List of terms for gay in different languages
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- See also: Terminology of homosexuality
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afrikaans | moffie | diminutive | derogatory |
| Arabic | لوطي (lūŧī) | of Lot's people; Sodomite | derogatory (religious) |
| Arabic | مثلي (miθli) | of the same | neutral |
| Arabic | منحرف (munħaraf) | queer/out of line | slightly derogatory |
| Arabic | شاذ (shað) | weird, queer, pervert | neutral |
| Arabic | خول (khawal) | gay | highly derogatory (Egypt) |
| Armenian | միասեռամոլ (miaseramol) | homosexual | neutral |
| Bangla | Somo-kaami, gay, queer, homo(homo) | homo(sexual), gay | neutral |
| Bulgarian | хомо (homo) | homo(sexual) | slightly derogatory |
| Bulgarian | педал (pedal) | pedal | derogatory |
| Chinese (Cantonese) | 基佬 (gēi-lóu) | 'basic' man (the Chinese character 基 (basic, pronounced: gēi) is phonetically similar to 'gay') | slightly derogatory |
| Chinese (Mandarin) | 同性恋 (tóngxìnglián) | same-sex love/yearning | neutral (technical; equivalent to English "homosexual") |
| Chinese (Mandarin) | 同志 (tóngzhì) | comrade | neutral (informal; equivalent to English "gay"); a pun on Communist usage of the word |
| Chinese (Mandarin) | 玻璃 (bōlī) | glass, crystal | derogatory |
| Czech | teplouš | warm | slightly derogatory |
| Czech | buzna/buzerant | faggot | derogatory |
| Czech | bukvice | beechnut | slightly derogatory |
| Danish | bæskubber | feces-pusher | derogatory; used for men |
| Danish | bøsse | gun | neutral; used for men |
| Danish | lebbe | ? | neutral or slightly derogatory; used for women |
| Danish | svans | tail | derogatory; used for men |
| Dutch | nicht | niece | derogatory |
| Dutch | poot | paw | derogatory |
| Dutch | flikker | slang for "penis" | highly derogatory |
| Dutch | mietje | diminutive of girl's given name, "little Mie" | slightly derogatory |
| Dutch | pot | pot (for lesbians) | derogatory |
| Dutch | tapet | from French "tapette": fly swatter (Flemish only) | derogatory |
| English | gay | joyous, cheery, bright, lively | neutral |
| English | queer | strange | slightly derogatory or neutral |
| English | poofter (or poofta) | an openly homosexual man | derogatory |
| English | faggot, fag | bundle of sticks or branches, see faggot (wood) | derogatory |
| English | fruit | fruit | slightly derogatory |
| English | fairy | fairy | slightly more derogatory |
| English | bufftie | ? | derogatory (Scotland) |
| English | dyke | ? | derogatory; used for women |
| English | puff (or poof) | ? | derogatory |
| English | queen | queen | derogatory; used for men |
| English | fudge-packer | fudge-packer | derogatory; used for men |
| Esperanto | geja | gay (cf. gaja = joyous, cheery, bright, lively) | neutral |
| Esperanto | samseksema | tending to the same sex | neutral |
| Finnish | hintti, hinttari | ? | derogatory |
| Finnish | hinuri | tower (as in a person who tows) | derogatory |
| Finnish | lepakko | bat (the animal) | slightly derogatory; used for lesbians |
| Finnish | ruskean reiän ritari | knight of the brown hole | highly derogatory |
| Finnish | homo | short of "homosexual" | neutral |
| 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 | Schwanzlutscher | cocksucker | highly derogatory |
| German | schwul | warm, hot (cf. schwül which means warm and moist weather) | neutral, formerly derogatory |
| German | Schwuchtel | mock feminine of schwul | derogatory |
| German | schwule Sau | lit. gay sow | highly derogatory |
| German | Schwuppe | Schwuler in northern Germany | neutral |
| German | Tunte | (cf. "Tante" = aunt) used for effeminate men | slightly derogatory |
| German | warmer Bruder | lit. warm brother | slightly derogatory, anachronism |
