Ethics in Different Languages
Discover 'Ethics' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Ethics, the branch of philosophy dealing with values and morality, is a fundamental concept that transcends cultures and languages. Its significance lies in guiding our behavior and decision-making process, helping us distinguish right from wrong. Ethics is not just a theoretical concept but a practical tool that promotes social cohesion, justice, and individual well-being.
Throughout history, ethics has been a cornerstone of various civilizations, shaping cultural norms and societal structures. From the ancient Greek concept of 'ethos' to the Confucian 'ren' or 'benevolence,' ethics has been interpreted and applied in diverse ways across the globe.
Understanding the translation of ethics in different languages can provide valuable insights into how different cultures perceive and practice ethical values. For instance, the Spanish 'ética' shares the same root as 'ethos,' while the Chinese translation 'éthique' (éthique) reflects the influence of Western philosophy.
Explore the list below to discover how ethics is translated in various languages, and deepen your appreciation for the rich cultural diversity and shared humanity that underpins this concept.
Ethics
Ethics in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | etiek | ||
| Afrikaans adopted "etiek" from a Dutch variant and ultimately from Greek "ethos," meaning "character." | |||
| Amharic | ሥነ ምግባር | ||
| "ሥነ ምግባር" can also mean "morality" or "morals" in Amharic. | |||
| Hausa | xa'a | ||
| "Xa'a" is derived from the Arabic word "'aql," meaning "intellect" or "reason." | |||
| Igbo | ụkpụrụ omume | ||
| "Ụkpụrụ omume" can also refer to good character or virtue and is related to the word "ụkpụrụ", which means "custom", "tradition", or "law". | |||
| Malagasy | fitsipi-pitondran- | ||
| The term Fitsipi-pitondran- may be related to morality and justice | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | chikhalidwe | ||
| The word "chikhalidwe" comes from the verb "kuchikha", meaning "to make good" or "do good for" in the Nyanja language. | |||
| Shona | hunhu | ||
| In the Shona language, the word "hunhu" also means "good behavior" or "good manners". | |||
| Somali | anshaxa | ||
| The word "anshaxa" comes from the Arabic word "akhlaq", which also means "ethics", and is used in Somali to refer to both individual and societal moral principles. | |||
| Sesotho | melao ea boitšoaro | ||
| The word "melao ea boitšoaro" is derived from the root "-tsoara", meaning "to hold" or "to grasp", and the prefix "me-", indicating a place or state. | |||
| Swahili | maadili | ||
| The word "maadili" can also refer to "morals" or "values" in Swahili. | |||
| Xhosa | imigaqo yokuziphatha | ||
| The word "imigaqo yokuziphatha" can also refer to "morals" or "customs". | |||
| Yoruba | ethics | ||
| Ìwà is a related Yoruba word for ethics that refers to character and behavior. | |||
| Zulu | izimiso zokuziphatha | ||
| Bambara | taabolow | ||
| Ewe | sedziwɔwɔ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | imyitwarire | ||
| Lingala | bizaleli malamu | ||
| Luganda | eby'empisa | ||
| Sepedi | maitshwaro | ||
| Twi (Akan) | mmara | ||
Ethics in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | أخلاق | ||
| The word "أخلاق" in Arabic has an additional meaning of "virtues" or "good character." | |||
| Hebrew | אֶתִיקָה | ||
| אֶתִיקָה, from the Greek word "ethikos," meaning "moral," or "character." | |||
| Pashto | اخلاق | ||
| The Pashto word اخلاق originally meant “character, nature,” later gaining the sense of “ethics, morality.” | |||
| Arabic | أخلاق | ||
| The word "أخلاق" in Arabic has an additional meaning of "virtues" or "good character." | |||
Ethics in Western European Languages
| Albanian | etikën | ||
| In Albanian, the word "etikën" is also used to refer to moral conduct or virtue and is derived from the Greek word "ethos," meaning "custom" or "character." | |||
| Basque | etika | ||
| Basque "etika" comes from Ancient Greek "ethikos" meaning "moral" or "customary". | |||
| Catalan | ètica | ||
| Ètica, originating from the Greek word 'ethos', refers to the principles of right conduct and morality. | |||
| Croatian | etika | ||
