Grandfather in Different Languages
Discover 'Grandfather' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'grandfather' holds a special place in our hearts and families. It represents a generational bridge, connecting the wisdom and experiences of the past with the curiosity and innovation of the present. This title carries cultural significance across the globe, often accompanied by unique customs and terms of respect.
For instance, in Spanish, the translation for 'grandfather' is 'abuelo', while in Mandarin Chinese, it's 'yeye'. In Japan, the term 'sofu' is used, and in Germany, 'Großvater' is the customary word. These diverse translations not only reflect linguistic differences but also highlight the unique ways various cultures honor their elders.
Delving into the translations of 'grandfather' in different languages offers a fascinating glimpse into the world's rich cultural tapestry. Whether you're a language enthusiast, a global citizen, or someone seeking to connect with your cultural roots, understanding these terms can be both educational and enlightening.
Grandfather
Grandfather in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | oupa | ||
| "Oupa" is the Afrikaans word for "grandfather," ultimately deriving from the Dutch "vader," meaning "father." | |||
| Amharic | ወንድ አያት | ||
| The word "ወንድ አያት" is also used to refer to a "father-in-law". | |||
| Hausa | kakan | ||
| Hausa kakan (grandfather) shares its root with the word for "elder brother" or "old man": ka (older). | |||
| Igbo | nna nna | ||
| Nna nna may also refer to a senior man in the community or an elder brother. | |||
| Malagasy | raibe | ||
| The word "raibe" can also refer to a revered ancestor or a wise old man. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | agogo | ||
| The word "agogo" also means "elder" or "ancestor" in Nyanja. | |||
| Shona | sekuru | ||
| The word 'sekuru' also means 'chief' and 'elder' in Shona. | |||
| Somali | awoowe | ||
| In Somali, "awoowe" can also refer to a grandmother, and is sometimes used to express endearment towards an elderly person, regardless of their actual relationship. | |||
| Sesotho | ntate-moholo | ||
| Ntate-moholo also means 'father' when used in a more general sense, or 'old man' when referring to an elderly person who is not necessarily related. | |||
| Swahili | babu | ||
| The Swahili word "babu" shares its origin with the Persian and Arabic "bab" and also means "door" or "entrance". | |||
| Xhosa | utatomkhulu | ||
| "Utatomkhulu" also derives from the same "tata" stem but implies someone older and thus of the preceding generational era. | |||
| Yoruba | baba agba | ||
| The term "baba agba" can also refer to a wise or respected elder, regardless of their biological relationship. | |||
| Zulu | umkhulu | ||
| In Zulu, "umkhulu" denotes a paternal grandfather, chief of a clan, or a venerable elder who acts as an advisor. | |||
| Bambara | bɛnbakɛ | ||
| Ewe | tɔgbuiyɔvi | ||
| Kinyarwanda | sekuru | ||
| Lingala | nkɔkɔ ya mobali | ||
| Luganda | jjajja | ||
| Sepedi | rakgolokhukhu | ||
| Twi (Akan) | nana | ||
Grandfather in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | جد | ||
| The Arabic word "جد" (grandfather) also means "ancestor" or "forefather" and can be used to refer to any male relative in the ascending line. | |||
| Hebrew | סָבָּא | ||
| In the Talmud, "סָבָּא" also refers to a revered scholar | |||
| Pashto | نیکه | ||
| The etymon is likely to be Indo-Iranian, being a derivative of Proto-Indo-European *neǵ-os. | |||
| Arabic | جد | ||
| The Arabic word "جد" (grandfather) also means "ancestor" or "forefather" and can be used to refer to any male relative in the ascending line. | |||
Grandfather in Western European Languages
| Albanian | gjyshi | ||
| "Gjyshi" is also a term of endearment for men who are older or wiser than the speaker, regardless of their familial relationship. | |||
| Basque | aitona | ||
| The word "aitona" originally meant "father of the father", and is also used in a more general sense to refer to an older man. | |||
