Friendship in different languages

Friendship in Different Languages

Discover 'Friendship' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.

Friendship


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Afrikaans
vriendskap
Albanian
miqësia
Amharic
ጓደኝነት
Arabic
صداقة
Armenian
բարեկամություն
Assamese
বন্ধুত্ব
Aymara
masi
Azerbaijani
dostluq
Bambara
teriya
Basque
adiskidetasuna
Belarusian
сяброўства
Bengali
বন্ধুত্ব
Bhojpuri
ईयारी
Bosnian
prijateljstvo
Bulgarian
приятелство
Catalan
amistat
Cebuano
panaghigalaay
Chinese (Simplified)
友谊
Chinese (Traditional)
友誼
Corsican
amicizia
Croatian
prijateljstvo
Czech
přátelství
Danish
venskab
Dhivehi
ރަހުމަތްތެރިކަން
Dogri
दोस्ती
Dutch
vriendschap
English
friendship
Esperanto
amikeco
Estonian
sõprus
Ewe
xɔlɔ̃wɔwɔ
Filipino (Tagalog)
pagkakaibigan
Finnish
ystävyys
French
relation amicale
Frisian
freonskip
Galician
amizade
Georgian
მეგობრობა
German
freundschaft
Greek
φιλία
Guarani
tekoayhu
Gujarati
મિત્રતા
Haitian Creole
amitye
Hausa
abota
Hawaiian
aloha
Hebrew
חֲבֵרוּת
Hindi
मित्रता
Hmong
kev ua phooj ywg
Hungarian
barátság
Icelandic
vinátta
Igbo
ọbụbụenyi
Ilocano
pannakigayyem
Indonesian
persahabatan
Irish
cairdeas
Italian
amicizia
Japanese
友情
Javanese
kekancan
Kannada
ಸ್ನೇಹಕ್ಕಾಗಿ
Kazakh
достық
Khmer
មិត្តភាព
Kinyarwanda
ubucuti
Konkani
इश्टागत
Korean
우정
Krio
padi biznɛs
Kurdish
dostî
Kurdish (Sorani)
هاوڕێیەتی
Kyrgyz
достук
Lao
ມິດຕະພາບ
Latin
amicitia
Latvian
draudzība
Lingala
boninga
Lithuanian
draugystė
Luganda
omukwaano
Luxembourgish
frëndschaft
Macedonian
пријателство
Maithili
मित्रता
Malagasy
namana
Malay
persahabatan
Malayalam
സൗഹൃദം
Maltese
ħbiberija
Maori
whakahoahoa
Marathi
मैत्री
Meiteilon (Manipuri)
ꯃꯔꯨꯞ ꯃꯄꯥꯡꯒꯤ ꯑꯣꯏꯕ ꯃꯔꯤ
Mizo
inthianthatna
Mongolian
нөхөрлөл
Myanmar (Burmese)
ချစ်သူ
Nepali
मित्रता
Norwegian
vennskap
Nyanja (Chichewa)
ubwenzi
Odia (Oriya)
ବନ୍ଧୁତା
Oromo
hiriyummaa
Pashto
ملګرتیا
Persian
دوستی
Polish
przyjaźń
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil)
amizade
Punjabi
ਦੋਸਤੀ
Quechua
runa kuyay
Romanian
prietenie
Russian
дружба
Samoan
faigauo
Sanskrit
मित्रता
Scots Gaelic
càirdeas
Sepedi
segwera
Serbian
пријатељство
Sesotho
setswalle
Shona
ushamwari
Sindhi
دوستي
Sinhala (Sinhalese)
මිත්රත්වය
Slovak
priateľstvo
Slovenian
prijateljstvo
Somali
saaxiibtinimo
Spanish
amistad
Sundanese
sosobatan
Swahili
urafiki
Swedish
vänskap
Tagalog (Filipino)
pagkakaibigan
Tajik
дӯстӣ
Tamil
நட்பு
Tatar
дуслык
Telugu
స్నేహం
Thai
มิตรภาพ
Tigrinya
ምሕዝነት
Tsonga
vunghana
Turkish
dostluk
Turkmen
dostluk
Twi (Akan)
ayɔnkoyɛ
Ukrainian
дружба
Urdu
دوستی
Uyghur
دوستلۇق
Uzbek
do'stlik
Vietnamese
hữu nghị
Welsh
cyfeillgarwch
Xhosa
ubuhlobo
Yiddish
פרענדשיפּ
Yoruba
ore
Zulu
ubungani

