guinea pig on world map
Guinea pigs are known by many names across the world. katya36/Pixabay and TheDigitalArtist/Pixabay

In English, some people call the adorable small mammal companion that scientists dubbed Cavia porcellus a guinea pig. Others call this mammal a cavy. Some people use both guinea pig and cavy. No matter the name, these tailless “wheekers” from South America have stolen hearts across the world. And with so many languages in the world, that means guinea pigs have a whole lot more names than just guinea pig or cavy.

Can you guess the languages of the following four terms for guinea pig: meerschweinchen, cochon d’Inde, porcellino d’India, and marumotto? Those are guinea pig in German, French, Italian, and Japanese. As in English, some languages might refer to guinea pigs with more than one term.

The Sound Of Guinea Pig In Other Languages

Of course, reading a word and knowing how to pronounce it are two different things. Fortunately, some websites provide audio samples of the spoken word. A few to check out are the Collins dictionary, the Bab.la dictionary, and 50 Languages. Do you have a favorite term based on sound?

Words For Guinea Pig In Different Languages

Now have some fun by learning how to say guinea pig in a wide array of languages. Will your guinea pigs recognize any? Probably not. Will your family and friends be amazed? Of course! These and others are listed at the Babylon, Collins dictionary, bab.la dictionary, and TSU websites referenced for this article. Do you know any words for guinea pig in other languages not listed below? Please add to the list in the comments.

Arabic: khenziir elhend
Bulgarian: morsko svinche
Chinese: túnshǔ
Croatian: zamorac
Czech: morče
Danish: marsvin
Dutch: cavia
English: guinea pig
Esperanto: kobajo or kavio
Estonian: merisiga
Finnish: marsu
French: cochon d’Inde
German: meerschweinchen
Greek: to indikó choirídio
Hungarian: tengerimalac
Icelandic: naggris
Indonesian: tikus belanda
Irish: muc ghuine
Italian: porcellino d’India
Japanese: morumotto
Korean: ginipigeu
Latin: Cavia porcellus
Latvian: jūras cūciņa
Lithuanian: jūrᶙ kiaulytė
Norwegian: marsvin
Persian: khookche hendi
Polish: świnka morska
Portuguese: cobaia
Romanian: cobai
Russian: morskaya svinka
Serbian: morsko prase
Slovak: morski prašiček
Spanish (Europe): cobaya / cobayo
Spanish (South America): cuy
Swedish: marsvin
Turkish: kobay
Vietnamese: chuột lang
Welsh: mochyn cwta

Subscribe to our newsletter

Click here to subscribe to our newsletter

×

Join our Lafeber Flock

Enjoy our Pet Birds' weekly newsletter, featuring captivating stories, care tips, and more.
Opt for Small Mammals' monthly edition for delightful facts about rabbits, guinea pigs, and more.
Choose our monthly Backyard Chickens newsletter for insightful information to keep your flock happy.
*