Girl in Different Languages
Discover 'Girl' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'girl' is a simple term that carries a world of meaning and significance. It represents the innocence, curiosity, and potential of young femininity. Throughout history and across cultures, the concept of a 'girl' has been a source of inspiration, protection, and empowerment. From fairy tales to folklore, art to activism, the girl child holds a special place in our hearts and minds.
Moreover, understanding the translation of 'girl' in different languages can open up a fascinating window into other cultures. For instance, the word for 'girl' in Spanish is 'niña,' which comes from the Latin 'natalis' meaning 'born.' In Mandarin, 'girl' is translated as 'nǚhái,' where 'nǚ' means 'female' and 'hái' means 'child.' These translations not only provide linguistic insights but also cultural contexts.
So, whether you're a language enthusiast, a cultural explorer, or simply curious, exploring the word 'girl' in various languages can be a rewarding journey. Here are some translations to get you started:
Girl
Girl in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | meisie | ||
| The word "meisie" is thought to come from the Dutch word "meisje" or the French word "maîtresse" meaning "mistress". | |||
| Amharic | ሴት ልጅ | ||
| Hausa | yarinya | ||
| The Hausa word "Yarinyar " means "Young girl " in English and can also refer to a daughter or a female child. | |||
| Igbo | nwa nwanyi | ||
| Igbo term for "maiden" that shares its root with the phrase "what is owned". | |||
| Malagasy | ankizivavy | ||
| The word "ankizivavy" in Malagasy can also mean "a young unmarried woman" or "a virgin." | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | mtsikana | ||
| The word "mtsikana" can also refer to a young woman or a small girl. | |||
| Shona | musikana | ||
| "Musikana" also denotes a young female goat | |||
| Somali | gabadh | ||
| The word "gabadh" is derived from the Cushitic root "*gabad-, *gabad-," meaning "female," and is cognate with the Afar word "gudo" and the Beja word "gobad." | |||
| Sesotho | ngoanana | ||
| "Ngoanana" also means "girl" in Xhosa, and "my love" in Setswana. | |||
| Swahili | msichana | ||
| The word 'msichana', meaning girl in Swahili, originated from the Arabic 'sakhina', which refers to a young woman or a female child. | |||
| Xhosa | intombazana | ||
| The word "intombazana" also means "a young woman who has not yet reached childbearing age". | |||
| Yoruba | omoge | ||
| The Yoruba word “omoge” (girl) also has a historical meaning, “child who was born in an unfavorable period” and could be used to refer to the youngest child of an elderly woman. | |||
| Zulu | intombazane | ||
| The word 'intombazane' can also mean 'young woman' or 'maiden'. | |||
| Bambara | npogotigi | ||
| Ewe | nyᴐnuvi | ||
| Kinyarwanda | umukobwa | ||
| Lingala | mwana-mwasi | ||
| Luganda | omuwala | ||
| Sepedi | mosetsana | ||
| Twi (Akan) | abaayewa | ||
Girl in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | فتاة | ||
| The word "فتاة" can also refer to a young woman or even a female servant. | |||
| Hebrew | נערה | ||
| The word "נערה" (girl) in Hebrew is etymologically related to the word "נורה" (light), suggesting the association between young women and the concept of radiance and illumination. | |||
| Pashto | انجلۍ | ||
| The word "انجلۍ" in Pashto is derived from the Persian word "دختران" meaning "daughters" and is also used to refer to young women or unmarried women. | |||
| Arabic | فتاة | ||
| The word "فتاة" can also refer to a young woman or even a female servant. | |||
Girl in Western European Languages
| Albanian | vajze | ||
| Albanian "vajze," meaning "girl," also means "son of a hero" in Serbian. | |||
| Basque | neska | ||
| The word neska has been associated with the concept of femininity since at least the 16th century. | |||
| Catalan | noia | ||
