Family Members in Italian

By Lachlan McRitchie

Updated July 11, 2026

The core family words in Italian are la madre (mother), il padre (father), il fratello (brother), and la sorella (sister). The warmer everyday forms are la mamma and il papà, and note the accent: il papà is dad, but il papa is the Pope.

ItalianEnglish
la madremother
la mammamum, mom
il padrefather
il papàdadkeep the accent; il papa is the Pope
il fratellobrother
la sorellasister
il figlioson
la figliadaughter
la nonnagrandmother
il nonnograndfather
i genitoriparents
il bambinochildla bambina for a girl

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Hear them in: Summertime, Baby.

Frequently asked questions

How do you say parents in Italian?
Parents is i genitori and the whole family is la famiglia. The affectionate words for mum and dad are la mamma and il papà, keeping the accent so papà (dad) is not papa (the Pope).

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