Independence in Different Languages
Discover 'Independence' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Independence is a powerful word that carries significant meaning and cultural importance across the globe. It represents the state of being free from outside control or influence, whether that's in the context of a nation, a person, or an organization. The significance of independence cannot be overstated, as it is often the culmination of long and hard-fought battles for freedom and self-determination.
Throughout history, the pursuit of independence has been a driving force behind some of the most significant cultural movements and events. From the American Revolution to India's struggle for independence from British rule, this word has inspired countless individuals to fight for their rights and freedoms.
Given its importance, it's no surprise that many people are interested in learning the translation of independence in different languages. After all, understanding this word in multiple tongues can help us better appreciate the cultural significance of independence and connect with people from diverse backgrounds.
Here are just a few examples of how independence is translated in various languages:
Independence
Independence in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | onafhanklikheid | ||
| The Afrikaans word "onaafhanklikheid" is derived from the Dutch "onaafhankelijkheid", which itself comes from the German "Unabhängigkeit". | |||
| Amharic | ነፃነት | ||
| Hausa | 'yancin kai | ||
| 'Yancin kai' is a combination of the word 'yanci (plural of right) and 'kai (self). | |||
| Igbo | nnwere onwe | ||
| Igbo 'nnwere onwe' (literally 'self-possession') is a complex concept encompassing both physical and spiritual 'self-command'. | |||
| Malagasy | te hahaleo tena | ||
| "Te haha le o tena" is a Malagasy phrase that literally translates to "let there be freedom" or "let there be independence," but it can also refer to the act of becoming independent. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kudziyimira pawokha | ||
| The term kudziyimira means 'support oneself' or 'stand on one's own two feet' | |||
| Shona | rusununguko | ||
| 'Rusununguko' also loosely means 'being detached' in the sense that when one achieves true independence they detach, or liberate, themselves from reliance (whether it be physical or emotional) on someone or something else. | |||
| Somali | madaxbanaanida | ||
| Ma-dax-banaan-iida is derived from the root word ma-dax which means "front" but also has the extended meaning of "in charge" or "responsible for". | |||
| Sesotho | boipuso | ||
| The word 'boipuso' in Sesotho also means 'freedom' and 'self-determination'. | |||
| Swahili | uhuru | ||
| The word "uhuru" also means "freedom" or "liberty" in Swahili. | |||
| Xhosa | ukuzimela | ||
| The word "ukuzimela" can also mean "to stand alone" or "to be self-reliant" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yoruba | ominira | ||
| The word "ominira" can also refer to self-reliance, autonomy, or liberation. | |||
| Zulu | ukuzimela | ||
| The Zulu word "ukuzimela" is sometimes rendered as "uzimela" and can also refer to something that is self-created, self-sustaining, or independent of external circumstances. | |||
| Bambara | yɛrɛmahɔrɔnya | ||
| Ewe | ɖokuisinɔnɔ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ubwigenge | ||
| Lingala | lipanda ya lipanda | ||
| Luganda | obwetwaze | ||
| Sepedi | boipušo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ahofadi a wonya | ||
Independence in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | استقلال | ||
| The Arabic word "استقلال" (istiqlal) also means "uprightness" or "straightness". | |||
| Hebrew | עצמאות | ||
| עצמאות is derived from the root word עצמ ‘'etsam’ (bone), referencing the strength and autonomy of an individual | |||
| Pashto | خپلواکي | ||
| The term "khpalwaki" in Pashto can also refer to self-determination or autonomy. | |||
| Arabic | استقلال | ||
| The Arabic word "استقلال" (istiqlal) also means "uprightness" or "straightness". | |||
Independence in Western European Languages
| Albanian | pavarësia | ||
| The word "pavarësia" comes from the Latin word "pavor," meaning "fear," and originally signified "freedom from fear." | |||
| Basque | independentzia | ||
| The etymology of 'independentzia' (independence) in Basque traces back to the Latin term 'independentia' (not depending) and is related to the idea of freedom, self-reliance, and sovereignty. | |||
| Catalan | independència | ||
| The Catalan word "independència" also has the alternate meaning of "self-reliance". | |||
