Afrikaans paartjie | ||
Albanian çift | ||
Amharic ባልና ሚስት | ||
Arabic زوجان | ||
Armenian զույգ | ||
Assamese দম্পতি | ||
Aymara chacha warmi | ||
Azerbaijani cüt | ||
Bambara cɛ ni muso | ||
Basque bikotea | ||
Belarusian пара | ||
Bengali দম্পতি | ||
Bhojpuri जोड़ा | ||
Bosnian par | ||
Bulgarian двойка | ||
Catalan parella | ||
Cebuano magtiayon | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 一对 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 一對 | ||
Corsican coppia | ||
Croatian par | ||
Czech pár | ||
Danish par | ||
Dhivehi ދެމަފިރިން | ||
Dogri जोड़ा | ||
Dutch paar | ||
English couple | ||
Esperanto paro | ||
Estonian paar | ||
Ewe srɔ̃tɔwo | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) mag-asawa | ||
Finnish pari | ||
French couple | ||
Frisian pear | ||
Galician parella | ||
Georgian წყვილი | ||
German paar | ||
Greek ζευγάρι | ||
Guarani ñemoirũ | ||
Gujarati દંપતી | ||
Haitian Creole koup | ||
Hausa ma'aurata | ||
Hawaiian ʻelua | ||
Hebrew זוּג | ||
Hindi जोड़ा | ||
Hmong khub niam txiv | ||
Hungarian párosít | ||
Icelandic par | ||
Igbo di na nwunye | ||
Ilocano agasawa | ||
Indonesian pasangan | ||
Irish lánúin | ||
Italian coppia | ||
Japanese カップル | ||
Javanese pasangan | ||
Kannada ದಂಪತಿಗಳು | ||
Kazakh жұп | ||
Khmer ប្តីប្រពន្ធ | ||
Kinyarwanda couple | ||
Konkani जोडपें | ||
Korean 두 | ||
Krio tu | ||
Kurdish cotik | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) دووانە | ||
Kyrgyz жубайлар | ||
Lao ຄູ່ຜົວເມຍ | ||
Latin duobus | ||
Latvian pāris | ||
Lingala mobali na mwasi | ||
Lithuanian pora | ||
Luganda abantu babiribabiri | ||
Luxembourgish koppel | ||
Macedonian двојка | ||
Maithili जोड़ी | ||
Malagasy mpivady | ||
Malay pasangan | ||
Malayalam ദമ്പതികൾ | ||
Maltese koppja | ||
Maori tokorua | ||
Marathi जोडी | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯃꯇꯩ ꯃꯅꯥꯎ | ||
Mizo kawpchawi | ||
Mongolian хосууд | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) စုံတွဲ | ||
Nepali जोडी | ||
Norwegian par | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) banja | ||
Odia (Oriya) ଦମ୍ପତି | ||
Oromo jaalalleewwan | ||
Pashto جوړه | ||
Persian زن و شوهر | ||
Polish para | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) casal | ||
Punjabi ਜੋੜਾ | ||
Quechua masa | ||
Romanian cuplu | ||
Russian пара | ||
Samoan ulugaliʻi | ||
Sanskrit युग्म | ||
Scots Gaelic càraid | ||
Sepedi bobedi | ||
Serbian пар | ||
Sesotho banyalani | ||
Shona vaviri | ||
Sindhi جوڙو | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) යුවළක් | ||
Slovak pár | ||
Slovenian par | ||
Somali lamaane | ||
Spanish pareja | ||
Sundanese pasangan | ||
Swahili wanandoa | ||
Swedish par | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) mag-asawa | ||
Tajik ҷуфти | ||
Tamil ஜோடி | ||
Tatar пар | ||
Telugu జంట | ||
Thai คู่ | ||
Tigrinya ፅምዲ | ||
Tsonga vumbirhi | ||
Turkish çift | ||
Turkmen jübüt | ||
Twi (Akan) awarefoɔ | ||
Ukrainian пара | ||
Urdu جوڑے | ||
Uyghur couple | ||
Uzbek er-xotin | ||
Vietnamese cặp đôi | ||
Welsh cwpl | ||
Xhosa isibini | ||
Yiddish פּאָר | ||
Yoruba tọkọtaya | ||
Zulu izithandani |
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | The Afrikaans word 'paartjie' is derived from the Dutch word 'paard', meaning 'horse'. Couples were originally referred to as a pair of horses harnessed together to pull a wagon. |
| Albanian | The word "çift" in Albanian has several etymological sources, depending on the region, some of which also share the meaning of "pair". |
| Arabic | It also refers to a married pair, and the number two in games like backgammon. |
| Armenian | The Armenian word "զույգ" (couple) also means "even" in the sense of a number that is divisible by two. |
