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Please note that we no longer offer international shipping and now only ship within the United States!
Polish grandparents hold an important place in one's childhood. So if your kids or even you have Polish grandparents still present in your lives, be sure to treat them well and also - know how to say grandpa in Polish and how to spell grandpa in Polish - as well as grandma.
Of course, there is no choice between a Polish grandmother or a Polish grandfather in Polish culture. They are both equally important, each in their own way.
A Polish grandfather is quite often the true head of a Polish family. When it comes to all the major decisions that need to be made, none will be considered right unless given the Polish grandfather of the house's approval. Also, if a great grandfather in the Polish family is still there - his opinion is truly important too.
A grandpa in Polish culture should be treated with the highest respect, although it does depend on the family itself if its grandfather will be of the quieter, distant type or the warm and smiley grandpa every grandchild would wish of having.
So how do you say grandfather in Polish and how do you spell grandfather in Polish? The polish word for Grandfather is Dziadek. There are also other variants like Dziadzia, Dziadzio, or Dziadziu in the vocative, as the Polish language has seven cases. There is also Dziad as an argumentative or even Dziadziuś in the diminutive. So depending on your relationship with your Polish grandpa, you will use a different Polish word for grandfather.
Jaja is an incorrectly spelled and used Polish American variant for grandpa. (it actually means balls) The correct word in Polish for grandpa is Dziadek or the other variants mentioned above. (Thank you to a reddit user for pointing out our writers mistake, even we laughed!)
Did you know there is even a day in the Polish calendar dedicated to the celebration of Polish grandfathers? It is celebrated a day after Grandma's Day, on January 22, in quite a similar way. The custom is to pay a visit to your Polish grandfather with a card and some small gifts, usually homemade or DIY crafts created by the grandchildren.
Sweets are always welcome, and some families celebrate it with a special lunch where the whole family gathers together to toast to Dziadek's good health.
Here is one rhyme you can use if you wish to create a special card for the next upcoming Grandpa's Day:
Polish:
English:
Knowing all this, it seems obvious why you should know how to say grandpa in Polish translation but also use the correct Polish word for grandma and grandpa.
Hopefully you enjoyed this little rhyme and the text, and that you'll use all your creativity to celebrate your Polish grandparents! But if you prefer - we have some creative gifts in our shop to celebrate your Polish grandpa! Be sure to check out our article on the Polish flag!
January 02, 2024
We called my Dad’s Polish parents Bushia and Jaja (pronounced that way). My grandparents were from Poland and that is what we always called them.
January 17, 2023
I laughed at how people spell the word grandfather. I taught my kids how to say and spell the word even though they don’t speak English. Dziadziu is not “jaja”. J is pronounced as Y which would make the word yaya. Jajka or jaja are eggs. If I use the word champagne I don’t spell it shampain just because it sounds like it. I am babcia and not bobo. I was born in Poland and have never heard of some of these words.
November 09, 2022
We also spell Dziadzia the “American” way “Jaja”. But we pronounced it correctly. We called and spelled Babcia the right way. My dad will be the last of three generations. My husband who is not Polish is not sure he wants to carry it on.
September 13, 2022
DZIA DZIA
September 13, 2022
When I first saw ‘jaja’ I laughed, but that’s American spelling for ‘dziadzia’. Both versions are pronounced similarly. But the correct version is ‘dziadek’ as ‘dziadzia’ is baby talk, grown ups rarely refer to grandfathers this way.
August 03, 2022
We grew up calling our polish grandparents bopshi and jaja now we’re told grandma qnd grandpa in polish are pronounced differently.the strange one is how jaja actually means something else in polish.andjqja is actually the polish American slaughters for grandpa.oh well we’ve referred to jaja as jaja all these years and that’s the way we keep it.
September 13, 2022
Oh boy all along we’ve referred to our jaja as jaja now we’re told it rely means something different.and grammar in polish is quite different but it’s still close.they are saying jaja is the American slang term for the polish name grampa.but we were raised on it so we’re not going to change how we say grampa in our polish way.but also Boosh is how we pronounced gramma.so however things are pronounced for gramma in polish is another storey.but people have slang for gramma when it should be grandmother.
August 03, 2022
We called great grandpa JaJa and g grandma Busha.
February 24, 2022
We grew up calling our Polish grandpa Jog oo That is the best I can figure phoenetically. Grandma was Bapka.
April 30, 2020
Beautiful information. Thank you. All my grandparents passed before i was born. I felt very cheated when other kids talked about theirs
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Rudolph Gary Dzyak
May 02, 2024
I always called my grandfather Tata, so now that I’m a grandfather I go by Tata also❗️