Citizen in Different Languages
Discover 'Citizen' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'citizen' holds great significance in our society, denoting a legal status that grants individuals rights and responsibilities within a community or nation. Its cultural importance is evident in the way it unites people under a shared identity, allowing them to participate in the democratic process and contribute to their society. Understanding the translation of 'citizen' in different languages can provide valuable insights into the unique cultural and historical contexts of various countries.
For instance, in Spanish, 'citizen' is 'ciudadano,' reflecting the Roman influence on the language through words derived from 'civitas,' meaning city or community. Meanwhile, in German, 'citizen' is 'Bürger,' which originates from the Middle High German 'burger,' meaning freeman or inhabitant of a town. In Mandarin Chinese, 'citizen' is '国民' (guó mín), which translates to 'country person' or 'people of the nation.'
Explore the many translations of 'citizen' and discover the rich cultural and historical contexts they reveal.
Citizen
Citizen in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | burger | ||
| The Afrikaans word 'burger' has various meanings including a resident of a town (an urbanite) and a male animal used for breeding (a stud). | |||
| Amharic | ዜጋ | ||
| ዜጋ is derived from the root word 'זג' in Biblical Hebrew, meaning "to go out". It was originally used to describe those who lived outside the city walls and thus not subject to its laws. | |||
| Hausa | ɗan ƙasa | ||
| "Ɗan ƙasa" also means "descendant" or "son of the land" in Hausa. | |||
| Igbo | nwa amaala | ||
| The word "nwa amaala" in Igbo can also mean "child of the land" or "son of the soil". | |||
| Malagasy | olom-pirenena | ||
| Derived from the word "omby," meaning "bull" and "pirenena," meaning "great," "Olom-pirenena" signifies the importance of cattle in Malagasy society. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | nzika | ||
| The word "nzika" also refers to a person who has been naturalized and granted citizenship. | |||
| Shona | mugari | ||
| The word 'mugari' is also used to refer to a person who is respected and admired within their community. | |||
| Somali | muwaadin | ||
| The word "muwaadin" in Somali is derived from the Arabic word "muwāțin," which has connotations of friendship, support, and protection. | |||
| Sesotho | moahi | ||
| "Moahi" in Sesotho can also mean a person who belongs to a particular country by birth or choice, or a native of any place. | |||
| Swahili | raia | ||
| The word "raia" in Swahili also means "subject" or "taxpayer". | |||
| Xhosa | ngummi | ||
| 'Ngu' is the Xhosa equivalent of 'mu' in Swahili, and 'mi' in Shona, and means 'person of'. | |||
| Yoruba | ara ilu | ||
| The phrase 'ara ilu' in Yoruba has two meanings: citizen and inhabitant. | |||
| Zulu | isakhamuzi | ||
| In Zulu, the word 'isakhamuzi' can also refer to a person who belongs to a particular community or nation. | |||
| Bambara | jamanaden | ||
| Ewe | dumevi | ||
| Kinyarwanda | umuturage | ||
| Lingala | mwana-mboka | ||
| Luganda | omutuuze | ||
| Sepedi | modudi | ||
| Twi (Akan) | manba | ||
Citizen in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | مواطن | ||
| The word "مواطن" in Arabic is derived from the root "وطن," which means "homeland" or "place of origin." | |||
| Hebrew | אֶזרָח | ||
| In Biblical Hebrew, the word "אֶזרָח" originally meant "an inhabitant" or "resident of a town". | |||
| Pashto | اتباع | ||
| The Pashto word "اتباع" can also mean "followers" or "dependents". | |||
| Arabic | مواطن | ||
| The word "مواطن" in Arabic is derived from the root "وطن," which means "homeland" or "place of origin." | |||
Citizen in Western European Languages
| Albanian | qytetar | ||
| The word "qytetar" ('citizen') derives from Latin "civitas" ('city'), while also being the root of "qytet" ('city') and "qytetërim" ('civilization') in Albanian. | |||
| Basque | herritarra | ||
| The word "herritarra" likely originates from the verb "erri" ("town"), as it denotes a person who belongs to a specific town or territory. | |||
| Catalan | ciutadà | ||
| The word 'ciutadà' is derived from the Latin word 'civitas', meaning 'city' or 'state'. | |||
| Croatian | građanin | ||
