10 Sicilian Words You Need to Know (With Meaning and Pronunciation)

111 Comments

1. very informative

2. Sicilian language use to be the proper language like all Italy as the hown language
   Italian for all italians

   • Not really

3. I die go Sicily learn more about my country here we she speak half not really going there a year make me really open up to all my Sicilian heritage

   • not open! what about 2022

4. […] And while in Sicily, don’t forget to try these 10 Amazing Desserts or these bizarre foods, like pane ca meusa. You need some help with some Sicilian words? We got you covered, click here! […]

5. There is an expression for children, picharito, or picharito nigo nigo. I might be spelling this incorrectly but my grandma used it and Don Altobello used it in Godfather Three.

   • I put the wrong email

     • Picciriddu and nichu nichu

   • What does shashana mean? Do u know? My father who was Sicilian used to call me that all the time. It was an insult by the time.

     • *child

     • That was my mom’s pet name for me. She used rub my head and sing a lulliby “Shashank, ShaShaneda!” I’m about to cry. Damn mom I miss you! Parent and brother and all aunt’s and uncle. Born in Sicily. GRANDPOP born here, but raised there since birth.

       • Awww💖so sweet! Sorry your mom has departed! God Bless!

   • Hi Josephine! The right spelling is “picciriddu, nicu nicu” and it literally means “little little children”!

     • You are correct.

   • sounds good to me.

   • Picciriddu nicu nicu. Which mean bambino piccolo in Italian and little kid in egl)

   • My great uncle from Sicily had a nick name for me when I was a toddler 75 years ago, he called me “Picchio p qu”, dad said that he got the name from an old Sicilian game that they use to play. The game in English was called P-put.

6. Futtitinni is a lot harsher than you translate it. Basically it’s go F yourself va futtite. Compa is just short for compare. Amuni is Palermo is pronounced or sounds more like yamunino. We spoke Sicilian in my house growing up. I really liked your tale’ description because that’s exactly like it’s said. And yes I am a Camurria!

   • Lol I use cammuria
     All the time

   • That’s exactly what I was thinking. Futtitinni can be like when you doubt what someone is saying, and you know them. Futtitinniiiiiiii !

7. to Fred Brillante: the meaning you gave to ‘futtitinni’ is a different one than the one used by the writer of this article. Both meaning are used. In Central Sicily, the meaning of that word is: “Don’t worry so much about that!” Another and kinder way of saying this is: Pensa a campa’ (don’t worry about that; think about living!)

   • You guys are doing an excellent job with your translations. Remember though the Sicilian “u” sounds like an “o”. Iu sugnu centu percentu Sicilianu. Nun si contentu chiu. You’re no longer happy. Comu stai? How are you? Pregu. You’re welcome.
     There you go.

8. Fred your definition is how it was used as I remember.

   Josephine…picciriddu is a child. Picciriddu nico nico refers to a very small or young child. Got on this site by accident. Interesting conversation about our Sicilian language.

9. How do you say : good morning my beautiful wife

   • Buona mattina, bellesima moglie…

   • buona iurnata ma biedda mugghieri

10. Could you please explain how to properly pronounce the words for us who don’t speak Italian, but would really appreciate to learn about Sicilian language and culture.
    Thank you.

    • Hi Larry. I’m 2nd gen Sicilian. My Dad would always say Meen kya when he wanted to be amazed about something( exclamation). My Mom would always shudder, and advise us to say MEEshka instead. Peach uh reedu was a small child. Ah moo tom was a way of saying: “time to go”. Skah- shaddah was something broken (like an ugly car). Fah-Napoli was a way of saying that you were wrong (“Take a hike”). Mah keh ronee was a term for ALL pasta types. Stew-nahda was a term for stupidity. Mahnah gia meant “damn” (often used with miseria/America). Troy yuh was a female tramp (putana). Tah leh meant look at that. Tah leh qualeh meant that two individuals looked alike. Sis sconda meant that you were afraid. Lassa leeduh to leave it alone. Ah postuh to pretend (at Michael Corleone trial, the brother from Italy). And the last ‘dirty word” is skooch ah mend, a royal pain in the butt. Have fun in Sicily…but don’t mention my name.

      • Ready your post brought back memories for me! My Ma was Sicilian and my Pop was from Naples..I heard those words all my life! I thought they were Neapolitan slang! Thanks for clearing that up!

      • So mincha is a curse word and pretty offensive.

      • @larry. These words are still very much used in my Sicilian family. All from Palermo. Lol.

      • Hi, my mother used to call me “Ab bid diana” any idea what that means? Grazie Francesca

11. Has anyone ever played a card game called society crap with two decks of cards and dealing five to each player with a series of hands dealt? All you need to know is how to count to ten and a whole lot of pennies, nickels dimes and quarters. Pennies are used to play bingo in one hand, …We played it after holiday dinners at my Sicilian Ferraro Grandfather’s house. He was from Cianciana. His in laws were Vasiles from Bivona. It is a mystery where it came from.

