Elderly in Different Languages
Discover 'Elderly' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Elderly
Afrikaans bejaardes | ||
Albanian të moshuar | ||
Amharic አረጋውያን | ||
Arabic كبار السن | ||
Armenian տարեցներ | ||
Assamese জ্যেষ্ঠ | ||
Aymara jilïri | ||
Azerbaijani yaşlı | ||
Bambara mɔgɔkɔrɔbaw | ||
Basque adinekoak | ||
Belarusian пажылыя | ||
Bengali প্রবীণ | ||
Bhojpuri बुजुर्ग | ||
Bosnian starije osobe | ||
Bulgarian възрастен | ||
Catalan gent gran | ||
Cebuano tigulang nga | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 老年 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 老年 | ||
Corsican anziani | ||
Croatian starije osobe | ||
Czech starší | ||
Danish ældre | ||
Dhivehi ދުވަސްވީ މީހުން | ||
Dogri बजुर्ग | ||
Dutch ouderen | ||
English elderly | ||
Esperanto maljunuloj | ||
Estonian eakad | ||
Ewe amegaxoxo | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) matatanda | ||
Finnish vanhukset | ||
French personnes âgées | ||
Frisian âlderein | ||
Galician anciáns | ||
Georgian მოხუცები | ||
German alten | ||
Greek ηλικιωμένος | ||
Guarani tuja | ||
Gujarati વૃદ્ધ | ||
Haitian Creole granmoun | ||
Hausa tsofaffi | ||
Hawaiian ʻelemakule | ||
Hebrew קשיש | ||
Hindi बुज़ुर्ग | ||
Hmong laus | ||
Hungarian idős | ||
Icelandic aldraðir | ||
Igbo agadi | ||
Ilocano natataengan | ||
Indonesian tua | ||
Irish aosta | ||
Italian anziani | ||
Japanese 高齢者 | ||
Javanese sepuh | ||
Kannada ಹಿರಿಯರು | ||
Kazakh қарттар | ||
Khmer ចាស់ជរា | ||
Kinyarwanda abageze mu zabukuru | ||
Konkani जाणटो | ||
Korean 노인 | ||
Krio ol pɔsin | ||
Kurdish pîr | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) بەتەمەنتر | ||
Kyrgyz карылар | ||
Lao ຜູ້ສູງອາຍຸ | ||
Latin senes | ||
Latvian vecāka gadagājuma cilvēkiem | ||
Lingala mobange | ||
Lithuanian senyvo amžiaus | ||
Luganda obukulu | ||
Luxembourgish eeler | ||
Macedonian стари лица | ||
Maithili अधेड़ | ||
Malagasy zokiolona | ||
Malay warga tua | ||
Malayalam പ്രായമായവർ | ||
Maltese anzjani | ||
Maori koroheke | ||
Marathi वृद्ध | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯑꯍꯜ ꯑꯣꯏꯕ | ||
Mizo upa | ||
Mongolian ахмад настан | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) သက်ကြီးရွယ်အိုများ | ||
Nepali बुढा | ||
Norwegian eldre | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) okalamba | ||
Odia (Oriya) ବୃଦ୍ଧ | ||
Oromo maanguddoo | ||
Pashto زوړ | ||
Persian مسن | ||
Polish starsi | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) idoso | ||
Punjabi ਬਜ਼ੁਰਗ | ||
Quechua yuyaq | ||
Romanian vârstnici | ||
Russian пожилой | ||
Samoan matutua | ||
Sanskrit पितृव्य | ||
Scots Gaelic seann daoine | ||
Sepedi batšofe | ||
Serbian старији | ||
Sesotho maqheku | ||
Shona vakwegura | ||
Sindhi بزرگ | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) වැඩිහිටි | ||
Slovak starší ľudia | ||
Slovenian starejši | ||
Somali waayeel | ||
Spanish mayor | ||
Sundanese manula | ||
Swahili wazee | ||
Swedish äldre | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) matanda | ||
Tajik пиронсолон | ||
Tamil முதியவர்கள் | ||
Tatar картлар | ||
Telugu వృద్ధులు | ||
Thai ผู้สูงอายุ | ||
Tigrinya ዓብዪ | ||
Tsonga mudyuhari | ||
Turkish yaşlı | ||
Turkmen garrylar | ||
Twi (Akan) mpanin | ||
Ukrainian літні люди | ||
Urdu بزرگ | ||
Uyghur ياشانغانلار | ||
Uzbek qariyalar | ||
Vietnamese hơi già | ||
Welsh oedrannus | ||
Xhosa abadala | ||
Yiddish עלטערע | ||
Yoruba agbalagba | ||
Zulu asebekhulile |
Etymology & Notes
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | In 1830, "bejaardes" referred to someone in a state of decline (physical/mental). |
| Albanian | The Albanian word "të moshuar" (elderly) comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *mus-, meaning "old" or "gray-haired". |
