Vegetables in Telugu: word list with pictures
30 words · tap 🔊 to hear each one in Telugu.
| Picture | English | Telugu | Say it | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Potato | ఆలుగడ్డ | aalugadda | |
 | Tomato | టమాటా | tamaataa | |
 | Onion | ఉల్లిపాయ | ullipaaya | |
 | Carrot | క్యారెట్ | kyaaret | |
 | Peas | బఠాణీలు | bathaaneelu | |
 | Cucumber | దోసకాయ | dosakaaya | |
 | Brinjal | వంకాయ | vankaaya | |
 | Okra | బెండకాయ | bendakaaya | |
 | Cauliflower | కాలీఫ్లవర్ | kaaleephlavar | |
 | Cabbage | క్యాబేజీ | kyaabejee | |
 | Bottle Gourd | సొరకాయ | sorakaaya | |
 | Spinach | పాలకూర | paalakoora | |
 | Pumpkin | గుమ్మడికాయ | gummadikaaya | |
 | Corn | మొక్కజొన్న | mokkajonna | |
 | Capsicum | క్యాప్సికమ్ | kyaapsikam | |
 | Chilli | మిరపకాయ | mirapakaaya | |
 | Garlic | వెల్లుల్లి | vellulli | |
 | Ginger | అల్లం | allam | |
 | Broccoli | బ్రోకలీ | brokalee | |
 | Mushroom | పుట్టగొడుగు | puttagodugu | |
 | Sweet Potato | చిలగడదుంప | chilagadadumpa | |
 | Radish | ముల్లంగి | mullangi | |
 | Beetroot | బీట్రూట్ | beetroot | |
 | Bitter Gourd | కాకరకాయ | kaakarakaaya | |
 | Green Beans | బీన్స్ | beens | |
 | Coriander | కొత్తిమీర | kottimeera | |
 | Drumstick | మునక్కాయ | munakkaaya | |
 | Ridge Gourd | బీరకాయ | beerakaaya | |
 | Fenugreek Leaves | మెంతికూర | mentikoora | |
 | Raw Banana | అరటికాయ | aratikaaya |
Vegetables name in Telugu are words your child hears at every meal: టమాటా (tamaataa) in the pappu, ఉల్లిపాయ (ullipaaya, onion) in almost everything, and వంకాయ (vankaaya, brinjal) in the famous gutti vankaaya curry. This page has 30 vegetables with pictures and clear audio. Tap a picture to hear the name in Telugu and English, then play Find it or Memory. The Telugu word for vegetables is కూరగాయలు (kooragaayalu).
Three word families that make Telugu vegetable names easy
Most Telugu vegetable names end in one of three words, and knowing them makes long names easy:
| Ending | Meaning | Examples on this page |
|---|---|---|
| కాయ (kaaya) | a vegetable or unripe fruit that grows on a plant or vine | వంకాయ brinjal, బెండకాయ okra, దోసకాయ cucumber, సొరకాయ bottle gourd, బీరకాయ ridge gourd, కాకరకాయ bitter gourd, గుమ్మడికాయ pumpkin, మునక్కాయ drumstick, మిరపకాయ chilli, అరటికాయ raw banana |
| కూర (koora) | leafy greens (and also "curry") | పాలకూర spinach, మెంతికూర fenugreek leaves |
| దుంప / గడ్డ (dumpa / gadda) | a root or tuber under the ground | చిలగడదుంప sweet potato, ఆలుగడ్డ potato |
Even the word కూరగాయలు is made of కూర + కాయ. Make it a riddle: "It grows under the ground, so it is a…?" Your child answers "దుంప!" and a list becomes thinking.
Vegetables in Telugu cooking
- Gutti vankaaya: small వంకాయలు stuffed with spices. An old Telugu verse praises brinjal as the finest of all curries, and many families agree.
- Tomato pappu: dal with టమాటా, పచ్చిమిర్చి (green chilli) and కొత్తిమీర (kottimeera, coriander).
- Pulusu and sambar: మునక్కాయ (drumstick), సొరకాయ, గుమ్మడికాయ.
