caileag
/ˈkʰalak/feminine
The Gaelic word for girl is caileag. nighean also means girl and appears in songs and traditional speech. If unsure, use caileag.
Meaning: young female person (noun)
Ways to say it
| Gaelic | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| caileag | /ˈkʰalak/ | feminine |
| nighean | /ˈɲĩ.un/ (Lewis) /ˈɲiˑ.ən/ |
feminine |
caileag is the most common, modern word for a girl, a young female person. nighean is the word you meet in questions like is it a boy or a girl, and in old songs.
Which one should you use?
caileag is the everyday modern word. nighean is a more traditional or literary word for a girl or maiden.
How does it change in a sentence?
Both words are feminine nouns. The plural of caileag is caileagan.
How do you pronounce it?
caileag is pronounced /ˈkʰalak/, with the stress on the first syllable.
Did you know?
- The modern word caileag actually traces its roots back to a word meaning 'hussy' or 'strumpet'. It evolved from a term describing a woman of questionable character into the standard word for a young girl.
- The word caileag uses the diminutive suffix '-ag' to create its form. This is a common way in Gaelic to create a sense of endearment or to denote a smaller version of something.
Examples in context
- An cluinn thu mi, mo nighean donn?Will you listen to me, my brown-haired girl?Here mo nighean donn means my brown haired girl, a line in the style of a traditional song.
- An e balach no nighean a th' ann?Is it a boy or a girl?balach no nighean means a boy or a girl.Tatoeba #1516311 by Cainntear, translation #276835 by CK
- Tha caileag bhòidheach anns a’ phàipear ann.There is a beautiful girl on the paper.caileag bhòidheach means a beautiful girl.Tatoeba #851886 by marloncori, translation #851973 by marloncori
- an cailínThe girl
- Tá an cailín sonaThe girl is happy
Example conversation
Angus and Eilidh are talking about a neighbor's child.
- EilidhCoinneach thu ris a nighean?Did you meet his daughter?
- AngusChan eil, a bheil i na caileag òg?No, is she a young girl?
- EilidhTha, tha i na caileag glè chaluim.Yes, she is a very calm girl.
- AngusTha sin math a chluinnadh.That is good to hear.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “girl” translations and entries caileag, nighean, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries caileag, nighean, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0, Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