| Catalan | avi | ||
| The word "avi" can also refer to an ancestor or a forefather in Catalan. | |||
| Croatian | djedice | ||
| The word 'djedice' (grandfather) in Croatian also refers to a traditional type of grandfather clock. | |||
| Danish | bedstefar | ||
| The Danish word "bedstefar" consists of two words: bedst, meaning "best" and far, which is cognate with the Old English fæder and the modern English "father." | |||
| Dutch | opa | ||
| The Dutch word "opa" is also used as a term of endearment for a male friend or acquaintance. | |||
| English | grandfather | ||
| The word 'grandfather' is derived from the Old English words 'grandfaeder' and 'fæder', meaning 'great father'. | |||
| French | grand-père | ||
| The term "grand-père" can also be used figuratively to refer to a wise or experienced person. | |||
| Frisian | pake | ||
| The word "pake" in Frisian is related to the Old English word "faeder" and the Old Saxon word "fader", both meaning "father". It is also related to the Dutch word "vader" and the German word "Vater", both meaning "father". | |||
| Galician | avó | ||
| "Avó" is also used for the wife's maternal or paternal grandmother in Galician. | |||
| German | großvater | ||
| Großvater is a compound noun consisting of the words groß ('big') and Vater ('father'). It can also refer to a great-grandfather. | |||
| Icelandic | afi | ||
| Afi also means 'father's father' and 'ancestor.' | |||
| Irish | seanathair | ||
| "Seanathair" derives from "sean" (old) and "athair" (father), but can also mean "ancestor" in a more general sense. | |||
| Italian | nonno | ||
| The word "nonno" can also mean "godfather" or "uncle" in some regions of Italy. | |||
| Luxembourgish | grousspapp | ||
| Grousspapp is a formal or endearing term for grandfather, and can also be used to address a close, elderly male friend in Luxembourgish. | |||
| Maltese | nannu | ||
| "Nannu" comes from the diminutive form of "nanu", an archaic form of "nannu" meaning "grandfather" or "great-grandfather". | |||
| Norwegian | farfar | ||
| In Old Norse, "farfar" originally meant "father's father", but it now also refers to "mother's father". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | avô | ||
| "Avô" derives from the Latin "avus", meaning "ancestor" and "forefather". In Brazil, it's also used to refer to a male guardian or mentor. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | seanair | ||
| Seanair can also mean a 'person of importance'. | |||
| Spanish | abuelo | ||
| "Abuelo" originates from the Latin "aviolus", possibly meaning "little bird". | |||
| Swedish | farfar | ||
| "Farfar" (grandfather) in Swedish also means "butterfly" in Icelandic and "ship" in some dialects of Swedish, as well as "father" in certain Old Swedish dialects. | |||
| Welsh | taid | ||
| Taid in Welsh can also refer to a grandfather's brother, or less commonly, a great-uncle. | |||
Grandfather in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | дзед | ||
| In Russian, the word "дед" also means "old person". In Russian phraseology, "дед" is often used with the meaning "father". In Belarusian, "дзед" has the meaning "great-grandfather". | |||
| Bosnian | deda | ||
| The word "deda" also means "old man" or "sir" in Bosnian. | |||
| Bulgarian | дядо | ||
| The word "дядо" can also mean "old man" or "respected elder". | |||
| Czech | dědeček | ||
| The word "dědeček" can also mean "old man" or "ancestor". | |||
| Estonian | vanaisa | ||
| The word 'vanaisa', Estonian for grandfather, is also related to 'vana', or 'old', and could be roughly translated to 'old man'. | |||
| Finnish | isoisä | ||
| The word "isoisä" derives from the Proto-Finnic word *isä, which also means "father". | |||
| Hungarian | nagyapa | ||
| "Nagy" means "great" and "apa" means "father" so "nagyapa" literally means "great father." | |||
| Latvian | vectēvs | ||
| The word "vectēvs" can also refer to the husband of one's paternal aunt or maternal uncle in Latvian. | |||
