European in Different Languages
Discover 'European' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'European' is more than just a geographical term - it's a concept that encompasses a rich tapestry of cultures, histories, and languages. Derived from the Greek word 'Europa', the name of a Phoenician princess in Greek mythology, the term has been used to describe anything related to the European continent and its people.
Throughout history, European nations have been at the forefront of art, philosophy, politics, and science, giving us masterpieces like the Sistine Chapel, theories of democracy, and the works of Shakespeare. This cultural significance has made the term 'European' a cornerstone in understanding world history and culture.
For language enthusiasts, understanding the translations of 'European' in different languages can provide valuable insights into the cultural nuances and historical contexts of various European nations. For instance, in Spanish, 'European' is 'Europeo', while in French, it's 'Européen'. In German, it's 'Europäer', and in Italian, it's 'Europeo'.
Explore the world of 'European' in different languages and deepen your understanding of this fascinating continent and its people.
European
European in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | europese | ||
| The term "Europese" also refers to the Dutch and Belgian language-based Creole spoken in South Africa. | |||
| Amharic | አውሮፓዊ | ||
| The word "አውሮፓዊ" has its roots in ancient Greek, where "Europa" referred to a Phoenician princess abducted by Zeus. Today it is often used to refer to members of the European Union. | |||
| Hausa | bature | ||
| The word "Bature" is derived from the Arabic word "batar" (بطار) meaning "tyrant" or "oppressor", likely reflecting the historical interactions between Hausa people and European colonizers. | |||
| Igbo | onye europe | ||
| The Igbo word 'Onye Europe' literally translates as 'person of the rising sun', referring to the East from where the Europeans arrived in Nigeria. | |||
| Malagasy | eoropa | ||
| The Malagasy word "Eoropa" is also used to refer to the color white. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | mzungu | ||
| In Nyanja, "Mzungu" can also mean "a person of any race who is not of Malawi origin." | |||
| Shona | european | ||
| Somali | reer yurub | ||
| The term "Reer Yurub" is also used to refer to people of Caucasian descent, regardless of their actual origin. | |||
| Sesotho | european | ||
| The word "European" in Sesotho can also mean "white person" or "person of European descent" | |||
| Swahili | mzungu | ||
| In Swahili, the term "mzungu” can refer to any foreigner or outsider, not just Europeans. | |||
| Xhosa | eyurophu | ||
| In Xhosa, 'EYurophu' can also refer to the continent of Europe, the European Union, or a person of European descent. | |||
| Yoruba | oyinbo | ||
| It can also mean "one who is fair" or "a person of good character". | |||
| Zulu | eyurophu | ||
| In Nguni languages "i-Eu" or "eyUrophu" is used metaphorically when one does something to a very particular, very fine point. | |||
| Bambara | erɔpu jamanaw | ||
| Ewe | europatɔwo ƒe | ||
| Kinyarwanda | abanyaburayi | ||
| Lingala | bato ya mpoto | ||
| Luganda | omuzungu | ||
| Sepedi | yuropa | ||
| Twi (Akan) | europafo | ||
European in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | الأوروبي | ||
| الأوروبي (European) قد تأتي بمعنى الغربي أيضًا. | |||
| Hebrew | אֵירוֹפִּי | ||
| The word "אֵירוֹפִּי" (European) can also refer to people or things from the continent of Asia, or even from the West in general. | |||
| Pashto | اروپایی | ||
| Arabic | الأوروبي | ||
| الأوروبي (European) قد تأتي بمعنى الغربي أيضًا. | |||
European in Western European Languages
| Albanian | evropiane | ||
| The Albanian word 'Evropiane' (European) is also used colloquially to refer to someone who behaves in a sophisticated manner. | |||
| Basque | europarra | ||
| Europarra is also used in place names in the Basque Country such as Europara mountain, Europarra meadow or Europarka river. | |||
| Catalan | europeu | ||
| Croatian | europskim | ||
