Grandma in Different Languages: How to Say Grandmother Around

Grandmothers hold a special place in families and cultures around the world. The word “grandma” may sound different from one language to another, but it often carries the same feeling of love, wisdom, care, and family connection.

Learning how to say grandma in different languages is a simple way to explore how people describe one of the most important family relationships.

If you are researching grandma in all languages, looking for grandma translations, creating a family project, or simply wondering how to say grandma in different languages, this guide provides useful answers in one place.

The table below includes 70 languages, their native words for grandma, easy English pronunciations, and short examples. These grandma translations around the world also show how different cultures use special family terms in everyday conversation.

Grandma in Different Languages

#	Language	Native Phrase	English Pronunciation	Example Sentence	English Meaning
1	Spanish	Abuela	ah-BWEH-lah	Mi abuela cocina muy bien.	My grandma cooks very well.
2	French	Grand-mère	grahn-MAIR	Ma grand-mère est gentille.	My grandma is kind.
3	German	Großmutter	GROHS-moot-er	Meine Großmutter lebt hier.	My grandma lives here.
4	Italian	Nonna	NON-nah	Mia nonna è dolce.	My grandma is sweet.
5	Portuguese	Avó	ah-VOH	Minha avó é carinhosa.	My grandma is loving.
6	Dutch	Oma	OH-mah	Mijn oma woont dichtbij.	My grandma lives nearby.
7	Swedish	Mormor / Farmor	MOR-moor / FAR-moor	Min mormor är snäll.	My grandma is kind.
8	Danish	Mormor / Farmor	MOR-mor / FAR-mor	Min mormor er sød.	My grandma is sweet.
9	Norwegian	Bestemor	BES-teh-moor	Min bestemor er snill.	My grandma is kind.
10	Finnish	Isoäiti	EE-soh-eye-tee	Isoäitini on mukava.	My grandma is nice.
11	Icelandic	Amma	AM-mah	Amma mín er góð.	My grandma is good.
12	Irish	Mamó	ma-MOH	Tá mo mhamó anseo.	My grandma is here.
13	Welsh	Mam-gu	mam-GEE	Mae Mam-gu yn hapus.	Grandma is happy.
14	Scottish Gaelic	Seanmhair	SHEN-var	Tha mo sheanmhair coibhneil.	My grandma is kind.
15	Polish	Babcia	BAP-chah	Moja babcia jest miła.	My grandma is nice.
16	Czech	Babička	BAH-bich-kah	Moje babička je hodná.	My grandma is kind.
17	Slovak	Stará mama	STAH-rah MAH-mah	Moja stará mama je milá.	My grandma is kind.
18	Slovenian	Babica	BAH-bee-tsah	Moja babica je prijazna.	My grandma is friendly.
19	Croatian	Baka	BAH-kah	Moja baka je kod kuće.	My grandma is at home.
20	Serbian	Baka	BAH-kah	Moja baka je divna.	My grandma is wonderful.
21	Bosnian	Nana	NAH-nah	Moja nana je kod kuće.	My grandma is at home.
22	Bulgarian	Баба	BAH-bah	Моята баба е добра.	My grandma is kind.
23	Macedonian	Баба	BAH-bah	Мојата баба е добра.	My grandma is kind.
24	Russian	Бабушка	BAH-boosh-kah	Моя бабушка добрая.	My grandma is kind.
25	Ukrainian	Бабуся	bah-BOO-syah	Моя бабуся добра.	My grandma is kind.
26	Belarusian	Бабуля	bah-BOO-lya	Мая бабуля добрая.	My grandma is kind.
27	Lithuanian	Močiutė	moh-CHOO-teh	Mano močiutė maloni.	My grandma is kind.
28	Latvian	Vecmāmiņa	vets-MAH-mee-nyah	Mana vecmāmiņa ir jauka.	My grandma is nice.