| The Croatian term 'građanin' originally denoted a city-dweller and has cognates in many Slavic languages. | |||
| Danish | borger | ||
| The word "borger" in Danish is derived from the Old Norse word "býrgarr", which means "one who lives in a town or city." | |||
| Dutch | inwoner | ||
| Dutch word "inwoner" literally means an "inner dweller" or a "dweller". | |||
| English | citizen | ||
| The word 'citizen' derives from the Latin 'civis', meaning an inhabitant of a city, and has connotations of urban life and civic rights. | |||
| French | citoyenne | ||
| The French word 'citoyenne,' meaning 'citizen,' derives from the Latin 'civitas,' referring to the citizenry. | |||
| Frisian | boarger | ||
| In East Frisian, 'boarger' also means 'peasant' or 'farmer' | |||
| Galician | cidadán | ||
| In Galician, "cidadán" has an alternate meaning referring to a member of a rural community, similar to the English "countryman". | |||
| German | bürger | ||
| The word "Bürger" in German derives from the Old High German "burc" meaning "castle" or "fortified settlement", hence its original meaning of "one who lives in a fortified settlement". | |||
| Icelandic | ríkisborgari | ||
| The word 'ríkisborgari' literally means 'person of the realm'. | |||
| Irish | saoránach | ||
| Saoránach comes from the Irish word “saor,” meaning “free” or “noble,” and originally referred to a person of independent means. | |||
| Italian | cittadino | ||
| The Italian word "cittadino" (citizen) derives from the Latin word "civitas" (city), indicating the citizen's connection to their urban community. | |||
| Luxembourgish | bierger | ||
| The word 'Bierger' was originally used in Luxembourgish to refer to a member of the bourgeoisie, a class of wealthy and influential citizens. | |||
| Maltese | ċittadin | ||
| The Maltese word "ċittadin" is borrowed from the Italian "cittadino", which comes from "civitas" (city), from Latin "civis" (citizen). | |||
| Norwegian | borger | ||
| The Norwegian word "borger" is derived from the Old Norse "borgari", meaning "dweller in a town" or "townsman". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | cidadão | ||
| "Cidadão" derives from the Latin word "cīvis" that means "member of the state". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | saoranach | ||
| The Gaelic word 'saoranach' can also refer to a freeholder or someone who is not enslaved. | |||
| Spanish | ciudadano | ||
| The Spanish word "ciudadano" derives from the Latin word "civitas," meaning "city-state," and originally referred to urban dwellers who possessed certain rights and privileges. | |||
| Swedish | medborgare | ||
| The Swedish word 'medborgare' (citizen) derives etymologically from the words for 'with' (med) and 'castle town' (borg), as the rights of citizenship originally extended only to inhabitants of castle towns. | |||
| Welsh | dinesydd | ||
| Despite its etymology, 'dinesydd' (citizen) refers to all those living in an area, not just city dwellers. | |||
Citizen in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | грамадзянін | ||
| Bosnian | građanin | ||
| The word 'građanin' derives from 'graditi', meaning 'to build', so it originally meant 'homeowner' or 'builder' and only gradually took on its current meaning. | |||
| Bulgarian | гражданин | ||
| The word "гражданин" shares its root with "город" (city), which is reflected in its original meaning of "townsman". | |||
| Czech | občan | ||
| "Občan" in Czech does not only mean "citizen" but also "ordinary person" or "private person". | |||
| Estonian | kodanik | ||
| Kodanik shares its root "kod" with "kodu" (home), indicating a connection between citizenship and belonging to a place. | |||
| Finnish | kansalainen | ||
| The word kansalainen derives from the word 'kansa' meaning 'people'. | |||
| Hungarian | polgár | ||
| The Hungarian word "polgár" is a loanword from Latin civis through French "citoyen" and it can also mean "bourgeois" or "burgher" in some historical contexts. | |||
| Latvian | pilsonis | ||
| The word "pilsonis" is derived from the Old German word "burgison" which means "citizen" or "townsman". | |||
| Lithuanian | pilietis | ||
| The word "pilietis" (citizen) in Lithuanian ultimately derives from the same Proto-Indo-European root *pleth₂- as the English "plebeian". | |||
| Macedonian | граѓанин | ||
