seun
/syœn/
The Afrikaans word for 'boy' is seun.
seun is used to refer to a male child.
Which one should you use?
While seun refers to a male child, dogter is the word for a female child (daughter).
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of seun is seuns.
How do you pronounce it?
/syœn/
Did you know?
- The word seun serves as both the word for 'boy' and 'son', meaning the speaker's relationship to the child is implied by context rather than a different word.
- The word seun is a distant linguistic relative of the English word 'son'. Both words trace back to the same Proto-Indo-European root, making them 'cousins' in the Germanic family tree.
- In certain South African contexts, calling someone a seun can be a way of addressing a younger man in a friendly, informal manner, much like 'lad' or 'son' in English.
Examples in context
- Die seun is dapper.The boy is brave.
- Ons het 'n nuwe hoofseun.We have a new head boy.
- Hy is 'n slim sêuntjie.He is a clever boy.
- Die sêun gaan klipgooi.The boy is going to throw rocks.
- Die seuntjie is lief vir speelgoed.The boy loves toys.
- Sy het 'n klein seuntjie.She has a little boy.
- Ons is vriende, my seuntjie.We are friends, my boy.
- Die seun hardloop in die park.The boy is running in the park.
- Ek het 'n klein seun.I have a little boy.
- Daardie seun is baie slim.That boy is very clever.
Example conversation
Anika and Pieter are looking at a photograph of a child.
- AnikaWie is die seun in die foto?Who is the boy in the photo?
- PieterDit is my neef, Leo.That is my nephew, Leo.
- AnikaHy is 'n oulike seun.He is a cute boy.
- PieterJa, hy is baie lieflik.Yes, he is very lovely.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry seun, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries seun, CC BY-SA 4.0.
