Civilian in Different Languages
Discover 'Civilian' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'civilian' is a cornerstone in our vocabulary, denoting a person who is not a member of the military or police force. Its significance extends beyond the definition, as it highlights the crucial role of ordinary citizens in a society. The term 'civilian' has been used to differentiate between those in uniform and those who are not, yet it embodies the importance of every individual's contribution to a community's cultural fabric.
Throughout history, the relationship between civilians and the military has evolved, with civilians often playing a pivotal role in shaping policies and advocating for peace. This relationship highlights the significance of the word 'civilian' and its cultural importance.
Understanding the translation of 'civilian' in different languages can provide valuable insights into how various cultures perceive the role of ordinary citizens. For instance, in Spanish, a 'civilian' is a 'civil' or 'no militar' person, while in German, it's a 'Zivilist.' In French, the term is 'civil,' and in Japanese, it's 'MINSEIJIN.'
Discovering the nuances of this term in various languages can enrich one's understanding of cultural differences and promote cross-cultural communication. Explore the list below to learn more about the translations of 'civilian' in different languages.
Civilian
Civilian in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | burgerlike | ||
| The Afrikaans word "burgerlike" is derived from the Dutch word "burgerlijk", which means "civil" or "citizenly". | |||
| Amharic | ሲቪል | ||
| The word ሲቪል can also mean 'polite' or 'courteous' in Amharic. | |||
| Hausa | farar hula | ||
| The word "farar hula" literally means "white cloth" in Hausa, referring to the traditional white gown worn by non-military personnel. | |||
| Igbo | ndi nkiti | ||
| Some say it's a contraction of 'ndi n'akiti' ('people of peace') while others posit 'ndi nkiti' is from 'nkiti' (a palm frond used to symbolize peace). | |||
| Malagasy | sivily | ||
| The word "sivily" in Malagasy is derived from the French word "civil" and can also refer to a government official or employee. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | wamba | ||
| The word "wamba" in Nyanja also means "commoner" or "peasant". | |||
| Shona | murwi | ||
| Murwi is an alternate spelling of murimi, which means "person who lives in a village". In everyday speech, however, it can mean someone who is not a member of the army. | |||
| Somali | rayid ah | ||
| The word "rayid ah" can also mean "innocent" or "blameless" in Somali. | |||
| Sesotho | e seng moahi | ||
| The term 'e seng moahi' can also refer to a non-combatant or a person not involved in the military, denoting their civilian status. | |||
| Swahili | raia | ||
| The word "raia" also means "boundary" or "border" in Swahili. | |||
| Xhosa | yoluntu | ||
| The word "yoluntu" in Xhosa derives from the verb "yoluka," meaning "to be separated". | |||
| Yoruba | alagbada | ||
| The word 'alagbada' in Yoruba, meaning 'civilian,' shares its root with the word 'agbada,' a type of flowing robe traditionally worn by Yoruba royalty. | |||
| Zulu | umphakathi | ||
| The word "umphakathi" in Zulu can also refer to a group of people who have come together to form a community or society. | |||
| Bambara | siwili ye | ||
| Ewe | dumevi dzro aɖe | ||
| Kinyarwanda | gisivili | ||
| Lingala | civil moko | ||
| Luganda | omuntu wa bulijjo | ||
| Sepedi | setšhaba sa setšhaba | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ɔmanfo a wɔnyɛ asraafo | ||
Civilian in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | مدني | ||
| The word "مدني" (madani) in Arabic can also mean "urban" or "cultured" and is derived from the root "م د ن" (m-d-n), which means "to settle" or "to build a city". | |||
| Hebrew | אֶזרָחִי | ||
| The Hebrew word "אֶזרָחִי" (ezrahi) is a loanword from the Persian word "ezrah" and also carries the connotation of "helper," referring to a member of a tribe's auxiliary corps. | |||
| Pashto | ملکي | ||
| The Pashto word "ملکي" also means "belonging to or related to a particular country". | |||
| Arabic | مدني | ||
| The word "مدني" (madani) in Arabic can also mean "urban" or "cultured" and is derived from the root "م د ن" (m-d-n), which means "to settle" or "to build a city". | |||