Etymology & Notes

LanguageEtymology / Notes
AfrikaansVriendskap also means friendly relations between countries or groups.
AlbanianMiqësia comes from the Greek for 'mixture', highlighting a deep bond between friends.
Amharic"ጓደኝነት" is also used to refer to a bond of blood brotherhood that requires the participants to share a meal, exchange crosses as a sign of the relationship, and perform other rituals.
ArabicThe word "صداقة" is derived from the root word "صد" meaning "sincerity, truthfulness".
ArmenianEtymology: Old Armenian "barēkagn"; also related to "bar"+ "ērkanel" ("good"+ "take care of") and the name "barēkam" ("kinship").
AzerbaijaniThe Azeri word “dostluq” (meaning "friendship") is related to the Turkic verb "dostamaq," meaning "to make someone one's friend."
Basque"Adiskidetasuna" means "friendship" in Basque, deriving from the word "bide" (way) and the suffix "-tasuna" (state), referring to shared paths and experiences.
Belarusian"Сяброўства" is based on the Old Slavonic word "съборъ", meaning "community", "gathering".
Bengaliবন্ধুত্ব originates from the Sanskrit word 'bandhu,' which signifies a 'kinship bond' and 'affectionate relationship' between individuals beyond familial ties.
BosnianThe Bosnian word "prijateljstvo" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "prijatele" which means "friend".
BulgarianThe word "приятелство" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *prijatelь, meaning "friend" or "companion".
CatalanAmistat, Catalan for 'friendship', can also refer to 'alliance' or 'affinity'
CebuanoThe Cebuano word "panaghigalaay" has roots in Malay-Polynesian and refers to reciprocal relationships beyond friendship like "love" or "camaraderie".
Chinese (Simplified)友谊, in Chinese, originally means friendship and can also be translated to “a friend’s friendship” or “friendship among friends”.
Chinese (Traditional)In Chinese, 友誼, literally meaning "friendship", also carries the connotations of "harmony" and "mutual aid."
CorsicanIn Corsican, "amicizia" can also refer to a romantic relationship between a man and a woman.
CroatianThe Croatian word 'prijateljstvo' originally meant 'assistance in battle' and is related to the word 'prijatelj' (friend), meaning 'a helper'.
CzechThe word "přátelství" is derived from the Old Czech word "přieti", meaning "to favor" or "to befriend".
DanishVenskab is a compound word consisting of the Old Norse words vin (friend) and skab (affinity).
DutchThe word
EsperantoThe Esperanto word "amikeco" derives from the French word "amitié" and shares its root with the Latin word "amicitia."
EstonianThe word "sõprus" also means "brotherhood" and is cognate with the Finnish word "ystävyys".
FinnishThe word "ystävyys" derives from the Proto-Finnic word "ystävä" meaning "friend" and the suffix "-ys" indicating abstractness, denoting the state of being a friend.
FrenchIn French, "relation amicale" means "friendship," but it can also be used to describe a "familiar relationship"
Galician"Amizade" comes from the Latin word "amicitia", which also means "friendship".
GermanThe word "Freundschaft" is derived from the Old High German word "friuntschaft," which literally means "joy-ship."
GreekThe Greek term "φιλία" encompasses various meanings, including "affection," "intimacy," and even "love," showcasing the multifaceted nature of friendship in Greek culture.
Haitian CreoleIn Haitian Creole, "amitye" is pronounced "am-i-ty-ey" and also holds the alternate meaning of "love," and its root is the Latin word "amicitia," meaning "friendship or mutual affection."
HausaAbota in Hausa is also used as a term of endearment, typically between close friends or family members.
HawaiianAloha is also used as a greeting, goodbye, and farewell in Hawaiian culture.
HebrewThe word "חֲבֵרוּת" (friendship) is also used in Biblical Hebrew to refer to a group of people who have entered into a covenant or treaty.
HindiThe masculine form of the word "मित्रता" is "मित्र", meaning "friend" or "ally".
HungarianThe word is composed of the Hungarian words "barát" (brother) and "ság" (status, state), reflecting the importance of brothers-in-arms in Hungarian history.
IcelandicThe Icelandic word "vinátta" derives from the Old Norse verb "vinna"," meaning to gain or earn.
