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.
I moved to Wales at the age of five, and was immediately immersed in fully Welsh-medium primary school, having previously known very little Welsh at all. Although it’s an experience I’m very grateful for, it was definitely a steep learning curve! I can say with confidence that there is no singular grammar error I made …
One of the very few Welsh phrases that you might find some English speakers are actually aware of is iechyd da, which is the Welsh equivalent of Cheers! I’ve often heard it rendered as the slightly unglamorous yucky-dah when used in toasts by non-Welsh-speakers, at dinner parties in very Anglicised parts of Wales, or on …
Today’s Welsh word of the day is Mawrth, a proper noun which can refer to either Tuesday, or the month of March. Mawrth Tuesday / March / Mars Mawrth was borrowed in from the Latin Martius, and all of the Celtic languages have a similar word, like the Breton Meurzh and the Irish Gaelic Máirt. …
If only life were hawdd! If you hadn’t guessed, hawdd is the Welsh word for easy. Don’t get tripped up though – there’s another equally common synonym, rhwydd, just to make things anodd (difficult). hawdd easy The etymology of hawdd is a bit of a mystery. We don’t know much more than that it appeared …
Have you ever heard, maybe in slightly old-fashioned English literature, coins referred to as silvers? Well, in Welsh, that equivalency has lasted into the modern day – arian is the Welsh word for the colour silver, the metal silver, and for money. arian silver / money Arian comes from the Old Welsh argent. This is …
Today’s Welsh word is asgwrn, which means bone. It’s a masculine noun, and the plural form is esgyrn. asgwrn bone The word evolved through the Middle Welsh ascurn, originating from the proto-Celtic *astkorn, which is also the ancestor of the Cornish and Breton askorn. *Astkorn was made up of the elements *ast (bone) and *kornu …
You simply cannot visit Wales without encountering Y Ddraig Goch – the iconic red dragon that adorns the Welsh flag, as well as most souvenirs you’ll end up buying in Wales. It’s a symbol of Welsh national pride, so draig (pl: dreigiau) is definitely one of the most important words you need to learn in …
The Welsh adjective euog usually means guilty or blameworthy, although it can also be used as a translation for deceitful, or simply wicked. euog guilty The initial eu diphthong has a heavier, fuller sound in the Northern Welsh than in the Southern pronunciation. Euog is actually an altered form of another adjective, gau, which means …
There’s many a cute little bwthyn (cottage) to be found in Wales, whether it’s the colourful houses of the seaside town Aberaeron, or the gorgeous half-timbered farm buildings that can be spotted throughout Mid- and North Wales. The plural of bwthyn is bythynnod. bwthyn cottage Bwthyn originates from the older word bwth (hut), combined with …
The Welsh word for the number one is the straightforward un, but tracing all the words and expressions that have evolved from it is anything but simple. un one Un comes from the proto-Celtic *oinos, and probably, before that, from the Old Latin oinos. This would explain why the word for one is similar in …
