Myself in Different Languages
Discover 'Myself' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'myself' is a reflexive pronoun that is used to refer to the speaker or writer as the object of an action or state of being. It is a fundamental word in many languages, as it allows us to express our thoughts and experiences in a personal and introspective way. Understanding the translation of 'myself' in different languages can open up new avenues of communication and cultural understanding.
Throughout history, the concept of the self has been explored and debated by philosophers, psychologists, and linguists. In many cultures, the idea of the self is closely tied to notions of identity, autonomy, and self-awareness. By learning how to express 'myself' in different languages, we can gain insights into these cultural perspectives and deepen our appreciation for the richness and diversity of human experience.
For example, in Spanish, 'myself' is translated as 'mí mismo' or 'mí misma', depending on the gender of the speaker. In French, it is 'moi-même', and in German, it is 'mich selbst'. These translations not only reflect linguistic differences, but also cultural nuances and values.
In this article, we will explore the translations of 'myself' in a variety of languages, from English to Mandarin, and from Arabic to Zulu. Join us on this journey of language and culture, and discover the fascinating world of 'myself' in different languages!
Myself
Myself in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | myself | ||
| The Afrikaans word "myself" can also mean "self" or "ego". | |||
| Amharic | እኔ ራሴ | ||
| The word "እኔ ራሴ" can also refer to the individual's own person or identity. | |||
| Hausa | kaina | ||
| The Hausa word "kaina" also means "by myself or on my own account". | |||
| Igbo | mu onwem | ||
| The Igbo word “mu onwem” can also be used to refer to one’s possessions or property. | |||
| Malagasy | ahy | ||
| The Malagasy word "Ahy" can also mean "my own" or "my property". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | ndekha | ||
| In Nyanja (Chichewa), "ndekha" is the personal pronoun for "myself," with alternative meanings including "by myself" and "own accord." | |||
| Shona | ini pachangu | ||
| The word "ini pachangu" in Shona also means "my presence" and "my person." | |||
| Somali | naftayda | ||
| The word "naftayda" can also refer to one's own soul, or to one's own life. | |||
| Sesotho | ka bonna | ||
| The word "ka bonna" is a combination of the possessive pronoun "ka" and the demonstrative pronoun "bonna", meaning "myself" or "my own". | |||
| Swahili | mimi mwenyewe | ||
| The term "Mimi mwenyewe" in Swahili directly translates to "I myself" or "my own self" and is used to emphasize the speaker's own involvement or individuality in a situation. | |||
| Xhosa | ngokwam | ||
| "Ngam" is the root of the word "ngokwam", meaning "my", and "kwam" means "at my place". | |||
| Yoruba | funrami | ||
| The Yoruba word 'funrami' directly translates to 'myself,' however it also holds alternative meanings such as 'to do it for myself' and 'for my own good'. | |||
| Zulu | nami | ||
| The Zulu word "nami" can also mean "my body" or "my person." | |||
| Bambara | ne yɛrɛ | ||
| Ewe | nye ŋutɔ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | njye ubwanjye | ||
| Lingala | nga moko | ||
| Luganda | nze | ||
| Sepedi | nna | ||
| Twi (Akan) | me ho | ||
Myself in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | نفسي | ||
| The Arabic word "نفسي" (nafsi) has roots in the Proto-Semitic *nafs- ('breath, soul, self'), also the root of the Hebrew word "נפש" (nephesh). | |||
| Hebrew | עצמי | ||
| The Hebrew word "עצמי" can also be used to refer to one's essence or inner self. | |||
| Pashto | زما | ||
| زما is a Pashto possessive adjective meaning "my" or "mine." | |||
| Arabic | نفسي | ||
| The Arabic word "نفسي" (nafsi) has roots in the Proto-Semitic *nafs- ('breath, soul, self'), also the root of the Hebrew word "נפש" (nephesh). | |||
Myself in Western European Languages
| Albanian | veten time | ||
| The term "veten time" may also refer specifically, in the Ghegh dialect spoken in the north, to one's own wife. | |||
| Basque | neure burua | ||
| "Neure burua" (literally "my head") is the term used as a personal pronoun for "myself" in Basque. | |||
| Catalan | jo mateix | ||
| The Catalan word “jo mateix” can be literally translated as “I myself” and also refers to the concept of “me on my own”. | |||
| Croatian | sebe | ||
| Sebe (meaning 'myself') is sometimes used as a reflexive pronoun, but it can also be used in the sense of 'oneself'. | |||
