Afrikaans burgerlike | ||
Albanian civil | ||
Amharic ሲቪል | ||
Arabic مدني | ||
Armenian քաղաքացիական անձ | ||
Assamese অসামৰিক | ||
Aymara civil ukankirinaka | ||
Azerbaijani mülki | ||
Bambara siwili ye | ||
Basque zibila | ||
Belarusian грамадзянскі | ||
Bengali বেসামরিক | ||
Bhojpuri सिविल के बा | ||
Bosnian civil | ||
Bulgarian цивилен | ||
Catalan civil | ||
Cebuano sibilyan | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 平民 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 平民 | ||
Corsican civile | ||
Croatian civilna | ||
Czech civilní | ||
Danish civile | ||
Dhivehi މަދަނީންނެވެ | ||
Dogri नागरिक | ||
Dutch burger | ||
English civilian | ||
Esperanto civila | ||
Estonian tsiviilelanik | ||
Ewe dumevi dzro aɖe | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) sibilyan | ||
Finnish siviili | ||
French civil | ||
Frisian boarger | ||
Galician civil | ||
Georgian სამოქალაქო | ||
German zivilist | ||
Greek πολίτης | ||
Guarani civil rehegua | ||
Gujarati નાગરિક | ||
Haitian Creole sivil | ||
Hausa farar hula | ||
Hawaiian kanaka kīwila | ||
Hebrew אֶזרָחִי | ||
Hindi असैनिक | ||
Hmong neeg peg xeem | ||
Hungarian polgári | ||
Icelandic borgaralegur | ||
Igbo ndi nkiti | ||
Ilocano sibilian | ||
Indonesian sipil | ||
Irish sibhialta | ||
Italian civile | ||
Japanese 民間人 | ||
Javanese wong sipil | ||
Kannada ನಾಗರಿಕ | ||
Kazakh азаматтық | ||
Khmer ស៊ីវិល | ||
Kinyarwanda gisivili | ||
Konkani नागरीक | ||
Korean 일반 민간인 | ||
Krio sivilian | ||
Kurdish sifîl | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) مەدەنی | ||
Kyrgyz жарандык | ||
Lao ພົນລະເຮືອນ | ||
Latin civilian | ||
Latvian civilais | ||
Lingala civil moko | ||
Lithuanian civilis | ||
Luganda omuntu wa bulijjo | ||
Luxembourgish zivil | ||
Macedonian цивил | ||
Maithili नागरिक | ||
Malagasy sivily | ||
Malay orang awam | ||
Malayalam സിവിലിയൻ | ||
Maltese ċivili | ||
Maori tangata whenua | ||
Marathi नागरी | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯁꯤꯚꯤꯂꯤꯌꯟ ꯑꯣꯏꯈꯤ꯫ | ||
Mizo civil mi a ni | ||
Mongolian иргэний | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) အရပ်သား | ||
Nepali नागरिक | ||
Norwegian sivil | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) wamba | ||
Odia (Oriya) ସାଧାରଣ ନାଗରିକ | ||
Oromo siiviilii ta’e | ||
Pashto ملکي | ||
Persian غیرنظامی | ||
Polish cywil | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) civil | ||
Punjabi ਨਾਗਰਿਕ | ||
Quechua civil nisqa | ||
Romanian civil | ||
Russian гражданское лицо | ||
Samoan tagata lautele | ||
Sanskrit नागरिकः | ||
Scots Gaelic sìobhalta | ||
Sepedi setšhaba sa setšhaba | ||
Serbian цивилна | ||
Sesotho e seng moahi | ||
Shona murwi | ||
Sindhi شهري | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) සිවිල් | ||
Slovak civilné | ||
Slovenian civilno | ||
Somali rayid ah | ||
Spanish civil | ||
Sundanese sipil | ||
Swahili raia | ||
Swedish civil | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) sibilyan | ||
Tajik шаҳрвандӣ | ||
Tamil பொதுமக்கள் | ||
Tatar граждан | ||
Telugu పౌర | ||
Thai พลเรือน | ||
Tigrinya ሲቪላዊ ምዃኑ ይፍለጥ | ||
Tsonga civilian | ||
Turkish sivil | ||
Turkmen raýat | ||
Twi (Akan) ɔmanfo a wɔnyɛ asraafo | ||
Ukrainian цивільний | ||
Urdu سویلین | ||
Uyghur پۇقرا | ||
Uzbek fuqarolik | ||
Vietnamese dân thường | ||
Welsh sifil | ||
Xhosa yoluntu | ||
Yiddish ציווילע | ||
Yoruba alagbada | ||
Zulu umphakathi |
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | The Afrikaans word "burgerlike" is derived from the Dutch word "burgerlijk", which means "civil" or "citizenly". |
| Albanian | The Albanian word "civil" can also mean "polite, courteous". |
| Amharic | The word ሲቪል can also mean 'polite' or 'courteous' in Amharic. |
| Arabic | 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". |
| Azerbaijani | The word "mülki" in Azerbaijani can also refer to the civilian administration of the military or to the civil service. |
| Basque | The word "zibila" in Basque comes from the Latin "civilis". |
| Belarusian | While its Russian cognate means 'citizen', the Belarusian word "грамадзянскі" relates to the broader concept of 'society'. |
| Bengali | বেসামরিক (বে + সাধার + ঈক = বেসামরিক) অর্থাৎ রাজনৈতিক বা সামরিক বিষয়ে নয়, সাধারণত শিক্ষিত, বিষয়বুদ্ধি সম্পন্ন এবং শান্তিপ্রিয় মানুষদের নিয়ে গড়ে ওঠা জনগোষ্ঠী। |
| Bosnian | Riječ 'civil' dolazi od latinske riječi 'civis' koja znači građanin. |
| Bulgarian | The term "цивилен" is used both to mean "military" and "civilian" in Bulgarian. |
| Catalan | In Catalan, "civil" can also refer to "courteous" or "polite." |
