṁ
5	Thursday	बृहस्पतिवार	గురువారం	guruvāraṁ
6	Friday	शुक्रवार	శుక్రవారం	śukravāraṁ
7	Saturday	शनिवार	శనివారం	śanivāraṁ

What to do after these 100

You now own the skeleton of Telugu. The next step is not more words — it is sentences. Take five verbs from the list above and build one sentence each about your own day. Then read the grammar basics guide for the word order (నేను అన్నం తింటాను), and the speaking-alone plan so the words come out of your mouth and not just off the page.

More guides in this course

Beginner's guide — TeluguHow to learn from scratch, and the honest first 30 days.
Alphabet, letter by letter — TeluguEvery letter with the sound it makes.
Grammar basics — TeluguWord order, verbs and the sentence ladder.
Phrases for travel — TeluguStations, hotels, fares and the phrases you will use.
Numbers 1 to 100 — TeluguCounting, prices and time — with the counting pattern.
Common mistakes — TeluguThe traps learners fall into in this language, and the fix for each one.
How to read the script — TeluguA step-by-step path from letters to reading real sentences.
vs Hindi — TeluguWhat Hindi speakers already know, and what trips everyone else up.
Practise speaking alone — TeluguShadowing, self-talk and a routine you can keep without a tutor.