Grandmother in Different Languages
Discover 'Grandmother' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'grandmother' holds a special place in our hearts and languages. It's a term that signifies wisdom, love, and the passing down of traditions from one generation to the next. Across cultures, grandmothers are often revered for their life experiences and the crucial role they play in families.
Moreover, the translation of 'grandmother' in different languages can offer fascinating insights into cultural nuances and historical contexts. For instance, in Spanish, a grandmother can be referred to as 'abuela', which stems from the Latin word 'avia' meaning 'grandmother'. Meanwhile, in Chinese, ' grandmother' is translated as 'wàipó', which combines the characters for 'outside' and 'father's mother'.
Understanding the translation of 'grandmother' in various languages can enrich our appreciation of cultural diversity and promote cross-cultural communication. So, whether you're a language enthusiast, a genealogist, or someone seeking to connect with their cultural heritage, exploring the translations of 'grandmother' can be a rewarding and enlightening experience.
Grandmother
Grandmother in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | ouma | ||
| The word "ouma" can also mean "farm" or "large house" in Afrikaans. | |||
| Amharic | ሴት አያት | ||
| "ሴት አያት" can also be used to address an elderly or respected woman who is not necessarily family. | |||
| Hausa | kaka | ||
| The word "kaka" in Hausa also refers to a kind of bird and a type of musical instrument. | |||
| Igbo | nne nne | ||
| "Nne nne" also means "my mother's mother" and is an Igbo term of endearment for grandmothers. | |||
| Malagasy | bebe | ||
| The Malagasy word "Bebe" also means "elder sister" or "aunt". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | agogo | ||
| The word "agogo" can also refer to the grandmother's age group, a group of women who are considered to be the elders of the community.} | |||
| Shona | ambuya | ||
| The word 'ambuya' can also refer to an elderly female figure or a respected woman. | |||
| Somali | ayeeyo | ||
| Ayeeyo can also mean 'a young and unmarried girl' | |||
| Sesotho | nkhono | ||
| The word nkhono can be used to refer to a grandmother, an older woman, or even a wise woman | |||
| Swahili | bibi | ||
| The Swahili word "bibi" can also mean "wife" or "lady". | |||
| Xhosa | umakhulu | ||
| The word "umakhulu" can refer to any older woman and, more broadly, to "mother of the king." | |||
| Yoruba | iya agba | ||
| The Yoruba term "iya agba" also refers to a woman of advanced age who is respected and revered in the community. | |||
| Zulu | ugogo | ||
| The word 'ugogo' can also refer to an elderly woman who is not necessarily a grandmother but is respected like one. | |||
| Bambara | npogotiginin | ||
| Ewe | tɔgbuiyɔvi | ||
| Kinyarwanda | nyirakuru | ||
| Lingala | nkoko ya mwasi | ||
| Luganda | jjajja | ||
| Sepedi | nkgono wa mma | ||
| Twi (Akan) | nanabea | ||
Grandmother in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | جدة | ||
| "جدة" also refers to the city of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. | |||
| Hebrew | סַבתָא | ||
| The word "סבתא" (sabta) can also refer to a type of female demon in Jewish mythology known as a Lilith or Shedim. | |||
| Pashto | نیا | ||
| The Pashto word "نیا" ("grandmother") can also refer to an elderly woman or a respected female elder. | |||
| Arabic | جدة | ||
| "جدة" also refers to the city of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. | |||
Grandmother in Western European Languages
| Albanian | gjyshja | ||
| Gjyshja is also used in Albanian to refer to an elderly woman, even if she is not a grandmother. | |||
| Basque | amona | ||
| The word “amona” comes from ancient Basque, and one of its meanings was “mother of the house”. | |||
| Catalan | àvia | ||
| "Àvia" is a word that derives from the Latin "avia", which means "mother's mother" or "paternal grandmother". | |||
| Croatian | baka | ||