| Cebuano | The Cebuano word "sibilyan" can also be used to refer to a person who is not affiliated with any military organization. |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 平民, literally 'common people', is also used to refer to 'ordinary people' or 'the general public'. |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 平民 also means "common people" in Chinese. |
| Corsican | Corsican "civili" can also be used to mean "polite" or to refer someone's social status. |
| Croatian | In Croatian, the word "civilna" can also refer to a person who is not a military member or a police officer. |
| Czech | The word "civilní" can also mean "polite" or "courteous" in Czech. |
| Danish | 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 | In Dutch, "burger" also means "resident of a city or town" |
| Esperanto | "Civila" is related to "civito", which in turn is derived from the Latin word "civis", meaning "citizen". Thus "civila" can also mean "citizen". |
| Estonian | 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 | The Finnish word 'siviili' originates from the Latin word 'civilis', meaning 'of or pertaining to the state or citizens' |
| French | The French word "civil" (civilian) can also refer to politeness, etiquette, or civil law |
| Frisian | 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 | In Galician, "civil" can also refer to "courteous" or "polite" |
| Georgian | The Georgian word "სამოქალაქო" originally meant "civil" and was derived from an Arabic phrase meaning "belonging to the state". |
| German | The word "Zivilist" can also refer to a scholar specializing in Roman law and its history. |
| Greek | The Greek word "πολίτης" can also mean "citizen" |
| Gujarati | The Gujarati word નાગરિક (nagaric) derives from the Sanskrit word नागरिक (nāgarika), and can also mean 'urban,' 'refined,' or 'courteous'. |
| Haitian Creole | The Creole word "sivil" also refers to a man of color of low status, or a non-military man. |
| Hausa | The word "farar hula" literally means "white cloth" in Hausa, referring to the traditional white gown worn by non-military personnel. |
| Hawaiian | The term "kanaka kīwila" also means "native inhabitant" and refers to traditional Hawaiian people. |
| Hebrew | 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. |
| Hindi | 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. |
| Hmong | The word 'neeg peg xeem' can also refer to 'commoners' or 'non-soldiers'. |
| Hungarian | The word "polgári" evolved from the Medieval Latin term "burgensis" (town-dweller), and also signifies "civil" as in "civil engineering". |
| Icelandic | The original meaning of 'borgaralegur' was 'townsman', but gradually evolved to mean 'civilian' in Icelandic. |
| Igbo | 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). |
| Indonesian | The word 'sipil' is derived from the Dutch word 'civiel', meaning 'civil'. |
| Irish | Irish 'sibhialta' comes from Latin 'civilis', and can alternatively mean 'polite' or 'courteous'. |
| Italian | Civilization, politeness, good manners, urbanity are some alternative meanings of 'civile' in Italian |
| Japanese | The Chinese characters used in the word “civilian” (民間人) are also used in the word “folklore” (民間伝承). |
| Javanese | 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. |
| Kannada | The word 'ನಾಗರಿಕ' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'nagara', meaning 'city', and denotes one who belongs to a city or urban area. |
| Kazakh | The word “азаматтық” in Kazakh also means “generosity” and “bravery”. |
| Khmer | The word 'ស៊ីវិល' also means 'polite' or 'courteous' in Khmer. |
| Korean | 일반 민간인 uses the same characters as civilians from other languages, but it literally means 'regular civilian' in Korean |
| Kurdish | 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. |
| Kyrgyz | Жараңдык is a Kyrgyz word often mistranslated as "civilian"; however, its primary meaning is in fact "citizen". |
| Latin | The word "civilian" derives from the Latin word "civis", meaning "citizen". |
| Latvian | "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" means "noble" or "belonging to the state" in Lithuanian. |
| Luxembourgish | Zivil is also a slang term used for a plain, boring, or unremarkable person in Luxembourgish. |
| Macedonian | Macedonian "цивил” (civilian) is borrowed from French "civil" and Latin "civilis" (belonging to the citizens). |
| Malagasy | The word "sivily" in Malagasy is derived from the French word "civil" and can also refer to a government official or employee. |
| Malay | "Orang awam" literally means "common person" or "ordinary person" in Malay. |
