Gender in Different Languages
Discover 'Gender' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Gender is a significant and culturally important concept that refers to the roles, behaviors, activities, and expectations that a society considers appropriate for men and women. It is a social and cultural construct that varies across different cultures and historical periods. Understanding the translation of gender in different languages can provide valuable insights into how different cultures view and construct gender. For instance, in some languages, such as German and Dutch, there are separate words for sex (Geschlecht and geslacht, respectively) and gender (Gender and gender, respectively), while in other languages, such as Chinese and Japanese, the same word is used to refer to both. Moreover, some languages, such as Native American languages, have more than two genders, reflecting their societies' complex understanding of gender. By exploring the translations of gender in different languages, we can deepen our appreciation for the rich diversity of human cultures and broaden our perspective on gender.
Gender
Gender in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | geslag | ||
| The word "geslag" in Afrikaans is derived from "geslacht" in Dutch, meaning "kindred" or "family line." | |||
| Amharic | ፆታ | ||
| The word 'ፆታ' is also used to describe the biological sex of a person or animal. | |||
| Hausa | jinsi | ||
| In the Kanuri language, 'jinsi' refers to the grammatical concept of gender, while in Hausa, it exclusively denotes biological sex. | |||
| Igbo | okike | ||
| 'Okike', meaning gender or nature in Igbo language, is also a name given to female children born on the traditional market day, Nkwo or Afo | |||
| Malagasy | lahy sy ny vavy | ||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | jenda | ||
| "Jenda" in Nyanja can also refer to a tribe, race, or ethnic group. | |||
| Shona | jenda | ||
| The noun 'jenda' is also borrowed into the Swahili language, where it means both 'nature' or 'essence' and 'gender'. | |||
| Somali | jinsiga | ||
| The Somali word 'jinsiga' can also refer to 'species' or 'type'. | |||
| Sesotho | bong | ||
| In Sesotho, the word "bong" can refer to gender as well as a musical instrument, a hairstyle, or a type of bird. | |||
| Swahili | jinsia | ||
| The Swahili word "jinsia" can also mean "type" or "species" depending on the context | |||
| Xhosa | isini | ||
| "Isini" also means "sex" as in "biological sex" | |||
| Yoruba | iwa | ||
| The word "iwa" also means "character" or "behavior" in Yoruba. | |||
| Zulu | ubulili | ||
| In Zulu, 'ubulili' also refers to the way a person carries themselves or their demeanor. | |||
| Bambara | cɛnimusoya | ||
| Ewe | na | ||
| Kinyarwanda | uburinganire | ||
| Lingala | mobali to mwasi | ||
| Luganda | obutonde | ||
| Sepedi | bong | ||
| Twi (Akan) | bɔbea | ||
Gender in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | جنس | ||
| The triliteral root of جنس (j-n-s) has several meanings related to kind, race, or origin. | |||
| Hebrew | מִין | ||
| The word מִין (gender) also has the alternate meanings "species" or "type" in Hebrew. | |||
| Pashto | جندر | ||
| The Pashto word "جندر" can also refer to "kind" or "type". | |||
| Arabic | جنس | ||
| The triliteral root of جنس (j-n-s) has several meanings related to kind, race, or origin. | |||
Gender in Western European Languages
| Albanian | gjinia | ||
| The word "gjinia" (gender) in Albanian derives from the Latin word "genus" (kind) and can also mean "race" or "ethnicity". | |||
| Basque | generoa | ||
| The Basque word "generoa" derives ultimately from the Latin "genus", which also means "kind", "type", "race", or "family". | |||
| Catalan | gènere | ||
| The word "gènere" in Catalan derives from the Latin word "genus" and retains its original meaning of "kind" or "group". | |||
| Croatian | spol | ||
| Spol can also mean 'half' in certain contexts, e.g. 'spol kolača' ('half a cake'). | |||
| Danish | køn | ||
| The Danish word "køn" can also refer to physical beauty, charm, or attractiveness. | |||
| Dutch | geslacht | ||
| "Geslacht" relates to "kindred" or "lineage" and originally referred to male-female distinction in humans, later expanding to cover animals and plants. | |||
| English | gender | ||
| The word 'gender' comes from the Latin 'genus' meaning 'kind' or 'class'. | |||
| French | le sexe | ||
| In French, | |||
| Frisian | geslacht | ||
| Like in Dutch, it refers to one's biological sex, but also can refer to one's family lineage. | |||
| Galician | xénero | ||
| "Xénero" also translates to "kind" or "sort" in Galician, as in "xénero de comedia" (genre of comedy). | |||
| German | geschlecht | ||
| Geschlecht, in German, can also refer to biological sex, family, lineage, or tribe. | |||
| Icelandic | kyn | ||
| The Icelandic word "kyn" also means "race" or "type." | |||
| Irish | inscne | ||
| The word "inscne" in Irish also refers to the genus of plants or animals. | |||
| Italian | genere | ||
