Brother in Different Languages
Discover 'Brother' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Brother
Afrikaans broer | ||
Albanian vëlla | ||
Amharic ወንድም | ||
Arabic شقيق | ||
Armenian եղբայր | ||
Assamese ভাই | ||
Aymara jila | ||
Azerbaijani qardaş | ||
Bambara balimakɛ | ||
Basque anaia | ||
Belarusian брат | ||
Bengali ভাই | ||
Bhojpuri भाई | ||
Bosnian brate | ||
Bulgarian брат | ||
Catalan germà | ||
Cebuano igsoon | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 哥哥 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 哥哥 | ||
Corsican fratellu | ||
Croatian brat | ||
Czech bratr | ||
Danish bror | ||
Dhivehi ބޭބެ | ||
Dogri भ्रा | ||
Dutch broer | ||
English brother | ||
Esperanto frato | ||
Estonian vend | ||
Ewe nᴐvi ŋutsu | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) kapatid | ||
Finnish veli | ||
French frère | ||
Frisian broer | ||
Galician irmán | ||
Georgian ძმაო | ||
German bruder | ||
Greek αδελφός | ||
Guarani hermano | ||
Gujarati ભાઈ | ||
Haitian Creole frè | ||
Hausa dan uwa | ||
Hawaiian kaikuaʻana, kaikaina | ||
Hebrew אָח | ||
Hindi भाई | ||
Hmong kwv tij sawv daws | ||
Hungarian fiú testvér | ||
Icelandic bróðir | ||
Igbo nwanne | ||
Ilocano manong | ||
Indonesian saudara | ||
Irish deartháir | ||
Italian fratello | ||
Japanese 兄 | ||
Javanese kakang | ||
Kannada ಸಹೋದರ | ||
Kazakh бауырым | ||
Khmer បងប្អូន | ||
Kinyarwanda umuvandimwe | ||
Konkani भाव | ||
Korean 동료 | ||
Krio brɔda | ||
Kurdish brak | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) برا | ||
Kyrgyz бир тууган | ||
Lao ອ້າຍ | ||
Latin frater | ||
Latvian brālis | ||
Lingala ndeko | ||
Lithuanian brolis | ||
Luganda mwannyinaze | ||
Luxembourgish brudder | ||
Macedonian брат | ||
Maithili भाई | ||
Malagasy rahalahy | ||
Malay abang | ||
Malayalam സഹോദരൻ | ||
Maltese ħuh | ||
Maori tuakana | ||
Marathi भाऊ | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯏꯌꯥꯝꯕ | ||
Mizo unaupa | ||
Mongolian ах | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) အစ်ကို | ||
Nepali भाई | ||
Norwegian bror | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) m'bale | ||
Odia (Oriya) ଭାଇ | ||
Oromo obboleessa | ||
Pashto ورور | ||
Persian برادر | ||
Polish brat | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) irmão | ||
Punjabi ਭਰਾ | ||
Quechua wawqi | ||
Romanian frate | ||
Russian родной брат | ||
Samoan tuagane | ||
Sanskrit भ्राता | ||
Scots Gaelic bràthair | ||
Sepedi buti | ||
Serbian брате | ||
Sesotho abuti | ||
Shona hanzvadzi konama | ||
Sindhi ڀاء | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) සහෝදරයා | ||
Slovak brat | ||
Slovenian brat | ||
Somali walaal | ||
Spanish hermano | ||
Sundanese lanceuk | ||
Swahili kaka | ||
Swedish bror | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) kapatid | ||
Tajik бародар | ||
Tamil சகோதரன் | ||
Tatar абый | ||
Telugu సోదరుడు | ||
Thai พี่ชาย | ||
Tigrinya ሓው | ||
Tsonga buti | ||
Turkish erkek kardeş | ||
Turkmen dogan | ||
Twi (Akan) nuabarima | ||
Ukrainian брате | ||
Urdu بھائی | ||
Uyghur ئاكا | ||
Uzbek aka | ||
Vietnamese anh trai | ||
Welsh brawd | ||
Xhosa ubhuti | ||
Yiddish ברודער | ||
Yoruba arakunrin | ||
Zulu mfowethu |
Etymology & Notes
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | In slang, "broer" can be used to refer to a friend or peer, similar to "mate" in English. |
| Albanian | The word "vëlla" in Albanian is also used to refer to a male friend or a member of a group or organization. |
| Arabic | The word "شقيق" in Arabic is related to the word "شق", meaning "to split" or "to divide". This suggests that siblings are those who come from the same "split" or share the same origin. |
| Armenian | The word "եղբայր" (brother) in Armenian also relates to members of a religious order, brotherhood, or guild, and is used figuratively to express close relationships between individuals or nations. |
