Majority in Different Languages
Discover 'Majority' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'majority' holds great significance in many contexts, indicating a greater quantity, number, or amount. It is a cultural cornerstone, often used to describe the prevailing viewpoint or the group that holds the most power. Understanding the translation of 'majority' in different languages can provide valuable insights into how other cultures perceive and express this concept.
Did you know that in Latin, 'majority' is 'major pars?' Or that in Russian, 'majority' is 'большинство' (bol'shinstvo), which literally means 'the big number?' These translations not only help us understand the word's meaning in other languages but also offer a glimpse into the cultural contexts that shape these translations.
Whether you're a language enthusiast, a cultural explorer, or someone who simply loves learning new things, understanding the translation of 'majority' in different languages can be a fascinating journey. Here are some translations to get you started:
Majority
Majority in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | meerderheid | ||
| In older Dutch and Afrikaans, 'meerderheid' also means 'adultery'. | |||
| Amharic | አብዛኛው | ||
| "አብዛኛው" can also refer to "several"/"most" or "a large amount of". | |||
| Hausa | rinjaye | ||
| The alternate meaning of "rinjaye" is "to prevail", and its plural form is "rinjaya." | |||
| Igbo | imirikiti | ||
| "Imirikiti" derives from the Igbo words "imi" (people) and "rikiti" (gather), signifying a collective gathering of people. | |||
| Malagasy | maro an'isa | ||
| Maro an'isa is a compound word derived from "maro" (many) and "an'isa" (people), thus its literal meaning is "many people". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | ambiri | ||
| "Ambiri" means "most" but used to mean "all" or "everyone". | |||
| Shona | ruzhinji | ||
| "Majority" in Shona is "ruzhinji," which derives from the prefix "ru" (a collective noun) and the stem "-zhinji" (very many). | |||
| Somali | badankood | ||
| The word "badankood" can also mean "the largest part" or "the main body" in Somali. | |||
| Sesotho | bongata | ||
| In South Sotho, "bongata" can also mean "most of the people of a group" or "the greater part of something". | |||
| Swahili | wengi | ||
| The Swahili word "wengi" can also refer to a group of people or animals, similar to the English "herd" or "flock". | |||
| Xhosa | uninzi | ||
| In Xhosa, "uninzi" also refers to a large number of people or things, or a large amount of something. | |||
| Yoruba | poju | ||
| In the Edo language, 'poju' refers to the 'chief priest'. | |||
| Zulu | iningi | ||
| The word "iningi" can also mean "much, many, or a lot". | |||
| Bambara | faanba | ||
| Ewe | akpa gãtɔ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | benshi | ||
| Lingala | mingi | ||
| Luganda | ebisinga | ||
| Sepedi | bontši | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ɔdodoɔ | ||
Majority in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | أغلبية | ||
| The word "أغلبية" (majority) in Arabic can also refer to a coalition or group of parties that holds a majority of seats in a parliament or other legislative body. | |||
| Hebrew | רוֹב | ||
| The word "רוב" (majority) in Hebrew shares its root with the word "רב" (much), suggesting a connection to the concept of abundance or predominance. | |||
| Pashto | اکثریت | ||
| The word "اکثریت" (majority) in Pashto is derived from the Arabic word "أكثر" (more) and is also used to refer to a large number or the bulk of something. | |||
| Arabic | أغلبية | ||
| The word "أغلبية" (majority) in Arabic can also refer to a coalition or group of parties that holds a majority of seats in a parliament or other legislative body. | |||
Majority in Western European Languages
| Albanian | shumica | ||
| The word "shumicë" also means "many" or "much" in Albanian. | |||