| Croatian | neovisnost | ||
| The Croatian word "neovisnost" derives from the Slavic root "viz", meaning "to know" or "to understand", and the prefix "ne-", meaning "not" or "without". | |||
| Danish | uafhængighed | ||
| The word "uafhængighed" is derived from the Old Norse words "uafr" (un-free) and "hengi" (hanging), referring to the state of being unburdened. | |||
| Dutch | onafhankelijkheid | ||
| The Dutch word "onafhankelijkheid" (independence) derives from the Old High German word "unabhanga", which means "not hanging". | |||
| English | independence | ||
| Independence, from the Latin "independens," can also mean "not relying on others" or "not subject to control by others." | |||
| French | indépendance | ||
| The French word "indépendance" originates from the Latin "independens," meaning "not depending on." | |||
| Frisian | selsstannigens | ||
| The word "selsstannigens" derives from the word "sels," meaning "self," and "stannigens," meaning "standing." | |||
| Galician | independencia | ||
| In Galician, "independencia" also refers to the national holiday celebrated on July 25th. | |||
| German | unabhängigkeit | ||
| The etymology of the German word "Unabhängigkeit" traces back to the Middle High German word "unabhange, | |||
| Icelandic | sjálfstæði | ||
| The Icelandic word "sjálfstæði" derives from "sjá" (to see) and "stæði" (a place where something stands), and can also mean "a place to be seen" or "a viewpoint". | |||
| Irish | neamhspleáchas | ||
| The word neamhspleáchas can also mean 'impartiality' or 'self-sufficiency'. | |||
| Italian | indipendenza | ||
| The etymology of 'indipendenza' is from the Latin term 'independens', meaning 'not dependent' or 'free'. | |||
| Luxembourgish | onofhängegkeet | ||
| Onofhängegkeet is derived from the German word Unabhängigkeit, which itself comes from the Latin word independentia, meaning "not dependent". | |||
| Maltese | indipendenza | ||
| In Maltese, "indipendenza" derives from Italian and Spanish and also means "freedom and exemption from burdens or obligations." | |||
| Norwegian | selvstendighet | ||
| The Norwegian word "selvstendighet" derives from the Old Norse word "sjalfr", meaning "self", and "standi", meaning "place" or "position". It carries the connotation of standing on one's own, being autonomous, and having the freedom to make one's own decisions. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | independência | ||
| The word "independência" in Portuguese comes from the Latin "independentia", meaning "not dependent" or "free from control". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | neo-eisimeileachd | ||
| Spanish | independencia | ||
| "Independencia" also refers to a popular dish from northern Peru. | |||
| Swedish | oberoende | ||
| The Swedish word "oberoende" is derived from the German "unabhängig" and ultimately from the Latin "independeo", meaning "to hang from underneath" or "to be free from reliance". | |||
| Welsh | annibyniaeth | ||
| Annibyniaeth ('independence') is derived from the words 'ann' (one, alone) and 'byniau' (year). | |||
Independence in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | незалежнасць | ||
| The word "незалежнасць" (independence) in Belarusian has a Slavic origin and is derived from the root "-леж-," which means "to lie". This is because independence often implies a state of being free from external control or influence. | |||
| Bosnian | neovisnost | ||
| The word "neovisnost" is derived from the Latin word "novus", meaning "new", and the Slavic suffix "-ost", meaning "state of being". | |||
| Bulgarian | независимост | ||
| The word "независимост" ultimately derives from the Proto-Indo-European verb "*wei-k̑-, "to split, separate". | |||
| Czech | nezávislost | ||
| The Czech word "nezávislost" also means "self-reliance" and "self-sufficiency". | |||
| Estonian | iseseisvus | ||
| The word iseseisvus is derived from the Estonian word seista, meaning "to stand". This reflects the idea that independence is about standing on one's own two feet and being able to make one's own decisions. | |||
| Finnish | riippumattomuus | ||
| The word "riippumattomuus" (independence) is derived from the verb "riippua" (to hang), and originally meant "not hanging" (on someone or something). | |||
| Hungarian | függetlenség | ||
| The term "függetlenség" also denotes autonomy or self-determination in a political sense. | |||
| Latvian | neatkarība | ||
| Latvian word "neatkarība" originates from the negated form of the word "atkarība" ("dependency"), i.e. "un-dependency". | |||
| Lithuanian | nepriklausomybę | ||