| The word 'Europskim' (European) in Croatian comes from the Ancient Greek word 'Europa', meaning 'wide-faced' or 'broad-foreheaded'. | |||
| Danish | europæisk | ||
| Europæisk, which is derived from the Greek word “Europa”, refers to the mythical Phoenician princess who was abducted by Zeus and taken to Crete. | |||
| Dutch | europese | ||
| The word "Europese" can also refer to the European Union or the euro currency. | |||
| English | european | ||
| The word "European" can also refer to a person or thing that is native to Europe or of European descent. | |||
| French | européen | ||
| The word "européen" in French can also refer to a type of fabric, a type of horse-drawn carriage, or the person in charge of a European colony. | |||
| Frisian | europeesk | ||
| The toponym "Europa" may derive from the Phoenician "ereb" or "irab", meaning "West" or "setting sun" and was adopted by the Greeks to describe the land mass west of their own. | |||
| Galician | europeo | ||
| O termo «Europeo» deriva do grego antigo «Εὐρώπη» (Eurṓpē), que significa «terra larga» ou «vasto continente». | |||
| German | europäisch | ||
| The word "europäisch" ("European") in German is derived from the Ancient Greek word "Εὐρώπη" (Europe), which literally means "broad face" or "wide-faced." | |||
| Icelandic | evrópskt | ||
| The word "Evrópskt" also means "Western" in Icelandic, and is closely related to the word "Evrópa" (Europe). | |||
| Irish | eorpach | ||
| Eorpach, which means 'of Europe', derives from Eorp, an Irish word for horse, but the reasons for the link are now unknown. | |||
| Italian | europeo | ||
| The word "europeo" can also mean "western" or "civilized" in Italian. | |||
| Luxembourgish | europäesch | ||
| Luxemburgish 'Europäesch', German 'Europäisch', Latin 'Europaeus', originate from Greek 'εὐρώπῃος (eurṓpēios)' which means 'of Europa'. The latter derives from Greek mythology and refers to the Phoenician princess Europa who was abducted and taken to Crete. | |||
| Maltese | ewropew | ||
| The Maltese word for 'European', 'Ewropew', is derived from the Arabic word for 'European', 'Ūrubbī', which is likely related to the ancient Greek word for 'west', 'Erēbos'. | |||
| Norwegian | europeisk | ||
| The word 'europeisk' also refers to "western" culture and values. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | europeu | ||
| "Europeu" comes from the Greek word "Europe", the name of a legendary princess, and is related to the Semitic word "ereb", meaning "darkness" or "sunset". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | eòrpach | ||
| The word "Eòrpach" in Scots Gaelic can also refer to North Africa. | |||
| Spanish | europeo | ||
| The word "europeo" can also mean "noble" or "of good quality" in Spanish, deriving from the Greek word "europios", meaning "of broad face". | |||
| Swedish | europeiska | ||
| In 1996 'Europeiska' was coined as the name of a Swedish financial services company. | |||
| Welsh | ewropeaidd | ||
| The Welsh word "Ewropeaidd" also means "cultured" or "civilized", reflecting historical Welsh perceptions of Europe. | |||
European in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | еўрапейскі | ||
| Еўрапейскі may refer to anything associated with Europe, the European Union or the continent of Europe, as well as a specific style of chess opening. | |||
| Bosnian | evropski | ||
| The word 'evropski' is derived from the name of 'Evropa', the Greek goddess of Europe. | |||
| Bulgarian | европейски | ||
| The word "Европейски" derives from the Greek "Ευρώπη" (Europe), which may originate from the Phoenician "ereb" (darkness) or the Akkadian "erebu" (to set) | |||
| Czech | evropský | ||
| Czech "evropský" derives from Latin "Europa" (Europe), also used with the alternate meaning of "the continent" or "the mainland". | |||
| Estonian | euroopalik | ||
| The word "Euroopalik" is derived from the Greek word "Europa", which refers to the Phoenician princess Europa who was abducted by Zeus and taken to the island of Crete. | |||
| Finnish | eurooppalainen | ||
| "Eurooppalainen" (European) originates from the Greek root "Ευρώπη" (Europe), and its related words in other languages include "Europa" (in Latin, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, German, and Dutch) and "Europe" (in English). | |||
