How Do You Say "Butterfly"?
Here are just a few ways (204 as of June 2, 2003) in which our friends say "butterfly". We would appreciate if you could add to our list. We are most eager to hear from Native Americans. (Our good friend, Pol Grymonprez of Ghent, Belgium, the source of many of our words, has pointed out that there are 4000 - 5000 languages in the world, so we've only covered about 4% of the languages.)
Note: certain words are followed by (?) indicating that the word has not been double-checked.
| Language (Country): | Word: | |
| Aja-Gbe (Benin, Togo) | pkolinouhoin (PG) | |
| Afrikaans (South Africa) | skoenlapper, schärlink(?) | |
| Albanian (Albania) | flutura | |
| Amharic (Ethiopia) | birrabirro (PG) | |
| Anglo Saxon | fifoldara | |
| Arabic (Standard) | farasha, abu daqeek(?) | |
| Arabic (Algeria) | bofertoto, bu frtutu | |
| Arabic (Morocco) | fertito | |
| Arabic (Tunisia) | fartattu | |
| Aragonese | birabolas(?), pitazana(?) | |
| Armenian (Eastern) | teeter, titer, teeterneeg, teeternig (PG) | |
| Armenian (Western) | teeterneeg, teeternig (PG) | |
| Ayamara | taparacu (?) (PG) | |
| Baagandji (New South Wales, Australia) | bilyululijga | |
| Balinese (Indonesia) | kupukupu (PG) | |
| Bangla ('Bengali', Bangladesh) | projapoti, prajapati (thanks to Dr AA Rahmann, Melbourne, Australia) | |
| Bambura | dimago | |
| Basque | tximeleta, pinpirin, pinpilinpauxa | |
| Bengali | prajapathi | |
| Berber (North Africa) | tèfètuth (PG) | |
| Bulgarian (Bulgaria) | peperooda, peperootka (PG) | |
| Buli (Gur language in N. Ghana) | kpalo? | |
| Burmese (Burma) | lapia (PG) | |
| Byelorussian | matylok | |
| Cantonese | woo deep | |
| Cape Verdean Criolu | gorgoleta | |
| Catalan (Ancient) | papalló | |
| Catalan (Dialectical) | paloma, palometa, babaiana | |
| Cebuano (Philippines) | Alibangbang/kaba-kaba | |
| Central Carrier (Western Canada) | tsangwelht'ah | |
| Chamorro | ababang (thanks to Diane Bachelder) | |
| Cherokee (Native American) | kamama | |
| Cheyenne (Native American) | hevavahkema | |
| Chinese | hu die | |
| Croatian | leptir | |
| Czech | motýl | |
| Dagon | peplim (pee plim´) | |
| Danish (Denmark) | sommerfugl (=summer bird) | |
| Danish (N. Jutland) | sommerflue | |
| Danish (S. Jutland) | skurvefugl | |
| Deri (Afghanistan) | showparak (PG) | |
| Dhivehi (Maldives) | kokaa | |
| Djingli (Australian N.T.) | marlimarlirni | |
| Dutch (Netherlands) | vlinder | |
| English | butterfly | |
| English (Middle English) | buterflie (PG) | |
| English (Old English) | buttorfleoge (PG) | |
| Esperanto | papilio | |
| Estonian (Estonia) | liblikas | |
| Ewe (Togo) | dyekpakpa (PG) | |
| Farsi (Persian - Iran) | parvanè or parvanèh (stress on final è-sound - PG) | |
| Fijian (Fiji) | bebe (pronounced mbeh-mbeh, 'eh' elongated) from "A New Fijian Dictionary", 1968 (Thanks to John Ragg) | |
| Finnish (Finland) | perhonen | |
| Font (Benin) | awadapepe (PG) | |
| French | papillon | |
| Fulani | lilldeh | |
| Gaelic (Ireland) | feileacan, follican (PG) | |
| Gaelic (Scotland) | dearbadan-de, dealan-dé (PG) | |
| Galician | volvoreta | |
| Gen (Ghana) | abèbe, abè, abey (PG) | |
| Georgian (Georgia, former USSR republic) | pepela (PG) | |
| German (Germany) | schmetterling | |
| German (poetic) | falter (PG) | |
| Greek (Modern) | petalou'da | |
| Greek (Ancient) | psyche | |
| Gujarati (India) | patangeo, patangiyu (PG) | |
| Gurage (Ethiopia) | billambilloot (PG) | |
| Hadiya (Ethiopia) | birabira (PG) | |
