I’m thinking in 3 languages at once nothing makes sense

List of various terms of endearment that can be used in different languages. A lot of them are gender neutral. Now in alphabetical order.

Afrikaans

Lief (love)

Liefie (lovey)

Arabic

Habibi حبيبي (m) (my love)

Habibti حبيبتي (f) (my love)

Ya hayati يا حياتي (my life)

Ya qalbi يا قلبي (my heart)

Ya ruhi يا روحي (my soul)

Hubbi/hobbi حبي (my love)

Catalan:

Estimat (m) /estimada (f) (dear)

Amor/amor meu (love/my love)

Sol (sun) (used more like "és un sol" ('they're a sun'??) and normally used when talking about well-behaved children lmao.

"Reiet meu" could also be used (means 'my little king') (m)

"Carinyo" (from spanish Cariño i guess)

"Bonic (m)/bonica (f)" (means nice or pretty (physically)) ("bonica" in feminine is more common as a term of endearment)

Vida (life) (can also be "videta" (diminutive version))

Bombó (that's like a chocolate sweet lmao)(used normally with women)

Princesa (means princess) (f)

Czech

Zlato (gold, my precious)

Lásko (love)

Miláčku (dearest, little dear)

Danish

Skat (treasure)

Engel (angel)

Smukke (pretty/beautiful)

Elskede/elskling (beloved)

Kæreste (dearest and also used for the term girlfriend/boyfriend)

Snut (sorta like babe, a bit outdated)

Dejlige (wonderful)

Smuksak (beautiful but only for endearment)

Pus (cute pitiful thing)

Pusling (Pus in diminutive)

Musling (mouse diminutive)

Putte[animal] (cuddle[animal of choice], most used is: animal, mouse and pig, but other animals or objects happen)

Kære (loved one)

Allerkæreste (most loved, argumentative)

Basse (cute fat, might come from bear, mostly used for children and men)

Dutch

Schatje (treasure)

Liefje (loved one)

Lieverd (loved one)

Lieveling (loved one)

English

Dear

Pet

Baby

Babe

Honey

Darling

My love

Sunshine

Sweetheart

Sweet cheeks

Prince/Princess

Farsi

Joon/Jaan جان (life)

Azizam عزیزم (my dear)

Asalam عسلم (my honey)

Golam گلم (flower)

Filipino (from various local languages, all gender neutral)

Mahal, sinta (tagalog) (love)

alternatively add "ko" or "aking" to turn it into "my love" (e.g. mahal ko, sinta ko; aking mahal, aking sinta) with "aking" being used more often when talking about the one you love to a 3rd party;

or turn it into a verb (e.g. aking minamahal, kasintahan) to make it "lover"

Paraluman, irog, liyag, giliw (tagalog) (darling) these are older terms though, you won't hear or see them being used unless you're lovers with someone 🌟Extra🌟

Tangi (tagalog) (only one)

Tinatangi (tagalog) (the one i hold dear/the only one for me)

Tinadhana - fated (from the root word "tadhana" meaning fate, which in and of itself should also be a term of endearment and I stand by that)

Hinigugma (bisaya) (beloved) (very old)

Palangga/pangga/langga or "ga" for short and sometimes pagingging (ilonggo) (love) (can also be used platonically or between family members)

Kalasahan (tausug) (beloved) (this is pronounced with an emphasis in the SA syllable (as in kalaSAhan) instead of the LA like in the tagalog word LAsa (which means taste)

Jowa (filipino slang) (significant other/boyfriend/girlfriend)

Bebe, bebe ko, beh, bhe, bhie, bih (filipino slang) (babe)

Lablabs (filipino slang) (literally "love-love" in a heavy filipino accent)

Finnish

Aarteeni (my treasure)

Armaani (my darling (A bit old fashioned to say.))

Höpönassu/höpönassukka/höpsö (silly)

Kalleimpani (my most valued one)

Kulta/kultaseni/kultu/kultsi/kultsipuppeli (gold; darling (These are ordered from least syrupy to most syrupy.)

Mielitietty/mielitiettyni (favourite/my favourite (Formal, usually used when speaking about your loved one to someone else.))

Murmeli (marmot)

Muru/murunen (crumb; honey)

Mussukka (sweetie)

Pikkuinen (little one (Used for children and animals.))

