ఉపాధ్యాయుడు
upādhyāyuḍu/upaːd̪ʱjaːjuɖu/
The English word teacher is translated into Telugu as ఉపాధ్యాయుడు (upādhyāyuḍu).
The term is used to describe a person who teaches.
Meaning: person who teaches (noun)
Which one should you use?
Guruvu is a common and generic word meaning teacher in Telugu, while Acharya is a term used to refer to a teacher who imparts knowledge for a specific subject or skill.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The word గురువు (guruvu) is often used to refer to a teacher or mentor in a more respectful or spiritual context. In modern spoken Telugu, many people simply use the English loanword టీచర్ (teacher) instead of the formal Telugu term.
How does it change in a sentence?
The feminine form of the noun is ఉపాధ్యాయురాలు (upādhyāyurālu). The plural form of ఉపాధ్యాయుడు is ఉపాధ్యాయులు (upādhyāyulu).
How do you pronounce it?
upādhyāyuḍu
Did you know?
- In many Telugu households, children do not use the word for teacher to address their instructors, instead using the kinship term అక్క (akka) for an older sister or అన్న (anna) for an older brother to show closeness.
- The concept of gurudakshina is the practice of giving a final gift or fee to a guruvu after completing one's studies.
- While ఉపాధ్యాయుడు is the formal term, a student might call a teacher మాస్టర్ (master) in many parts of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, a direct carryover from British colonial influence.
Examples in context
- ఆయన మంచి ఉపాధ్యాయుడు.Aayana manchi upadhyayudu.He is a good teacher.
- మా ఉపాధ్యాయుడు తరగతి గదికి వచ్చారు.Maa upadhyayudu taragati gadiki vacharu.Our teacher came to the classroom.
- నీ ఉపాధ్యాయుడు ఎవరు?Nee upadhyayudu evaru?Who is your teacher?
Example conversation
Two students are talking about their new class instructor.
- సాయి Saiశ్రావణి, కొత్త ఉపాధ్యాయుడు వచ్చారు.Śrāvaṇi, kotta upādhyāyuḍu vaccāru.Shravani, the new teacher has arrived.
- శ్రావణి Sravaniఅవునా, ఆయన ఎలా ఉంటారు?Avunā, āyana elā uṇṭāru?Really, what is he like?
- సాయి Saiఆయన చాలా తెలివైన ఉపాధ్యాయుడు.Āyana chālā telivaina upādhyāyuḍu.He is a very intelligent teacher.
- శ్రావణి Sravaniసరే, మనం తరగతికి వెళ్దాం.Sarē, manaṃ taragatiki veḷdāṃ.Okay, let's go to class.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “teacher” translations and entries ఉపాధ్యాయుడు, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