| The word "baka" in Croatian has an interesting etymology, originating from the Proto-Slavic verb "bъbati" meaning "to mutter". It's also used as a playful or affectionate term for an elderly woman, conveying a sense of warmth and endearment. | |||
| Danish | bedstemor | ||
| In addition to meaning 'grandmother', the word 'bedstemor' also literally means 'prayer mother' in Danish. | |||
| Dutch | grootmoeder | ||
| Grootmoeder is a compound word consisting of groot ('big', 'great') and moeder ('mother'). | |||
| English | grandmother | ||
| The term 'grandmother' is derived from the Old English words 'grand' (meaning 'large') and 'moder' (meaning 'mother'). | |||
| French | grand-mère | ||
| The word « grand-mère » is derived from the Latin « grandis mater », meaning « great mother ». | |||
| Frisian | beppe | ||
| The Frisian word "beppe" can also be used to refer to a "stepmother" or a "godmother". | |||
| Galician | avoa | ||
| Galician word "avoa," akin to Spanish "abuela," derives from the Latin word "aviola," meaning "grandfather's wife." | |||
| German | oma | ||
| The German word 'Oma' not only refers to 'grandmother', but also affectionately to an elderly, corpulent woman. | |||
| Icelandic | amma | ||
| In Icelandic, "amma" also means "mother" while "afamma" means "grandmother". | |||
| Irish | seanmháthair | ||
| The word "seanmháthair" comes from "sean" (old) and "máthair" (mother), and can also be used as a term of respect for older women. | |||
| Italian | nonna | ||
| The Italian word "nonna", meaning "grandmother", is derived from the Latin word "nōna", which originally referred to the ninth hour of the day and was later used to mean "the older female head of the household." | |||
| Luxembourgish | groussmamm | ||
| The word "Groussmamm" in Luxembourgish can also refer to a godmother or a female elderly person. | |||
| Maltese | nanna | ||
| Maltese "nanna," "nanniet," or "nan" are derived from Sicilian "nonna," "nunnuta," or "nannu" which mean "godmother" or "goddaughter" in Sicilian and are not exclusively applied to grandmothers or granddaughters. | |||
| Norwegian | mormor | ||
| The word "mormor" can also refer to a mother's mother or an older woman. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | avó | ||
| The word "avó" may also be used to address an elderly woman who is not related to the speaker. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | seanmhair | ||
| Seanmhair is also an affectionate term for an old (usually female) friend, or someone who is wise and experienced. | |||
| Spanish | abuela | ||
| The word 'abuela' is derived from the Latin word 'aviola', which means 'little bird'. | |||
| Swedish | mormor | ||
| In Swedish, «mormor» (grandmother) was originally used only for maternal grandmothers; «farmor» was used for paternal grandmothers. | |||
| Welsh | nain | ||
| Welsh "nain" may originally have implied "old woman," and has been used in placenames for "rock," "cliff," or "hill." | |||
Grandmother in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | бабуля | ||
| "Бабуля" is a Russian word that means "grandmother," but it can also refer to an elderly woman who is not a relative. | |||
| Bosnian | baka | ||
| Bulgarian | баба | ||
| The Slavic word baba originally meant 'midwife' and also denotes wise women in folklore. | |||
| Czech | babička | ||
| The word "babička" is thought to derive from the Old Slavic word "baba" meaning "old woman" or "mother." | |||
| Estonian | vanaema | ||
| Estonian "vanaema" derives from "vana" (old) and "ema" (mother), but also means "midwife" or "fairy godmother". | |||
| Finnish | isoäiti | ||
| Derived from Proto-Finnic *iso 'father' and *äiti 'mother', originally meaning 'stepmother' | |||
| Hungarian | nagymama | ||
| The word "nagymama" is derived from the Old Hungarian word "nag", meaning "old", and "mama", meaning "mother". | |||
| Latvian | vecmāmiņa | ||
| "Vecmāmiņa" originally meant "midwife" but later took on the meaning of "grandmother". | |||
| Lithuanian | močiutė | ||
| The word "močiutė" comes from the Lithuanian word "močius" which means "old woman" or "grandmother" | |||
| Macedonian | баба | ||
| The word "баба" can also refer to an elderly woman who is not related to the speaker, or to a female deity. | |||
