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) | fÃfrildi (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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