| "Građanin" is a loanword from Serbian and Bulgarian, where it means "city dweller". In Macedonian, it can also refer to a member of a community or a participant in a social or political movement. | |||
| Polish | obywatel | ||
| The term "obywatel" also carries the connotation of "commoner" and has historically denoted a subject of a monarchy. | |||
| Romanian | cetăţean | ||
| "Cetăţean" derives from the Latin "civitas" meaning "city" or "town" and the Slavic suffix "-ean". | |||
| Russian | гражданин | ||
| The word "гражданин" originates from the old Slavic word "град" meaning "city" or "fort" and denotes a person who is a member of a particular urban community. | |||
| Serbian | грађанин | ||
| In Serbian, "грађанин" (citizen) originated from "град" (city), implying a person's membership in an urban community. | |||
| Slovak | občan | ||
| The term "občan" in Slovak originally meant "dweller" or "resident" of a municipality, rather than a specific legal or political status. | |||
| Slovenian | državljan | ||
| The word "državljan" comes from the Old Slavic word "deržava", meaning "state" or "country". | |||
| Ukrainian | громадянин | ||
| The word "громадянин" is derived from the word "громада", which means a community of people. | |||
Citizen in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | নাগরিক | ||
| The word 'নাগরিক' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'नगर' (nagar), meaning 'city' or 'town'. | |||
| Gujarati | નાગરિક | ||
| 'નાગરિક' ('citizen' in Gujarati) ultimately derives from Sanskrit 'नगर' ('town'), signifying a person belonging to a town or city, later extended to mean 'citizen of a state'. | |||
| Hindi | नागरिक | ||
| The Sanskrit-derived word नागरिक "citizen" originated from the root word "नागर" (town), implying a person residing in an urban settlement or a town. | |||
| Kannada | ನಾಗರಿಕ | ||
| The Kannada word "ನಾಗರಿಕ" (nāgarik) has dual meanings: "citizen" and "civilized." | |||
| Malayalam | പൗരൻ | ||
| The word "പൗരൻ" can also mean "guest" or "a person who is not a native of a place" in Malayalam. | |||
| Marathi | नागरिक | ||
| 'नागरिक' (nāgarik) stems from 'नगर' (nagar) meaning 'city' and originally meant 'urban dweller' or 'city denizen' in Marathi. | |||
| Nepali | नागरिक | ||
| The word "नागरिक" in Nepali can be traced back to the Sanskrit word "Nagara", meaning "city" and originally referred to urban dwellers. | |||
| Punjabi | ਨਾਗਰਿਕ | ||
| The word 'ਨਾਗਰਿਕ' originally meant a city-dweller and was derived from the Sanskrit words 'nagara' (city) and 'vasi' (dweller) and also referred to the status of a person or group of persons that are legally recognized as belonging to a country, society, or state, usually by birth or naturalization. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | පුරවැසියා | ||
| Tamil | குடிமகன் | ||
| Telugu | పౌరుడు | ||
| The word "పౌరుడు" can also refer to a member of a town or city, a resident, or an inhabitant. | |||
| Urdu | شہری | ||
| The word "شہری" is derived from the Persian word "شهر" meaning "city" and denotes "one who belongs to a city" or "an urban dweller." | |||
Citizen in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 公民 | ||
| In ancient Chinese philosophy, '公民' meant people with moral integrity who participated in public affairs. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 公民 | ||
| The word "公民" (citizen) in Traditional Chinese was originally a term denoting a person who lived in a city that was directly under the emperor's control. | |||
| Japanese | 市民 | ||
| "市民" can also refer to "the general public" in Japanese. | |||
| Korean | 시민 | ||
| The Korean word "시민" (citizen) originally meant "one who lives in a city" and has since expanded to include all citizens of a country. | |||
| Mongolian | иргэн | ||
| The word "иргэн" (citizen) was originally also used to refer to a "commoner," who was below a prince's level but above that of a slave. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | နိုင်ငံသား | ||
Citizen in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | warganegara | ||
| The word "warganegara" in Indonesian is derived from the Sanskrit words "warga" (group) and "nagara" (country), indicating belonging to a nation. | |||
| Javanese | warga negara | ||
| The word 'warga negara' in Javanese can also mean 'native', 'inhabitant', or 'member of a community'. | |||