| Polish | babcia | ||
| Derived from the Slavic word *baba* (“old woman”), the endearment *babcia* means different things in different Slavic languages, including aunt, midwife, or even witch. | |||
| Romanian | bunica | ||
| The word "bunica" can also mean "sweet pastry" or "bun" in Romanian. | |||
| Russian | бабушка | ||
| The word “бабушка” can also refer to an elderly woman who is not necessarily related to the speaker | |||
| Serbian | бака | ||
| Serbian word "бака" is also used to refer to female elderly neighbour in a friendly informal way. | |||
| Slovak | babička | ||
| In Slovak, 'babička' can also refer to an old or respected woman, regardless of her relation to the speaker. | |||
| Slovenian | babica | ||
| In the past, "babica" also referred to a midwife, indicating the traditional role of grandmothers in childbirth. | |||
| Ukrainian | бабуся | ||
| The word "бабуся" may also be used as a term of endearment for an older woman or a female elder in a community. | |||
Grandmother in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | দাদী | ||
| The word "দাদী" can also be used to refer to an older woman who is not a relative, as a term of respect. | |||
| Gujarati | દાદી | ||
| The word “દાદી” can also refer to a midwife or nurse who assists in childbirth. | |||
| Hindi | दादी मा | ||
| In the Kumaoni language, दादी मा means both grandmother and maternal aunt. | |||
| Kannada | ಅಜ್ಜಿ | ||
| The word 'ಅಜ್ಜಿ' in Kannada also means 'mistress of the house' and is derived from the Sanskrit word 'ajja'. | |||
| Malayalam | മുത്തശ്ശി | ||
| The word "മുത്തശ്ശി" in Malayalam also means "pearl" and is often used as a term of endearment for elderly women. | |||
| Marathi | आजी | ||
| In Marathi, "आजी" is also a term of endearment used for an elderly female figure, such as a godmother or a maternal aunt. | |||
| Nepali | हजुरआमा | ||
| The word "हजुरआमा" can also be used as a respectful term of address for an elderly woman | |||
| Punjabi | ਦਾਦੀ | ||
| *Dadi* is also an affectionate term for a maternal aunt in Hindi and other North Indian languages. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ආච්චි | ||
| The Sinhala word "ආච්චි" can also mean "aunt" or "respected elder woman" in other contexts. | |||
| Tamil | பாட்டி | ||
| The word "பாட்டி" can also refer to a respected or wise older woman in Tamil society. | |||
| Telugu | అమ్మమ్మ | ||
| The Telugu word 'అమ్మమ్మ' (grandmother) also refers to an elderly woman, particularly one who is respected or revered. | |||
| Urdu | دادی | ||
| The word "دادی" (grandmother) is also used in a metaphorical sense to refer to a woman who is highly respected and revered. | |||
Grandmother in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 祖母 | ||
| "祖母" is used to refer to one's mother's mother or father's mother, while "外祖母" is used specifically for one's mother's mother. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 祖母 | ||
| 祖母 ('grandmother') contains the morpheme '母' ('mother'), but in ancient China, it also referred to 'father's mother'. | |||
| Japanese | 祖母 | ||
| The word "祖母" (grandmother) can also mean "mother of the monk" in the Buddhist context. | |||
| Korean | 할머니 | ||
| 할머니 can also refer to a woman who is a grandmother or great-grandmother. | |||
| Mongolian | эмээ | ||
| The word "эмээ" is also used to refer to a female ancestor, such as a great-grandmother or great-great-grandmother. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အဖွား | ||
| The term "အဖွား" can also be a term of respect used for a woman who is not a relative but who is older and wiser than oneself. | |||
Grandmother in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | nenek | ||
| In some Indonesian languages, the word 'nenek' can also refer to an elderly woman or an ancestor. | |||
| Javanese | eyang | ||
| The term 'eyang' can also refer to ancestors, great-grandmothers, and people with high status in Javanese culture. | |||
| Khmer | ជីដូន | ||
| The word ជីដូន, besides meaning grandmother, can also be used to refer to an old lady who is not a relative. | |||
