In short, wherever you are in the world, there is an endearing name for your grandparents. And Australia is a strong contender too, with Nanna for grandmother, and for grandfather, Pop. We all know Nana and Papa, Grandma and Grandpa, Gramms and Gramps, and so on, but there are cuter still! In Louisiana, grandparents are Mawmaw & Pawpaw respectively. We’re not sure it gets much cuter than that!įinally, we suppose that English-speaking countries might also have produced some endearing names for their grandparents as well. In Irish Gaelic your grandmother is your Mhamó or Maimeó and your grandfather Seanathair or Daideó. In Hebrew our grandparents are Savta and Saba. Perhaps, like our grandparents, we shouldn’t have favorites, but of course, we all secretly do! In Hawaii your grandmother is your Tutu or Kuku, and your grandfather Tutu or Kane. With so many different language families across the European continent, it is easy to see why so many countries compete for cutest grandparent names! Our final favorites for Europe come from Hungary, with Nagymama for grandmother and Nagypapa for grandfather, and Romania, with Bunica and Bunic respectively. Ukrainian wins for all Slavic languages, however, with Baba for grandmother and Gigi for grandfather. You can see a similarity to this in Polish, where grandmothers are Babcia or more affectionately Babka, and grandfathers Dziadek. Many will already know that in Russia our grandmothers are Babushka and our grandfathers Dedushka. And for Iceland, your grandmother is your Amma and your grandfather your Afi. Continuing with Nordic countries, in Swedish your grandparents are Mormor and Morfar respectively. In Denmark, the Flemish for grandmother is Bomma and for grandfather Bonpa. In Greece, our grandparents are Yaya and Pappoús. For France, your grandmother is your Grandmére or Mémé and your grandfather Grandpére or Pépé. Italians call theirs Nonna and Nonno respectively.

In Germany, our grandmothers are Oma and grandfathers Opa. For Spanish-speaking countries like Mexico and Cuba, grandmothers are Abuela and grandfathers Abuelo - though as we all know, granny in Spanish is the beautiful Abuelita!Įurope, like Asia and Africa, is rich with its diversity in languages, which means there are so many beautiful ways to name our grandparents! For Portuguese-speaking countries like Brazil, grandmothers are Avó and grandfathers Avô. With that in mind, each country tends to use a variation on the words for grandparents in these languages. Photo via Wikimedia / Wikimedia South Americaįor the countries of South America, the predominant languages are Portuguese and Spanish. And finally, perhaps the easiest to remember of them all is Hausa, where grandmothers are Kaka and grandfathers Kakan. Yoruba is one of West Africa’s most widely spoken languages, calling grandmothers Iya-nla and grandfathers Baba ati. Amharic is another widely spoken language and the official language of Ethiopia, where grandmothers are Āyatē and grandfathers Āyati. For Swahili, the most widely spoken language across the continent, your grandmother is your Bibi and your grandfather Babu. Moroccan Arabic uses Jiddah and Jadd respectively.

The African continent also gives us some of the sweetest names for our grandparents.Īfrikaans call their grandmothers Ouma and their grandfathers Oupa. And finally in China, for your paternal grandparents, your grandmother is Nai Nai and grandfather Ye Ye, whereas for the maternal side of the family they are Lao Ye and Lao Lao. Telugu, the third most widely spoken language of India, calls its grandmother Awa and its grandfather Tata. In the Hmong language of Laos your grandmother is your Pog and your Grandfather your Yawg. In Cambodia, the Khmer for grandmother is Yeay and for grandfather Taa, which should be easy to remember!

Your Korean grandparents are Halmeoni and Halapoji respectively and in the Philippines the adorable Lola and Lolo.

In Japan, your grandmother is either Obachan or Sobo, and your grandfather Ojiisan or Sofu. Asia is home to some beautifully cute names for grandparents!

Oma grandmother name