Terms of Endearment
List of various terms of endearment that can be used in different languages. A lot of them are gender neutral. Now in alphabetical order.
Afrikaans
Lief (love)
Liefie (lovey)
Arabic
Habibi حبيبي (m) (my love)
Habibti حبيبتي (f) (my love)
Ya hayati يا حياتي (my life)
Ya qalbi يا قلبي (my heart)
Ya ruhi يا روحي (my soul)
Hubbi/hobbi حبي (my love)
Catalan:
Estimat (m) /estimada (f) (dear)
Amor/amor meu (love/my love)
Sol (sun) (used more like "és un sol" ('they're a sun'??) and normally used when talking about well-behaved children lmao.
"Reiet meu" could also be used (means 'my little king') (m)
"Carinyo" (from spanish Cariño i guess)
"Bonic (m)/bonica (f)" (means nice or pretty (physically)) ("bonica" in feminine is more common as a term of endearment)
Vida (life) (can also be "videta" (diminutive version))
Bombó (that's like a chocolate sweet lmao)(used normally with women)
Princesa (means princess) (f)
Czech
Zlato (gold, my precious)
Lásko (love)
Miláčku (dearest, little dear)
Danish
Skat (treasure)
Engel (angel)
Smukke (pretty/beautiful)
Elskede/elskling (beloved)
Kæreste (dearest and also used for the term girlfriend/boyfriend)
Snut (sorta like babe, a bit outdated)
Dejlige (wonderful)
Smuksak (beautiful but only for endearment)
Pus (cute pitiful thing)
Pusling (Pus in diminutive)
Musling (mouse diminutive)
Putte[animal] (cuddle[animal of choice], most used is: animal, mouse and pig, but other animals or objects happen)
Kære (loved one)
Allerkæreste (most loved, argumentative)
Basse (cute fat, might come from bear, mostly used for children and men)
Dutch
Schatje (treasure)
Liefje (loved one)
Lieverd (loved one)
Lieveling (loved one)
English
Dear
Pet
Baby
Babe
Honey
Darling
My love
Sunshine
Sweetheart
Sweet cheeks
Prince/Princess
Farsi
Joon/Jaan جان (life)
Azizam عزیزم (my dear)
Asalam عسلم (my honey)
Golam گلم (flower)
Filipino (from various local languages, all gender neutral)
Mahal, sinta (tagalog) (love)
alternatively add "ko" or "aking" to turn it into "my love" (e.g. mahal ko, sinta ko; aking mahal, aking sinta) with "aking" being used more often when talking about the one you love to a 3rd party;
or turn it into a verb (e.g. aking minamahal, kasintahan) to make it "lover"
Paraluman, irog, liyag, giliw (tagalog) (darling) these are older terms though, you won't hear or see them being used unless you're lovers with someone 🌟Extra🌟
Tangi (tagalog) (only one)
Tinatangi (tagalog) (the one i hold dear/the only one for me)
Tinadhana - fated (from the root word "tadhana" meaning fate, which in and of itself should also be a term of endearment and I stand by that)
Hinigugma (bisaya) (beloved) (very old)
Palangga/pangga/langga or "ga" for short and sometimes pagingging (ilonggo) (love) (can also be used platonically or between family members)
Kalasahan (tausug) (beloved) (this is pronounced with an emphasis in the SA syllable (as in kalaSAhan) instead of the LA like in the tagalog word LAsa (which means taste)
Jowa (filipino slang) (significant other/boyfriend/girlfriend)
Bebe, bebe ko, beh, bhe, bhie, bih (filipino slang) (babe)
Lablabs (filipino slang) (literally "love-love" in a heavy filipino accent)
Finnish
Aarteeni (my treasure)
Armaani (my darling (A bit old fashioned to say.))
Höpönassu/höpönassukka/höpsö (silly)
Kalleimpani (my most valued one)
Kulta/kultaseni/kultu/kultsi/kultsipuppeli (gold; darling (These are ordered from least syrupy to most syrupy.)
Mielitietty/mielitiettyni (favourite/my favourite (Formal, usually used when speaking about your loved one to someone else.))
Murmeli (marmot)
Muru/murunen (crumb; honey)
Mussukka (sweetie)
Pikkuinen (little one (Used for children and animals.))
Rakas/rakkaani (love/my love; dear)
Sydänkäpyseni/sydänkäpynen (my heart cone/heart cone; sweetheart)
Söpöliini (cutie)
French
Mon amour (my love)
Mon cœur (my heart)
Chéri (m) / Chérie (f) (darling)
Chou (used like "honey", but directly translates to cabbage)
Mon lapin (my bunny)
Ma vie (my life)
L'/amour de ma vie (love of my life)
Ma poupée (f) (my doll)
Gàidhlig (Scottish)
A chuisle (a hoo-sluh)/ A ghràidh (a ghrah-ee) (my love)
Mo chridhe (moh hree-uh) (my heart)
A chiall mo chridhe (a heel moh hree-uh) (my dearest darling)
Both romantic or otherwise, i.e. they don't have specific romantic connotations.