Civilian in Western European Languages
| Albanian | civil | ||
| The Albanian word "civil" can also mean "polite, courteous". | |||
| Basque | zibila | ||
| The word "zibila" in Basque comes from the Latin "civilis". | |||
| Catalan | civil | ||
| In Catalan, "civil" can also refer to "courteous" or "polite." | |||
| Croatian | civilna | ||
| In Croatian, the word "civilna" can also refer to a person who is not a military member or a police officer. | |||
| Danish | civile | ||
| The Danish word "civile" originates from the Latin word "civilis", which means "relating to citizens", and can refer to non-military affairs, law, and politeness. | |||
| Dutch | burger | ||
| In Dutch, "burger" also means "resident of a city or town" | |||
| English | civilian | ||
| The word 'civilian' comes from the Latin word 'civilis', meaning relating to citizens. | |||
| French | civil | ||
| The French word "civil" (civilian) can also refer to politeness, etiquette, or civil law | |||
| Frisian | boarger | ||
| The Frisian word "boarger" is cognate with the Dutch word "burger," which has a wider range of meanings including "citizen," "townsman" and even "sandwich." | |||
| Galician | civil | ||
| In Galician, "civil" can also refer to "courteous" or "polite" | |||
| German | zivilist | ||
| The word "Zivilist" can also refer to a scholar specializing in Roman law and its history. | |||
| Icelandic | borgaralegur | ||
| The original meaning of 'borgaralegur' was 'townsman', but gradually evolved to mean 'civilian' in Icelandic. | |||
| Irish | sibhialta | ||
| Irish 'sibhialta' comes from Latin 'civilis', and can alternatively mean 'polite' or 'courteous'. | |||
| Italian | civile | ||
| Civilization, politeness, good manners, urbanity are some alternative meanings of 'civile' in Italian | |||
| Luxembourgish | zivil | ||
| Zivil is also a slang term used for a plain, boring, or unremarkable person in Luxembourgish. | |||
| Maltese | ċivili | ||
| The word "ċivili" is derived from the French word "civil", which in turn comes from the Latin word "civis", meaning "citizen". | |||
| Norwegian | sivil | ||
| It is historically related to 'sivilt ekteskap' (civil marriage) which did not take place in church, which in turn is related to 'sivile stand' (civil status), which has a wider meaning in Norwegian than in English (being close to 'marital status', but also encompassing things such as having children outside marriage). | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | civil | ||
| "Civil" has the same etymological root as "civilized" and "city" in Portuguese. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | sìobhalta | ||
| The word 'sìobhalta' comes from the Gaelic word 'sìobhal', meaning 'to walk', and originally referred to a non-combatant who followed an army on foot. | |||
| Spanish | civil | ||
| La palabra española "civil" tiene dos orígenes: "civis" en latín, que significa "ciudadano", y "civilis" que significa "propio de la ciudad" | |||
| Swedish | civil | ||
| In Swedish, "civil" (civil) also means "refined" or "polite". | |||
| Welsh | sifil | ||
| The word "sifil" can also mean "the people" or "the nation" in Welsh | |||
Civilian in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | грамадзянскі | ||
| While its Russian cognate means 'citizen', the Belarusian word "грамадзянскі" relates to the broader concept of 'society'. | |||
| Bosnian | civil | ||
| Riječ 'civil' dolazi od latinske riječi 'civis' koja znači građanin. | |||
| Bulgarian | цивилен | ||
| The term "цивилен" is used both to mean "military" and "civilian" in Bulgarian. | |||
| Czech | civilní | ||
| The word "civilní" can also mean "polite" or "courteous" in Czech. | |||
| Estonian | tsiviilelanik | ||
| The word "tsiviilelanik" (civilian) is derived from the Latin word "civilis" meaning "relating to citizens" and denotes a person not belonging to the military. | |||
| Finnish | siviili | ||
| The Finnish word 'siviili' originates from the Latin word 'civilis', meaning 'of or pertaining to the state or citizens' | |||
| Hungarian | polgári | ||
| The word "polgári" evolved from the Medieval Latin term "burgensis" (town-dweller), and also signifies "civil" as in "civil engineering". | |||
| Latvian | civilais | ||