| Lao | ແມ່ຕູ້ | ||
| The word "ແມ່ຕູ້" can also refer to a woman who is in charge of a household or a group of people. | |||
| Malay | nenek | ||
| The word "nenek" in Malay originally meant "female elder" or "ancestor", and is related to the words "nenekanda" (grandfather) and "nenek moyang" (ancestors). | |||
| Thai | ยาย | ||
| In Thai, the word "ยาย" (grandmother) can also refer to an elderly or respected woman. | |||
| Vietnamese | bà ngoại | ||
| "Bà ngoại" literally means "the lady on the outside" and was originally used for one's mother-in-law, but it is now commonly used for grandmother. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | lola | ||
Grandmother in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | nənə | ||
| Derived from the Proto-Turkic "äni", it also means "mother" in some dialects. | |||
| Kazakh | әже | ||
| In folklore, it also means “the spirit of the earth” and other deities of feminine nature. | |||
| Kyrgyz | чоң эне | ||
| Etymology: "чоң" meaning "big" or "great", and "эне" meaning "mother", referring to the seniority and respect accorded to a grandmother. | |||
| Tajik | бибӣ | ||
| The word "бибӣ" means "mistress" which can also be derived from the word "опа" (sister) indicating the position in the family hierarchy. | |||
| Turkmen | enesi | ||
| Uzbek | buvi | ||
| The word "buvi" for "grandmother" in Uzbek is said to be derived from the Ancient Turkic word "bubu" meaning "father's mother". | |||
| Uyghur | مومىسى | ||
Grandmother in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kupunawahine | ||
| The word is also used to refer to a great-grandmother or other female ancestor. | |||
| Maori | kuia | ||
| The word "kuia" in Maori also carries the meanings of "old woman" or "respected elder woman". | |||
| Samoan | tinamatua | ||
| Tinamatua also refers to the female head of the household, a respected matriarchal figure | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | lola | ||
| In the Philippines, "lola" may also be a term of endearment for a beloved elderly neighbor or friend. | |||
Grandmother in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | awichajawa | ||
| Guarani | abuela | ||
Grandmother in International Languages
| Esperanto | avino | ||
| "Avino" comes from Hungarian "anya" ("mother") and the suffix "-in-", used in Esperanto to form diminutives, which is why the word means "grandmother." | |||
| Latin | avia | ||
| The word 'avia' in Latin can also refer to a female ancestor, a bird, or a type of grapevine. | |||
Grandmother in Others Languages
| Greek | γιαγιά | ||
| The word | |||
| Hmong | niam pog | ||
| The term "niampog" is an affectionate way in Hmong of expressing a parental figure that is not necessarily of blood, which is why many Hmong people use this name to express respect. | |||
| Kurdish | dapîr | ||
| The Kurdish word "dapîr" not only means "grandmother", but also signifies respect and wisdom among the elderly Kurdish community. | |||
| Turkish | nene | ||
| Nene in Turkish can also be used to address elderly women, like a term of endearment. | |||
| Xhosa | umakhulu | ||
| The word "umakhulu" can refer to any older woman and, more broadly, to "mother of the king." | |||
| Yiddish | באָבע | ||
| The word "בּאָבע" can also be used to refer to an old woman, a gossip, or a witch. | |||
| Zulu | ugogo | ||
| The word 'ugogo' can also refer to an elderly woman who is not necessarily a grandmother but is respected like one. | |||
| Assamese | আইতা | ||
| Aymara | awichajawa | ||
| Bhojpuri | दादी के बा | ||
| Dhivehi | ކާފަ އެވެ | ||
| Dogri | दादी जी | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | lola | ||
| Guarani | abuela | ||
| Ilocano | lola | ||
| Krio | granma | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | داپیرە | ||
| Maithili | दादी | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯗꯥꯗꯥ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | pi leh pu | ||
| Oromo | adaadaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଜେଜେମା | ||
| Quechua | hatun mama | ||
| Sanskrit | पितामही | ||
| Tatar | әби | ||
| Tigrinya | ዓባየይ | ||
| Tsonga | kokwa wa xisati | ||