British in different languages

British in Different Languages

Discover 'British' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.

Updated on March 6, 2024

The word 'British' holds a rich tapestry of significance and cultural importance, often evoking images of the monarchy, fine tea, and the rolling hills of the English countryside. Yet, the term extends beyond the borders of England to encompass a broader definition that includes the people, languages, and cultures of the United Kingdom and its dependencies.

Delving into the translations of 'British' in different languages offers a fascinating glimpse into how the concept is perceived and valued across the globe. For instance, in Spanish, 'British' becomes 'británico,' while in French, it transforms into 'britannique.' In Mandarin, the term '英国' (Yīngguó) is used to refer to the United Kingdom, with '英国人' (Yīngguórén) translating to 'British person.'

Join us as we embark on a linguistic journey to explore the translations of 'British' in various languages, uncovering intriguing cultural nuances and historical contexts along the way.

British

British in Sub-Saharan African Languages

Afrikaansbrits
In Afrikaans, "Brits" can also refer to the town of Brits, located in the North West province of South Africa.
Amharicእንግሊዛውያን
The word እንግሊዛውያን (British) is derived from the name of the Roman province of Britannia.
Hausaburtaniya
The Hausa word 'Burtaniya' comes from 'Briti' in the English language, which means 'of British origin'.
Igboonye britain
The Igbo word 'Onye Britain' ('British') also means 'white person' or 'European'.
Malagasyanglisy
The word "anglisy" in Malagasy can also refer to the English language or to things related to England or the United Kingdom.
Nyanja (Chichewa)waku britain
The word “Waku Britain” can also mean people from the United Kingdom.
Shonabritish
In Shona, "British" can also refer to a person from the United Kingdom or a person of British descent.
Somaliingiriis
The term 'Ingiriis' in Somali also refers to the English language, which is spoken in the United Kingdom.
Sesothoborithane
The word "Borithane" also refers to a person from Great Britain, and is derived from the English word "British".
Swahiliwaingereza
The word "Waingereza" literally means "people of the sea" in Swahili, reflecting the British colonial history of arriving by sea.
Xhosaibritane
The Xhosa word 'IBritane' is derived from the English word 'British', and also refers to a person from the United Kingdom.
Yorubaoyinbo
The word "Oyinbo" in Yoruba can also refer to "white people" in general, regardless of nationality.
Zuluebrithani
The Zulu word "EBrithani" is derived from the English pronunciation "British," and is often used to refer to British people, their language, or their culture.
Bambaratubabukan na
Ewebritaintɔwo
Kinyarwandaabongereza
Lingalabato ya angleterre
Lugandaomuzungu
Sepedimabrithania
Twi (Akan)britaniafo

British in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicبريطاني
يعود أصل كلمة "بريطاني" إلى كلمة "برت" الكلتية بمعنى "حكم"، والتي تشير إلى حكم روما للمنطقة التي يغطيها المصطلح الآن.
Hebrewבריטי
במאה ה-7 לפנה"ס, השם "בריטי" התייחס גם לעם שישב בצרפת של ימינו.
Pashtoبرتانوي
In Pashto, the word "برتانوي" also refers to a type of sheep
Arabicبريطاني
يعود أصل كلمة "بريطاني" إلى كلمة "برت" الكلتية بمعنى "حكم"، والتي تشير إلى حكم روما للمنطقة التي يغطيها المصطلح الآن.

British in Western European Languages

Albanianbritanik
The Albanian word 'Britanik' has alternate meanings such as 'Britannic' (a steamship) and 'Britannia' (a personification of Britain).
Basquebritainiarrak
The word 'Britainiarrak' can also be used to refer to the people of the British Isles, or to people of British descent.
Catalanbritànic
El término «Britànic» en catalán proviene del latín «Britannicus» y significa tanto «británico» como «británico antiguo».
Croatianbritanski
The word 'britanski' also means 'British' in Croatian
Danishbritisk
I dansk kan ordet "Britisk" også henvise til briterne, det britiske folk eller Storbritannien.
Dutchbrits
The Dutch word "Brits" comes from the word "bret" (plank), referring to the construction of ships and the close connection with the sea.
Englishbritish
Though now strongly associated with the United Kingdom, the word 'British' was first used to describe the Celtic Britons.
Frenchbritanique
The original form of the word "Britanique" was "Bretonnique", and it was coined to refer to the Celtic Britons.
Frisianbritsk
In Frisian, "Britsk" not only means "British" but also "spotted" or "speckled".
Galicianbritánicos
Germanbritisch
Das Wort "britisch" leitet sich von dem keltischen Stamm der Briten ab und bedeutet ursprünglich "in Britannien geboren".
Icelandicbreskur
Breskur is also a name for the letter B and a type of old Icelandic coin, the value of which varied according to time.
Irishbriotanach
The word "Briotanach" in Irish can also refer to a person from Brittany, France, due to the historical connection between the two regions.
Italianbritannico
The term "Britannico" derives from the Latin word "Britannus" which referred to the Celtic inhabitants of Great Britain and may be etymologically linked to Breton "brezhoneg", Welsh "brythoneg", and Old Irish "Bretainec".
Luxembourgishbritesch
The word "Britesch" derives from the Old French "britesche" and originally referred to a fortification or tower, later becoming associated with the British people and their language.
Malteseingliżi
The word "Ingliżi" is derived from the Italian word "Inglese" and originally referred to the English people, but it now encompasses all British people.
Norwegianbritisk
I norsk brukes «britisk» også om alt som har med øygruppen Storbritannia å gjøre.
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil)britânico
"Britânico" vem do latim "britannicus", que originalmente significava "pertencente à Bretanha", região que corresponde à atual Grã-Bretanha, no Reino Unido.
Scots Gaelicbreatannach
"Breatannach" can also refer to a Welsh person, as both Scotland and Wales were once part of a Celtic confederation.
Spanishbritánico
El término "británico" proviene del latín "brittānicus", que significa "relativo a Bretaña", región histórica del noroeste de Francia.
Swedishbrittiska
"Brittiska" is a Swedish adjective that derives from the Old English "Bryttisc" which means "of Britain."
Welshprydeinig
In Welsh, "Prydeinig" derives from "pryd" (appearance, beauty) and "din" (fort, stronghold), possibly referring to the Britons' fortified settlements.

