bunică
/buˈnikə/feminine
The Romanian word for grandmother is bunică. If unsure, use bunică. Wiktionary also lists mamaie and mamă mare.
Meaning: mother of someone's parent (noun)
Ways to say it
| Romanian | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| bunică | /buˈnikə/ | feminine |
| mamaie | [maˈmaje] (narrow) | feminine |
| mamă mare | /ˈma.mə ˈma.re/ (word by word) | feminine |
The term refers to the mother of one's parent.
Which one should you use?
While bunică is the standard noun, mamă mare is another way to express the concept of a grandmother. Mamaie is a colloquial, more casual version.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Bunică is the standard term. Mamaie is informal and colloquial, similar to the English 'granny' or 'grandma'. An affectionate and diminutive way to refer to a grandmother is Bunicuță.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of bunică is bunicii. When expressing possession, such as 'of a grandmother', the genitive singular form unei bunici is used.
How do you pronounce it?
/buˈnikə/
Did you know?
- While mare in mamă mare means 'big', it is a homonym of the Romanian word for 'sea'.
- The term mamă mare literally means 'big mother'. It is a Romanian equivalent to the concept of a grandmother.
Examples in context
- Lupul o mâncă pe bunică!The wolf ate the grandmother!This sentence uses bunică to show its role in a story context.Tatoeba #13954849 by Ioan_Cristian, translation #13954846 by Ioan_Cristian
- Lupul o mâncă mai întâi pe bunică, apoi pe Scufița Roșie.The wolf ate the grandmother first, and then Little Red Riding Hood.This sentence uses bunică to show the order of events in a story context.Tatoeba #13973379 by Ioan_Cristian, translation #13973378 by Ioan_Cristian
Example conversation
Maria is showing Stefan a family photograph.
- MariaUite, aceasta este bunică.Look, this is my grandmother.
- StefanEste foarte frumoasă!She is very beautiful!
- MariaDa, bunică este o persoană blandă.Yes, grandmother is a gentle person.
- StefanÎmi place să o cunosc.I would love to meet her.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “grandmother” translations and entries bunică, mamaie, mamă mare, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (mamă, mare) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bunică, mamaie, mamă, mare, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