| Amharic | The word "አረጋውያን" is derived from the verb "ረገየ", meaning "to be old or mature". |
| Arabic | "كبار السن" (elderly) in Arabic literally means "large in age," with some sources suggesting it may have originally meant "large in tribe or clan." |
| Armenian | The Armenian word "տարեցներ" (elderly) is derived from the root "տարի" (year), indicating the advanced age and experience of those it refers to. |
| Azerbaijani | The word "yaşlı" in Azerbaijani is derived from the Persian word "yāl", meaning "age" or "old". |
| Basque | The word "adinekoak" in Basque means both "elderly" and "wise and experienced". |
| Belarusian | The Belarusian word "пажылыя" is derived from the Old Church Slavonic word "пажь" (servant) and originally meant "one who has served long and faithfully." |
| Bengali | The word "প্রবীণ" is also used to refer to someone who is skilled or experienced in a particular field |
| Bosnian | The word 'starije osobe' in Bosnian can also refer to 'ancestors'. |
| Bulgarian | The word "възрастен" also means "mature" or "adult" in Bulgarian. |
| Catalan | The Catalan term "gent gran" literally means "big people". |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 老年, 'old age', is also a philosophical term referring to the stage of life where one has gained wisdom and understanding. |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 老年 (Lǎonián) literally means "old year" or "old age" in Mandarin. |
| Corsican | In Corsican, "anziani" can also refer to "ancestors" or "forefathers". |
| Croatian | The word “starije osobe” literally means “older people” in Croatian. |
| Czech | "Starší" also means "comparative degree" or "elder (in relation to a younger sibling)". |
| Danish | "Ældre" is the Danish word for "elderly" and is derived from the Old Norse word "aldr" meaning "age" or "life span." |
| Dutch | The Dutch word "ouderen" is derived from the Old Dutch word "ôd", meaning "old", and originally referred to the elderly or aged. |
| Esperanto | The Esperanto word "maljunuloj" derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₃el- "to grow old". |
| Estonian | Eakad can also refer to a council of elders in the Estonian community, with eak means wisdom and -d means suffix for action or state. |
| Finnish | The word "vanhukset" in Finnish is derived from the Proto-Finnic word "vanha" meaning "old or ancient". |
| French | The French term "personnes âgées" also refers to the age category of "senior citizens", meaning individuals over 60 years old. |
| Frisian | The word âlderein is derived from the Proto-Germanic word *aldiz, which also meant "parent" and "ancestor". |
| Galician | The Galician term "anciáns" is derived from Latin "ante-cianus" which translates as "older than the mountains" |
| Georgian | The Georgian term მოხუცები refers to individuals who are advanced in age and are highly respected in Georgian culture. |
| German | Der Ausdruck 'Alten' ist eine umgangssprachliche Verkürzung von 'Altvorderen' und bedeutet 'die Älteren' |
| Greek | 'Ηλικιωμένος' can also mean 'adult', and it's related to the word 'ήλικα' ('age'). |
| Gujarati | The word “વૃદ્ધ” also means “one who is grown in wisdom or experience” in Sanskrit. |
| Haitian Creole | Granmoun is borrowed from French "grand-mont" (large mountain) and colloquially refers to someone who walks with a hunch. |
| Hausa | Tsofaffi is a Hausa word that can also mean 'ancient' or 'long-standing'. |
| Hawaiian | ʻElemakule also means chief or expert in the Hawaiian language. |
| Hebrew | "קשיש" (elderly) comes from the Hebrew word "קשה" (difficult), referring to the physical limitations of old age. |