29	Estonian	Vanaema	VAH-nah-eh-mah	Minu vanaema on tore.	My grandma is nice.
30	Hungarian	Nagymama	NODJ-mah-mah	A nagymamám kedves.	My grandma is kind.
31	Romanian	Bunică	boo-NEE-kuh	Bunica mea este blândă.	My grandma is gentle.
32	Greek	Γιαγιά	yah-YAH	Η γιαγιά μου είναι καλή.	My grandma is kind.
33	Albanian	Gjyshe	JOO-shah	Gjyshja ime është e mirë.	My grandma is kind.
34	Armenian	Տատիկ	tah-TEEK	Տատիկս բարի է։	My grandma is kind.
35	Georgian	ბებია	beh-BEE-ah	ბებია სახლშია.	Grandma is at home.
36	Turkish	Büyükanne	boo-YOOK-an-neh	Büyükannem çok nazik.	My grandma is very kind.
37	Azerbaijani	Nənə	neh-NEH	Mənim nənəm mehribandır.	My grandma is kind.
38	Persian	مادربزرگ	mah-dar-bozorg	مادربزرگ من مهربان است.	My grandma is kind.
39	Arabic	جدّة	JID-dah	جدتي لطيفة.	My grandma is kind.
40	Hebrew	סבתא	SAV-tah	סבתא שלי נחמדה.	My grandma is nice.
41	Hindi	दादी / नानी	DAA-dee / NAA-nee	मेरी दादी बहुत प्यारी हैं।	My grandma is very lovely.
42	Urdu	دادی / نانی	DAA-dee / NAA-nee	میری نانی بہت پیاری ہیں۔	My grandma is very lovely.
43	Bengali	ঠাকুমা / দিদা	THA-koo-mah / DEE-dah	আমার দিদা খুব ভালো।	My grandma is very good.
44	Punjabi	ਦਾਦੀ / ਨਾਨੀ	DAA-dee / NAA-nee	ਮੇਰੀ ਦਾਦੀ ਬਹੁਤ ਪਿਆਰੀ ਹੈ।	My grandma is very lovely.
45	Gujarati	દાદી / નાની	DAA-dee / NAA-nee	મારી દાદી ખૂબ પ્રેમાળ છે.	My grandma is very loving.
46	Marathi	आजी	AA-jee	माझी आजी खूप प्रेमळ आहे.	My grandma is very loving.
47	Nepali	हजुरआमा	ha-JOOR-aa-mah	मेरी हजुरआमा मायालु हुनुहुन्छ।	My grandma is loving.
48	Sinhala	ආච්චි	AACH-chee	මගේ ආච්චි හොඳයි.	My grandma is good.
49	Tamil	பாட்டி	BAA-tee	என் பாட்டி அன்பானவர்.	My grandma is loving.
50	Telugu	అమ్మమ్మ	am-MAM-mah	మా అమ్మమ్మ చాలా మంచిది.	My grandma is very kind.
51	Kannada	ಅಜ್ಜಿ	AJ-jee	ನನ್ನ ಅಜ್ಜಿ ತುಂಬಾ ಒಳ್ಳೆಯವರು.	My grandma is very kind.
52	Malayalam	മുത്തശ്ശി	moot-THA-shshee	എന്റെ മുത്തശ്ശി സ്നേഹമുള്ളവളാണ്.	My grandma is loving.
53	Thai	ยาย / ย่า	yaai / yah	คุณยายใจดีมาก	Grandma is very kind.
54	Vietnamese	Bà	bah	Bà tôi rất hiền.	My grandma is very gentle.
55	Indonesian	Nenek	NEH-nek	Nenek saya sangat baik.	My grandma is very kind.
56	Malay	Nenek	NEH-nek	Nenek saya penyayang.	My grandma is loving.
57	Filipino	Lola	LOH-lah	Ang lola ko ay mabait.	My grandma is kind.
58	Javanese	Mbah Putri	mbah POO-tree	Mbah Putri kula sae.	My grandma is good.
59	Chinese (Mandarin)	奶奶 / 外婆	nǎi-nai / wài-pó	我的奶奶很慈祥。	My grandma is kind and gentle.
60	Japanese	おばあちゃん	oh-bah-AH-chan	おばあちゃんは優しいです。	My grandma is kind.
61	Korean	할머니	hal-MUH-nee	우리 할머니는 친절하세요.	My grandma is kind.
62	Mongolian	Эмээ	eh-MEH	Миний эмээ сайхан сэтгэлтэй.	My grandma is kind-hearted.
63	Kazakh	Әже	ah-ZHEH	Менің әжем мейірімді.	My grandma is kind.
64	Uzbek	Buvi	boo-VEE	Mening buvim mehribon.	My grandma is kind.
65	Swahili	Bibi	BEE-bee	Bibi yangu ni mkarimu.	My grandma is generous.
66	Afrikaans	Ouma	OH-mah	My ouma is baie lief.	My grandma is very loving.
67	Zulu	Ugogo	oo-GOH-goh	Ugogo wami unomusa.	My grandma is kind.
68	Xhosa	Umakhulu	oo-mah-KHOO-loo	Umakhulu wam unobubele.	My grandma is kind.
69	Haitian Creole	Grann	grahn	Grann mwen renmen fanmi an.	My grandma loves the family.
70	Esperanto	Avino	ah-VEE-noh	Mia avino estas afabla.	My grandma is kind.

