gjyshe
feminine
The Albanian word for grandmother is gjyshe.
gjyshe refers to the mother of one's parent.
Meaning: mother of someone's parent (noun)
Which one should you use?
While gjyshe is the form used for a grandmother, the masculine form for a grandfather is often gjysh.
How does it change in a sentence?
Although gjyshe is marked as feminine, it is a word used for both grandmothers and grandfathers. To specifically refer to a grandfather, you may use gjysh.
Did you know?
- It is common for children to use the word gjyshe as a term of endearment or respect even for elderly women who are not blood relatives.
- The word gjyshe is derived from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'progenitor'. This links the Albanian word for grandmother to a prehistoric term for a common ancestor.
- While gjyshe is the standard term, some regions use different dialectal variations to distinguish between the maternal and paternal grandmother.
Example sentences for Albanian are not verified yet.
Example conversation
Majlinda and Ervin are looking at a family tree.
- MajlindaKush është kjo zonjë këtu?Who is this lady here?
- ErvinAjo është gjyshe e anës së babit.She is grandmother on the father's side.
- MajlindaAjo duket shumë e rinjë.She looks very young.
- ErvinPo, gjyshe kujdeset gjithmonë për veten.Yes, grandmother always takes care of herself.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “grandmother” translations and entries gjyshe, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries gjyshe, CC BY-SA 4.0.