Rakas/rakkaani (love/my love; dear)

Sydänkäpyseni/sydänkäpynen (my heart cone/heart cone; sweetheart)

Söpöliini (cutie)

French

Mon amour (my love)

Mon cœur (my heart)

Chéri (m) / Chérie (f) (darling)

Chou (used like "honey", but directly translates to cabbage)

Mon lapin (my bunny)

Ma vie (my life)

L'/amour de ma vie (love of my life)

Ma poupée (f) (my doll)

German

Liebling (beloved/favourite)

Schatz (treasure, I would say the most common one between established couples)

Liebes (loved one) (f, I don't find it that romantic)

Liebster (m) (loved one, bit old-fashioned)

Liebste (f) (loved one, bit old-fashioned)

Hase / Hasi (bunny)

Maus (mouse)

Spatz (sparrow)

Bär / Bärchen (bear)

Engel / Engelchen (angel)

Prinzessin (f) (princess)

Sonnenschein (sunshine)

Kleines (f) (little one, can be used in a cute way for women, but can also sound degrading or offensive)

Greek

Αγάπη /Αγάπη μου (love /my love) (the first can also be used among friends, usually between women, but both are very often used in romantic relationships)

Ψυχή μου (my soul) (mostly romantic but can be used by a parent to their kid)

Hebrew

Chaim sheli חיים שלי (my life)

Neshama sheli נשמה שלי (my soul)

Lev sheli לב שלי (my heart)

Ahoovi אהובי (m) (my love)

Ahoovati אהובתי (f) (my love)

Hindi

Meri jaan मेरी जान (f) (my life)

Mera jaan (m/n) (my life)

Rani रानी (f) (queen)

Hungarian

Kedvesem (my dear)

Szerelmem (my love)

Drága (precious)

Édesem (my sweetie)

Kicsim (my little one)

Babám (my baby)

Kincsem (my treasure)

Indonesian

Sayang (to love/love, can be used as 'honey', doesn't have to be romantic)

Cintaku (my love, mostly used romantically)

Italian

Tesoro (treasure)

Amore mio (my love)

Cuore (heart)

Vita mia (my life)

Cucciola (puppy/cub) (mostly used for women, but you could say "cucciolo" for men)

Piccola (little one) (mostly for women, "piccolo" would be the male version)

Cara/caro (dear) (now mostly used by grandmas for grandkids but perfect for couples in the past or old couples nowadays

Bimba (f) (child)

Patata/patatina (potato/little potato) (again mostly women when used romantically, "patato/patatino" for men, but they can also be used for pets, babies, your kids or anyone that you find cute)

Tata/tato (short version of papata/patato)

Polpetta/polpettina (meatball/little meatball) (very uncommon, but I've heard it used for girls)

Topolina (little mouse) (very uncommon, but could be used for girls)

Bambola (doll)

Korean

Jagiya 자기야 (honey/baby)

Aegiya 애기야 (baby/little one)

Gongjunim 공주님 (f) (princess)

Wangjanim 왕자님 (m) (prince)

Nae Sarang 내 사랑 (my love)

Gwiyomi 귀요미 (cutie)

Yeobo 여보 (darling, loved one to a spouse)

Malay

Sayang (dear/darling)

Polish

Kochanie (my beloved)

Myszko (f) (little mouse for women romantic, or for young daughters)

Misiu (m) (diminutive bear, romantic for men)

Misiaczku (another form of the above but more intersex)

Słoneczko (diminutive for sun, can be for children but also romantic for women)

Pączusiu (diminutive doughnut, romantic partner)

Bąbelku (bubble diminutive for young children, toddlers or infants)

Duszko moja (very outdated, meaning my soul, for women)

Serce moje (also old school, meaning my heart, unisex)

Gwiazdeczko (diminutive star, for girls and romantic female partner)

Kotek/Kotku (kitten, unisex)

Mała (literally: little (f), for women, can be romantic but also offensive if used by strangers)

Skarbie (my treasure, unisex)

Rybciu (diminutive for fish, little fish, for women)

żabko (diminutive for frog, little frog, for women)

Portuguese

Meu querido (m)/ minha querida (f) (my darling)

Meu amor (my love)

Princesa (f) (princess)

Meu docinho (my sweetheart)

Coração (heart)

Amado (m)/Amada (f) (my love)

Meu (m)/ minha (f) mais que tudo (my above overall) Meu tesouro (my treasure)

Paixão (passion)

Meu bem/ meu benzinho (my goodness)

Meu doce/meu docinho (my sweet/ my little sweet)

Brazilian Portuguese

Amor (love)

Querido (m) / Querida (f) (darling)

Bebê (baby)

Meu bem (untraslatable; something between "my dear" and "my treasure")

Meu docinho de coco (my coconut candy - really old slang, nowadays used only for fun)

Patroa (f) (it means a female boss; not ironic not aggressive, but used by men to describe their wives affectionately, eg. "I can't go today, my patroa is waiting for me at home")

Gato/gatinho (m) / gata/gatinha (f) (cat/little cat; if a person is pretty, they are called a "cat")

Minha vida (my life)

Meu xodó (my crush)

Bebê (baby)

Docinho (sweetie)

Chuchu (honey)

Fofura (cutie)

Querida (dear)

