ሕፃን
ḥəṣ́an/ˈhɨsʼan/
The English word "baby" translates to Amharic as ሕፃን (ḥəṣ́an) or ማቲ.
Meaning: very young human being (noun)
Ways to say it
| Amharic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| ሕፃን | ḥəṣ́an | /ˈhɨsʼan/ |
| ማቲ | mati |
Both terms refer to a very young human being.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is ḥəṣ́an.
Did you know?
- The word ሕፃን shares an ancient root with the concept of 'small cattle' in Proto-Semitic languages.
- The sound of the ፃ in ሕፃን is a glottalized consonant, a rare phonetic feature that doesn't exist in English.
- In many Ethiopian households, the way one refers to a 'baby' changes depending on whether they are speaking to the child or about the child to an elder.
Example sentences for Amharic are not verified yet.
Example conversation
Helen and Dawit are looking at a photo of a newborn.
- ሄለን Helenይህ ሕፃን በጣም ያምራል።Yih hitsan betam yamiral.This baby is very beautiful.
- ዳዊት Dawitአዎ፣ ልክ እንደ እናቱ ነው።Awo, lik ende enatu new.Yes, he is just like his mother.
- ሄለን Helenየሕፃኑ ስም ማን ነው?Ye-hitsanu sim man new?What is the baby's name?
- ዳዊት Dawitስሙ ዮናስ ይባላል።Simu Yonas yiballal.His name is Jonas.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “baby” translations and entries ሕፃን, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ሕፃን, CC BY-SA 4.0.
