Key takeaways
- Common Italian terms of endearment to use right away: amore mio, tesoro, caro/cara, bello/bella, cuoricino, mio sole.
- Most nicknames are formed by adding diminutive or augmentative endings (like -ino/-ina, -etto, -uccio, -one, -issimo) to words to make them cuter or bigger.
- The article lists 129 nicknames sorted by use: gender-neutral romantic, boyfriend/husband, girlfriend/wife, family, pets, food-inspired, animal-inspired, funny and slang, with IPA pronunciations and examples.
- Be careful with funny or slang nicknames they’re informal, regionally variable, and best used only with close friends or family; Berlitz also offers a free Italian essentials eBook and courses for more practice.
Amorino. Cucciolo. Mostriciattola! These are just three cute Italian nicknames that sound just as fun as they look. Curious to know what they mean? You’ll find their meanings along with 126 more Italian nicknames waiting for you in this article!
Using Italian terms of endearment can help build familiarity with new friends (and potential romantic interests!) while also enhancing your vocabulary and building your confidence in Italian.
In this article, you will learn:
- How to make your own nicknames by changing the endings of words
- Cute nicknames in Italian for your significant other
- Italian terms of endearment for friends and family
- Cute nicknames in Italian involving animals and food
- Cool Italian nicknames in slang that you can use with friends
Oh, and I almost forgot: you’ll also find numerous ways to show affection to your pets!
Are you just starting your Italian language journey? Download our complimentary Italian language essentials eBook here.
Nicknames in Italian
Nicknames are very popular in Italian culture, and they’re great ways to express an emotional connection with friends and family. Certain terms of endearment can even change based on the different regions of Italy! For the most part, nicknames in Italian can involve shortening or adding a different suffix to a word. So, before we explore different nicknames in Italian, let’s examine how we can actually create them.
Diminutive forms
Throughout the article, many of the Italian nicknames and terms of endearment are words with diminutive (or augmentative) endings. Basically, changing the endings to words can intensify or add affection and emotion to them!
In Italian, the diminutive and augmentative endings also eliminate the need to always say piccolo (little) or molto (very) before a word. Keep this in mind when you see the English translations of Italian terms of endearment throughout this article.You could technically make anything into a nickname in Italian by adding a different suffix to the word. Let’s imagine that you have an inside joke with one of your amiciabout driving your little Fiat car around the Amalfi coast. To really drive the point home, you could call it a macchinina instead of just a macchina. And using these endings in nicknames comes with a bonus: they’re fun to say and they sound cute, too! So, the next time that your cat knocks over a vase, you could call him cativello instead of just cattivo. Your vase may still be shattered, but hopefully the cute name makes up for it! Of course, these endings will also need to match the gender and number of what you’re referring to. Check out our examples here, and look out for them throughout the article!
1. -ino / -ina / -ini / -ine
Examples:
- mamma → mammina (mother / mommy)
- piccolo → piccolino (little / very little)
2. -etto / -etta / -etti / -ette
Examples:
- angiolo → angioletto (angel / little angel)
- cugina → cuginetta (cousin / little cousin)
3. -ello / -ella / -elli / -ette
Examples:
- cattivo → cattivello (bad / a small, bad child or person - masculine)
- cattiva → cattivella (bad / a small, bad child or person - feminine)
4. -uccio / -uccia / -ucci / -ucce
Examples:
- tesoro → tesoruccio (treasure / little treasure)
- tesora → tesoruccia (treasure / little treasure)
5. -otto / -otta / -otti / -otte
Examples:
- bambolo → bambolotto (doll / little doll)
- bambola → bambolotta (doll / little doll)
6. -acchiotto / -acchiotta / -accihotti / -accihotte
Examples:
- lupo → lupacchiotto (wolf / little wolf)
- lupo → lupacchiotta (wolf / little wolf)
7. -iciattolo / -iciattola / -iciattoli / -iciattole
Examples:
- mostricio → mostriciattolo (monster / little monster)
- mostricia → mostriciattola (monster / little monster)
Augmentative forms
If you have something “bigger” in mind, the following common endings can change the meaning of your nickname or word to big, very, or the superlative forms.Once again, you could create your own nicknames or fun versions of ordinary words by adding on these endings. So, the next time you’re at a trattoria with your amico and his portion of tagliatelle is bigger than expected, you could call it a piattone instead of just a piatto di pasta!
Big
1. one / -ona / -oni
Examples:
- mamma → dormiglione (mother / big sleeper - masculine)
- piccolo → dormigliona (little / big sleeper - feminine)
You might also notice -one / -ona used for affectionate terms, like micione (kitty/cat) or coccolone (someone/something that loves cuddles).
