Mutual in Different Languages
Discover 'Mutual' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'mutual' holds a significant place in our linguistic and cultural landscape. Derived from the Latin word mutuus, meaning 'reciprocal' or 'shared by both sides,' this term has come to signify a relationship of mutual benefit, respect, and understanding in modern English. Mutuality is a cornerstone of human interaction, fostering cooperation, empathy, and a sense of community.
Beyond its cultural importance, understanding the translation of 'mutual' in different languages can be a fascinating exploration of linguistic nuances and cultural contexts. For instance, in Spanish, 'mutual' is translated as mutuo, while in French, it becomes mutuel. In German, the term is gegenseitig, and in Japanese, it is sōgo (相互). These translations not only reflect the grammatical structures of their respective languages but also shed light on how different cultures conceptualize and value the idea of mutuality.
Join us as we delve deeper into the multifaceted world of 'mutual' in different languages, providing you with a captivating journey through language and culture.
Mutual
Mutual in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | wedersydse | ||
| The Afrikaans word "wedersydse" comes from the Dutch word "wederzijds", which also means "mutual". | |||
| Amharic | እርስ በእርስ | ||
| The word "እርስ በእርስ" can also mean "to each other" or "among themselves". | |||
| Hausa | juna | ||
| The Hausa word "juna" has multiple meanings, encompassing both "mutual agreement" and "shared ownership, especially of livestock." | |||
| Igbo | nwekorita | ||
| The word "nwekorita" in Igbo can also mean "agreement" or "relationship". | |||
| Malagasy | fiaraha-mientana ifampizarana | ||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | mogwirizana | ||
| The word "mogwirizana" is derived from the verb "kugwirizana," which means "to come together." | |||
| Shona | kuwirirana | ||
| In English, the term 'kuwirirana' can refer to 'being together' and 'concurring'. | |||
| Somali | wadaag ah | ||
| Somali 'wadaag ah' is derived from the Arabic 'mudawajah' (interdependence), suggesting a broader sense of shared experience | |||
| Sesotho | bobeli | ||
| The word 'bobeli' is derived from the root word 'bo' (meaning 'together') and 'beli' (meaning 'side'). | |||
| Swahili | kuheshimiana | ||
| "Kuheshimiana" is derived from the verb "kuheshimu" (to respect) and implies reciprocity and regard for one another. | |||
| Xhosa | mutual | ||
| The Xhosa word for "mutual" is "ngokufanayo," which also means "alike" or "similar." | |||
| Yoruba | pelu owo | ||
| The word `pelu owo` literally means `with hand`. | |||
| Zulu | mutual | ||
| In Zulu, "mutual" can also mean "reciprocal" or "common". | |||
| Bambara | fan fila ko | ||
| Ewe | si ame sia ame xɔ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | hagati yabo | ||
| Lingala | boyokani | ||
| Luganda | entegeragana yobuntu | ||
| Sepedi | mmogo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | baanusɛm | ||
Mutual in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | متبادل | ||
| The word "متبادل" derives from the root "ب د ل" (to exchange), conveying the idea of an action or feeling shared between two or more individuals. | |||
| Hebrew | הֲדָדִי | ||
| The word "הֲדָדִי" (mutual) in Hebrew is related to the word "הָד" (echo), suggesting a reciprocal or echoing relationship. | |||
| Pashto | دوه اړخيزه | ||
| Arabic | متبادل | ||
| The word "متبادل" derives from the root "ب د ل" (to exchange), conveying the idea of an action or feeling shared between two or more individuals. | |||
Mutual in Western European Languages
| Albanian | reciproke | ||
| The Albanian word "reciproke" is derived from the Latin word "reciprocus", meaning "interchangeable" or "mutually given and received." | |||
| Basque | elkarrekiko | ||
| The word "elkarrekiko" is composed of the words "elkar" (each other) and "rekiko" (towards), hence its meaning of "mutual". | |||
| Catalan | mutu | ||
| The word "mutu" in Catalan has Indo-European roots and is related to the Greek word "amoibos," meaning "reciprocal" or "interchangeable." | |||