| Azerbaijani | In the Azerbaijani language, the word "cüt" can also mean "pair" or "two pieces of something." |
| Basque | In Basque, "bikotea" literally translates to "two together," highlighting the importance of duality within the concept of a couple. |
| Belarusian | In Belarusian, the word "пара" can also mean "steam" or "pair of horses" depending on the context. |
| Bengali | Derived from the Sanskrit 'dam'- 'husband', indicating the traditional gendered relationship. |
| Bosnian | Bosnian 'par' means 'couple,' or 'equal' and comes from the Latin 'par,' the former of which is a contraction of 'paritas,' sharing a root with 'parts' as in 'separate.' |
| Bulgarian | The Slavic root of "двойка" also refers to division in two - e.g., in the word "двойник" (twin). |
| Catalan | The word "parella" also means "pair" in the sense of a matching set of two items, such as a pair of shoes or a pair of scissors. |
| Cebuano | The Cebuano word magtiayon (couple) is derived from the root word tiayon (pair or match) and the prefix mag- (together) |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 一对 derives from two tally sticks and refers to a single piece, rather than two. |
| Chinese (Traditional) | The word “一對” means “one pair,” and is used for matching items like chopsticks or shoes. |
| Corsican | In Corsican, "coppia" can also refer to a traditional bread roll. |
| Croatian | The word "par" originates from the Slavic root "*porъ", meaning "a pair" or "a yoke", and is related to the English word "pair". |
| Czech | Pár also means 'a few', similar to the French 'quelques'. |
| Danish | The word "par" in Danish can also refer to a team, a group of people working together, or a match or competition. |
| Dutch | In Dutch, "paar" can also refer to two things that match, like socks or shoes. |
| Esperanto | The word "paro" is derived from the French word "paire" which also means "couple". |
| Estonian | The word "paar" comes from the Proto-Uralic root *para, meaning "pair, two, or couple." |
| Finnish | The Finnish word "pari" can also mean "even" or "fair", and may be related to the Proto-Indo-European word "pareo" meaning "to join". |
| French | The French word "couple" can also refer to a verse composed of two lines, or a set of two objects that are connected. |
| Frisian | The Frisian word "pear" is a cognate of the English word "pair" and originally meant "a set of two". |
| Galician | In Galician, the word "parella" can also refer to a pair of oxen used for plowing. |
| Georgian | The Georgian word |
| German | "Paar" also means an odd number (i.e. any number not divisible by two). |
| Greek | ζευγάρι in Greek derives from the word ζυγός (zygos) meaning "yoke" & also refers to a pair of draft animals harnessed together |
| Gujarati | "દંપતી" is cognate with "dam-pat" of Sanskrit, meaning "one who protects the house (pat) and rules (dam) over it"} |
| Haitian Creole | The Haitian Creole word "koup" is derived from the French word "coup" which means "blow," or from the Wolof word "kubi" or the Serer word "kub" which both mean "family unit." |
| Hausa | The word "ma'aurata" in Hausa also refers to a pair of objects that are similar or complementary. |
| Hawaiian | The Hawaiian word ʻelua also means “two” and “both” and is cognate with the Tahitian ruah.”} |
| Hebrew | In Hebrew, the word "זוּג" can also mean "a pair of shoes" or "a span of oxen." |
| Hindi | The Hindi word 'जोड़ा' not only means 'couple', but also 'a pair' and 'a suit (of clothes)'. |
| Hmong | The word "khub niam txiv" can also refer to a pair of things, such as a pair of shoes or a pair of chopsticks. |
| Hungarian | The word párosít derives from the Hungarian word 'pár' (pair), which can also mean 'even', 'similar', or 'complementary'. |