| Basque | gehiengoa | ||
| The Basque word 'gehiengoa' also refers to a 'plurality' or 'most' in a group. | |||
| Catalan | majoria | ||
| In Catalan, "majoria" also means "legal age" or "coming of age". | |||
| Croatian | većina | ||
| Većina, a Croatian word for "majority", is derived from the Slavic word "več" meaning "more", and is related to the words "veći" (larger) and "najveći" (largest). | |||
| Danish | flertal | ||
| The Old Norse word 'flertal' meant 'a larger part' or 'a greater number' and is cognate with English 'fleet' and 'float'. | |||
| Dutch | meerderheid | ||
| The word "meerderheid" is derived from the Middle Dutch "meerderheyt", meaning "the greater part". | |||
| English | majority | ||
| "Majority" comes from Latin "majoritas" meaning "greater superiority" or "older age," which stems from "major" meaning "greater". | |||
| French | majorité | ||
| The French word "majorité" can also refer to the age of legal majority, which is 18 in France. | |||
| Frisian | mearderheid | ||
| It is related to the West Frisian word "mear" and the Old and Middle English word "mere", meaning "more". | |||
| Galician | maioría | ||
| The Galician word “maioría” derives from the Latin term “maioritas”, meaning “greater number”, and also refers to the age of majority. | |||
| German | mehrheit | ||
| The word "Mehrheit" in German is derived from the Old High German word "merihait," which means "greater number" or "multitude." | |||
| Icelandic | meirihluti | ||
| Meirihluti (majority), from meiri (more) and hluti (part), is also used to denote the main part or portion of something. | |||
| Irish | tromlach | ||
| In Irish, 'tromlach' also refers to a bulky or stout person. | |||
| Italian | maggioranza | ||
| "Maggioranza" is derived from the Latin "major", meaning "greater" but also "elder", hence its alternate meaning: "adulthood". | |||
| Luxembourgish | majoritéit | ||
| Maltese | maġġoranza | ||
| The word "majority" is derived from the Latin word "maior", meaning "greater". | |||
| Norwegian | flertall | ||
| The word "flertall" is derived from the Old Norse word "fleirtal", meaning "the greater number" or "the majority". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | maioria | ||
| "Maioria" is derived from the Latin word "maior", meaning "greater" or "larger", and can also refer to the greater part of a group or the age of majority. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | mòr-chuid | ||
| Spanish | mayoria | ||
| The word "mayoría" in Spanish also means "majority rule" or "absolute majority". | |||
| Swedish | majoritet | ||
| "Majoritet" comes from the Latin word "maioritas", meaning "greater number or part". | |||
| Welsh | mwyafrif | ||
| The Welsh word "mwyafrif" is not commonly used in modern Welsh, but it is related to the word "mwyafi", which means "to overwhelm" or "to overcome." | |||
Majority in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | большасць | ||
| The word "большасць" derives from the Proto-Slavic word "bоlьšь", meaning "greater" or "more". | |||
| Bosnian | većina | ||
| The word 'većina' also means 'most', 'many' or 'great number'. | |||
| Bulgarian | мнозинство | ||
| The word "мнозинство" can also mean "the majority of something" or "the bulk of something". | |||
| Czech | většina | ||
| The word "většina" also refers to the greater part of something (e.g. "většina lesa" = "most of the forest"). | |||
| Estonian | enamus | ||
| "Enamus" is the Estonian translation of "majority," but can also mean "most of" or "some." | |||
| Finnish | suurin osa | ||
| The word "suurin osa" is derived from the Finnish words "suuri" (big) and "osa" (part), and it can also mean "most" or "bulk". | |||
| Hungarian | többség | ||
| The word "többség" can also refer to the "plurality" of a group, or to the "majority of votes" cast in an election. | |||
| Latvian | vairums | ||
| The Latin word “maior” (greater) is the root of the Latvian word “vairums” (majority). | |||