| Hungarian | európai | ||
| The word "európai" can also mean "westerner" or "civilized person" in a non-geographical sense. | |||
| Latvian | eiropas | ||
| The word "Eiropas" in Latvian derives from the Ancient Greek word "Eúrópē", meaning "broad-faced" or "wide-gazing". | |||
| Lithuanian | europietiškas | ||
| The suffix -iškas in Europietiškas means "characteristic of" and is commonly used to denote nationalities in Lithuanian. | |||
| Macedonian | европски | ||
| The word Европски (ie. European) comes from the Greek word Europe, which is a feminine version of the name Europa. | |||
| Polish | europejski | ||
| Europejski can mean either 'European' or 'of the European Union'. | |||
| Romanian | european | ||
| The word "European" in Romanian also refers to a type of car, a sedan produced by Dacia. | |||
| Russian | европейский | ||
| The word "Европейский" can also refer to the style of furniture or interior design that originated in Europe. | |||
| Serbian | европски | ||
| The term 'European' can also refer to someone from the European Union. | |||
| Slovak | európsky | ||
| The word "Európsky" also appears in some historical place names in Slovakia, such as "Európska štvrť" (European Quarter) in Bratislava. | |||
| Slovenian | evropski | ||
| The word 'Evropski' is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₂ewr-, meaning 'west'. This is also reflected in the names for Europe in many other languages, such as 'Europa' in Greek and 'Europa' in Latin. | |||
| Ukrainian | європейський | ||
| The Ukrainian word “Європейський” can also refer to the European Union. | |||
European in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ইউরোপীয় | ||
| ইউরোপীয় শব্দটি গ্রীক পুরাণের ইউরোপ নামক এক নারীর নামের অনুরূপ। | |||
| Gujarati | યુરોપિયન | ||
| Hindi | यूरोपीय | ||
| "यूरोपीय" (European) शब्द की व्युत्पत्ति "यूरोप" शब्द से हुई है, जो ग्रीक पौराणिक कथाओं में ज़ीउस की प्रेमिका का नाम है। | |||
| Kannada | ಯುರೋಪಿಯನ್ | ||
| Malayalam | യൂറോപ്യൻ | ||
| The word "യൂറോപ്യൻ" can also refer to residents of Kerala who are of European descent, particularly those of Portuguese ancestry. | |||
| Marathi | युरोपियन | ||
| Nepali | यूरोपियन | ||
| The word "यूरोपियन" (European) is derived from the Greek word "Ευρώπη" (Europe), which means "broad face" or "wide view". | |||
| Punjabi | ਯੂਰਪੀਅਨ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | යුරෝපා | ||
| The word "යුරෝපා" in Sinhala is derived from the Greek word "Ευρώπη" (Europe) and also refers to the continent of Europe. | |||
| Tamil | ஐரோப்பிய | ||
| ஐரோப்பிய is a Dravidian cognate to the word 'Europa' (continent Europe) in Greek and 'Erb' in Germanic, likely denoting West. | |||
| Telugu | యూరోపియన్ | ||
| Urdu | یورپی | ||
| The word "یورپی" (European) is derived from the Persian word "اوروپا" (Avrupa), which in turn is derived from the Greek word "Ευρώπη" (Europe). | |||
European in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 欧洲人 | ||
| “欧洲人”在中文里的另一种含义是“野蛮人”。 | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 歐洲人 | ||
| 「歐洲人」（歐羅巴人）一詞，除了表示歐洲人外，還可指「高鼻樑、大眼睛」的外國人，或比喻「見多識廣、有見識的人」。 | |||
| Japanese | ヨーロッパ人 | ||
| The term ヨーロッパ人 (yōroppajin) is derived from Latin Europa and Greek Europe.} | |||
| Korean | 유럽 사람 | ||
| In Korean, 유럽 사람 ("European") can also mean "foreigner" or "Westerner". | |||
| Mongolian | европын | ||
| Европын is a Russian loanword, derived from Европейский which means 'European.' | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဥရောပ | ||
| The word "ဥရောပ" (European) in Myanmar (Burmese) is derived from the Pali word "urawappa", which means "West", and the Sanskrit word "rupa", which means "form" or "shape" | |||
European in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | orang eropa | ||
| The term "Orang eropa" can also refer to people from America or Australia. | |||
| Javanese | wong eropa | ||
| The word 'Wong Eropa' (European) in Javanese also means 'the people who come from the West'. | |||
| Khmer | អឺរ៉ុប | ||
| The word "អឺរ៉ុប" (European) is derived from the Sanskrit word "urupa", meaning "west". | |||