| "Civilis" means "belonging to a municipality" (a town or city) and may also be a nickname for someone who lives in a town or city. | |||
| Lithuanian | civilis | ||
| "Civilis" means "noble" or "belonging to the state" in Lithuanian. | |||
| Macedonian | цивил | ||
| Macedonian "цивил” (civilian) is borrowed from French "civil" and Latin "civilis" (belonging to the citizens). | |||
| Polish | cywil | ||
| The Polish term "cywil" also denotes a layperson with no religious affiliation or a "civilian" as opposed to a "military" person. | |||
| Romanian | civil | ||
| In Romanian, "civil" can also refer to politeness, civility, or manners. | |||
| Russian | гражданское лицо | ||
| The Russian word «гражданское лицо» comes from the Slavic word «град», which means «city». Hence, a civilian is a person who lives in a city. | |||
| Serbian | цивилна | ||
| The word "цивилна" in Serbian can also mean "plainclothes" or "non-military". | |||
| Slovak | civilné | ||
| Civilné also means "plainclothes" or "not having a uniform" in Slovak. | |||
| Slovenian | civilno | ||
| In Slovenian, "civilno" also means "polite" or "courteous." | |||
| Ukrainian | цивільний | ||
| The Ukrainian word "цивільний" can also mean "civil" or "secular", as opposed to religious or military. | |||
Civilian in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | বেসামরিক | ||
| বেসামরিক (বে + সাধার + ঈক = বেসামরিক) অর্থাৎ রাজনৈতিক বা সামরিক বিষয়ে নয়, সাধারণত শিক্ষিত, বিষয়বুদ্ধি সম্পন্ন এবং শান্তিপ্রিয় মানুষদের নিয়ে গড়ে ওঠা জনগোষ্ঠী। | |||
| Gujarati | નાગરિક | ||
| The Gujarati word નાગરિક (nagaric) derives from the Sanskrit word नागरिक (nāgarika), and can also mean 'urban,' 'refined,' or 'courteous'. | |||
| Hindi | असैनिक | ||
| The Hindi word "असैनिक" originates from the Sanskrit word "साणिक", which means "skilled in military arts", and its negation "अ-" indicates the opposite, i.e., a non-military person. | |||
| Kannada | ನಾಗರಿಕ | ||
| The word 'ನಾಗರಿಕ' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'nagara', meaning 'city', and denotes one who belongs to a city or urban area. | |||
| Malayalam | സിവിലിയൻ | ||
| The Malayalam word 'സിവിലിയൻ' ('civilian') is derived from the Latin word 'civilis', meaning 'relating to citizens' or 'of the state'. | |||
| Marathi | नागरी | ||
| The word "नागरी" in Marathi can also refer to the Devanagari script, the script used to write Marathi and other Indian languages. | |||
| Nepali | नागरिक | ||
| The word "नागरिक" also means "citizen". | |||
| Punjabi | ਨਾਗਰਿਕ | ||
| The word "ਨਾਗਰਿਕ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "nagar", meaning "city", and originally referred to a city dweller, as opposed to a villager or nomad. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | සිවිල් | ||
| In Sinhalese, the word සිවිල් (civilian) also has alternate meanings such as 'ordinary' or 'non-military'. | |||
| Tamil | பொதுமக்கள் | ||
| The term 'பொதுமக்கள்' ('civilian') in Tamil originates from the root word 'பொது' meaning 'common' or 'public,' signifying individuals who are not part of the military or other specialized professions. | |||
| Telugu | పౌర | ||
| The word "పౌర" in Telugu has an alternate meaning of "inhabitant of a city". | |||
| Urdu | سویلین | ||
| سویلین can also mean a suit or garment worn by civilians in Urdu. | |||
Civilian in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 平民 | ||
| 平民, literally 'common people', is also used to refer to 'ordinary people' or 'the general public'. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 平民 | ||
| 平民 also means "common people" in Chinese. | |||
| Japanese | 民間人 | ||
| The Chinese characters used in the word “civilian” (民間人) are also used in the word “folklore” (民間伝承). | |||
| Korean | 일반 민간인 | ||
| 일반 민간인 uses the same characters as civilians from other languages, but it literally means 'regular civilian' in Korean | |||
| Mongolian | иргэний | ||
| The word "иргэний" in Mongolian is derived from the Old Turkic word "ir", meaning "people", and has alternate meanings including "public" and "national". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အရပ်သား | ||
| The word "အရပ်သား" (arapthaw) in Myanmar (Burmese) originally referred to civilians living in towns and villages, but now also includes non-military personnel in government and other organizations. | |||
Civilian in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | sipil | ||
