Infant in Different Languages
Discover 'Infant' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word infant holds a special significance in our lives, as it refers to the most vulnerable and delicate stage of human development. Infants, or babies, are the embodiment of innocence and pure potential, and they represent the future of humanity. Throughout history and across cultures, infants have been celebrated and cherished, with various traditions and rituals surrounding their birth and upbringing.
Moreover, the word infant has a fascinating etymology, deriving from the Latin word infans, which means unable to speak. This highlights the unique communication challenges and opportunities that infants present to their caregivers, as well as the importance of non-verbal forms of connection and expression.
Given the universal significance and cultural importance of infants, it is not surprising that the word has been translated into many different languages around the world. Here are some sample translations of infant that showcase the rich linguistic and cultural diversity of this concept:
Infant
Infant in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | baba | ||
| In Xhosa, 'uBaba uThixo' translates exactly like 'Our Father God' in both English and Afrikaans, which is interesting due to the double usage of 'father' in Afrikaans (baba as well). | |||
| Amharic | ህፃን | ||
| The word 'ህፃን' in Amharic can also mean 'young' or 'childlike'. | |||
| Hausa | jariri | ||
| Hausa 'jariri' originates from Arabic 'jarira,' meaning 'to injure, wound,' and is applied metaphorically to the infant as 'vulnerable, needy of protection.' | |||
| Igbo | nwa ọhụrụ | ||
| The term "nwa ọhụrụ" in Igbo can also refer to a newborn animal or a newly established entity. | |||
| Malagasy | zaza | ||
| The word "zaza" in Malagasy can also refer to a descendant or a godchild. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | khanda | ||
| In Nyanja, "khanda" also means "a very young animal". | |||
| Shona | mucheche | ||
| The word "mucheche" can also refer to a newborn animal or a young plant. | |||
| Somali | dhallaanka | ||
| "Dhallaanka" in Somali can also refer to a newborn animal or a young plant. | |||
| Sesotho | lesea | ||
| The word "lesea" in Sesotho can also refer to the youngest child in a family or a young animal that is still dependent on its mother. | |||
| Swahili | mtoto mchanga | ||
| In Swahili, "mtoto mchanga" can also refer to a newborn animal, particularly a calf. | |||
| Xhosa | usana | ||
| Usana may also mean "the act of carrying on the back". | |||
| Yoruba | ìkókó | ||
| "Ìkókó" literally means 'young of a bird', hence by extension, a small young child. | |||
| Zulu | usana | ||
| This word is also used to refer to a young plant or animal. | |||
| Bambara | den | ||
| Ewe | vifɛ̃ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | uruhinja | ||
| Lingala | mwana-moke | ||
| Luganda | omuto | ||
| Sepedi | lesea | ||
| Twi (Akan) | abɔdoma | ||
Infant in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | رضيع | ||
| رضيع is often used to refer to a baby who is exclusively breastfed, similar to its usage in the English language. | |||
| Hebrew | תִינוֹק | ||
| "תִינוֹק" is cognate with "יָנַק" ("to suckle") due to its root ending in the consonant "נ", and also shares a root with the word "תַּנּוּר" ("oven") due to the presence of the vowel "ו". | |||
| Pashto | نوی ماشوم | ||
| The word "نوی ماشوم" is also used to refer to a young child or a baby. | |||
| Arabic | رضيع | ||
| رضيع is often used to refer to a baby who is exclusively breastfed, similar to its usage in the English language. | |||
Infant in Western European Languages
| Albanian | foshnje | ||
| The Albanian word 'foshnje' originates from the Proto-Albanian word '*foshnē', which is cognate with Old Church Slavonic 'poskō' ('child') and Lithuanian 'paũksti' ('to hatch'). | |||
| Basque | haurra | ||