    • My Grandfather was a Ferraro from Santa Croce Camerina Ragusa. Are you aware of any from that area?

12. Sumbudadica Nonno

    • Sabbenedicca assa/sabbenericca assa depending on what dialect of Sicilian spoken. “Blessings to all”

      • Sorry but you are asking for a blessing. Most times toa older person like grandparents. And the response is usually dio ti benedica. God will bless you

      • We say it just like you. We used your second version. Sabbenericca

    • I heard versions of that from my great grandparents every time we left. They stood by the door watching until we were out of view. They said it may be the last time we see you. We want it to last.

    • don’t warry= futtitinni…or
      minni futtu= I don’t give S….

13. volevo sapere come si dice o meglio come si scrive il nome dell’imbarcazione da cui si fanno la pesca des pesce spada in sicilia,ma direttamente nel dialetto siciliano…!!!

    • Pisci spada

14. I am looking for translation of two words from Montalbano ‘cutiddrazzo and ‘tambasiando’

    • Our last name is Montalbano.

      Do not know those words. Razzo can be rocket or flare.

15. Two of these words were used in “The Godfather” Part 1 & 2. Which two and can you name the characters whom said them?

    • Amuni was said by young Pete Clemenza to Vito Corleone before they stole the rug. Assabenedica was said by Vito Corleone to the landlord Roberto

      • Minchia was said by Luca Brasi right before he is murdered

16. […] have already talked several times about the most used words in the Sicilian language (you can find one of our articles here), those words that in one way or another could be useful to you in case you are in the fabulous […]

17. Love it ? I still speak the language on a daily basis with mama e papa? sometimes Italish sometimes Siciliano ??

18. Camurria is fooling around. Camurrusu or Camurusa is what He or She is called when he or she is fooling around. If it’s a group (more than 1) it’s Cumurrusi.

    • Incredibly, this word, cammuria, derives from ‘commedia’, as in La Commedia D’arte!

    • Sorry but it’s an annoying person

19. Does anyone know a phrase, “Quanta pedide!” to describe a drama or a situation with excessive difficulty? What is the proper spelling? Is this Sicilian? Is it a dialect of Sicilian or a dialect of Calabro, or is it American Italian, or New York Italian?

    • could be “perdite” = LOSS — what a shame, or what a disaster —

20. I agree with all comments

21. I agree with all comments, I heard all the sayings and words

22. Anyone know what “tee queue “ might mean in Sicilian? It was used as an endearing term for a child. Pronounced almost like “tee” “Q” (like saying tea the drink and then saying the letter Q. My Sicilian grandpa used to call me that as my nickname. I wish I knew what it meant. It may be one word or two. Thank you!

    • Hi Laura! I suppose the word might be “Tirchiu” which means Cheapskate!

23. Does anyone know the work “schiveu” (my phonetic spelling). It is used by my family to denote an uproar between groups relatives or other disputes. My family is from Guidomantri, a mountain village, close to Messina.

    • It could be “schifiu”! If that’s the one, it generally means “disgusting”. For example, if you say “A schifiu finiu” express the evaluation of the outcome of an enterprise that had such disastrous consequences as to provoke in the Sicilian a sense of profound repulsion and disgust

      • Wow I couldn’t figure out what he was trying to say. Good for you and of course now I know “che schifu”

    • I believe Gross, disgusting

24. My great grandfather was knows as Da Da On or maybe dada on. Not real sure. And thoughts? I was often referred to as goolique. Again, any thoughts?

    • Sounds like tattone, tata is a dialect word for dad, tattone is grand-dad

25. Ha! Now i know what tale’ means and why my dad was always yelling it in the phone to my grandmother.

26. Greeting from California, my Grandma could never remember our names, after calling out every name except the kid she wanted she would say (not spelled right) bolta la zon. When I was in Sicily I asked, no one knew. My Grandma came over when she was very young. But I would love to know what it meant,
    .

    • It’s a slang expression to express frustration or impatience.

    • Botta ri sali
      This expression is used for people who you may not be a huge fan of. Botta ri sali has a bit of a funny story behind it, given that it refers to miners in the salt mines who would bump their heads against the walls while working in extremely narrow conditions.

      As per https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.babbel.com/en/magazine/sicilian-phrases&ved=2ahUKEwiEnLLorJ_6AhXzGFkFHa0nAtQQFnoECBAQAQ&usg=AOvVaw0260KOmBh357jwK84Spi6S

    • Hahaha…my grandma used it..I asked her son, my uncle. When you get a question wrong, people yell “gettare sangue” which sound like Yette Zongu…It literally mean TO THROW BLOOD!

