Nia is an aspiring writer from Powys, Wales. She attended Welsh-medium primary and secondary school, and is passionate about preserving the beautiful Welsh language and culture. She speaks some French, and is currently learning Arabic.
Any good linguist will tell you that languages aren’t isolated, scientific phenomena – they are deeply woven into the history and culture of the people who speak them. With that in mind, learning Welsh isn’t just about mastering vocabulary and grammar; it’s about immersing yourself in the country’s rich traditions. Perhaps the most iconic of …
The Welsh word for long is hir. I know what you’re thinking – it’s a very short word for such a long concept! hir long The word hir existed in both Middle and Old Welsh, and even in Brittonic, which was the parent language of Old Welsh, Old Cornish, Old Breton, and the now sadly …
Today’s Welsh word of the day is the simple cyllell (knife), the plural of which is cyllyll (knives). This can be used to describe a llafn (blade) for combat, hunting, or craftsmanship, but in most people’s lives, cyllyll most often come in handy in the cegin (kitchen). cyllell knife If you’re a new Welsh speaker …
Whether it’s on the way to the swyddfa (office), or in a desperate hurry to catch a trên (train), we’ve all been in a situation where we need to rush. The word rush in English generally conveys two things – that we’re under time pressure to do something, and that we’re moving very fast in …
The Welsh word rhos has two meanings, both nature-related. The first is a heath or a moor. The second is that it’s an old-fashioned plural form of rhosyn, which is the Welsh for the blodyn (flower) that’s called a rose in English. As you might expect for a word with two meanings, it also has …
The word gwyn (white) crops up a lot in Welsh poetry, proverbs, and folklore. This is because, as well as being the simple word for a common lliw (colour), it carries religious and mythical undertones relating to blessings and sacredness. gwyn white Its etymology, on the other hand, is fairly mundane. It comes directly from …
Do you have a favourite kind of mwyar / aeron (berries)? I have to admit I find it pretty hard to choose, especially living in the UK where we have so many wonderful options right on our doorstep! One particularly delicious kind of mwyaren (berry) is the sweet and nutritious mafonen (raspberry). Mafon (raspberries) is …
Are you the kind of person who screams and jumps on a chair at the sight of a mouse? Or do you think they’re actually pretty cute? Either way, the Welsh word for this tiny rodent is the feminine noun llygoden. The plural, mice, is llygod, and this is our word of the day today. …
Have you ever noticed that the Welsh word calon (heart) is an anagram of the word canol (middle)? It’s a neat coincidence, given that we often symbolically see our calonnau (hearts) as being the centre of the corff (body) and hunaniaeth (identity). Let’s find out the Welsh vocabulary you’ll need to discuss every aspect of …
In modern Welsh, the most commonly used word for witch is probably gwrach. Its plural is gwrachod. gwrach witch The etymology of gwrach is uncertain. It seems to come from the Celtic *urakka, but prior to that, the derivation is unclear. An interesting comparison is the word gwraig, which means wife or sometimes woman, and …
