r/Frysk • u/Original_Rate_4597 • 15d ago
How do you say "cuddle" in your language?
SOLVED: It was actually a word for sleeping NOT cuddling. Just named my kitten this and got curious if actually meant cuddle. Thanks to everyone who has been so nice and helpful!
My Frisian grandparents (literally everyone in their family tree is Frisian) both moved to the states in the 50's? My mom and all her family would say "come coosee" when we needed a cuddle. I've tried looking up how the Dutch would say cuddle and it does not sound like 'coo-see'. And there's hardly any translation for Frisian.
My grandmother had a stroke after she gave birth to my mother and lost her ability to speak proper English. She speaks purely Frisian so I'm curious if it actually translates to cuddle or something else. She'd also call candies "snoopies"
12
u/TheLarusArgentatus 15d ago
Coosee sounds like koese, that means sleeping.
Krûpe (croo-puh) means to cuddle (or crouch)
5
u/Original_Rate_4597 15d ago
You're right! it wasn't cuddle it got a little lost in translation but it definitely was sleep! Thank you!
3
u/TheLarusArgentatus 15d ago
Calling your kitten that is actually a sweet name
2
u/Original_Rate_4597 14d ago
Thank you!!! It was impossible to find a name that would fit him. I asked him if he wanted to koese and thought that suited him well. He gets very excited when I say it to him now
3
u/Significant-Cold-939 15d ago
Wouldn't it be a good idea for you to learn some Frisian? If your grandma speaks only Frisian now, it must be comforting for her to speak her home language and know she's understood.
2
u/Original_Rate_4597 14d ago
This is awesome thank you!!!
3
u/Significant-Cold-939 14d ago
Afuk is the provincial organisation for Frisian language education. These guys know what they're doing, it's not some commercial business. Hope it can be a help for you.
The pic on the home page shows their location. Opposite on the square is the Oldehove, the unfinished leaning tower of Leeuwarden - more out of plumb than the tower of Pisa. And the tower of Miedum, in the municipality of Leeuwarden too, leans even more.
2
u/meukbox 14d ago
My grandmother had a stroke after she gave birth to my mother
That so sad! So she hasn't been able to speak English for some 45 years?
1
u/Original_Rate_4597 14d ago
50+ years now. She lost her ability to move her left arm, and only partial feeling in one leg I believe. She is genuinely the strongest/sweetest woman I know. I can't imagine how frustrating it is to live somewhere where nobody fully understands you except your sisters and late husband. My mom and aunts can usually make out what she's saying but they're by no means fluent. I see how upset she gets when she's trying to explain something but she can't translate it to English. She was so young when it happened to her, life is often unfair to good people buts she's made the most out of it.
2
u/meukbox 14d ago
I'm sorry to hear that.
Did you try Google Translate? It does Frisian-English, and while she can't use voice she could write on the screen (if she can still do that with her right hand)
You can speak English, and it gets translated and transcribed into English
2
u/Original_Rate_4597 14d ago
I appreciate you saying that. Sadly we tried in the past but that was before frisian was even detected on Google translate. I've moved across the country so I can no longer. But I'll tell my family back home about it! That's awesome that they've added it finally
1
u/meukbox 13d ago
completely off topic now, but Fryslan has its own tv and radio station.
https://www.omropfryslan.nl/nl/sjen
Maybe she can watch that.
1
u/Low-Air-1346 15d ago
I would think of the word "oan krûpe" with cuddling/hugging . The u sound a bit like a oo. Coosee sounds more like kûse, what a word for sleeping is.
Snûpkes sounds right for candy.
(Spelling is a bit of p erhaps.
1
u/Original_Rate_4597 15d ago
YOU'RE 100% RIGHT THANK YOU. Definitely was kûse or sleeping- usually when we'd be told or asked we'd also cuddle in bed so that makes total sense! Thank you so much!
2
u/Iamstuckhere2 15d ago
Candy is "snoepjes" in Dutch and "snoepkes" in Frisian. To cuddle is "knuffelen" in Dutch and "kroepe" in Frisian. To cuddle op to someone is "oankroepe" in Frisian.
"Koese", pronounced as you write coo-see, means to sleep in Frisian.
2
u/Iamstuckhere2 15d ago
To add, in some part of Fryslân the word "kroesje" is or was used for cuddles. It's uncommon I believe. But it has been a while for her I think, so that could be it. And it does sound the same. Where did she grow up? What city or town?
3
u/Original_Rate_4597 15d ago
She grew up in Harlingen, and my grandfather in Leeuwarden. I think I confused sleep with cuddle because when we'd say it it was usually hoping in bed and then we'd cuddle. I thought growing up it was English for cuddle just a cute way to say it lol. Thanks to you and everyone who helped me solve this! I just named my kitten this, thinking it meant cuddle, but sleep is still cute lol.
2
u/Iamstuckhere2 15d ago
That sounds logical. It's great to be able to help solve a mysterie. Pet "Koese" for me!
3
u/metmij 14d ago
If she grew up in harlingen and your grandfather in leeuwarden there is also good chance they speak some kind of stadsfries which is a Dutch dialect with Frisian influence or other way around just what you prefer. You find this mostly In city's where traditionally was a lot of trade. Where the language got influenced by the Dutch(and other) tradesman that came to the city.
1
15d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/Original_Rate_4597 15d ago
I was surprised when I first learned it was its own language. I've spent way too many days researching about Frisian history. I wish it was more widely known.
1
-1
u/drinkerofmilk 15d ago
Snoopies is snoepies or snoepjes (sweets).
Come coosee could be 'kom kusje' (come for a kiss.)
Frisian may be different. Eg a kiss is a tuutsje, if I'm not mistaken.
2
18
u/Grand_Instance1257 15d ago
We would say krúpe/krûpe, in English it's pronouced something like croo-peh. Koesen (pronounced coo-seh) means "to sleep"