-იკო/-უნა/-ონა
Small and Dear
-იკო, -უნა and -ონა make a word small or dear, the way English says mommy or little one.
How It Works
Georgian makes a word small or dear with an ending. Three common ones are -იკო, -უნა and -ონა.
| Ending | Word | Small or dear form |
|---|---|---|
| -იკო | დედა (mother) | დედიკო (mommy) |
| -იკო | და (sister) | დაიკო (little sister, sis) |
| -უნა | ბიჭი (boy) | ბიჭუნა (little boy) |
| -ონა | გოგო (girl) | გოგონა (little girl) |
Names take these endings too, and some of these forms have become names of their own: თამუნა grew out of თამარი.
გოგონა is now the everyday word for a young girl, so it often sounds neutral, even in the news. დედიკო and ბიჭუნა still sound tender. Use them with children, family and close friends, and leave them out of a formal letter.
The new words take case endings like nouns that end in a vowel: დედიკოს (to mommy), ბიჭუნამ (the little boy, as the doer in the past). Calling someone, the word stays the same: დედიკო!
Examples (5)
- დედიკო, ძალიან მიყვარხარ!
Mommy, I love you so much!
დედიკო is დედა with -იკო.
- ბიჭუნამ ბურთი დაკარგა.
The little boy lost his ball.
ბიჭუნა takes -მ as the doer in the past, like any noun in -ა.
- პატარა გოგონა ეზოში თამაშობს.
A little girl is playing in the yard.
გოგონა is the everyday word for a young girl.
- ჩემს დაიკოს დღეს დაბადების დღე აქვს.
It's my little sister's birthday today.
დაიკო is a dear form of და (sister).
- ბებიკო, ზღაპარი მომიყევი!
Grandma, tell me a story!
ბებიკო is a tender way to call a grandmother.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Small and dear endings go on names and nouns.
Related Patterns
Practice -იკო/-უნა/-ონა in Bubblegum
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