In the wafer position teaching method for a wafer carrying system, a teaching tool is mounted at a position of the container or the processing equipment where the semiconductor wafer is to be set. The teaching tool is sensed by a sensor provided at a wafer gripping portion of the robot. Prior to sensing the teaching tool by the sensor, external teaching tools mounted on a front external wall of the processing equipment are sensed by the sensor to roughly estimate the position of the teaching tool. Based on the estimated position, the sensor approaches and senses the teaching tool to obtain the position of the semiconductor wafer. Thus, the wafer position can be taught precisely and automatically without causing interference, even when the frontage of processing equipment is narrow.