Dog in Different Languages: 70 Translations With Pronunciation

Dogs are loved around the world for their loyalty, intelligence, and playful personalities. But have you ever wondered how to say dog in different languages? From perro in Spanish to chien in French and Hund in German, every language has its own word for this popular animal.

Whether you are learning a new language, writing about pets, exploring animal names, or simply curious about different cultures, this guide will help you discover how people say dog in 70 languages. Each translation includes the native word, an easy pronunciation guide, and an example sentence with its English meaning.

How Do You Say Dog in Different Languages?

The word “dog” has different translations across the world. Here are eight common examples to help you get started.

Language	Native Word	Easy Pronunciation	English Meaning
Spanish	Perro	PEH-rroh	Dog
French	Chien	shyeh(n)	Dog
German	Hund	hoont	Dog
Italian	Cane	KAH-neh	Dog
Portuguese	Cão	kowng	Dog
Hindi	कुत्ता	kut-ta	Dog
Urdu	کتا	kutta	Dog
Japanese	犬	ee-nu	Dog

Example: In Spanish, El perro es amigable means “The dog is friendly.” In French, Le chien est gentil means “The dog is kind.”

Dog in South Asian Languages

South Asian languages have different words for dogs, with some languages also distinguishing between male and female dogs or using different words in formal and everyday speech.

Language	Native Word	Easy Pronunciation	Example Sentence	English Meaning
Hindi	कुत्ता	kut-ta	कुत्ता बहुत प्यारा है।	The dog is very cute.
Urdu	کتا	kutta	کتا بہت پیارا ہے۔	The dog is very cute.
Bengali	কুকুর	ku-kur	কুকুরটি খুব সুন্দর।	The dog is very cute.
Punjabi	ਕੁੱਤਾ	kut-ta	ਕੁੱਤਾ ਬਹੁਤ ਪਿਆਰਾ ਹੈ।	The dog is very cute.
Gujarati	કૂતરો	koo-tro	કૂતરો ખૂબ સુંદર છે.	The dog is very cute.
Marathi	कुत्रा	kut-raa	कुत्रा खूप गोड आहे.	The dog is very cute.
Nepali	कुकुर	ku-kur	कुकुर धेरै प्यारो छ।	The dog is very cute.

Dog in East Asian Languages

East Asian languages use distinct words for dogs. These translations are useful for travelers, language learners, and anyone interested in animal vocabulary.

Language	Native Word	Easy Pronunciation	Example Sentence	English Meaning
Mandarin Chinese	狗	gǒu	这只狗很可爱。	This dog is very cute.
Japanese	犬	inu	その犬はかわいいです。	That dog is cute.
Korean	개	gae	그 개는 귀여워요.	That dog is cute.
Mongolian	Нохой	no-khoi	Нохой хөөрхөн.	The dog is cute.
Tibetan	ཁྱི	khyi	ཁྱི་དེ་སྙིང་རྗེ་པོ་འདུག	That dog is cute.
Burmese	ခွေး	khway	ခွေးလေးက ချစ်စရာကောင်းတယ်။	The dog is cute.
Cantonese	狗	gau2	呢隻狗好得意。	This dog is cute.

Dog in Southeast Asian Languages

Dogs are familiar animals in many Southeast Asian communities. These words can help you talk about pets and animals during everyday conversations.

Language	Native Word	Easy Pronunciation	Example Sentence	English Meaning
Thai	สุนัข	su-nak	สุนัขตัวนี้น่ารัก	This dog is cute.
Vietnamese	Chó	chaw	Con chó rất dễ thương.	The dog is very cute.
Indonesian	Anjing	an-jing	Anjing itu sangat lucu.	That dog is very cute.
Malay	Anjing	an-jing	Anjing itu sangat comel.	That dog is very cute.
Filipino	Aso	ah-soh	Ang aso ay napakacute.	The dog is very cute.
Khmer	ឆ្កែ	ch-kay	ឆ្កែនេះគួរឱ្យស្រឡាញ់។	This dog is adorable.
Lao	ໝາ	maa	ໝາໂຕນີ້ໜ້າຮັກ	This dog is cute.

Dog in Middle Eastern and Nearby Languages

The following translations show how to say dog in several languages spoken across the Middle East and nearby regions.