| The word 'sipil' is derived from the Dutch word 'civiel', meaning 'civil'. | |||
| Javanese | wong sipil | ||
| The word "wong sipil" in Javanese has two distinct meanings: a person who works in the civilian sector and a person who is not a soldier. | |||
| Khmer | ស៊ីវិល | ||
| The word 'ស៊ីវិល' also means 'polite' or 'courteous' in Khmer. | |||
| Lao | ພົນລະເຮືອນ | ||
| Malay | orang awam | ||
| "Orang awam" literally means "common person" or "ordinary person" in Malay. | |||
| Thai | พลเรือน | ||
| The word "พลเรือน" in Thai is derived from the Sanskrit word "pulinda", meaning "a barbarian". It was first used to refer to non-military citizens, and later came to mean "civilian". | |||
| Vietnamese | dân thường | ||
| The word "dân thường" is derived from the Chinese word "平民", which means "ordinary people" or "commoners". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sibilyan | ||
Civilian in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | mülki | ||
| The word "mülki" in Azerbaijani can also refer to the civilian administration of the military or to the civil service. | |||
| Kazakh | азаматтық | ||
| The word “азаматтық” in Kazakh also means “generosity” and “bravery”. | |||
| Kyrgyz | жарандык | ||
| Жараңдык is a Kyrgyz word often mistranslated as "civilian"; however, its primary meaning is in fact "citizen". | |||
| Tajik | шаҳрвандӣ | ||
| The word "шаҳрвандӣ" (civilian) in Tajik is derived from the Persian word "شهروند" (citizen), which in turn comes from the Arabic word "shara" (law) and "wand" (person). | |||
| Turkmen | raýat | ||
| Uzbek | fuqarolik | ||
| The word "fuqarolik" can also refer to "citizenship" or "civics". | |||
| Uyghur | پۇقرا | ||
Civilian in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kanaka kīwila | ||
| The term "kanaka kīwila" also means "native inhabitant" and refers to traditional Hawaiian people. | |||
| Maori | tangata whenua | ||
| Tangata whenua has other meanings including "people of the land" and "indigenous people". | |||
| Samoan | tagata lautele | ||
| The term "tagata lautele" originally referred to commoners who made bark cloth, or "lautele" | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | sibilyan | ||
| The word 'sibilyan' (civilian) in Tagalog is derived from the Spanish word 'civil' | |||
Civilian in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | civil ukankirinaka | ||
| Guarani | civil rehegua | ||
Civilian in International Languages
| Esperanto | civila | ||
| "Civila" is related to "civito", which in turn is derived from the Latin word "civis", meaning "citizen". Thus "civila" can also mean "citizen". | |||
| Latin | civilian | ||
| The word "civilian" derives from the Latin word "civis", meaning "citizen". | |||
Civilian in Others Languages
| Greek | πολίτης | ||
| The Greek word "πολίτης" can also mean "citizen" | |||
| Hmong | neeg peg xeem | ||
| The word 'neeg peg xeem' can also refer to 'commoners' or 'non-soldiers'. | |||
| Kurdish | sifîl | ||
| The word "sifîl" is derived from the Arabic word "sahîl" meaning "shore" or "coast", and also refers to the civilian population living in coastal areas. | |||
| Turkish | sivil | ||
| In Turkish, "sivil" can also refer to a non-governmental organization or a member of one. | |||
| Xhosa | yoluntu | ||
| The word "yoluntu" in Xhosa derives from the verb "yoluka," meaning "to be separated". | |||
| Yiddish | ציווילע | ||
| ציווילע also means "civies" or "plain clothes" in Yiddish. | |||
| Zulu | umphakathi | ||
| The word "umphakathi" in Zulu can also refer to a group of people who have come together to form a community or society. | |||
| Assamese | অসামৰিক | ||
| Aymara | civil ukankirinaka | ||
| Bhojpuri | सिविल के बा | ||
| Dhivehi | މަދަނީންނެވެ | ||
| Dogri | नागरिक | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sibilyan | ||
| Guarani | civil rehegua | ||
| Ilocano | sibilian | ||
| Krio | sivilian | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | مەدەنی | ||
| Maithili | नागरिक | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯁꯤꯚꯤꯂꯤꯌꯟ ꯑꯣꯏꯈꯤ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | civil mi a ni | ||
| Oromo | siiviilii ta’e | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ସାଧାରଣ ନାଗରିକ | ||
| Quechua | civil nisqa | ||
| Sanskrit | नागरिकः | ||
| Tatar | граждан | ||
| Tigrinya | ሲቪላዊ ምዃኑ ይፍለጥ | ||
| Tsonga | civilian | ||