| Icelandic | Par can also refer to 12 pieces of something, as in a dozen. |
| Igbo | The word "di na nwunye" in Igbo literally means "he is with a woman". |
| Indonesian | Pasangan can also refer to pairs or sets of something. |
| Irish | The word 'lánúin' can also mean 'a pair' or 'a team', and derives from the Irish word for 'full' |
| Italian | The Italian word 'coppia' is derived from the Latin 'copula', meaning 'link' or 'bond', and can also refer to a pair of physical or abstract entities. |
| Japanese | The word "カップル" is not native to Japanese, but rather comes from the English word "couple," with a pronunciation that has shifted due to transliteration into the Japanese language. |
| Javanese | The Javanese word "pasangan" has several meanings, including "a pair", "a match", or "a mate" |
| Kannada | The Kannada word "ದಂಪತಿಗಳು" can also refer to a pair of oxen used for ploughing. |
| Kazakh | The word "жұп" also has other meanings such as "pair", "even number", and "match." |
| Korean | The word "두" (du) in Korean can also refer to the number "two" or a pair of things. |
| Kurdish | Cotik also means 'marriage' or a 'married couple' in Kurdish. |
| Kyrgyz | The word 'жубайлар' can also be used to refer to two people who are married, but not necessarily in a romantic relationship. |
| Latin | Duobus is the dative and ablative dual form of the Latin numeral duo, meaning "two". |
| Latvian | The word "pāris" also means "pair" or "few" in Latvian. |
| Lithuanian | The word "pora", meaning "couple" in Lithuanian, derives from the Old Lithuanian word "para", meaning "pair". |
| Luxembourgish | In Luxembourgish, "Koppel" can also refer to a pasture or a leash for animals. |
| Macedonian | The word двојка ('couple') in Macedonian, meaning 'two', derives from the Slavic term 'двојъ'. Likewise, 'двойня' ('twins') has a similar etymology. |
| Malagasy | The word "mpivady" in Malagasy can also mean "partner" or "peer". |
| Malay | The word "pasangan" also means "a pair of something" or "a match." |
| Malayalam | In Malayalam, the word "ദമ്പതികൾ" can refer to any group of several people. It doesn't have to be a pair. |
| Maltese | The Maltese word for 'couple' is 'koppja' and is likely to derive from the Sicilian word 'coppia', which in turn comes from the Latin 'copula'. The word 'koppja' can also refer to a pair of scissors. |
| Maori | Tokorua is a compound word meaning 'two together', and can also refer to a pair of things or a group of two. |
| Marathi | The word 'जोडी' also means a measure of one and a half, similar to the English 'score' (20). |
| Mongolian | The word "хосууд" is also used to refer to a pair of animals in the same way as "хос". |
| Myanmar (Burmese) | The word “စုံတွဲ” can also mean a 'pair' or 'set' of things, such as a pair of shoes or a set of dishes. |
| Nepali | The word "जोडी" can also refer to a pair of animals used for breeding or a pair of playing cards. |
| Norwegian | In Old Norse, "par" referred specifically to a married pair, while "kjon" referred to any pair. |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | The word "banja" in Nyanja (Chichewa) is derived from the verb "kubanja" meaning "to join". It can also refer to a group of people or animals. |
| Pashto | The Pashto word "جوړه" (couple) is also used to refer to a "pair" of objects or a "set" of things. |
| Persian | The word "زن و شوهر" literally translates to "woman and man", highlighting the traditional gender roles associated with marriage in Persian culture. |
| Polish | The word "para" also means "steam" and is used in the context of cooking or industrial processes. |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | "Casal" can also refer to a small country farm or a married couple. |