| The Croatian word "etika" derives from the Greek "ethikos," meaning "pertaining to custom or habit" | |||
| Danish | etik | ||
| The Danish word "etik" stems from the Ancient Greek "ethikos," meaning "moral" or "character." | |||
| Dutch | ethiek | ||
| The word "ethiek" in Dutch is derived from the Greek word "ἠθικός" (ēthikós), meaning "moral" or "pertaining to character." | |||
| English | ethics | ||
| The word 'ethics' originates from the Greek word 'ethos', meaning 'character'. | |||
| French | éthique | ||
| The word "éthique" in French derives from the Greek word "êthos", meaning "character" or "custom". | |||
| Frisian | etyk | ||
| The Frisian word 'etyk' can also refer to 'law' and 'morals'. | |||
| Galician | ética | ||
| The Galician word "ética" not only means "ethics", but can also refer to a "rule" or a "precept." | |||
| German | ethik | ||
| Derived from Greek 'ethos' (character), it can also refer to customs or social behavior (plural 'Ethiken'). | |||
| Icelandic | siðareglur | ||
| Siðareglur originally signified 'custom' which referred to a code of right behaviour within a specific society or tribe. | |||
| Irish | eitic | ||
| The word 'eitic' can also refer to 'law' or 'rule' in Irish. | |||
| Italian | etica | ||
| The Italian word 'etica' is also a synonym of 'moral theology', and comes from the Latin 'ethicus' (ethical), which in turn comes from the Greek 'ēthikós' (moral, ethical). | |||
| Luxembourgish | ethik | ||
| Ethik (German), ethik (French) | |||
| Maltese | etika | ||
| "Etika" derives from Greek "ethos" (character, moral nature), and is not related to the Maltese "etika" (ticket). | |||
| Norwegian | etikk | ||
| 'Etikk' can also mean 'étiquette' or 'manners' borrowed from French. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | ética | ||
| The Portuguese word "ética" comes from the Greek "ethikos", meaning "moral" or "character." | |||
| Scots Gaelic | beusachd | ||
| Beusachd is related to the Irish word `buaidhseach`, which means `courtesy` or `good manners`. It is also related to the Welsh word `buchedd`, which means `life`. | |||
| Spanish | ética | ||
| The Spanish word "ética" comes from the Greek word "ethos," meaning "character" or "custom." | |||
| Swedish | etik | ||
| The word 'etik' has been used in Sweden since the early 19th century, and is derived from the German word 'Ethik'. | |||
| Welsh | moeseg | ||
| Moeseg is derived from the Greek word "ethikos," which means "moral" or "character." | |||
Ethics in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | этыка | ||
| The word "этыка" in Belarusian originates from the Greek word "ēthikós", meaning "moral". | |||
| Bosnian | etika | ||
| The Bosnian word 'etika' is derived from the Greek 'ēthikē', meaning 'morality' or 'custom'. It has been used in Bosnian since the 16th century, where it has also acquired a broader meaning of 'culture'. | |||
| Bulgarian | етика | ||
| The Bulgarian word "етика" derives from the Greek "ethos" meaning "character" or "custom." | |||
| Czech | etika | ||
| In Czech, "etika" also refers to the philosophical study of morality. | |||
| Estonian | eetika | ||
| In Estonian, "eetika" comes from the Greek word "ethikos," which means "pertaining to character." | |||
| Finnish | etiikka | ||
| The Finnish word 'etiikka' is derived from the Greek word 'ēthos', meaning 'custom, habit, character'. | |||
| Hungarian | etika | ||
| The word "etika" originates from the Greek word "ethikos", meaning "moral". In Hungarian, it retains its original meaning and refers to the branch of philosophy dealing with moral principles and values. | |||
| Latvian | ētika | ||
| In Latvian, "ētika" derives from the Greek "ethikos" (morally right), relating to customs, character, and habits. | |||
| Lithuanian | etika | ||
| Etika (ethics) in Lithuanian also refers to a type of traditional Lithuanian folk music known as "sutartinės". | |||
| Macedonian | етика | ||
| The word "етика" in Macedonian is derived from the Ancient Greek word "ήθος" (êthos), which means "character" or "custom." | |||
| Polish | etyka | ||
| In Polish, "etyka" comes from the Greek word "ethos", meaning "character" or "disposition" | |||
| Romanian | etică | ||
| The Romanian word 'etică' comes from the Greek word 'ethos,' which refers to moral values, character, and disposition. | |||
| Russian | этика | ||
