Ways to say it
| Telugu | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| దేవుడు | dēvuḍu | /d̪eːʋuɖu/ |
| గాడ్ | gāḍ |
దేవుడు means a deity and is also used for the one God of monotheism. Ishtamaina Devudu means favorite or beloved God. Maheshwara is a Sanskrit word used for Lord Shiva.
Which one should you use?
దేవుడు is grammatically masculine and refers to a male deity or God, while దేవి (dēvi) is the standard word for a goddess. గాడ్ is a transliteration of the English word God, used mainly when discussing Western ideas of God. Brahmam names the supreme reality and is a formal way to refer to God.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
గాడ్ is colloquial and modern. Brahmam is formal.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
దేవుడు is the form used as the subject of a sentence. Its ending changes when it is the object.
How do you pronounce it?
దేవుడు is pronounced /d̪eːʋuɖu/, with a soft dental d at the start, a long e and a retroflex d in the middle.
Did you know?
- In traditional Telugu culture, the term దేవుడు can sometimes be used colloquially to describe a person who is exceptionally kind or helpful, similar to calling someone 'a godsend' in English.
- The word దేవుడు is derived from the Sanskrit word దేవ ('deva'), which originally referred to the 'shining ones' or celestial beings.
- While దేవుడు is the general word for 'god', Telugu speakers often use the specific name of a deity, such as వెంకటేశ్వరుడు ('Venkateswara'), in daily conversation instead of a generic term.
Examples in context
- దేవుడున్నాడని జనాలు నమ్ముతారు.People believe that god exists.Here దేవుడు joins the following verb, giving the sentence people believe that god exists.Tatoeba #3543082 by strykerami, translation #1098579 by cntrational
- ఆ దేవుడు చాలా దయాళువు.Aa devudu chaala dayaluvu.That god is very merciful.
Example conversation
Pallavi and Kiran are talking about a temple visit.
- పల్లవి Pallaviకిరణ్, మనం దేవుడి దగ్గరకు వెళ్దామా?Kiran, manam dēvuḍi daggaraku veḷdāmā?Kiran, shall we go to god?
- కిరణ్ Kiranఅవును పల్లవి, వెళ్దాం.Avunu Pallavi, veḷdām.Yes Pallavi, let's go.
- పల్లవి Pallaviదేవుడు మనకు సహాయం చేస్తాడు.Dēvuḍu manaku sahāyaṃ cēstāḍu.God will help us.
- కిరణ్ Kiranనిజమే, నాకు నమ్మకం ఉంది.Nijamē, nāku nammakaṃ undi.True, I have faith.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “God” translations and entries దేవుడు, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries దేవుడు, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