| Hindi | The word "बुज़ुर्ग" in Hindi originates from the Persian word "buzurg", meaning "great" or "respected". |
| Hmong | The word "laus" in Hmong could either be a noun describing an elderly person or a verb meaning "to live long and well." |
| Hungarian | The Hungarian word "idős" also means "temporally" and is related to the word for "time" ("idő"). |
| Icelandic | Aldraðir (elderly) is derived from aldur (age) + the suffix -aðir, which indicates a quality or state, and originally meant 'of age'. |
| Igbo | The word "agadi" in Igbo is also used to describe a person of great wisdom and experience. |
| Indonesian | "Tua" can also mean "senior" or "elder" in a respectful or formal context. |
| Irish | The word 'aosta' can also mean 'venerated' or 'honored', and is related to the word 'aos', meaning 'people' or 'folk'. |
| Italian | The Italian word "anziani" is the plural of "anziano" which comes from the Latin word for elderly, which is "antianus". |
| Japanese | The term "高齢者" was coined in the late 19th century by a Japanese scholar who was inspired by the German word "Altersträger". |
| Javanese | The word "sepuh" in Javanese also means "ancestor" |
| Kannada | The word "ಹಿರಿಯರು" also refers to revered, respected, or senior figures in a community or family. |
| Kazakh | The word "қарттар" can also mean "old people" or "ancestors". |
| Khmer | The word "ចាស់ជរា" can also refer to a person who is old and venerable, especially in the context of religious or cultural practices. |
| Korean | 노인 is also used to refer to the ancestors and, specifically, the deceased father. |
| Kurdish | "Pîr" (elder, old) has multiple meanings in Kurdish. It can also refer to a teacher or a spiritual leader, or it can be used to describe something that is old or ancient. |
| Kyrgyz | The word "карылар" can also refer to "old people" or "ancestors" in Kyrgyz. |
| Latin | The Latin word "senes" is also used in plural when referring to a legislative assembly of old people in Ancient Greece or Ancient Rome. |
| Latvian | Latvian 'vecāka gadagājuma cilvēkiem' ('elderly') literally means 'of a more aged stride' or 'of older years'. |
| Lithuanian | The Lithuanian word "senyvo amžiaus" literally translates to "of old age". |
| Macedonian | The word "стари лица" in Macedonian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*stari", meaning "old". |
| Malagasy | A word that is almost certainly derived either from the Arabic word 'sheikh' or (less probably) from Swahili 'mzee', both of which also mean 'elderly'. |
| Malay | The Malay word "warga tua" derives from the Sanskrit words "varga" (class or group) and "tua" (old). |
| Maltese | The word "anzjani" derives from the Arabic word "shāykh", meaning "old man" or "chief". |
| Maori | The term 'koroheke' may also refer to the 'koroheke', a native tree with distinctive bark. |
| Marathi | The word वृद्ध comes from the Sanskrit word "vriddhi", meaning "to increase" or "to grow", and can also refer to a senior citizen, an elder, or an old person. |
| Mongolian | The word "ахмад настан" can also refer to a person who is respected for their age and experience. |
| Nepali | In the context of kinship, the term "बुढा" can also refer to an uncle or an elder brother. |
| Norwegian | The word "eldre" in Norwegian comes from the Old Norse word "eldri", meaning "older" or "senior". |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | "Okalamba" can also refer to a revered elder or a wise person in Nyanja. |
| Pashto | The word "زوړ" in Pashto not only refers to elderly people, but can also indicate old age or antiquity, as in "old customs" or "antique furniture." |
| Persian | The word "مسن" (elderly) derives from the root word "سن" (age), which also connotes ripeness, maturity, and experience |
