Do you want to learn some interesting ways to say dog in Italian?
If you are a dog lover, wouldn’t you be interested to know how to call your beloved pet dog in Italian?
The official language of Italy, Italian is a direct stem of Latin. It is considered by the Foreign Service Institute or FSI as one of the easiest languages to learn, so it wouldn’t be that hard to learn how to call your fur baby in this beautiful language. It doesn’t matter if it is a dog that’s native to Italy or not.
Dogs in Italy are classified according to functions. They can either be cane domestico (house dogs), cane da caccia (hunting dogs), or cane da guardia (guard dogs). Razza di cane refers to a purebred dog.
Italian is one of the most beautiful languages to hear. Saying dog in Italian is a fancy way to call your pooch.
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Ways To Say Dog in Italian
So, how do you say dog in Italian? Let’s check out the ways.
1. Cane
The word cane is the general term used to say dog in Italian regardless of breed or type. Cane sounds akin to the word “canine” which is from the Latin word canis, meaning “dog.” When used in a plural form, it becomes cani.
2. Cagna
Although cane is the general word used to say dog in Italian, there is still specific term when referring to gender. So, cagna refers to a female dog. It could mean “bitch,” but let’s stick to “female dog.” It is from the Vulgar Latin word cania, still derived from canis. Cagne is its plural form.
3. Cagnolino / Cagnolina
Italians use the diminutive word cagnolino – from the word cagna – when referring to puppy or little dog. The word cagnolina is the feminine counterpart. When used as plural, it becomes cagnolini.
4. Cagnetto / Cagnetta
Cagnetto is the synonym of cagnolino which still refers to a puppy or a little dog. It is still a diminutive of cagna. Cagnetta is the feminine counterpart. In plural form, it becomes cagnetti.
5. Cucciolo/ Cucciola
Please do note that the word cucciolo (masculine) or cucciola (feminine), which means “baby” or “young animals” or “cub,” does not only refer to puppies but also to little birds and fish. It is commonly used by Italians.
To be specific, “cucciolo di cane” is the term for a puppy or baby dog. Calling your pet cucciolo because it’s cute and cuddly when it’s actually fully grown is a no-no.
6. Cane Piccolo
When it comes to size, although cagnolino refers to small dogs, cane piccolo is also used. Piccolo means “small,” regardless of the dog’s age.
7. Cagnone / Cagnolone / Cane Grosso / Grande Cane
Cagnone is an augmentative word of cane. This word is used to refer to not only dog but a big and often harmless one. Its plural is cagnoni. Cane grosso and grande cane directly refer to a big dog.
8. Cagnaccio
Cagnaccio is an Italian word for dog formed by adding the suffix -accio to the word cagna. This refers to a dog with no specific breed or is referred to as a mongrel. It could also mean an ugly and fierce dog. Its plural form is cagnacci.
9. Cucciolotto / Cucciolotta
While cucciolo means “puppy” or “baby dog,” cucciolotto (masculine) and cucciolotta (feminine) refers to a little puppy. For example: “Il mio piccolo, il mio cucciolotto.” In English, it means: “My baby, my little puppy.”
10. Cozza
While “cozza” may sound interesting to your English ears, don’t call your pooch this way, per favore! In Italian, using cozza when referring to a dog is informal and offensive.