Language	Native Word	Easy Pronunciation	Example Sentence	English Meaning
Arabic	كلب	kalb	الكلب لطيف.	The dog is friendly.
Persian	سگ	sag	این سگ بامزه است.	This dog is cute.
Hebrew	כלב	keh-lev	הכלב חמוד.	The dog is cute.
Turkish	Köpek	kuh-pek	Köpek çok sevimli.	The dog is very cute.
Kurdish (Kurmanji)	Kûçik	koo-chik	Kûçik pir delal e.	The dog is very cute.
Pashto	سپی	spey	دا سپی ښکلی دی.	This dog is beautiful.
Armenian	Շուն	shoon	Շունը շատ սիրուն է։	The dog is very cute.

Dog in Western European Languages

Many Western European languages have short, commonly used words for dog. Learning them is a useful first step for anyone studying European vocabulary.

Language	Native Word	Easy Pronunciation	Example Sentence	English Meaning
French	Chien	shyeh(n)	Le chien est gentil.	The dog is friendly.
Spanish	Perro	PEH-rroh	El perro es amigable.	The dog is friendly.
Portuguese	Cão	kowng	O cão é amigável.	The dog is friendly.
Italian	Cane	KAH-neh	Il cane è amichevole.	The dog is friendly.
German	Hund	hoont	Der Hund ist freundlich.	The dog is friendly.
Dutch	Hond	hond	De hond is vriendelijk.	The dog is friendly.
Catalan	Gos	goss	El gos és amable.	The dog is friendly.

Dog in Northern European and Baltic Languages

These languages offer different names for dogs, from familiar Scandinavian words to Baltic vocabulary.

Language	Native Word	Easy Pronunciation	Example Sentence	English Meaning
Swedish	Hund	hoond	Hunden är snäll.	The dog is kind.
Norwegian	Hund	hoon	Hunden er snill.	The dog is kind.
Danish	Hund	hoon	Hunden er venlig.	The dog is friendly.
Finnish	Koira	koy-rah	Koira on ystävällinen.	The dog is friendly.
Icelandic	Hundur	hoon-dur	Hundurinn er vingjarnlegur.	The dog is friendly.
Estonian	Koer	koh-ehr	Koer on sõbralik.	The dog is friendly.
Latvian	Suns	soons	Suns ir draudzīgs.	The dog is friendly.

Dog in Slavic and Eastern European Languages

Slavic and Eastern European languages have distinctive words for dogs. Some words may look or sound similar because of historical relationships between languages.

Language	Native Word	Easy Pronunciation	Example Sentence	English Meaning
Russian	Собака	sa-BA-ka	Собака очень добрая.	The dog is very kind.
Ukrainian	Собака	so-BA-ka	Собака дуже мила.	The dog is very cute.
Polish	Pies	pyes	Pies jest przyjazny.	The dog is friendly.
Czech	Pes	pes	Pes je přátelský.	The dog is friendly.
Slovak	Pes	pes	Pes je priateľský.	The dog is friendly.
Bulgarian	Куче	koo-cheh	Кучето е дружелюбно.	The dog is friendly.
Serbian	Пас	pas	Пас је пријатељски настројен.	The dog is friendly.

Dog in Southern European and Balkan Languages

The following words are used in Southern Europe and the Balkans. They are useful for discussing pets, animals, and everyday life.

Language	Native Word	Easy Pronunciation	Example Sentence	English Meaning
Greek	Σκύλος	SKEE-los	Ο σκύλος είναι φιλικός.	The dog is friendly.
Croatian	Pas	pas	Pas je prijateljski nastrojen.	The dog is friendly.
Bosnian	Pas	pas	Pas je umiljat.	The dog is affectionate.
Slovenian	Pes	pes	Pes je prijazen.	The dog is friendly.
Albanian	Qen	chen	Qeni është miqësor.	The dog is friendly.
Romanian	Câine	kuh-ee-neh	Câinele este prietenos.	The dog is friendly.
Hungarian	Kutya	koo-tyah	A kutya barátságos.	The dog is friendly.

Dog in African Languages

Across Africa, many languages have their own words for dogs. These examples introduce several widely spoken African languages.

