People and family in Basque
143 words Basque words on the topic “people and family”: laguna — friend, familia — family, ama — mom, aita — dad.
143 words on the topic
- lagunafriendFrom lagun — 'friend' and 'helper' alike: laguntza, 'help', comes from it. A casual acquaintance is ezagun
- familiafamilyA false friend of 'family name': this is the family. The surname is abizena — literally 'added to the name'
- amamomA neutral word. The affectionate one is amatxo. Grandma is amona: the same ama at the front
- aitadadThe affectionate one is aitatxo. Grandpa is aitona: the same aita at the front, symmetric with ama/amona
- haurrachildHaur + a, and the r doubles at the seam: haurra. Children are haurrak; the playroom is haurrentzako — literally 'for children'
- pertsonapersonThe counting unit for people: bi pertsona — two people, not bi gizon. A neutral word instead of 'man and woman'
- gizonamanFrom gizon — 'person' and 'man' at once: Gizon-zuri is what the first humans are called in the myth. Plural: gizonak
- emakumeawomanFrom eme — 'female' plus a native tail. A long, honest word of its own
- gazteayoung manGazte — 'young' in general: gaztea is a young man, neska gaztea a young woman. About wine too: ardo gaztea
- neskayoung womanYou know neska from the basics — 'girl': the same word is a teenage girl. A boy is mutila
- zaharraold manThe same word as 'old' from the market: an old man here is 'the old one' with the article. More respectful: adiruduna
- ezezagunastrangerFrom ezagun — 'familiar' + ez — 'not': 'un-familiar'. Ezezagun batek lagundu dit — a stranger helped me
- jendetzacrowdFrom jende — 'people': jendetza is 'peopleness'. At Bilbao's festivals there is no way around it
- kopetaforeheadA native word, part of the face's map: aurpegia — 'face', kopeta — 'forehead'. A broad one is kopeta zabala
- masailacheekA native word: the cheek here is masaila. In children it reddens from frost and from shame — one word for both
- kokotsachinA native word: the face ends with it at the bottom. The beard grows exactly there
- bekainaeyebrowA native word: it lives under the eye. Surprise is shown by raising both
- betileaeyelashLiterally 'the eye's little leaf': beti — 'eye' + -tile. The eyelashes here are the eye's little blinds
- zimurrawrinkleA native word: related to zimurtu — 'to wrinkle up'. Wrinkles here are read like lines
- orbainamoleLiterally 'a little spot': orban — 'a stain'; used for a birthmark and a mark on the skin alike. Doctors also say orin
- ile kizkurracurlyLiterally 'hair crooked': ilea — 'hair', kizkur — 'crooked'. The wave calls curls what they are
- burusoilabaldLiterally 'head bare': burua — 'head' + soil — 'empty, bare'. An honest word; grandpas don't take offense
- ile zurikoagrey-hairedLiterally 'with white hair': ilea — 'hair' + zuri — 'white' + -ko. Grey hair here is just 'white hair' — no poetry
- sorbaldashoulderA native word: the bag and the child are carried on it. Pain in it is sorbaldan mina
- ukondoaelbowA native word: the elbow is what knocks on the table. From it, ukondoz — 'elbow-first, crookedly'
- belaunakneeA native word: belaun — and the same word means 'generation': generations were counted by knees. Plural: belaunak
- azkazalafingernailLiterally 'the hand's claw': azkazal — the same root as the cat's claw. Trimmed with the verb moztu — 'to cut'
- azalaskinA native word: the skin — the same word as the fruit's peel and the drum's head. The sun burns it with the verb erre — 'to burn'
- altueraheight (of a person)Literally 'the height': altu — 'tall', a native word. Height here is measured not in centimeters but in words: handia — big, baxua — short
