How to Say Rabbit

The Word for Rabbit in Different Languages 

Or…A rabbit by any other name is still a rabbit.

A note on organization

Languages are listed alphabetically according to language family. A language family is a group of languages which derive from a common mother language. For instance, many of the languages of Europe, West Asia, and the Subcontinent (such as German, Russian, Latin, Sanskrit,Persian, Armenian, Greek, etc.) belong to the Indo-European family of languages. Due to the many similarities in pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary between these languages, linguists believe that there was at one time a single language, called Proto-Indo-European, from which these ultimately derived.

Languages can be further subdivided into branches. For instance, English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian are much more similar to each other than Russian, Polish, Czech, Serbian, and Ukranian. The first set of languages belongs to what is called the Germanic branch, while the second set belongs to the Slavic branch. Yet they are all Indo-European languages. (Compare the words for rabbit in the Germanic and Slavic languages given below.)

Some language families, such as Indo-European, have been exhaustively studied over the past century and are well-established by linguists, while others, such as Amerind and Altaic, are far more controversial. This web site is not attempting to make definitive statements on the classification of languages! More controversial language families have been adopted here merely as a convenience. Remember, it’s all for fun!

A note on submissions

If you speak a particular variety of a language (e.g., Swiss German and Bavarian are varieties of German), please be sure to include this information in your e-mail. This is a great help when sorting out multiple submissions for one language. Please send your words for rabbit For languages written in a non-Roman script, feel free to include a gif or jpg of the word written in the native script.

