Criar vs. educar
In Portuguese, the concepts of raising a child are split into two distinct verbs: criar and educar. While both can be translated as "to raise" or "to bring up," criar focuses on the physical and biological aspects of growth and care, whereas educar focuses on the moral, social, and intellectual development of character.
Criar
A2This verb relates to the act of feeding, sheltering, and ensuring the physical survival and growth of a living being. It is the only word used when talking about breeding or raising animals (livestock or pets). When applied to children, it refers to the general process of watching them grow up, providing for them, or the specific timeline of upbringing.
Ela criou três filhos sozinha trabalhando muito.
(She raised three children alone by working hard.)
Meu avô gosta de criar galinhas e porcos na fazenda.
(My grandfather likes to raise chickens and pigs on the farm.)
Eles criaram o sobrinho desde que ele era um bebê.
(They brought up their nephew since he was a baby.)
O custo para criar uma criança é muito alto hoje em dia.
(The cost to raise a child is very high nowadays.)
Fui criado em uma cidade pequena no interior.
(I was raised in a small town in the countryside.)
Educar
B1This verb is strictly about teaching manners, values, discipline, and social behavior. It is about shaping the personality and character. It is rarely used for animals unless referring to complex training. In Portuguese culture, there is a saying that schools teach subjects, but parents must educar (teach manners and morals).
Os pais devem educar os filhos para não serem rudes.
(Parents must bring up their children not to be rude.)
É difícil educar um adolescente rebelde sem paciência.
(It is difficult to bring up a rebellious teenager without patience.)
Aquele menino foi muito bem educado pela família.
(That boy was very well brought up by his family.)
A escola ensina português, mas a vida educa.
(School teaches Portuguese, but life educates.)
Educar uma criança exige dar bons exemplos.
(Raising a child with values requires setting good examples.)
Summary
To summarize, use criar when focusing on the physical sustenance, the passage of time during childhood, or when referring to animals. Use educar when focusing on politeness, ethics, discipline, and teaching a child how to behave in society. A common distinction is that you can criar a child perfectly well (feed and clothe them), but fail to educar them (teach them respect).