Father in Different Languages
Discover 'Father' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Father
Afrikaans vader | ||
Albanian babai | ||
Amharic አባት | ||
Arabic الآب | ||
Armenian հայրը | ||
Assamese পিতৃ | ||
Aymara awki | ||
Azerbaijani ata | ||
Bambara fa | ||
Basque aita | ||
Belarusian бацька | ||
Bengali পিতা | ||
Bhojpuri बाप | ||
Bosnian oče | ||
Bulgarian баща | ||
Catalan pare | ||
Cebuano amahan | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 父亲 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 父親 | ||
Corsican babbu | ||
Croatian otac | ||
Czech otec | ||
Danish far | ||
Dhivehi ބައްޕަ | ||
Dogri बापू | ||
Dutch vader | ||
English father | ||
Esperanto patro | ||
Estonian isa | ||
Ewe tᴐ | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) ama | ||
Finnish isä | ||
French père | ||
Frisian heit | ||
Galician pai | ||
Georgian მამა | ||
German vater | ||
Greek πατέρας | ||
Guarani túva | ||
Gujarati પિતા | ||
Haitian Creole papa | ||
Hausa uba | ||
Hawaiian makuakāne | ||
Hebrew אַבָּא | ||
Hindi पिता जी | ||
Hmong txiv | ||
Hungarian apa | ||
Icelandic faðir | ||
Igbo nna | ||
Ilocano tatang | ||
Indonesian ayah | ||
Irish athair | ||
Italian padre | ||
Japanese お父さん | ||
Javanese bapak | ||
Kannada ತಂದೆ | ||
Kazakh әке | ||
Khmer ឪពុក | ||
Kinyarwanda se | ||
Konkani बापूय | ||
Korean 아버지 | ||
Krio papa | ||
Kurdish bav | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) باوک | ||
Kyrgyz ата | ||
Lao ພໍ່ | ||
Latin pater | ||
Latvian tēvs | ||
Lingala papa | ||
Lithuanian tėvas | ||
Luganda taata | ||
Luxembourgish papp | ||
Macedonian татко | ||
Maithili बाबू | ||
Malagasy ray | ||
Malay bapa | ||
Malayalam അച്ഛൻ | ||
Maltese missier | ||
Maori papa | ||
Marathi वडील | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯃꯄꯥ | ||
Mizo pa | ||
Mongolian аав | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) ဖခင် | ||
Nepali बुबा | ||
Norwegian far | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) bambo | ||
Odia (Oriya) ବାପା | ||
Oromo abbaa | ||
Pashto پلار | ||
Persian پدر | ||
Polish ojciec | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) pai | ||
Punjabi ਪਿਤਾ | ||
Quechua tayta | ||
Romanian tată | ||
Russian отец | ||
Samoan tama | ||
Sanskrit पिता | ||
Scots Gaelic athair | ||
Sepedi papa | ||
Serbian оче | ||
Sesotho ntate | ||
Shona baba | ||
Sindhi پيء | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) පියා | ||
Slovak otec | ||
Slovenian oče | ||
Somali aabe | ||
Spanish padre | ||
Sundanese bapa | ||
Swahili baba | ||
Swedish far | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) ama | ||
Tajik падар | ||
Tamil தந்தை | ||
Tatar әтисе | ||
Telugu తండ్రి | ||
Thai พ่อ | ||
Tigrinya ኣቦ | ||
Tsonga tatana | ||
Turkish baba | ||
Turkmen kakasy | ||
Twi (Akan) agya | ||
Ukrainian батько | ||
Urdu باپ | ||
Uyghur دادىسى | ||
Uzbek ota | ||
Vietnamese bố | ||
Welsh tad | ||
Xhosa utata | ||
Yiddish טאטע | ||
Yoruba baba | ||
Zulu ubaba |
Etymology & Notes
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | In Afrikaans, "vader" can also refer to a godparent or ancestor. |
| Albanian | The Albanian word "babai" is thought to be cognate with the Slavic word for "grandfather" and may have originally referred to a paternal uncle. |
| Amharic | The word አባት "father" in Amharic ultimately derives from the Proto-Semitic word *ʾab-, meaning "paternal uncle". There is probably a relation to the root *ʾâb- "protect". The sense-shift from "paternal uncle" to "father" is also observed in many other languages such as Latin "pater", Greek "pater", and Arabic "ʾab" |
| Arabic | The Arabic word "الآب" can also mean "the origin" or "the beginning". |
| Armenian | Հայրը' (father) is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *ph₂tḗr, which also meant 'father' in other Indo-European languages. |
