Me in Different Languages
Discover 'Me' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'me' is a small but powerful term, referring to the individual experiencing the world around them. It's a word we use daily, yet its significance goes beyond mere pronouns. 'Me' is a symbol of self-awareness, identity, and individuality, making it a culturally important concept across the globe.
Throughout history, the concept of 'me' has been explored in various philosophical, psychological, and spiritual contexts. For instance, in Buddhism, the idea of 'me' is closely linked to the concept of 'anatta' or 'no-self,' which challenges the notion of a permanent, unchanging self. This highlights the intrigue and fascination surrounding the idea of 'me' in different cultures and languages.
Understanding the translation of 'me' in various languages can provide valuable insights into how different cultures perceive and express individuality. For instance, in Spanish, 'me' translates to 'me,' while in French, it's 'moi.' Meanwhile, in Japanese, 'me' is translated as ' watashi' or 'boku,' depending on the gender and formality of the speaker.
Discover how the word 'me' is expressed in different languages and cultures, and gain a new perspective on this seemingly simple term.
Me
Me in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | ek | ||
| "Ek" in Afrikaans is a contraction of the Dutch word "ik," meaning "I". | |||
| Amharic | እኔ | ||
| The word እኔ also means "us" when used as the subject of a plural verb. | |||
| Hausa | ni | ||
| In some dialects, 'ni' also connotes emphasis or focus on the first person singular subject or object of a verb. | |||
| Igbo | mu | ||
| The Igbo word "mu" shares a root with the word for "person" and can also refer to a community or lineage. | |||
| Malagasy | ahy | ||
| The Malagasy word "ahy" not only means "me" but also refers to the concept of "self" or "essence". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | ine | ||
| The word "ine" has multiple uses, including first person singular subject, personal possessive concord, emphatic subject, and emphatic focus. | |||
| Shona | ini | ||
| The word "ini" can also mean "I am" or "this is" in Shona. | |||
| Somali | aniga | ||
| The word "aniga" in Somali also has a second meaning, "my body". | |||
| Sesotho | nna | ||
| “Nna” is a contraction of the Sesotho word “'na”, which originally meant “father.” | |||
| Swahili | mimi | ||
| Mimi has an alternate meaning of "me" in Swahili and a possible etymology from the Bantu root "-*mi-*" | |||
| Xhosa | mna | ||
| The Xhosa word "mna" can also mean "myself" or "mine". | |||
| Yoruba | emi | ||
| "Emi" is Yoruba for both "me" and "my breath." | |||
| Zulu | mina | ||
| Mina is the Zulu word for 'me' and is also sometimes used to refer to a person's 'shadow' or 'soul'. | |||
| Bambara | ne | ||
| Ewe | nye | ||
| Kinyarwanda | njye | ||
| Lingala | nga | ||
| Luganda | nze | ||
| Sepedi | nna | ||
| Twi (Akan) | me | ||
Me in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | أنا | ||
| "أنا" has a dual meaning in Arabic: first-person singular subjective case, and a first-person singular possessive pronoun. | |||
| Hebrew | לִי | ||
| In Hebrew, "לִי" can also mean "to me" or "for me". | |||
| Pashto | زه | ||
| The Pashto word "زه" can also refer to the reflexive pronoun "myself" or the possessive pronoun "my own" | |||
| Arabic | أنا | ||
| "أنا" has a dual meaning in Arabic: first-person singular subjective case, and a first-person singular possessive pronoun. | |||
Me in Western European Languages
| Albanian | une | ||
| The word "une" in Albanian can also refer to "soul" or "spirit." | |||
| Basque | ni | ||
| Though the word "ni" means "me" in Basque, it also translates to "I" in Occitan. | |||
| Catalan | jo | ||
| The word "jo" can also mean "I swear" or "damn" in Catalan and is often used as an exclamation. | |||
| Croatian | mi | ||
| The word "mi" in Croatian can also mean "we" or be used as a possessive pronoun meaning "our" or "ours." | |||
| Danish | mig | ||
| Mig is cognate with the German word "mich", meaning "me" as well, and it is also part of the expression "for mig selv", meaning "for myself". | |||
| Dutch | me | ||
| In Dutch, "me" can also mean "mine" or refer to the object of a preposition. | |||
| English | me | ||
| The word "me" can also refer to an individual's ego or sense of personal identity. | |||
| French | moi | ||
| 'Moi' also means 'ugly' or 'bad' in French slang. | |||
| Frisian | my | ||
| The Frisian word "my" (pronounced "mey") originates from the Old Frisian term "mi", which derives from the Proto-Germanic root "me-" meaning "I." | |||
| Galician | eu | ||
| Galician's "eu" is derived from the Latin word for "ego", meaning "I", and is also used in Catalan, Portuguese, Romanian, Sardinian, and Sicilian. | |||
| German | mich | ||
| The word "mich" is also used in a few idiomatic expressions, such as "mich gruselt" (which means "I am horrified") and "mich wundert" (which means "I am surprised"). | |||