2. -acchione / -acchiona / -accihoni
Examples:
- furbo → furbacchione (sly / very sly)
- furba → furbacchiona (sly / very sly)
Most / Superlative
3. -issimo / -issima / -issimi / -issime
Examples:
- bello → bellissimo (handsome / most handsome)
- cara → carissima (dear / dearest)
Now that you’re familiar with how to alter words and create nicknames, let’s delve into our 129 different examples!
Gender-neutral romantic nicknames in Italian
If you’re looking for some gender-neutral terms of endearment in Italian, then this table is for you. Whether you want to call someone your dolce metà or your splendore, you’ll have lots of romantic nicknames to choose from with this list! You could even pair them with all the different ways to say “Ti amo!”.
| English | Italian | IPA Spelling | Pronunciation |
| My other half | la mia dolce metà | la ˈmia ˈdoltʃe meˈta | dole-cheh meh-tah |
| My soulmate | l’anima gemella | lˈanima dʒeˈmɛlla | la-nee-ma je-mel-lah |
| My heart | cuore mio | ˈkwɔre ˈmio | kwo-reh mee-oh |
| My life | vita mia | ˈvita ˈmia | vee-tah mee-ah |
| Ray of sunshine | raggio di sole | ˈraddʒo di ˈsole | ra-joe dee so-leh |
| My sun | mio sole | ˈmio ˈsole | me-oh so-leh |
| My treasure | tesoro mio | teˈzɔroˈmio | teh-so-roe mee-oh |
| My love | amore mio | aˈmoreˈmio | ah-mor-reh mee-oh |
| My splendor | splendore | splenˈdore | splen-doe-reh |
| Light of my life | luce dei miei occhi | ˈlutʃeˈdei̯ˈmjɛi̯ˈɔkki | loo-che day mee-ay ok-key |
Husband and boyfriend nicknames in Italian
This list contains the most classic, romantic nicknames for your husband or boyfriend, as well as some cute ones that you can have fun with, like mostriciattolo (little monster) and tesoruccio (little treasure).
| English | Italian | IPA Spelling | Pronunciation |
| Handsome | bello | ˈbɛllo | beh-low |
| Dear | caro* | ˈkaro | ka-roe |
| Dearest | carissimo* | kaˈrissimo | ka-ree-see-mo |
| Little love | amorino | amoˈrino | ah-mo-ree-no |
| Prince | principe | ˈprintʃipe | prin-chee-peh |
| Groom | sposo | ˈspɔzo | spo-so |
| Little heart | cuoricino | kworitʃino | kwo-ree-chee-no |
| My love | mio amato | ˈmioaˈmato | mee-oh ah-mah-toe |
| My king | mio re | ˈmioˈrɛ | mee-oh reh |
| Little treasure | tesoruccio | tezoruttʃo | te-so-roo-cho |
| Little monster | mostriciattolo | mostriˈtʃattolo | mos-tree-cha-toe-low |
*Caro also means “expensive”, and “carissimo” can also be used to refer to something that is very expensive.
Italian nicknames for your girlfriend or wife
This list contains the feminine versions of the previous table as well as some common girlfriend-or-wife-specific nicknames, like stella (star) or fiore mio (my flower). Speaking of flowers, check out this Italian love song, Fiore Mio, to hear this romantic nickname in action!
| English | Italian | IPA Spelling | Pronunciation |
| Beautiful | bella | ˈbɛlla | beh-lah |
| Dear | cara | ˈkara | ka-rah |
| Dearest | carissima | ˈkarissima | ka-ree-see-mah |
| Little love | amorina | amoˈrina | ah-mo-ree-na |
| Star | stella | ˈstella | ste-lah |
| Princess | principessa | printʃiˈpessa | preen-chee-pess-ah |
| Bride | sposa | ˈspɔza | spo-sah |
| Little heart | cuoricina | kworitʃina | kwo-ree-chee-na |
| Beauty | bellezza | belˈlettsa | beh-letz-za |
| My flower | fiore mio | ˈfjoreˈmio | fyo-reh me-oh |
| My love | mia amata | ˈmiaaˈmata | me-ah ah-mah-tah |
| My queen | mia regina | ˈmiareˈdʒina | me-ah re-jee-na |
| Little treasure | tesoruccia | tezoruttʃa | tes-oh-roo-cha |
| Little monster | mostriciattola | mostriˈtʃattola | mos-tree-cha-toe-lah |
| My pearl | la mia perla | laˈmiaˈpɛrla | la me-ah per-lah |
Italian nicknames for your grandmother and other family members
This table contains many terms of endearment for people in your family, ranging from grandparents to pets. In fact, you’ll notice that many of the nicknames applied to babies are also appropriate for pets!