      • My Dad used to say Corpo di Sango, I think it meant a stroke of blood (not a good thing) but that was their way of cursing.

    • Unless she is Bu TANNA…not spelled like that, but use in same context at time…like SonavaBitch!

    • NOT IS A BUTANE! But says “Bu TANNA” when she forgets

27. Salt to the wind… it’s blown back in your face. When used in response to a person, my thought is similar one who is unappreciative.

    • Correct it’s a polite curse or exclamation very good

28. Anybody know the Sicilian for ” The family first”

    • Familia Prima

29. I am spelling this phonetically my husbands grandmother would say “tootsagada” I always thought it meant I love you very much. Has anyone heard this word at all and what the meaning really is?

    • Means “everyone get a taste”. Or “Everyone try this”

    • Thought it meant all twisted up.

30. In my Sicilian family, when we were about to eat, my parents would say “Salut” and the response was always “a do va.” What does a do va mean?

    • A dove vai? Don’t know this expression, but ‘a do va’ means ‘wherever you may be at, or are going to.

      • Salut means “to your good health”….the response: “a dove va” (where it goes) , the receiver of the wish for good health in essence is replying “same to you”

    • Salut means “to your good health”….the response: “a dove va” (where it goes) , the receiver of the wish for good health in essence is replying “same to you”

31. Does anyone know the Sicilian word for a very annoying or persistent person? My mother always translated it as a ‘bug that gets under your skin.’ Phonetically I remember it as “PEE-WU-LA” but of course, never having seen it written, it could really be anything.

    • da da on, sounds like tattone, tata is a dialect word for papa, like dad, so tattone is grand-dad

    • It’s pronounced “pee chew”. Like an annoying knat or bug

32. My 4 grandparents are from Sicily. My mom used to call my little skinny nephew something that sounded like Spill-a-beep. Did anyone hear anything like that? If so, what’s the real spelling and what does it mean?

33. A dove vai, ‘a do va’, wherever you may be, wherever you are going to

34. da da on, sounds like tattone, tata is a dialect word for dad, tattone is grand-dad

35. da da on, sounds like tattone, tata is a dialect word for pappa, like ‘dad’, so tattone is grand-dad

    • We called my dad, babba it’s a term of endearment version of poppa.

      • Yes Sicilians pronounce their p’s as b’s as in Basta instead of pasta…

36. Could be ‘puc’e’, ‘pulce’, sorry to tell you this, means ‘flea’, another word for a persistently annoying person is ‘zecca’, not sure what it means

    • One of my mother’s and grandmother’s expression was
      Loosely remember as “Va cerca ci pulce a tua nonna!

      Go search your grandmother for fleas!

37. ‘Let’s go’- amunn’i, amunnenne, andiamocene.
    ‘i’amicenn’e’ is my family’s version of amunnene, love the vernacular, Sicilian is so distinctly more Greek, Arabic, Catalan/Castilian than mainland Italian is.

    • 😂 Man I can hear my parents yelling this!

38. Da Don (The Don). Grandfather.

39. Very interesting. I’ve started learning Sicilian using Udemy. There’s a basic course there. I had no idea Sicilian was a whole language!

40. Hello. Was hoping for translation help for a phrase.
    in the feminine:
    ” beautiful disaster ”
    “beautiful chaos”
    “Fatally yours”

    Thx 💋

41. Thanks for mentioning camurria. my dad called people that and he had told me it was like calling someone a pain in the ass but it has been nearly impossible to find this word online.

42. Some things mean something but is used in a different context. Some people are sounding out things but the spelling is way off, JUST LIKE HOW I DO IT. that’s why I can never find a translation.

43. Please i need translate this sentence!😅
    Ki minkia ca cià tûrri siæmpri?
    Ki minkia vuæi cà cià tûrri siæmpri?

    Ah allura? Che un parri chiú?
    Tî vinniru I fuimmiculi in tíasta?
    Scantulinaaaaaaa

44. My grandmother use to call me “Tootoo Bella” phonetically, I know the meaning of bella, but not sure of “tootoo”, she was from Carlentini Sicily, family name Fidone.

    • Tu sei Bella, translates to You’re beautiful

45. Pivola, in Sicilian means you’re an annoying, whinging person. (Ball breaker)

46. My mom used to say dooshee como Mali which I think meant sweet as honey…

47. My mother used to use an expression for kind of a lazy person phonetically cata blosima

48. Interesting

49. My Sicilian family would call a person that talked incessantly “a cuake-cua-rooni”
    I don’t know the proper spelling….does anyone or has anyone heard that expression

    • It could be “chiacchiaruni”, from “chiacchiare” which can be translated as “talks”!