| German | 175er | see Paragraph 175 | archaic, neutral, or slightly derogatory |
| Greek | αδερφή (adherfí) | sissy | derogatory |
| Greek | αρσενοκοίτης (arsenokítis) | man who lies down with men | derogatory, religious |
| Greek | κίναιδος (kínedhos) | shame-mover | archaic, derogatory |
| Greek | κουνιστός (kunistós) | moving | derogatory for effeminate men |
| Greek | λούγκρα (lúgra) | gluttonous woman | derogatory for men |
| Greek | μπινές (binés) | [from Turkish "ibne"] | derogatory for men |
| Greek | ντιγκιντάγκας (digidángas) | making ding-dang sounds | derogatory for men |
| Greek | ξεφωνημένη (ksefoniméni) | screaming woman | derogatory for effeminate men |
| Greek | πισωγλέντης (pisoghléntis) | enjoys it from the back | derogatory for men |
| Greek | πούστης (poústis) | faggot | derogatory |
| Greek | συκιά (sikiá) | fig-tree | slightly derogatory |
| Greek | σαπφίδα (sapfídha) | Sappho fan | positive or neutral, literary |
| Greek | τζιβιτζιλού (dzividzilú) | [gay slang for lesbians] | slightly derogatory |
| Greek | τοιούτος (tiútos) | of that kind | old-fashioned, neutral |
| Greek | τριβάδα (trivádha) | rubber | archaic, derogatory for women |
| Haitian | masisi | ? | ? |
| Haitian | sis kouler | six colors (reference to rainbow) | ? |
| Hawaiian | māhū | homosexual | derogatory |
| Hebrew | גאה (m: ge'e, f: ge'a) | proud | neutral (positive) |
| Hebrew | הומו (homo) | homo(sexual) | neutral |
| Hebrew | עליז (aliz) | gay, happy, joyful | neutral, anachronism |
| Hebrew | קומקום (koomkoom) | kettle, water boiler | derogatory |
| Hungarian | buzi | sodomite (from German Buserant, originating indirectly from "Bulgarian" as "heretic") | derogatory |
| Hungarian | homokos | sandy | derogatory |
| Hungarian | köcsög | jug, pitcher | derogatory |
| Hungarian | meleg | warm | neutral, PC |
| Interlingua | gay | English loanword | neutral |
| Inuktitut | ᐊᖑᑕᐅᖃᑎᒥᓂᒃᑐᖅᑎᓘᓐᓃᑦ (angutauqatiminiktuqtiluunniit) | gay/male prostitute | derogatory |
| Inuktitut | ᐊᕐᓇᐅᖃᑎᒥᓂᒃᑐᖅᑎᓘᓐᓃᑦ (arnauqatiminiktuqtiluunniit) | lesbian/female prostitute | derogatory |
| Inuktitut | ᐊᓪᓚᑦ (allat) | strangers | derogatory |
| Inuktitut | ᐊᕐᓈᓗᒃ (arnaaluk) | bitch | derogatory |
| Inuktitut | ᐊᖑᑕᐅᖃᑎᒥᓂᒡᓘᓐᓃᑦ ᐊᕐᓇᐅᖃᑎᒥᓂᒡᓘᓐᓃᑦ ᐃᒃᖠᒍᓱᒃᑐᖅ (angutauqatiminigluunniit arnauqatiminigluuniit ikłigusuktuq) | "homosexual" (literally 'male-male and female-female who has a craves or lust) | neutral |
| Inuktitut | ᒐᐃ (gai) | loanword "gay" | neutral |
| Inuktitut | ᓖᓱᐱᐊᓐ(liisupian) | loanword "lesbian" | neutral |
| Irish | aerach | airy as "gay" (loan-translation from English) | neutral |
| Irish | piteog | Effeminate man | neutral or derogatory depending on usage |
| Italian | finocchio | fennel (a herb) | derogatory |
| Italian | frocio | old term for the Swiss Pope guards in Rome | derogatory |
| Italian | culattone | fat ass | derogatory |
| Italian | ricchione | faggot | derogatory |
| Japanese | 同性愛者(dōseiaisha) | homosexual person | neutral |
| Japanese | ゲイ(gei) | "gay" | neutral; used for men |
| Japanese | ホモ(homo) | "homo(sexual)" | derogatory; used for men |
| Japanese | ネコ (neko) | cat | slightly derogatory; used for effeminate men |
| Japanese | おかま, オカマ, お釜 (okama) | cooking pot (originally a slang word for ass) | derogatory; used for men |
| Japanese | おなべ (onabe) | pot | derogatory; used for lesbians |
| Japanese | レズ (rezu) | abbreviation of "レズビアン(rezubian)" | slightly derogatory; used for women |
| Japanese | レズビアン (rezubian) | "lesbian" | neutral; used for women |
| Kalaallisut | angutinoortoq | gay | derogatory |
| Kalaallisut | homoq | loanword "homosexual" | neutral |
| Kalaallisut | arnanoortoq | lesbian | neutral |
| Kalaallisut | liisupeq/liisbeq | loanword "lesbian" | neutral |