| Croatian | uzajamno | ||
| The word "uzajamno" is derived from the Slavic root "uz" (meaning "with") and "jamati" (meaning "to take"). | |||
| Danish | gensidig | ||
| ''Gensidig'' is derived from the Proto-Germanic verb ''*ga-sinþjanan'' (to travel together), and the related English words ''send'' and ''sin.'' | |||
| Dutch | wederzijds | ||
| Wederzijds' is a compound of weder ('again, back') and zijds ('side'), and implies reciprocity, from both sides. | |||
| English | mutual | ||
| The word "mutual" is derived from the Latin word "mutuus", meaning "exchange" or "reciprocal". | |||
| French | mutuel | ||
| **'Mutuel' (French)**: Alternate meanings include a **form of betting** where every gambler bets against every other participant. | |||
| Frisian | mienskiplik | ||
| The word "mienskiplik" in Frisian can also refer to a sense of community or togetherness. | |||
| Galician | mutua | ||
| German | gegenseitig | ||
| The German word "gegenseitig" is derived from the Old High German "giginseitin", meaning "doing something opposite to or in return for something else". | |||
| Icelandic | sameiginlegt | ||
| The word "Sameiginlegt" originates from the merger of "sameign" (jointly owned) and the suffix "-legt," indicating a property or quality. | |||
| Irish | frithpháirteach | ||
| Italian | reciproco | ||
| The word "reciproco" in Italian comes from the Latin word "reciprocus," meaning "back and forth" or "interchangeable." | |||
| Luxembourgish | géigesäiteg | ||
| In Luxembourgish, "géigesäiteg" can also mean "related to marriage" or "closely related to or connected to". It derives from the noun "géigesäit" meaning "brother-in-law" or "sister-in-law" but its root is the Old Germanic word "gæʒ "meaning "companion", "guest", or "pledge". | |||
| Maltese | reċiproku | ||
| The Maltese word "reċiproku" is cognate with the French word "réciproque". | |||
| Norwegian | gjensidig | ||
| The word "gjensidig" can also mean "reciprocal" or "corresponding". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | mútuo | ||
| The word "mútuo" derives from Latin "mutuus", meaning "common to both" or "reciprocal". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | chèile | ||
| Chèile also means 'one' or 'another'; it can be used in various idioms. | |||
| Spanish | mutuo | ||
| In Spanish, "mutuo" also means "loan", and comes from the Latin word "mutuum", meaning "exchange" or "loan". | |||
| Swedish | ömsesidig | ||
| Ömsesidig is a compound word composed of "öms" ("alternative") and "sidig" ("sided"). | |||
| Welsh | cydfuddiannol | ||
| The word "cydfuddiannol" also means "reciprocal" or "interdependent" in Welsh. | |||
Mutual in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | узаемныя | ||
| The word "узаемныя" is derived from the Old Slavic word "uzaĭmъ", which means "loan" or "exchange". | |||
| Bosnian | uzajamno | ||
| The word "uzajamno" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*vъzъjemьnъ", which means "taken in mutual consent" or "interchanged". | |||
| Bulgarian | взаимно | ||
| The word "взаимно" also means "interchangeable" or "reciprocal" in Bulgarian. | |||
| Czech | vzájemné | ||
| The word "vzájemné" is of Slavic origin and is related to the concept of "vзаимодействие" (interaction). | |||
| Estonian | vastastikune | ||
| The word "vastastikune" is derived from the Proto-Finnic word "*vastakainen" meaning "opposite" or "facing each other". | |||
| Finnish | molemminpuolinen | ||
| Etymology: Molemmin + puoli + -nen; refers to both sides, both parties involved in an action or situation. | |||
| Hungarian | kölcsönös | ||
| “Kölcsönös” is derived from the Old Hungarian loanword “kölcsön”, meaning “loan”, and the suffix “-os”, which expresses possession or belonging. | |||
| Latvian | savstarpēja | ||
| In Latvian, "savstarpēja" also means "reciprocal" or "two-way". | |||
| Lithuanian | abipusis | ||
| The word "abipusis" could be related to the Latin "ambio" and the Lithuanian "abu" meaning "both". | |||
| Macedonian | меѓусебно | ||
