cróga
/ˈkɾˠoːɡə/
The English word 'brave' is translated into Irish as cróga. Wiktionary also lists calma and misniúil.
Meaning: strong in the face of fear (adj)
Ways to say it
| Irish | IPA |
|---|---|
| cróga | /ˈkɾˠoːɡə/ (Connacht, Munster) /ˈkɾˠɔːɡə/ (Ulster) |
| calma | /ˈkal̪ˠəmˠə/ /ˈkalˠəmˠə/ |
| misniúil | |
| móruchtúil | |
| fearúil | /fʲaˈɾˠuːlʲ/ (Munster) /ˈfʲaɾˠuːlʲ/ (Connacht) |
The term is used to describe someone who is strong in the face of fear.
Which one should you use?
While cróga implies physical or heroic bravery, misniúil often refers to having mental strength, spirit or confidence.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
cróga is the masculine singular form of the adjective.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈkɾˠoːɡə/
Did you know?
- The word cróga is derived from cró, which means 'blood' or 'gore'. This suggests that bravery in early Irish culture was linked to the visceral reality of battle.
- In Irish, the adjective fearúil shares a root with the word for 'man' fear, suggesting an ancient linguistic link between masculinity and bravery.
- The adjective móruchtúil implies a sense of being 'great' or 'grand', derived from the root mór, which means 'big'.
Examples in context
- Is duine cróga é / í.He / she is brave.
Example conversation
Oisín and Aoife are talking about a scary movie.
- OisínAn bhí tú cróga ag féachaint air?Were you brave watching it?
- AoifeNí raibh mé cróga ar all!I wasn't brave at all!
- OisínTá tú cróga go soiléir, a Aoife.You are clearly brave, Aoife.
- AoifeGo raibh maith agat, a Oisín.Thank you, Oisín.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “brave” translations and entries cróga, calma, misniúil, móruchtúil, fearúil, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries calma, cróga, misniúil, móruchtúil, CC BY-SA 4.0.