| Korean | 동성애자(dongseongaeja) | homosexual person | neutral |
| Korean | 게이(ge-i) | from English gay | neutral or slight derogatory; used for men |
| Korean | 호모(homo) | from homosexual | derogatory; used for men only |
| Korean | 이반(ee-ban) | the second common | neutral(positive or PC) |
| Lithuanian | gėjus | gay | neutral, male |
| Lithuanian | gaidys | rooster, also used for lowest caste of prisoners | derogatory |
| Lithuanian | pydaras, pyderastas | pederast | derogatory |
| Lithuanian | žydras(is) | the baby-blue one | neutral or slightly derogatory |
| Luxembourgish | lénks | left | neutral or derogatory |
| Luxembourgish | tatta | aunty | derogatory; used for effeminate men |
| Macedonian | пешкир (peškir) | towel | derogatory |
| Malay | manya | drag queen | slightly derogatory |
| Norwegian | rompis | play on the Norwegian word for comrade "kompis", rompis it therefore a friend of the ass | derogatory; used for men |
| Norwegian | skeiv | crooked, as in not straight | neutral |
| Norwegian | traktorlesbe | Tractor lesbian, often referring to butch woman wearing manly workingclothes | derogatory; used for lesbians |
| Norwegian | homse | slang derived from "homo" | neutral; used for men |
| Norwegian | skinkerytter | "ham-rider", straightforwardly someone who engages in anal sex | derogatory; used for men |
| Norwegian | bæsjdytter | "poop-shover", straightforwardly someone who engages in anal sex | derogatory; used for men |
| Norwegian | bønnebryter | "bean-breaker", straightforwardly someone who engages in anal sex | derogatory; used for men |
| Polish | gej | gay | neutral |
| Polish | pedał | pedal | derogatory |
| Polish | homoś | a homo | derogatory |
| Polish | kochający inaczej | the one who loves in a different way | slightly derogatory |
| Polish | ciota | aunt (augmentative) | derogatory |
| Polish | pedzio | diminutive av pedal | derogatory |
| Polish | pederasta | pederast - assfucker | derogatory |
| Portuguese | (rapaz/garoto) alegre, alegrete, alegrinho, gaiato, Gaius | gay lad, merry boy | somewhat neutral, jocose |
| Portuguese | almofadinha | a dandy, pansy, sissy | slightly derogatory |
| Portuguese | amante socrático | Socratic lover | neutral, jocose |
| Portuguese | baitola | fag, from the British pronuntiation of "bitola", a tool used in the construction of Northeastern railways in the 19th century | derogatory |
| Portuguese | Bambi | Disney's character, deer = gay, a twinky bottom | slightly derogatory, jocose |
| Portuguese | Barbie-Ken; rato-de-academia; bofe-Barbie | big muscles gay, gay gym rat | slightly derogatory, jocose |
| Portuguese | biba, bibinha, bibete | queer, camp, hoity-toity | slightly derogatory, somewhat neutral |
| Portuguese | bicha, bichete, bichinha | a mammal's female, fag | derogatory |
| Portuguese | bicha-louka, bicha-afetada, bate-cabelo, bichona, biba-doida, insanamente-biba, bicha metida aparecida, plus-afetadão, afetado-demais, effeminatus, epiceno | affected, insanely queer/camp, effeminate, epicene | derogatory |
| Portuguese | bofe, bofão, bofiscândalo, sem-camisa | Butch, buffy butch, scandalously butch hunk, shirtlifter | somewhat neutral |
| Portuguese | boiola | used to designate delicate little boys, young lads working in theatrical sketches and musicals in the late 19th and early 20th century | derogatory (Brazil) |
| Portuguese | calipígeo, Vênus calipígea | callipygian, callipygous, ass queen | derogatory |
| Portuguese | caminhoneira / truck dyke | truck dyke | slightly derogatory, somewhat neutral |
| Portuguese | do babado | from the scene, queer, camp | slightly derogatory, somewhat neutral, jocose |
| Portuguese | (sub)entendido | implied, the understood one | slightly derogatory, somewhat neutral |
