How Do You Say Butterfly In...

Here are just a few ways (over 318) 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. Email us >. (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 6 or 7% of the languages.)

Note: certain words are followed by (?) indicating that the word has not been double-checked.

Language (Country): Word:
Acoma (Native American) buh'rai
Afrikaans (South Africa) skoenlapper, vlinder
Aja-Gbe (Benin, Togo) pkolinouhoin (PG)
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)
Assamese (India) pokhila
Austria falter (common term)
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
Bemba (Zambia) cipelebesha
Bengali prajapathi
Berber (North Africa) tètfètuth (PG)
Berlinerisch (Berlin, Germany) Schmettalüng (SG)
Breton (Brittany and Loire-Atlantique) balafenn (SG)
Bulgarian (Bulgaria) peperooda, peperootka (PG)
Buli (Gur language in N. Ghana) kpalo?
Burmese (Burma) lapia (PG)
Byelorussian matylok
Cantonese (Yale) Wùh dihp (SG)
Cape Verdean Criolu gorgoleta
Carelian (Finno-Ugric Group- former province of Finland) liippo, liipponen (JS)
Catalan (Ancient) papalló
Catalan (Dialectical) paloma, palometa, babaiana
Catalan papallona (BL)
Cebuano (Philippines) Alibangbang/kaba-kaba
Central Carrier (Western Canada) tsangwelht'ah
Chamorro (Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands) ababang (thanks to Diane Bachelder)
Chechen (Chechnya) polla
Cheremissian (Finno-Ugric Group) lepe, lepene (JS)
Cherokee (Native American) kamama
Cheyenne (Native American) hevavahkema
Cornish tykki-Dyw (SG)
Corsican barabulella (BL)
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) vlindeer; dagvlinder; vlinderslag
Dutch (Middle Dutch) viveltre (SG)
Eischwiele Platt (West German dialect) Sommevuel (SG)
English butterfly
English (Middle English) buterflie (PG)
English (Old English) buttorfleoge (PG)
Esperanto papilio
Estonian (Estonia) liblikas
Ewe (Togo) dyekpakpa (PG)
Faroese summurfuglur; firivaldur
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 (West and Central Africa) lilldeh
Futurese (The American Language in 3000AD) batuhfle (SG)
Gaelic (Ireland) féileacán, follican (PG)
Gaelic (Scotland) dearbadan-de, dealan-dé (PG)
Galician volvoreta, bolboreta (BL)
Gen (Ghana) abèbe, abè, abey (PG)
Geordie (England - Tyneside region) lowey (SG)
Georgian (Georgia, former USSR republic) pepela (PG)
German (Germany) Schmetterling
German (poetic) Falter (PG)
German (Early New High German) feifalter, sommervogel (SG)
German (Low German) Botterlicker, Ülepüle (SG)
German (Middle High German) Vivalter (SG)
German (Old High German) Fifaltra (SG)
Greek (Modern) petalou'da
Greek (Ancient) psyche
Guarani (A dialect in Paraguay) panambi (XI)
Gujarati (India) patangeo, patangiyu (PG)
Gurage (Ethiopia) billambilloot (PG)
Hadiya (Ethiopia) birabira (PG)
Hanty or Ostjak (Finno-Ugric Group Ob-Ugrian branch) lepentaj (JS)
Hausa (Nigeria, Niger, Burkina Faso, Cóte D´ivoire (Ivory Coast), Togo, Benin, Cameroon and Ghana) bude littafi, malam bu'de littafi (PG)
Hawaiian (Hawaii) pulelehua
Hebrew (Israel) parpar
Hessian (Germany) Schmedderling (SG)
Hindi (India) titli; thithili
Hmong (Vietnam) npau npaim
Hopi (Native American - USA) povolhoya (monarch: hookona)
Huastec (Mexico) lemtutu
Hungarian (Hungary) lepke
pillango, pillangok (pl)
Ibu (Nigeria) olookolombooka (PG)
Icelandic (Iceland) fiðrildi (SG)
Icelandic (Old Iceland) fífrildi (SG)
Ido (a 'universal' second language) papiliono (SG)
Igbo (Nigeria) ihe n'efe-efe or uru baba
Ila (Zambia) inkongolo; sikapempenya
Ilocano (Phillipines) kulibangbang
Indonesian kupu-kupu, rama rama
Interlingua (a universal second language) papilion (SG)
Interlingue (a universal second language) papilio (SG)
Inuit (Greenland) pakkaluak; paluak; utsuppaluak; takalekisa
Inupiak (Alaskan native language) taqalukisaq
Irish féileacán (In phonetic English pronounced "faylacawn")
Italian (Italy) farfalla
Italian (Neapolitan) palomma
