Adolescent in Different Languages
Discover 'Adolescent' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Adolescence is a critical stage of human development, marking the transition from childhood to adulthood. It is a time of significant physical, emotional, and social changes, and carries great cultural importance across the globe. The term 'adolescent' is derived from the Latin word 'adolescere', which means 'to grow up'. Understanding this phase of life in different cultures can provide valuable insights into how societies perceive and support young people during this transformative period.
For instance, in Spanish, 'adolescente' reflects the excitement and anticipation of growth and development. In German, 'Jugendlicher' highlights the concept of youth and vitality. Meanwhile, in Japanese, '青春期' (seishun-ki) emphasizes the freshness and dynamism of this life stage. These translations not only help us appreciate the universal experience of adolescence but also deepen our respect for the diverse ways in which cultures celebrate and engage with this vital phase of human life.
Adolescent
Adolescent in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | adolessent | ||
| "Adolessent" is an archaic, informal term for a teenager, especially a youth around 16 to 18. | |||
| Amharic | ጎረምሳ | ||
| The term "ጎረምሳ" also denotes immaturity, inexperience, or a lack of wisdom. | |||
| Hausa | saurayi | ||
| The word 'saurayi' in Hausa also refers to a young animal or a young person who is inexperienced or immature. | |||
| Igbo | nwa | ||
| "Nwa" can also mean "child" or "son" in Igbo. | |||
| Malagasy | tanora | ||
| The word 'tanora' can also refer to 'greenness', 'immaturity', or 'inexperience'. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | wachinyamata | ||
| The word 'wachinyamata' can also refer to a group of people who are roughly the same age. | |||
| Shona | kuyaruka | ||
| The Shona word "kuyaruka" also means "to grow taller" or "to become mature". | |||
| Somali | dhalinyaro | ||
| The Somali word "dhalinyaro" originates from the Arabic "dhalah", meaning "youth", and "yaro", meaning "child". | |||
| Sesotho | mocha | ||
| In Sesotho, 'mocha' also refers to a type of tree or its fruit. | |||
| Swahili | kijana | ||
| In Swahili, the term "kijana" can also refer to a young person of either sex, or a person who is new to something. | |||
| Xhosa | ofikisayo | ||
| The Xhosa word 'ofikisayo' is often used as a term of respect when referring to an adolescent. | |||
| Yoruba | ọdọ | ||
| 'Ọdọ' in Yoruba also means 'river'. The two meanings are connected by the concept of 'flow'. | |||
| Zulu | osemusha | ||
| "Osemusha" is also the Zulu name for the yellow billed kite, a medium-sized bird of prey. | |||
| Bambara | funankɛninw | ||
| Ewe | ƒewuivi | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ingimbi | ||
| Lingala | elenge | ||
| Luganda | omuvubuka | ||
| Sepedi | mofsa yo a lego mahlalagading | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ɔbabun | ||
Adolescent in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | مراهق | ||
| مراهق is also a type of small mirror in Arabic, reflecting the concept of self-discovery and exploration during adolescence. | |||
| Hebrew | מִתבַּגֵר | ||
| The word "mitbagger" comes from the root "bgr," meaning "to mature". It can also refer to a young animal that has not yet reached adulthood. | |||
| Pashto | ځوان | ||
| The Pashto word ځوان /ځوانه for "adolescent" can also mean "young" or "inexperienced" in both genders | |||
| Arabic | مراهق | ||
| مراهق is also a type of small mirror in Arabic, reflecting the concept of self-discovery and exploration during adolescence. | |||
Adolescent in Western European Languages
| Albanian | adoleshent | ||
| The word "adoleshent" in Albanian derives from the Latin "adolescens", meaning "a young man or woman." | |||
| Basque | nerabe | ||
| The word "nerabe" in Basque can also refer to a young man who is not yet married. | |||
| Catalan | adolescent | ||
| In Catalan, the word "adolescent" comes from the Latin "adolescēns," meaning "growing up" or "young person." | |||