| Punjabi | “ਜੋੜਾ” derives from the Sanskrit word “युग” (“yug”), and it can mean a “pair,” “era,” or “a period of time”. |
| Romanian | The Romanian word "cuplu" also means "a pair of oxen" or "a pair of horses used for pulling a plow", and comes from the Latin "copula" (bond, strap). |
| Russian | The word пара also means 'steam', as in a bathhouse. |
| Samoan | The word "ulugaliʻi" in Samoan is derived from the words "ulu" (head) and "galiʻi" (to join), and can also refer to a group of people or a gathering. |
| Scots Gaelic | "Caraid" also means "a friend" in Scots Gaelic, a similar meaning to the Latin "carus" from which it originates. |
| Serbian | The word "пар" originally meant "steam" and still has that meaning in modern Serbian. |
| Sesotho | "Banyalani" is a Sesotho word whose singular "motalana" means "one who is loved" or "lover." |
| Shona | In Shona, the word "vaviri" can refer to a pair, a group of two or three people, or a set of things.} |
| Sindhi | The word "جوڙو" (couple) in Sindhi can also refer to a group of two or more similar things. |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | The word "යුවළක්" is derived from the Sanskrit word "युगलम्" (yugalam), meaning "pair" or "couple", and can also refer to a pair of musical instruments or a type of ancient Indian verse. |
| Slovak | The Slovak word "pár" can mean "several" or "a pair of shoes" in addition to "couple". |
| Slovenian | The word "par" in Slovenian can also refer to a team of horses or oxen used for plowing. |
| Somali | "Lamaane" in Somali can also refer to a group of two animals or plants. |
| Spanish | In some South American countries, "pareja" also refers to a single person in a romantic relationship. |
| Sundanese | In Sundanese, 'pasangan' can also refer to a pair of objects, such as shoes or earrings. |
| Swahili | 'Wanandoa' also refers to a group of people traveling together |
| Swedish | In some contexts, "par" can mean either "an odd number" or "a group of three". |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | "Mag-asawa" comes from the Tagalog words "mag-" (together) and "asawa" (spouse), but it can also refer to a couple in a romantic relationship. |
| Tajik | The word "ҷуфти" can also mean "two of a kind" or "a pair of something" in Tajik. |
| Tamil | The word 'ஜோடி' also refers to a unit of measurement for pairs of objects in Tamil. |
| Telugu | The word "జంట" can also refer to a pair of animals, a group of people, or a combination of two things. |
| Thai | คู่ (couple) also means “a pair” e.g., a pair of shoes (คู่รองเท้า), a pair of chopsticks (คูาตะเกียบ), or a pair of scissors (คู่กรรไกร). |
| Turkish | The word "çift" originally meant "a pair of oxen". It also refers to the number "two". |
| Ukrainian | The Ukrainian word "пара" also means "steam" and shares Proto-Slavic roots with the English word "pair". |
| Urdu | The word "joṛe" (Urdu) comes from the Persian word "juz" meaning "part". Thus, "joṛe" can also mean "pair". |
| Uzbek | The word "er-xotin" in Uzbek comes from the Persian words "er" (man) and "xotin" (woman). |
| Vietnamese | The word "cặp đôi" can also refer to a pair of objects or animals. |
| Welsh | The Welsh word 'cwpl' originally meant 'yoke' or 'pair' and is related to the English word 'couple'. |
| Xhosa | The word "isibini" in Xhosa also means "a pair of things tied or fastened together" or "a pair of pliers". |
| Yiddish | The Yiddish word "פּאָר" can also mean "a few". |
| Yoruba | "Tọkọtaya" literally means "a man and a woman" in Yoruba, showcasing its focus on heterosexual relationships. |
| Zulu | In Zulu, 'izithandani' also means 'lovers' or 'sweethearts'. |
| English | The word "couple" has historically been used to refer to a pair of items, a bond, or a unit of measure. |