| In Catalan, the word 'noia' also refers to a 'young woman' or 'maiden'. | |||
| Croatian | djevojka | ||
| The word "djevojka" has its etymological roots in the Proto-Slavic word "дѣва", meaning "virgin", and is often used to refer to a young, unmarried woman. | |||
| Danish | pige | ||
| The word 'pige' is derived from the Old Norse word 'pika', meaning 'small female child'. | |||
| Dutch | meisje | ||
| The Dutch word "meisje" ultimately derives from the Indo-European root "*megʰ-" meaning "young, small," also found in English "maid" and "maiden." | |||
| English | girl | ||
| The word "girl" is derived from the Middle English word "girle," which in turn comes from the Old English word "georl," meaning "young woman" | |||
| French | fille | ||
| The word "fille" is also used in French to refer to a thread or wire used in sewing or embroidery. | |||
| Frisian | famke | ||
| In 1937, the Dutch name Famke was listed as a popular name of Frisian origin, meaning "beautiful child". | |||
| Galician | rapaza | ||
| The word 'rapaza' in Galician is derived from the Latin 'rapacia' which also refers to a 'female raptor, bird of prey or plunderer'. | |||
| German | mädchen | ||
| The word "Mädchen" is derived from the diminutive form of the Middle High German word "maget", meaning "young woman" or "bride". | |||
| Icelandic | stelpa | ||
| The word "stelpa" is derived from the Old Norse word "stelpa", meaning "female foal". | |||
| Irish | cailín | ||
| Italian | ragazza | ||
| The Italian word "ragazza" derives from the Latin word "ragadia" meaning "young girl". | |||
| Luxembourgish | meedchen | ||
| "Meedchen" is cognate with German "Mädchen" and means "child", "servant" or "daughter" besides its current meaning of "girl". | |||
| Maltese | tifla | ||
| The word 'tifla' has an alternate meaning of 'butterfly' and is thought to be derived from the Arabic word 'farasha'. | |||
| Norwegian | pike | ||
| In Norwegian, "pike" can also refer to a weapon or a type of fish. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | menina | ||
| The word "menina" can also refer to a young woman who is unmarried or a virgin. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | nighean | ||
| The word "nighean" also means "daughter" or "maiden" in Scots Gaelic. | |||
| Spanish | niña | ||
| "Niña" also means 'pupil' in Spanish, and is related to "niño" ('boy') and "nieto" ('grandchild'). | |||
| Swedish | flicka | ||
| Flicka also has a connotation with horses and ponies in Swedish. | |||
| Welsh | merch | ||
| The word merch may also refer to an unmarried woman or to a young woman of light or improper conduct | |||
Girl in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | дзяўчынка | ||
| The Belarusian word "дзяўчынка" is cognate with the Russian word "девочка" and the Polish word "dziewczynka", both meaning "girl". | |||
| Bosnian | devojko | ||
| The word 'devojko' originates from the Proto-Slavic word 'děvojka' | |||
| Bulgarian | момиче | ||
| The word "момиче" also means "young woman" and is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*mъmdi" meaning "young woman". | |||
| Czech | dívka | ||
| The word dívka comes from the Old Czech word *děvka* which meant "young woman" or "maid". It is cognate with the Russian word *девка* which has the same meaning. | |||
| Estonian | tüdruk | ||
| The word "tüdruk" is derived from the Proto-Finnic word "*tyttö", which also means "girl" in Finnish. | |||
| Finnish | tyttö | ||
| The Finnish word "tyttö" may derive from the Proto-Finnic "*tyttü", meaning "young animal" or "calf". | |||
| Hungarian | lány | ||
| The word "lány" in Hungarian also means "field" or "daughter" in Old Hungarian. | |||
| Latvian | meitene | ||
| The word "meitene" in Latvian can also mean "maid" or "lass". | |||
| Lithuanian | mergina | ||
| The word "mergina" is most likely derived from Indo-European root *merg-, meaning "to rub", "to knead", or "to grind" | |||
| Macedonian | девојче | ||