| English | Italian | IPA Spelling | Pronunciation | Usually used for |
| Little treasure | tesorino | tezorino | te-so-ree-no | Babies, children, love interests, pets |
| Angel | angelo | ˈandʒelo | an-je-lo | Babies, children, love interests, pets |
| Little angel | angioletto/a | andʒoletto /ˈandʒoletta | an-jo-leh-toe/an-joe-leh-tah | Babies, children, pets |
| Little one | piccolo/a | ˈpikkolo / ˈpikkola | pee-ko-lo / pee-ko-la | Babies, children, pets |
| Very little one | piccolino/a | pikkolino / pikkolina | pee-ko-lee-no / pee-ko-lee-no | Babies, children, pets |
| My joy | la mia gioia | laˈmiaˈdʒɔja | la mee-ah joy-ah | Babies, children, love interests, pets |
| Sweetness | dolcezza | dolˈtʃettsa | dole-che-tza | Babies, children, love interests, pets |
| Little queen | reginetta | redʒiˈnetta | re-jee-net-tah | Girls, pets |
| Little king | piccolo re | ˈpikkoloˈrɛ | pee-ko-lo reh | Boys, pets |
| Sweet thing | pippi | ˈpippi | peep-ee | Babies, children, pets |
| Rascal | monello/a | moˈnɛllo/moˈnɛlla | moe-neh-lo/moe-neh-la | Children, pets |
| Little butterfly | farfallina | farˈfallina | far-fa-lee-nah | Girls, pets |
| Ladybug | coccinella | kottʃiˈnɛlla | ko-kee-nell-ah | Girls, pets |
| Little flower | fiorellino/a | fjorellino / fjorellina | fyor-eh-lee-no | Babies, children, pets |
| Little beast | bestiolino/a | bestjolino / bestjolina | beh-styo-lee-no / beh-styo-lee-na | Babies, children, pets |
| Little cub/Little pup/Puppy | cucciolo/a | ˈkuttʃolo / ˈkuttʃola | coo-cho-low /coo-cho-la | Babies, children, pets |
| Baby | bimbo/a | ˈbimbo / ˈbimba | beem-bo /beem-bah | Babies |
| Little baby | bambolotto/a | bamboˈlɔtto / bamboˈlɔtta | bam-bo-lot-toe /bam-bo-lot-ta | Babies |
| Mother’s pet/Apple of mom’s eye | cocca di mamma | ˈkɔkkadiˈmamma | co-ka dee mah-mah | Babies, children, pets |
| Father’s pet/Apple of dad’s eye | cocca di papà | ˈkɔkkadipaˈpa | co-ka dee pah-pah | Babies, children, pets |
| Little shrimp | scricciolo | ˈskrittʃolo | skree-cho-low | Babies, children, pets |
| Fairy | fatina | ˈfatina | fah-tee-na | Girls, pets |
| Baby | pupo/a | ˈpupo / ˈpupa | poo-poe /poo-pah | Babies |
| Grandfather/Grandmother | nonnino/a | nonnino / nonnina | no-nee-no /no-nee-na | Grandfathers, grandmothers |
| Mother/Mom | mammina/mamma | ˈmammina / ˈmamma | mah-mee-nah /mah-mah | Mothers |
| Father/Dad | papino/papi | paˈpino / ˈpapi | pah-pee-no /pah-pee | Fathers |
| Uncle/Aunt | zietto/a | dzjetto / dzjetta | zee-ett-oh /zee-ett-ah | Uncles, aunts |
| Cousin | cuginetto/a | kudʒinetto / kudʒinetta | coo-gee-net-toe / coo-gee-net-tah | Cousins |
| Little brother | fratellino | fratellino | fra-tell-ee-no | Little brothers |
| Little sister | sorellina | soˈrɛllina | sor-rell-ee-nah | Little sisters |
| Trouble-makers | cattivello/cattivella | kattiˈvɛllo/kattiˈvɛlla | ka-tee-vell-oh / ka-tee-vell-ah | Trouble-makers (affectionately) |
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Funny Italian nicknames
This next set of nicknames includes terms of endearment that are downright fun to say! So that you don’t risk offending anyone, it’s worth noting that these nicknames should only be used with people that you’re very close with (or pets, of course). These should never be used in formal settings or offensively.
