guella
The word for grandmother in Chamorro is guella.
guella is a noun used to refer to the mother of one's parent.
Meaning: mother of someone's parent (noun)
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Northern Mariana Islands, the variation Nana is used to mean grandmother.
Did you know?
- Chamorro is a matrilineal society historically, meaning that the lineage and inheritance of the guella were often more central to family identity than those of the grandfather.
- While guella refers specifically to a grandmother, the term Nana is frequently used as a title of respect for any elder woman in Chamorro culture.
- In a single conversation, a person might refer to their grandmother as guella when speaking about her to others, but switch to a term like Nana when speaking directly to her face.
Example conversation
Elena and Manuel are talking about their family.
- ElenaManu, håga i guella-mu?Manuel, is your grandmother here?
- ManuelHåga, i guella na'ha i kåno.Yes, grandmother is in the house.
- ElenaSi guella ga'chao?Is grandmother tired?
- ManuelHåga, i guella ga'chao.Yes, the grandmother is tired.
