Gene in Different Languages
Discover 'Gene' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Genes are the fundamental units of heredity, carrying the instructions for the development and function of all known living organisms. They are made up of DNA, a complex molecule that contains the instructions for building proteins, the building blocks of life. Understanding genes is crucial for unlocking the secrets of life and has numerous practical applications in medicine, agriculture, and biotechnology.
The concept of the gene has been a part of human culture for centuries, with early theories of inheritance proposing the existence of 'particles' that carry traits from parent to offspring. The modern understanding of genes, however, only emerged in the early 20th century, with the work of Gregor Mendel and the rediscovery of his laws of inheritance. Since then, genes have become a central focus of biological research and have revolutionized our understanding of the natural world.
For those interested in language and culture, understanding the translation of the word 'gene' in different languages can provide insight into how different cultures conceptualize and understand this fundamental aspect of life. Here are a few examples:
- Spanish: gen
- French: gène
- German: Gen
- Mandarin Chinese: 基因 (jīyīn)
- Japanese: 遺伝子 (idenshi)
Gene
Gene in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | geen | ||
| In Afrikaans 'geen' also means 'not any' and is a cognate of 'none' in English, which makes sentences like 'hy het geen geen' particularly nonsensical. | |||
| Amharic | ጂን | ||
| The word "ጂን" can also mean "seed" or "origin" in Amharic. | |||
| Hausa | kwayar halitta | ||
| The Hausa word "kwayar halitta" (gene) literally means "creature egg". | |||
| Igbo | mkpụrụ ndụ ihe nketa | ||
| Malagasy | gene | ||
| The word | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | jini | ||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) "jini" means "jinn" in Arabic and has the alternate spelling of "njini" which means "spirit, ghost, or goblin". | |||
| Shona | geni | ||
| The Shona word "geni" is also used to refer to a seed or offspring. | |||
| Somali | hiddo-wadaha | ||
| The word "hiddo-wadaha" in Somali also refers to a "genetic condition". | |||
| Sesotho | liphatsa tsa lefutso | ||
| The word "liphatsa tsa lefutso" ("gene" in Sesotho) refers to a small object that determines a characteristic of an organism. | |||
| Swahili | jeni | ||
| The Swahili word "jeni" is also used to refer to a type of spirit or supernatural being. | |||
| Xhosa | uhlobo | ||
| The Xhosa word "Uhlobo" (gene) derives from the concept of "kind" or "type," signifying the fundamental nature of genes in determining inherited traits. | |||
| Yoruba | jiini | ||
| In Yoruba mythology, jiini also refers to a spirit or supernatural being associated with the forests. | |||
| Zulu | isakhi sofuzo | ||
| The Zulu word "isakhi sofuzo" literally translates to "a key to the ancestral home," implying its role as a link to one's lineage and identity. | |||
| Bambara | jeninida | ||
| Ewe | domenyiŋusẽfianu | ||
| Kinyarwanda | gene | ||
| Lingala | gène | ||
| Luganda | gene | ||
| Sepedi | lephelo la leabela | ||
| Twi (Akan) | gene | ||
Gene in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | الجين | ||
| The Arabic word "الجين" can also refer to spirits believed to inhabit trees. | |||
| Hebrew | גֵן | ||
| גנים are also referred to as 'orchards' in the Hebrew Bible. | |||
| Pashto | جین | ||
| In Pashto, "جین" (gene) also means "kind", "sort", or "species". | |||
| Arabic | الجين | ||
| The Arabic word "الجين" can also refer to spirits believed to inhabit trees. | |||
Gene in Western European Languages
| Albanian | gjen | ||
| Albanian "gjen" may also refer to the cheek, or to the birth of a baby goat. | |||