| English | Italian | IPA Spelling | Pronunciation | Usually used for |
| Flea | pulce | ˈpultʃe | pool-che | Babies, children, pets |
| Little flea | pulcino/a | pulˈtʃino / pulˈtʃina | pool-chee-no /pool-chee-na | Babies, children, pets |
| Stinker | puzzone | putˈtsone | pootz-oh-neh | (Used affectionately) Babies, children, pets |
| Slowpoke | lumacone | lumaˈkone | loo-mah-coe-neh | (Used affectionately) Children, friends |
| Someone who lies | pinocchio | piˈnɔkkjo | pee-knock-yo | (Used affectionately) Children, friends |
| Stuffed animal | peluche | peluʃʃ | pe-loosh | Babies, children, pets |
| Puppet | pupetto/a | Pupetto / pupetta | poo-pet-toe /poo-pet-tah | Babies, children, pets |
| A chatty person | chiaccherone/a | kjakkjeˈrone / kjakkjeˈrona | kya-kye-roe-neh | (Used affectionately) Children, friends, loved ones |
| Foolish, thickheaded | tontolino/a | tontolino / tontolina | ton-toe-lee-no /ton-toe-lee-nah | (Used affectionately) Children, friends, loved ones |
| Mama’s boy / Someone very close with their mother | mammone | mamˈmone | mah-moe-neh | (Used affectionately) Children, friends who are close with their mothers |
| Someone who loves to sleep | dormiglione/a | dormiʎˈʎone / dormiʎˈʎona | dor-me-lyo-neh / dor-me-lyo-nah | (Used affectionately) Children, friends, loved ones |
| Little darling | amoruccio | amoruttʃo | ah-mo-roo-cho | (Used affectionately) Children, friends, loved ones |
| Little devil | diavolino/a | djavoˈlino / djavoˈlina | dya-voh-lee-no /dya-voh-lee-na | (Used affectionately) Children, friends, loved ones, pets who seem to get into trouble often |
| Little dracula | draculino/a | drakulino / drakulina | dra-coo-lee-no /dra-coo-lee-na | (Used affectionately) Children, friends, loved ones, pets who have dracula-like features, like fangs! |
| A cuddly person | coccolone/a | kokkoˈlone / kokkoˈlona | coc-co-low-ne /coc-co-low-na | (Used affectionately) Children, friends, pets |
| A sly person | furbacchione/a | furbakˈkjone/furbakˈkjona | foor-back-yo-ne/foor-back-yo-nah | (Used affectionately) Children, friends, loved ones, pets or anyone that is clever or sly |
Cute Italian nicknames: Food-inspired
Italy is known as the food capital of the world, so it makes sense that many nicknames involve food! All of these tasty terms of endearment could be affectionately used for close friends, children, significant others, and pets.
| English | Italian | IPA Spelling | Pronunciation |
| Meatball | polpetto/a | polpetto/polˈpetta | pol-pet-toe /pol-pet-tah |
| Little meatball | polpettino/a | polpettino / pol’pettina | pol-pet-tee-no /pol-pet-tee-na |
| Little pastry | pasticcino/a | pastitˈtʃinopastitˈtʃina | pa-stee-chee-no / pa-stee-chee-na |
| Little cherry | ciliegina | tʃiljeˈdʒina | chil-ee-gee-na |
| Little sweetness | zuccherino/a | tsukkeˈrino/tsukkeˈrina | zoo-ke-ree-no / zoo-ke-ree-na |
| Little onion | cipollino/a | tʃipolˈlino/tʃipolˈlina | chi-po-lee-no / chi-po-lee-na |
| Little cookie | biscottino/a | biskotˈtino/biskotˈtina | bees-ko-tee-no / bees-ko-tee-na |
| Little cheese | formaggino/a | formadˈdʒino/formadˈdʒina | four-mah-gee-no / four-mah-gee-na |
| Little potato | patatino/a | patatino/patatina | pah-tah-tee-no / pah-tah-tee-na |
| Bean | fagiolo/a | faˈdʒɔlo/faˈdʒɔla | fa-joe-lo / fa-joe-la |
| Little bean | fagiolino/a | fadʒoˈlino/fadʒoˈlina | fa-joe-lee-no / fa-joe-lee-na |
| Little strawberry | fragolino/a | fraɡoˈlino/fraɡoˈlina | fra-go-lee-no / fra-go-lee-na |
Cute Italian nicknames: Animal-inspired
Just like the food-related nicknames, all of these cute Italian animal terms could be affectionately used for close friends, children, significant others, and pets!
