cù
/ˈkʰuː/masculine
The Gaelic word for dog is cù. Wiktionary also lists madadh.
Meaning: animal (noun)
Ways to say it
| Gaelic | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| cù | /ˈkʰuː/ | masculine |
| madadh | /ˈmat̪əɣ/ | masculine |
Both cù and madadh are masculine nouns used to refer to the animal dog.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In certain remote regions, particularly in the western parts of Scotland, the term Madadh-allaidh is used to mean a wild dog or wolf.
How does it change in a sentence?
When using the definite article an (the) with cù, the word remains cù because it is a monosyllabic noun starting with a consonant.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈkʰuː/
Did you know?
- The Gaelic word cù is a cognate of the Irish cú, which is the name of the legendary hero Cú Chulainn, meaning 'Culann's Hound'.
- The word madadh has a cognate in Manx called moddey, which appears in local legends about spectral hounds.
- The spelling of madadh follows a pattern where the 'dh' is often silent or extremely soft in modern speech, meaning you might not hear the 'd' sound at all when spoken.
Examples in context
- Tha mise cho sgìth ri cù!I am as tired as a dog.This sentence shows how to use cù in a comparison regarding tiredness.Tatoeba #5751674 by Catriona, translation #5751675 by Catriona
- Bha an cù anns a’ bhocsa fon bhòrd.The dog was in the box under the table.This sentence shows the position of cù in a sentence involving a box and a table.Tatoeba #851906 by marloncori, translation #851951 by marloncori
- Tha an cù donn beag ann fon bhòrd sin.There is a small brown dog under that table.This sentence demonstrates how to describe a cù using colors and size.Tatoeba #851887 by marloncori, translation #851972 by marloncori
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Isla and Angus are walking in the park.
- IslaA bheil cù agad, a Angus?Do you have a dog, Angus?
- AngusTha, tha cù mòr agam.Yes, I have a big dog.
- IslaCàite a bheil an cù?Where is the dog?
- AngusTha e an seo!He is here!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “dog” translations and entries cù, madadh, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cù, madadh, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