| Basque | genea | ||
| The Basque word "genea" means "lineage" and is etymologically related to the Latin words "genus" and "generatio." | |||
| Catalan | gen | ||
| The word "gen" derives from the Latin "genus", meaning "race", "kind", "stock", or "offspring". | |||
| Croatian | gen | ||
| The word 'gen' in Croatian originally meant 'kin', 'race' or 'kind' and is cognate with the English word 'kin'. | |||
| Danish | gen | ||
| The word "gen" in Danish can also refer to a person's offspring or descendants. | |||
| Dutch | gen | ||
| The word 'gen' originally referred to a male animal or a type of spirit in Dutch that brings fertility and healing and is nowadays also used to refer to a gene and a particular type of gin. | |||
| English | gene | ||
| "Gene" originates from the Greek "genos," meaning "birth," "descent," or "race," and its plural form "genes" has been used since 1909. | |||
| French | gène | ||
| "Gène" is also an abbreviation of "génération" (generation). | |||
| Frisian | gene | ||
| In Frisian, 'gene' can also refer to a 'path' or 'road'. | |||
| Galician | xene | ||
| The Galician word "xene" ultimately derives from the Greek word "genos," meaning "race" or "kind." | |||
| German | gen | ||
| The German word "Gen" also means "generation" and "genus". | |||
| Icelandic | gen | ||
| In Icelandic, "gen" can refer to the "mind" or "spirit" of a person or place, or to a "ghost" or "spirit being". | |||
| Irish | géine | ||
| In Irish, 'géine' can also refer to 'offspring' or 'descendants'. | |||
| Italian | gene | ||
| The word “gene” ultimately derives from the Greek word "genos" (γένος), which means “race,” “descent,” or “kind.” | |||
| Luxembourgish | gene | ||
| In Luxembourgish, "Gene" is also a female given name, a short form of "Eugenie". | |||
| Maltese | ġene | ||
| The word "ġene" is derived from the Greek word "genos", meaning "kind" or "race". | |||
| Norwegian | gen | ||
| The word "gen" in Norwegian comes from the Greek word "genos," meaning "race," "tribe," or "family." | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | gene | ||
| "Gene" is cognate with Latin's "genus," which can mean "race," "stock," or "kind," and was used by Augustinian monks in the 16th century to refer to a biological species. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | gine | ||
| The word "gine" in Scots Gaelic also means "woman" or "wife" | |||
| Spanish | gene | ||
| In Spanish, "gene" can also mean "kind" or "type" | |||
| Swedish | gen | ||
| In Swedish, 'gen' also means 'way' or 'path'. | |||
| Welsh | genyn | ||
| The word "genyn" in Welsh also has the meanings of "chin", "source" and "origin". | |||
Gene in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | ген | ||
| Слово "ген" в белорусском языке, помимо генетики, употребляется в переносном значении для обозначения истоков, зародыша чего-либо, например, в выражении "Ген нации". | |||
| Bosnian | gen | ||
| Bosnian word "gen" comes from Ancient Greek "genos" which originally meant "race, stock" but came to mean "gene" in scientific use. | |||
| Bulgarian | ген | ||
| The word "ген" also has the meanings "birth" and "family" in Bulgarian. | |||
| Czech | gen | ||
| In Czech, "gen" also refers to a male deer or elk. | |||
| Estonian | geen | ||
| The word "geen" also means "thread" or "string" in Estonian. | |||
| Finnish | geeni | ||
| The word "geeni" is said to be borrowed from French "gènes" or German "Gene", though both words are ultimately derived from the Greek "genos" meaning "race, kind". | |||
| Hungarian | gén | ||
| In Hungarian, "gén" has alternate meanings including "kind" and "genus". | |||
| Latvian | gēns | ||
| In Latvian, "gēns" also means "line" or "genus". | |||
| Lithuanian | genas | ||