| Icelandic | ég | ||
| The Icelandic word "ég" originated from the Old Norse word "ek," which also means "I" in English. | |||
| Irish | mise | ||
| Mise is also used to refer to the first person singular in Irish, meaning "I" or "me". | |||
| Italian | me | ||
| The Italian word "me" can also be used to mean "myself" | |||
| Luxembourgish | ech | ||
| The word "ech" also translates to "I" in English, and is derived from the Old High German word "ih". | |||
| Maltese | jien | ||
| The word "jien" in Maltese comes from the Arabic word "'anā", which means "I". | |||
| Norwegian | meg | ||
| The term "meg" also can mean "my" in Norwegian, but only when "my" is used as a possessive pronoun for inanimate objects. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | mim | ||
| In Portuguese, "mim" has another meaning: "to me" or "for me" when used as an indirect object pronoun. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | mi | ||
| 'Mì' (pronounced 'mee') is the accusative form of 'me' in Scots Gaelic, but can also be used as a vocative to address someone. | |||
| Spanish | yo | ||
| In Spanish, the word "yo" can derive from the Latin word "ego" or the Greek word "egoi" | |||
| Swedish | mig | ||
| The word "mig" in Swedish can also refer to "one's self" or "each other" | |||
| Welsh | fi | ||
| The Welsh word "fi" not only means "me", but also "my". | |||
Me in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | я | ||
| The word "я" in Belarusian can also be used to express the concept of "self" or "identity". | |||
| Bosnian | ja | ||
| Ja is a clitic particle used in accusative and dative case in Bosnian, and it can also mean "indeed". | |||
| Bulgarian | мен | ||
| The Bulgarian word "мен" originated from the Proto-Slavic word "mene", meaning "me" and used especially in formal or literary contexts. | |||
| Czech | mě | ||
| The Czech word "mě" can also mean "to me" or "for me". | |||
| Estonian | mina | ||
| In Finnish, the word "mina" also translates to the first person pronoun "I" in English, as well as the word "self" or "ego". | |||
| Finnish | minä | ||
| The word "minä" shares its root with the word "mieli," meaning "mind" or "spirit." | |||
| Hungarian | nekem | ||
| In colloquial Hungarian, "nekem" can also mean "to me" in certain contexts, where the "to" is implied or understood from the sentence structure. | |||
| Latvian | es | ||
| In many old texts, "es" can also mean "I" but its use in this way is now largely obsolete. | |||
| Lithuanian | aš | ||
| The Lithuanian word "aš" ("I") is an example of a 1st-person personal pronoun that is cognate with the "ego" in Latin and the "ich" in German. | |||
| Macedonian | јас | ||
| The word "јас" can also refer to the first person plural pronoun "we". | |||
| Polish | mnie | ||
| "Mnie" can refer to the genitive and accusative forms of both the 1st and 2nd person singular pronouns in Polish. | |||
| Romanian | pe mine | ||
| The Romanian word "pe mine" is also used to form reflexive verbs in the accusative case, meaning "myself," "yourself," or "himself/herself/itself." | |||
| Russian | мне | ||
| "Мне" is cognate with Latin "mei" and Greek "εµοῦ" and originally meant "my" but acquired the meaning of "to me" via rebracketing. | |||
| Serbian | ја | ||
| The Serbian word "ја" can also be used as an emphatic particle, similar to "indeed" or "truly" in English. | |||
| Slovak | ja | ||
| The Slovak word "ja" also means "I" in the accusative case. | |||
| Slovenian | jaz | ||
| Besides its use as the first-person singular pronoun, "jaz" can also be an archaic term for "spring" in Slovenian. | |||
| Ukrainian | я | ||
| "Я" (meaning "me") is the only first-person singular personal pronoun in Ukrainian and is cognate with "я" (me) in Russian. | |||
Me in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | আমাকে | ||
| The word "আমাকে" in Bengali can also be used as a reflexive pronoun, meaning "myself". | |||
| Gujarati | મને | ||
| The Gujarati word 'મને' can also mean 'to me', 'for me', or 'in my opinion', depending on the context. | |||
| Hindi | मुझे | ||
| In Hindi, "मुझे" can also imply "to me" or "for me". | |||
| Kannada | ನನಗೆ | ||
| The word "ನನಗೆ" in Kannada can also mean "to me". | |||
| Malayalam | ഞാൻ | ||
| The word "ഞാൻ" can also mean "self" or "soul" in Malayalam. | |||
| Marathi | मी | ||
| The Marathi word "मी" also means "rain" and is related to the Sanskrit word "मेघ" meaning "cloud"} | |||
| Nepali | म | ||
| "म" (pronounced 'muh') can also refer to: 'the' (possessive form), 'mine', 'of', or 'from'. It is often used in compound words. | |||
| Punjabi | ਮੈਨੂੰ | ||
| The word 'mainu' (ਮੈਨੂੰ) in Punjabi can also mean 'to me' or 'for me' in a literal sense. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | මට | ||
| The Sinhala word "මට" can also be used to mean "to me" or "for me". | |||
| Tamil | என்னை | ||
| என்னை's alternative meaning comes from 'என்ன' ('what') and 'ஐ' ('the') which together mean 'that which'. | |||