British in Eastern European Languages

Belarusianбрытанскі
Bosnianbritanski
U srednjem vijeku, «Britanski» je značilo i «Bretonski».
Bulgarianбритански
The word "Британски" can also mean "of or relating to Brittany", a region in northwestern France.
Czechbritský
Slovo "britský" v češtině pochází ze staroanglického slova "brettisc", které označovalo Bretonce, keltský národ obývající Británii až do příchodu Anglů a Sasů.
Estonianbriti
Lisaks tähendusele “Briti” on sõnal “Briti” ka täiendavaid tähendusi, sealhulgas “Suurbritannia” ja “inglane.”
Finnishbrittiläinen
The word "brittiläinen" can also refer to a person or thing that is made in Britain, or to the culture of Britain.
Hungarianangol
In Hungarian, "angol" also means "angular" or "angled", reflecting the shape of Britain's coastline.
Latvianlielbritānijas
Latvian "Lielbritānijas" is derived from the German "Grossbritannien" and also refers to Greater Britain.
Lithuanianbritų
"Britų" kilęs iš lotyniško žodžio "Britanni", reiškiančio "Britanijos žmonės"
Macedonianбританци
Британци (British) can also mean “people of Britain” or “nationals of Britain”.
Polishbrytyjski
The word "brytyjski" can also refer to the Brythonic languages spoken in the British Isles before the arrival of the Anglo-Saxons.
Romanianbritanic
The word "britanic" in Romanian can also refer to "Celtic" or "the language of the Celts".
Russianбританский
The word "Британский" can also refer to something that is related to the Breton people or language, as the Breton people are sometimes referred to as "Бретонцы" in Russian.
Serbianбританци
The word 'Британци' is derived from the Proto-Celtic word 'Brittones', meaning 'painted people', referring to the ancient Britons' practice of painting their bodies with blue woad.
Slovakbritský
Slovo "britský" v slovenčine pochádza z latinského slova "britannicus".
Slovenianbritanski
Britanki is also the Slovenian translation for the name Brittany.
Ukrainianбританський
"Британський" is derived from the Proto-Germanic word "Brytt", meaning "Briton", and is cognate with the English word "British".

British in South Asian Languages

Bengaliব্রিটিশ
‘ব্রিটিশ’ শব্দটি ল্যাটিন শব্দ ‘ব্রিটো’ থেকে উৎপন্ন হয়েছে, যার অর্থ ‘স্থানীয়’ বা ‘দেশজ’।
Gujaratiબ્રિટિશ
"British" comes from the name of the Celtic tribe who occupied the island of Great Britain.
Hindiअंग्रेजों
The word "अंग्रेजों" can also refer to the British East India Company, which ruled India from 1757 to 1858.
Kannadaಬ್ರಿಟಿಷ್
Malayalamബ്രിട്ടീഷ്
Marathiब्रिटिश
Nepaliबेलायती
The word "बेलायती" is derived from the Sanskrit word "बिलायती" which means "foreign" or "from abroad".
Punjabiਬ੍ਰਿਟਿਸ਼
ਬ੍ਰਿਟਿਸ਼' शब्द इंग्लैंड, वेल्स, स्कॉटलैंड और उत्तरी आयरलैंड के निवासियों और उनकी संस्कृति को संदर्भित करता है, जिसकी उत्पत्ति 'ब्रिटन' शब्द से हुई है, जो मूल रूप से आयरन एज में दक्षिणी ब्रिटेन में रहने वाले केल्टिक लोगों को संदर्भित करता था।
Sinhala (Sinhalese)බ්‍රිතාන්‍ය
Tamilபிரிட்டிஷ்
Teluguబ్రిటిష్
The word 'British' comes from the Latin word 'Britannicus', which means 'of Britain'. The word 'Britain' itself comes from the Celtic word 'Pritani', which means 'the tattooed people'.
Urduبرطانوی
The word "برطانوی" is derived from the Persian word "بريتانيا" (Barītāniyā), meaning "the land of the Britons". The Britons were the Celtic people who inhabited the island of Britain before the Roman conquest.