| Lithuanian | senelis | ||
| In the Aukštaitian dialect, "senelis" can also mean "old man" or "patriarch." | |||
| Macedonian | дедо | ||
| "Дедо" also means "old man" or "elder" in Macedonian. | |||
| Polish | dziadek | ||
| "Dziadek" can also refer to an elderly gentleman or a male ancestor, regardless of his relation to the speaker. | |||
| Romanian | bunicul | ||
| The Romanian word “bunic” (grandfather), derives from the Proto-Slavic form *buky, denoting a relative or a family ancestor. | |||
| Russian | дедушка | ||
| This word also has a slang meaning which translates into English as | |||
| Serbian | деда | ||
| The Slavic term деда is cognate with the Latin noun **tata** ('father'), from which the English 'dad' is also etymologically derived; thus 'great-grandfather' could etymologically be 'the grandfather of one’s father or mother'. | |||
| Slovak | dedko | ||
| Dedko is also a term of endearment for an older male friend or acquaintance. | |||
| Slovenian | dedek | ||
| The word 'dedek' can also mean 'old man' or 'ancestor' in Slovenian. | |||
| Ukrainian | дідусь | ||
| Didus is also a name for the extinct dodo bird in Ukrainian. | |||
Grandfather in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | দাদা | ||
| In Bengali, the word "দাদা" can also be used as a respectful form of address to an elder brother. | |||
| Gujarati | દાદા | ||
| "દાદા" is one of the two Gujarati words for "grandfather"; the other is "પાપાji." | |||
| Hindi | दादा | ||
| The word 'दादा' also refers to the paternal uncle or a revered elderly figure in Hindi. | |||
| Kannada | ಅಜ್ಜ | ||
| In archaic Kannada, the term "Ajja" referred to a respected elder, not necessarily the maternal or paternal grandfather. | |||
| Malayalam | മുത്തച്ഛൻ | ||
| The word "മുത്തച്ഛൻ" also means "a term of respect for an elderly man" in Malayalam. | |||
| Marathi | आजोबा | ||
| The Marathi word "आजोबा" (grandfather) is derived from the Sanskrit word "आज" (father) and "आप" (honorific suffix), indicating respect for the father figure. | |||
| Nepali | हजुरबुबा | ||
| The word "हजुरबुबा" in Nepali may also refer to a respected elder or teacher, or it could be used as a polite way to address someone older than oneself. | |||
| Punjabi | ਦਾਦਾ | ||
| The word "ਦਾਦਾ" (grandfather) in Punjabi is derived from the Sanskrit word "दादा" (father), and can also be used as a term of endearment for an elderly man. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | සීයා | ||
| The Sinhala word 'සීයා' is cognate with its Indo-Aryan counterparts and also means 'father in law'. | |||
| Tamil | தாத்தா | ||
| "தாத்தா" also refers to elders who are respectable, wise and are like grandfathers. | |||
| Telugu | తాత | ||
| In its ancient form, 'తాత' (taata) was also used to refer to uncles. | |||
| Urdu | دادا | ||
| The word "dadā" in Urdu can also mean "an old or respected person" or "a religious teacher or spiritual guide". | |||
Grandfather in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 祖父 | ||
| "祖父" can also mean "paternal grandmother" in a literary context. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 祖父 | ||
| 祖父 can also mean "forefather" or "ancestor." | |||
| Japanese | 祖父 | ||
| The kanji characters for "grandfather" (祖父) can also stand for a guardian animal with the power to grant wishes. | |||
| Korean | 할아버지 | ||
| 할아버지 is also an honorific term of address for men older than one’s father | |||
| Mongolian | өвөө | ||
| It also refers to a revered elder or ancestor in the context of history, genealogy, and mythology. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အဖိုး | ||
| The word "အဖိုး" can also mean "old man" or "respected elder" in Myanmar (Burmese). | |||
Grandfather in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | kakek | ||
| The word "kakek" is also used to refer to an old or wise man. | |||
| Javanese | simbah | ||
| "Simbah" in Javanese can also mean "a highly respected elder or ancestor". | |||
| Khmer | ជីតា | ||