| The suffix -gen is related to the Greek suffix -genēs, meaning 'producing', 'becoming' or 'causing to become' and is used in some English words such as photogenic and hydrogen. | |||
| Macedonian | ген | ||
| The word "ген" comes from the Greek word "γένος," meaning "birth" or "origin." | |||
| Polish | gen | ||
| The Polish word "gen" can also refer to a group of plants of the same type. | |||
| Romanian | genă | ||
| "Genă" also means "eyelash" in Romanian | |||
| Russian | ген | ||
| The word "ген" (gene) in Russian is derived from the Greek word "genos" (γενεος), meaning "race" or "lineage." | |||
| Serbian | ген | ||
| "Ген" is also a synonym for "origin" in Serbian, coming from the Latin word "genus" which means "birth" or "family." | |||
| Slovak | gen | ||
| The word "gen" in Slovak can also mean "kind" or "race." | |||
| Slovenian | gen | ||
| 'Gen' means 'sin' in the context of morality. | |||
| Ukrainian | ген | ||
| The Ukrainian word "ген" (gene) is cognate with the Greek word "γένος" (genos), meaning "race, kin, lineage". | |||
Gene in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | জিন | ||
| The word "জিন" (gene) in Bengali is commonly used to refer to a strand of DNA or a hereditary unit, but it can also mean "kind" or "species". | |||
| Gujarati | જીન | ||
| The word "જીન" in Gujarati has the same etymology as the English word "gene" and refers to the fundamental units of heredity. | |||
| Hindi | जीन | ||
| The Sanskrit word "jaana" gave rise to the term, meaning "origin, birth, or source." | |||
| Kannada | ಜೀನ್ | ||
| The word "ಜೀನ್" is derived from the Greek word "genos" meaning "birth" or "origin". | |||
| Malayalam | ജീൻ | ||
| It comes from the Greek γίγνομαι, meaning "to be born" or "to come into being." | |||
| Marathi | जनुक | ||
| The word "जनुक" in Marathi comes from the Sanskrit word "जन", meaning "to be born" or "to produce". | |||
| Nepali | जीन | ||
| The Nepali word "जीन" (gene) is also used to refer to a kind of cloth, often used to make women's clothing. | |||
| Punjabi | ਜੀਨ | ||
| The word "ਜੀਨ" (gene) in Punjabi is derived from the Greek word "genos". meaning "birth" or "origin". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ජානය | ||
| ජානය (gene) is derived from the Sanskrit word 'jan' meaning 'to be born'. In Sinhala, it also refers to the 'root' of a plant or the 'origin' of something. | |||
| Tamil | மரபணு | ||
| Telugu | జన్యువు | ||
| The word "జన్యువు" comes from the Sanskrit word "जनन" meaning "origin" or "birth" and refers to a unit of heredity. | |||
| Urdu | جین | ||
| The Urdu word 'جین' is borrowed from English, where it is ultimately derived from the Greek word 'genea', meaning 'birth' or 'origin'. | |||
Gene in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 基因 | ||
| 基因一词在中国传统中还有“遗传”和“血缘”的意思。 | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 基因 | ||
| "基因"一词源于希腊语"genos"，意为"起源"、"血统"，在生物学中指携带遗传信息的DNA片段。 | |||
| Japanese | 遺伝子 | ||
| The kanji characters used to write the word "gene" in Japanese also refer to "heredity" and "inheritance". | |||
| Korean | 유전자 | ||
| "유전자"는 "유(遺)"와 "전(傳)"의 합성어로, "부모로부터 물려받은 특성을 다음 세대로 전달하는 것"을 의미합니다. | |||
| Mongolian | ген | ||
| The word "ген" (gene) in Mongolian is borrowed from the Russian word "ген" (gene), which in turn is borrowed from the English word "gene". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | မျိုးဗီဇ | ||
| The term "myo viji" can also refer to "heredity" or "lineage" in Myanmar (Burmese). | |||
Gene in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | gen | ||
| The Indonesian word "gen" also means "species" or "group". | |||
| Javanese | gén | ||
| In Javanese, "gén" is also used to refer to supernatural beings, spirits, or ghosts. | |||
| Khmer | ហ្សែន | ||
| The Khmer word “ហ្សែន” can also refer to a “trait” or “characteristic.” | |||