Jacaltec (Mexico) nam
Japanese (Japan) choo; chou chou; chocho
Javanese kupu
Jèrriais (form of the Norman language spoken in Jersey, Channel Islands - in decline) papillote (SG)
Jívaro (Amazonian lowlands, Ecuador to Peru) wámpishuk
Kaibab Paiute (Native American) aicivitsi (i = barred-i, c = long-s)
Kalderash Romanes "Gypsy" peperuga
Kamaba (Kenya) kimbalut'ya (PG)
Kambaata (Ethiopia) bilatishu (PG) - learn more >
Kannada (South India) chitta ("spots"), baruthe, barutha (PG)
Karok (NW California, nearly extinct) xatimniim
Kashmiri (India/Pakistan) titili (PG)
Kazakh (Kazakhstan) kobelek
Kikongo (Congo Brazaville) lumbebeba (PG)
Kikuyu (Kenya) kihuruta (PG)
Kinyarwanda (Rwanda) ikinyugunyugu
Kirundi (Burundi) ikinyugunyugu
Kisuaheli (Suaheli ) ikinyugunyugu
Kitaita kifurute
Koasati (Native American - AL, LA, TX - USA) hacokpalpa
Kokani (India) pakho (PG)
Konni (Gur language in N. Ghana) kpanjabi?
Korean (Korea) nahby; nabi
Kroboo (Ghana) kutuu (PG)
Kurdish (Turkey) sepirek, pürpüruk (PG)
Kurmanji Kurdish fepule, minni, tirtirk
Kwanyama (Namibia/Angola border) onanga
Kwara'áe: (a language of the Pacific) bébe
Kyaka Enga (East New Guinea Highlands) maemae
Kyrgyz (Kyrgyzstan) göpölök
Lakhotah Sioux (Native American) kimimila (key-me'-me-lah)
Lamba (Zambia) ici-pempele
Lan (a language of the Pacific) bébe
Lao (Laos) meng kabeua; maingkabula
Latin papilio
Latvian (Latvia) taurins; tauriøð
Lihua (Sudan) ukulukula (PG)
Limburgish (Limburg and Rhineland regions) vlinder, piepel (SG)
Lingala (Democratic Republic of Congo) kipouzala (PG); mpornboli
Lithuanian (Lithuania) drugelis; peteliske; petelishke
Lozi (Zambia) sipulumuki
Luganda or Ganda (Uganda) ekiwojjolo
Luiseño (Native American) avéllaka
Luo (Africa) oguyo
Lushootseed (Native American) yubec
Luxemburgish (Luxembourg) Päiperlek
Majang (Nilo-Saharan) bimbilo
Majang (Nilo-Saharan) bimbilo
Malagasy (Madagascar) lolo
Malayalam (Kerala-South India) poompatta (meaning insect like a flower)
Malay (Malaysia and Brunei) kupukupu; ramarama
Malaysian rama-rama
Maltese farfett
Mandarin - Pinyin húdié (SG)
Mandarin - Yale húdyé (SG)
Mandarin - Wades-Giles hu-tieh (SG)
Mandarin - Gwoyeu Romatzyh hwudye (SG)
Mandingo (Ivory Coast) vrievran (PG)
Manobo (Philipines) kelivangbang
Mansi (Finno-Ugric Group Ob-Ugrian branch) läpääk (JS)
Manx Gaelic (Isle of Man) follican (SG)
Maori pepeké purerehua'
Mapudungun (spoken in central Chile and west central Argentina by the Mapuche) llampüdken (variant llampüdkeñ)
Maracucho (Vicinity of Maracaibo, Venezuela) tara or tarita (XI)
Maranao (Philipines) paroparo
Marathi (India) phulpakhru, phoolpaharu (PG)
Mari (Finno-Ugric Group) lepe, lepene (JS)
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)
Micmac (Eastern Canada) Miimiiges - pronounced "me me ges"
Mongolian erveehey (SG)
Mopan (Mexico) pempem
Moré (Burkina Faso) pilimpiko; abaga (PG)
Motu (Papua) kau-bebe
Mukuni (Zambia) limpempele
Mvskoke (Creek - Native American) tvffolopv, tvffolope
Nahuatl (Aztec) paplotl; papalotl (PG)
Navajo (Native American) k'aalogii (accent on "o"); ho'o neno
Ndumba (South Africa) kaapura'rora
Nepali (Nepal) putali
Neuro (Ethiopia) mantech (PG)
Ngaju Dayak (Indonesia) kakupo
North Frisian (North Frisia, Germany - endangered) schrubföögel, samerföögel (SG)
Norwegian (Bokmål) sommerfugl (SG)
Norwegian (Nynorsk) sommarfugl (SG)
Occitan parpalhol (BL)
Ojibway (Native American) memenghwaah
Oriya (India) prajapati (PG)
Oromic (Ethiopia) billaacha (PG)
Osage (Native American) dsithato'ga
Ossetian (Ossetia, on the borders of Russia and Georgia) gælæbu (SG)
Paipai (Baja California Norte, Mexico) minmin, nyirwir, maskarap
Paiute (Native American - Western USA) tsoapu
Paiwan (native to Taiwan) kalidungudungul
Pakistan (Northern region) palmandook
Palauan (Palau, Micronesia) bangikoi
Patois of St. Thomas zanimo
Peul (Guinée Conakry) pucharlar (PG) - learn more >