| Khmer | ពលរដ្ឋ | ||
| ពលរដ្ឋ is ultimately derived from Sanskrit, where it refers to a person's strength or power. | |||
| Lao | ພົນລະເມືອງ | ||
| Malay | warganegara | ||
| "Warga negara" is derived from Sanskrit and can also mean "a member of a state or community". | |||
| Thai | พลเมือง | ||
| The word "พลเมือง" is derived from Sanskrit and means "one who dwells in a city". | |||
| Vietnamese | người dân | ||
| Người dân derives from "người" (man) and "dân" (people), thus meaning people of the land. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | mamamayan | ||
Citizen in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | vətəndaş | ||
| The Azerbaijani word "vətəndaş" comes from the Persian word "vatan", meaning "homeland" or "fatherland". | |||
| Kazakh | азамат | ||
| The Kazakh word "азамат" derives from the Arabic "aziz" meaning "respected," but it also refers to a hero, warrior, or an elite cavalry unit. | |||
| Kyrgyz | жаран | ||
| The word "жаран" in Kyrgyz is derived from the Persian word "jarān" meaning "companion, comrade" or "inhabitant of a city". | |||
| Tajik | шаҳрванд | ||
| The etymological root of "шаҳрванд" is the same as the Persian word "شهروند" and it also shares a similar meaning. | |||
| Turkmen | raýaty | ||
| Uzbek | fuqaro | ||
| The word "fuqaro" in Uzbek originates from the Arabic word "faqīr" meaning "poor" and can also refer to a religious person. | |||
| Uyghur | پۇقرا | ||
Citizen in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kamaʻāina | ||
| The term 'kamaʻāina' is used to denote those of Hawaiian ancestry and those who have lived in Hawaii for an extended period. | |||
| Maori | tangata whenua | ||
| Tangata whenua is plural and refers to a group of people rather than an individual. It can also mean 'the people of the land', 'the indigenous people', or 'the landowners'. | |||
| Samoan | sitiseni | ||
| The word sitiseni can also refer to a commoner or a person of low social status. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | mamamayan | ||
| The root word 'mamamay' of 'mamamayan' means 'to bear' or 'to give birth to,' signifying citizens as the 'bearers' of the nation. | |||
Citizen in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | markachiri | ||
| Guarani | tavayguára | ||
Citizen in International Languages
| Esperanto | civitano | ||
| Esperanto's "civitano" is derived from the Latin "civis", meaning both "citizen" and "civilian", and also has a third meaning of "lay member of a religious order." | |||
| Latin | civis | ||
| "Civis" in Latin not only referred to citizens but also to members of a community bound by shared beliefs or goals. | |||
Citizen in Others Languages
| Greek | πολίτης | ||
| In Ancient Greek, 'politēs' referred not only to citizens but also to members of the city's community, including foreigners and slaves. | |||
| Hmong | pej xeem | ||
| The Hmong word "pej xeem" can also refer to a person who is married or has a family. | |||
| Kurdish | hembajarî | ||
| The word "hembajarî" comes from the Kurdish word "bajar" meaning "market" or "town" and the suffix "î" indicating a person or inhabitant. | |||
| Turkish | vatandaş | ||
| Vatandaş is also colloquially used to refer to a person from the same town or village | |||
| Xhosa | ngummi | ||
| 'Ngu' is the Xhosa equivalent of 'mu' in Swahili, and 'mi' in Shona, and means 'person of'. | |||
| Yiddish | בירגער | ||
| The Yiddish word 'בירגער' (citizen), derived from Middle High German, also means 'burgher' and 'city-dweller'. | |||
| Zulu | isakhamuzi | ||
| In Zulu, the word 'isakhamuzi' can also refer to a person who belongs to a particular community or nation. | |||
| Assamese | নাগৰিক | ||
| Aymara | markachiri | ||
| Bhojpuri | नागरिक | ||
| Dhivehi | ރައްޔިތުން | ||
| Dogri | शैह्री | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | mamamayan | ||
| Guarani | tavayguára | ||
| Ilocano | umili | ||
| Krio | sitizin | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | هاوڵاتی | ||
| Maithili | नागरिक | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯅꯥꯒ꯭ꯔꯤꯛ | ||
| Mizo | rammi | ||
| Oromo | lammii | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ନାଗରିକ | ||
| Quechua | llaqta masi | ||
| Sanskrit | नागरिक | ||
| Tatar | гражданин | ||
| Tigrinya | ዜጋ | ||
| Tsonga | muakatiko | ||