What does the Greek “-aki” suffix do?
Αστείο με δασκάλα, γατάκια και τον μπαμπά
A2 Greek listening practice · Greek · Curated for beginners
Greek loves to make almost any noun smaller, cuter, or more affectionate by adding -άκι (-aki). Γάτα (gáta, “cat”) becomes γατάκι (gatáki, “kitten” or “little cat”). Παιδί (paidí, “child”) becomes παιδάκι (paidáki, “little kid”). The suffix can attach to almost any noun, including names: Μαρία → Μαράκι. Greeks use it frequently to soften, sweeten, or shrink whatever they’re naming.
This clip is a classroom joke about γατάκια (kittens) where a teacher’s math problem about “if mom gives you one kitten plus another kitten” turns into a punchline about dad. The -άκι does the cuteness work; without it, the joke wouldn’t be as warm.
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General Greek frequency
Spoken Greek frequency
Words above this video’s level
Quick glosses for vocabulary that goes beyond this video’s A2 level.
Source: wordfreq 3.1.1 (general) · SUBTLEX-GR 2017 (spoken). Buckets approximate; exact ranks not stored.
- ▸In Greek children’s books and animated cartoons
- ▸In Greek family conversations between parents and small kids
- ▸In Greek pet content on YouTube and Instagram
- ▸In Greek pop songs (Despina Vandi, Marinella, Antonis Remos)
- ▸In Greek café and bakery menu items (κουλουράκι, γαριδάκι)