| Azerbaijani | The word "qardaş" can also mean "relative" or "friend" in Azerbaijani. |
| Basque | The word 'anaia' originally meant 'older brother', and has since been generalized to mean 'brother' |
| Belarusian | "Брат" comes from Proto-Slavic *bratъ, a cognate with Sanskrit bhratā́, Old English broþor (brother) and Modern German bruder. |
| Bengali | In Bengali, the word "ভাই" (bhai) can also refer to an intimate friend or a respected male figure. |
| Bosnian | In rural areas, 'brate' can also mean 'fellow villager' |
| Bulgarian | The word "брат" also denotes a close friend or an ally. |
| Catalan | In Catalan, "germà" can also mean "germen" (seed, germ), suggesting a link between siblings and growth or germination. |
| Cebuano | In Cebuano, the word "igsoon" can also refer to a close friend, particularly one of the same gender and age. |
| Chinese (Simplified) | The word "哥哥" (gēge) can also be used as a term of endearment for a male friend or lover. |
| Chinese (Traditional) | The character 哥哥 "gēge" can also refer to an older male cousin or a man one is close to regardless of relation |
| Corsican | The Corsican word "fratellu" (brother) originates from the Latin word "fraterculus", meaning "little brother". |
| Croatian | In Croatian the word "brat" can also mean "cousin" or (archaic) "uncle (father's side)". |
| Czech | The Czech word "bratr" cognate to Slavic "bratъ", originally meant a member of a clan, later reduced to "brother". |
| Danish | The word "bror" in Danish can also be used to refer to a close friend or a member of a gang. |
| Dutch | The word "broer" is cognate with the English word "brother" and the German word "Bruder" |
| Esperanto | "Frat"o" is cognate to the English word "brother", and it also appears in some other Indo-European languages like Greek (""αδερφ"ός"", "adelfos") and Latin (""frater""). |
| Estonian | The word “vend” is also a word for |
| Finnish | Derived from Proto-Finnic *we̞le, meaning "brother-in-law" or "brother-in-arms". |
| French | In Old French, 'frère' also meant 'monk', a meaning still preserved in modern French 'religieux' ('religious'); it derives from Latin 'frater', meaning 'half-brother' or 'member of a religious brotherhood'. |
| Frisian | The word "broer" also means "husband's brother" in Frisian. |
| Galician | The word "irmán" in Galician also refers to a close or intimate friend, not necessarily related by blood. |
| Georgian | The word 'ძმაო' (brother) can also mean 'male' or 'friend' in Georgian. |
| German | The term 'Bruder' is also used to refer to a member of a religious order or a fellow member of a fraternity or guild. |
| Greek | The word 'αδελφός' can also refer to a male cousin or a close friend, emphasizing the strong bonds of brotherhood beyond biological connections. |
| Gujarati | The Gujarati word "ભાઈ" derives from Sanskrit "bhratā" or "bhratar", and can also signify a male friend or a member of a community |
| Haitian Creole | The word "frè" in Haitian Creole can also refer to a close friend or a spiritual brother. |
| Hausa | The Hausa word "dan uwa" literally translates to "son of (the) mother". |
| Hawaiian | Also used figuratively to address a close friend or trusted companion. |
| Hebrew | The Hebrew word 'אָח' ('brother') may also refer to a friend, companion, or ally. |
| Hindi | The Hindi word भाई (brother) is also used as a term of respect for a friend, or as a form of address to a stranger. |
| Hmong | Kwv tij sawv daws is also used as a term of endearment for male friends. |
| Hungarian | The word 'fiú testvér' is a compound of 'fiú' (boy) and 'testvér' (sibling), and can also be used in the sense of 'younger brother'. |
| Icelandic | The Icelandic word "bróðir" is cognate with the English word "brother," both deriving from the Proto-Indo-European root *bhrāter-. |
