хреще́ний ба́тько
xreščényj bátʹkomasculine
The English word 'godfather' is translated into Ukrainian as хреще́ний ба́тько (xreščényj bátʹko). If unsure, use хреще́ний ба́тько. Wiktionary also lists хреще́ний (xreščényj) and хре́сний ба́тько (xrésnyj bátʹko).
Meaning: man present at the christening of a baby who promises to help raise the child in a Christian manner (noun)
Ways to say it
| Ukrainian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| хреще́ний ба́тько | xreščényj bátʹko | masculine |
| хреще́ний | xreščényj | masculine |
| хре́сний ба́тько | xrésnyj bátʹko | masculine |
| хре́сний | xrésnyj | masculine |
A godfather is a man present at the christening of a baby who promises to help raise the child in a Christian manner.
Which one should you use?
хреще́ний ба́тько is the full noun phrase for 'godfather', but in casual conversation, people often shorten it to just the adjective хреще́ний. Additionally, the forms хре́сний ба́тько and хре́сний are also used to mean godfather.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase changes based on grammatical case. For example, if you are saying 'I see my godfather', the phrase changes to хреще́ного ба́тька due to accusative case declension.
How do you pronounce it?
xreščényj bátʹko
Did you know?
- While many languages use a word for 'god' in the title, the Ukrainian term хре́сний is built from the root for 'cross', focusing on the physical ritual of the sign of the cross rather than the deity itself.
- In some Ukrainian folk traditions, the хреще́ний ба́тько is believed to possess a certain level of spiritual protection over the child's health and prosperity.
- In Ukrainian culture, the bond with a хреще́ний ба́тько is often treated as more legally and socially binding than a standard friendship, creating a secondary family structure known as 'spiritual kin'.
Example sentences for Ukrainian are not verified yet.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “godfather” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