| English | Italian | IPA Spelling | Pronunciation |
| Little monkey | scimmietto/a | ʃimmjetto/ʃimmjetta | sheem-yet-toe / sheem-yet-ta |
| Little fish | pesciolino/a | peʃʃoˈlino/peʃʃoˈlina | pesh-oh-lee-no / pesh-oh-le-na |
| Little bear | orsetto/a | orˈsetto/orˈsetta | or-set-toe / or-set-ta |
| Big bear | orsacchiotto/a | orsakˈkjɔtto/orsakˈkjɔtta | or-sa-kyot-toe / or-sa-kyot-ta |
| Fawn | cerbiatto/a | tʃerˈbjatto/tʃerˈbjatta | cher-byat-toe / cher-byat-ta |
| Little lion | leoncino/a | leonˈtʃino/leonˈtʃina | le-on-chee-no / le-on-chee-na |
| Little tiger | tigrotto/a | tiˈɡrɔtto/tiˈɡrɔtta | tee-grot-toe / tee-grot-tah |
| Deer/Buck | leprotto/a | leˈprɔtto/leˈprɔtta | le-prot-toe / le-prot-tah |
| Little cat /kitten | gattino/a | ɡatˈtino/ɡatˈtina | ga-tee-no / ga-tee-na |
| Little cat / kitten | micetto/a | mitʃetto/mitʃetta | me-chet-toe / me-chet-ta |
| Little cat /kitten | micio/a | ˈmitʃo/ˈmitʃa | me-cho / me-cha |
| Little cat /kitten | micino/a | mitʃino/mitʃina | me-chee-no / me-chee-na |
| Chick | pulcino/a | pulˈtʃino/pulˈtʃina | pool-chee-no /pool-chee-na |
| Rabbit / little bunny | coniglietto/a | koniʎʎetto/koniʎʎetta | co-neel-yet-toe /co-neel-yet-ta |
| Mouse | topo/a | ˈtɔpo/ˈtɔpa | toe-po / toe-pa |
| Little mouse | topino/a | toˈpino/toˈpina | toe-pee-no / toe-pee-na |
| Turtle / Slowpoke | tartaruga | tartaˈruɡa | tar-tar-oo-gah |
| Little pig | maialino/a | majalino/majalina | my-al-ee-no / my-al-ee-na |
| Little sparrow | passerotto/a | passeˈrɔtto/passeˈrɔtta | pas-ser-ot-toe / pas-ser-ot-ta |
| Little wolf | lupacchiotto/a | lupakkjotto/lupakkjotta | loo-pah-kyot-oh /loo-pah-kyot-ah |
| Little wolf | lupino/a | luˈpino/luˈpina | loo-pee-no /loo-pee-na |
Slang Italian nicknames
If you’re heading out for an aperitivo with your Italian friends, be sure to keep this list in mind. These terms of endearment are commonly used amongst groups of friends (especially long-term friends) and are a great introduction into the ever-evolving world of Italian slang!
| English | Italian | IPA Spelling | Pronunciation | Usually used for |
| Friend | amico/a | aˈmiko/aˈmika | ah-mee-ko / ah-mee-ka | Friends/Close friends |
| Attractive person | gnocco/a | ˈɲɔkko/ˈɲɔkka | nyok-ko/nyok-ka | Close friends, when you want to compliment someone |
| Dude/Dudette | zio/a | ˈdzio/ˈdzia | zee-oh /zee-ah | Close friends |
| Close female friend | dada | ˈdada | da-da | Close female friends |
| Love | amo’ | ˈamo | ah-mo | Close friends/Significant others |
| Loves | ami’ | ˈami | ah-me | Gender-neutral for groups of close friends |
| Old friend | vecchio/a | ˈvɛkkjo/ˈvɛkkja | vek-kyo/vek-kya | Old friends, best friends |
| Sweet/Close friend (female) | cocca | ˈkɔkka | caw-ka | Close female friends |
| Guys (gender-neutral group of friends) | raga’ | ˈraɡa | rah-ga | Gender-neutral for groups of friends |
| Bro | fratello | fraˈtɛllo | fra-tell-oh | Close male friends |
| Sis | sorella | soˈrɛlla | so-rell-ah | Close female friends |
| Nice bro / Cool bro | bella fratello | ˈbɛllafraˈtɛllo | bel-lah fra-tell-oh | Close male friends |
| Boss / Chief | capo | ˈkapo | ka-poe | Close friends |
Ok, raga’, alla prossima!
Now that you have 129 different nicknames and terms of endearment ready to use, it’s time to implement them in conversation with friends and loved ones. And if you’re looking to dive deeper into all of those diminutive and augmentative endings, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to check out more ways to study Italian online. See you for the next article, ami’!