| "Genere" in Italian can also mean "kind", "type", or "genre", depending on the context. | |||
| Luxembourgish | geschlecht | ||
| The Luxembourgish word "Geschlecht" can also refer to "race" or "family" in addition to "gender." | |||
| Maltese | sess | ||
| The Maltese word "sess" is etymologically related to the Semitic root *θ-s-s*, meaning "to be firm", "to be solid", or "to be steadfast". | |||
| Norwegian | kjønn | ||
| In Norwegian, kjønn means not only gender but can also refer to sex, which encompasses both anatomy and biology. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | gênero | ||
| In Portuguese, the word "gênero" can also refer to a genre or type, as in "gênero musical" (musical genre). | |||
| Scots Gaelic | gnè | ||
| "Gnè" is cognate with "genus" and "kind" and is used for both "gender" and for "species" | |||
| Spanish | género | ||
| Spanish "género" traces its etymology to "genus" and encompasses semantic realms of "type", "kind", and "genre". | |||
| Swedish | kön | ||
| The Swedish word "kön" also means "queue" or "line," reflecting the idea that people are often arranged in lines based on their gender. | |||
| Welsh | rhyw | ||
| The word "rhyw" in Welsh also means "species, kind, sort"} | |||
Gender in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | падлогу | ||
| Падлог (podlog) also means "floor" and derives from the Proto-Slavic *podъlъgъ, with the root "pod" meaning "under" and "lъgъ" meaning "lying surface". | |||
| Bosnian | pol | ||
| In Bosnian, the word 'pol' can also refer to the geographical axis of the Earth, in addition to meaning 'gender'. | |||
| Bulgarian | пол | ||
| The word "пол" in Bulgarian can also refer to "floor" or "half". | |||
| Czech | rod | ||
| Czech "rod" (gender) may also refer to lineage, birth, origin, or species. | |||
| Estonian | sugu | ||
| Sugu means 'race' in Finnish, and 'gender' in Estonian. | |||
| Finnish | sukupuoli | ||
| Sukupuoli has been used with various meanings in Finnish: sex, kind, family, generation, descent, lineage, race, stock, or a tribe. | |||
| Hungarian | nem | ||
| The word "nem" in Hungarian can also mean "species" or "type". | |||
| Latvian | dzimums | ||
| The word "dzimums" also means "sex" and is derived from the Proto-Baltic word "*dʰĝʰim-ó-s" meaning "to give birth". | |||
| Lithuanian | lytis | ||
| The Lithuanian word "Lytis" also means "essence" or "nature." | |||
| Macedonian | пол | ||
| In Old Slavic, the word "пол" referred to a half of a whole, a side, or a direction. | |||
| Polish | płeć | ||
| The Polish word "płeć" has multiple meanings, including "gender", "sex", and "breed". | |||
| Romanian | gen | ||
| The word "gen" in Romanian has a related meaning to "genus" in Latin, as it refers to the classification of things, such as gender, species, or category. | |||
| Russian | пол | ||
| The Russian word "Пол" also means "half" or "side" and is related to the words "половина" "half" and "полоса" "band". | |||
| Serbian | пол | ||
| "Pol" is also used in Serbian to refer to "sex", "floor", "earth", "soil", "field" and "field of study". | |||
| Slovak | rod | ||
| Slovak "rod" corresponds to the English "family" and the Russian "род". | |||
| Slovenian | spol | ||
| The word 'spol' can also refer to the sex of an animal or plant, or to the kind or type of something. | |||
| Ukrainian | стать | ||
| The word "Стать" in Ukrainian also means "to become" or "to start to be". | |||
Gender in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | লিঙ্গ | ||
| Gujarati | લિંગ | ||
| The Gujarati word "લિંગ" ("gender") also means "sign, mark, symptom, characteristic, attribute, property, or characteristic mark". | |||
| Hindi | लिंग | ||
| In Sanskrit, 'लिंग' also means 'sign, mark, or characteristic. | |||
| Kannada | ಲಿಂಗ | ||
| In Kannada, "ಲಿಂಗ" can also mean a symbol or an ornament worn by Hindu men. | |||
| Malayalam | ലിംഗഭേദം | ||
| In Malayalam, the term "ലിംഗഭേദം" also means the "identification of one's gender". | |||
| Marathi | लिंग | ||
| Nepali | लि .्ग | ||
| "लि .्ग " is also the Nepali word for "a mark" on the forehead worn by Hindus (a 'tilak') | |||
| Punjabi | ਲਿੰਗ | ||
| In Punjabi, the term "ਲਿੰਗ" ("gender") is derived from Sanskrit and originally referred to biological sex but has since expanded to encompass a broader range of meanings, including gender identity and expression. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ස්ත්රී පුරුෂ භාවය | ||
| Tamil | பாலினம் | ||
| Telugu | లింగం | ||
| The root of 'లింగం' (gender) also denotes the 'shape,' 'characteristic' or 'appearance' in some contexts. | |||
| Urdu | صنف | ||
| In the Urdu language, "صنف" can also mean "type" or "kind" of something. | |||
Gender in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 性别 | ||
| 性别 (gender) comes from 性 (nature or property) + 别 (to divide). It can also refer to the biological characteristics distinguishing males from females or sexual characteristics. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 性別 | ||