| Igbo | "Nwanne" in Igbo is also used as a term of respect for an equal or superior." |
| Indonesian | In Indonesian, 'saudara' can refer to siblings, relatives, or even close friends, making it a more inclusive term than just 'brother'. |
| Italian | The word "fratello" is derived from the Latin word "frater" (brother), which also gave rise to the English word "friar". |
| Japanese | In Chinese, when '兄' is used as a suffix to a male's name, it denotes respect. |
| Javanese | In Javanese, "kakang" can also refer to an older male friend or a male teacher. |
| Kannada | ಸಹೋದರ (brother) also means 'related' in Kannada. |
| Kazakh | The Kazakh word "бауырым" also means "my liver", emphasizing the deep bond between siblings. |
| Khmer | បងប្អូន (pronounced "bong-bor-un") can also refer to a close friend, even of the opposite gender. |
| Korean | The word '동료' also means 'a member of the same organization or group' |
| Kurdish | In Kurdish, "Brak" denotes a blood relative as well as a paternal half-brother, or a male sibling from the same mother but a different father. |
| Kyrgyz | The word "бир тууган" in Kyrgyz can also refer to a close friend or comrade, similar to the English term "brother-in-arms". |
| Lao | The word |
| Latin | The Latin word "frater" also refers to a member of a monastic community or a member of a group of people with shared interests or beliefs. |
| Latvian | The word "brālis" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *bhrāter, which also gave rise to the English word "brother". In Latvian, "brālis" can also refer to a male friend or relative. |
| Lithuanian | "Brolis" in Lithuanian originally derived from Sanskrit "bhrātṛi" with the same meaning and is related to Latin "frater" and Old Church Slavonic "bratru". |
| Luxembourgish | The Luxembourgish word "Brudder" can also refer to a close friend or a comrade-in-arms, highlighting the deep bonds of friendship and brotherhood in Luxembourgish culture. |
| Macedonian | The Macedonian word "брат" (brother) derives from the Proto-Slavic word *bratъ and has similar roots in other Slavic languages. |
| Malagasy | The word "rahalahy" can also mean "friend" or "buddy" in some contexts. |
| Malay | The word "abang" can also refer to an older man, an uncle, or a male friend and is not always used to denote a biological brother. |
| Malayalam | The term "സഹോദരൻ" (brother) in Malayalam can also refer to a close companion or comrade. |
| Maltese | The word "ħuh" can also mean "male cousin" or "brother-in-law" in Maltese. |
| Maori | Tuakana also means 'to teach' or 'to guide'. |
| Marathi | Bhaau can also mean 'rent' or 'landlord' in Marathi. |
| Mongolian | The Mongolian word "ах" is a term of address for an older brother, but can also hold other meanings in certain contexts. |
| Nepali | The word "भाई" can also refer to a close friend or a member of a particular community or caste. |
| Norwegian | The Norwegian word "bror" is derived from the Old Norse word "bróðir" and is cognate with the English word "brother". |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | Derived from the Swahili word 'ndugu', which also means 'brother' or 'sibling'. |
| Pashto | The word "ورور" is derived from the same root as the Persian word "برادر" and the Sanskrit word "भ्राता" (bhrāta), all meaning "brother". |
| Persian | The Persian word "برادر" can also refer to a male cousin or a close male friend. |
| Polish | In Polish, the word "brat" can also mean "cousin" or "nephew." |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | In Portuguese, the word "irmão" (brother) also refers to a male friend or someone who shares a common belief or interest. |
| Punjabi | ਭਰਾ or 'Bhra' has multiple meanings in Punjabi. It can mean brother, friend, or a person who has a close bond with someone. |
