bacio
/ˈba.t͡ʃo/
bacio is the Italian word for kiss.
bacio refers to a kiss, which is the act of touching someone with the lips as a sign of love or greeting.
Which one should you use?
While bacio is the standard term, you can use the diminutive bacino to mean a little kiss or the informal Un bacione to mean a big kiss.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of bacio is baci. To express affection, you can also use the diminutive form bacino, which means a little kiss.
How do you pronounce it?
bacio is pronounced /ˈba.tʃo/. It has 2 syllables, and the stress is on the 1st syllable.
Did you know?
- In Italian, the word for a 'kiss' can be used metaphorically in sports, such as when a ball just barely touches the edge of a goal or a net.
- In certain Italian dialects, the word for 'kiss' is thought to stem from a root meaning 'shady' or 'dark'.
- While English uses 'kiss' as both a noun and a verb, bacio is strictly a noun. To describe the action, Italians must switch to the verb baciare.
Examples in context
- Le mando un bacioI send you a kiss
- Ti mando un bacinoI send you a little kiss
- Ti mando un bacione grandeI send you a big kiss
- Un bacio per te.A kiss for you.
- Ti mando un bacio.I send you a kiss.
- Ho ricevuto un bacio sulla guancia.I received a kiss on the cheek.
- Il suo bacio è stato molto dolce.His kiss was very sweet.
Example conversation
Martina and Lorenzo are saying goodbye over the phone.
- MartinaCiao Lorenzo, a presto!Bye Lorenzo, see you soon!
- LorenzoSì, Martina, un bacio!Yes, Martina, a kiss!
- MartinaAnche a te, un bacio grande.To you too, a big kiss.
- LorenzoA presto!See you soon!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry bacio, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bacio, CC BY-SA 4.0.
