సోదరుడు
sōdaruḍuformal
The Telugu word for brother is సోదరుడు (sōdaruḍu). Wiktionary also lists అన్న (anna) and తమ్ముడు (tammuḍu).
Meaning: male sibling (noun)
Ways to say it
| Telugu | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| సోదరుడు | sōdaruḍu | formal | |
| అన్న | anna | /anːa/ | |
| తమ్ముడు | tammuḍu | /t̪amːuɖu/ |
Which one should you use?
While సోదరుడు is a neutral term that can refer to any brother without specifying age, the other forms are age-specific: అన్న refers specifically to an older brother and తమ్ముడు refers specifically to a younger brother.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
సోదరుడు is the formal and neutral way to say brother. In informal or affectionate contexts, you would use అన్న to address an older brother or తమ్ముడు to address a younger brother.
How do you pronounce it?
sōdaruḍu
Did you know?
- In Telugu culture, you do not need to be related by blood to use అన్న (elder brother) as a respectful title for any slightly older male, such as a shopkeeper or a stranger.
- The word అన్న is a cognate shared across several major South Indian languages, including Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam.
- The formal term సోదరుడు is rarely used in spoken conversation at home and is primarily found in literature or official documents.
Examples in context
- ఆయన నా సోదరుడు.Aayana naa sodarudu.He is my brother.
- మీ సోదరుడు ఎక్కడ ఉన్నారు?Mee sodarudu ekkada unnaru?Where is your brother?
- నా సోదరుడు చాలా తెలివైనవాడు.Naa sodarudu chaala telivainavaadu.My brother is very intelligent.
Example conversation
Kavya is asking Kiran about his brother during a formal meeting.
- కావ్య Kavyaమీ సోదరుడు ఇక్కడికి వస్తారా?Mee sodarudu ikkadiki vasthaara?Will your brother come here?
- కిరణ్ Kiranఅవును, నా సోదరుడు కూడా వస్తారు.Avunu, naa sodarudu kooda vasthaaru.Yes, my brother will also come.
- కావ్య Kavyaచాలా సంతోషం.Chaala santhosham.That is very nice.
- కిరణ్ Kiranధన్యవాదాలు.Dhanyavaadaalu.Thank you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “brother” translations and entries సోదరుడు, అన్న, తమ్ముడు, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries అన్న, తమ్ముడు, CC BY-SA 4.0.