Lindinha (beautiful/cutie)

Meu anjo (my angel)

Mozão or Mor (love, more like slang)

Romanian

Iubi (Sweet heart/darling)

Iubirea mea (my love)

Draga mea (f) / Dragul meu (m) (my dear)

Dulceața mea (jam/honey)

Russian

lyubov' moya / любовь моя (my love)

radost' moya / радость моя (joy of mine)

dusha moya / душа моя (my soul)

schast'e moyo / счастье моё (my happiness)

sokrovishche moyo / сокровище моё (my treasure)

solnyshko / солнышко (sunny)

zolotce / золотце (golden)

lyubimyj (m) + lyubimaya (f) / любимый + любимая (beloved)

dorogoj (m) + dorogaya (f) / дорогой + дорогая (darling, dear)

milyj (m) + milaya (f) / милый + милая (dear but in more informal way)

kotik / котик (kitty) malysh / малыш (baby)

zajchik (m) + zajka (f) / зайчик + зайка (bunny)

ptenchik / птенчик (little bird, hatchling)

rybka moya (f) / рыбка моя (my fish)

Serbian

Sreća(o) moja (my happiness)

Zlato moje (my gold)

Srce moje (my heart)

Život(e) moj (my life)

Duša(o) (my soul)

Slovak

Zlato / zlatko (gold)

Láska (love)

Miláčik (bit cheesy, but means my lovely)

Spanish

Cariño (darling)

Bebé (baby)

Corazón (heart)

Mi amor (my love)

Mi vida (my life)

Cielo (sky)

Amor (love)

Swedish

Sötnos (cute nose)

Älskling (darling)

Tamil

Kanmani [cun-mun-ee] (darling)

Turkish

Aşkım (my loved one)

Canım (my love/soul)

Hayatım (my life)

Bebeğim (my baby)

Kocacığım/karıcığım

(my husband/my wife, but in a more endearing way, you can say it to a person you're not married yet but thinking about marrying)

Her şeyim (my everything)

Yaşama sebebim (my reason to live)

Ceylanım (My gazelle, it's a gorgeous creature like cmon)

Güzel gözlüm (My lover with beautiful eyes)

Nazlı yarim (My coy lover)

Kalbimin sahibi (the owner of my heart)

Güzelim/yakışıklım (my beautiful/my handsome)

Kediciğim (my kitty/kitten)

Biriciğim/bi'tanem (my one and only)

Çiçeğim (my flower)

Balım (my honey) (can also say "bal dudaklım (my lover with honey lips)" if you feeling on fire)

Evimin direği (literally meaning "the post of my house," if you say this to a person (usually your husband), you mean to say that he keeps your household/family up, whether financially or with emotional maturity)

Ukrainian

Mostly romantic:

зіронька [zironʹka] (star)

мій світ [miy svit] (my world)

моє життя [moye zhyttya] (my life)

моє серденько [moye serdenʹko] (my heart)

коханий [kokhanyy](m) /кохана [kokhana] (f) (my beloved one)

милий мій [mylyy miy] (m) / мила моя [myla moya] (f) (my dear one)

любий мій [lyubyy miy] (m) / люба моя [lyuba moya] (f) (my loved one)

мій єдиний [miy yedynyy] (m) /моя єдина [moya yedyna] (f) (my only one)

Mostly between friends:

сонце [sontse], сонечко [sonechko] (sun, sunshine)

пташка [ptashka] (f) (birdie)

душа [dusha] (soul)

друг (m)/ подруга (f) моєї душі [druh (m)/podruha (f) moyeyi dushi] (a friend of my soul)

Urdu

Meri jaan میری جان (my life)

Pyaari پیاری (sweetheart)

Shahzadi شہزادی (f) (princess)

Welsh

Cariad (love)

Nghariad (sweetheart)

Let me know more terms of endearment in your languages! And please correct me if I'm wrong somewhere.

(these posts are not my own!)

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I collect languages like a collect pronouns T-T meaning I know four fluently and am learning like 14 more help-- and I don't have an issue going between languages obvs but one alter, Frances, only communicates in French just to be petty sometimes (which like, okay ig, french is our second language anyways we have no problem speaking french and english at the same time, and Frances was a countryhumans introject to begin with but became so altered and separated they're an OC fictive now, so all that to say it makes sense they sometimes only want to speak French)

Yes I’ll definitely use a word from another language instead of the correct one if i cannot remember it in this one we’re mutually using, but I will not be spewing catchphrases like an NPC.