| The word "ជីតា" can also refer to a paternal uncle or a paternal granduncle. | |||
| Lao | ພໍ່ຕູ້ | ||
| The word "ພໍ່ຕູ້" also has additional nuances, implying respect, wisdom, and maturity, similar to the English term "elder statesperson." | |||
| Malay | datuk | ||
| The word "datuk" has multiple meanings, including hereditary Malay chief, royal male relative, or ancestor. | |||
| Thai | ปู่ | ||
| The word "ปู่" can also refer to a revered elderly person or a monk's teacher. | |||
| Vietnamese | ông nội | ||
| In addition to the meaning "grandfather", "ông nội" can also mean "paternal grandfather" in Vietnamese. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | lolo | ||
Grandfather in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | baba | ||
| The Azerbaijani word "baba" can also refer to a child or an old man, as well as being a term of endearment. | |||
| Kazakh | атасы | ||
| In Turkic etymology, the term 'ata' also refers to a paternal uncle, while 'баба' can refer to a maternal uncle. | |||
| Kyrgyz | чоң ата | ||
| The word "чоң ата" also means "great-grandfather" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | бобо | ||
| The word "бобо" can also refer to a paternal uncle or an elderly man. | |||
| Turkmen | atasy | ||
| Uzbek | bobo | ||
| "Bobo" is derived from the Persian word "baba," meaning "father," and is also used in Turkish and other languages. | |||
| Uyghur | بوۋا | ||
Grandfather in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kupunakāne | ||
| The word 'kupunakāne' also means 'elder' or 'senior,' implying respect and wisdom of age. | |||
| Maori | tupuna | ||
| The word 'tupuna' in Māori has many secondary meanings, including 'ancestor', 'source', and 'foundation' | |||
| Samoan | tamamatua | ||
| "Tamamatua" comes from "tama" (father) and "matua" (elder), thus meaning "great father" | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | lolo | ||
| Some other meanings of the Tagalog "lolo" include "an old man" and "an elder brother". | |||
Grandfather in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | achachilaxa | ||
| Guarani | abuelo | ||
Grandfather in International Languages
| Esperanto | avo | ||
| "Avo" also means "ancestor" or "forefather" in Esperanto. | |||
| Latin | avus | ||
| In Latin, 'avus' can also mean 'forefather' or 'ancestor', and is related to the Sanskrit word 'avas', meaning 'to dwell'. | |||
Grandfather in Others Languages
| Greek | παππούς | ||
| "Παππούς" can also mean "priest" in some dialects. | |||
| Hmong | yawg | ||
| The Hmong word "yawg" also means "father's elder brother". | |||
| Kurdish | bapîr | ||
| The Kurdish word 'bapîr' comes from the Persian word 'babr' meaning tiger, and has historically been used to denote both 'grandfather' and 'warrior'. | |||
| Turkish | büyük baba | ||
| The word ''Büyük baba'' is also used in some regions as a respectful way of referring to older men who are not one's grandfather. | |||
| Xhosa | utatomkhulu | ||
| "Utatomkhulu" also derives from the same "tata" stem but implies someone older and thus of the preceding generational era. | |||
| Yiddish | זיידע | ||
| The Yiddish word "זיידע" derives from the German "Seite," meaning "side" or "lineage." | |||
| Zulu | umkhulu | ||
| In Zulu, "umkhulu" denotes a paternal grandfather, chief of a clan, or a venerable elder who acts as an advisor. | |||
| Assamese | দাদা | ||
| Aymara | achachilaxa | ||
| Bhojpuri | दादाजी के बा | ||
| Dhivehi | ކާފަ އެވެ | ||
| Dogri | दादा जी | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | lolo | ||
| Guarani | abuelo | ||
| Ilocano | lolo | ||
| Krio | granpa | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | باپیر | ||
| Maithili | दादाजी | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯗꯥꯗꯥ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | pi leh pu | ||
| Oromo | akaakayyuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଦାଦା | ||
| Quechua | hatun tayta | ||
| Sanskrit | पितामहः | ||
| Tatar | бабай | ||
| Tigrinya | ኣቦሓጎ | ||
| Tsonga | kokwa wa xinuna | ||