| Croatian | adolescent | ||
| The Croatian word for "adolescent" is "adolescent", which is related to the Latin verb "adolescere", meaning "to grow up". | |||
| Danish | teenager | ||
| Teenager (Danish "teenager" or "ungdom") is a person who is 13 to 19 years old. | |||
| Dutch | adolescent | ||
| The Dutch word "adolescent" specifically refers to male teenagers. | |||
| English | adolescent | ||
| The word "adolescent" can also refer to the time period between youth and adulthood, or a person between the ages of 13 and 19. | |||
| French | adolescente | ||
| The French word "adolescente" can also refer to a young girl, more specifically a teenager or young woman. | |||
| Frisian | adolesinte | ||
| The Frisian word "adolesinte" is derived from the Latin word "adolescens", meaning "young person" or "youth". | |||
| Galician | adolescente | ||
| The Galician word "adolescente" also means "teenager". | |||
| German | jugendlicher | ||
| Jugendlicher, meaning "adolescent," comes from "Jugend," or "youth," with the suffix "-lich" denoting "similar to," or "of the nature of." | |||
| Icelandic | unglingur | ||
| 'Unglingur' comes from 'ungr,' meaning 'young', and '-lingur,' a suffix indicating a young person or animal. | |||
| Irish | ógánach | ||
| The word "ógánach" is derived from the Old Irish word "óg, | |||
| Italian | adolescente | ||
| The word "adolescente" in Italian can also refer to a young man or woman in their late teens or early 20s. | |||
| Luxembourgish | jugendlecher | ||
| The word "Jugendlecher" can also refer to a young tree. | |||
| Maltese | adolexxenti | ||
| Maltese "adolexxenti" comes from Italian "adolescente" and Latin "adolescēns" meaning "growing up". | |||
| Norwegian | tenåring | ||
| "Tenåring" can also mean "teenager" or "teen" in English. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | adolescente | ||
| "Adolescente" is an ambiguous term in Portuguese, as it can refer to either a teenager or a young adult. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | òganach | ||
| The word "òganach" in Scots Gaelic also means "young person" or "youthful person." | |||
| Spanish | adolescente | ||
| In Spanish, "adolescente" can also refer to a young apprentice or beginner in a profession. | |||
| Swedish | tonåring | ||
| "Tonåring" contains the Swedish word "ton" which means "tune" and refers to the age of being "in tune" with one's body and emotions. | |||
| Welsh | glasoed | ||
| The word 'glasoed' in Welsh originally meant 'pale green', and only later came to mean 'young' or 'adolescent'. | |||
Adolescent in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | падлеткавы | ||
| The original meaning of "падлеткавы" comes from the word "падлятак," which was in turn derived from the Proto-Slavic *podlětъ, meaning "to be under, to be submissive." | |||
| Bosnian | adolescent | ||
| The word "adolescent" comes from the Latin word "adolescere", which means "to grow up" or "to become mature". | |||
| Bulgarian | юношеска | ||
| Bulgarian word "юношеска" also means "junior" in sports. | |||
| Czech | puberťák | ||
| The word "puberťák" is derived from the Latin word "pubertas" meaning "adulthood". | |||
| Estonian | nooruk | ||
| In Estonian, the word "nooruk" also means "hero" or "brave warrior". | |||
| Finnish | murrosikäinen | ||
| The word 'murrosikäinen' is derived from 'murrosika', which means 'puberty'. | |||
| Hungarian | serdülő | ||
| "Serdülő" is also used to refer to the transition period between childhood and adulthood, typically between the ages of 10 and 19. | |||
| Latvian | pusaudzis | ||
| The word “pusaudzis” comes from the words “pus” (“half”) and “audze” (“bringing up”). | |||
| Lithuanian | paauglys | ||
| The word “paauglys” is derived from the word “paauglis” meaning “growing up” or “becoming an adult”. | |||
| Macedonian | адолесцент | ||
| The Macedonian word адолесцент comes from the Latin word adolescēns, which means “young person” or “youth”. | |||
| Polish | dorastający | ||
| Dorastający is derived from the verb "dorastać," which means "to grow up," and is used to refer to young people who are in the process of becoming adults. | |||
