What does Nana mean in Australia?
Aussie Word of the Week
If you cast your minds back, you may remember calling the humble banana a nana as a child. Originally an Australian toddler's word, dating back to the 1890s, this is now a very common term. So common in fact, that Australian Bananas uses it as well.
Most Common Grandma Nicknames
Nana is the most common nickname for a Grandma in thirty-two states. But if someone doesn't call their grandmother Nana, odds are they do call her Grammy or Gram, as these are relatively popular alternatives to Grandma, as well.
/ˈnæn.ə/ child's word for a grandmother: [ as form of address ] Will you read me a story, Nana?
According to Dictionary.com (American Dictionary), Nana is one's grandmother, and Nanna is "The wife of Balder" (Scandinavian Mythology) or "The Sumerian god of the moon: the counterpart of the Akkadian god Sin". A question was raised at this. I am Australian and have always spelt Nana as Nana .
In Britain, Ireland, United States, Australia, New Zealand and, particularly prevalent in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Nan, Nana, Nanna, Nanny, Gran and Granny and other variations are often used for grandmother in both writing and speech.
Okay, pay attention because this is where it starts to get tricky: Nah yeah = yes. Yeah nah = no.
feminine noun. 1. (= abuela) grandma (informal) ⧫ granny (informal) see also año.
Possibly derived from Proto-Celtic *nana (“grandmother”); probably from a Proto-Indo-European root imitative of a child speaking, similar to Ancient Greek νάννα (nánna). See also nanny.
West African (Ghana): from nana a Twi (or a related dialect of the Akan language) gender-neutral title literally 'grandparent elder ancestor' representing a social or official position of honor.
Nana Means Love Grandparents Day Card - Greeting Cards - Hallmark.
Can Nana mean mom?
Etymology. From Philippine Spanish nana (“mommy”) + -ay (“female diminutive suffix”).
As detailed above, 'nana' is a noun. Noun usage: You look a right nana dressed up like that.

Sheila = Girl
Yes, that is the Australian slang for girl.
India. “In our Indian culture, 'nani' is maternal grandmother, and 'dadi' is paternal. 'Nana' is maternal grandfather, and 'dada' is paternal,” shares Lisa Batra is a first-generation Indian, with immigrant parents, and two kids of her own.
Nan - Of British origin, Nan is short for Nanny or Nana, all popular alternatives to grandmother. This is a great choice for families with European ties or British family history, and is short and sweet making it easy for little grandchildren to pronounce.
We also use Pop for a grandad as do the Australians and New Zealanders.
Grandmother: tipuna wahine/tupuna wahine, kuia, karanimā/karanimāmā, perekōu, tāua, ruruhi, ruahine, kui, kuikuia, ngoingoi.
Some of the names cited for grandmothers include Boo, Mimi and Nanan. For grandfathers such terms of endearment include Pa, Papa and Captain. People living in Cardiff and Plymouth are more likely to use a unique name for their grandfather and those in Nottingham, London and Leicester likewise for their grandmother.
Mate. “Mate” is a popular word for friend. And while it's used in other English-speaking countries around the world, it has a special connection to Australia. In the past, mate has been used to address men, but it can be gender-neutral.
While some Australian speakers would pronounce “no” as a diphthong, starting on “oh” as in dog and ending on “oo” as in put, others begin with an unstressed “a” (the sound at the end of the word “sofa”), then move to the “oh” and then “oo”.
How do Australian girls say no?
But when people began to realise that “naur” is actually the genuine way Australians pronounce “no”, it sent the world into a spin.
Oh, yeah...Japanese has multiple words for the same number! Seven can be either "nana" or "shichi", for example.
Oma {f} Nana (also: granny, grandma, nanna)
Lat Am Spain. feminine noun. abuela) grandma (informal) ⧫ granny (informal) see also año.
Its use as a feminine or masculine name varies culturally. It is feminine in Japan, Georgia and Greece, and it is masculine in Ethiopia and India, and epicene (unisex/gender neutral) in Ghana and Indonesia. In Georgia, Nana is the fifth most popular given name for girls.