Leannan (lyen-an) (sweetheart)
M' eudail (may-thal) (darling, romantic)
Luaidheag (luah-yak) (darling, the way a wee old lady talks to a child)
German
Liebling (beloved/favourite)
Schatz (treasure, I would say the most common one between established couples)
Liebes (loved one) (not that romantic, can be used by older people)
Liebster (m) (loved one, bit old-fashioned)
Liebste (f) (loved one, bit old-fashioned)
Hase / Hasi (bunny)
Maus (mouse)
Spatz (sparrow)
Bär / Bärchen (bear)
Engel / Engelchen (angel)
Prinzessin (f) (princess)
Sonnenschein (sunshine)
Kleines (f/n) (little one, can be used in a cute way for women, (while actually being neutral), but can also sound degrading or offensive)
Greek
Αγάπη /Αγάπη μου (love /my love) (the first can also be used among friends, usually between women, but both are very often used in romantic relationships)
Ψυχή μου (my soul) (mostly romantic but can be used by a parent to their kid)
Hebrew
Chaim sheli חיים שלי (my life)
Neshama sheli נשמה שלי (my soul)
Lev sheli לב שלי (my heart)
Ahoovi אהובי (m) (my love)
Ahoovati אהובתי (f) (my love)
Hindi
Meri jaan मेरी जान (f) (my life)
Mera jaan (m/n) (my life)
Rani रानी (f) (queen)
Hungarian
Kedvesem (my dear)
Szerelmem (my love)
Drága (precious)
Édesem (my sweetie)
Kicsim (my little one)
Babám (my baby)
Kincsem (my treasure)
Indonesian
Sayang (to love/love, can be used as 'honey', doesn't have to be romantic)
Cintaku (my love, mostly used romantically)
Irish
A stór (darling)
A stórín (little darling, sweetie. More commonly used for children, but can be used romantically too)
A chroí (heart, you can say "mo chroí" too, that means "my heart")
A ghrá (love)
Aingeal (angel, used both romantically, and for people who've done something nice for you (think "you're a doll"))
A ghrá geal (directly translates to "bright love", but means something more like "honey" or "darling")
Mo ghrá amháin (my one, my one love, my true love)
Mo chailín/mo bhuachaill (my girl/my boy, we say this in place of "girlfriend" or "boyfriend" because there's no proper words for those)
Mo bhean/mo fhear (my woman/my man, like the above, but more seriously, usually said by married couples as a short form of "bean chéile" (wife) and "fear chéile" (husband))
A réaltín (star/little star, used both romantically and to refer to children)
Italian
Tesoro (treasure)
Amore mio (my love)
Cuore (heart)
Vita mia (my life)
Cucciola (puppy/cub) (mostly used for women, but you could say "cucciolo" for men)
Piccola (little one) (mostly for women, "piccolo" would be the male version)
Cara/caro (dear) (now mostly used by grandmas for grandkids but perfect for couples in the past or old couples nowadays
Bimba (f) (child)
Patata/patatina (potato/little potato) (again mostly women when used romantically, "patato/patatino" for men, but they can also be used for pets, babies, your kids or anyone that you find cute)
Tata/tato (short version of papata/patato)
Polpetta/polpettina (meatball/little meatball) (very uncommon, but I've heard it used for girls)
Topolina (little mouse) (very uncommon, but could be used for girls)
Bambola (doll)
Korean
Jagiya 자기야 (honey/baby)
Aegiya 애기야 (baby/little one)
Gongjunim 공주님 (f) (princess)
Wangjanim 왕자님 (m) (prince)
Nae Sarang 내 사랑 (my love)
Gwiyomi 귀요미 (cutie)
Yeobo 여보 (darling, loved one to a spouse)
Malay
Sayang (dear/darling)
Polish
Kochanie (my beloved)
Myszko (f) (little mouse for women romantic, or for young daughters)
Misiu (m) (diminutive bear, romantic for men)
Misiaczku (another form of the above but more intersex)
Słoneczko (diminutive for sun, can be for children but also romantic for women)
Pączusiu (diminutive doughnut, romantic partner)
Bąbelku (bubble diminutive for young children, toddlers or infants)
Duszko moja (very outdated, meaning my soul, for women)
Serce moje (also old school, meaning my heart, unisex)
Gwiazdeczko (diminutive star, for girls and romantic female partner)
Kotek/Kotku (kitten, unisex)
Mała (literally: little (f), for women, can be romantic but also offensive if used by strangers)
Skarbie (my treasure, unisex)
Rybciu (diminutive for fish, little fish, for women)
żabko (diminutive for frog, little frog, for women)
Portuguese