IgboThe Igbo word “ọbụbụenyi” can also refer to a covenant, alliance, or kinship.
IndonesianThe word "persahabatan" in Indonesian is derived from the Sanskrit word "sahabat", meaning "friend" or "companion"
IrishCairdeas derives from "cara," meaning "a love."
ItalianThe word "amicizia" in Italian is derived from the Latin word "amicitia," which also means "love" or "affection."
JapaneseThe word "友" (ゆう) in "友情" (ゆうじょう) also means "alliance" or "comrade", a reflection of friendship's deep bonds.
JavaneseThe word "kekancan" is derived from the word "kanca" which means "friend" in Javanese.
KannadaThe word 'ಸ್ನೇಹಕ್ಕಾಗಿ' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'स्नेह' (sneha), which means 'affection' or 'attachment'.
KazakhThe word "достық" is derived from the Old Kazakh word "дост" meaning "a relative or a close friend".
KhmerThe word "មិត្តភាព" is derived from the Pali word "metti" meaning "loving-kindness" and the Sanskrit word "bhāva" meaning "state" or "condition."
Korean"우정" is derived from the two Hanja characters "友" (friend) and "情" (feeling), reflecting the emotional bonds formed in friendship.
KurdishDostî (friendship) comes from the Avestan word daosti, meaning "faithfulness" or "fidelity."
KyrgyzIn Kyrgyz, "достук" has an alternate meaning of "close relative" and is related to the Turkic word "dos" ("friend, comrade").
LaoThe word "mittaphap" is derived from the Pali word "mitta" (friend) and the Sanskrit word "bhava" (becoming or state of being), implying a state of being in which one has friends.
LatinIn Latin, "amicitia" also refers to a "legal bond" or a "treaty" between two parties.
LatvianThe Latvian word "draudzība" can also mean "accord" or "amity".
LithuanianThe word "Draugystė" comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *dʰreuǵh-, meaning "to deceive" or "to trust".
LuxembourgishThe word 'Frëndschaft' is derived from the Old High German word 'friunt', meaning 'beloved one' or 'kinsman'.
MacedonianIn Macedonian, the word "пријателство" can refer to either "friendship" or "camaraderie", depending on the context.
MalagasyDespite its similarities to 'friend' and 'friendship' in many languages, the Malagasy word 'namana' is thought to originate from the Malay word for 'agreement'
MalayThe word 'persahabatan' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'sahabat' which means 'friend' or 'companion'.
MalayalamThe word സൗഹൃദം, derived from Sanskrit and Prakrit, signifies a bond not just between individuals but also between communities, institutions, and even between humans and animals.
Maltese"Ħbiberija" derives from the verb "ħabb" ("to love"), and can also refer to affection, camaraderie, rapport, or attachment.
Maori"Whakahoahoa" originates from the Maori term "hoa," meaning "friend" or "companion."
Marathiमैत्री can also mean 'alliance' or 'pact' in Marathi.
MongolianThe word "нөхөрлөл" in Mongolian can also mean "kinship" or "companionship".
Myanmar (Burmese)In the past, ချစ်သူ primarily meant "friendship", but now it has also come to refer to "romance."
Nepali"मित्रता" is derived from the Sanskrit word "mitra," which also means "friend," "companion," or "ally."
NorwegianVennskap, or friendship in norwegian, comes from the old norse word vinr, which means friend or lover.
Nyanja (Chichewa)In some contexts, ubwenzi can also mean "hospitality" or "kindred; kinship."
Pashtoملګرتیا can also mean "accompaniment" or "assistance".
PersianIn Persian, the word "دوستی" (dosti) not only means "friendship" but also "comradeship" or "amity".
PolishThe word "przyjaźń" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *prijatelji, meaning "friendliness" or "goodwill."
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil)The word "amizade" is derived from the Latin word "amicitia", meaning "affection, goodwill". It can also refer to a close relationship between two people.
PunjabiThe word 'ਦੋਸਤੀ' originates from the Sanskrit word 'dosti' meaning 'union' or 'relationship', and is also related to the Persian word 'dust' meaning 'friend' or 'companion'.
RomanianRomanian "prietenie" cognate with French "amitié" and Italian "amicizia" all tracing back to Latin "amicitia"