The word nana means 'young girl', 'woman', 'girlfriend', 'wife', and sometimes 'mistress'. For example, you might say: C'est une nana vraiment adorable, tu vas l'adore! – 'she's an adorable girl, you're going to love her!
Depictions of Nana are known from Afghanistan as late as the 5th-6th century CE. In Afghanistan and Pakistan the name appears as "Nawi", the Pashto word for bride.
NOTE: in both classical Greek and Latin only the nouns nanus,-i (s.m.II) and nana,-ae (s.f.I) occurred, both meaning (male) dwarf and (female) dwarf.
The mainstay of the Italian family
When you are addressing your grandmother, in Italian the word is not abbreviated or made into a nickname as it often is in English—grandma or granny or nana. In Italian nonna is nonna, and that suffices.
/nānā/ mn. grandfather countable noun, vocative noun. Your grandfather is the father of your father or mother. /nana, nAnA, naanaa, nānā/
What do Southerners call grandma?
And if you live in the south, there's a good chance you call your grandmother Mamaw or Mawmaw—the most popular nickname in 7 states mostly in the south and along the Appalachians. Texas is the lone holdout for Mimi while folks in the Northeast prefer Grammie or Nana. But let's not forget the grandpas!
G'day. One of the first things you'll hear when in Australia, is the classic “G'day, mate”, which is basically the same as saying, “good day”, or “hello”.
G'day (guh-day) / Hello.
Aussie Slang Words For Women:
Sheila. Chick. Woman. Lady.
question: What do you call your grandmother in Australia? I called both of my grandmothers' Nanna. My grandchildren call me Grandma and my son's children call their maternal grandmother Babaa. Her children called their paternal grandmother Nanna and their maternal grandmother Grammy.
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Nana (given name)
Pronunciation | /ˈnɑːnə/, /ˈnana/, /naˈna/ |
Gender | varies |
Origin | |
---|---|
Meaning | varies |
Region of origin | Cyprus, Ethiopia, Georgia, Ghana, Greece, India, Japan |
It is derived from the Italian word for grandmother, Nonma. And then changed to Nana in English.
1. (noun) eelgrass, seagrass, Zostera spp. - native marine plants with olive-green, narrow, grass-like leaves which grow below mid-tide, forming wet carpets on muddy sand flats and saltmarshes throughout Aotearoa/New Zealand.
5. Sheila = Girl. Yes, that is the Australian slang for girl.
7. Mate. “Mate” is a popular word for friend. And while it's used in other English-speaking countries around the world, it has a special connection to Australia.
What do Australians call babies?
Contributor's comments: The meaning of Bubs I grew up with is a baby, or quite often the youngest member of the family is called "bubs" from an older sibling.
And if you live in the south, there's a good chance you call your grandmother Mamaw or Mawmaw—the most popular nickname in 7 states mostly in the south and along the Appalachians. Texas is the lone holdout for Mimi while folks in the Northeast prefer Grammie or Nana. But let's not forget the grandpas!
India. “In our Indian culture, 'nani' is maternal grandmother, and 'dadi' is paternal. 'Nana' is maternal grandfather, and 'dada' is paternal,” shares Lisa Batra is a first-generation Indian, with immigrant parents, and two kids of her own.
The word for "grandmother" in Italian is "nonna". Look at these maps of the distribution of Italian-Americans in the U.S. and the distribution of people who call their grandmothers "nana" in the U.S.. They match very well. In many cases, the root for nan as a nickname for grandmother may be the Italian influence.
Grandfather: tipuna matua/tupuna matua, koroua, kauheke, koroheke, koro, koko, karanipā, koeke, korokoroua, pōua. Grandmother: tipuna wahine/tupuna wahine, kuia, karanimā/karanimāmā, perekōu, tāua, ruruhi, ruahine, kui, kuikuia, ngoingoi.
Twink is the leading brand, and colloquial term, for correction fluid in New Zealand. In the English-speaking Caribbean the term "white-paper paste" and "white-out" are used.
Kia ora is used as an informal greeting throughout New Zealand. You will hear everyone from the Prime Minister to the local shopkeeper using it in day-to-day conversation. Use kia ora to wish someone well as a greeting or farewell, to say thank you, to affirm support, or to say a friendly 'cheers'.