| Azerbaijani | The word "ata" in Azerbaijani is a homophone of the word for "horse" and can be used as a term of endearment for a respected elder. |
| Basque | The word "aita" ("father" in Basque) has been documented since 1179 and can also be used to address the sun, a mountain or an elderly man who is not necessarily a relative. |
| Belarusian | The word "бацька" originates from the Polish word "baćka", which originally meant "old man" or "grandfather". |
| Bengali | The word "পিতা" can also mean "origin" or "source" in Bengali. |
| Bosnian | The word "oče" can also refer to a godfather, a priest, or an elder in the Bosnian language. |
| Bulgarian | Some people believe it is related to |
| Catalan | The word 'pare' originates from Latin 'pater' and also has meanings such as 'parent', 'ancestor' or 'patriarch' |
| Cebuano | In some dialects, 'amahan' also means ancestor, referring to a family's oldest living member. |
| Chinese (Simplified) | "父" originally meant "a male parent" in ancient Chinese but became "father" in modern usage, while "亲" referred to "parents" in general and was later used to specify "mother". |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 父親 (father) was coined in the Han dynasty, composed of two characters: 父 meaning 'father' and 親 meaning 'close'. |
| Corsican | "Babbu" also means "grandfather" in some dialects of Corsican. |
| Croatian | The word otac has Proto-Indo-European roots, from whence it was inherited into Proto-Slavic and later into Proto-Croatian. |
| Czech | While the word "otec" is most commonly used to mean "father" in Czech, it can also refer to "source" or "origin". |
| Danish | The word "far" in Danish also means "color" or "hue". |
| Dutch | The Dutch word "vader" can also mean "perpetrator" or "offender", derived from the Old Dutch word "vadere" meaning "to go". |
| Esperanto | It derives from the Greek word "πατήρ" which also means "father" and is cognate with Slavic."отец" meaning "father" too. |
| Estonian | The Estonian word "isa" also has the archaic meaning of "lord" and is used in some compound words like "isamaa" (fatherland) and "isand" (master). |
| Finnish | Alternate meanings: 'lord' or 'owner', etymological connection to 'head' |
| French | The French word "père" (father) is derived from the Latin word "pater", meaning "protector". It can also be used in a figurative sense to refer to a mentor or spiritual guide. |
| Frisian | In many Frisian dialects, the word "heit" can also mean "grandfather". |
| Galician | The Galician word **pai**, although it originally meant "father", can also be used to refer to "godfather" or "uncle". |
| Georgian | The word "მამა" is the Georgian form of the Proto-Kartvelian word *mama, "breast", related to Armenian *mam, "chest, breast, mother", and Laz *mama, "breast, mother, aunt". This suggests that the original meaning of the word was "one who nurses". |
| German | The word "Vater" can also refer to "God the Father" or "a superior male being" in German. |
| Greek | The word "πατέρας" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*pəter-", which also means "protector" or "ruler". |
| Gujarati | The word "પિતા" (father) in Gujarati can also mean the guardian of a religious order. |
| Haitian Creole | In Haitian Creole, "papa" can also refer to an uncle, priest, or the godfather of a child. |
| Hausa | Derived from the Proto-Benue-Congo root *ubaa, "father." |
| Hawaiian | The name Makuakāne is said to have been applied to a father to indicate that he was an important member of the ohana. |
| Hebrew | "Abba, a term of endearment for father, is a child's first word in many languages, including Hebrew." |
| Hindi | The word 'पिता जी' in Hindi can also refer to a priest, a spiritual guide, or a respected elderly person. |
| Hmong | The Hmong word "txiv" can also refer to a maternal uncle and, with the classifier "tus," an elderly man. |