| The word "nepriklausomybę" derives from the Lithuanian words "ne" (no) and "priklausomybę" (dependence). | |||
| Macedonian | независност | ||
| The verb from which "независност" derives in Macedonian, "зависам", means to hang, dangle, or be dependent on something. | |||
| Polish | niezależność | ||
| The word "niezależność" also means "freedom", "autonomy", or "sovereignty" in Polish. | |||
| Romanian | independenţă | ||
| This Romanian word derives from the French term "indépendance", and the Latin term "independens", "in" (not) and "dependere" (to hang from). | |||
| Russian | независимость | ||
| The word "независимость" also means "dependence" in old Russian and Ukrainian, as well as in modern-day Russian slang. | |||
| Serbian | независност | ||
| The word "независност" in Serbian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *nezavisъ, which meant "not dependent on" or "free from control". | |||
| Slovak | nezávislosť | ||
| The Slovak term derives its name from the verb meaning "not to depend on", and it can also mean "neutrality". | |||
| Slovenian | neodvisnost | ||
| Neodvisnost in Slovenian also means 'freedom' or 'self-reliance', and is cognate with other Slavic languages like Russian 'nezavisimost' (независимость). | |||
| Ukrainian | незалежність | ||
| The Ukrainian word "незалежність" (independence) is derived from the Proto-Slavic noun "nezalěžь" meaning "freedom" or "independence". | |||
Independence in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | স্বাধীনতা | ||
| স্বাধীনতা (Swadhinata) derives from the Sanskrit word 'svatantrata,' which means 'self-determined' or 'autonomous' | |||
| Gujarati | સ્વતંત્રતા | ||
| In Sanskrit, 'स्वतंत्रता' means 'having one's own support' (स्व = oneself, तंत्र= thread) | |||
| Hindi | आजादी | ||
| The word 'आजादी' in Hindi is derived from the Persian word 'āzād' meaning 'free' or 'unbound'. | |||
| Kannada | ಸ್ವಾತಂತ್ರ್ಯ | ||
| The term "ಸ್ವಾತಂತ್ರ್ಯ" in Kannada is derived from the Sanskrit root "svatantra" meaning "self-reliant" and "free from external control." | |||
| Malayalam | സ്വാതന്ത്ര്യം | ||
| Marathi | स्वातंत्र्य | ||
| The term 'स्वातंत्र्य' is also used to describe a state of freedom from external or personal influences or limitations. | |||
| Nepali | स्वतन्त्रता | ||
| स्वतन्त्रता originates from Sanskrit and is literally translated to "self-controlled". | |||
| Punjabi | ਆਜ਼ਾਦੀ | ||
| The Sanskrit root ' स्वतंत्रता ' ('svatantrata') refers not just to political independence but to liberation from all kinds of restraints, both internal and external. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | නිදහස | ||
| In Sinhala, "නිදහස" (nidahas) also means "freedom" or "liberation" and is derived from the Sanskrit word "निर्देष" (nirdesa), meaning "without instruction or command". | |||
| Tamil | சுதந்திரம் | ||
| Telugu | స్వాతంత్ర్యం | ||
| The word "స్వాతంత్ర్యం" is derived from the Sanskrit word "स्वातन्त्र्य" which means "self-rule" or "freedom from external control". It can also refer to the concept of self-determination, or the right of a group of people to govern themselves without external interference. | |||
| Urdu | آزادی | ||
| "آزادی" means freedom and liberty, but can also refer to freedom from oppression, restraint, or servitude. | |||
Independence in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 独立 | ||
| The word “独立” can also mean “standing on one’s own two feet” or “doing things on one’s own”. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 獨立 | ||
| The character "獨" (alone) implies that independence is about the ability to stand alone and make your own decisions. | |||
| Japanese | 独立 | ||
| 独立 can also mean 'separate' or 'detach' in Japanese, and its Chinese characters mean 'standing alone'. | |||
| Korean | 독립 | ||
| The Chinese characters used to write "독립" can also mean "poison" or "alone." | |||
| Mongolian | хараат бус байдал | ||
| The word "хараат бус байдал" (independence) in Mongolian can also refer to the state of being free from outside control or influence. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | လွတ်လပ်ရေး | ||
Independence in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | kemerdekaan | ||
| The word kemerdekaan also means freedom or liberty. | |||
| Javanese | kamardikan | ||
| "Kamardikan" means freedom or release from dependence or obligation | |||
| Khmer | ឯករាជ្យភាព | ||
| The word "ឯករាជ្យភាព" (independence) is derived from the Sanskrit word "ekarājya", which means "rule by one". The modern term is also used in a political sense to refer to a sovereign state. | |||
| Lao | ເອກະລາດ | ||