- argalaslimA native word: slim, slender; the same word from which argaldu — 'to lose weight'. The compliment is simple: argala zara
- neurri ertainekoaof average buildLiterally 'of average size': neurri — 'size', ertain — 'middle'. This is how you answer the question about someone's looks — without numbers
- argaldulose weightFrom argal — 'slim' + -tu: to lose weight is 'to become slim'. In summer it's done by running — korrika
- pisua hartugain weightLiterally 'to take the weight': pisua — 'weight', the same word as 'the scales' + hartu — 'to take'. Weight here isn't 'gained', it's 'taken'
- eskuzabalagenerousLiterally 'wide-handed': esku — 'hand' + zabal — 'wide'. Generosity here is 'the open palm' — a picture instead of a definition
- pazientepatientA loan from Latin, like our 'patient', openly admitted. Patient with children, with queues and with language learners
- lankorrahardworkingLiterally 'work-inclined': lan — 'work' + -kor, 'inclined'. Diligence here is not a virtue but a habit of the hand
- fidagarriareliableFrom fidatu — 'to trust' + -garri, 'giving': reliable here is 'trust-giving'. Said of people and of cars alike
- apalamodestThe same word as 'shelf' — context splits them: apal — 'low', hence both the shelf and modesty. Modest here is 'not pushing itself up'
- sozialasociableA loan from Latin, like our 'social', openly admitted. Sociable here: comes alive in company
- arduratsuacaringFrom ardura — 'care, responsibility' + -tsu, 'full'. Caring here is 'carrying the care': for the younger ones, the plant, the task
- serioaseriousA loan from Latin through the Spanish serio, openly admitted. Serious at work and in promises
- ondo heziawell-manneredLiterally 'well raised': hezi — 'to raise'. Manners here are the result of care, as with a tree
- umore zentzuasense of humorLiterally 'the humor's sense': umore — 'mood and humor' at once (a loan, admitted), zentzu — 'sense'. Good humor is umore ona
- zikoizastingyA native word: stingy, miserly; greed is zikoiztasun. One word for both senses: about money and about toys
- burugogorrastubbornLiterally 'hard-headed': burua — 'head' + gogor — 'hard'. Stubbornness here is a property of the head, not the character
- latzacoarseA native word: rough, scratchy — the same as fabric and the sea. Coarseness here is the sandpaper quality of words
- lotsagabeashamelessLiterally 'without shame': lotsa — 'shame' + gabe — 'without'. Boldness here is defined honestly: the absence of shame
- arginacraftyLiterally 'bright': argi — 'light' and 'clever' at once; crafty here is 'the bright head at the turns'. Wit and cunning — one word; the deed tells them apart
- berritsuachattyFrom berri — 'news' + -tsu, 'full': chatty here is 'overflowing with news'. Silence is harder for him than talking
- adigabeaabsent-mindedLiterally 'without attention': adi — 'attention' + gabe — 'without'. Absent-mindedness here is not a vice but the absence of adi at that moment
- haserrekorrahot-temperedFrom haserre — 'in anger' + -kor, 'inclined': hot-tempered here is 'quickly igniting'. The fire is fast — and goes out fast
- indiferenteaindifferentA loan from Latin, like ours, openly admitted. Indifference is also described by the formula ez zait axola — 'it doesn't touch you'
- inbidituto envyA loan from the Latin invidia, like our 'envy', openly admitted. Envy here is inbidia, the verb is inbiditu
- ohiturahabitLiterally 'custom-kin': ohi — 'custom' + -tura. A habit here is a little custom of one person
- ekintzadeedFrom ekin — 'to act' + -tza, the action noun: a deed here is 'an acting'. People are judged by them, not by words
- jokatubehaveA native word: to play, to act and to behave at once, like 'jugar'. Nola jokatzen du? — how does he behave?
