బియ్యం
biyyaṁ
The English word rice is translated into Telugu as బియ్యం (biyyaṁ) or అన్నము.
Meaning: seeds used as food (noun)
Ways to say it
| Telugu | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| బియ్యం | biyyaṁ | |
| అన్నము | annamu | /anːamu/ |
The term rice refers to the seeds used as food. In daily conversation, when referring to a meal or the act of eating, people use అన్నము rather than బియ్యం.
Which one should you use?
అన్నము is used to refer to rice once it has been cooked and is ready to eat.
How do you pronounce it?
biyyaṁ
Did you know?
- While బియ్యం refers to the grain, the paddy still in the field is called వరి, meaning Telugu has three distinct words for rice depending on its stage of production.
- In traditional Telugu households, offering అన్నము to guests is seen as a sacred act of hospitality, often linked to the deity Annapurna.
- In certain South Indian contexts, the word 'anna' can also mean 'elder brother', creating a phonetic overlap that requires social context to distinguish.
Examples in context
- దయచేసి మనకు అన్నం ఇవ్వండిPlease give us rice.
- బియ్యం చాలా తెల్లగా ఉంది.biyyam chaala tellagaa undi.The rice is very white.
- కిరాణా కొట్టులో బియ్యం ఉంది.kiraanaa koṭṭulo biyyam undi.There is rice in the grocery store.
- ఈ బియ్యం ధర ఎంత?ee biyyam dhara enta?How much is the price of this rice?
Example conversation
Ravi and Shravani are talking in the kitchen about grocery shopping.
- రవి Raviమన దగ్గర బియ్యం అయిపోయింది.mana daggara biyyam ayipoindhi.We have run out of rice.
- శ్రావణి Sravaniఅవునా, నేను మార్కెట్కి వెళ్తాను.avuna, nenu market-ki velthaanu.Is it? I will go to the market.
- రవి Raviకొత్త బియ్యం తీసుకురావాలి.kottha biyyam theesukuraavaali.You must bring new rice.
- శ్రావణి Sravaniసరే రవి, నేను తెస్తాను.sare Ravi, nenu thesthaanu.Okay Ravi, I will bring it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “rice” translations and entries అన్నము, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