Meu querido (m)/ minha querida (f) (my darling)
Meu amor (my love)
Princesa (f) (princess)
Meu docinho (my sweetheart)
Coração (heart)
Amado (m)/Amada (f) (my beloved)
Meu (m)/ minha (f) mais que tudo (my above overall) Meu tesouro (my treasure)
Paixão (passion)
Meu bem/ meu benzinho (my goodness)
Meu doce/meu docinho (my sweet/ my little sweet)
Brazilian Portuguese
Amor (love)
Querido (m) / Querida (f) (darling)
Bebê (baby)
Meu bem (untraslatable; something between "my dear" and "my treasure")
Meu docinho de coco (my coconut candy - really old slang, nowadays used only for fun)
Patroa (f) (it means a female boss; not ironic not aggressive, but used by men to describe their wives affectionately, eg. "I can't go today, my patroa is waiting for me at home")
Gato/gatinho (m) / gata/gatinha (f) (cat/little cat; if a person is pretty, they are called a "cat")
Minha vida (my life)
Meu xodó (my crush)
Bebê (baby)
Docinho (sweetie)
Chuchu (honey)
Fofura (cutie)
Querida (dear)
Lindinha (beautiful/cutie)
Meu anjo (my angel)
Mozão or Mor (love, more like slang)
Romanian
Iubi (Sweet heart/darling)
Iubirea mea (my love)
Draga mea (f) / Dragul meu (m) (my dear)
Dulceața mea (jam/honey)
Sufletul meu (my soul)
Suflețel (little soul)
Russian
lyubov' moya / любовь моя (my love)
radost' moya / радость моя (joy of mine)
dusha moya / душа моя (my soul)
schast'e moyo / счастье моё (my happiness)
sokrovishche moyo / сокровище моё (my treasure)
solnyshko / солнышко (sunny)
zolotce / золотце (golden)
lyubimyj (m) + lyubimaya (f) / любимый + любимая (beloved)
dorogoj (m) + dorogaya (f) / дорогой + дорогая (darling, dear)
milyj (m) + milaya (f) / милый + милая (dear but in more informal way)
kotik / котик (kitty) malysh / малыш (baby)
zajchik (m) + zajka (f) / зайчик + зайка (bunny)
ptenchik / птенчик (little bird, hatchling)
rybka moya (f) / рыбка моя (my fish)
Serbian
Sreća(o) moja (my happiness)
Zlato moje (my gold)
Srce moje (my heart)
Život(e) moj (my life)
Duša(o) (my soul)
Slovak
Zlato / zlatko (gold)
Láska (love)
Miláčik (bit cheesy, but means my lovely)
Spanish
Cariño (darling)
Bebé (baby)
Corazón (heart)
Mi amor (my love)
Mi vida (my life)
Cielo (sky)
Amor (love)
Swedish
Sötnos (cute nose)
Älskling (darling)
Tamil
Kanmani [cun-mun-ee] (darling)
Turkish
Aşkım (my loved one)
Canım (my love/soul)
Hayatım (my life)
Bebeğim (my baby)
Kocacığım/karıcığım
(my husband/my wife, but in a more endearing way, you can say it to a person you're not married yet but thinking about marrying)
Her şeyim (my everything)
Yaşama sebebim (my reason to live)
Ceylanım (My gazelle, it's a gorgeous creature like cmon)
Güzel gözlüm (My lover with beautiful eyes)
Nazlı yarim (My coy lover)
Kalbimin sahibi (the owner of my heart)
Güzelim/yakışıklım (my beautiful/my handsome)
Kediciğim (my kitty/kitten)
Biriciğim/bi'tanem (my one and only)
Çiçeğim (my flower)
Balım (my honey) (can also say "bal dudaklım (my lover with honey lips)" if you feeling on fire)
Evimin direği (literally meaning "the post of my house," if you say this to a person (usually your husband), you mean to say that he keeps your household/family up, whether financially or with emotional maturity)
Ukrainian
Mostly romantic:
зіронька [zironʹka] (star)
мій світ [miy svit] (my world)
моє життя [moye zhyttya] (my life)
моє серденько [moye serdenʹko] (my heart)
коханий [kokhanyy](m) /кохана [kokhana] (f) (my beloved one)
милий мій [mylyy miy] (m) / мила моя [myla moya] (f) (my dear one)
любий мій [lyubyy miy] (m) / люба моя [lyuba moya] (f) (my loved one)
мій єдиний [miy yedynyy] (m) /моя єдина [moya yedyna] (f) (my only one)
Mostly between friends:
сонце [sontse], сонечко [sonechko] (sun, sunshine)
пташка [ptashka] (f) (birdie)
душа [dusha] (soul)
друг (m)/ подруга (f) моєї душі [druh (m)/podruha (f) moyeyi dushi] (a friend of my soul)
Urdu
Meri jaan میری جان (my life)
Pyaari پیاری (sweetheart)
Shahzadi شہزادی (f) (princess)
Welsh
Cariad/Nghariad (love)
Let me know more terms of endearment in your languages! And please correct me if I'm wrong somewhere.
Please note that they are not all romantic. You can ask in the replies, so a native speaker can answer if it's appropiate for the type of relationship you want your characters to have.
