Welsh Word of the Day: Gwenu (to smile)

Did you know that gwenu (smiling) is the first golwg (expression) that humans ever learn? Though babanod (babies) don’t begin to gwenu consciously and in recognition of others until they are about two months old, from the moment we’re born we’re able to produce automatic gwenau (smiles) in response to pleasurable teimladau (sensations).

Gwenu seems very similar to the word gwen (feminine form of gwyn meaning white) – even more so when you consider that the word for a smile is gwên.

But in fact they’re not actually related. While gwyn’s proto-Celtic root is *gwindos, gwenu’s is *gwenom. And gwên and gwenu are pronounced with a longer, more emphatic central vowel than gwen is.

Here are the mutations that gwenu is subject to:

The same pattern applies to gwên as a noun. Since gwên is a feminine noun, it mutates after y (the), meaning the mutated form is frequently used and probably familiar.

Gwenu is largely a human phenomenon. Cŵn (dogs) and tsimpansîaid (chimpanzees) don’t gwenu to show that they’re hapus (happy), but to display ofn (fear) and submission.

Still when it does come to bodau dynol (humans) it’s pretty universal – though its meaning can vary slightly between diwylliannau (cultures).

Although gwenu is often an involuntary response that goes alongside hapusrwydd (happiness) and chwerthin (laughter), in some societies flashing too many gwenau may come across as arwynebol (shallow), or may seem to express pryder (worry / anxiety) and cywilydd (embarrassment) instead of llawenydd (joy).

Plus, in some places, it’s just less common. I’d often heard it said that people in Russia don’t often gwenu – I always assumed it was a stereotype but when I visited I realised it was actually very true! Though it’s culturally normal to smile with teulu (family) and ffrindiau (friends), gwenu at a dieithryn (stranger) generally comes across as amheus (suspicious) or even makes you look a bit twp (stupid).

So you can’t assume that gwenu carries the same meaning all over the byd (world). But there’s definitely a pattern of it being used to foster cysylltiad (connection), cyfeillgarwch (friendship) and hwyl (humour / fun) between pobl (people) who know each other well.

Seicoleg (psychology) backs this up too, as gwenu isn’t just a natural physical response to positive teimladau but actually chemically triggers them in the ymenydd (brain).

Welsh provides us with a great range of vocabulary and expressions to describe gwenu. If someone is gwenu very broadly, we can say they are gwenu fel giat (smiling like a gate) or gwenu fel cath (smiling like a cat). We can also literally translate the English phrase smiling from ear to ear as bod yn wên o glust i glust, or render being all smiles as bod yn gwen i gyd.

On the other side of the spectrum, producing a very weak gwên, in particular a false or unpleasant one, is described as cilwenu or glaswenu. These words are often used as translations of the English verb smirking, but they come from the word gwenu originally.

There’s not really a specific word for grinning – it depends on the connotations you’re trying to convey. For a big, genuine grin you could try gwenu’n llydan (smiling broadly). If you mean more of a nasty grin, then cilwenu and glaswenu are against your best bet.

The opposite of gwenu is gwgu or cuchio (frowning / scowling / glowering).

Now, as with almost all Welsh words, learning conjugations doesn’t need to be overwhelming – because it’s perfectly acceptable to leave gwenu unconjugated and use words around it to convey person and tense.

For example, you can say ‘nes i wenu (I did smile) for I smiled or basai hi’n gwenu (she would be smiling) for she would smile.

But it can be interesting and useful to get familiar with the some of the basic conjugations regardless – so here they are:

I’d like to finish off by recommending a Welsh-language cerdd (poem) I really enjoy. Gwenu is by the wonderful Ifor ap Glyn, who was Bardd Cenedlaethol Cymru (National Poet of Wales) between 2016 and 2022. The piece’s subject, Rafiq, describes the shock to his system of finally feeling diogel (safe) in Cymru (Wales) after being forced to flee Syria (Syria) – and remarks wryly that mae pawb yn gwenu ‘ma (everyone smiles here).