| The word "haurra" in Basque is derived from the Proto-Basque word "*haur" meaning "child" and is related to the words "haur" (child) in Gascon and "haur" (young) in Old French. | |||
| Catalan | infantil | ||
| Catalan "infantil" means "infantile" or "childish"; it can also refer to a child under the age of 7 or to something intended for children. | |||
| Croatian | dječji | ||
| "Dječji" is also an adjective used to describe things related to children, such as toys or clothes. | |||
| Danish | spædbarn | ||
| The Old Norse word spæðborn meant 'late-born' and referred to a child born after a gap of several years from the previous child. | |||
| Dutch | zuigeling | ||
| The Dutch word 'zuigeling' originally referred to a baby who was still breastfed. | |||
| English | infant | ||
| The word "infant" derives from Latin "infans," meaning "unable to speak," and referred to any child under the age of seven. | |||
| French | bébé | ||
| The word "bébé" is of onomatopoeic origin, imitating the sound of a baby's cry. | |||
| Frisian | poppe | ||
| The word 'poppe' has an alternate meaning in the Frisian language of 'small child' | |||
| Galician | infantil | ||
| In other words, this is a false friend since in Galician "infantil" means "puerile". | |||
| German | säugling | ||
| Icelandic | ungabarn | ||
| The word 'ungabarn' literally means 'young child' and is related to the word 'ungur' which means 'young'. | |||
| Irish | naíonán | ||
| Italian | neonato | ||
| From Latin *neonātus*, meaning “new born”, literally “newly brought to birth”. | |||
| Luxembourgish | puppelchen | ||
| The word "Puppelchen" is derived from the Old High German word "puppa", meaning "doll" or "baby". | |||
| Maltese | tarbija | ||
| The word 'tarbija' is derived from the Arabic word 'tarbiya', meaning 'upbringing' or 'education'. | |||
| Norwegian | spedbarn | ||
| The word 'spedbarn' is derived from the Old Norse words 'sped' (meaning 'care' or 'prosperity') and 'barn' (meaning 'child'). | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | infantil | ||
| In Portuguese, "infantil" derives from the Latin "infans" meaning "unable to speak," thus referring also to "childish" or "naive" conduct. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | leanaibh | ||
| It has been suggested that the name may have originated from the Irish name Leannai, which means "belonging to me". | |||
| Spanish | infantil | ||
| The Spanish word "infantil" not only denotes "infant", but also refers to the infantry, as it originated from the Latin term "infans", meaning "unable to speak" and referring to children and soldiers alike. | |||
| Swedish | spädbarn | ||
| The Swedish word "spädbarn" originally referred to a nursing infant and was connected to words for "suckling". | |||
| Welsh | babanod | ||
| The word "babanod" is derived from the Celtic word "bab", meaning "young child." | |||
Infant in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | немаўля | ||
| In Belarusian, the word "немаўля" (infant) is closely related to the word "нямы" (mute), suggesting a possible historical association between infants and their lack of speech. | |||
| Bosnian | dojenče | ||
| "Dojenče" (infant) comes from the verb "dojiti" (to breastfeed) and "dojka" (breast)" | |||
| Bulgarian | бебе | ||
| The word "бебе" in Bulgarian is derived from the Turkish word "bebe", meaning "child" or "young one". | |||
| Czech | dítě | ||
| The word "dítě" comes from the Old Slavic word "dětę", meaning "child" or "young one". | |||
| Estonian | imik | ||
| "Imik" has a slightly different meaning in Finnish, referring to someone who hasn't been breastfed for a month or two. | |||
| Finnish | lapsi | ||
| The word "lapsi" is cognate with "laps" in Estonian, meaning "child", and may be derived from the Proto-Uralic word *lapsi meaning "offspring". | |||
| Hungarian | csecsemő | ||
| "Csecsemő" also means "suckling" or "baby animal." | |||
| Latvian | zīdainis | ||
| Lithuanian | kūdikis | ||