Afro-Asiatic (languages spoken in Northern Africa and the Middle East)
Cushitic
Somalibakayle
Arabicarneb
araanib
arnab
arnab bari(wild rabbit)
arnob(bunny – baby rabbit)
Hebrewarnevet (hare)
 arnavon/arnavoni(little sweet bunny)
 shafan
Maltesefenek(rabbit)
 fenek abjad(white rabbit)
 fenek iswed(black rabbit)
 zermug(baby rabbit
Altaic (languages spoken in Turkey, Central Asia, Siberia and East Asia)
      East Asian
Japaneseusagi
Koreantoki
San Toki (‘Mountain Rabbit’) is a popular children’s song:
‘Mountain Rabbit, Rabbit/ where are you going?/As you hop hop hop,/ where are you going?
      Turkic
Kazakhkenek
Turkishoda tava_ani
Amerind (includes most of the indigenous languages of North and South America)
Algonquian 
Ojibwewaabooz
Iroquoian 
 Cherokeetsi s du Penutian
 Chinookquetshadee
Siouan 
 Dakotamastinca
Aztecan 
 Nahuatlometochtli
Austroasiatic
 Vietnamesetho
Austronesian  (languages spoken in Taiwan, Oceania, Madagascar and Hawai’i)
Malayo-Polynesian
Bahasa Malaysiaarnab
Hawaiianlapaki
Indonesiankelinci
Maoriraapeti
Malagasybitro
Malaykelintji arnab
Tagalogkuneho
Dravidian  (languages spoken mostly in southern India and Sri Lanka)
Tamilmuyal
Eskimo-Aleut  (languages spoken in northern Alaska, Canada and Greenland)
Eskimoukalerk
Eskimo (Inupiaq)ukulaitchiaq olark
Kadai  (languages spoken in Southeast Asia)
Thaigra-dty
Indo-European (languages historically spoken in Europe, West Asia and the Subcontinent)
Albanian
Albanianlepur (hare)
lepurush (bunny)
Armenian
Armenian (Western)nabastak
Armenian (Classical)napastak
Baltic
Latviantrusis zakis (hare)
Lithuaniankralikas zuikutis(small bunny rabbit)
Celtic
Irishcoinân giorria (hare)
Cornishconyn conynas(plural)
Manxconeeyn conning(bunny)
Gaeliccoineanach coineagan coineanach an taighe
(house rabbit)
Welshcwningen
Germanic
Afrikaanshaas (hare)
konyn
BavariankinihÔs
Danishkanin
Dutchhaas (hare)
konijn (bunny)
konijntje (bunny)
nijntje(used as an affectionate term.)
Also a famous cartoon rabbit in Holland.
English (Archaic)coney
Flanderskeun
Flemishkonijn keun
Frisian (Wester Lauwer)knyn hazze (hare)
GermanKaninchen (rabbit)
Hase (hare)
Icelandickanina
Norwegian (BokmÔl)kanin
Swedishkanin
Swiss GermanHassli (small hare)
Chungel
Swiss German (Basel region)ChÉngel
Yiddishkrolik
Hellenic
Greek (Modern)kouneli
Greek (Classical)lagos
Indic
Bengalichorgosh
Gujaratisaslu
Hindikhargosh
Classical Sanskritshashaka
Vedic Sanskritshasha
Sinhalesehaava haapetiya(baby rabbit)
Urdukargosh
Iranian
Kurdishkarwesh(literally, ‘donkey ears’)
Persian (Farsi)khargoosh
(literally, ‘donkey ears’)
Italic
Aragoneseconiello
Catalanconill
Frenchlapin lapereau(young rabbit)
lapin de clapier(tame rabbit)
Italianconiglio
coniglietto(bunny)
Latincuniculus
Was also used for soldiers who dug tunnels
cuniculosus(full of rabbits)
lepus(hare)
Portuguese*coelho
coelha(female rabbit)
coelhinho(little rabbit)
lebre(female hare)
lebrÉo(male hare)
*Note: several of our documents are available in Portuguese.
Romanianiepure iepura(bunny)
iepurime(warren of rabbits)
iepuroaica(female rabbit)
iepuroi(male rabbit)
Spanishconejo conejito(little rabbit)
Slavic
Bulgarianzayek(rabbit, hare)
Czechkrálík (kra:li:k)rabbit
králíček (kra:li:czech)little rabbit
Croatiankunic zets
Macedonianzajak zajache zajko
Montenegrianzec
Polishkrólik
króliczek(bunny)
Russiankrolik zayets zaychek(endearing form for bunny)
Serbiankunit
Slovakkrálik
Slovenekunec zajec(hare)
*Note: the word zajec or diminuitive zajcek is more generally used for both species. It can also be a person’s first name.
Ukraniankril’ kri-lyk(domesticated)
kri-lyky(domesticated, plural)
zaichyk(endearment)
za-yats’
Niger-Kordofanian (languages spoken in West and Central Africa)
Bantu
Lozishakame
Swahilisungura
Swatiumgwaja
Xhosaumvundia
Zuluunogwaja
Nilo-Saharan (languages spoken in the Sahara and Central Africa)
Lwoapwoyo
Sino-Tibetan (languages spoken in Mainland China, Taiwan and Southeast Asia)
Burmic
Burmeseyoun
Sinitic
Cantonesepak toi(white rabbit)
yah toi(wild rabbit)
toi bao bao(baby rabbit)
Chinese (Mandarin)tu zi (rabbit)
baitu (white rabbit)
xiao baitu (little white rabbit)
Taiwaneseto-ah
Tibeto-Karen
Tibetanreepong
Uralic (languages spoken in northern Scandanavia, Finland, Estonia, Hungary and Siberia)
Finno-Ugric
Estoniankodu-janes(tame hare)
FinnishjÉnis kani
Hungarianházinyúl
Language Isolates (languages that have no clear connections with any other language. They are found throughout the world.)
Basqueuntxi erbi (hare)
Artificial Languages
Esperantokuniklo

This list was begun in 1993 by Paige Parsons. Margo DeMello also helped to expand and maintain it over the years.

  • Paige K Parsons

    Paige has been a house rabbit educator for over 25 years. Her education efforts began when she designed and created rabbit.org in 1994. She is currently a live concert photographer and previously was a user experience designer. She lives with her husband, Carl, and her two house rabbits, Moe and Mimzy.

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  • Margo DeMello

    Margo DeMello PhD is an anthrozoologist, animal activist, and writer. She is an Assistant Professor of Anthrozoology at Carroll College. For the past 15 years, she was the Human-Animal Studies Program Director at the Animals & Society Institute. She loves rabbits, chihuahuas, wombats and sloths. She is a knitter, a gardener, and a true crime fanatic.

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