- errespetaturespectA loan from Latin, like ours, openly admitted. Respect here: for elders, for other people's time, for silence
- goretsipraiseA native word: to praise, exalt; related to gore — 'the top'. Praise here is 'a lifting' — the person is set higher
- errieta eginscoldLiterally 'to do a telling-off': errieta — 'a reprimand'. Scolding here is its own speech act, with its own word
- barkatuforgiveThe same word as 'sorry' — context splits them: barkatu is both asked and given. Forgiveness here is the same gesture, in the other direction
- gezurra esanlieLiterally 'to speak the lie': gezurra — 'a lie', a native word. The truth is egia — and the choice between them stays open
- esamesagossipLiterally 'the saying': esan — 'to say' + -tze, the action noun. Gossip here is 'what got said' without the knowledge of the one it's about
- itxura eginpretendLiterally 'to do the look': itxura — 'look, appearance' + egin — 'to do'. Pretending here is literal: you assemble an appearance and show it
- harremanarelationshipLiterally 'a leading-together': harreman — 'a bond', from eraman — 'to carry along'. A relationship is what two people carry along together
- adiskidetasunafriendshipFrom adiskide — 'friend' + -tasun: friendship here is 'friend-ness' in the name. The word is long, the feeling is simple
- adiskideafriend (close)The same adiskide as in 'friendship': a neutral word — friend of any gender; the deed tells. Related to laguna — 'friend' of the basics
- ezagunaacquaintanceFrom ezagutu — 'to get to know': an acquaintance here is 'the known one'. Not a friend, not a stranger — between them
- maitemindufall in loveFrom maite — 'beloved': to fall in love is 'to become beloved' — suddenly and without permission. From it, maitasuna — 'love'
- hitzorduaa romantic dateLiterally 'word-hour': hitz — 'word' + ordu — 'hour'. A date here is 'an hour for talking' — for lovers and for the doctor alike
- bekaitz izanbe jealousLiterally 'to be because-of': X-en bekaitz izan — to be jealous over X. Jealousy here is 'being because of someone' — the roles say it all
- banandubreak upLiterally 'to divide apart': to separate, to go different ways. A break-up isn't always a quarrel — just motion in different directions
- bakardadealonelinessLiterally 'the oneness': bakar — 'alone, single' + -tasun. Loneliness here is not the count of people but the quality of the hour
- falta eginmiss (a person)A loan from the Spanish falta — 'lack', openly admitted. Missing here is literal: a person 'is made a lack'
- gizarteasocietyLiterally 'the people's gathering': gizon — 'person, man' + -arte, 'assembly'. Society here is simply 'all the people together', no pathos
- biztanleriapopulationFrom biztanle — 'an inhabitant' (from bizi — 'to live') + -eria, an assembly. In the good sense: everyone who breathes here
- biztanleainhabitantFrom bizi — 'to live': literally 'the living one'. One root for the whole demography: you live — you're counted
- herritarracitizenLiterally 'the country's person': herria — 'country, people' + -tar — 'hence'. Not a document but a belonging: you are of this land
- hiriburuacapital (city)Literally 'the city's head': hiria — 'city' + burua — 'head'. Not size but the place where thinking is done for all
- bertakoalocalFrom bertako — 'of here': the one who knows where the best bread is. Partner of arrotza — 'the stranger'
- herriathe peopleThe same herri as country and village: the people as a whole. One word holds the whole picture: a country is its people, not its borders
- gehienakthe majorityFrom gehi — 'more' + -ienak, 'the most': 'the more-ones' — those of whom there are more. A number turned into people
- gutxiengoathe minorityFrom gutxi — 'few' + -engo: 'the few-ones'. The exact shadow of gehienak: every word has its second half
- botereapower (authority)An old loan through Latin — potentia, openly admitted: the word has lived here for centuries. What some can do for all
- langileaa factory workerThe same word as 'an employee' (wave 4) — the meaning tells them apart: a factory worker is in production, hands and machine. From lan — work
- kuadrillaa crewA borrowing from Spanish — cuadrilla, honestly marked. A crew is people of one job: Basques call a company of friends the same way
- teknikariaa technicianA borrowing from Greek — tekhne, craft, honestly marked. A technician walks behind the machines, the engineer's hands