| The Lao word “เอกราช” (eklaat) is derived from Sanskrit and also means “the state of being alone” or “single”. | |||
| Malay | kemerdekaan | ||
| Kem, a Proto-Austronesian root meaning 'what', forms the first syllable of several words meaning 'what', 'how', 'where', 'when', 'who', 'why', and 'which', including 'kemerdekaan'. | |||
| Thai | ความเป็นอิสระ | ||
| The word "ความเป็นอิสระ" in Thai can also mean "liberty" or "freedom". | |||
| Vietnamese | sự độc lập | ||
| In its original Chinese characters, "Sự độc lập" literally means "standing alone" | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pagsasarili | ||
Independence in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | müstəqillik | ||
| "Müstəqillik" (independence) comes from the Arabic word "istiqlal", meaning "to stand alone". | |||
| Kazakh | тәуелсіздік | ||
| The Kazakh word "тәуелсіздік" also has the alternate meaning of "self-reliance". | |||
| Kyrgyz | көзкарандысыздык | ||
| Tajik | истиқлолият | ||
| The word "истиқлолият" is derived from the Arabic word "istiglal", which means "freedom" or "self-determination." | |||
| Turkmen | garaşsyzlyk | ||
| Uzbek | mustaqillik | ||
| Historically, the word "mustaqillik" in Uzbek was used in the sense of "independence" in the context of religious law and theology. | |||
| Uyghur | مۇستەقىللىق | ||
Independence in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kūʻokoʻa | ||
| Kūʻokoʻa derives from the words kū (to stand), ō (time or space), and koʻa (warrior), so it can also refer to "standing alone as a warrior". | |||
| Maori | mana motuhake | ||
| The term 'mana motuhake' is also used to express the concept of 'self-determination'. | |||
| Samoan | tutoʻatasi | ||
| "Tutoʻatasi" also translates literally as "standing alone or by oneself" in Samoan. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | pagsasarili | ||
| The word “pagsasarili” originates from the root word “sarili” meaning “self”, implying the individualistic aspect of self-governance and freedom. | |||
Independence in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | independencia ukaxa janiwa utjkiti | ||
| Guarani | independencia rehegua | ||
Independence in International Languages
| Esperanto | sendependeco | ||
| Sendependeco is composed of the prefix "sen" (without) and "dependeco" (dependence), thus meaning "without dependence". | |||
| Latin | libertatem | ||
| The word "libertatem" is cognate with "liber," meaning "free," and "libro," meaning "book." | |||
Independence in Others Languages
| Greek | ανεξαρτησία | ||
| The word 'ανεξαρτησία' ('independence') literally means 'not dependent on' and comes from the prefix 'a-' meaning 'not' and 'εξαρτάω' meaning 'I depend on' in Greek. | |||
| Hmong | kev ywj pheej | ||
| The word "kev ywj pheej" can be used as both a noun and a verb. | |||
| Kurdish | serxwebûnî | ||
| The word "serxwebûnî" in Kurdish is a compound of the words "ser" (head) and "xwebûn" (existence), thus meaning "self-determination" or "autonomous existence". | |||
| Turkish | bağımsızlık | ||
| The word 'bağımsızlık' comes from the Old Turkic word 'bağ' meaning 'to bind', and the suffix '-lık' meaning 'state or quality', suggesting a state of being unbound or free. | |||
| Xhosa | ukuzimela | ||
| The word "ukuzimela" can also mean "to stand alone" or "to be self-reliant" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yiddish | זעלבסטשטענדיקייט | ||
| In linguistics, Yiddish זעלבסטשטענדיקייט ('independence') has the additional meaning that a noun can stand on its own without the use of an auxiliary verb, and in the context of Jewish law it can also refer to an independent Jewish state. | |||
| Zulu | ukuzimela | ||
| The Zulu word "ukuzimela" is sometimes rendered as "uzimela" and can also refer to something that is self-created, self-sustaining, or independent of external circumstances. | |||
| Assamese | স্বাধীনতা | ||
| Aymara | independencia ukaxa janiwa utjkiti | ||
| Bhojpuri | आजादी के शुरुआत भइल | ||
| Dhivehi | މިނިވަންކަމެވެ | ||
| Dogri | आजादी दी | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pagsasarili | ||
| Guarani | independencia rehegua | ||
| Ilocano | panagwaywayas | ||
| Krio | indipɛndɛns | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | سەربەخۆیی | ||
| Maithili | स्वतंत्रता | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯅꯤꯡꯇꯝꯕꯥ ꯐꯪꯍꯅꯕꯥ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | zalenna a awm | ||
| Oromo | walabummaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ସ୍ୱାଧୀନତା | ||
| Quechua | independencia nisqa | ||
| Sanskrit | स्वातन्त्र्यम् | ||
| Tatar | бәйсезлек | ||
| Tigrinya | ናጽነት ምዃኑ’ዩ። | ||
| Tsonga | ku tiyimela | ||