| Polish | Starsi in Polish can also refer to a 'starszy', or 'an older member of an organisation', and comes from the word 'starzec', meaning 'old man'. |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | In Portugal, "idoso" can also refer to a "retired person", while in Brazil it can refer to a "long-lived animal". |
| Romanian | The word vârstnici ultimately derives from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'to ripen'. |
| Russian | The word “пожилой” originally meant “lived” from the Old Russian “жити” and began to refer to an older age in the 18th century. |
| Samoan | Matutua can also mean 'ancestor' or 'grandfather' in Samoan. |
| Serbian | The word 'старији' (stariji) in Serbian has both a literal translation of 'elderly' and a more colloquial meaning of 'older sibling'. |
| Sesotho | Maqheku derives from the Sesotho verb "maqha", meaning "to speak," as elders were traditionally respected for their wisdom and knowledge. |
| Shona | "Vakwegura" also means "people who are born before you and have similar totems, regardless of their age." |
| Sindhi | The Sindhi word "بزرگ" is also used to refer to someone who is respected, an elder in age or wisdom. |
| Slovak | The Slovak word "starší ľudia" can also refer to older people or ancestors generally, including those who are not necessarily elderly. |
| Slovenian | The word "starejši" originally meant "older" or "senior", but is now used to refer to the elderly. |
| Somali | In Somali, 'waayeel' can also refer to the elders of a clan or lineage, and is used as a term of respect for them. |
| Spanish | In Spanish, "mayor" can also refer to a city official or a military officer. |
| Sundanese | 'Manula' also means 'ancestor' or 'elders' in Sundanese. |
| Swahili | In Swahili, "wazee" can also refer to ancestors or elders with wisdom and experience. |
| Swedish | In a 1725 dictionary, the word 'äldre' had meanings such as 'older', 'more advanced in years', and 'higher in rank'. |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | Matanda is derived from the root word 'tanda', which also means "mark" or "sign". |
| Tajik | The word "пиронсолон" is derived from the Persian word "پیرانسالون" which means "old person". |
| Telugu | The Telugu word "వృద్ధులు" can also refer to "mature" or "venerable" in a general sense beyond age. |
| Thai | The word "ผู้สูงอายุ" can also mean "senior citizen" or "the elderly". |
| Turkish | The word "yaşlı" comes from the Proto-Turkic word "yaş-, yaşa-," meaning "to live, to be alive." |
| Ukrainian | The word "літні люди" literally translates to "summer people". |
| Urdu | The word 'بزرگ' ('elderly') in Urdu can also mean 'great', 'important', or 'respected'. |
| Uzbek | The word "qariyalar" is derived from the Arabic word "qarya," which means "village" or "settlement." |
| Vietnamese | "Hơi già" is derived from the word "hơi," meaning "slightly" or "a bit," and "già," meaning "old" or "mature." |
| Welsh | The Welsh word "oedrannus" literally means "over the circle," referring to the idea of having lived a full life and completing the circle of existence. |
| Xhosa | The Xhosa word "abadala" can also mean "ancestors" or "forefathers." |
| Yiddish | "עלטערע" derives from the German word "altere" (older) and also means "parents." |
| Yoruba | The Yoruba word 'agbalagba,' while connoting old age or seniority, also implies venerability, wisdom, and the embodiment of cultural heritage. |
| Zulu | The Zulu word "asebekhulile" comes from the root "-sekhulile" meaning "old" and the prefix "a-" indicating a person or thing. |
| English | The word "elderly" is derived from the Old English word "ealdor," meaning "chief," "governor," or "commander." |