- argibideakinstructionsLiterally 'clarifications': argi is light (this course) + -bide is path. Instructions are lighting up a dark job — nobody goes to the machine without them
- lan-jantziawork clothesLiterally 'the work's clothing': jantzi is clothing (this course). Work clothes are what dirt and sparks do not frighten
- lan-segurtasunajob safetyThe same phrase as 'safety rules' — the meaning tells them apart: job safety is the rule that protects the human, not the machine
- ordutegiaren araberaby the scheduleLiterally 'according to the timetable': ordutegia is the timetable (wave 2) + arabera is 'according to' (wave 10). By the schedule — time decides, the human lives under it
- txanda errotatiboaa rotation shiftLiterally 'a rotating shift': txanda is a shift + errotatibo is rotating, a borrowing from Latin rotare, honestly marked. A rotation shift — weeks away, then as many at home
- geldialdiadowntimeFrom gelditu — to stop (wave 10) + -aldi, a period (first lesson): downtime is 'standing' — the machine is broken, everybody waits
- beti eskuraalways on callLiterally 'always at hand': esku is hand + -ra, whereto. Always on call — wherever needed, there he is, not a minute free
- ontasunakindnessFrom on — good (this course) + -tasun: kindness is the heart's 'goodness', shown in deeds
- autokontrolaself-controlA borrowed word — Greek autos 'self' + Latin control, honestly marked. Self-control — the steering wheel in one's own hands: anger rises but stays inside
- pazientziapatienceA borrowing from Latin — patientia, suffering, honestly marked. Patience — being able to wait: boiling inside, waiting outside
- egoismoaselfishnessA borrowing from Latin — ego, I, honestly marked. Selfishness — all 'I': the world through other people's eyes is not visible
- ezer egiteko gogorik ezlazinessLiterally 'no appetite to do anything': gogo is appetite + -rik, the negation. Laziness lies on the couch: bihar egingo dut, bihar — tomorrow, tomorrow
- burugogortasunastubbornnessLiterally 'head-hardness': buru is head + gogor is hard (wave 10). Stubbornness is a stone: you cannot move it
- jakin-minacuriosityLiterally 'the hunger to know': jakin is to know + min is pain and hunger at once. Curiosity eats from inside: what comes next?
- zintzotasunaintegrityFrom zintzo — honest, straight + -tasun: integrity is clean hands and a kept word
- asmatzeko gaitasunaresourcefulnessLiterally 'the ability to invent': asmatu is to invent (wave 9) + gaitasun is ability. Resourcefulness — the chain broke, it looks for a rope
- axolagabekeriacarelessnessFrom axola — concern + gabe, without + -keria: carelessness is 'concernlessness' — bihar izango da, he says always — tomorrow, he says
- erabakigarriadecisiveFrom erabaki — to decide (this course) + -garri, the birther: decisive is 'decision-bearing': forward without doubts
- lotsatiashyFrom lotsa — shame + -ti, inclined: shy here is 'shame-inclined': the eyes drop, but the heart is big
- haserrekoiquick-temperedFrom haserre — in anger + -koi, inclined: quick-tempered is 'anger-inclined': one bad word and he flares up
- malguaaccommodatingThe same word as 'flexible' (wave 10) — the meaning tells them apart: accommodating is about a person: he bends but does not break, at peace with everybody
- zehatzameticulousFrom zehaz — exact (a relative of zehazki — exactly, wave 9): meticulous measures four times before cutting
- harroapridefulIts own word: harro is proud and prideful at once. Prideful — even a small slight hurts: 'harroegia da' — too proud
- eskuzabalaopenhandedThe same word as 'generous' — the meaning tells them apart: openhanded always hears the call: the hand opens without asking
- itxiareservedThe same word as 'closed' — the meaning tells them apart: reserved is about a person: he says little, lives from the inside
- zuzenabluntThe same word as 'straight' — the meaning tells them apart: blunt is about a person: he says what he thinks, even when it is not pretty
- aurreikustezinaunpredictableFrom aurreikusi — to foresee + -t(e)zin, cannot: unpredictable — what he will do tomorrow, you cannot say in advance
- men eginto obeyIts own phrase: men egin is to obey, to submit: 'gurasoei men egin' — obey your parents. It goes with -ri
- puztuto bragThe same word as 'to exaggerate' (wave 5) — the meaning tells them apart: to brag is to puff oneself up: wind inside, like in a balloon
- zurrumurruak zabalduto gossipLiterally 'to spread the rumors': zurrumurru is a rumor (wave 5) + zabaldu is to spread. To gossip — opening a shop of other people's lives