Peul (Mauritania) bidilallah, bedelallah (PG)
Peul (Sierra Leone) palapala (PG)
Pittsburghese (Pittsburgh, PA, USA) dupa erfly (SG)
Polish (Poland) motyl
Portuguese (Portugal) borboleta (BL)
Quechua (Bolivia, Peru) aliñuahi(?), urubamba(?), pilpintu, pillpintu, pirpintu, pilipintu, pilhpintu (PG)
Rom or Kaalo (Gypsy language, Finland) besko-chirikli (little bird) or deulesko besko-chirikli (God's little bird)(JS)
Roma (Gypsy language, Slovakia) lepetka (PG)
Romanian (Romania) fluture, fluturi (PG); flutare (BL)
Romanish fluture, fluturi (PG); flutare (BL)
Romansh (also spelled Romansch, Rumants(c)h, or Romanche (Switzerland) tgiralla (BL)
Russian (Russia) bábochka; babochka; motyliok
Samic (Native Lappish people in Lappland) lablok (JS)
Samoan (Samoa and American Samoa) Pepe (thanks to Ama Tuatoo)
San (Bushman language) tha thava, tavalele (SG)
Sardic (Sardinia, Italy) mariavolavola (PG)
Saterfrisian (East Frisia, Germany) Flinnerke (SG)
Saterfrisian (Utände) Flitterke (SG)
Senegalese lupe lupe
Sepedi (South Africa) serurubele (PG)
Serbo-Croat leptir
Setwana (Botswana) serurubele (PG)
Shona shavishavi
Shoshoni (Native American) waayapputunkih
Sidamo (Ethiopia) bilach'a (PG)
Sign Language interlocked thumbs, flapping hands like wings
Sinhala (Sri Lanka) samanalaya
Sioux (Native American) kimimi
Slavic neveah (XI)
Slovak (Slovakia) motýl (Thanks to B. Uhrik)
Slovenian metulj
Somali (N.E. Africa) balanbaalis
Sotho (Bantu language, South Africa) sororomele; serurubele
Sorbian-Lower (Slavonic minority in Germany) mjatel or mjatelik (diminutive) - learn more >
Sorbian-Upper (Slavonic minority in Germany) mjetel or mjetelčka (diminutive) - learn more >
Soussous (Guinée Conakry) chuani (PG)
Spanish mariposa
Spanish (Ancient and Dialectical) paloma, palomica ('dove')
Sranantongo (Surinam) kaperka (PG)
Stellingwarfs (Ooststellingwerf and Weststellingwerf in Dutch province of Friesland) vlinder (SG)
Sumatra Barat (Indonesia) angiak (PG)
Swahili (Africa, Somalia to northern Mozambique) kipepeo; kungu-urumu
Swazi (Swaziland) luvivane
Swedish (Sweden) fjäril
Swedish (Old Swedish) fiädhal
Swiss German Schmätterling
Tagalog (Philippines) paru-paro
Tatar (a Turkic language) kübelek
Taino tanama - learn more >
Taiwanese (Taiwan) o' -tiap ("moth" is 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)
Tohono O'odham or Papago (Sonoran Desert of the southwest United States and northwest Mexico) hohokimal
Tok Pisin (Melanesian Pidgin) bataplai
Trukese or Chuukese (Island of Chuuk, Micronesia) nipwisipwis
Tshiluba (Zaire) bulubulu
Turkish (Turkey) kelebek
Turkmen (Turkmenistan) chuturast, kelebek (PG)
Tuvaluan (Tuvalu - a Polynesian nation of 9 islands) pepe (thanks to ST)
Tuvinian (Siberia) khovagan
Twi (Ghana) afafranto (PG)
Ukrainian (Ukraine) metelyk
Urdu (Pakistan) titli
Urubu (Nigeria) iyenye, yenjè (PG)
Uzbek (Uzbekistan) kapalak
Venda (South Africa) tshisusu
Veps (Finno-Ugric Group) lipikäine (JS)
Vietnamese (Vietnam) buom buom; ho diep
Visayan (Philippines) kabakaba
Welsh (Wales) iâr fach yr haf (literally "little summer hen"); glöyn byw"(roughly "living glow"); pila pala; bila bala
West Armenian titernig
Wik-Ngathan (Australia) kalpakalpay
Wolaytigna (Ethopia) mukaw (PG)
Wolof (Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania ) lëpp-lëpp bi (SG)
Xhosa (Eastern Cape) ibhabhathane
Xitchangani (Bantu lang. of Mozambique) phapharati
Yaqui (Native American - USA) vaisevo'i
Ygyde (an artificial language) ykolobo (SG)
Yiddish schmetterling; zomerfeygele ("summer bird"); flaterl; motyl
Yoruba (West Afrida - Nigeria, Benin, and Togo) labalaba
Yucatec Maya (Yucatán Peninsula, northern Belize, parts of Guatemala) pepem
Yup'ik (Alaskan native language) Caqelngataq
Yurok (Native American, northwest California) wrrp
Zulu (KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa) iveveshane; uvemvane; ijubajubane; itwabitwabi
!Xu (Bushman language of the Kalahari Desert Dhad'hama