RussianThe word "дружба" is cognate with other славянские languages words, like "други" (friends in Old Church Slavonic) but also shares the same root "друг" with the word "друг" meaning "other" in other славянские languages (e.g. "druhý" in Slovak).
SamoanThe word "faigauo" in Samoan can also refer to a close relationship between two people, similar to the concept of "soulmates".
Scots GaelicThe Gaelic word “càirdeas” (pronounced “car-jus”) is cognate to the Welsh “kārdas,” which also means “friendship” and is derived from the Latin word “carus,” meaning “dear” or “precious.”
SerbianThe word 'prijateljstvo' is closely related to 'prijat' ('pleasant') and 'prijati' ('to enjoy'), emphasizing the positive and enjoyable nature of friendship.
SesothoThe word "setswalle" in Sesotho shares its etymological root with the word "swala", meaning "to love".
ShonaThe term 'ushamwari' can also mean 'loyalty' or 'trust'.
SindhiThe Sindhi word "دوستي" (dosti) originated from the Persian word "دوست" (dust), meaning "friend" or "companion."
Sinhala (Sinhalese)The Sinhala word "මිත්රත්වය" (mithrathvaya) derives from the Sanskrit word "मित्रत्व" (mitratva), meaning not only "friendship" but also "alliance, confederacy, or union."
SlovakThe word 'priateľstvo' comes from the Proto-Slavic word 'prijateljь', meaning 'friend' or 'companion', and is related to the word 'prijat' meaning 'to accept' or 'to receive'.
Slovenian"Prijateljstvo" ultimately stems from the Proto-Indo-European word "/preh2y-" for "close" or "next", as in the first person "pr(i)".
SomaliThis Somali word for "friendship" originates from the word "saaxiib," meaning "friend."
SpanishThe word 'amistad' derives from the Latin word 'amicitia,' which means 'friendship,' 'love,' or 'affection.'
SundaneseThe Sundanese word "sosobatan" also refers to a group of people who are closely connected by mutual interests or activities.
Swahili"Urafiki" comes from the verb "-rafiki" (accompany), and initially denoted the reciprocal act of accompanying each other.
SwedishThe word "vänskap" comes from the Old Norse word "vinnskapr", meaning "love relationship".
Tagalog (Filipino)"Pagkakaibigan" is also a Tagalog word that means "friendship" and literally means "connection of life".
TajikThe word "дӯстӣ" in Tajik is derived from the Persian word "دوستی" (دوستی), which originally meant "affection, love, or friendship".
TamilThe term “நட்பு” is believed to have derived from the Sanskrit term “snēham”, which signifies a strong bond of attachment, fondness, or affection between two people.
TeluguIn some contexts, "స్నేహం" can also refer to love or affection, particularly in the context of a romantic relationship.
ThaiThe word มิตรภาพ (friendship) in Thai is derived from the Sanskrit word 'mitra', meaning 'friend' or 'ally'.
TurkishThe term "dostluk" originates from the Persian language, where the word "dost" means companion, helper or close friend.
UkrainianThe word "дружба" can also mean "companionship" or "fraternity" in the Ukrainian language.
UrduThe word 'دوستی' in Urdu also means 'the state of being beloved or liked by someone' and 'mutual affection between two people'.
UzbekThe word "do'stlik" also means "friendship" in Uzbek, and is derived from the Persian word "دوستی" (dusti), meaning "friendship".
VietnameseThe word "hữu nghị" in Vietnamese can alternately refer to a type of international cooperation with equal standing between independent states.
WelshThe word "cyfeillgarwch" in Welsh literally means "comradeship" or "companionship" and also implies a sense of mutual support and affection.
Xhosa"Ubuholobo" comes from the concept of a rope linking the families of the two people, the rope being an enduring symbol of the deep connection.
YiddishThe Yiddish word "פרענדשיפּ" ("friendship") is borrowed from the German word "Freundschaft," ultimately deriving from the Proto-Indo-European root *pri-, meaning "beloved."
YorubaThe Yoruba word 'ore' comes from the word 'o re', meaning 'to accompany'.
ZuluUbungani, 'friendship' in Zulu, traces its roots to 'ukubunga' ('to flower')
English"Friendship" derives from an Old English term meaning 'free love'—an affection that exists outside societal constraints.

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