| Malayalam | The Malayalam word 'സിവിലിയൻ' ('civilian') is derived from the Latin word 'civilis', meaning 'relating to citizens' or 'of the state'. |
| Maltese | The word "ċivili" is derived from the French word "civil", which in turn comes from the Latin word "civis", meaning "citizen". |
| Maori | Tangata whenua has other meanings including "people of the land" and "indigenous people". |
| Marathi | The word "नागरी" in Marathi can also refer to the Devanagari script, the script used to write Marathi and other Indian languages. |
| Mongolian | 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) | 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. |
| Nepali | The word "नागरिक" also means "citizen". |
| Norwegian | 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). |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | The word "wamba" in Nyanja also means "commoner" or "peasant". |
| Pashto | The Pashto word "ملکي" also means "belonging to or related to a particular country". |
| Persian | The Persian word "غیرنظامی" (non-military) is derived from Arabic and means "one who is not part of the military". |
| Polish | The Polish term "cywil" also denotes a layperson with no religious affiliation or a "civilian" as opposed to a "military" person. |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | "Civil" has the same etymological root as "civilized" and "city" in Portuguese. |
| Punjabi | 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. |
| Romanian | In Romanian, "civil" can also refer to politeness, civility, or manners. |
| Russian | 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. |
| Samoan | The term "tagata lautele" originally referred to commoners who made bark cloth, or "lautele" |
| Scots Gaelic | 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. |
| Serbian | The word "цивилна" in Serbian can also mean "plainclothes" or "non-military". |
| Sesotho | The term 'e seng moahi' can also refer to a non-combatant or a person not involved in the military, denoting their civilian status. |
| Shona | 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. |
| Sindhi | The Sindhi word "شهري" (shehri) originally meant "city dweller" and also applies to those who are not involved in agriculture. |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | In Sinhalese, the word සිවිල් (civilian) also has alternate meanings such as 'ordinary' or 'non-military'. |
| Slovak | Civilné also means "plainclothes" or "not having a uniform" in Slovak. |
| Slovenian | In Slovenian, "civilno" also means "polite" or "courteous." |
| Somali | The word "rayid ah" can also mean "innocent" or "blameless" in Somali. |
| Spanish | La palabra española "civil" tiene dos orígenes: "civis" en latín, que significa "ciudadano", y "civilis" que significa "propio de la ciudad" |
| Sundanese | Sipil in Sundanese can also mean 'soft' or 'flexible', possibly derived from the sound of something soft being touched or handled. |
| Swahili | The word "raia" also means "boundary" or "border" in Swahili. |
| Swedish | In Swedish, "civil" (civil) also means "refined" or "polite". |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | The word 'sibilyan' (civilian) in Tagalog is derived from the Spanish word 'civil' |
| Tajik | 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). |
| Tamil | 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 | The word "పౌర" in Telugu has an alternate meaning of "inhabitant of a city". |
| Thai | 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". |
| Turkish | In Turkish, "sivil" can also refer to a non-governmental organization or a member of one. |
| Ukrainian | The Ukrainian word "цивільний" can also mean "civil" or "secular", as opposed to religious or military. |
| Urdu | سویلین can also mean a suit or garment worn by civilians in Urdu. |
| Uzbek | The word "fuqarolik" can also refer to "citizenship" or "civics". |
| Vietnamese | The word "dân thường" is derived from the Chinese word "平民", which means "ordinary people" or "commoners". |
| Welsh | The word "sifil" can also mean "the people" or "the nation" in Welsh |
| Xhosa | The word "yoluntu" in Xhosa derives from the verb "yoluka," meaning "to be separated". |
| Yiddish | ציווילע also means "civies" or "plain clothes" in Yiddish. |
| Yoruba | 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 | The word "umphakathi" in Zulu can also refer to a group of people who have come together to form a community or society. |
| English | The word 'civilian' comes from the Latin word 'civilis', meaning relating to citizens. |