| Lao | ເອີຣົບ | ||
| Malay | orang eropah | ||
| The word "Orang Eropah" also means "Westerner" in Malay. | |||
| Thai | ยุโรป | ||
| คำว่า “ยุโรป” ในภาษาไทย มีรากศัพท์มาจากภาษากรีกโบราณ หมายถึง “ตะวันตก” | |||
| Vietnamese | châu âu | ||
| Châu Âu là một từ Hán Việt có nghĩa gốc là châu lục cũ, nay chỉ còn dùng để chỉ lục địa Âu, thường được dùng để chỉ các nước ở Tây Âu và Trung Âu. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | taga-europa | ||
European in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | avropa | ||
| "Avropa" (European) in Azerbaijani also means "light-skinned" or "white-skinned". | |||
| Kazakh | еуропалық | ||
| The Kazakh word “Еуропалық” is derived from the Russian word “Европейский”, which itself came from the Greek word “Ευρώπη” meaning Europa, a mythical Phoenician princess. | |||
| Kyrgyz | европа | ||
| According to some etymologists, the word "Европа" could come from the ancient Greek word "εὐρύς" ("eurys") meaning "wide". Others believe it may come from the Phoenician word "ereb" meaning "west". | |||
| Tajik | аврупоӣ | ||
| The word "Аврупоӣ" in Tajik also refers to someone who is well-educated, cultured, and refined. | |||
| Turkmen | europeanewropaly | ||
| Uzbek | evropa | ||
| Uyghur | european | ||
European in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ʻeulopa | ||
| ʻEulopa (European) is derived from the Proto-Polynesian word *eulope, meaning “west, sunset”. | |||
| Maori | pakeha | ||
| The word "Pakeha" can also mean "stranger" or "guest" in Maori. | |||
| Samoan | europa | ||
| The word "Europa" is also used in Samoan to refer to the continent Europe, or to people of European descent. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | taga-europa | ||
| The word "taga-Europa" can also refer to a person of European descent, regardless of their actual geographical origin. | |||
European in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | europa markankir jaqinaka | ||
| Guarani | europeo-pegua | ||
European in International Languages
| Esperanto | eŭropano | ||
| The root of the word "Eŭropano" is the Greek "Εὐρώπη", which originally referred to a Phoenician princess who was abducted by Zeus and taken to Crete. | |||
| Latin | europae | ||
| Europae may come from the name of a purported daughter of Agenor, or perhaps from Phoenician "ereb" (sunset), thus "west". | |||
European in Others Languages
| Greek | ευρωπαϊκός | ||
| The word 'ευρωπαϊκός' is derived from the Ancient Greek word 'Εὐρώπη', which means 'wide-faced' and was the name of a Phoenician princess who was abducted by Zeus and taken to Crete. | |||
| Hmong | european | ||
| The Hmong word "European" (ลาว) can also refer to someone from Laos. | |||
| Kurdish | ewropî | ||
| The word "ewropî" can also mean "Caucasian" in Kurdish, denoting someone from the Caucasus region. | |||
| Turkish | avrupalı | ||
| In Turkish, the word "Avrupalı" literally translates to "of the sunset", as "Avrupa" (Europe) is derived from the Greek words "helios" (sun) and "erupas" (wide). | |||
| Xhosa | eyurophu | ||
| In Xhosa, 'EYurophu' can also refer to the continent of Europe, the European Union, or a person of European descent. | |||
| Yiddish | אייראפעישער | ||
| אייראפעישער can also mean a Jew from Europe. | |||
| Zulu | eyurophu | ||
| In Nguni languages "i-Eu" or "eyUrophu" is used metaphorically when one does something to a very particular, very fine point. | |||
| Assamese | ইউৰোপীয় | ||
| Aymara | europa markankir jaqinaka | ||
| Bhojpuri | यूरोपीय के बा | ||
| Dhivehi | ޔޫރަޕްގެ... | ||
| Dogri | यूरोपीय | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | taga-europa | ||
| Guarani | europeo-pegua | ||
| Ilocano | europeano | ||
| Krio | yuropian | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ئەوروپی | ||
| Maithili | यूरोपीय | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯌꯨꯔꯣꯄꯤꯌꯟ ꯑꯦꯝ | ||
| Mizo | european atanga lo chhuak a ni | ||
| Oromo | awurooppaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ୟୁରୋପୀୟ | | ||
| Quechua | europamanta | ||
| Sanskrit | यूरोपीय | ||
| Tatar | европа | ||
| Tigrinya | ኤውሮጳዊ | ||
| Tsonga | va le yuropa | ||