Cuteness

[Séril Báicéir]

I wondered if there was a way to say that something or someone is “cute” or “adorable”?

I found a word that is supposed to mean “cute” but it also means “sly” and “clever”, so I don’t think that will work really. And I found no translation of “adorable.”

GRMA!

[padraiginrua]

Those words are not as commonly used by the Irish as in the US. When an Irish person says you’re cute it’s not a compliment but rather that you are sneaky, conniving and untrustworthy. I’ve never heard adorable used.

[Fionlannach Fiosrach]

I found these in irishdictionary.ie

adorable

aoibhinn(adj)
grámhar(lovable)

aoibhinn

adorable(adj)
glorious(day)

grámhar

amorous(adj)
adorable(lovable)
endearing
lovable

cute

cleasach(adj)
gleoite(US)

cleasach

cute(adj)
shifty(adj)
tricky(adj)

gleoite

lovely(delightful: person)
luscious(attractive)

————–

An Foclóir Beag ( http://193.1.97.44/focloir/ ) is a good dictionary too, but only in Irish.
There’s also focal.ie which carries a good deal of scientific vocabulary.

[Cúnla]

Yeah, if you were talking about a cute little kid or something you might say:

Nach álainn (an páiste) é

I’ve also heard:

Is geall le brooch é

(Yup, that’s the English word “brooch,” like the ornament)

I think if you were a dude and were talking about a cute girl or something you could say:

Cailín gleoite í

But yeah, there isn’t really any single adjective in Irish that would correspond to the word “cute” as used in American English, as far as I know.

[Séril Báicéir]

That is interesting. I was trying to express how precious/adorable/cute my nephew is (he’s a baby) but was coming up with nothing. Thanks so much for the responses! 😀

Go raibh maith agaibh!

[Héilics Órbhuí]

Note that “glic” is what will usually come up as an adjective in a translating dictionary, but this is definitely NOT the word you want to use. In England and Ireland, the word “cute” typically means cheeky, impudent, smart-mouthed, etc. American English is where we have “cute” meaning something adorable. I don’t think there is an exact Irish equivalent of this word in the way we use it.

The closest word that I know is “gleoite”, which is definitely used to describe, for instance a cute girl (i.e. a girl who is attractive). I have also seen it used to describe things like Panda bears, so I think it’s safe to say that the meaning extends or is currently expanding to include the ways in which we usually talk about “cute” things in American English.

Aside from that, you usually can’t go wrong with calling something or something “breá” or “deas” or adding “an-” and lenition to something. All of those will convey that you think something is pretty darn nice.

[Séril Báicéir]

Go raibh maith agat, a Héilics Órbhuí. 🙂

[Dáithí]

All of those will convey that you think something is pretty darn nice.

And if I recall correctly, “nice” is another word that has a different meaning in Ireland than what it means in USA. In Ireland I think “nice” means “exact” as a machinist would say “a nice (exact) fit.” So “nice and cute” would mean” “exact and clever” in Ireland.

[Héilics Órbhuí]

Hmmm, I did not know that if it is true. Are you sure that it means exclusively that, or can it be used both ways?

[Cúnla]

…There’s also, e.g., dóitín (also dotie, doteen), peata, &c., to refer to a child.

[aonghus]

Nice no longer means precise this side of the pond.

“Gleoite” is the word that springs to mind for a cute child as in adorable.

http://potafocal.com/Metasearch.aspx?Text=gleoite&GotoID=focloirbeag

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