Grandma Names in 40 Different Languages

Grandma is Abuela in Spanish, Nonna in Italian, Oma in German, Mamie in French, Babcia in Polish, Yiayia in Greek, Halmoni in Korean, and Bibi in Swahili — and that’s eight of the forty gathered below, grouped by region with rough pronunciations for each. Consider this the atlas page: if a heritage name is anywhere in your family tree, it’s on this list, and a name with a story already attached is the easiest naming win there is. For the full master list of every style, start at my grandma names guide.

One pattern to enjoy before we travel: many languages keep separate names for each side of the family — one word for your mother’s mother, another for your father’s — which neatly solves the two-grandmother problem that English families negotiate at baby showers. And nearly everything below is built from the sounds babies say first, which is not a coincidence. On to the map.

Romance and Mediterranean Europe

Spanish: Abuela (ah-BWEH-lah), warmed in Mexican families into Abuelita, Lita, and Abue
Italian: Nonna (NOHN-nah) — hold that double N; the diminutive Nonnina is a hug in word form
French: Grand-mère (grahn-MAIR) formally; at the table she’s Mamie (mah-MEE) or Mémé (may-MAY)
Portuguese: Avó (ah-VAW); doubled by little mouths into Vovó
Greek: Yiayia (yah-YAH) — also spelled Yaya, and firmly established on American playgrounds now

The Spanish and French branches each earned a full tour of their own — my Mexican grandma names post explains those loving diminutives, and the French grandma names post untangles Mémé from Mémère. Italy’s is in my Italian grandma names deep dive, pronunciation drills included.

Northern Europe

German: Oma (OH-mah), with Omi for extra warmth — a top-tier toddler name in any language
Dutch: Oma as well; Grootmoeder is strictly for paperwork
Swedish: Mormor for your mother’s mother, Farmor for your father’s — wonderfully literal
Norwegian: Bestemor (BES-teh-moor) — often translated, charmingly, as “best mother”
Danish: Bedstemor, likewise splitting into Mormor and Farmor by side of the family
Icelandic: Amma (AH-mah) — two letters shy of perfect efficiency
Finnish: Mummo or Mummi — as cozy as a wool sock

The Celtic corner

Irish: Mamó (mah-MOH) and Móraí (MOH-ree) in Irish; most families day to day say Nana or Granny
Welsh: Nain (rhymes with “mine”) in the north of Wales; Mam-gu (mam-GHEE) in the south
Scottish Gaelic: Seanmhair (roughly SHEN-uh-var); most Scottish grandkids call her Granny

Ireland’s naming shelf — fadas, pronunciations, and the Nana diplomacy — gets its own tour in my Irish grandma names post.

Central and Eastern Europe

Polish: Babcia (BAHB-cha), with Babunia for cuddles; Busia is common in Polish-American families
Czech: Babička (BAH-beech-kah)
Hungarian: Nagymama (NODJ-mah-mah) — literally “big mama” — with Nagyi for short
Romanian: Bunica (boo-NEE-kah)
Croatian: Baka (BAH-kah)
Bulgarian: Baba (BAH-bah)
Russian: Babushka (BAH-boosh-kah — stress at the front, whatever the movies told you)
Ukrainian: Babusya (bah-BOO-syah), with Baba for short
Yiddish: Bubbe (BUH-bee) — also spelled Bubbie or Bobe, and always the boss of the kitchen

The Middle East, Caucasus and Africa

Arabic: Teta, Sitto, or Jidda, depending on region — Teta is common across the Levant
Hebrew: Savta (SAHV-tah), sometimes spelled Safta
Turkish: Anneanne for your mother’s mother, Babaanne for your father’s, and Nine (NEE-neh) for either
Armenian: Tatik (tah-TEEK)
Persian: Maman Bozorg — literally “big mama”; Madar-bozorg is the formal version
Swahili: Bibi or Nyanya — both warm, both wonderfully sayable

Asia and the Pacific

Hindi: Dadi for your father’s mother, Nani for your mother’s — often lengthened lovingly to Dadi Ma and Nani Ma
Urdu: Dadi and Nani likewise, same warm system
Chinese (Mandarin): Nai Nai for the paternal grandmother; Lao Lao or Wai Po for the maternal
Japanese: Obaachan (oh-BAH-chan) — the everyday affectionate name
Korean: Halmoni (hahl-MOH-nee)
Vietnamese: Bà nội for the paternal side, Bà ngoại for the maternal
Thai: Ya for your father’s mother, Yai for your mother’s
Tagalog (Filipino): Lola (LOH-lah) — a playground favorite far beyond the Philippines now
Indonesian: Nenek (NEH-nek)
Hawaiian: Tutu (TOO-too) — often used for grandparents of both kinds

Why so many sound alike

You may have noticed the world’s grandmothers cluster around the same sounds: baba, nana, mama, ama. That’s not migration — it’s babies. The easiest syllables for infants to produce are the ones grandmother names are built from, in every language, on every continent. We are all, linguistically speaking, named by committee — and the committee is six months old and drooling. It’s the same reason the toddler edit wins in every country, no matter what the adults planned.

FAQ: grandma names in different languages

What is grandma in the most languages?

Variations of “baba” and “nana” appear across a remarkable number of unrelated languages — Baba in Bulgarian and Ukrainian, Babcia in Polish, Babushka in Russian, Nana across the English-speaking world — because they’re built from the first sounds babies babble.

Which languages have different names for each grandmother?

Quite a few keep the sides of the family distinct: Swedish (Mormor/Farmor), Turkish (Anneanne/Babaanne), Mandarin Chinese (Nai Nai/Lao Lao), Hindi and Urdu (Dadi/Nani), Thai (Ya/Yai), and Vietnamese (Bà nội/Bà ngoại) among them. It’s a ready-made answer to the two-grandmother problem.

Can I use a grandma name from another language?

The best heritage names have a thread to pull — ancestry, an in-law, a language the grandchild is learning. If the thread exists, claim the name and teach its story; that’s how these words survive generations abroad. If not, plenty (Nana, Oma, Lola, Gigi) have gone fully international anyway.

What’s the easiest foreign grandma name for a toddler to say?

The two-syllable, repeated-sound names win every time: Oma, Amma, Baka, Lola, Tutu, Yaya, Nai Nai. If a name is built from a sound a baby already makes, you’ll hear it back — correctly — before their second birthday.