ሴት ልጅ
set ləǧ/ˈset ˈlɨd͡ʒ/word by wordfeminine
The English word "girl" is translated into Amharic as ሴት ልጅ (set ləǧ) or ልጃገረድ.
Meaning: young female person (noun)
Ways to say it
| Amharic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| ሴት ልጅ | set ləǧ | /ˈset ˈlɨd͡ʒ/ (word by word) | feminine |
| ልጃገረድ | ləǧagäräd |
Both forms refer to a young female person.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase ሴት ልጅ is a compound consisting of ሴት, meaning female and ልጅ, meaning child or person.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express the plural "girls", use the form ልጃገረዶች.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈset ˈlɨdʒ/
Did you know?
- The phrase ሴት ልጅ can be used to describe a daughter even if she is a fully grown adult.
- The word ልጅ (child) is a distant relative of the Arabic word walada, which refers to the act of giving birth or a child.
- The word ልጃገረድ is frequently used in Ethiopian literature and poetry to evoke a sense of purity and innocence.
Examples in context
- ሴት ልጅ በጣም ቆንጆ ናት።set lij betam qonjo nat.The girl is very beautiful.
- እሷ ትንሽ ሴት ልጅ ናት።isswa tinnish set lij nat.She is a little girl.
Example conversation
ኤልያስ እና ኤልሳቤጥ ስለ ጓደኛቸው ልጅ እያወሩ ነው።
- ኤልያስ Eliasኤልሳቤጥ፣ ያቺ ሴት ልጅ ማን ናት?Elsabet, yachi set lij man nat?Elsabeth, who is that girl?
- ኤልሳቤጥ Elsabethጓደኛዬ ናት።gwadenyaye nat.She is my friend.
- ኤልያስ Eliasበጣም ደስ የሚል ሴት ልጅ ናት።betam des yemil set lij nat.She is a very lovely girl.
- ኤልሳቤጥ Elsabethአዎ፣ እሷ በጣም ደግ ናት።awo, isswa betam deg nat.Yes, she is very kind.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “girl” translations and entries ሴት ልጅ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (ሴት, ልጅ) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ልጅ, ሴት, CC BY-SA 4.0.
