Figlia mia, sei unica! Daughter of mine, you’re one of a kind!
Here is your one stop shop to learn all about how to say daughter, or figlia, in Italian, how to pronounce it and examples of how to use it. Find out about the word figliola, which also means daughter, and other related daughter words, like daughters (figlie), youngest daughter (figlia più piccola), and daughter-in-law (nuora). I’ll also explain how to use possessives correctly with family member names, and why there are two ways to say sons and daughters, or children, in Italian (figli e figlie, and just figli).
Table of Contents
DAUGHTER IN ITALIAN
FIGLIA
Figlia means daughter in Italian. Una figlia is a daughter, while la figlia means the daughter.
The pronunciation figlia of is: FEEL-yee-ah
Listen to how to pronounce figlia here:
Just like the English word daughter, a figlia is a person’s female-identifying child.
Tale madre tale figlia.
Like mother like daughter.
La Figlia Oscura (translated to The Lost Daughter) is the name of a short novel by Elena Ferrante. It was made into the Oscar-nominated film The Lost Daughter by director Maggie Gyllenhaal, and stars Olivia Coleman.
Good To Know: The “gli” sound in Italian is not pronounced like “gli” in English. GLI in Italian makes a kind of LYEE sound, almost like the LLI in scallion. It’s tricky, but practice makes perfect!
FIGLIOLA
Figliola is another word that means daughter in Italian, though it is more informal, and used less often.Una figliola is a daughter, while la figliola means the daughter.
The pronunciation of figliola is: feel-yee-OH-lah
Listen to how to pronounce figliola here:
Una figliola di Caterina abita a Roma.
A daughter of Caterina’s lives in Rome.
Figliola is also an affectionate term for a girl or young woman.
Conosci la figliola che lavora a Bar Amici?
Do you know the girl who works at Bar Amici?
DAUGHTERS
Figlie means daughters in Italian. Figlie is the plural of figlia.
The pronunciation figlie of is: FEE-lyee-eh
Listen to how to pronounce figlie here:
Figliole is another way to say daughters in Italian, but it is less common than figlie. Figliole is the plural of figliola.
The pronunciation of figliole is: feel-yee-OH-leh
Listen to how to pronounce figliole here:
Tutte e due le figlie di Marco sono chirurghe.
Both of Marco’s daughters are surgeons.
Ho tre figliole.
I have three daughters.
You can also use figliole to talk affectionately to/about a group of women or girls, like a female version of “guys”.
Figliole andiamo, l’aereo non ci aspetta!
Come on girls, the plane won’t wait for us!
MORE DAUGHTERS
Here are some words for different types of daughters.
The eldest daughter is la figlia maggiore, la figlia più grande
The youngest daughter is la figlia minore, la figlia più giovane or la figlia più piccola
Stepdaughter is figliastra
Adopted daughter is figlia adottiva
Daughter-in-law is nuora
Goddaughter is figlioccia
Only daughter is figlia unica
Granddaughter is nipote
MY DAUGHTER: POSSESSIVES
To say my daughter, use mia figlia. Usually possessives in Italian also require the direct article (the). For example: la mia amica means my (female) friend. However, family members are a big exception.
Do not use the direct article with the SINGULAR, unaltered nouns of most family members. If there is an adjective before or after the family member, use the article. Also, use the article with the possessive loro.
So:
| mia figlia is my daughter tua figlia is your daughter (informal you) sua figlia is his/her/your daughter (formal you) | nostra figlia is our daughter vostra figlia your daughter (plural you) |
But:
La loro figlia is their daughter
La mia figlia più piccola is my youngest daughter
La mia figlia buffa is my funny daughter
When talking to your daughter, you can call her figlia mia, or daughter of mine/my daughter.
Figlia mia perché sei triste?
Daughter of mine, why are you sad?
Here is the trailer of Figlia Mia (Daughter of Mine), a film by Laura Bispuri that takes place in Sardinia:
PET NAMES THAT PARENTS CALL THEIR DAUGHTERS
Here are some terms of endearment that mothers and fathers use when talking to their daughters:
- Piccola means little one
- Piccola mia means my little one
- Piccina means little one
- Principessa means princess
- Tesoro means treasure
- Amore means love
- Amore della mamma means Mommy’s sweetheart
- Cucciola means pup, or cub
- Stellina means little star
- Cara means dear
- Bambina means little girl
- Bimba means baby girl
Vieni piccola, leggiamo una storia.
Come little one, let’s read a story.
When parents say I love you to their daughters and other children, they use the phrase Ti voglio bene.
Bambina mia ti voglio bene.
I love you my little girl.
Good To Know: In Italian there are two ways to say I love you, so make sure you use the right one to avoid a super awkward exchange! Ti voglio bene (literally, I want you well), is reserved for friends and family. Ti amo is for telling a special someone that you love them in a romantic way.
WHAT DO ITALIAN GIRLS CALL THEIR FATHERS?
Italians call their fathers papà or babbo. Read all about How to Say Dad in Italian.
WHAT DO ITALIAN GIRLS CALL THEIR MOTHERS?
Italians call their mothers mamma. How to Say Mom in Italian explains all you’ll need to know about how to use the word mamma, and other words for Mom.
SON IN ITALIAN
Figlio means son in Italian. To learn more, read Son in Italian.
The pronunciation figlio of is: FEE-lyee-oh
Listen to how to pronounce figlio here:
SONS AND DAUGHTERS
There are two ways to say sons and daughters, or children, in Italian.
The first is figli e figlie (literally: sons and daughters).
The second is simply figli (sons). Wait what?
Because of how Italian word genders work, the plural masculine word figli (sons) can be used for a mixed group of daughters and sons (children). This is true even if there are 100 daughters and 2 sons: just one man trumps a feminine group and turns the noun masculine, to figli.
HOW DO YOU SAY SISTER AND BROTHER IN ITALIAN?
Speaking of sons and daughters, what about how they’re related? The Italian word for sister is sorella, and the word for brother is fratello. Read How to Say Sister in Italian, and How to Say Brother in Italian, for more about how to use these words and how to pronounce them.
You may want to read more about Relatives in Italian.