Portuguese words for kids · Family
How to say “dad” in Portuguese
Dad is a short, easy word that kids can use straight away, and like mom it's close to the English sound in most languages.
Dad in Portuguese (Portugal)
papá
Sounds like ≈ puh-PAH
Good to know: Papá is the Portugal form (Brazil says papai). The everyday word for father is pai.
Hear it in a song
Real lines from our Portuguese songs, with the English meaning shown in the app:
O meu papá!
My dad!
from A Minha Família (My Family)
O meu pai!
My dad!
from Mamã e Papá (Mom and Dad)
É tão fácil, papá!
It's so easy, Daddy!
from O Mar (The Sea)
2 songs that teach it
“Dad” is one of the key words in these songs. Every line is shown in Portuguese with its English meaning.
Also sung in: O Mar, De Quem É?.
Practice ideas for parents
- 1Play "where's dad?": hide behind the sofa and let your child find papá.
- 2Name everyone's shoes by the door: these are papá's, these are mom's.
- 3Sing the family song together and do a big wave on the dad line.
Related Portuguese words
“Dad” in other languages
Sing it in Portuguese, free
The first unit, 6 greeting songs with lyrics and English translation, is free forever. No card needed. Premium unlocks all 134 songs.
About the pronunciation: the “sounds like” spellings are rough English approximations for parents (capital letters show the stressed syllable). Portuguesehas sounds English doesn't, so treat them as a starting point and let the songs be the model. Songs are original and produced with AI music tools. Ideas for using Portuguese songs with your family.