| The word 'меѓусебно' (mutual) is derived from the Old Church Slavonic 'взаимъ', meaning 'reciprocal', which itself originates from the Proto-Slavic 'vьzajьmъ'. | |||
| Polish | wzajemny | ||
| ‘Wzajemny’ means ‘mutual’ but also ‘interchangeable’, ‘convertible’ or ‘substitute’ (e.g. ‘wzajemna rura’ - interchangeable pipe). | |||
| Romanian | reciproc | ||
| The Romanian word "reciproc" has Latin origin, "reciprŏcus", meaning "returning back" or "moving both ways" | |||
| Russian | взаимный | ||
| "Взаимный" is derived from "взаим" ("vzaim"), a variant of "изм" ("izm"), itself derived from the Proto-Slavic "*jьzъ" ("*jьzъ"), which denotes a mutual action between two or more parties. | |||
| Serbian | узајамно | ||
| The word 'узајамно' ('mutual') in Serbian also has the meaning of 'interdependence'. | |||
| Slovak | vzájomné | ||
| "Vzájomné" comes from the Proto-Slavic word *vъzajьmine, which means "a thing given and taken back." | |||
| Slovenian | medsebojni | ||
| The word "medsebojni" in Slovenian has its roots in the Slavic word "med" meaning "between" and "sebe" meaning "self". | |||
| Ukrainian | взаємні | ||
| The Ukrainian word 'взаємні' comes from the Old Slavic word 'взаимъ' meaning 'exchange' or 'reciprocity'. | |||
Mutual in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | পারস্পরিক | ||
| পারস্পরিক শব্দের একটি পৃথক অর্থ রয়েছে যা হল 'একে অপরের'} | |||
| Gujarati | પરસ્પર | ||
| "પરસ્પર" can also mean "to be in each other's company" or "together". | |||
| Hindi | आपसी | ||
| The word 'आपसी' can also mean 'related to each other' or 'belonging to each other'. | |||
| Kannada | ಪರಸ್ಪರ | ||
| The word "ಪರಸ್ಪರ" can also mean "reciprocally" or "interchangeably" in Kannada. | |||
| Malayalam | പരസ്പര | ||
| The word "പരസ്പര" can also mean "reciprocal", "interchangeable" or "corresponding" in Malayalam. | |||
| Marathi | परस्पर | ||
| The word 'परस्पर' ('mutual') in Marathi also means 'amongst themselves' or 'together'. | |||
| Nepali | आपसी | ||
| "आपसी" is derived from Sanskrit word "āpas", meaning 'connected', 'joined together'. | |||
| Punjabi | ਆਪਸੀ | ||
| The Punjabi word 'ਆਪਸੀ' ('mutual') finds its root in Sanskrit where it originally means 'belonging to or of oneself'. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | අන්යෝන්ය | ||
| Used as an adverb, it means "in turn, in response" or "in exchange". | |||
| Tamil | பரஸ்பர | ||
| Telugu | పరస్పర | ||
| The word "పరస్పర" in Telugu originates from the Sanskrit word "पारस्परिक" (parasparika), which means "of or belonging to each other." | |||
| Urdu | باہمی | ||
| The word "باہمی" can also mean "common" or "shared". | |||
Mutual in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 相互 | ||
| "相互" is also a term used in Chinese medicine to describe the two-way relationship between the body and the environment. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 相互 | ||
| "互" (hu) means each other and "相" (xiang) means mutually. Therefore "互相" (hu xiang) together means mutually or each other. | |||
| Japanese | 相互 | ||
| "相互" (sōgo) is also a Buddhist technical term used to translate the Sanskrit word "anyonyakoñña" (Pali: "aññamañña"), which refers to the reciprocal relationship between two or more entities. | |||
| Korean | 상호 | ||
| The Korean word "상호" can also refer to a store's name or signboard. | |||
| Mongolian | харилцан | ||
| The word 'харилцан' can also refer to 'exchange' or 'intercourse'. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | နှစ် ဦး နှစ်ဖက် | ||
Mutual in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | saling | ||
| The Indonesian word "saling" is a cognate of the Malay word "saling". It is also used in Indonesian to mean "together". | |||
| Javanese | gotong royong | ||
| "Gotong royong" also refers to a type of traditional Javanese community work where people gather to carry out certain tasks for the benefit of the community, such as building a house or fixing a road. | |||
| Khmer | ទៅវិញទៅមក | ||
| Also refers to a person who takes a trip and returns home | |||
| Lao | ເຊິ່ງກັນແລະກັນ | ||
| Malay | saling | ||
| The word "saling" in Malay also refers to two or more people interacting with each other. | |||
