mergaitė
[mʲɛr¹ˈɡɑˑɪtʲeː]feminine
The English word girl is translated into Lithuanian as mergaitė or mergina.
Meaning: young female person (noun)
Ways to say it
| Lithuanian | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| mergaitė | [mʲɛr¹ˈɡɑˑɪtʲeː] (narrow) | feminine |
| mergina | /mʲɛɾʲɡʲɪˈnɐ/ | feminine |
Both terms refer to a young female person, but they are used in different contexts depending on the age and social setting of the person being described.
Which one should you use?
mergaitė is used specifically for a female child or a young girl. In contrast, mergina is a more general term that can refer to a young woman. Furthermore, mergina is the more common term when referring to a female person in a romantic or social context, such as a girlfriend.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural forms for these words in the nominative case are merginos for mergina and mergaitės for mergaitė.
Did you know?
- Lithuanian is one of the most archaic Indo-European languages, meaning the root of these words preserves sounds found in ancient languages that English has lost.
- The word mergina is a linguistic paradox because it was originally a 'diminutive' form, meaning it was once a 'little girl' word that grew up to mean a 'young woman'.
- In traditional Lithuanian folklore, words for young women often carried specific connotations regarding their marriageable status and social role in the village.
Examples in context
- Ta mergaitė yra Merė.That girl is Mary.This sentence uses mergaitė to identify a specific girl.Tatoeba #4648807 by RL8A, translation #4530155 by CK
- Šita mergina panaši į vaikiną.This girl looks like a boy.This sentence uses mergina to describe a young woman.Tatoeba #11845375 by glavsaltulo, translation #12460651 by petrolukasido
- Tu esi graži mergina.You're a beautiful girl.This sentence uses mergina to compliment a young woman.Tatoeba #2749487 by kotik, translation #2545660 by CK
- Mano draugas susitiko puikią merginą.My friend met a great girl.
- Ar galiu tavęs pakviesti į muzikos festivalį, meilutė?Can I invite you to a music festival, sweetheart?
- 17 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Andrius and Austėja are looking at a photo of a child.
- AndriusKas ši mergaitė nuotraukoje?Who is this girl in the photo?
- AustėjaTai mano mažoji seserė.That is my little sister.
- AndriusMergaitė labai miela.The girl is very sweet.
- AustėjaAčiū, ji yra labai smalsi.Thank you, she is very curious.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “girl” translations and entries mergaitė, mergina, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries mergaitė, mergina, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
