È l’ora di parlare di baci: It’s time to talk about kisses!
Learn all about the word baci in Italian: how to pronounce it, and what it means in Italian (watch out, baci has more than one meaning!). Find out when and how Italians say baci, with plenty of example sentences and situations, so you can talk about kisses with confidence. Discover what baci means in other languages as well.
Table of Contents
HOW TO PRONOUNCE BACI IN ITALIAN
The pronunciation of baci is: BAH-chee
Listen to how to pronounce baci here:
MEANING OF BACI IN ITALIAN
KISSES
Baci means kisses in Italian. It is the plural form of bacio, which is the Italian word for kiss.
Adoro i baci!
I love kisses!
Il bacio (The kiss) is the name of a 1859 world renowned painting by Italian painter Francesco Hayez, on display at the Pinacoteca di Brera in Milan, Italy.
YOU KISS
Baci also means you kiss in Italian. In the present tense, it is the singular, informal you form of the Italian verb baciare, which means to kiss.
Vado fuori di testa quando mi baci.
I go crazy when you kiss me.
Wondering how only one Italian word can mean you and kiss? Where’s the subject? You can usually tell from the Italian verb conjugation what the subject is (see the chart below), and so you don’t need to include the subject or subject pronoun to know who is speaking.
Baciare (to kiss) follows the regular pattern of verbs ending in -are. Here are all the conjugations of baciare in the present tense:
| I kiss | (io) bacio |
| you kiss (informal singular) | (tu) baci |
| he/she kisses | (lui/lei) bacia |
| you kiss (plural) | (voi) baciate |
| we kiss | (noi) baciamo |
| they kiss | (loro) baciano |
BACI CHOCOLATES
Baci are bite-sized chocolate kisses made by the Italian chocolate company Perugina. They are made of a chocolate-hazelnut filling topped with a whole hazelnut, and then covered in dark chocolate.
BACI DI DAMA COOKIES
Baci di dama are a type of cookies from the Piedmont region, in northwestern Italy. The name baci di dama means lady’s kisses in Italian. If you just want one cookie, it’s called a bacio di dama (lady’s kiss), but it’s hard to just eat one. They are like little dainty sandwich cookies: two small almond cookie half spheres are stuck together with dark chocolate filling.
HOW TO USE BACI IN ITALIAN
TYPES OF BACI IN ITALIAN
Here are some variations on the word bacio (kiss) that Italians use:
Un bacione is a big kiss
Un bacino is a little kiss
Gli italiani si danno i bacini sulla guancia quando si salutano.
Italians give each other little kisses on the cheek when they greet each other.
La mia nipotina mi ha dato un bacino.
My little granddaughter gave me a little kiss.
Un bacio della buonanotte is a goodnight kiss
Un bacio alla francese is a French kiss
Vai a letto poi vengo a darti il bacio della buonanotte.
Go to bed and then I’ll come give you a goodnight kiss.
BACI AT THE END OF A MESSAGE
Italians commonly use the word baci as a friendly, informal way to sign off a note, email, informal letter, or text message. There are numerous related Italian words and phrases to end a message, like:
Un bacio (a kiss)
Un bacino (a little kiss)
Un bacione (a big kiss)
Un abbraccio (a hug)
Abbracci (hugs)
Baci e abbracci (kisses and hugs)
Mille baci (a thousand kisses)
If an Italian ends a text to you with baci, don’t jump to the conclusion that they have romantic feelings for you. Italians use baci with family and friends, as well as with their significant others and romantic partners.
For example:
Serena grazie per il passaggio, ci vediamo dopo all’allenamento. Baci Caterina
Serena thanks for the ride, see you later at practice. Kisses Caterina
Ciao nonna, passo alle 15 per prendere il mio cappello. Un bacio
Hi Grandma, I’ll come by at 3 pm to pick up my hat. A kiss
Baci is not just for signing off written messages. It is also common for Italians to end voice messages and voice mails with a word like baci, abbracci, un bacio and so on.
When you’re in Italy you may see Baci e Abbracci written on t-shirts and other casual wear. Baci e Abbracci (Kisses and Hugs) is the name of a popular Italian sportswear brand.
GIVE AND BLOW KISSES
Dare i baci means to give kisses. You can also say dare un bacio, which means to give a kiss.
Buttare i baci in Italian literally means to throw kisses, and is like saying to blow kisses in English. Buttare un bacio means to blow a kiss.
For example:
Butta i baci al nonno, così si tira sù!
Blow kisses to Grandpa so he’ll cheer up!
Cristiano dà i baci a tutti.
Cristiano gives kisses to everyone.
KISSES FROM . . .
To send greetings, Italians will often write on a note or message: baci da . . . , which means kisses from . . . . For example:
Baci da Firenze! means Kisses from Florence!
Baci da Roma! means Kisses from Rome!
When in Italy, you may also see these phrases on t-shirts, handbags, magnets and other souvenirs.
WHAT DOES BACI MEAN IN OTHER LANGUAGES?
Baci means shepherd in Romanian.
Bacı means elder sister in Turkish.
Baki means the moustache, beard, and/or sideburns of a man in Polish.
In Latin American Spanish, baci means a children’s potty.