| Hausa (Nigeria) | bude littafi, malam bu'de littafi (PG) | |
| Hawaiian (Hawaii) | pulelehua | |
| Hebrew (Israel) | parpar | |
| Hindi | titli; thithili | |
| Hmong (Vietnam) | npau npaim | |
| Hopi (Native American - United States) | masivie (PG) | |
| Huastec (Mexico) | lemtutu | |
| Hungarian (Hungary) | lepke pillango, pillangok (pl) |
|
| Ibu (Nigeria) | olookolombooka (PG) | |
| Icelandic (Iceland) | fidrildi | |
| Ila (Zambia) | inkongolo; sikapempenya | |
| Ilocano (Phillipines) | kulibangbang | |
| Indonesian | kupu-kupu, rama rama | |
| Inupiak (Alaskan native language) | taqalukisaq | |
| Italian (Italy) | farfalla | |
| Jacaltec (Mexico) | nam | |
| Japanese (Japan) | choo; chou chou; chocho | |
| Javanese | kupu | |
| Kamaba (Kenya) | kimbalut'ya (PG) | |
| Kambatenga (Ethiopia) | bilatishu (PG) | |
| Kannada (South India) | chitta ("spots"), baruthe, barutha (PG) | |
| Karok (NW California, nearly extinct) | xatimniim | |
| Kashmiri (India/Pakistan) | titili (PG) | |
| Kikongo (Congo Brazaville) | lumbebeba (PG) | |
| Kikuyu (Kenya) | kihuruta (PG) | |
| Kirwanda (Rwanda) | ikinyugunyugu (PG) | |
| Kitaita | kifurute | |
| Koasati (AL, LA, TX - United States) | hacokpalpa | |
| Kokani (India) | pakho (PG) | |
| Konni (Gur language in N. Ghana) | kpanjabi? | |
| Korean (Korea) | nahby; nabi | |
| Krio (Sierra Leone) | butterfly (PG) | (From single source not a high confidence) |
| Kroboo (Ghana) | kutuu (PG) | |
| Kurdish (Turkey) | sepirek, pürpüruk (PG) | |
| Kwanyama (Namibia/Angola border) | onanga | |
| Kwara'áe: (a language of the Pacific) | bébe | |
| Lakhotah Sioux (Native American) | kimimila (key-me'-me-lah) | |
| Lamba (Zambia) | ici-pempele | |
| Lan (a language of the Pacific) | bébe | |
| Lao | meng kabeua; maingkabula | |
| Latin | papilio | |
| Latvian (Latvia) | taurins; tauriøð | |
| Lihua (Sudan) | ukulukula (PG) | |
| Lingala (Democratic Republic of Congo) | kipouzala (PG); mpornboli | |
| Lithuanian (Lithuania) | drugelis; peteliske; petelishke | |
| Luo | oguyo | |
| Majang (Nilo-Saharan) | bimbilo | |
| Malayalam (Kerala-South India) | poompatta (meaning insect like a flower) | |
| Malay | kupukupu; ramarama | |
| Malaysian | rama-rama | |
| Maltese | farfett | |
| Mandarin (China) | hu-tieh | |
| Mandingo (Ivory Coast) | vrievran (PG) | |
| Manobo (Philipines) | kelivangbang | |
| Maori | pepeké | |
| Maranao (Philipines) | paroparo | |
| Marathi (India) | phulpakhru, phoolpaharu (PG) | |
| Masai | osampurumpuri | |
| Mayan | pepen | |
| Mayi-Kulan (Queensland, Aus.) | pardirr | |
| Mekeo (Austronesian lang. of SE Papua) | fefe; fefe-fefe | |
| Mekeo (West) | pepeo | |
| Mende (Sierra Leone) | buwa (PG) | |
| Mopan (Mexico) | pempem | |
| Moré (Burkina Faso) | pilimpiko; abaga (PG) | |
| Motu (Papua) | kau-bebe | |
| Mukuni (Zambia) | limpempele | |
| Nahuatl (Aztec) | paplotl; papalotl (PG) | |
| Navajo (Native American) | k'aalogii (accent on "o"); ho'o neno | |
| Nepali (Nepal) | putali | |
| Neuro (Ethiopia) | mantech (PG) | |
| Ngaju Dayak (Indonesia) | kakupo | |
| Norwegian | sommerfugl | |
| Oriya (India) | prajapati (PG) | |
| Oromic (Ethiopia) | billaacha (PG) | |
| Paiute (Western USA) | tsoapu | |
| Paiwan (native to Taiwan) | kalidungudungul | |
| Pakistan (Northern region) | palmandook | |
| Patois of St. Thomas | zanimo | |
| Persian | parvaneh | |
| Peul (Guinée Conakry) | pucharlar (PG) | |
| Peul (Mauritania) | bidilallah, bedelallah (PG) | |
| Peul (Sierra Leone) | palapala (PG) | |
| Palauan | bangikoi | |