| Portuguese | efebo, ephebus, efebinho / twinky | ephebe, from Ancient Rome and Greece, a twinky, diminutive of ephebus = a twinky bottom | somewhat neutral |
| Portuguese | enrustido, retranca, caso-de-closet, não-sai-do-armário, tá-no-armário | closet case, closet queen | derogatory |
| Portuguese | florzinha / violetinha / fadinha | little flower, pansy, sissy, camp, fairy | slightly derogatory |
| Portuguese | fresco, frescurite, fresquinho, afrescalhado | (fresh, cool) a dandy, pansy, sissy | slightly derogatory |
| Portuguese | frouxo, frouxinho | pussy, weak | slightly derogatory |
| Portuguese | frutinha, fruta | little fruit or fruit, camp | slightly derogatory |
| Portuguese | gay, gayzinho | gay | neutral |
| Portuguese | gilete / corta dos dois lados / ambivalente / bi | bisexual, bi-curious, double-edge blade, literally | slightly neutral |
| Portuguese | heteroflexível | heteroflexible, bi-curious | neutral |
| Portuguese | homo | homo | neutral |
| Portuguese | invertido / détour / desviado / parafílico | inverted / deviated / paraphiliac | derogatory, old-fashioned |
| Portuguese | lésbica, safista, sapho, tríbade | lesbian, sapphist, tribade | neutral |
| Portuguese | lésbica baton & rímel, femme, femina, sapatinha mini saia, sandalinha | femme, lipstick lesbian | slightly derogatory, jocose |
| Portuguese | lésBicha | LezFaggian, an effeminate gay guy who get to know straight sex | jocose |
| Portuguese | mariquinha(s), marica(s) | pussy, pansy; from Ancient Greek "Marikas", an Eupolis comedy | derogatory |
| Portuguese | michê, michet | male hooker, hustler | derogatory |
| Portuguese | morde-fronha | literally translated "pillowcase biter", a bottom, passive role | derogatory |
| Portuguese | moto-lesbo, motor-lésbica | dyke on byke | neutral, jocose |
| Portuguese | paneleiro | vendor of pots and pans | highly derogatory (Portugal) |
| Portuguese | pédé, pedê / pederasta, paiderastes | attractive pederast lad and a sugar daddy, boy lover | neutral or derogatory |
| Portuguese | popozete, cuzin, bundinha, bumbunzin, retaguarda, traseirinha, derrière | derived from popo/cu/bunda/bumbum, meaning "tooshie/asshole/butt, bum/booty/rear" | derogatory |
| Portuguese | rabeta, rabete, rabicó | the one who likes (or has) buttocks/tail | derogatory (Portugal) |
| Portuguese | roto | torn | derogatory (Portugal) |
| Portuguese | queima-rosca | the one who has anal sex, a bottom, passive role, literally translated "doughnut burner" | derogatory |
| Portuguese | sapatão, sapatona, numero 43, bico largo 42, botinão, mulé-macho, machona, virago | dyke, virago, literally translated "huge manly shoes / manly boots" | derogatory |
| Portuguese | sodomita | sodomite | derogatory, old-fashioned |
| Portuguese | sugador, sorvedouro / xupa-rola / engole-cacete, engole-pica / engolidor / lambe-bola, lambe-saco / chupador, chupeteiro, chupão / sentador / levanta-camisa / boqueteiro, cai-de-boca | cocksucker / swallower / balllicker / cockseater / shirtlifter / a header slag, from boquete = blowjob | derogatory |
| Portuguese | totalflex / carru hybridu | from hybrid car, bisexual or a versatile gay person | jocose, somewhat neutral |
| Portuguese | travesti, traveku, boneca, mona, quase-mulher, transex, transgênero, mademoiselle-garçon, imitador do bellu sexu, Tgirl | transvestite, tranny, shemale, Ladyboy, Tgirl | jocose, somewhat neutral |
| Portuguese | uranista | uranist | neutral or derogatory |
| Portuguese | veado, veadinho | deer, little deer = a twinky bottom | neutral or derogatory (Brazil) |
| Portuguese | velcro, grudar/colar velcro; bate-bolacha, bate-biscoito; tesourinhas | tribbing; "hook-and-loop fasteners sexgame"; "scissor sisters", tribadism, "mashing cookies" | slightly derogatory, somewhat neutral, jocose |
