jongen
/ˈjɔ.ŋə(n)/masculine
The Dutch word for boy is jongen.
The word jongen refers to a male child.
Meaning: male child (noun)
Which one should you use?
The word jongen is used for a single male child, while jongens is the plural form meaning boys.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
While jongen means boy, the word gast is more commonly used in informal settings to refer to a male person or 'guy'.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of jongen is jongens.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 2 syllables, with the stress on the 1st syllable. The IPA is /ˈjɔ.ŋə(n)/.
When do people say it?
Related expressions such as jongens, tsjongejonge or zo! can be used to express surprise or pleasure.
Did you know?
- Dutch speakers sometimes use jongens to address a mixed-gender group of friends, similar to how 'guys' is used in English.
- While jongen refers to a boy, the word gast literally means 'guest' but is used informally to mean 'guy' or 'dude'.
- In some traditional Dutch contexts, the term jongen was used to refer to a young male servant or assistant, regardless of his actual age.
Examples in context
- Dit is de jongen.This is the boy.This sentence is useful for identifying a specific jongen.Tatoeba #388048 by Dorenda, translation #56312 by CM
- Ik zie de jongen.I see the boy.This sentence is useful for describing the act of seeing a jongen.Tatoeba #8207171 by Elsofie, translation #1130019 by jdonnarumma
- Ik ben een jongen.I am a boy.This sentence is useful for stating that one is a jongen.Tatoeba #949375 by martinod, translation #453328 by saasmath
- Hé kerel, wat ga je vanavond doen?Hey dude, what are you doing tonight?
- 257 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Emma are watching children play in a park.
- LucasKijk, die jongen heeft een hond.Look, that boy has a dog.
- EmmaWat een lieve jongen is hij.What a sweet boy he is.
- LucasHij rent heel hard.He is running very fast.
- EmmaJa, hij is erg actief.Yes, he is very active.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “boy” translations and entries jongen, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
