maiale
/maˈja.le/masculine
In Italian, the English phrase pig is translated as maiale. If unsure, use maiale. Wiktionary also lists porco and suino.
Meaning: mammal of family Suidae (noun)
Ways to say it
| Italian | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| maiale | /maˈja.le/ | masculine |
| porco | /ˈpɔr.ko/ | masculine |
| suino | /suˈi.no/ | masculine |
The word is used to refer to the mammal of the family Suidae. In a colloquial sense, it is often used to call someone a pig, typically describing someone who is messy or lacks manners.
Which one should you use?
maiale is the standard and neutral term for the animal. porco is a more vulgar term frequently used as an insult to describe someone who is dirty or behaves lewdly. suino is a technical or formal term used primarily in agricultural, veterinary or culinary contexts.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural of maiale is maiali, the plural of porco is porci and the plural of suino is suini.
How do you pronounce it?
/maˈja.le/. The word has 3 syllables and the stress is on the 2nd syllable.
Did you know?
- The term porco appears in common Italian blasphemous expressions known as bestemmie, which are socially taboo in many settings.
- The word maiale is derived from the name of Maia, the Greek and Roman goddess of spring and growth.
- The word porco is a linguistic relative of the English word 'pork', though the latter refers only to the meat and not the animal.
Examples in context
- È un tale porco.You're such a pig.This sentence shows how porco can be used as an insult.Tatoeba #3552428 by Guybrush88, translation #1895562 by CK
- Tom è un maiale!Tom is a pig!This sentence uses maiale to call someone a pig.Tatoeba #5136881 by Guybrush88, translation #5136555 by Airvian
- Lei è un maiale.You're a pig.Tatoeba #5355446 by Guybrush88, translation #2218034 by CK
- Maria lavora in una fattoria e si occupa dei maiali.Maria works on a farm and takes care of the pigs.
- Il porco è un animale che si alleva in molti paesi per la carne.Swine is an animal that is farmed for meat in many countries.
- Andrea ha adottato un piccolo porcellino come animale domestico.Andrea adopted a little piglet as a pet.
- Durante la Pasquetta, abbiamo fatto un barbecue con della carne di suino.During Easter Monday, we had a barbecue with some pork meat.
- 146 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
At a farm in the countryside.
- LorenzoGuarda quel maiale rosa.Look at that pink pig.
- ChiaraÈ molto carino.It is very cute.
- LorenzoIl maiale mangia molto.The pig eats a lot.
- ChiaraSì, è molto affamato.Yes, he is very hungry.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “pig” translations and entries maiale, porco, suino, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries maiale, porco, suino, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