| The word "девојче" (girl) is derived from the Slavic root "dev", meaning "young woman". | |||
| Polish | dziewczyna | ||
| The Polish word 'dziewczyna' is derived from an Old Slavic root meaning 'to strive' and can also refer to a 'maiden' or 'virgin'. | |||
| Romanian | fată | ||
| Romanian "fată" comes from Latin "fata," meaning "goddess," "prophetess," or "fairy." | |||
| Russian | девушка | ||
| The Russian word "девушка" (girl) can also refer to a young unmarried woman. | |||
| Serbian | девојко | ||
| The word "девојко" is the vocative form of the noun "девојка" (girl), and can also be used as a term of endearment | |||
| Slovak | dievča | ||
| The word "dievča" is derived from Proto-Slavic *devьka, which originally meant "maiden" or "young woman". | |||
| Slovenian | dekle | ||
| The word "dekle" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*děvka", which originally meant "servant" or "maid". It is cognate with the Russian word "девка" (devka), which also means "girl" or "servant". | |||
| Ukrainian | дівчина | ||
| "Дівчина" means both "girl" and "maiden," referring to an unmarried woman who has reached maturity." | |||
Girl in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | মেয়ে | ||
| The word "মেয়ে" in Bengali can also be used to refer to a daughter or a young woman. | |||
| Gujarati | છોકરી | ||
| "છોકરી" (girl) is a combination of two words, "છો" ("to be born") and "કરી" ("one born"). It can also refer to a young, unmarried woman. | |||
| Hindi | लड़की | ||
| The term "लड़की" (ladki) originally meant "playful" or "young" in Sanskrit. | |||
| Kannada | ಹುಡುಗಿ | ||
| The word "ಹುಡುಗಿ" (girl) is derived from the Proto-Dravidian root *huc, meaning "to grow". | |||
| Malayalam | പെൺകുട്ടി | ||
| The Malayalam word "പെൺകുട്ടി" literally means "little lady," indicating respect for young women in Kerala culture. | |||
| Marathi | मुलगी | ||
| The Marathi word "मुली" (girl) is derived from the Sanskrit word "मूलिका" (root), signifying the girl's role in the family as the "root" or foundation. | |||
| Nepali | केटी | ||
| The word 'केटी' has been said to derive from 'कन्या' meaning 'young unmarried woman' or 'कुतुम्बिनी' meaning 'family-oriented' or 'किम्ता' meaning 'price' (for a bride in marriage). | |||
| Punjabi | ਕੁੜੀ | ||
| The word 'ਕੁੜੀ' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'कन्या' ('kanya'), meaning 'young woman' or 'daughter'. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | කෙල්ල | ||
| The Sinhala word "කෙල්ල" (kella), meaning "girl," also has the secondary meaning of "unripe coconut" in literary contexts. | |||
| Tamil | பெண் | ||
| In Sanskrit, the word "pena" means "wife" or "beloved," and is likely the origin of the Tamil word "பெண்" (peṇ). | |||
| Telugu | అమ్మాయి | ||
| "అమ్మాయి" in Telugu originated from the Sanskrit word "अम्बा" or "अम्बिका", meaning "mother". It signifies the potential motherhood of a young woman. | |||
| Urdu | لڑکی | ||
Girl in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 女孩 | ||
| In addition to meaning "girl," the character "女" in "女孩" can also mean "woman" or "female." | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 女孩 | ||
| 女孩 means a "young lady" in archaic Chinese, and it originally had a neutral connotation for both young men and women before being limited to female usage | |||
| Japanese | 女の子 | ||
| Though its kanji literally translates to "female + child" (女の子), it can be used as a term of affection toward young women regardless of their marital or maternal status. | |||
| Korean | 소녀 | ||
| The word "소녀" (sonyeo) can also refer to a "maiden" or "young woman" in Korean. | |||
| Mongolian | охин | ||
| "Oхин" (girl) is a word of Turkic origin, and is related to the words "oglan" (boy) and "oğul" (son) in Turkish. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | မိန်းကလေး | ||
Girl in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | gadis | ||
