Childhood in Different Languages
Discover 'Childhood' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Childhood is a universal human experience, yet it holds different meanings and significance across various cultures and languages. It is a time of innocence, wonder, and boundless curiosity, a period that shapes our perception of the world and lays the foundation for our personal growth. The concept of childhood has been explored in literature, arts, and sciences, and it continues to be a subject of fascination and research.
Moreover, understanding the translation of 'childhood' in different languages can offer a unique insight into how different cultures perceive and value this critical stage of life. For instance, 'childhood' translates to 'enfance' in French, 'infanzia' in Italian, and 'niñez' in Spanish, reflecting the common emphasis on the early stages of life as a time of innocence and vulnerability.
In this article, we will explore the translations of 'childhood' in 20 different languages, shedding light on the cultural nuances and historical contexts associated with this word. Join us as we embark on a linguistic and cultural journey to understand the beauty and complexity of childhood in different languages.
Childhood
Childhood in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | kinderjare | ||
| Kinderjare, akin to the Dutch word “kinderjaren”, is derived from the Early Germanic word “kind” (child) and “jaren” (years). | |||
| Amharic | ልጅነት | ||
| ልጅነት can also refer to the quality of being childish or immature. | |||
| Hausa | yarinta | ||
| The word 'yarinta' can also mean 'youth' or ' adolescence' in Hausa. | |||
| Igbo | nwata | ||
| "Nwata" has a broader meaning than just "childhood"; it also connotes "a person's formative years". | |||
| Malagasy | ankizy | ||
| The Malagasy word "ANKIZY" also means "the period of time when children live in their parents' house." | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | ubwana | ||
| Nyanja word "ubwana" can also mean "youth" or "adolescence" and sometimes refers to "the state of being a child". | |||
| Shona | uduku | ||
| Uduku may also refer to the period of life between infancy and adolescence. | |||
| Somali | carruurnimada | ||
| The word "carruurnimada" can also refer to the period of one's life before marriage. | |||
| Sesotho | bongoana | ||
| Bongoana is derived from the word `bongo` (play) and the suffix `-ana` (state or condition), hence it literally means `a state of playfulness`. | |||
| Swahili | utoto | ||
| The word "utoto" in Kiswahili can also refer to a young animal or a period of time in one's life. | |||
| Xhosa | ebuntwaneni | ||
| The word "ebuntwaneni" in Xhosa can also refer to the early period of life before adolescence. | |||
| Yoruba | igba ewe | ||
| Igba ewe can also mean 'season of youth' or 'period of adolescence'. | |||
| Zulu | ebuntwaneni | ||
| The word 'ebuntwaneni' in Zulu is derived from the root word 'ubuntwana', which means 'childhood' or 'youth'. | |||
| Bambara | denmisɛnya | ||
| Ewe | ɖevinyenye | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ubwana | ||
| Lingala | bomwana | ||
| Luganda | obuto | ||
| Sepedi | bobjana | ||
| Twi (Akan) | mmɔfrabrɛ | ||
Childhood in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | مرحلة الطفولة | ||
| Hebrew | יַלדוּת | ||
| "יַלדוּת" also means "birth", "descent" and "lineage". | |||
| Pashto | ماشومتوب | ||
| The word "ماشومتوب" is derived from the Arabic word "طفولة" and Persian word "کودکی" and means both "childhood" and the "young of animals" in Pashto. | |||
| Arabic | مرحلة الطفولة | ||
Childhood in Western European Languages
| Albanian | fëmijëria | ||
| The word "fëmijëria" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *gʰelh₃-, meaning "to grow" or "to care for." | |||
| Basque | haurtzaroa | ||
| The word "haurtzaroa" is derived from the Basque words "haur" (child) and "aro" (time) which means "age of children". | |||
| Catalan | infància | ||
| Catalan "infància" comes from Late Latin "infantia" (non-speaking state), while "infant" derives from Latin "infans" (unable to speak). | |||
| Croatian | djetinjstvo | ||
| The Croatian word "djetinjstvo" comes from the Proto-Slavic word *dětinĭstvo, which also meant "childish behavior". | |||
| Danish | barndom | ||
| Barndom is also a Danish word for a children's home or orphanage. | |||