| The word "kūdikis" can also refer to a small animal or a doll, and is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *keu- "to swell". | |||
| Macedonian | новороденче | ||
| "Новороденче" comes from the Proto-Slavic word "*novъ", meaning "new", and "*rodъ", meaning "birth", and can also mean "newborn" or "recent arrival". | |||
| Polish | dziecko | ||
| In Polish, "Dziecko" refers to both a young child (infant) and the unborn offspring of humans and animals. | |||
| Romanian | copil | ||
| The word "copil" is derived from the Latin word "copula", meaning "a bond" or "a union", and is often used to refer to the bond between a parent and child. | |||
| Russian | младенец | ||
| The word "младенец" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*mladĭ", meaning "young" or "tender". | |||
| Serbian | дојенче | ||
| The word 'дојенче' is derived from the verb 'дојити', meaning 'to breastfeed', and can also refer to a breastfeeding child. | |||
| Slovak | nemluvňa | ||
| The word "nemluvňa" in Slovak derives from the verb "nemluvit" meaning "not to talk" and literally means "non-speaker". | |||
| Slovenian | dojenček | ||
| The word 'dojenček' comes from the verb 'dojiti' (to breastfeed) and the suffix '-ček' (little one), denoting a person who is being breastfed and is young and small. | |||
| Ukrainian | немовляти | ||
| Ukrainian 'немовляти' (infant) comes from the Old Slavonic 'ne molv' (unable to speak), referring to the inability of infants to communicate verbally. | |||
Infant in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | শিশু | ||
| শিশু comes from the Sanskrit word शिशु, which means 'young one' or 'child', and is related to the word शिशु, which means 'to bear'. | |||
| Gujarati | શિશુ | ||
| The Gujarati word "શિશુ" not only means "infant" but also "child" or "student". | |||
| Hindi | शिशु | ||
| The word 'शिशु' (infant) in Hindi is derived from the Sanskrit word 'shishu', which also means 'young animal' or 'disciple'. | |||
| Kannada | ಶಿಶು | ||
| The word "ಶಿಶು" (śiśu) is derived from the Sanskrit word "शिशु" (śiśu), which means "young child" or "infant." | |||
| Malayalam | ശിശു | ||
| The word 'ശിശു' in Malayalam has an alternate meaning of 'pupil' (of an eye), which may be derived from the Sanskrit word 'शिष्य' (śiṣya) meaning 'disciple'. | |||
| Marathi | अर्भक | ||
| The Marathi word "अर्भक" is also used metaphorically to describe the initial stage of something. | |||
| Nepali | शिशु | ||
| The word "shishu" can also refer to a disciple or pupil. | |||
| Punjabi | ਬਾਲ | ||
| The word "ਬਾਲ" in Punjabi can also refer to a young person or a child, in addition to its primary meaning of "infant". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ළදරුවා | ||
| The word "ළදරුවා" (ladaruvaa) in Sinhala is derived from the Sanskrit word "लड्डू" (laddū), meaning "a sweet ball of flour and sugar" | |||
| Tamil | குழந்தை | ||
| Tamil 'குழந்தை' also means 'young one' of animals and plants, highlighting Tamil's holistic view of nature. | |||
| Telugu | శిశువు | ||
| The word 'శిశువు' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'शिशु' (śiśu), which means 'child' or 'young one'. | |||
| Urdu | نوزائیدہ | ||
| "نوزائیدہ" is a Persian origin word that also means 'newborn' and 'new'. | |||
Infant in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 婴儿 | ||
| "婴儿" in Chinese is also used to refer to babies who have already been born but are not yet able to speak. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 嬰兒 | ||
| 嬰兒 (嬰兒 yīng'ér) literally translates as "soft flesh" or "soft body", which refers to an infant's soft and delicate skin. | |||
| Japanese | 幼児 | ||
| "幼児" (read as "youji") is a compound word; 幼 (read as "yo") means "young" and 者 (read as "shi") means "person". | |||
| Korean | 유아 | ||
| The word "유아" also refers to a young animal or a seedling, and is related to the word "유아" meaning "childlike innocence." | |||
| Mongolian | нялх хүүхэд | ||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | မွေးကင်းစ | ||