| "Этика" comes from the ancient Greek word "ethos", meaning "character," and refers to the study of right and wrong in human behavior. | |||
| Serbian | етика | ||
| In Serbian, "етика" also means "theory of moral obligation". | |||
| Slovak | etika | ||
| The term "etika" in Slovak stems from the French "éthique", ultimately deriving from the Latin "ethica" and Greek "ethos" (character, customs). | |||
| Slovenian | etiko | ||
| The term "etiko" is used to refer to the discipline of ethics or the principles of morality, as well as the rules or standards governing conduct. | |||
| Ukrainian | етики | ||
| Ukrainian "етики" originally meant "logic" (from Ancient Greek), but now means "ethics". | |||
Ethics in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | নীতিশাস্ত্র | ||
| নীতিশাস্ত্র (nītiśāstra) translates to 'principles of behaviour', and is also related to the word 'policy' in English, both of which have roots in the Greek word 'polis' meaning 'city'. | |||
| Gujarati | નીતિશાસ્ત્ર | ||
| The Gujarati word "nītiśāstra" can also mean "morality" or "the science of conduct," which encompasses ideas about right and wrong behavior. | |||
| Hindi | आचार विचार | ||
| Derived from Sanskrit (आचार: conduct, विचार: thought), the term 'आचार विचार' not only denotes 'ethics', but also implies introspection and deliberation on one's own conduct. | |||
| Kannada | ನೀತಿಶಾಸ್ತ್ರ | ||
| ನೀತಿಶಾಸ್ತ್ರ (nītiśāstra) derives from the Sanskrit नीतिशास्त्र (nītiśāstra) meaning "science of conduct" or "science of right conduct". | |||
| Malayalam | നീതിശാസ്ത്രം | ||
| The term 'നീതിശാസ്ത്രം' (Ethics) originates from the ancient Greek word, 'ἠθική' (Ethics), referring to moral virtues or proper behaviour. | |||
| Marathi | नीतिशास्त्र | ||
| The word "नीतिशास्त्र" also means "good governance" in Marathi. | |||
| Nepali | नैतिकता | ||
| The word "नैतिकता" (naitikata) is derived from the Sanskrit word "nīti", which means "moral conduct" or "righteousness". | |||
| Punjabi | ਨੈਤਿਕਤਾ | ||
| "ਨੈਤਿਕਤਾ" also translates to morality, morals, and the principles of conduct governing an individual or a group. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ආචාර ධර්ම | ||
| The word "ආචාර ධර්ම" derives from the Sanskrit words "आचार" (action) and "धर्म" (law) and can also refer to "conduct" or "custom". | |||
| Tamil | நெறிமுறைகள் | ||
| The Tamil word "நெறிமுறைகள்" derives from the Sanskrit root "nīti", meaning "conduct" or "discipline", and shares a common etymological origin with "ethics" in English. | |||
| Telugu | నీతి | ||
| The word "నీతి" in Telugu shares its origin with the Sanskrit word "nīti" meaning "conduct, behavior, or rule of conduct". | |||
| Urdu | اخلاقیات | ||
| This word can have an alternate meaning as "morals". The word can also be used to describe behavior that is good from a moral standpoint, or the study of that behavior. | |||
Ethics in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 伦理 | ||
| 伦理 (lúnlǐ) is an umbrella term encompassing both morality and ethics (deontology, teleology, and axiology), which all focus on distinguishing actions as virtuous or otherwise, in addition to defining a specific morality based on a system of beliefs that can be applied to the actions that are taken by an individual or an organization. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 倫理 | ||
| 倫理(Lúnlǐ)最初指處理人與人之間關係的規範，後引申為處理各種事務的規範。 | |||
| Japanese | 倫理 | ||
| In Japanese, the kanji 倫理 ('ethics') can also mean social morality or human relations. | |||
| Korean | 윤리학 | ||
| The Korean word "윤리학" is derived from the Chinese word "倫理學", which in turn comes from the Greek word "ethikos", meaning "pertaining to character". | |||
| Mongolian | ёс зүй | ||
| The Mongolian word ёс зүй combines the words ёс (custom or tradition) and зүй (rule or law), which suggests that ethics in Mongolian culture are deeply rooted in social norms and customs. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ကျင့်ဝတ် | ||
Ethics in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | etika | ||
| The Indonesian word "etika" derives from the Greek word "ethos," meaning "custom" or "character," and can also refer to rules of proper conduct in everyday life beyond just philosophy. | |||
| Javanese | etika | ||