Language	Native Word	Easy Pronunciation	Example Sentence	English Meaning
Swahili	Mbwa	mm-bwah	Mbwa ni rafiki mzuri.	The dog is a good friend.
Amharic	ውሻ	wu-sha	ውሻው ቆንጆ ነው።	The dog is cute.
Yoruba	Ajá	ah-jah	Ajá náà lẹ́wà.	The dog is beautiful.
Igbo	Nkịta	n-kee-tah	Nkịta ahụ mara mma.	That dog is beautiful.
Hausa	Kare	kah-reh	Karen yana da kyau.	The dog is beautiful.
Zulu	Inja	een-jah	Inja inobungane.	The dog is friendly.
Afrikaans	Hond	hond	Die hond is vriendelik.	The dog is friendly.

Dog in Central Asian and Other World Languages

This final group includes languages from Central Asia, the Caucasus, the Baltic region, and Ireland.

Language	Native Word	Easy Pronunciation	Example Sentence	English Meaning
Kazakh	Ит	eet	Ит өте сүйкімді.	The dog is very cute.
Uzbek	It	eet	It juda yoqimli.	The dog is very cute.
Kyrgyz	Ит	eet	Ит абдан сүйкүмдүү.	The dog is very cute.
Azerbaijani	İt	eet	İt çox şirindir.	The dog is very cute.
Georgian	ძაღლი	dzagh-lee	ძაღლი ძალიან საყვარელია.	The dog is very cute.
Lithuanian	Šuo	shoo-oh	Šuo yra draugiškas.	The dog is friendly.
Irish	Madra	mah-drah	Tá an madra cairdiúil.	The dog is friendly.

Different Words for Dog, Puppy, and Pet

Although these words are related, they do not have exactly the same meaning.

• Dog: An adult or young member of the dog species.
• Puppy: A young dog.
• Pet: An animal kept for companionship.
• Stray dog: A dog living without a permanent home or owner.
• Guard dog: A dog trained to protect people or property.

For example, the Spanish word perro means dog, while cachorro commonly means puppy. In French, chien means dog and chiot means puppy.

Understanding these differences helps you choose the correct word when speaking or writing in another language.

Why Are Dogs Called Different Names Around the World?

Languages develop through different histories, cultures, and traditions. As a result, the word for dog varies widely.

• Historical development: Words evolve over generations and may change in pronunciation or spelling.
• Language families: Related languages sometimes share similar vocabulary.
• Local culture: Dogs may have different roles in communities, including companionship, herding, and guarding.
• Grammar: Some languages change the form of a word depending on its role in a sentence.
• Regional variation: Speakers may use different words or expressions depending on the region.

These differences make animal vocabulary an interesting way to explore languages and cultures.

How to Learn Dog in Different Languages

Use these simple methods to remember the translations more easily.

• Start with familiar languages: Learn the words in languages you already hear regularly.
• Practice pronunciation: Say each word aloud several times.
• Use pictures: Connect each word with a picture of a dog.
• Learn complete sentences: Practice phrases such as “The dog is friendly.”
• Listen to native speakers: Audio examples can help you understand sounds and accents.
• Review regularly: Revisit a few words each day instead of memorizing all 70 at once.

Small, regular practice sessions can help you remember new vocabulary and use it more naturally.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you say dog in different languages?

Dog is perro in Spanish, chien in French, Hund in German, cane in Italian, कुत्ता in Hindi, and 犬 (inu) in Japanese. The exact word depends on the language.

What is dog called in Hindi?

Dog is commonly called कुत्ता (kutta) in Hindi. The feminine form commonly used for a female dog is कुतिया (kutiya).

What is dog called in Urdu?

Dog is called کتا (kutta) in Urdu. It is the common everyday word for a dog.

How do you say puppy in different languages?

A puppy is called cachorro in Spanish, chiot in French, Welpe in German, and 子犬 (koinu) in Japanese. These words refer specifically to a young dog.

Why do different languages have different words for dogs?

Languages develop through different historical and cultural influences. Their vocabulary changes over time, which is why the same animal can have many different names around the world.

Conclusion

Learning dog in different languages is a fun way to build vocabulary and explore cultures around the world. From perro in Spanish to chien in French and inu in Japanese, these translations show how languages describe one of the world’s most familiar animals.

Use the 70 words and example sentences in this guide to practice pronunciation, improve your language skills, and discover new ways to talk about dogs.