Whether she’s called Nana, Oma, Lola, or Bibi—grandmothers hold a special place in our hearts across every culture.
This post explores how to say “grandmother” in 70 different languages, complete with pronunciations and example sentences to help you understand and use them in context.
From affectionate nicknames to formal terms, discover the many beautiful ways we honor the matriarchs of our families.
🔢 70 Translations of “Grandmother” in Different Languages
- English – Grandmother (GRAND-muh-thur)
My grandmother bakes the best cookies. - Spanish – Abuela (ah-BWEH-lah)
Mi abuela vive en México. - French – Grand-mère (grahn-MEHR)
Ma grand-mère aime les fleurs. - German – Großmutter (GROHS-moo-ter)
Meine Großmutter ist sehr freundlich. - Italian – Nonna (NON-nah)
La mia nonna fa la pasta fatta in casa. - Portuguese – Avó (ah-VOH)
Minha avó me contou uma história. - Dutch – Grootmoeder (GROHT-moo-der)
Mijn grootmoeder is 85 jaar oud. - Swedish – Mormor / Farmor (MOOR-moor / FAR-moor)
Min mormor bor i Stockholm. - Norwegian – Bestemor (BEST-eh-moor)
Min bestemor lager gode vafler. - Danish – Bedstemor (BEST-eh-mor)
Min bedstemor elsker at strikke. - Finnish – Isoäiti (EE-soh-eye-tee)
- Estonian – Vanaema (VAH-nah-eh-mah)
- Latvian – Vecmāmiņa (vets-MAA-mee-nya)
- Lithuanian – Močiutė (mo-CHOO-teh)
- Polish – Babcia (BAHP-chah)
- Czech – Babička (BAH-beech-kah)
- Slovak – Stará mama (STAH-rah MAH-mah)
- Hungarian – Nagymama (NAWJ-maw-maw)
- Romanian – Bunică (boo-NEE-kah)
- Greek – Γιαγιά (yah-YAH)
- Russian – Бабушка (BAH-boosh-kah)
- Ukrainian – Бабуся (ba-BOO-sya)
- Belarusian – Бабуля (ba-BOO-lya)
- Bulgarian – Баба (BAH-bah)
- Serbian – Бака (BAH-kah)
- Croatian – Baka (BAH-kah)
- Slovenian – Babica (BAH-bee-tsa)
- Bosnian – Nena (NEH-nah)
- Macedonian – Баба (BAH-bah)
- Albanian – Gjyshja (JOO-sha)
- Turkish – Büyükanne (boo-YOOK-an-neh)
- Arabic – جدة (jad-da)
- Hebrew – סבתא (sav-tah)
- Persian (Farsi) – مادربزرگ (mādar-bozorg)
- Hindi – दादी / नानी (daadi / naani)
- Urdu – دادی / نانی (daadi / naani)
- Bengali – দিদা / ঠাকুমা (dida / thakuma)
- Punjabi – ਦਾਦੀ / ਨਾਨੀ (daadi / naani)
- Gujarati – દાદી / નાની (daadi / naani)
- Marathi – आजी (aajee)
- Tamil – பாட்டி (paatti)
- Telugu – నానమ్మ / అమ్మమ్మ (naanmma / ammamma)
- Kannada – ಅಜ್ಜಿ (ajji)
- Malayalam – അമ്മുമ്മ / അച്ചമ്മാ (ammumma / achamma)
- Sinhala – ආච්චි (aachchi)
- Thai – ยาย (yaai)
- Lao – ແມ່ໃຫຍ່ (mae-nyai)
- Vietnamese – Bà (bah)
- Khmer – យាយ (yeay)
- Chinese (Mandarin) – 奶奶 / 外婆 (nǎinai / wàipó)
- Japanese – おばあちゃん (obaachan)
- Korean – 할머니 (halmeoni)
- Mongolian – Эмээ (emee)
- Tibetan – རྨོ་མོ (mo mo)
- Malay – Nenek (neh-nek)
- Indonesian – Nenek (neh-nek)
- Filipino (Tagalog) – Lola (LOH-lah)
- Hawaiian – Kupunawahine (koo-POO-nah-wah-hee-neh)
- Samoan – Tinā matua (tee-NAH mah-TOO-ah)
- Maori – Kuia (KOO-ee-ah)
- Swahili – Bibi (BEE-bee)
- Zulu – Ugogo (oo-GOH-goh)
- Xhosa – Ugogo (oo-GOH-goh)
- Yoruba – Iya agba (ee-YAH AH-gbah)
- Igbo – Nne ochie (nneh oh-chee-eh)
- Hausa – Kakanni (kah-KAH-nee)
- Amharic – እናት አያት (ināt āyāt)
- Somali – Ayeeyo (eye-YEH-yoh)
- Afrikaans – Ouma (OH-mah)
- Esperanto – Avino (ah-VEE-noh)
💭 Final Thought
Grandmothers are a universal symbol of wisdom, warmth, and tradition. From the cozy kitchens of Italy to the vibrant villages of Africa, the word for “grandmother” carries a sense of love and comfort. Learning how to say it in different languages not only enriches our vocabulary but also bridges us to the cultures that cherish these matriarchs so deeply.
“A grandmother is a little bit parent, a little bit teacher, and a little bit best friend—in every language.”
