uomo
/ˈwɔ.mo/masculine
The English word 'man' translates to uomo in Italian.
The most common way to say 'man' in Italian is uomo. It refers to an adult male human or the genus Homo.
Meaning: adult male human (noun)
Which one should you use?
While uomo refers to an adult male, ragazzo is used for a boy or a young man.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Venetian dialect, omo is frequently used instead of uomo.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of uomo is uomini.
How do you pronounce it?
{'ipa': '/ˈwɔ.mo/', 'syllables': 2, 'stressed_syllable': '1 of 2'}
Did you know?
- An Italian might refer to their husband as mio uomo in certain romantic or traditional contexts. This translates to 'my man' and carries a stronger connotation of protection or partnership than the standard word for husband.
- The Italian word for 'mankind' is umanità, which shares a root with uomo but functions as a feminine noun. This creates a grammatical contrast where the collective human race is feminine, but the individual 'man' is masculine.
- In Italian, calling someone an uomo can sometimes sound unnecessarily heavy or philosophical, as if you are discussing the entire human race rather than just an individual male.
Examples in context
- Tom è un uomo.Tom is a man.This sentence is useful for seeing how to identify a person as an uomo.Tatoeba #2463928 by Guybrush88, translation #2442285 by danepo
- È un uomo ora.She's a man now.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use uomo when describing a change in status.Tatoeba #3164791 by Guybrush88, translation #1886942 by Spamster
- Lui è un uomo.He's a man.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use uomo to describe a person.Tatoeba #4483258 by Guybrush88, translation #3127540 by PERCE_NEIGE
- L'uomo che vedi là è mio padre.The man you see over there is my father.
- Gli uomini hanno organizzato una riunione.The men have organized a meeting.
- I signori sono molto gentili.The gentlemen are very kind.
- Mi piace quel ragazzo.I like that guy/boy.
- Ho incontrato un tipo simpatico al bar.I met a nice guy at the bar.
- Quei tipi sono sempre divertenti.Those guys are always fun.
- 1857 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Giulia and Francesco are discussing a person they saw at the park.
- FrancescoHai visto quell'uomo?Did you see that man?
- GiuliaSì, era un uomo molto alto.Yes, he was a very tall man.
- FrancescoSembrava un uomo molto gentile.He seemed like a very kind man.
- GiuliaSì, Francesco, avevi ragione.Yes, Francesco, you were right.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “man” translations and entries uomo, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
