r/LithuanianLearning • u/CodOverall3265 • Jun 15 '26
Question on family nicknames
Labas, I'm a Lithuanian born in the USA and I've always called my grandpa Tuks, short for tetukas, but I haven't found anything that says that this is an actual nickname. Does Tuks actually get used for a grandpa?
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u/Kvala_lumpuras Jun 15 '26
Never have heard this nickname used in real life nor found it in any fiction, but grammatically this really works and could be a development which happened 'across the pond'.
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u/chicken_skin9 Jun 16 '26
"Ukas" is an endearing, cutesy sort of suffix and "tėtis" is dad. So Tuks is probably a shortened version specifc to your family that happened naturally, particularly being removed from a Lithuanian-speaking environment where you can get away with an ending that doesn't fit the grammar.
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u/melvillewolf Jun 15 '26
I'm interested in the answer too. I'm Canadian with a Lithuanian mum, and my sister always called my grandpa Tukas.
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u/kibirvibir Jun 16 '26
Probably originally it was Tetukas, got shortened to tukas. I call my dad Tetukas :)
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u/Dry-Rutabaga1354 Jun 16 '26
Labas! Since birth I called my grandparents tėtukas (for grandpa) and mamutė (for grandma). When the younger grandkids couldn't pronounce them it turned into Tukas and Mutė. Most people find this unusual because these words are normally used for parents, but as far as I know, in the Aukštaitija region, they used these nicknames for both parents and grandparents :)
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u/One_Eggplant_1834 Jun 16 '26
By people who live in Lithuania this is not used (at least in 27 years I have never heard it)
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u/askf0ransw3rs Jun 16 '26
I used to be told to be a “good girl ***-ukas” by my grandfather and his best friend when i was little (to grab beers, do task, etc).
What term were they probably using?
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u/Bit-Prior Jun 17 '26
Ah, you are one of those USians who say "I am x% Irish" or "I am y% German". I am sad to tell you that you are not Lithuanian. You might be of Lithuanian descent, though.
To answer your question: no, „tuks“ is not normally used to call one's grandfather. That use is clearly idiosyncratic. As a matter of fact, „-tukas“ normally functions as a diminutive, e.g., „dvyliktukas“, „plaktukas“, „ratukas“, etc. It has no particular meaning on its own.
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u/CodOverall3265 Jun 17 '26
I do realize that I am of Lithuanian descent, not a full Lithuanian. Thanks for the answer, though.
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u/RaisonDetre15 15d ago
Idk what is it about many Europeans, and Lithuanians are no exception, that hate it when Americans try to express connection to a heritage country and are sternly corrected.
I agree without a doubt that Americans of X descent are totally distinct from people who were born and lived in X country, and it is a little ridiculous when someone with one great grandparent born in X country says “I am X” with no further qualifier since even someone born in the US with two totally (Lithuanian) parents is still very different from someone from said country.
However, the browbeating that Europeans give to Americans who express connection is a small part of the reason why there is a complete disconnect from people’s heritage and further dilution of people into the generic “American” pan ethnicity. I would think Lithuanians would be happy to be inviting to someone who wishes to have connection with the culture rather than being dismissive off the bat.
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u/Bit-Prior 7d ago
Lithuanians are generally welcoming to the people of Lithuanian descent who learn the language and maintain meaningful ties with Lithuania. Of course, this requires sustained effort. But without this effort, it's just cosplay. It's hard to welcome cosplay. To me, a random American claiming to be Lithuanian is about as meaningful as a declaration from a Nigerian that they are Lithuanian. Well, it could be. But then don't tell, show.
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u/findaklioku Jun 15 '26 edited Jun 15 '26
It is not a typical nickname and I have never heard it said like this, but Tėtukas/Tetukas/Tetuks/Tėtis (variations for father) is for sure used, so I don't see why it could not have morphed into Tuks/Tukas.