British in East Asian Languages

Chinese (Simplified)英式
英式也可以指英国的，或英国的风格或方式。
Chinese (Traditional)英式
英式一詞源自英語「british」，另可指英格蘭或英國文化相關的事物。
Japanese英国の
"英国の" は「ブリテッシュ」と読み、イギリスの他、イギリス人やイギリス文化も意味します。
Korean영국인
영국인이란 원래는 '브리튼 사람'을 뜻하는데, 후에 잉글랜드 사람만을 지칭하는 용어로 변화됐다.
Mongolianих британи
The word Их Британи, meaning "British," is also used in Mongolian to refer to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Myanmar (Burmese)ဗြိတိသျှ

British in South East Asian Languages

Indonesianinggris
The Indonesian word "Inggris" can also mean "English".
Javanesewong inggris
"Wong Inggris" in Javanese can be used to refer to European people in general, not just Britons.
Khmerអង់គ្លេស
The word "អង់គ្លេស" can also refer to the English language or the people of England.
Laoອັງກິດ
"ອັງກິດ" means 'British' in Lao, but it can also mean 'beautiful' or 'good-looking'"
Malayinggeris
The word "Inggeris" also refers to the Dutch who colonized Indonesia in the 17th century.
Thaiอังกฤษ
คำว่า “อังกฤษ” แผลงมาจาก “อังค์กะริส” ซึ่งแผลงมาจากภาษาโปรตุเกส “Ingles”
Vietnamesengười anh
Trong tiếng Việt, người Anh còn được gọi là "Tây" vì họ là những người châu Âu đầu tiên xuất hiện ở Việt Nam vào thế kỷ 16 đến thế kỷ 19.
Filipino (Tagalog)british

British in Central Asian Languages

Azerbaijanii̇ngilis
The word
Kazakhбритандықтар
Kyrgyzbritish
Британдыкты күндаги происходдого жана валдиге барбат региондондык мамлекеткиккен таналищаддад белгийкаларга улуттакта мамлекет жанардандаги в барбаттолу уруул.
Tajikбритониё
The word "Бритониё" can also refer to the inhabitants of the British Isles.
Turkmeniňlisler
Uzbekinglizlar
Uyghurbritish

British in Pacific Languages

Hawaiianpelekāne
The word pelekāne is a variant of pelekē, a native Hawaiian word that means 'adzes'.
Maoriingarangi
The word "Ingarangi" is derived from the Maori pronunciation of the English word "English".
Samoanperetania
The word "Peretania" in Samoan likely comes from the Tahitian word "Peretānia" or the Rarotongan word "Peretāne" which in turn came from the earlier word "Pretane" (a Gallicization of the Latin word "Britannia" for Britain).
Tagalog (Filipino)british
In Tagalog, the word “British” can also refer to the British people or their culture.

British in American Indigenous Languages

Aymarabritánico markankir jaqinakawa
Guaranibritánico-kuéra

British in International Languages

Esperantobritoj
Latinbritish
British was originally used by the Romans to describe the Britons, Celtic people who inhabited Great Britain before the Roman conquest in 43 AD.

British in Others Languages

Greekβρετανοί
In ancient Greek, "Βρετανοί" referred to the inhabitants of the British Isles, specifically those living in what is now Scotland.
Hmongaskiv
Askiv can also mean "United Kingdom".
Kurdishbrîtanî
The word 'Brîtanî' is derived from the Old Persian word 'Bṛtāni', meaning 'land of the tattooed ones', referring to the ancient Celtic tribes of Britain.
Turkishingiliz
"İngiliz" sözcüğünün "İngil" kelimesinden geldiği düşünülmektedir ve "İngiltere'li" anlamına gelir.
Xhosaibritane
The Xhosa word 'IBritane' is derived from the English word 'British', and also refers to a person from the United Kingdom.
Yiddishבריטיש
Yiddish "בריטיש" (British) can also refer to a British passport or visa.
Zuluebrithani
The Zulu word "EBrithani" is derived from the English pronunciation "British," and is often used to refer to British people, their language, or their culture.
Assameseব্ৰিটিছ
Aymarabritánico markankir jaqinakawa
Bhojpuriअंग्रेज के ह
Dhivehiއިނގިރޭސިންނެވެ
Dogriअंग्रेज
Filipino (Tagalog)british
Guaranibritánico-kuéra
Ilocanobriton
Kriobritish pipul dɛn
Kurdish (Sorani)بەریتانی
Maithiliअंग्रेज
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯕ꯭ꯔꯤꯇꯤꯁꯁꯤꯡꯅꯥ ꯌꯨ.ꯑꯦꯁ
Mizobritish mi a ni
Oromoingilizii
Odia (Oriya)ବ୍ରିଟିଶ୍
Quechuainglaterramanta
Sanskritब्रिटिश
Tatarбритания
Tigrinyaእንግሊዛውያን
Tsongamabrithani

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