| Dutch | kindertijd | ||
| The word "kindertijd" can also refer to the period of life between childhood and adulthood | |||
| English | childhood | ||
| The word 'childhood' derives from the Old English word 'cildhád', which originally meant 'the state of being a child', and later came to mean 'the period of a person's life from birth to adolescence'. | |||
| French | enfance | ||
| The word "enfance" derives from the Latin "infantia," meaning both "childhood" and "not being able to speak." | |||
| Frisian | bernetiid | ||
| The word "bernetiid" is related to the Old English word "bearnteald", meaning "child's age". | |||
| Galician | infancia | ||
| In Galician, "infancia" also means "the early stage of something's development". | |||
| German | kindheit | ||
| The German word "Kindheit" not only means "childhood," but also originally meant "state of being a child" or "condition of being a child." | |||
| Icelandic | barnæsku | ||
| The word 'barnæsku' is derived from the Old Norse word 'barnsku', which originally meant 'childishness' or 'immaturity'. | |||
| Irish | óige | ||
| The Irish word for childhood, "óige", also refers to youth or the time of life when one is at their prime. | |||
| Italian | infanzia | ||
| The Italian word 'infanzia' ultimately derives from the Latin 'infans', meaning 'unable to speak' and referring to a young child. | |||
| Luxembourgish | kandheet | ||
| "Kandheet" is derived from the Old High German "kindheit" and also means "innocence" or "naivety". | |||
| Maltese | tfulija | ||
| The word "tfulija" is derived from the Latin "infantia" and also refers to the period between infancy and adolescence. | |||
| Norwegian | barndom | ||
| The Norwegian word “barndom” can also refer to the stage of life from birth to adulthood, or the period of time in which a child is dependent on their parents. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | infância | ||
| The word "infância" comes from the Latin word "infantia" and originally meant "lack of speech" | |||
| Scots Gaelic | leanabas | ||
| The Gaelic word "leanabas" comes from the Old Irish word "leanam" meaning "love child" or "darling". | |||
| Spanish | infancia | ||
| The Spanish word for 'childhood', 'infancia', originally referred to the period when a child could not speak. | |||
| Swedish | barndom | ||
| In Swedish, the word for "barn" (child) is derived from the Old Norse word "barn" meaning "well-born". | |||
| Welsh | plentyndod | ||
| The Welsh word 'plentyndod' derives from the phrase 'plen ty nadolig' meaning 'a child of Christmas'. | |||
Childhood in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | дзяцінства | ||
| The word "дзяцінства" also has the connotation of "childishness" or "immaturity". | |||
| Bosnian | djetinjstvo | ||
| The word "djetinjstvo" in Bosnian also refers to the state of being childish or immature. | |||
| Bulgarian | детство | ||
| Bulgarian word "детство" also describes the period of a human's life from adolescence to young adulthood, between "детство" (childhood) and "зрелост" (maturity). | |||
| Czech | dětství | ||
| "Dětství" (etymologically related to "děti," meaning "children") has alternate meanings including "immaturity." | |||
| Estonian | lapsepõlv | ||
| In Estonian, | |||
| Finnish | lapsuus | ||
| "Lapsus" also means "a slip" or "a mistake" in Latin, possibly related to the idea of childhood as a time of mistakes. | |||
| Hungarian | gyermekkor | ||
| Gyermekkor derives from 'gyermek' ('child') and the suffix '-kor' ('age') which is related to the 'time' meaning of 'kor' (meaning 'era' or 'period'). | |||
| Latvian | bērnība | ||
| The Latvian word for childhood, bērnība, derives from the verb bērt (to pour) and may refer to the abundant energy of children. | |||
| Lithuanian | vaikyste | ||
| The word 'vaikyste' likely derives from the same Proto-Indo-European root as 'young' (meaning 'boy' in Baltic languages). | |||
| Macedonian | детството | ||
| The word "детството" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *děťstvo, meaning "act of giving birth, childbearing." | |||
| Polish | dzieciństwo | ||
| "Dzieciństwo" shares the root "dzieci" with "dziecię" meaning "child" and is a diminutive form implying a period of life. | |||
| Romanian | copilărie | ||