- antzeztuto pretendFrom antzezlan — a play: antzeztu is to act on stage. To pretend — the theater moves into life: feeling one thing, showing another
- barreari eutsito keep a straight faceLiterally 'to hold on to the laughter': eutsi is to hold. Keeping a straight face — the laughter on a leash: the meeting goes on while inside it cracks
- txantxetan eginto play a jokeLiterally 'to do in jest': txantxa is a joke (this course). To play a joke — on a friend, without malice: 'ez gaizki' — not out of spite
- gezurra esanto tell a fibThe same phrase as 'to lie' (this course) — the meaning tells them apart: a fib is once, not a system: a small untruth that can be fixed
- isilean entzunto eavesdropLiterally 'to hear in silence': isil is quiet + -ean. To eavesdrop — behind the door, not breathing
- inposatuto impose oneselfA borrowing from Latin — imponere, to place upon, honestly marked. To impose oneself — laying yourself on other people's shoulders: nobody called, and he came
- hitzari eutsito keep one's wordLiterally 'to hold on to the word': eutsi is to hold (a relative of barreari eutsi — keeping a straight face). Keeping one's word is fulfilling what was given
- merezi izanto earnLiterally 'to have deservingness': merezi is to deserve (a relative of ikustea merezi du — worth watching, the 'Stories' unit). To earn — trust and fame are taken by work
- leporatuto reproachA relative of lepo — the neck: to reproach is to load the guilt onto the neck. Often in the news: errua leporatu — to pin the blame
- goraipatuto praiseFrom gora — up (wave 10) + -ipatu: to praise is to say the work 'up', lifting it in people's eyes
- gaitzetsito condemnThe same word as 'to disapprove' (wave 9) — the meaning tells them apart: to condemn is to pass sentence at once: gaitzetsi dute — they condemned
- huts eginto let downLiterally 'to make emptiness': huts is emptiness (this course) + egin. To let down — to leave the one who waited with nothing
- nahitadeliberatelyThe same word as 'deliberately' — the meaning tells them apart: on purpose is seeking harm, not by chance: ez dut nahita — not on purpose
- tontokeriagatikout of foolishnessLiterally 'because of foolishness': tonto is silly, a borrowing from Spanish, honestly marked + -keria + -gatik, because of (the 'Nature' unit). Out of foolishness — without thinking
- asmo onekinwith the best intentionsLiterally 'with a good intent': asmo is intent (a relative of asmatu — to invent, wave 9) + on is good + -kin. With the best intentions — the outcome is bad, but the heart was kind
- itsusia dait is uglyLiterally 'ugly it is': itsusi is ugly (this course) — said of a face and of a deed alike. It is ugly — nobody asked for the judgment
- gaizkirik gabenot out of maliceLiterally 'without the bad': gaizki is badly (this course) + -rik + gabe, without. Not out of malice — a mistake happened, there was no ill will
- konfiantzatrustA borrowing from Spanish — confianza, honestly marked. Trust — handing the keys into someone else's hands
- inbidiaenvyA borrowing from Latin — invidia, honestly marked. Envy — what belongs to another enters the eye: without reason and without use
- errukiapityThe same word as 'sympathy' — the meaning tells them apart: pity looks from above, not from beside: laguntza da, baina goitik begiratuta — it is help, but looked at from high
- eraginainfluenceFrom eragin — to influence (this course): influence works like water on stone: quietly and little by little
- autoritateaauthorityA borrowing from Latin — auctoritas, honestly marked. Authority is not power but respect: one phrase — and the room falls silent
- berdintasunaequalityFrom berdin — the same (this course) + -tasun: equality is 'sameness' — one law for all
- elkarrekikoamutualFrom elkar — each other + -rekiko: mutual goes in two directions: you for me, I for you
- modu bereanas equalsThe same phrase as 'on equal terms' (wave 10) — the meaning tells them apart: as equals is about relations: talking and deciding without a boss
- adiskidetuto hit it offThe same word as 'to make up' (this course) — the meaning tells them apart: to hit it off is to start well for the first time: no quarrel, simply together
- bazterrean egonto keep to the sidelinesLiterally 'to be at the edge': bazterr is side, edge. Keeping to the sidelines — watching from afar, not entering the circle
How it sounds in a sentence
A word list is a blank. Conversation is made of sentences, and these are the ones the words fit into most often.