| Hungarian | The word "apa" in Hungarian also has the archaic meaning of "elder (male) sibling", and the colloquial meaning of "older man". |
| Icelandic | In Icelandic, the word "faðir" also means "grandfather" and is used in a formal or poetic context to refer to the paternal ancestor. |
| Igbo | The Igbo word "nna" comes from the Proto-Benue-Congo word "-na" and can mean "parent" or "father". |
| Indonesian | The Indonesian word "ayah" is cognate with the Malay and Javanese word, all deriving from the Sanskrit word for "father". |
| Irish | The Irish word "athair" derives from the Proto-Celtic "*ɸater-", also the origin of the English word "father". |
| Italian | The word "padre" can also refer to a Catholic priest or a mentor. |
| Japanese | In some dialects, お父さん can also mean "mother" |
| Javanese | In Javanese, "bapak" can refer to any respected adult male, including an uncle or older brother. |
| Kannada | The word "ತಂದೆ" is the Kannada word for "father" and comes from the Proto-Dravidian root word *tantai*, meaning "procreator". |
| Kazakh | In addition to its primary meaning as "father," "әке" can also mean "ancestor" or "forefather" in Kazakh. |
| Khmer | The word "ឪពុក" can be used to refer to both biological fathers and male heads of households, such as grandfathers or uncles. |
| Korean | The term '아버지' can also be used to refer to a respected or elderly male figure in general. |
| Kurdish | The Kurdish word “bav” (father) is also used to address an uncle or elder man out of respect. |
| Kyrgyz | The Kyrgyz word "Ата" also designates ancestors and spiritual mentors. |
| Lao | The word "ພໍ່" can also be used to refer to a male guardian or a respected elder. |
| Latin | In Latin, pater is also used to refer to various male deities, such as Jupiter or Mars, or to a senator. |
| Latvian | The word "tēvs" in Latvian is of Proto-Indo-European origin and is related to the words "táta" in Sanskrit, "πατήρ" (patḗr) in Ancient Greek, and "pater" in Latin. |
| Lithuanian | The word "tėvas" (father) is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *tew-, meaning "to produce" or "to create." |
| Luxembourgish | The word "Papp" is derived from the Old High German word "fater" and can also mean "pope" in Luxembourgish. |
| Macedonian | The word "татко" can also be translated literally as "dad" and is a term of endearment or respect. |
| Malagasy | The Malagasy word "ray" can also refer to an adult male, a lord, chief, or prince |
| Malay | In a Javanese context, "bapa" also denotes a teacher or guru. |
| Malayalam | "അച്ഛൻ" (father) in Malayalam comes from the Sanskrit word "अत्र", meaning "this" or "here," and may have originally denoted the physical proximity of the father to the child. |
| Maltese | "Missier" is derived from the Latin "dominus" (lord) and is also used as a respectful form of address to men. |
| Maori | The Maori word 'papa' means both 'father' and 'earth' or 'land', reflecting the importance of ancestral land in Maori culture. |
| Marathi | The term 'वडील' in Marathi is a respectful term for father, it can also refer to a religious leader or ancestor. |
| Mongolian | The Mongolian word "аав" (father) derives from the Proto-Mongolic word "*āba" with the same meaning, which in turn may have originated from the Proto-Sino-Tibetan word "*ap" meaning "relative". |
| Myanmar (Burmese) | The word "ဖခင်" can also refer to a paternal uncle, and is used as a respectful term of address for men who are older than oneself and socially superior. |
| Nepali | The Nepali word "बुबा" also means "elder brother" in some regions of Nepal. |
| Norwegian | The Norwegian word "far" is derived from Proto-Germanic *fadar, meaning "progenitor" or "leader" |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | The word "bambo" in Nyanja can also refer to a stepfather, uncle, or grandfather. |