| The word "copilărie" is derived from the Latin "copula", meaning "bond" or "union", suggesting the strong bond between parent and child during childhood. | |||
| Russian | детство | ||
| The word "детство" derives from the Old Russian word "детище", meaning "child" or "offspring". | |||
| Serbian | детињство | ||
| The word “детињство” in Serbian can also mean “childishness” or “puerility.” | |||
| Slovak | detstva | ||
| Detstva is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *dětьstvo, which also means "infancy" or "early childhood." | |||
| Slovenian | otroštvo | ||
| The word "otroštvo" in Slovenian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*otrokъ", which meant both "child" and "servant". | |||
| Ukrainian | дитинство | ||
| The word "дитинство" likely originates from the Ancient Greek "τέκνον" (child), and also denotes a carefree and innocent period in life. | |||
Childhood in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | শৈশব | ||
| "শৈশব" (śaiśaba) is derived from the Sanskrit word "शैशव" (śaiśava), which means "infancy" or "childhood". | |||
| Gujarati | બાળપણ | ||
| બાળપણ is derived from the Sanskrit word 'बाल्य' meaning 'young' or 'childlike' and refers to the period of life from birth to the onset of puberty. | |||
| Hindi | बचपन | ||
| "बचपन" can also mean 'infancy' or 'youth' in Hindi, depending on context. | |||
| Kannada | ಬಾಲ್ಯ | ||
| The word "ಬಾಲ್ಯ" also refers to the early stages of anything other than humans, such as plants or animals. | |||
| Malayalam | കുട്ടിക്കാലം | ||
| The word "കുട്ടിക്കാലം" (childhood) is derived from the words "കുട്ടി" (child) and "കാലം" (time). It can also refer to the early years of a person's life or the period of innocence and playfulness. | |||
| Marathi | बालपण | ||
| "It comes from Sanskrit बाल+प+ा+न balapana meaning "infancy, childishness". | |||
| Nepali | बाल्यकाल | ||
| The word "बाल्यकाल" is derived from the Sanskrit word "बाल्य" meaning "childhood" and "काल" meaning "time" or "period". | |||
| Punjabi | ਬਚਪਨ | ||
| The word "ਬਚਪਨ" can also refer to a person's innocence or naivete, regardless of their age. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ළමා කාලය | ||
| The word ළමා කාලය (lamā kālaya) in Sinhala literally means 'the time of playing', implying the carefree and joyful nature of childhood. | |||
| Tamil | குழந்தை பருவம் | ||
| குழந்தை பருவம், literally 'a state of infancy or youth', can refer to both the early period of life of a child as well as its innocence and dependency. | |||
| Telugu | బాల్యం | ||
| The word "బాల్యం" (childhood) is derived from the Sanskrit word "बाल" (child) and the suffix "-yam" (state or condition). It can also refer to a state of innocence, playfulness, and dependency. | |||
| Urdu | بچپن | ||
| The word "بچپن" can also mean "foolishness" or "immaturity" in Urdu. | |||
Childhood in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 童年 | ||
| "童年" in Chinese can also refer to one's youthful or innocent days. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 童年 | ||
| "童" originally refers to "a young bird that cannot yet fly" and "年" refers to "a year". Therefore,童年 originally means "immaturity" or "juvenile period". | |||
| Japanese | 子供時代 | ||
| "子供" can mean "child" and "時代" can mean "age" or "period", so "子供時代" can also mean "childlike era". | |||
| Korean | 어린 시절 | ||
| The word “어린 시절” in Korean can be interpreted literally as 'times of being young', a time when 'speech is not yet mature'. | |||
| Mongolian | бага нас | ||
| In Mongolian, "бага нас" can also refer to the "past" or to "the beginning of something" | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ကလေးဘဝ | ||
| The word "ကလေးဘဝ" (childhood) in Myanmar (Burmese) can also mean "the state of being a child" or "the period of a child's life". | |||
Childhood in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | masa kecil | ||
| The word "masa kecil" in Indonesian literally translates to "small time", reflecting the idea that childhood is a fleeting and precious period. | |||
| Javanese | bocah cilik | ||
| The term "bocah cilik" can also refer to a child or the younger sibling of a person. | |||
| Khmer | កុមារភាព | ||
| The word "កុមារភាព" is etymologically related to the Sanskrit word "kumāra" meaning "prince" or "youth". It can also refer to the stages of adolescence and early adulthood. | |||
| Lao | ໄວເດັກ | ||
