ሕጻን
ḥəṣan
The Tigrinya word for "baby" is ሕጻን (ḥəṣan).
The word ሕጻን is used to refer to both a baby and a small child.
Meaning: very young human being (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of ሕጻን is ሕጻናት, which means "babies" or "children".
How do you pronounce it?
ḥəṣan
Did you know?
- The word ሕጻን shares a common root with the Arabic word for 'bosom' or 'breast', implying a connection to the physical act of being held or nursed.
- In Tigrinya, using ሕጻን to describe an adult can be a common way to express that someone is acting in a very childish or immature manner.
- Calling a romantic partner ሕጻን would sound literal rather than romantic because Tigrinya does not use the word for 'baby' as a term of endearment for adults.
Example conversation
Two people are looking at a photo of a newborn.
- ርእሳ Re'esaዳዊት፡ ሕጻን እዚ ንምርእዮ ትደሊዶ፧Dawit, hitsan ezi nimri'yo tidelido?Dawit, do you want to see this baby?
- ዳዊት Dawitእወ ርእሳ፡ ብጣዕሚ ይሕብብ እዩ።Ewe Retsa, bita'mi yihibib eyu.Yes Retsa, he is very sweet.
- ርእሳ Re'esaሕጻን እዚ ንመዓዛ ይመስል እዩ።Hitsan ezi nme'aza yimesil eyu.This baby looks like a flower.
- ዳዊት Dawitእወ፡ ብጣዕሚ ይሕብብ እዩ።Ewe, bita'mi yihibib eyu.Yes, he is very lovable.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry ሕጻን, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ሕጻን, CC BY-SA 4.0.