| Lithuanian | dauguma | ||
| The Lithuanian word "dauguma" can also have a broader meaning, encompassing all that is "more" or "most", including the majority of the population or the largest part of something. | |||
| Macedonian | мнозинство | ||
| The word "мнозинство" comes from the root "мнoгo" meaning "many" and the suffix "-ство" which indicates a state or condition. | |||
| Polish | większość | ||
| "Większość" derives from the noun "większy" (larger, greater), and can also refer to the greater part of something (a greater number). | |||
| Romanian | majoritate | ||
| In Romanian, "majoritate" can also refer to a legal age or the age of majority. | |||
| Russian | большинство | ||
| The word "большинство" is also used to refer to "most" or "the greater part" of something. | |||
| Serbian | већину | ||
| The word "већину" can also mean "most" or "the greatest part". | |||
| Slovak | väčšina | ||
| "Väčšina" also means "most" or "very". | |||
| Slovenian | večina | ||
| Več means more in Slovenian and has cognates in other Slavic languages such as 'вяче' and 'več' | |||
| Ukrainian | більшість | ||
| In modern Ukrainian, "більшість" can also denote "most" | |||
Majority in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | সংখ্যাগরিষ্ঠ | ||
| The word "সংখ্যাগরিষ্ঠ" comes from two words: "সংখ্যা" (number) and "গরিষ্ঠ" (largest). | |||
| Gujarati | બહુમતી | ||
| The Gujarati word “બહુમતી” means “majority,” but it also refers to the plurality of a number or quantity. | |||
| Hindi | बहुमत | ||
| The word "बहुमत" (majority) originated from the Sanskrit word "बहु", meaning "many". | |||
| Kannada | ಬಹುಮತ | ||
| The word "ಬಹುಮತ" (majority) in Kannada is derived from the Sanskrit word "बहुमत" (majority), which means "greater part" or "most". It is also used to refer to a group of people who have more power or authority than others. | |||
| Malayalam | ഭൂരിപക്ഷം | ||
| The word "ഭൂരിപക്ഷം" in Malayalam has its roots in Sanskrit and literally means "larger portion or share". | |||
| Marathi | बहुमत | ||
| In Marathi, the word बहुमत can also mean 'plurality' or 'most votes', but not necessarily a majority. | |||
| Nepali | बहुमत | ||
| In Sanskrit, "bahumat" also signifies "esteem" or "great regard". | |||
| Punjabi | ਬਹੁਗਿਣਤੀ | ||
| The word "majority" comes from the Latin word "maioritas", which means "greater number or part". It can also be used to refer to the group of people who have more power or influence than any other group. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | බහුතරය | ||
| The word බහුතරය (bahutaraya) in Sinhala is derived from the Sanskrit word बहु (bahu), meaning 'many', and तारा (tara), meaning 'star'. It can also mean a 'large number', 'abundance', or 'multitude'. | |||
| Tamil | பெரும்பான்மை | ||
| The word பெரும்பான்மை also means 'the greater part of something' or 'the majority of a group' in Tamil. | |||
| Telugu | మెజారిటీ | ||
| "మెజారిటీ" (majority) can also refer to the legal age or coming-of-age in some contexts. | |||
| Urdu | اکثریت | ||
| The word "اکثریت" in Urdu can also mean "plurality" or "the greater part of something". | |||
Majority in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 多数 | ||
| "多数" can also mean "most" or "many" in Chinese. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 多數 | ||
| 多數 can also mean "most" or "numerous". | |||
| Japanese | 過半数 | ||
| The word "過半数" in Japanese also means "more than half of the total". | |||
| Korean | 과반수 | ||
| The word 과반수 (majority) is derived from the Chinese characters 過半, meaning 'more than half'. | |||
| Mongolian | олонх | ||
| The word "олонх" (majority) in Mongolian is derived from the Mongolian word "олон" (many). | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အများစု | ||
Majority in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | mayoritas | ||
| The Indonesian word "mayoritas" is derived from the Latin "maioritas", which means "greater part" or "larger number". | |||