How to Say Grandma in Different Languages

There is no single universal translation for “grandma.” Many languages have different words depending on family relationships, age, region, or whether the grandmother is from the mother’s or father’s side.

For example, Hindi and Urdu commonly distinguish between dadi, the father’s mother, and nani, the mother’s mother. Similarly, Chinese, Thai, Swedish, Danish, and several other languages can use different terms for maternal and paternal grandmothers.

In casual family conversations, people may also use affectionate forms that are different from the formal dictionary word.

Grandma in All Languages: Why the Words Are Different

The translations for grandma around the world reflect the importance of family relationships in language.

Some languages use a general word for grandmother, while others identify exactly which side of the family she belongs to. In many cultures, children also use affectionate versions of the formal term.

Words such as Nonna, Oma, Lola, Babcia, Baka, and Nana can sound very different, but they all represent a beloved grandmother in their respective cultures.

Grandma Translations Around the World

When searching for grandma translations, it is important to remember that pronunciation can vary between regions and families. A word may also have several accepted spellings when written in the Latin alphabet.

For language learners, the native spelling is usually the most useful form to learn first. The pronunciation column in this guide provides an easy approximation for English speakers.

Maternal and Paternal Grandma Terms

One of the most interesting features of grandma in different languages is the distinction between maternal and paternal grandmothers.

In Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi, Gujarati, and several related languages, different words identify the grandmother based on which parent she is related to. Mandarin Chinese also has separate terms for paternal and maternal grandmothers.

This distinction can make family relationships much clearer than simply using one word for “grandma.”

Why Learn the Word Grandma in Other Languages?

Learning how to say grandma in another language can be useful for travel, language learning, family research, cultural studies, and communication with relatives.

It can also help children understand how different cultures describe family members. Even a simple word such as “grandma” can reveal interesting differences in traditions and family structures.

Conclusion

The word grandma has dozens of beautiful forms around the world. From Abuela in Spanish and Nonna in Italian to Oma in Dutch, Lola in Filipino, and Avino in Esperanto, each language gives this special family relationship its own sound and character.

This list of grandma in different languages makes it easier to discover how people refer to grandmothers across cultures. If you are learning a new language, researching family terms, or simply curious about grandma in all languages, these translations provide a useful starting point.

FAQs:

“Grandma” has different names across languages, including Abuela in Spanish, Nonna in Italian, Oma in Dutch, Lola in Filipino, Babcia in Polish, and Baka in Croatian and Serbian.

2. How do you say grandma in Spanish?

Grandma in Spanish is abuela, pronounced approximately ah-BWEH-lah.

3. What is grandma called in Hindi and Urdu?

In Hindi and Urdu, dadi generally refers to the father’s mother, while nani refers to the mother’s mother.

4. What is the most common word for grandma?

There is no single most common word worldwide. Terms such as grandma, grandmother, nana, oma, abuela, nonna, and nani are widely used in different languages and cultures.

5. How do you say grandma in different languages?

You can use the 70-language table above to find the native phrase, pronunciation, and an example sentence for grandma in different languages.