rhew
/r̥eːu̯/masculine
The English word ice can be translated into Welsh as rhew or iâ.
Meaning: water in frozen form (noun)
Ways to say it
| Welsh | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| rhew | /r̥eːu̯/ (North Wales) /r̥ɛu̯/ (South Wales) |
masculine |
| iâ | /jaː/ | masculine |
Both words refer to water in its frozen form.
Which one should you use?
iâ is typically used when referring to the substance of ice itself. In contrast, rhew is more commonly used to refer to frost or the general state of being frozen.
How does it change in a sentence?
iâ is a masculine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
/r̥eːu̯/
Did you know?
- The Welsh word rhew is a distant linguistic cousin to the English word 'freeze'.
- The word rhew has a cognate in the Cornish language, which is rew, showing the shared Celtic heritage of the Brythonic languages.
- While iâ is the standard word for the material, you will find rhew appearing in older poetry to evoke the feeling of a winter chill.
Examples in context
- Mae pêl-droed Americanaidd, pêl fas, pêl-fasged a hoci iâ yn cael eu gweld fel y chwaraeon nodweddiadol yng Ngogledd America.American football, baseball, basketball and ice hockey are seen as the typical sports of North America.This sentence is useful for seeing how iâ is used in the context of sports like ice hockey.Tatoeba #7832676 by sharris123, translation #7832861 by sharris123
- Rhew galedHard ice
- Mae rhew ar y lawn.There is ice on the lawn.
Example conversation
Rhys and Sian are preparing drinks in the kitchen.
- RhysSian, ble mae'r rhew?Sian, where is the ice?
- SianMae'n y cikin y frysgi, Rhys.It's in the freezer, Rhys.
- RhysDiolch, dw i angen rhew i'm ddiodrydd.Thanks, I need ice for my drink.
- SianMae'n yna yn y bachad.It is in the bucket.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “ice” translations and entries rhew, iâ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries iâ, rhew, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
