The Ukrainian name for grandfather is дід (did), and the affectionate everyday form that most Ukrainian children actually use is дідусь (didus). A grandmother is баба (baba), with the endearing form бабуся (babusya). In some western dialects, and among Ukrainian families in Canada, grandfather is also дідо (dido), pronounced “DEE-doh”.
Here is how each form is used, how to say and spell them, the words for grandmother that go with them, and what Ukrainian-American and Ukrainian-Canadian families commonly write on cards and family trees.
Dido, Did or Didus: Which Word to Use
- Дід (did): the basic noun, “grandfather, grandpa, old man”. It is the dictionary word and the one used when talking about a grandfather in the third person.
- Дідусь (didus): the diminutive and endearing form of дід, roughly “grandpa” or “granddad”. This is what a grandchild calls him to his face and the usual choice for a card or a gift.
- Дідо (dido): a dialectal form of дід meaning grandfather, common in western Ukraine and in the Ukrainian diaspora; many Canadian and American families of Galician descent say “Dido” or “Gido”.
- Other diminutives: дідунь (didun), дідуньо (didunyo) and дідок (didok) are further affectionate forms listed in the dictionary; in the Pokuttia and Bukovina regions and in Canada, ґідо (gido) is recorded as an alternative pronunciation.
How to Pronounce and Spell Them
- Дід: “deed”, one syllable, with a soft d.
- Дідусь: “dee-DOOS”, with the stress on the second syllable and a soft final s.
- Дідо: “DEE-doh”, stress on the first syllable.
- Баба: “BAH-bah”. Бабуся: “bah-BOO-syah”.
In Latin letters you will see did, didus, didus’, dido, gido and, for grandmother, baba, babusia, babusya and babcia (the last is Polish, not Ukrainian). None of these is wrong on a greeting card; families usually keep the spelling their grandparents used.
Ukrainian Words for Grandmother
- Баба (baba): “grandmother, granny, old woman”, and in some families the maternal grandmother in particular. On its own it can sound blunt, so children rarely use it as a name.
- Бабуся (babusya): the endearing form, “grandmother, mother of someone’s parent”, and the word most grandchildren use. It is the female counterpart to дідусь.
So the matching pair on a family tree or a card is дідусь and бабуся, or, in western and diaspora usage, дідо and баба.
Other Meanings of Дід and Баба
Both words carry old folk meanings as well as family ones. Дід is also the name for the ceremonial sheaf of grain, the сніп (snip), brought into the house for the Christmas Eve supper, and for one of the costumed mummers in a Malanka group at New Year. Баба is likewise a name given to the Christmas sheaf, and is the word for the sweet, blessed Easter bread known as baba or babka. Дід and баба can also mean an old man and old woman generally, and in folk tradition a баба could be a fortune teller who practised wax pouring. Context makes the meaning clear: at a family table, дідусь is simply grandpa.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What do Ukrainians call their grandfather? Дідусь (didus) when speaking to him, and дід (did) when speaking about him; дідо (dido) in the west and in the diaspora.
- Is “Dido” Ukrainian or Polish? Ukrainian. It is a dialectal form of дід; the Polish word for grandfather is dziadek.
- How do you write “Grandpa” in Ukrainian on a card? Дідусь, or “Дідусю” in the vocative form used when addressing him directly.
- What is the Ukrainian word for grandmother? Баба (baba), with the endearing form бабуся (babusya).
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