- Vepudu (fry): బెండకాయ, ఆలుగడ్డ, అరటికాయ, దొండకాయ.
- Aaku koora: పాలకూర and మెంతికూర cooked with dal, a common first food for babies.
Andhra and Telangana cooking is known for heat, and మిరపకాయ (mirapakaaya, chilli) is everywhere, from Guntur, one of the biggest chilli markets in the world. A good tip for small children: name it, look at it, but do not taste it!
How to teach vegetable names in Telugu
- Kitchen helper. Let your child wash టమాటాలు, shell బఠాణీలు (bathaaneelu, peas) or pull కొత్తిమీర leaves, naming each one.
- Rythu bazaar game. At the vegetable market, give one job: "Find the క్యారెట్."
- Colour sort. Red టమాటా, green బెండకాయ, purple వంకాయ, orange క్యారెట్. Pair with colours in Telugu.
- Grow one. మెంతులు (fenugreek seeds) sprout into మెంతికూర in a small pot within days.
- Fruit or vegetable? For 5-year-olds, sort pictures from this page and fruits name in Telugu. Ask about అరటి పండు and అరటికాయ.
| Age | Goal |
|---|---|
| 2-3 | Points to 5 vegetables when named: potato, tomato, onion, carrot, peas |
| 3-4 | Says 10 vegetables name in Telugu, knows their colours |
| 4-5 (LKG) | About 20 names; knows which grow under the ground |
| 5-6 (UKG) | All 30; sorts fruits and vegetables; reads short names like వంకాయ |
For a school chart or worksheet of 10 or 20 vegetables name in Telugu, print this page from your browser. The word list with pictures prints with Telugu and English side by side.
Pretend cooking and picky eaters
Three- to five-year-olds love to "cook". Give your child a toy pot and a few real vegetables and make a pretend కూర together, asking in Telugu: "ఉల్లిపాయ వేయనా?" (shall I add onion?), "ఎన్ని టమాటాలు?" (how many tomatoes?). Count with numbers in Telugu. Children who refuse vegetables often come round after many friendly meetings, so touching, smelling and naming are gentle steps. Never force a taste. The English and Hindi vegetables name game uses the same 30 pictures for children learning Hindi at school.
For Telugu families abroad
Outside India, the Indian grocery store is your classroom. దొండకాయ, బీరకాయ, మునక్కాయ and curry leaves are usually there, so your child learns the Telugu name in the place they see the vegetable. Supermarket vegetables like broccoli (బ్రోకలీ) and mushrooms (పుట్టగొడుగు, puttagodugu, "anthill umbrella") count too, and the second name always makes children smile.
తల్లిదండ్రులకు
వంటగదే మంచి బడి. కూర వండేటప్పుడు ప్రతి కూరగాయ పేరు చెప్పండి: టమాటా, ఉల్లిపాయ, వంకాయ. పిల్లలను టమాటాలు కడగమని, కొత్తిమీర ఆకులు తీయమని చెప్పండి.
కాయ, కూర, దుంప అనే మూడు మాటలు చూపించండి. మట్టి కింద పెరిగేది దుంప. ఆకులుగా ఉండేది కూర. ఇలా చెబితే పెద్ద పేర్లు కూడా సులభం అవుతాయి.
పిల్లలు కూరగాయలు తినకపోతే బలవంతం చేయకండి. తాకనివ్వండి, వాసన చూడనివ్వండి, పేరు చెప్పనివ్వండి. మెల్లగా ఇష్టం పెరుగుతుంది.
How to use this page at home
Say it, then find it
Play for a few minutes, then look for the same thing away from the screen: telugu words on the shelf, in the kitchen, on the way to school. A child learns a word properly when they meet it twice, once on the screen and once in their hand.
Ten minutes is enough
Short and happy beats long and tired. Stop while your child still wants more, and come back tomorrow: the same page on five short days teaches far more than one long sitting. Nothing here is scored, so there is no reason to push.
Use both languages
Tap the language button at the top to hear the words in your home language first and the second language after. Hearing the same picture named in two languages is one of the few things research agrees builds attention as well as vocabulary.
