Blog How to Say Dog in Other Languages

No matter where you travel, one thing is universal: people love dogs. But while our furry friends may share the same wagging tails and puppy eyes, the words we use for them can sound very different from country to country.

From perro in Spanish to inu in Japanese, let’s take a trip around the world and discover how different cultures say one of our favorite words: dog.

Romance Languages

Many European languages evolved from Latin and belong to the Romance language family. Not surprisingly, many of their words for dog share similar roots.

• Latin: Canis — the origin of familiar words like canine and canid.
• Spanish: Perro (male) or perra (female).
• French: Chien (male) or chienne (female).
• Italian: Cane (male) or cagna (female).
• Portuguese: Cão or cadela. In Brazil, you’ll also commonly hear cachorro used for dogs of any kind.

Germanic Languages

Several Germanic languages use remarkably similar words for dog.

• German: Hund for a dog and Hündin for a female dog.
• Dutch: Hond for dog and teef for a female dog.
• Danish: Hund.
• Norwegian: Hund.

Fun fact: Many police and military dogs around the world are trained using commands in German or Dutch, allowing them to respond consistently no matter where they are eventually deployed.

Across Asia

Asian languages are incredibly diverse, and their words for dog are just as fascinating.

• Japanese: Inu (犬). You may already recognize it from breeds like the Shiba Inu and Akita Inu.
• Mandarin Chinese: Gǒu (狗).
• Korean: Gae (개).

Around the Middle East and Europe

Dogs have been companions to humans for thousands of years, and every culture has developed its own name for them.

• Arabic: Kalb (كلب).
• Hebrew: Kelev (כֶּלֶב).
• Russian: Sobaka (собака).
• Greek: Skýlos (σκύλος).

On the Indian Subcontinent

• Hindi: Kutta (कुत्ता), one of the most widely recognized words for dog in South Asia.

A Universal Best Friend

Dogs have traveled alongside humans for thousands of years. They’ve crossed continents, sailed oceans, and today they fly, drive, and move with their families all over the world.

No matter what language you speak, dogs seem to understand the words that matter most: love, play, treats, walks, and dinner time.

Whether your pup answers to dog, perro, chien, hund, or inu, one thing remains true everywhere: dogs have a special way of becoming family.

What’s your favorite way to say “dog” from around the world?