zia
feminine
The Sicilian word for aunt is zia.
zia is a feminine noun used to refer to a parent's sister or sister-in-law.
Meaning: a parent's sister or sister-in-law (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of zia is zie.
Did you know?
- If you call a stranger zia in a traditional Sicilian village, you are not being overly familiar, but rather showing proper respect for her age and status.
- When speaking to a child, a Sicilian might use the diminutive ziazzina to refer to an aunt in a sweeter, more affectionate way.
- Sicilian uses the word zia for both the father's sister and the mother's sister, unlike some other languages that have distinct words for paternal and maternal aunts.
Examples in context
- Me zia avi tri picciriddi.My aunt has three children.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use zia when talking about a relative's children.Tatoeba #619768 by Dario, translation #64930 by CK
- Voni a visitari a zia.I am going to visit my aunt.
Example conversation
Antonio and Giulia are looking at old family photos.
- AntonioChiù è sta femmina n'a foto?Who is this woman in the photo?
- GiuliaChidda è a me zia Maria.That is my aunt Maria.
- AntonioÈ assai bedda.She is very beautiful.
- GiuliaSì, a me zia è sempri stata accussì.Yes, my aunt has always been like that.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “aunt” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
