ఎక్కడ
ekkaḍa/ekːaɖa/
The English phrase 'where' is translated into Telugu as ఎక్కడ (ekkaḍa).
ఎక్కడ is an adverb used to ask about or refer to the place or location where something is or occurs.
Meaning: at or in what place (adv)
How does it change in a sentence?
You can modify the base word to indicate direction. Adding the dative suffix -కి (-ki) to ఎక్కడ creates ఎక్కడికి, which means 'to where' to indicate a destination. To express 'from where', use the phrase ఎక్కడి నుండి.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced ekkaḍa (/ekːaɖa/).
Did you know?
- The word ఎక్కడ (ekkaḍa) is a compound formed by joining the pronoun ఏ (ē), meaning 'which', with the noun కడ (kaḍa), meaning 'end' or 'place'.
- Depending on the dialect in Andhra Pradesh or Telangana, the intonation of ఎక్కడ can change to imply either a genuine question or a rhetorical 'where on earth'.
- Telugu has a specific way of expressing 'everywhere' using ఎక్కడాలైనా or ఎక్కడైనా, which effectively turns the question 'where' into a universal statement.
Examples in context
- నా పుస్తకం ఎక్కడ పెట్టావ్?Where did you put my book?This sentence is useful for asking about the location of a specific object using ఎక్కడ.Tatoeba #7216869 by bharath, translation #4648997 by marllboro06
- మీ అబ్బాయి ఎక్కడ వున్నాడు?Where was your son?This sentence is useful for asking about the location of a person using ఎక్కడ.Tatoeba #7210919 by bharath, translation #2647782 by CK
- నువ్వు ఎక్కడ ఉన్నవో అక్కడే ఉండుYou must stay where you are.This sentence is useful for expressing that one should remain in the location where they currently are using ఎక్కడ.Tatoeba #7210924 by bharath, translation #3178315 by CK
- 5 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sai is looking for his keys in the living room.
- సాయి Saiలక్ష్మి, నా తాళాలు ఎక్కడ ఉన్నాయి?lakṣmi, nā tāḷālu ekkaḍa unnāyi?Lakshmi, where are my keys?
- లక్ష్మి Lakshmiఅవి టేబుల్ మీద ఉన్నాయి.avi ṭēbul mēda unnāyi.They are on the table.
- సాయి Saiఅవును, ఇక్కడే ఉన్నాయి!avunu, ikkaḍē unnāyi!Yes, they are right here!
- లక్ష్మి Lakshmiనువ్వు చాలా అశ్రద్ధగా ఉన్నావు.nuvvu chālā aśraddhagā unnāvu.You are being very careless.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “where” translations and entries ఎక్కడ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ఎక్కడ, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
