నాన్న
nānna/naːnːa/
The Telugu word for dad is నాన్న (nānna).
నాన్న is an informal and affectionate term used to refer to a father, commonly used by children and in casual conversations.
Meaning: informal: a father (noun)
Which one should you use?
While నాన్న is the affectionate term for dad, the word తండ్రి is the standard or formal term for father. If you wish to speak about your own father in a formal setting, or if you are referring to someone else's father with extra politeness, you should use the form నాన్నగారు.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
నాన్న is an informal and affectionate term. In contrast, తండ్రి is the formal or standard term for father. You can increase the politeness of the word by using నాన్నగారు, which adds the honorific suffix -గారు to denote extra respect.
How does it change in a sentence?
To create the polite version of the word, the honorific suffix -గారు is added to నాన్న to form నాన్నగారు.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is nānna. The IPA is /naːnːa/.
Did you know?
- While నాన్న means 'dad', it is also used as a term of endearment for young boys or even as a way to address a small child in a way similar to calling someone 'dear' or 'son' in English.
- In traditional Telugu kinship systems, a child might use నాన్న to address their father's elder brother as well.
- In literature, a character calling their father నాన్నగారు instead of నాన్న is often a stylistic cue used by authors to signal a high-class, aristocratic, or very traditional upbringing.
Examples in context
- మా నాన్న ప్రస్తుతం ఇంటి దగ్గర లేడుMy dad is not at home for the moment.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use నాన్న in a sentence.Tatoeba #7216932 by bharath, translation #333479 by al
- నాన్న పిలుస్తున్నారు.nānna pilustunnāru.Dad is calling.
- నాన్న ఆఫీసుకి వెళ్లారు.nānna āphīsukki veḷḷāru.Dad went to the office.
Example conversation
Sai and Sravani are talking about their families.
- సాయి Saiమీ నాన్న గారు ఎక్కడ పని చేస్తున్నారు?mī nānna gāru ekkaḍa pani chēstunnāru?Where does your dad work?
- శ్రావణి Sravaniమా నాన్న బ్యాంకులో పని చేస్తున్నారు.mā nānna bankulō pani chēstunnāru.My dad works in a bank.
- సాయి Saiచాలా మంచిది!chālā manchidi!That is very good!
- శ్రావణి Sravaniధన్యవాదాలు సాయి.dhanyavādālu sāyi.Thank you, Sai.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “dad” translations and entries నాన్న, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