Do I still eat the trope up? 100% (I mean Jackie Welles Cyberpunk2077 hello-)

The irony also applies to pet names and terms of endearment. You’re unlikely to use that many L1 terms of endearment on a loved one that doesn’t speak said language (though some consciously choose to do so, whether due to sentimentality or as a form of flirting), and unless you’re in a movie or carefully curated, slowburn fanfic, you’ll be settling for more common terms, usually in a language you share. You’d more likely have to be limited by a lower level skill in L2 to resort to L1 phrases when you’re at a loss of words, or rather overwhelmed by other factors such as emotions; and someone with other languages in their arsenal will compensate for this lack with one of them, not necessarily his native tongue, esp if it’s rarer, such as in my case where the counterpart most likely still won’t understand a fundamentally different word from Serbian or Greek for example.

One instance where I can imagine this bilingual conundrum working, is in creole or pidgin languages*. Languages meant to function in a multilingual/multicultural environment, or ones that are based heavily on such linguistic development, are more likely to mix terms and structures, producing their own in turn. Notice how these OP media tropes don’t often happen in “less popular/romanticized” languages, either. We’ll see a lot of French or Spanish terms thrown around for pet names, as they’re notorious for romance settings, or perhaps some popular foreign slang that’s been meme-fied on the net by other, less “romantic” languages. That’s where these stop though, don’t they?

Somehow Gambit calling you ma chér in French makes more sense when Cajun actively uses it in anglophone environments too, while Bane calling you a million spanish endearments while he’s a genius fluent in several languages, can only be doing it for the love of the game (this man is an expert in psychology amongst other things, he knows the effect a nice little Cariña has on you) 😆

Uhhhhh so yeah we know a shit ton of languages though we're only fully fluent in like 3-4ish we just study the rest sometimes... but we realized we never actually know what pronouns I prefer in other languages unlike english were we already use neutral and neopronouns.

Other multilinguals or natives of any of these languages pls correct us or smth if I got any pronoun sets wrong I'm like 80% sure we made mistake(s) throwing this togther quickly

It was fun to go through and see how we just refuse to be constant with our pronouns lol.

Anyways.............................................................................................

English (gender neutral with neopronouns and xenogenders): they/them, xem/xyr/xyrs/xyrself, it/its/itself, we/us/ours, star/stars/starself, ey/em/eir/eirs/emself, bite/bites/biteself 

Français (any, gender neutral preferred, + neos): iel/ellui, ael/aels, illes — Neutral stressed+disjunctive pronouns: (singular:) ellui, iel, luel, luiel, soi (plural:) elleux, euxelles, euxes, iels. no issue with elle or il when speaking french though. For iel: subject: iel stressed: ellui object: le/lae/li ossessive adjective: son/sa/ses or innovative forms reflexive: se)

Walon: lel, iel, ol, yel (possessive: so/ses) (reflexive: si)

Nederlands (neutral + neos): die/hen/hun/henzelf, ze/zich/zichzelf, een, xie/xem/xyr/xemzelf 

Türkçe (already a pretty gender neutral language/ + neos): o/olar/onu, ve/ver 

Dansk (gender neutral): hen/hen/hens/hen selv, de/dem/deres/dem selv

Norsk (I usually use he/him): de/dem/deres/dem selv, hen/hen, han/ham, ze/zir

íslenska (she/her or neutral + neos): hún/hennar, þau/þeirra/þeirra, hán/hán/háni/háns 

Ελληνικά (she/her + queer(neos?)): αυτή/αυτήν, το, ε

Latviešu (she/her and he/him): viņa/viņas, viņš/viņu/viņu

Melayu (gender neutral language already but): mereka, dia

Runa Simi (not a super gendered language, pay=she/him/neutral): pay/paykuna

čeština (any pronouns: he/she/it/they + neo: onx): on/jeho, oni/je/jejich, onx

Polski (she/her, they): ona/jej, ich/im, oni/ich/im/nimi

Yorùbá (already not a super gendered language. He/they): oun/un, awon/won

Tagalog (gender neutral preferred, any work): sila/siya

Deutsch (feminine pronouns preferred + neos): sie/sie, sier/siem/sie’s/sieser, dey/dem/deren

Italiano (he/they): lui/gli/loro

Bahasa Indonesia (doesn't matter/any/context): dia/dia-nya, mereka/mereka-nya 

If they have to say something in another language, like a name, it will be heavily accented, they won’t say it like it’s English

Multilingual people might have a hard time distinguishing languages that arent their first, and may mix them together in sentences

Translating expression directly that only make sense in one language

Adding sounds to English words because they don’t exist in their language (Eg: ‘Eschool’ in Spanish speakers instead of ‘school’)

If your character is a poet or author, consider the connotations of that language in written form. EG: Irish is a highly poetic language, and lends itself better to verse than English, so I would prefer to write more emotional things in Irish.

Not every word can be directly translated. Some concepts may exist in one language that don’t in English. This is a really good concept to use to make sure you’re actually exploring a characters culture, and not just making them multilingual for sex appeal or diversity points.