| Javanese | mayoritas | ||
| In Javanese, | |||
| Khmer | ភាគច្រើន | ||
| The word ភាគច្រើន is derived from the Sanskrit word बहुजन (bahujan), meaning "many people" or "majority." | |||
| Lao | ສ່ວນໃຫຍ່ | ||
| Malay | majoriti | ||
| In Malay, 'majoriti' also means 'the majority of people' or 'the general public'. | |||
| Thai | ส่วนใหญ่ | ||
| ส่วนใหญ่ originated from the Sanskrit word 'paribandha' which meant 'a whole' or 'a group'. | |||
| Vietnamese | số đông | ||
| Số đông also refers to a large quantity or number of something, not necessarily a majority. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | karamihan | ||
Majority in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | çoxluq | ||
| Çoxluq can also mean "plurality" and "abundance" and is derived from the Persian word "çox" meaning "much". | |||
| Kazakh | көпшілік | ||
| "Көпшілік" (majority) also refers to "community" or "society" in Kazakh. | |||
| Kyrgyz | көпчүлүк | ||
| The word "көпчүлүк" in Kyrgyz can also refer to a coalition government or a majority party. | |||
| Tajik | аксарият | ||
| The word "аксарият" is derived from the Persian word "اکثریت" which also means "majority." | |||
| Turkmen | köplük | ||
| Uzbek | ko'pchilik | ||
| The word "ko'pchilik" in Uzbek can also refer to "the common people" or "the masses". | |||
| Uyghur | كۆپ سانلىق | ||
Majority in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hapa nui | ||
| "Hapa nui" in Hawaiian refers to a type of canoe that is used for fishing far offshore. | |||
| Maori | nuinga | ||
| The Maori word 'nuinga' also refers to the most, abundance, and plenty in a general sense. | |||
| Samoan | toatele | ||
| The word 'toatele' originates from the Proto-Polynesian term 'taotaole' which means 'all' or 'everyone'. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | karamihan | ||
| "Karamihan" can also refer to the "common people" or "masses". | |||
Majority in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jilapacha | ||
| Guarani | hetavéva | ||
Majority in International Languages
| Esperanto | plimulto | ||
| The Esperanto word "plimulto" also means "the greater part" or "the bulk". | |||
| Latin | maioris | ||
| In Latin the word 'maioris' can also mean 'eldest' or 'greater'. | |||
Majority in Others Languages
| Greek | η πλειοψηφία | ||
| The word "η πλειοψηφία" derives from the Ancient Greek words "πλείων" (more) and "ψῆφος" (vote), and also means "the greater number" | |||
| Hmong | feem coob | ||
| The word "feem coob" can also refer to the "large part" of something. | |||
| Kurdish | pirranî | ||
| The word 'pirranî' in Kurdish also means 'the act of gathering or collecting'. | |||
| Turkish | çoğunluk | ||
| The word "çoğunluk" is also used to refer to the "mass" or the "common people" in Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | uninzi | ||
| In Xhosa, "uninzi" also refers to a large number of people or things, or a large amount of something. | |||
| Yiddish | מערהייט | ||
| The Yiddish word "מערהייט" (majority) is derived from the Middle High German "merheit", meaning "greater number". | |||
| Zulu | iningi | ||
| The word "iningi" can also mean "much, many, or a lot". | |||
| Assamese | অধিকাংশ | ||
| Aymara | jilapacha | ||
| Bhojpuri | बहुमत | ||
| Dhivehi | ގިނަ މީހުން | ||
| Dogri | बहुमत | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | karamihan | ||
| Guarani | hetavéva | ||
| Ilocano | kaadduan | ||
| Krio | mɔ | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | زۆرینە | ||
| Maithili | बहुमत | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯁꯤꯡ ꯌꯥꯝꯕ | ||
| Mizo | tamzawkin | ||
| Oromo | harki caalaan | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ସଂଖ୍ୟା କିମ୍ବା ପ୍ରତୀକ ସହିତ ଅକ୍ଷର ମଧ୍ଯ ବ୍ୟବହାର କରି | ||
| Quechua | yaqa llapan | ||
| Sanskrit | बहुमत | ||
| Tatar | күпчелек | ||
| Tigrinya | መብዛሕትኡ | ||
| Tsonga | votala | ||