How is the word "Hen" used?

[deargoop]

Is the word Hen typically used by women for other women? Is it used mainly by older women when talking to a younger woman or girl or can it be used for women of any age? Is it a term that men use for women?

I am not Scottish but currently living in Glasgow.

The Pakistani woman in my local shop says hen. I think it sounds nice. I can see if it was an English person saying hen people might be more suspicious it was a bit piss takey.

That was a response to another poster who criticised me for thinking of using it.

Which was my point about you overthinking.

It's word used in natural regional speech. If you have to actively think about using it and also think about how and when you could use it, it's not for you.

My workplace is majority English and there were so many confused faces when I talked about a 'roll n sausage'. They thought I meant a sausage roll.

I think it's Jimmy for men

It's very much a Glasgow thing rather than east coast - people don't commonly use it in the Borders or Edinburgh.

@Spaghetto24 thats really interesting. My mum’s first marriage was into a Northumberland family and I remember her saying locals in the town would call women hen or henny.

I was brought up in the north east. Quine could be so cutting 😔 Especially in school.

Used a lot in Fife

That would be Hin or Hinny which is a very traditional North Eastern England / Northumberland saying. I know people who still use it.

it can depend some people call every woman/girl Hen some do say it to everyone younger than them I don't mind it although I did have a 20ish year old young boy call me hen I was raging and tutted!

oh I heard an "aye right Hen" argument the other day I procrastinated looking in my bag just to hear the end of it 😃

My Glaswegian MIL occasionally calls me hen (nicely) and it gives me the warm fuzzies.

Hahaha I'd forgotten about that rhyme.

I was thinking Hen was quite an old fashioned expression. Used mainly by the generation now in their 80s and 90s.
I remember it being common as a child but not heard it being used in a long time.

Both my parent use hen, I think it's lovely, if my dad was speaking to a boy or a man he would say son or pal.

Many years ago I worked with a woman who hated the expression so much, her reply was always ' I know I'm no chicken but don't call me hen!'

I don't hear it as much as I used to, seems to be being replaced by " pal", which I don't like really

I tend to say pal, i dont think ive ever called another woman hen

I wouldn't use it unless it rolls off the tongue. I'm Glasgow born and bred and wouldn't use it - I'd sound like a total fanny - but DMIL and my DGM both use/d it often towards me.

I remember my friends mum calling me hen when I was young, she was from near Glasgow and were up north in highlands and I have a English mum and grandparents so I had no clue why I was being called a hen, my friend also asked my mum for a jammy piece. I’d never had a potato scone till I moved south I so missed out when young. We used to call older women wife or a wifie sounds daft now but I remember my cousin and chatting outside her work about some wife who had done something in the town.

@Shopper727 is/was Wifie used to people's faces like pal, hen, doll are?

I've only heard it used in 3rd person, like 'there was a Auld Wifie crossing the road' or 'I was talking to a wifie at the bus stop'

Im a Glaswegian and tbh if you're not Scottish you'll sound a bit try hard not sweet, likely to get a few odd looks 🤣

I'm in Edinburgh. A few of the more senior neighbours and locals acknowledge people using hen.
In the younger generation I mainly hear it during arguments 🤣
I have never said it, I'm not Scottish.

i haven't I doesn't come natural to me it sounds better coming from other people. I used to work with toddlers I sometimes called them pal till I remembered their names 😄

Hen is used a lot over here in Fife. That and Doll.

Another one says it is common in Fife.

I would say it is more a working class way of describing someone and it would make me cringe so hard if I heard an English person using it.