| The word "gadis" in Indonesian shares an origin with the word "gadis" in Malay and Minangkabau, meaning "virgin". | |||
| Javanese | cah wadon | ||
| "Cah wadon" is also used to refer to a daughter or sister in Javanese family structures. | |||
| Khmer | ក្មេងស្រី | ||
| Lao | ສາວ | ||
| The word "ສາວ" in Lao can also refer to a young unmarried woman or a female servant. | |||
| Malay | gadis | ||
| "Gadis" also means "maid" or "virgin" in Indonesian. | |||
| Thai | สาว | ||
| สาว (sao) also means 'young, fresh, unripe' and is related to words like 'morning' ('เช้า', 'chao') and 'raw' ('ดิบ', 'dib'). | |||
| Vietnamese | con gái | ||
| "Con gái" literally means "the daughter of" in Vietnamese. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | babae | ||
Girl in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | qız | ||
| "Qız" also means "red" in Azerbaijani, originating from the Proto-Turkic word *kızıl meaning "red, reddish; girl; maiden, lass." Similar words are found in other Turkic languages. | |||
| Kazakh | қыз | ||
| The word "қызы" could also mean "a female child" or "a young woman". | |||
| Kyrgyz | кыз | ||
| In Kyrgyz, the word "кыз" can also refer to a young unmarried woman or a daughter. | |||
| Tajik | духтар | ||
| The word "духтар" can also mean "daughter" or "female child" in Tajik. | |||
| Turkmen | gyz | ||
| Uzbek | qiz | ||
| The term "qiz" in Uzbek holds a semantic duality, also denoting the concept of "red" in its original Persian etymology. | |||
| Uyghur | قىز | ||
Girl in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kaikamahine | ||
| In old Hawaiian, kaikamahine meant "child-of-a-female," and could refer to either a boy or a girl. | |||
| Maori | kotiro | ||
| "Kotiro" also means "the first fruits of the harvest" in old Maori, and the first-born of any litter or nest of baby animals. | |||
| Samoan | teine | ||
| In Samoan mythology, Teine was the first woman created and the mother of mankind. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | babae | ||
| The Tagalog word "babae" also means "woman" or "female" and is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word "*babai". | |||
Girl in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | imilla | ||
| Guarani | mitãkuña | ||
Girl in International Languages
| Esperanto | knabino | ||
| Esperanto knabino 'girl' is derived from knabo 'boy,' but is not a diminutive, it is its feminine counterpart. | |||
| Latin | puella | ||
Girl in Others Languages
| Greek | κορίτσι | ||
| The word "κορίτσι" originates from the medieval Greek word "κοράσιον", meaning "maiden" or "young woman". | |||
| Hmong | ntxhais | ||
| The Hmong word “ntxhais” meaning “girl” is related to the words for “flower” and “young”. | |||
| Kurdish | keç | ||
| The Kurdish word "keç" originally referred to young women who were not yet married, and later came to mean "girl" in general. | |||
| Turkish | kız | ||
| The word "kız" also denotes the female of animals in Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | intombazana | ||
| The word "intombazana" also means "a young woman who has not yet reached childbearing age". | |||
| Yiddish | מיידל | ||
| The Yiddish word for "girl", "מיידל" (meydl), is a diminutive of the German word "Magd" (maid). | |||
| Zulu | intombazane | ||
| The word 'intombazane' can also mean 'young woman' or 'maiden'. | |||
| Assamese | ছোৱালী | ||
| Aymara | imilla | ||
| Bhojpuri | लइकी | ||
| Dhivehi | އަންހެން ކުއްޖާ | ||
| Dogri | कुड़ी | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | babae | ||
| Guarani | mitãkuña | ||
| Ilocano | ubing a babai | ||
| Krio | gal | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | کچ | ||
| Maithili | कन्या | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯅꯨꯄꯤꯃꯆꯥ | ||
| Mizo | hmeichhe naupang | ||
| Oromo | dubara | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | girl ିଅ | ||
| Quechua | sipas | ||
| Sanskrit | बालिका | ||
| Tatar | кыз | ||
| Tigrinya | ጓል | ||
| Tsonga | nhwana | ||