| Lao | ເຊື້ອ | ||
| The Lao word for "gene" is a cognate of the Thai word เขย "son-in-law". | |||
| Malay | gen | ||
| Gen or jin also means human spirit or spirit in Malay, similar to the Indonesian word 'jin' which means a mythical creature. | |||
| Thai | ยีน | ||
| คำว่า 'ยีน' (จีเน่) ใช้เรียกส่วนประกอบที่ทำหน้าที่ควบคุมลักษณะต่างๆ ของสิ่งมีชีวิต คำนามนี้ได้รับอิทธิพลจากภาษาอังกฤษ 'gene' ครับ | |||
| Vietnamese | gien | ||
| The word "gien" is also the Vietnamese word for "mirror" | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | gene | ||
Gene in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | gen | ||
| "Gen" can also refer to "tribe" or "origin" in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | ген | ||
| The Kazakh word 'ген' (gene) is borrowed from the Russian language and has no alternative meanings in Kazakh. | |||
| Kyrgyz | ген | ||
| Слово "ген" пришло в кыргызский язык из русского языка и имеет такое же значение. | |||
| Tajik | ген | ||
| Ген также может иметь значение "корень" или "основа", подразумевая фундаментальную природу генов в передаче генетических признаков. | |||
| Turkmen | gen | ||
| Uzbek | gen | ||
| The word "gen" in Uzbek can also mean "type" and "species". | |||
| Uyghur | گېن | ||
Gene in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ʻāpana | ||
| ʻĀpana can also refer to a share, part, or portion of something, such as land or food. | |||
| Maori | ira | ||
| Ira may also refer to the concept of lineage, kinship, and descent in the context of Maori culture. | |||
| Samoan | gafa | ||
| In Samoan, "gafa" can also refer to a "mistake" or a "punishment". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | gene | ||
| The Tagalog word 'gene' ('hinene') derives from the Spanish word 'gene' ('gen'), ultimately from the Greek word 'genos' ('γενός') meaning 'race' or 'kind'. | |||
Gene in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | gen | ||
| Guarani | gen rehegua | ||
Gene in International Languages
| Esperanto | geno | ||
| In Esperanto, "geno" also means "race" or "lineage" | |||
| Latin | gene | ||
| The Latin word "gene" comes from the Greek word "genos," meaning "race" or "kind." | |||
Gene in Others Languages
| Greek | γονίδιο | ||
| The term "γονίδιο" (gene) derives from the Greek word "genos", denoting "race" or "origin", reflecting the notion that genes carry hereditary material. | |||
| Hmong | noob | ||
| The Hmong word "noob" means "gene" but also carries the connotation of "origin" or "source". | |||
| Kurdish | gen | ||
| The word "gen" in Kurdish can also refer to a type of wheat. | |||
| Turkish | gen | ||
| In Turkish, "gen" not only means "gene" but also refers to the "type" or "kind" of something. | |||
| Xhosa | uhlobo | ||
| The Xhosa word "Uhlobo" (gene) derives from the concept of "kind" or "type," signifying the fundamental nature of genes in determining inherited traits. | |||
| Yiddish | גענע | ||
| In Yiddish, the word 'gene' (גענע) can also refer to a 'species' or 'kind'. | |||
| Zulu | isakhi sofuzo | ||
| The Zulu word "isakhi sofuzo" literally translates to "a key to the ancestral home," implying its role as a link to one's lineage and identity. | |||
| Assamese | জিন | ||
| Aymara | gen | ||
| Bhojpuri | जीन के बा | ||
| Dhivehi | ޖީން އެވެ | ||
| Dogri | जीन | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | gene | ||
| Guarani | gen rehegua | ||
| Ilocano | gene | ||
| Krio | jin | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | جین | ||
| Maithili | जीन | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯖꯤꯟ | ||
| Mizo | gene a ni | ||
| Oromo | jiinii | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଜିନ୍ | ||
| Quechua | gen | ||
| Sanskrit | जीन | ||
| Tatar | ген | ||
| Tigrinya | ጂን | ||
| Tsonga | gene | ||