Infant in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | bayi | ||
| The word "bayi" in Indonesian derives from the Proto-Austronesian root "*bahi", meaning "young child". | |||
| Javanese | bayi | ||
| In Indonesian, the word "bayi" also means "a young or inexperienced person". | |||
| Khmer | ទារក | ||
| The word "ទារក" can also refer to a young animal. | |||
| Lao | ເດັກທາລົກ | ||
| Malay | bayi | ||
| "Bayi" is also the name for a type of small, freshwater fish in Malaysia. | |||
| Thai | ทารก | ||
| The word "ทารก" can also be used to refer to a "foetus" or an "unborn child" in Thai. | |||
| Vietnamese | trẻ sơ sinh | ||
| The word "trẻ sơ sinh" in Vietnamese literally means "first newborn", with "trẻ" meaning "young" or "child" and "sơ sinh" meaning "newborn." | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sanggol | ||
Infant in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | körpə | ||
| The word "körpə" (infant) likely originates from the Persian word "kirpā" (lamb). | |||
| Kazakh | нәресте | ||
| "Нәресте" also means "baby", "child", or "little one" in Kazakh. | |||
| Kyrgyz | ымыркай | ||
| The word 'ымыркай' is also used to refer to something small, weak, or insignificant in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | тифл | ||
| The word "тифл" has multiple meanings, including "young child" and "ignorant person". | |||
| Turkmen | bäbek | ||
| Uzbek | go'dak | ||
| “Go'dak“ is derived from the Old Turkic word “ködek,” meaning “offspring, baby, child.” | |||
| Uyghur | بوۋاق | ||
Infant in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | pēpē | ||
| "Pēpē" also refers to a squid lure or a type of Hawaiian taro | |||
| Maori | kōhungahunga | ||
| "Kōhungahunga" also refers to the placenta or afterbirth, as it is believed to be the child's first home. | |||
| Samoan | pepe | ||
| The Samoan word 'pepe' also means 'butterfly'. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | sanggol | ||
| Sanggol comes from the Tagalog verb "sumagsang" which means to lean on something, possibly referring to an infant's constant need to lean on its mother or a caretaker. | |||
Infant in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | wawa | ||
| Guarani | mitãrekóva | ||
Infant in International Languages
| Esperanto | bebo | ||
| Bebo, meaning "infant" in Esperanto, also denotes the soft feathers of birds. | |||
| Latin | infans | ||
| In Latin, "infans" originally referred to those who cannot speak due to age, disability, or legal status. | |||
Infant in Others Languages
| Greek | βρέφος | ||
| "Βρέφος" also denotes "a descendant," or more specifically, "the youngest daughter," "the last-born," "child of one's old age." | |||
| Hmong | menyuam mos | ||
| The word "menyuam mos" in Hmong also means "newborn" or "baby". | |||
| Kurdish | zarokê biçûk | ||
| In Kurdish, “zarokê biçûk” refers not only to biological infants but also to young individuals as a term of endearment. | |||
| Turkish | bebek | ||
| 'Bebek' also means 'doll' in Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | usana | ||
| Usana may also mean "the act of carrying on the back". | |||
| Yiddish | פּיצל קינד | ||
| The word "פיצל קינד" can also be used to refer to a small or insignificant child. | |||
| Zulu | usana | ||
| This word is also used to refer to a young plant or animal. | |||
| Assamese | কেঁচুৱা | ||
| Aymara | wawa | ||
| Bhojpuri | शिशु | ||
| Dhivehi | ތުއްތު ކުއްޖާ | ||
| Dogri | ञ्याना | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sanggol | ||
| Guarani | mitãrekóva | ||
| Ilocano | tagibi | ||
| Krio | bebi | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | کۆرپە | ||
| Maithili | नेना | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯉꯥꯡ ꯅꯋꯥ | ||
| Mizo | nausen | ||
| Oromo | daa'ima reefuu dhalate | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଶିଶୁ | ||
| Quechua | wawa | ||
| Sanskrit | शिशु | ||
| Tatar | сабый | ||
| Tigrinya | ህፃን | ||
| Tsonga | ricece | ||