NOTES:
(PG) Thanks to Pol Grymonprez of Ghent, Belgium.
(SG) Thanks to Sam Giloi
(JS) Jukka Suvisaari, heraldist, Espoo, Finland
(XI) Thanks to Ximena
(BL) Thanks to Bill Langlois
Thanks to J. Akers Pence of the University of Florida for some of the above.

Thanks also to Robin Allott, author of Language and Evolution

The following list was sent to us by Nicola Stratford of Australia, taken from Macquarie "Aboriginal Words" dictionary. Thanks also to Andras Rajki for additional words.

Aboriginal People - Word

Bundjalung - banjalahm
Datiwuy - buurnba
Diyari - karlipilhi
Gooniyandi - malimali
Murrinh-Patha - manman
Nyungar - bataplai
Paakantyi - pilyu-pilyuka
Pitjantjatjara - ngutungutu
Sydney - burudyara
Warlpiri - pintapinta
Western Arrernte - intelyapelyape
Wik-Mungkan - konkoniyang
Wiradjuri - buuja-buuja
Yndjibarndi - gawarliwarli

The Taino are the indigenous people of Boriken (Puerto Rico). There is an online Taino dictionary here.

"I have a doubt if the term "bilatishu" is correct. I worked on the language during the last years and I am only aware of the term "maalatita" ( or in alternative pronunciation) "maaletita", the singular form being "maalatichchuta" or "maaletichchuta". These terms are found in the Kambaata school books, in the Highland East Cushitic Dictionary of Grover Hudson (1989) as well as in my own corpus. I have not come across the term "bilatishu" in any written source on Kambaata."

Yvonne Treis (M.A.)
Institut für Linguistik, Abt. Allgemeine Sprachwissenschaft
Universität zu Köln, D-50923 Köln

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