| Polish (Poland) | motyl | |
| Portuguese (Portugal) | borboleta | |
| Quechua (Bolivia, Peru) | aliñuahi(?), urubamba(?), pilpintu, pillpintu, pirpintu, pilipintu, pilhpintu (PG) | |
| Roma (Gypsy language, Slovakia) | lepetka (PG) | |
| Romanian (Romania) | fluture, fluturi (PG) | |
| Russian (Russia) | bábochka; babochka | |
| Samoan (Samoa and American Samoa) | Pepe (thanks to Ama Tuatoo) | |
| Sardic (Sardinia, Italy) | mariavolavola (PG) | |
| Senegalese | lupe lupe | |
| Sepedi (South Africa) | serurubele (PG) | |
| Serbo-Croat | leptir | |
| Setwana (Botswana) | serurubele (PG) | |
| Shona | shavishavi | |
| Sidamo (Ethiopia) | bilach'a (PG) | |
| Sign Language | interlocked thumbs, flapping hands like wings | |
| Sinhala (Sri Lanka) | samanalaya | |
| Sioux (Native American) | kimimi | |
| Slovak (Slovakia) | motýl (Thanks to B. Uhrik) | |
| Slovenian | metulj | |
| Somali (N.E. Africa) | balanbaalis | |
| Sotho | sororomele; serurubele | |
| Soussous (Guinée Conakry) | chuani (PG) | |
| Spanish | mariposa | |
| Spanish (Ancient and Dialectical) | paloma, palomica ('dove') | |
| Sranantongo (Surinam) | kaperka (PG) | |
| Sumatra Barat (Indonesia) | angiak (PG) | |
| Swahili | kipepeo; kungu-urumu | |
| Swazi (Swaziland) | luvivane | |
| Swedish (Sweden) | fjäril | |
| Swiss German | Schmätterling | |
| Tagalog (Philippines) | paru-paro | |
| Tatar (a Turkic language) | kübelek | |
| Taiwanese (Taiwan) | ya-a | |
| Tamil (India) | vannattuppucci; pattampoochi | |
| Telegu (India) | chetakoka chiluka; sitakoka chiluka (PG) | |
| Teso (Uganda, Kenya) | eporiporit (PG) | |
| Tewa (Native American) | pojoaque | |
| Thai (Thailand) | meng peeseua; pi sugnya | |
| Tigre (Ethiopia) | tsenblale (PG) | |
| Tigrigna (Ethiopia) | tsimblalee'a (PG) | |
| Tiwi (Melville & Bathurst Islands, Aus.) | kwarikwaringa | |
| Tok Pisin (New Guinea) | bataplai; bembe | |
| Tshiluba (Congo-Zaire) | bulubulu (PG) | |
| Tok Pisin (Melanesian Pidgin) | bataplai | |
| Trukese | nipwisipwis | |
| Tshiluba (Zaire) | bulubulu | |
| Turkish (Turkey) | kelebek | |
| Turkmen (Turkmenistan) | chuturast, kelebek (PG) | |
| Twi (Ghana) | afafranto (PG) | |
| Ukrainian (Ukraine) | metelyk | |
| Urdu (Pakistan) | titli | |
| Urubu (Nigeria) | iyenye, yenjè (PG) | |
| Vietnamese (Vietnam) | buom buom; ho diep | |
| Visayan (Philippines) | kabakaba | |
| Welsh (Wales) | gloyn byw; bayboum; bili bala | |
| Wik-Ngathan (Australia) | kalpakalpay | |
| Wolaytigna (Ethopia) | mukaw (PG) | |
| Xhosa (Eastern Cape) | ibhabhathane | |
| Xitchangani (Bantu lang. of Mozambique) | phapharati | |
| Yiddish | schmetterling; zomerfeygele; flaterl | |
| Yoruba | labalaba | |
| Yup'ik (Alaskan native language) | Caqelngataq | |
| Zulu | iveveshane; uvemvane | |
| !Xu (Bushman language of the Kalahari Desert | Dhad'hama |
NOTES:
(PG) Thanks to Pol Grymonprez of Ghent, Belgium.
Thanks to J. Akers Pence of the University of Florida for some of the above.
The following list was sent to us by Nicola Stratford of Australia, taken from Macquarie "Aboriginal Words" dictionary.
| Aboriginal People: | Word: |
| Bundjalung | banjalahm |
| Datiwuy | buurnba |
| Diyari | karlipilhi |
| Gooniyandi | malimali |
| Murrinh-Patha | manman |
| Nyungar | bataplai |
| Paakantyi | pilyu-pilyuka |
| Sydney | burudyara |
| Wik-Mungkan | konkoniyang |
| Wiradjuri | buuja-buuja |
| Yndjibarndi | gawarliwarli |
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Last Updated: June 2, 2003: butterfly@mgfx.com