| Romanian | adolescent | ||
| In Latin and Romanian the etymology of "adolescent" is the same | |||
| Russian | подросток | ||
| Подросток literally means "undergrowth", referring to the idea of young people being like the undergrowth beneath a forest canopy. | |||
| Serbian | адолесцент | ||
| In Serbian, the word "адолесцент" is also used to refer to a young man who is not yet married. | |||
| Slovak | dospievajúci | ||
| The word "dospievajúci" in Slovak comes from the verb "dospieť," which means "to attain maturity" or "to reach adulthood." | |||
| Slovenian | mladostnik | ||
| "Mladostnik" is derived from the word "mlad" (young), and originally meant "young adult" or "novice". | |||
| Ukrainian | підлітковий | ||
| The Ukrainian word "підлітковий" is derived from the word "підліток" (adolescent), which in turn comes from the verb "підлітати" (to fly up), referring to the transitional nature of adolescence. | |||
Adolescent in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | কৈশোর | ||
| In Sanskrit, 'kaisora' refers to the early stage of youth, from 11 to 17 years of age. | |||
| Gujarati | કિશોરવયના | ||
| The Gujarati word "किशोरवयना" ("adolescent") derives from the Sanskrit word "किशोर" ("young") and is also used to refer to the period of youth or young adulthood. | |||
| Hindi | किशोर | ||
| The Hindi word 'किशोर' has roots in Sanskrit and also means 'youth' or 'young person'. | |||
| Kannada | ಹರೆಯದ | ||
| The term 'ಹರೆಯದ' is not used solely for adolescents, it can also refer to the youth or young adults. | |||
| Malayalam | ക o മാരക്കാരൻ | ||
| The word "ക o മാരക്കാരൻ" in Malayalam literally means "a person who has just had his hair tied up into a bun". | |||
| Marathi | पौगंडावस्थेतील | ||
| The Marathi word 'पौगंडावस्थेतील' ultimately derives from Sanskrit 'पुगाण्ड' meaning "age, maturity". The Sanskrit term is the antonym of 'वार्धक्य', meaning "old-age". | |||
| Nepali | किशोर | ||
| The word "किशोर" in Nepali can also refer to "a person who has just entered puberty" or "a young person who is not yet an adult". | |||
| Punjabi | ਕਿਸ਼ੋਰ | ||
| The Punjabi word "ਕਿਸ਼ੋਰ" also refers to the time of the day between noon and evening. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | නව යොවුන් විය | ||
| Tamil | இளம் பருவத்தினர் | ||
| Telugu | కౌమారదశ | ||
| The word "కౌమారదశ" originates from the Sanskrit word "kumar"," meaning young person. | |||
| Urdu | جوانی | ||
| The Urdu word "جوانی" also means "youthfulness" or "freshness". | |||
Adolescent in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 青少年 | ||
| The etymology of "青少年" dates back to the 20th century, with the "少" component implying few or young, and the "年" and "青" components representing "age" and "green" respectively, with "green" symbolizing youth and energy. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 青少年 | ||
| In Chinese, "青少年" literally means "green youth". | |||
| Japanese | 青年期 | ||
| The word "青年期" (seinenki) in Japanese can also mean "early adulthood" or "young adulthood," typically referring to the period between late adolescence and the mid-20s. | |||
| Korean | 한창 젊은 | ||
| The first character, 한, means "full"; The second character, 창, means "bright, radiant"; The third character, 젊은, means "prime of life, youth, puberty." | |||
| Mongolian | өсвөр насныхан | ||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဆယ်ကျော်သက် | ||
Adolescent in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | remaja | ||
| "Remaja" is derived from the Sanskrit word "rājā" meaning "king" or "prince", referring to the transition to adulthood in traditional Javanese culture. | |||
| Javanese | cah cilik | ||
| The Javanese word "cah cilik" can also refer to a young child. | |||
| Khmer | មនុស្សវ័យជំទង់ | ||
| The term "មនុស្សវ័យជំទង់" can also refer to a person who is transitioning from childhood to adulthood, or to a person who is in their early twenties. | |||
| Lao | ໄວລຸ້ນ | ||
| In colloquial Lao, the term ໄວລຸ້ນ may also refer to youth, teenager, or young person. | |||
| Malay | remaja | ||
| "Remaja" is a Malay word derived from Sanskrit and originally meant "young warrior" or "knight in training". | |||
