Elvish Word for Mother — Amil, Naneth and Every Attested Form

Quick Answer: The Elvish word for mother is amil or amillë in Quenya and naneth in Sindarin (also emel). "Mum" is emmë or amya in Quenya and nana in Sindarin. Father is atar in Quenya and adar in Sindarin, with "dad" forms atto, atya and ada.

Mother and father are among the oldest words in any language, and Tolkien gave the Elves a surprisingly rich set of them: formal words, family words a child would use at home, and even names a mother gives her baby. Our Elvish family vocabulary guide covers the whole household. This page goes deeper on the parents alone — every attested variant, which ones are formal and which are childish, the names built on them, and how to address a parent in Elvish.

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The Core Words

An asterisk marks a gloss that the Eldamo lexicon inferred rather than one Tolkien wrote: emig is glossed "[little] mother" from Tolkien's notes, and "mommy" is Eldamo's reading. Amilessë is also a form Eldamo reconstructed from inflected attestations.

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Mother in Quenya: Amil and Amillë

Pronunciation: AH-mil; a-MIL-leh, with the double l held.

The formal Quenya word is amil, with the fuller form amillë. Either is correct; amillë has a softer, more poetic sound, while amil is the plain noun.

At home, a Quenya child would say something warmer:

• emmë — "mummy, mother (familiar, family word)" (Etymologies, VT47, VT48).
• amya — "mummy," and Eldamo notes it was originally "my mother" (VT47, VT48, PE17). It is the mother word with the ending -ya, "my," worn down into a pet name, just as English speakers rarely think of "mum" as a separate word.

Tolkien also used the mother word in his finger names, a children's counting game: Quenya amaltil is the "mother finger" (VT47), though Eldamo marks that gloss as inferred.

Mother in Sindarin: Naneth, Emel and Nana

Pronunciation: NAH-neth; EH-mel; NAH-na.

Naneth is the Sindarin word most people find first, and it is the one in our database's core list. Tolkien's later notes, published in Vinyar Tengwar 48, also give emel, "mother," which matches the Quenya emmë family. Both are attested; naneth is more widely used by writers today.

The familiar forms are nana, "mama," and emig, "little mother." For a child calling to a parent, nana is the natural choice.

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Father in Quenya: Atar

Pronunciation: AH-tar, stress on the first syllable.

Atar (also atarë) is the Quenya father. With the possessive ending it becomes atarinya, "my father." The familiar forms are:

• atto — "daddy, father (familiar, family word)" (VT47, VT48).
• atya — "daddy, (my) father," built like amya (VT47, VT48, PE17).

The grandest use of the word is a name: Ilúvatar, "Father of All," from Ilúvë, "the whole of creation," and atar. It is the name of the One, the creator of the world in The Silmarillion.

Father in Sindarin: Adar and Ada

Pronunciation: AH-dar; AH-da.

Adar is the Sindarin father (LOTR), and ada is the affectionate "dad." In Peter Jackson's films Arwen calls Elrond Ada, and the line Ada nin, "my father," appears there — that is film Sindarin (David Salo), not a sentence Tolkien wrote, though both words are his. Tolkien's notes also give atheg, "little father," which doubles as the word for the thumb in the finger game (VT48).

The word turns up in a famous title too. Tom Bombadil's Elvish name is Iarwain Ben-adar, "Oldest and Fatherless": the Ben-adar half, "fatherless," is built on adar. Note that iaur is the ordinary word for "old"; Iarwain is a name.

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Mother-Names and Father-Names

Elves named their children more than once. A child received a father-name, a mother-name called the amilessë (MR), and in time could gain an epessë, an after-name given by others (Unfinished Tales, PM). Tolkien describes mothers' names as often showing insight into the child's nature or fate.

Our family guide has the full tradition and examples, including Galadriel's names: see the three Elvish names. For a famous after-name, see Mithrandir, Gandalf's Elvish name.

A related word is nostar, "parent, begetter," a neutral word for either parent.

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Formal or Familiar? Which Word to Use

How to address a parent

For speech, the familiar words are what Tolkien gave a child to say: nana and ada in Sindarin, amya and atya in Quenya. The Quenya pair already carries the sense "my," so you don't need to add an ending.

A full sentence — "I love you, mother" or "thank you, father" — is not attested in Tolkien. You can build one from attested parts, but label it (Neo). For the attested love words, see Elvish words for love.

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Words to Be Careful With

• Atani is the Quenya name for Men, the Second People (Sindarin Edain). Popular sites often tie it to atar, but the name is usually glossed "Second People," so don't translate it as "the fathers."
• Haratar, nossatar and haramil appear on many lists as grandfather, uncle or grandmother. They are not in our verified vocabulary, so we don't recommend them for anything permanent.
• Mixing dialects. Naneth is Sindarin, amil is Quenya. A tattoo reading "amil adar" mixes two languages.

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Writing Mother and Father in Tengwar

Amil, naneth, atar and adar are short, regular words and look elegant in Tengwar. In the usual modes the vowels become tehtar above the consonants, and Sindarin and Quenya place them a little differently. Type a word into our Tengwar name tool to see a clean spelling, and compare with a second source before engraving or tattooing it.

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Naming and Tattoo Notes

• For a tattoo honouring a parent, a single word is safest: naneth or amillë for mother, adar or atar for father.
• For a pet name or a child's name, the familiar forms nana, ada, amya and atya are attested but would read as "mum" and "dad," not as personal names.
• Check the dialect and keep one language per piece.
• Sentences need a label. Our translator shows which parts of a phrase are attested.

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People Also Ask

What is the Elvish word for mother? Mother is amil or amillë in Quenya and naneth in Sindarin. Sindarin also has emel, attested in Vinyar Tengwar 48. The affectionate forms are emmë and amya in Quenya and nana and emig in Sindarin.

What is the Elvish word for father? Father is atar (also atarë) in Quenya and adar in Sindarin. The familiar daddy forms are atto and atya in Quenya and ada in Sindarin.

How do you say mum or mom in Elvish? In Quenya use emmë, mummy, or amya, which Eldamo explains as originally my mother. In Sindarin use nana. Emig, little mother, is glossed mommy only by inference.

Does Ilúvatar contain the word for father? Yes. Ilúvatar means Father of All: Ilúvë, the whole of creation, plus atar, father. Atarinya means my father.

Related Reading

• Elvish Family Vocabulary: Mother, Father, Brother, Sister in Quenya & Sindarin
• Elvish Word for Brother and Sister — Háno, Muindor, Nésa and Muinthel
• Elvish Baby Names — 60 Beautiful Names from Middle-earth with Meanings
• Elvish Words for Love: Sindarin and Quenya Romance Phrases
• Elvish Word for King — Aran in Quenya and Sindarin
• Galadriel Name Meaning: "Maiden Crowned with a Radiant Garland"

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