dada
/da.da/
dada is the French word for a child's word for father.
dada is a term used by infants to refer to their father.
Which one should you use?
While dada is used by infants, papa is the more common and standard nursery term for father in French.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 2 syllables and is pronounced /da.da/.
Did you know?
- French speakers use the phrase c'est mon dada to describe a particular passion or an obsession that they enjoy pursuing.
- The word dada gave its name to Dadaism, an avant-garde art movement that began in Zurich in 1916 to challenge traditional logic and aesthetics.
- The term dada is an example of 'reduplication', a linguistic phenomenon where a syllable is repeated to create a word that is easy for infants to pronounce.
Example conversation
Léa is helping Nathan's toddler identify his father.
- NathanOù est dada ?Where is daddy?
- LéaIl est juste là !He is right there!
- NathanCoucou dada !Hi daddy!
- LéaIl est content de te voir.He is happy to see you.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry dada, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