| Thai | วัยรุ่น | ||
| "วัยรุ่น" (adolescent) comes from the Sanskrit word "vara" meaning "best" or "excellent" and "ruan" meaning "season" or "time". So it literally means "the best time of life". | |||
| Vietnamese | thanh niên | ||
| The word "thanh niên" is a combination of two Chinese characters meaning "young" and "person", and it can also refer to a young person who is between the ages of 16 and 24. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | nagbibinata | ||
Adolescent in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | yeniyetmə | ||
| "yeniyetmə" (adolescent) derives from "yeni" (new) and "yetmə" (to reach, to ripen), thus meaning "one who has reached a new stage of growth." | |||
| Kazakh | жасөспірім | ||
| "Жасөспірім" is a Kazakh word that can refer to either a teenage boy or girl. | |||
| Kyrgyz | өспүрүм | ||
| The word "өспүрүм" is derived from the verb "өс-" meaning "to grow". | |||
| Tajik | наврас | ||
| The word "наврас" in Tajik also refers to a "young man" or a "bridegroom". | |||
| Turkmen | ýetginjek | ||
| Uzbek | o'spirin | ||
| In Turkic, "o'spirin" also means "unripe fruit". | |||
| Uyghur | ئۆسمۈر | ||
Adolescent in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ʻōpio | ||
| 'Ōpio' also means 'tender, unripe, immature, and green'. | |||
| Maori | taiohi | ||
| Taiohi can also refer to a group of young people, or a period of time in a person's life when they are transitioning from childhood to adulthood. | |||
| Samoan | talavou | ||
| The word "talavou" can also refer to a group of young people, or to a boy who is considered to be marriageable age. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | nagdadalaga | ||
| The word "nagdadalaga" is derived from the root word "dalaga", which means "young woman". It is also used to describe the transition from childhood to adulthood for both males and females. | |||
Adolescent in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | wayn tawaqunaka | ||
| Guarani | adolescente rehegua | ||
Adolescent in International Languages
| Esperanto | adoleskanto | ||
| The Esperanto word "adoleskanto" derives from the Latin "adolescens" and can also mean "young person" or "teenager". | |||
| Latin | adulescens | ||
| "Adulescens" originally meant "young man" and referred to the age from puberty to military service. | |||
Adolescent in Others Languages
| Greek | έφηβος | ||
| The word 'έφηβος' in Greek can also refer to a young man who has reached puberty or a 'youth' in general, highlighting the concept of transition and potential in the word. | |||
| Hmong | tus neeg hluas | ||
| The word "tus neeg hluas" can also mean "young adult" or "teenager" in Hmong. | |||
| Kurdish | ciwanan | ||
| The word 'ciwanan' can also refer to a young warrior or a member of a youth organization. | |||
| Turkish | ergen | ||
| "Ergen" also means "one who has reached maturity" in Old Turkish, and it still carries this meaning in some Anatolian dialects. | |||
| Xhosa | ofikisayo | ||
| The Xhosa word 'ofikisayo' is often used as a term of respect when referring to an adolescent. | |||
| Yiddish | אַדאַלעסאַנט | ||
| "אַדאַלעסאַנט" is a Yiddish loanword from French that also means "well-mannered". | |||
| Zulu | osemusha | ||
| "Osemusha" is also the Zulu name for the yellow billed kite, a medium-sized bird of prey. | |||
| Assamese | কিশোৰ-কিশোৰী | ||
| Aymara | wayn tawaqunaka | ||
| Bhojpuri | किशोर के बा | ||
| Dhivehi | ފުރާވަރުގެ ކުއްޖެކެވެ | ||
| Dogri | किशोरी | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | nagbibinata | ||
| Guarani | adolescente rehegua | ||
| Ilocano | agtutubo | ||
| Krio | yɔŋ pɔsin | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | هەرزەکار | ||
| Maithili | किशोर | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯏꯅꯈꯠꯂꯛꯂꯤꯕꯥ ꯃꯤꯑꯣꯏꯁꯤꯡ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | tleirawl a ni | ||
| Oromo | dargaggeessa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | କିଶୋର | ||
| Quechua | wayna sipas | ||
| Sanskrit | किशोरः | ||
| Tatar | яшүсмер | ||
| Tigrinya | መንእሰይ ምዃኑ’ዩ። | ||
| Tsonga | muntshwa wa kondlo-a-ndzi-dyi | ||