| Telugu | నాకు | ||
| The Telugu word "నాకు" also refers to the "to me" case of personal pronouns. | |||
| Urdu | مجھے | ||
| The word 'مجھے' also means 'to me' and can be used as an indirect object. | |||
Me in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 我 | ||
| 我 can also refer to the first person plural pronoun "we" in Chinese. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 我 | ||
| 我 (wǒ) is a pictograph of a person bowing, and is also used as the pronoun "I". | |||
| Japanese | 私 | ||
| "私" also refers to one's personal life or matters, such as private property or personal affairs. | |||
| Korean | 나를 | ||
| "나를" can also mean "my" and it is a contraction of the word "나의" ("my") and the subject marker "는." | |||
| Mongolian | би | ||
| Би is the genitive form of 'бид', which means 'we' in Mongolian. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ငါ့ကို | ||
Me in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | saya | ||
| The Indonesian word "saya" meaning "I" or "me" is a cognate of the Sanskrit word "sva" or "self". | |||
| Javanese | kula | ||
| “Kula,” or “me”, is a formal Javanese pronoun reserved for addressing people with higher status or as a sign of respect. | |||
| Khmer | ខ្ញុំ | ||
| Khmer 'ខ្ញុំ' can also mean 'slave' or 'servant', reflecting feudal power structures. | |||
| Lao | ຂ້ອຍ | ||
| The word ຂ້ອຍ can also be used to refer to a person of lower status in Lao society. | |||
| Malay | saya | ||
| The Malay word "saya" also refers to a type of traditional long skirt worn in Indonesia and Malaysia. | |||
| Thai | ฉัน | ||
| The Thai word "ฉัน" can also mean "I" or "myself". | |||
| Vietnamese | tôi | ||
| The word "tôi" can also be used as a first-person plural pronoun, meaning "we". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | ako | ||
Me in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | mən | ||
| The word “mən” also means “mine” in Azerbaijani, as in the phrase “mən ev,” which means “my house”. | |||
| Kazakh | мен | ||
| The word "мен" in Kazakh also means "I" and "myself". | |||
| Kyrgyz | мага | ||
| The word "мага" can also mean "you" or "yourself" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | ман | ||
| "ман" is also a unit of weight in Central Asian countries, roughly corresponding to a ton. | |||
| Turkmen | men | ||
| Uzbek | men | ||
| The word "men" ("me") in Uzbek can also mean "I" when used as a subject pronoun. | |||
| Uyghur | مەن | ||
Me in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ʻo wau | ||
| 'O wau is an archaic form referring to the speaker and means 'my real self'. | |||
| Maori | ko ahau | ||
| The personal pronoun ko ahau can be used in formal and religious contexts, and it is occasionally shortened to just ahau. | |||
| Samoan | o aʻu | ||
| In Samoan, 'o aʻu' also means 'myself' or can be used as an emphatic form of 'I' ('it is I'). | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | ako | ||
| The word 'ako' in Tagalog can also refer to the liver, the ego, or the self. | |||
Me in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | nayaru | ||
| Guarani | che | ||
Me in International Languages
| Esperanto | mi | ||
| The Esperanto word "mi" can also mean "myself" or "my own". | |||
| Latin | mihi | ||
| In the late classical and medieval Latin, mihi is not only used as the dative singular of ego but also refers to an ethical dative, which may be translated as 'in my opinion/from my point of view'. | |||
Me in Others Languages
| Greek | μου | ||
| The Greek word "μου" ("me") derives from the Proto-Indo-European pronoun *me-, *m-, meaning "mine". | |||
| Hmong | kuv | ||
| The term "kuv" also serves as the genitive particle and can be used to indicate possession. | |||
| Kurdish | min | ||
| The word "min" in Kurdish can also mean "mine" or "belonging to me" | |||
| Turkish | ben mi | ||
| The Turkish word "ben mi" (me) originates from the Proto-Turkic word "*ben" meaning "I". | |||
| Xhosa | mna | ||
| The Xhosa word "mna" can also mean "myself" or "mine". | |||
| Yiddish | מיר | ||
| The etymology of Yiddish word "מיר" is linked to the German words "wir" and "unser", meaning "we" and "our". In Yiddish, "מיר" is also used as a plural form of the first person pronoun "איך" (I). | |||
| Zulu | mina | ||
| Mina is the Zulu word for 'me' and is also sometimes used to refer to a person's 'shadow' or 'soul'. | |||
| Assamese | মোক | ||
| Aymara | nayaru | ||
| Bhojpuri | हम | ||
| Dhivehi | އަހަރެން | ||
| Dogri | में | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | ako | ||
| Guarani | che | ||
| Ilocano | siak | ||
| Krio | mi | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | من | ||
| Maithili | हम | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯩꯍꯥꯛ | ||
| Mizo | keimah | ||
| Oromo | ana | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ମୁଁ | ||
| Quechua | ñuqa | ||
| Sanskrit | अहम् | ||
| Tatar | мин | ||
| Tigrinya | ኣነ | ||
| Tsonga | mina | ||