- Nire lagun bat Tarragonan bizi daMy friend lives in Tarragona
- Igandeetan familia osoak bazkaltzen duOn Sundays the whole family has lunch together
- Amak deitzen dit eguneroMom calls me every day
- Nire aita gidari lan egiten duMy dad works as a driver
- Bi haur dituzte, mutil bat eta neska batThey have two children, a boy and a girl
- Hemen pertsona asko pasatzen diraMany people pass here
What is worth knowing about these words
laguna — friend. From lagun — 'friend' and 'helper' alike: laguntza, 'help', comes from it. A casual acquaintance is ezagun
familia — family. A false friend of 'family name': this is the family. The surname is abizena — literally 'added to the name'
ama — mom. A neutral word. The affectionate one is amatxo. Grandma is amona: the same ama at the front
aita — dad. The affectionate one is aitatxo. Grandpa is aitona: the same aita at the front, symmetric with ama/amona
Test yourself
Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than recognizing a familiar word — and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “friend” in Basque?
From lagun — 'friend' and 'helper' alike: laguntza, 'help', comes from it. A casual acquaintance is ezagun
- How do you say “woman” in Basque?
From eme — 'female' plus a native tail. A long, honest word of its own
- How do you say “cheek” in Basque?
A native word: the cheek here is masaila. In children it reddens from frost and from shame — one word for both
- How do you say “bald” in Basque?
Literally 'head bare': burua — 'head' + soil — 'empty, bare'. An honest word; grandpas don't take offense
- How do you say “height (of a person)” in Basque?
Literally 'the height': altu — 'tall', a native word. Height here is measured not in centimeters but in words: handia — big, baxua — short
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
Mum, friend, child, neighbour. The first thing people ask you about, and the first thing you tell about yourself.
A list is read in a minute and forgotten in a day. What works: hide the translation, try to recall, get it wrong — and come back to the same words tomorrow.
- Recalling beats re-reading. Covering the translation and trying to remember it does more than reading it ten more times.checked many timesAdesope, Trevisan & Sundararajan, 2017, Review of Educational Research 87(3) · 188 experiments, 272 comparisons. g = 0.61; against plain re-reading 0.51, against passive review 0.93.
- This holds not only in experiments but in ordinary classrooms, with real students.checked many timesMawson & Kang, 2025, Behavioral Sciences 15(6):771 · 22 studies, d = 0.54 (confidence interval 0.31–0.77). The authors warn that individual studies disagree widely.
Frequently asked
How do you say “friend” in Basque?
«laguna». From lagun — 'friend' and 'helper' alike: laguntza, 'help', comes from it. A casual acquaintance is ezagun. It is one of 143 words in the set “people and family” — the rest are in the table above.
How many family words do you need to start?
A dozen is enough. The set of 143 words on this page covers nearly every everyday case on the topic — but it is best taken a few at a time, not all at once.