| "Etika" or "étika" in Javanese has the same etymological root with Sanskrit "iti" which means "thus", "this" or "like this". | |||
| Khmer | ក្រមសីលធម៌ | ||
| The word 'ក្រមសីលធម៌' is derived from Sanskrit and consists of three components: 'ក្រម' (order or law), 'សីល' (morality or conduct), and 'ធម៌' (virtue or righteous behavior). Therefore, its meaning encompasses established moral standards, rules of conduct, and principles that guide ethical behavior within a society or group. | |||
| Lao | ຈັນຍາບັນ | ||
| Malay | etika | ||
| The Malay word "etika" comes from the Greek word "ethikos", meaning "morals" or "character." | |||
| Thai | จริยธรรม | ||
| "จริยธรรม" derives from Sanskrit word "caria" (action, conduct) + "dharma" (law), and also means law, morality, justice. | |||
| Vietnamese | đạo đức | ||
| Đạo đức was originally a dualistic concept referring to "the way of virtue" and "the way of morality". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | etika | ||
Ethics in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | etika | ||
| The word "etika" comes from the Greek word "ethos", which means "character" or "custom". | |||
| Kazakh | этика | ||
| The word "этика" in Kazakh also refers to the concepts of "morality" and "good manners." | |||
| Kyrgyz | этика | ||
| "Этика" (ethics) comes from the Greek word "ethos", meaning "character" or "custom". | |||
| Tajik | ахлоқ | ||
| The word "ахлоқ" in Tajik is derived from the Arabic word "أخلاق" meaning "character" or "disposition." | |||
| Turkmen | etika | ||
| Uzbek | axloq | ||
| The word "axloq" also means "morals" in Uzbek. | |||
| Uyghur | ئەخلاق | ||
Ethics in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | nā loina | ||
| In Hawaiian, "nā loina" translates to "the intestines," and thus also symbolizes "the seat of morality." | |||
| Maori | matatika | ||
| Matatika shares a word root with a number of words meaning 'foundation' and 'structure', reflecting the core idea that ethics are essential to human life. | |||
| Samoan | amio lelei | ||
| The word 'amio lelei' in Samoan originally meant 'good behavior towards relatives', but eventually came to encompass ethical behavior in general. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | etika | ||
| In Tagalog, "etika" can also refer to etiquette or social norms, similar to the Greek "ethos" meaning "character" or "custom". | |||
Ethics in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | kunkini | ||
| Guarani | tekoporã | ||
Ethics in International Languages
| Esperanto | etiko | ||
| "Etiko" is also related to the word "ethic" or "ethical," which comes from the Greek word "ethos," meaning "character"} | |||
| Latin | ratio | ||
| "Ratio" in Latin can also mean a rational calculation, proportion, or account. | |||
Ethics in Others Languages
| Greek | ηθική | ||
| As a noun, the word ηθική can refer to “habits,” “character,” “usage,” or “custom.” | |||
| Hmong | kev coj zoo | ||
| The Hmong word "kev coj zoo" can also refer to etiquette, manners, habits, customs, rules of conduct, and morals. | |||
| Kurdish | exlaq | ||
| The term 'exlaq' in Kurdish, derived from Arabic, carries the connotations of both ethical principles and moral behavior. | |||
| Turkish | ahlâk | ||
| The Turkish word 'ahlâk', meaning 'ethics' or 'morals', ultimately derives from the Arabic 'khuluq' signifying 'disposition', 'nature' and 'character'. | |||
| Xhosa | imigaqo yokuziphatha | ||
| The word "imigaqo yokuziphatha" can also refer to "morals" or "customs". | |||
| Yiddish | עטיקס | ||
| The Yiddish word "עטיקס" is borrowed from the Greek word "ēthikós", meaning "moral" or "character-related." | |||
| Zulu | izimiso zokuziphatha | ||
| Assamese | নীতি | ||
| Aymara | kunkini | ||
| Bhojpuri | आचार-विचार | ||
| Dhivehi | ސުލޫކު | ||
| Dogri | धरम | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | etika | ||
| Guarani | tekoporã | ||
| Ilocano | dagiti etika | ||
| Krio | biliv dɛn | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ئێتیک | ||
| Maithili | नीति शास्त्र | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯍꯧꯅ ꯂꯣꯟꯆꯠꯁꯤꯡ | ||
| Mizo | nundan mawi | ||
| Oromo | safuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ନ ics ତିକତା | ||
| Quechua | etica | ||
| Sanskrit | सत्यनिष्ठा | ||
| Tatar | этика | ||
| Tigrinya | ስነ-ምግባር | ||
| Tsonga | matikhomelo | ||