| Romanian | The Romanian word "frate" is derived from the ecclesiastical Latin word "frater," meaning "brother," and has the same meaning in Romanian but also has the figurative meaning of "close friend" or "comrade." |
| Russian | The term "родной брат" also refers to a cousin in Russian. |
| Samoan | The Samoan word "tuagane" can also refer to a male cousin or a brother-in-law. |
| Scots Gaelic | The word "bràthair" (brother) in Scots Gaelic is derived from the Proto-Celtic word "*brāter", meaning "brother", and is cognate with the Irish word "bráthair" and the Welsh word "brawd". |
| Serbian | The Serbian word "брате" can also be used as a term of endearment or to address a close friend |
| Sesotho | Abuti derives from the Bantu root *abu-, which also means 'father' and is used in several other languages to refer to older men or those in positions of authority. |
| Shona | The word 'hanzvadzi konama' can also refer to a close friend or companion. |
| Sindhi | Sindhi word "ڀاء" not only means "brother", but is also a term of endearment for a male friend. |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | The word 'සහෝදරයා' in Sinhala is derived from the Sanskrit word 'sahodara', which originally meant 'uterine sibling' and later came to refer to any male sibling. |
| Slovak | The word "brat" in Slovak is derived from the Slavic word "bratr", meaning "brother", and can also refer to a young boy or a spoiled child. |
| Slovenian | Brat also means 'reading', 'perusing', and 'leafing through' in Slovenian. |
| Somali | Somali word "walaal" has the alternate meaning of "friend" and is derived from Arabic "wali" meaning "leader" or "patron". |
| Spanish | Hermano, besides meaning “brother,” can also refer to the members of a religious brotherhood or fraternity. |
| Sundanese | The word "lanceuk" in Sundanese can also mean "sibling" or "cousin". |
| Swahili | In Swahili, "kaka" can also mean "uncle" or "close male friend". |
| Swedish | "Bror" shares its origins with the English "bride" as both words evolved from "brothar" in Old English, which itself evolved from "bhrater" in Proto-Germanic. |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | In pre-colonial times, kapatid also meant “friend”, “person of the same age”, or “a companion” |
| Tajik | The word бародар is often translated as «brother», but is etymologically more related to the word «bearer». |
| Tamil | The word 'சகோதரன்' (brother) in Tamil originates from the Sanskrit word 'sakr̥t', meaning 'once' or 'at the same time'. |
| Thai | The word "พี่ชาย" can also be used to refer to a male teacher or a male religious figure, such as a monk. |
| Turkish | The word "erkek kardeş" in Turkish originally meant "male sibling" and was later extended to include "brother". |
| Ukrainian | In Ukrainian, “брате” (brate) is also a vocative form of address to a male friend or acquaintance, similar to “dude” or “man” in English. |
| Uzbek | In Uzbek, "aka" can also refer to a male teacher, an uncle, or a friend of one's father. |
| Vietnamese | "Anh trai" in Vietnamese also means "older male sibling or cousin," and can be used as a term of endearment for close male friends. |
| Welsh | The Welsh word "brawd" is cognate with Cornish "breur", Breton and French "breur", and Old Irish "bráthir", ultimately deriving from Proto-Celtic *brāter. |
| Xhosa | The term 'ubhuti' in Xhosa can also refer to a close friend or confidant. |
| Yiddish | In the Yiddish expression 'di bruder', 'bruder' means 'bride'. |
| Yoruba | Arakunrin is an honorific term used for a male sibling, it may also refer to a close friend or associate. |
| Zulu | Some sources claim that "mfowethu" originated from "umfowethu," the Zulu word for "our wealth." The "ow" in "mfowethu" is said to have been elided. |
| English | The term 'brother' can also refer to a member of a fraternity, religious order, or other close-knit group of men. |