ಓದು
ōdu/oːd̪u/
The English verb 'read' is translated into Kannada as ಓದು (ōdu).
The word ಓದು is used to describe the act of looking at and interpreting letters or other information.
Meaning: to look at and interpret letters or other information (verb)
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb changes its ending based on the gender and number of the subject. To form the past tense 'read', you add the suffix -ದೆ to the root, resulting in ಓದಿದೆ. For a present tense subject, use ಓದುತ್ತಾನೆ for 'he reads' and ಓದುತ್ತಾಳೆ for 'she reads'. To express 'they read' or to show respect to a single person (polite form), use ಓದುತ್ತಾರೆ.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is romanized as ōdu.
Did you know?
- The word ಓದು can refer to the ritual chanting of Vedic texts, where the 'reading' is done aloud from memory rather than from a page.
- Kannada uses the same root ಓದು to describe the act of 'reading' a person's mind or intentions.
- In Kannada, ಓದು is frequently used to mean 'study' or 'be educated' rather than just the physical act of reading a text.
Examples in context
- ಅವನು ಕಥೆ ಓದುವನು.avanu kathe ōduvanu.He reads a story.
Example conversation
Divya and Pranav are in a library.
- ದಿವ್ಯಾ Divyaಪ್ರಣವ್, ಈ ಕವಿತೆ ಓದು.praṇav, ī kavite ōdu.Pranav, read this poem.
- ಪ್ರಣವ್ Pranavಸರಿ ದಿವ್ಯಾ, ನಾನು ಓದುತ್ತೀನಿ.sari divyā, nānu ōduttīni.Okay Divya, I will read it.
- ದಿವ್ಯಾ Divyaನಿನಗೆ ಇದು ಇಷ್ಟವಾಯಿತೇ?ninage idu iṣṭavāyitē?Did you like it?
- ಪ್ರಣವ್ Pranavಹೌದು, ಇದು ತುಂಬಾ ಚೆನ್ನಾಗಿದೆ.haudu, idu tumbā cennāgide.Yes, it is very beautiful.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “read” translations and entries ಓದು, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