| The word "ໄວເດັກ" (vai-dek) in Lao also means "early" or "quickly", which reflects the fleeting nature of childhood. | |||
| Malay | zaman kanak-kanak | ||
| The word "zaman kanak-kanak" in Malay shares its etymology with the Proto-Austronesian word for "time", suggesting a sense of timelessness and innocence associated with childhood. | |||
| Thai | วัยเด็ก | ||
| The word "วัยเด็ก" can also mean "immaturity" or "foolishness" in Thai. | |||
| Vietnamese | thời thơ ấu | ||
| "Thơ" here can be understood as "beginning" or "initial stage", similar to "thời nguyên thủy" (primitive period). | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pagkabata | ||
Childhood in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | uşaqlıq | ||
| The Azerbaijani word "uşaqlıq" can also refer to the period of one's life between adolescence and young adulthood. | |||
| Kazakh | балалық шақ | ||
| Бал алық шақ is composed of "бал," meaning "honey," and "алық," meaning "taking". This reflects the belief that childhood is a sweet and valuable time. | |||
| Kyrgyz | балалык | ||
| The word "балалык" can also refer to "child" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | кӯдакӣ | ||
| The word "кӯдакӣ" is derived from the Persian word " کودکی" (kudaki), which means "childhood" or "infancy". It can also refer to the period of a person's life before puberty. | |||
| Turkmen | çagalyk | ||
| Uzbek | bolalik | ||
| Uzbek "bolalik" means "childhood" and "youth" and derives from the word "bola" which means "to grow" or "to increase in size or number". | |||
| Uyghur | بالىلىق | ||
Childhood in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kamaliʻi | ||
| "Kamaliʻi" also means "chief" or "royal" in Hawaiian, indicating the honored status of children in traditional Hawaiian society. | |||
| Maori | tamarikitanga | ||
| Tamarikitanga also means a stage in a person's life in which a child becomes a man or a woman. | |||
| Samoan | tamaititi | ||
| The word 'tamaititi' also carries the connotation of 'innocence' and 'purity', reflecting a cultural perspective that childhood is a time of vulnerability and dependence. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | pagkabata | ||
| Pagkabata also has a second meaning in the Bikol language which refers to the state and process of being born. | |||
Childhood in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | wawasa | ||
| Guarani | mitãreko | ||
Childhood in International Languages
| Esperanto | infanaĝo | ||
| The word 'infanaĝo' comes from the Latin word 'infantia', meaning 'childhood', and has the same meaning in Esperanto. | |||
| Latin | pueritia | ||
| As a noun, “pueritia” refers more to boyhood or youth than to infancy or childhood. | |||
Childhood in Others Languages
| Greek | παιδική ηλικία | ||
| "Παιδική ηλικία" literally means "childhood age" in Greek, showing that childhood is seen as a stage of life. | |||
| Hmong | thaum yau | ||
| The term 'thaum yau' also refers to a state of innocence and purity. | |||
| Kurdish | zarotî | ||
| In some contexts, "zarotî" may refer to a period of innocence or freedom. | |||
| Turkish | çocukluk | ||
| A homonym of çocukluk, which means "childhood" in Turkish, is "çocukluk" meaning "immaturity". | |||
| Xhosa | ebuntwaneni | ||
| The word "ebuntwaneni" in Xhosa can also refer to the early period of life before adolescence. | |||
| Yiddish | קינדשאַפט | ||
| The Yiddish word "kindshaft" is derived from the German word "Kindheit" and shares the same meaning of "childhood." | |||
| Zulu | ebuntwaneni | ||
| The word 'ebuntwaneni' in Zulu is derived from the root word 'ubuntwana', which means 'childhood' or 'youth'. | |||
| Assamese | শিশুকাল | ||
| Aymara | wawasa | ||
| Bhojpuri | बचपन | ||
| Dhivehi | ކުޑައިރުގެ ދުވަސްތައް | ||
| Dogri | बचपन | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pagkabata | ||
| Guarani | mitãreko | ||
| Ilocano | kinaubing | ||
| Krio | we a bin pikin | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | منداڵی | ||
| Maithili | बाल्यावस्था | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯉꯥꯡ ꯑꯣꯏꯔꯤꯉꯩ ꯃꯇꯝ | ||
| Mizo | naupanlai | ||
| Oromo | ijoollummaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ପିଲାଦିନ | ||
| Quechua | wawa kay | ||
| Sanskrit | बाल्यकाल | ||
| Tatar | балачак | ||
| Tigrinya | ቁልዕነት | ||
| Tsonga | vuhlangi | ||