| Romanian | bulangiu | from "bulan", police stick. Bulangiu also means "one that does not hold his part of a deal", and is more likely to be used with this meaning | derogatory |
| Romanian | poponar | derived from popou, meaning "tooshie" | highly derogatory |
| Romanian | curist | derived from cur, meaning "ass" | derogatory |
| Romanian | găozar | derived from găoază/găoz, meaning "ass hole" | derogatory |
| Romanian | pe invers (adj.) | Adjective meaning "on reverse" | somewhat neutral |
| Russian | пидор, пидарас, педик (pidor, pidaras, pedik) | pederast | derogatory |
| Russian | гей | gay | neutral |
| Russian | голубой (goluboy) | light blue | neutral |
| Russian | гомик (gomik) | derived from homo | derogatory |
| Serbian | peder | gay - word derived from pederast | derogatory |
| Serbian | homo | homosexual | derogatory |
| Serbian | buljaš | butty boy | derogatory |
| Serbian | peškir | towel | derogatory |
| Serbian | gej | gay | neutral |
| Slovak | buzerant/buzík | faggot | derogatory |
| Slovak | gej | gay | neutral |
| Slovak | homoš | homo | derogatory |
| Slovak | štvorpercentný | four-percent | neutral |
| Slovak | teploš | fagot | derogatory |
| Slovak | teplý | warm | slightly derogatory |
| 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 | derogatory (Mexico) |
| Spanish | muerdealmohadas | 'pillow-biter' | derogatory |
| Spanish | jamaicón | from Jamaica | derogatory |
| Spanish | afrancesado | As a french person | neutral (Argentina) |
| Spanish | puñal | dagger | highly derogatory (Mexico) |
| Spanish | puto | male prostitute | highly derogatory (Latin America) |
| Spanish | joto | from the Jack on the card decks, named "joto", "la jota" in mexican Spanish | highly derogatory (Mexico) |
| Spanish | de ambiente | from the scene | neutral |
| Spanish | entendido | the understood one | neutral |
| Spanish | pato | duck | derogatory (Panama, Puerto Rico, Venezuela) |
| Spanish | plumifero | 'with feathers' | derogatory (Puerto Rico) |
| Spanish | cueco | unknown origin | derogatory (Panama) |
| Swedish | bög | crooked | neutral, formerly derogatory |
| Swedish | bajspackare | fudge packer | derogatory |
| Swedish | fikus | ficus | derogatory |
| Swedish | stjärtlymmel | ass rascal | derogatory |
| Swedish | stjärtdykare | ass diver | derogatory |
| Tagalog | bakla | unknown; can also be used to describe things used by a male judged to be too effeminate (e.g. cosmetics, toiletries, clothing) | neutral or slightly derogatory |
| Tagalog | bading | unknown | neutral or slightly derogatory |
| Tagalog | baklita | unknown | neutral or slightly derogatory |
| Tagalog | binabae | effeminate | neutral |
| Tagalog | vaklush | unknown | neutral or slightly derogatory |
| Tagalog | vaklushii | unknown | neutral or slightly derogatory |
| Visayan | monmon | unknown | neutral or slightly derogatory |
| Turkish | eşcinsel | homosexual | neutral |
| Turkish | top | ball | derogatory |
| Turkish | nonoş | old meaning: "cute, dear", now slang for effeminate gays | derogatory |
| Turkish | yumuşak | soft | derogatory |
| Turkish | ibne | homosexual (Arabic lit. feminine form of 'son', like in German 'Sohnin') | derogatory |
| Turkish | kulampara | Persian for 'boy lover', used for top gay men, particularly those who like younger persons | archaic, derogatory |
| Welsh | hoyw | happy, jolly | neutral |
| Yiddish | פֿײגעלע (feygele) | "little bird" - a diminutive of bird (פֿויגל) | slightly derogatory |
| IsiZulu | unqingili | ? | derogatory |
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
Beware that some of the translations given in the following pages are for "gay" in the traditional sense of "joyful".