| Pashto | "پلار" (father) is cognate with the term "پهلوان" (hero), denoting the role of a father as a protector and provider. |
| Persian | "پدر" also means "originator" in Persian. |
| Polish | The word "ojciec" also has a rare, antiquated meaning of "origin" or "creator". |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | The term 'Pai' can also mean a priest or a mentor in Portuguese. |
| Punjabi | The word "ਪਿਤਾ" can also refer to a teacher or a priest in addition to its primary meaning of "father" in Punjabi. |
| Romanian | The word "Tată" can also be used to refer to a priest or a godparent in Romanian. |
| Russian | The word "отец" derives from the Proto-Slavic word *оťьcь, which may have been a borrowing from Gothic atta ("father"). |
| Samoan | In Samoan folklore, 'tama' can also refer to the first-born child. |
| Scots Gaelic | The Gaelic word “athair” is related to the Welsh word “tad”, meaning “father” |
| Serbian | The word "оче" can also mean "teacher" or "mentor" in Serbian. |
| Sesotho | The word "ntate" can also be used as a term of respect for an older man or a person in authority. |
| Shona | The Shona word 'baba' can also refer to an uncle, a respectful way of addressing an older man, or a priest. |
| Sindhi | The Sindhi word "پيء" can also mean "ancestor" or "forefather". |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | The word "පියා" is derived from the Sanskrit word "पितृ" (pitṛ), which also means "ancestor" or "progenitor." |
| Slovak | The word otec is derived from Proto-Slavic *otьcь, which also means 'grandfather'. |
| Slovenian | The word "oče" is cognate with the Latin "pater" and Proto-Indo-European "*ph₂tḗr". In folklore, "oče" sometimes refers to a supernatural being associated with thunder and storms. |
| Somali | The Somali word "aabe" also means "pillar" or "support". |
| Spanish | In Spanish, "padre" can also refer to a priest or a close friend. |
| Sundanese | Bapa can also mean "male friend" or "senior person" in Sundanese. |
| Swahili | In Swahili, the word baba can also refer to an elder or a grandfather. |
| Swedish | The word "far" in Swedish can also mean "danger" or "risk". |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | "Ama" also means "master" or "employer" in Tagalog. |
| Tajik | The word "падар" is likely derived from Old Persian "pitar" meaning "father" or "protector". |
| Tamil | The word "தந்தை" in Tamil can also refer to an elderly man or to Lord Shiva. |
| Telugu | The word "తండ్రి" (tandri) in Telugu is derived from the Proto-Dravidian word "*taṇtar" meaning "ancestor" or "elder". |
| Thai | The Thai word 'พ่อ' (father) is also used as a respectful term of address for older men, similar to the English 'sir' or 'uncle'. |
| Turkish | Baba can also refer to a dervish's guide in Sufism or a religious leader in some Muslim communities. |
| Ukrainian | "Батько" is also a slang for "boss", and is sometimes used in Ukrainian organized crime. |
| Urdu | The word "باپ" also means an important or influential person. |
| Uzbek | The word "ota" in Uzbek also refers to an elder or wise person, denoting respect and authority. |
| Vietnamese | "Bố" also means 'fabric' or 'canvas' in Vietnamese. |
| Welsh | In Welsh, the word 'tad' can refer to either a human or an animal father, or to the male parent of a plant. |
| Xhosa | The word 'utata' also means 'chieftain' in Xhosa. |
| Yiddish | The Yiddish word "טאטע" is related to the German word "Vater", which also means "father". |
| Yoruba | The word "baba" also means "head" or "chief" in Yoruba, suggesting respect and authority. |
| Zulu | The word 'ubaba' in Zulu can also refer to a respected elder or a spiritual guide. |
| English | The word "father" derives from the Proto-Indo-European root "*pəter-," meaning "father" or "protector." |