Term for gay in different languages
This is a list of terms which are widely used today to refer to "gay" in different languages and which derive from concepts unrelated to homosexuality (e.g. the words "gay" or "pederast") or its common stereotypes. Their original meanings are also given.
Language |
Term |
Literal meaning |
Style |
|---|---|---|---|
Arabic |
لوطي (lūŧī) |
of Lot's people |
derogatory & religious |
Arabic |
مثلي (miθli) |
of the same |
neutral |
Arabic |
منحرف (munħaraf) |
queer/out of line |
slightly derogatory |
Cantonese |
基佬 (gēi-lóu) |
'basic' man (the Chinese character 基 (basic, pronounced: gēi) is phonetically similar to 'gay') |
slightly derogatory |
Chinese |
同志 (tóngzhì) |
comrade |
neutral |
Chinese |
玻璃 (bōlī) |
glass, crystal |
derogatory |
Czech |
teplouš |
warm |
? |
Danish |
bøsse |
gun |
neutral |
Dutch |
nicht |
niece |
derogatory |
Dutch |
poot |
leg |
derogatory |
Dutch |
bruinridder |
brown knight |
derogatory |
Dutch |
flikker |
? |
very derogatory |
Dutch |
mietje |
from sodomite |
slightly derogatory |
English |
gay |
joyous, cheery, bright, lively |
neutral |
English |
queer |
strange |
slightly derogatory (but often embraced) |
English |
[...], fag |
burnt piece of wood (as cast out of Sodom) |
derogatory |
English |
fruit |
fruit |
slightly derogatory |
English |
fairy |
fairy |
slightly derogatory (but more than fruit) |
English |
bufftie |
? |
derogatory (mostly used in Scotland) |
Finnish |
hintti, hinttari |
? |
derogatory |
Finnish |
hinuri |
tower (as in a person who tows) |
derogatory |
Finnish |
lepakko |
bat |
slightly derogatory; used for lesbians |
French |
folle |
feminine of "fou" |
derogatory |
French |
tante, tata |
aunt, auntie |
slightly derogatory |
French |
tantouze |
augmentative of "tante" |
derogatory |
French |
tapette |
flyswatter |
derogatory |
French |
pédé |
pederast attractive lad |
derogatory |
French |
gouine |
"lesbienne" or dyke |
derogatory |
French |
il en est |
he's one of them |
slightly derogatory |
French (Quebec) |
fifi, fif |
stereotypical name for a poodle |
derogatory |
French (Quebec) |
grande |
same meaning as "folle" |
derogatory |
French (Quebec) |
gai |
gay |
neutral |
German |
schwul |
warm, hot (cf. schwül) |
neutral |
German |
Schwuchtel |
mock feminine of schwul |
slightly derogatory |
German |
Tunte |
(cf. "Tante"=aunt ?) |
slightly derogatory |
German |
warmer Bruder |
lit. warm brother |
slightly derogatory, anachronism |
German |
geile Sau |
lit. horny sow |
slightly derogatory |
Greek |
σύκο (síko) |
fig |
slightly derogatory |
Hungarian |
buzi |
sodomite (from German Buserant, originating indirectly from "Bulgarian" as "heretic") |
derogatory |
Hungarian |
köcsög |
jug, pitcher |
derogatory |
Hungarian |
meleg |
warm |
neutral, PC |
Irish |
aerach |
airy as "gay" (loan-translation from English) |
neutral |
IsiZulu |
unqingili |
? |
derogatory |
Italian |
finocchio |
fennel (a herb) |
derogatory |
Italian |
frocio |
old term for the Swiss Pope guards in Rome |
derogatory |
Italian |
culattone |
fat [...] |
derogatory |
Japanese |
ネコ (neko) |
cat |
slightly derogatory; used for effeminate men |
Japanese |
おかま (okama) |
cooking pot |
derogatory |
Japanese |
おなべ (onabe) |
pot |
derogatory; used for lesbians |
Macedonian |
пешкир (peškir) |
towel |
derogatory |
Norwegian |
rompis |
play on the norwegian word for comrade "kompis", rompis it therefore a friend of the [...] |
derogatory |
Norwegian |
skjev |
crooked, as in not straight |
neutral |
Norwegian |
traktorlesbe |
Tractor lesbian, often refering to butch woman wearing manly workingclothes |
derogatory |
Polish |
pedał |
pedal |
derogatory |
Polish |
ciota |
aunt (augmentative) |
derogatory |
Polish |
fajociąg |
cocksucker |
very derogatory |
Polish |
dupogrzmot |
assfucker |
very derogatory |
Polish |
cwel |
male [...] slave |
very derogatory |
Portuguese |
frutinha, fruta |
little fruit or fruit |
slightly derogatory |
Portuguese |
mariquinha(s) |
originally a diminutive for the name "Maria" |
derogatory |
Portuguese |
bicha |
beast |
derogatory or neutral |
Portuguese |
morde-fronha |
pillowcase biter |
derogatory |
Portuguese |
paneleiro |
- |
highly derogatory (in Portugal) |
Portuguese |
boiola |
used to designate delicate little boys, young lads working in theaters in the XIX century |
derogatory (mostly used in Brazil) |
Portuguese |
rabeta, rabete |
the one who likes (or has) buttocks/tail |
derogatory (Portugal) |
Portuguese |
roto |
leaking |
derogatory (Portugal) |
Portuguese |
veado, veadinho |
deer, little deer |
neutral or derogatory (in Brazil) |
Portuguese |
queima-rosca |
the one who has anal [...], who burns the doughnut |
offensive |
Romanian |
poponar |
derived from popou, meaning "tooshie" |
derogatory |
Romanian |
curist |
derived from cur, meaning "[...]" |
derogatory |
Romanian |
găozar |
derived from găoază/găoz, meaning "[...] hole" |
derogatory |
Russian |
голубой (goluboy) |
light blue |
neutral |
Slovene |
toplovodar |
anachronistic, literally "warm-water person" |
derogatory |
Spanish |
marica, mariquita, maricón |
alteration of "Mary" |
derogatory |
Spanish |
sarasa |
bad-life-woman |
derogatory |
Spanish |
bujarrón |
sodomite |
derogatory |
Spanish |
loca, locaza |
feminine form of crazy |
derogatory |
Spanish |
mariposón |
big butterfly |
Mexico-derogatory |
Spanish |
muerdealmohadas |
'pillow-biter' |
derogatory |
Spanish |
jamaicón |
from Jamaica |
derogatory |
Spanish |
puñal |
dagger |
Mexico-highly derogatory |
Spanish |
puto |
male prostitute |
Mexico-highly derogatory |
Spanish |
joto |
unknown origin |
Mexico-highly derogatory |
Spanish |
de ambiente |
from the scene |
neutral |
Spanish |
entendido |
we're in the know |
neutral |
Swedish |
bög |
crooked |
formerly derogatory, now neutral |
Swedish |
fikus |
ficus |
derogatory |
Swedish |
stjärtgosse |
[...] boy |
derogatory |
Turkish |
top |
ball |
derogatory |
Turkish |
nonoş |
old meaning: "cute, dear", now slang for effeminate gays |
derogatory |
Turkish |
yumuşak |
soft |
derogatory |
Turkish |
ibne |
? |
derogatory |
Turkish |
kulampara |
originally word from Persian, used for top gay men, particularly those who like younger persons |
old, derogatory |
Yiddish |
פֿײגעלע (feygele) |
"little bird" - a diminutive of bird (פֿויגל) |
slighty derogatory |
See also
- Singapore gay terminology
External links
Beware that some of the translations given in the following pages are for "gay" in the traditional sense of "joyful".