| Thai | ซึ่งกันและกัน | ||
| ซึ่งกันและกัน in Thai literally means 'to which and to whom', i.e. 'each other'. | |||
| Vietnamese | lẫn nhau | ||
| The word "lẫn nhau" means "one another" or "each other" and is often used to refer to reciprocal or shared actions or feelings. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kapwa | ||
Mutual in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | qarşılıqlı | ||
| The word "qarşılıqlı" ultimately derives from the Persian word "qarş" which means "opposite", and thus originally meant "reciprocal", or "done in return for something". | |||
| Kazakh | өзара | ||
| The word "өзара" (mutual) in Kazakh is derived from the root "өз" (self) and the suffix "ара" (between), indicating a reciprocal relationship between two or more parties. | |||
| Kyrgyz | өз ара | ||
| The word "өз ара" is also used to describe a relationship between two things that are closely connected or interdependent. | |||
| Tajik | тарафайн | ||
| The Tajik word "тарафайн" does not have any alternate meanings other than its primary meaning, which is "mutual". Additionally, there is no known etymological origin or root for the word "тарафайн". | |||
| Turkmen | özara | ||
| Uzbek | o'zaro | ||
| The word "o'zaro" in Uzbek comes from the Persian word "ozār" meaning "help" or "support." | |||
| Uyghur | ئۆز-ئارا | ||
Mutual in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kūlike | ||
| Kūlike also means "double" or "pair," and is sometimes used to refer to twins. | |||
| Maori | takirua | ||
| Takirua has a literal meaning of “touching at two places” in reference to physical proximity and has many applications in relation to people, events and places. | |||
| Samoan | felagolagomaʻi | ||
| The word "felagolagomaʻi" can also refer to a group of people working together or a cooperative relationship. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | kapwa | ||
| 'Kapwa' is also used to refer to a person with whom one shares a common identity, such as a fellow countryman or woman. | |||
Mutual in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | mutuwala | ||
| Guarani | oñondive | ||
Mutual in International Languages
| Esperanto | reciproka | ||
| Esperanto "reciproka" comes from Latin "recipere," "to take back, to accept," but also has the sense "repeatedly," referring to actions shared between entities. | |||
| Latin | mutual | ||
| The Latin origin of "mutual" (mutuus) refers to "an exchange," especially a gift-exchange, implying reciprocity. | |||
Mutual in Others Languages
| Greek | αμοιβαίος | ||
| The term 'αμοιβαίος' is used in ancient Greek literature and poetry, where it means 'done in turn'. | |||
| Hmong | sib nrig | ||
| The term "sib nrig" can also refer to "exchange" or "give and receive" in Hmong culture, emphasizing the reciprocal nature of relationships. | |||
| Kurdish | beramberî | ||
| The word 'beramberî', meaning 'mutual', derives from the Kurdish root 'amber', meaning ' | |||
| Turkish | karşılıklı | ||
| The word ``karşılıklı`` can also mean ``reciprocal`` or ``in return``. | |||
| Xhosa | mutual | ||
| The Xhosa word for "mutual" is "ngokufanayo," which also means "alike" or "similar." | |||
| Yiddish | קעגנצייַטיק | ||
| The word "קעגנצייַטיק" also appears in Old Yiddish, but with the spelling and pronunciation "קעגנציַייט" and in the meaning of "current, this, present". | |||
| Zulu | mutual | ||
| In Zulu, "mutual" can also mean "reciprocal" or "common". | |||
| Assamese | উমৈহতীয়া | ||
| Aymara | mutuwala | ||
| Bhojpuri | आपसी | ||
| Dhivehi | ދެފަރާތުން އެއްބަސްވާ | ||
| Dogri | आपसी | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kapwa | ||
| Guarani | oñondive | ||
| Ilocano | agsinnubalit | ||
| Krio | togɛda | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | هاوشێوە | ||
| Maithili | पारस्परिक | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯈꯣꯏ ꯃꯁꯦꯜ | ||
| Mizo | intitawn | ||
| Oromo | waloo | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ପାରସ୍ପରିକ | ||
| Quechua | kikin | ||
| Sanskrit | पारस्परिक | ||
| Tatar | үзара | ||
| Tigrinya | ሓበራዊ ጥቕሚ | ||
| Tsonga | ntwanano | ||