| 性別 can also refer to "sex" as in "biological sex", and is also used when describing the "sex of an object", like a car. | |||
| Japanese | 性別 | ||
| 性別 is the Japanese translation of the English word “gender,” and carries the same meaning in the context of social or cultural identity, but it can also be used to refer to grammatical gender or biological sex. | |||
| Korean | 성별 | ||
| In Korean, "성별" also means "nature/disposition" and shares its characters with the Chinese term "性別" (sex). | |||
| Mongolian | хүйс | ||
| "Хүйс" can mean not only 'gender' but also 'nature', or 'quality' in Mongolian. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ကျားမ | ||
| “ကျားမ” also means “male and female animals” and is used as the counting word for animals. | |||
Gender in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | jenis kelamin | ||
| In Indonesian, the word "jenis kelamin" can also refer to the biological sex of an organism, as well as the social and cultural roles and expectations associated with different sexes. | |||
| Javanese | jinis kelamin | ||
| Khmer | ភេទ | ||
| The Khmer word ភេទ (gender) derives from the Sanskrit word bheda, meaning "distinction" or "difference". | |||
| Lao | ເພດ | ||
| The Lao word "ເພດ" (gender) can also mean "sex" or "type". | |||
| Malay | jantina | ||
| The Malay word "jantina" is derived from the Sanskrit word "janta", meaning "race, kind, species" | |||
| Thai | เพศ | ||
| The Thai word "เพศ" can also mean "species" or "kind". | |||
| Vietnamese | giới tính | ||
| In Vietnamese, "giới tính" also refers to "sex" in the biological sense, as opposed to "phái tính" (sexuality). | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kasarian | ||
Gender in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | cinsiyyət | ||
| "Cinsiyyət" (gender) comes from the Arabic root "j-n-s" meaning "kind, group, or type," and can also refer to "sex" in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | жыныс | ||
| The term "жыныс" originally meant "birth" and has its roots in the Uralic languages | |||
| Kyrgyz | жынысы | ||
| Tajik | ҷинс | ||
| The term "ҷинс" may also refer to a grammatical gender or linguistic gender in the Tajik language | |||
| Turkmen | jyns | ||
| Uzbek | jins | ||
| In Uzbek, the word “jins” can also mean "birth" or "origin". | |||
| Uyghur | جىنسى | ||
Gender in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kāne kāne | ||
| In the Hawaiian language, kāne kāne is used more often as a synonym for "male" and is less common as a general term for "gender." | |||
| Maori | ira tangata | ||
| The word “ira tangata” in Maori can also refer to a person’s mana, or spiritual status. | |||
| Samoan | itupa | ||
| Itupa can also refer to an 'itupā', which is a large bundle of fine woven floor sleeping mats used as traditional bedding to keep warm during the night. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | kasarian | ||
| The Tagalog word "kasarian" also means "sexuality" or "sexual orientation". | |||
Gender in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jiniru | ||
| Guarani | meña | ||
Gender in International Languages
| Esperanto | sekso | ||
| The Esperantist term for "gender" is "sekso," from the word "sekso" meaning "sex". In Esperanto, the two concepts are not as rigidly distinct as they often are in English. | |||
| Latin | genus | ||
| The Latin word 'genus' originally referred to 'birth' or 'origin', also bearing meanings such as 'race', 'type', or 'kind'. | |||
Gender in Others Languages
| Greek | γένος | ||
| Γένος primarily referred to birth, descent, stock, or race but came to mean 'sex' under Hellenistic influence. | |||
| Hmong | tub los ntxhais | ||
| The term "tub los ntxhais" in Hmong is also used to refer to other attributes such as sex, gender identity, and sexuality. | |||
| Kurdish | zayendî | ||
| In Sorani, "zayendî" also denotes a group of musicians who play at weddings and other gatherings. | |||
| Turkish | cinsiyet | ||
| In addition to "gender," "cinsiyet" also means "the characteristic of being male or female" and is derived from the Arabic word "jins" meaning "sex." | |||
| Xhosa | isini | ||
| "Isini" also means "sex" as in "biological sex" | |||
| Yiddish | דזשענדער | ||
| The Yiddish word "דזשענדער" (dzhender) is derived from the German word "Geschlecht". | |||
| Zulu | ubulili | ||
| In Zulu, 'ubulili' also refers to the way a person carries themselves or their demeanor. | |||
| Assamese | লিংগ | ||
| Aymara | jiniru | ||
| Bhojpuri | लिंग | ||
| Dhivehi | ޖިންސު | ||
| Dogri | लिंग | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kasarian | ||
| Guarani | meña | ||
| Ilocano | kinatao | ||
| Krio | bɔy ɔ gal | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ڕەگەز | ||
| Maithili | लिंग | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯖꯦꯟꯗꯔ | ||
| Mizo | mipa leh hmeichhe thliarna | ||
| Oromo | koorniyaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଲିଙ୍ଗ | ||
| Quechua | ima kay | ||
| Sanskrit | लिंग | ||
| Tatar | җенес | ||
| Tigrinya | ፆታ | ||
| Tsonga | rimbewu | ||