| Danish | mig selv | ||
| Mig selv is a reflexive pronoun, but it can also mean "self" in the sense of "one's true self". | |||
| Dutch | mezelf | ||
| In Dutch, "mezelf" can also mean "myself alone" or "my very self." | |||
| English | myself | ||
| The word "myself" has been used in English since the 13th century and derives from the Old English words "me" and "self". | |||
| French | moi même | ||
| In French, "moi-même" not only means "myself," but also "myself again," or "in person." | |||
| Frisian | mysels | ||
| In Frisian, "mysels" derives from Middle Dutch and Old Frisian, ultimately from Old English "me self", meaning "my own self". | |||
| Galician | eu mesmo | ||
| "Eu mesmo" in Galician is a direct reflex from Latin "ipsemet", which also meant "very" or "especially". | |||
| German | mich selber | ||
| "Mich selber" is a reflexive pronoun that has the same root as the word "selbst" (self). | |||
| Icelandic | sjálfan mig | ||
| The Icelandic word "sjálfan mig" has a similar etymology to the German word "selbst," both having connotations of "one's own self." | |||
| Irish | mé féin | ||
| While the second person singular pronoun is 'tú', the possessive adjective is 'do', and the reflexive pronoun is 'tú féin', the first person singular pronoun is 'mé', its possessive adjective is 'mo', and its reflexive/intensive pronoun is 'mé féin'. | |||
| Italian | me stessa | ||
| In Ancient Greek, "me stessa" was "emeaute, | |||
| Luxembourgish | ech selwer | ||
| The word "ech selwer" ("myself" in Luxembourgish) is etymologically related to the archaic French phrase "ec soi meismes" meaning "I myself". | |||
| Maltese | jien stess | ||
| The word "jien stess" in Maltese can also mean "my own" or "in person". | |||
| Norwegian | meg selv | ||
| Meg selv is a compound word meaning 'with (med) myself (selv)' | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | eu mesmo | ||
| The term "Eu mesmo" in Portuguese has a dual meaning: it can either refer to oneself or to the "self" in a philosophical sense, emphasizing the subjective and individual nature of experience. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | mi-fhìn | ||
| Scots Gaelic "mi-fhìn" not only means "myself", but may also be used to indicate "myself alone" or "I myself". | |||
| Spanish | yo mismo | ||
| The Spanish word "yo mismo" can also be used to refer to the self as the center of attention or to emphasize a person's own importance. | |||
| Swedish | jag själv | ||
| The word "jag själv" is a compound of "jag" (I) and "själv" (self), and can also mean "my own self" or "my very self". | |||
| Welsh | fy hun | ||
| The word "fy hun" in Welsh means both "myself" and "my soul". | |||
Myself in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | сябе | ||
| The word | |||
| Bosnian | sebe | ||
| In Bosnian, 'sebe' is also used as a possessive pronoun meaning 'one's own'. | |||
| Bulgarian | себе си | ||
| The phrase "на себе си" also means "to do something to oneself". | |||
| Czech | moje maličkost | ||
| The phrase literally means "my smallness" or "my small thing". | |||
| Estonian | mina ise | ||
| "Mina ise" means "myself" in Estonian, but "mina" can also mean "I" and "ise" can mean "self". | |||
| Finnish | itse | ||
| Itse is possibly derived from the old personal pronoun *itse- and it was first used in writing by Agricola in the early 16th century | |||
| Hungarian | magamat | ||
| Magamat's archaic use is in the meaning of "my place" as in "a house for magamat". | |||
| Latvian | es pats | ||
| "Es pats" comes from the reflexive pronoun "es" and the substantive "pats," meaning "self," "one's own" or "one's person." | |||
| Lithuanian | aš pats | ||
| The word "aš pats" is cognate with the Latin "ipse" and is also used as an intensifier in Lithuanian, similar to the English "indeed". | |||
| Macedonian | јас самиот | ||
| The word "јас самиот" can also be used to emphasize the speaker's own personal feelings or experiences. | |||
| Polish | siebie | ||
| "Siebie", meaning "myself", comes from an earlier form "sobie", which is also the origin of "sobie" meaning "for oneself". | |||
| Romanian | eu insumi | ||
| The Romanian word "eu insumi" has Latin roots, tracing back to the phrase "ego ipse mihi," meaning "I myself." | |||
| Russian | себя | ||
| The word "себя" also has an archaic meaning of "one's own" or "one's family". | |||
| Serbian | себе | ||
| The word "себе" can also mean "own" or "self" in the sense of "personal property" or "individual identity" | |||
| Slovak | seba | ||
| The word "seba" (myself) in Slovak is derived from the Proto-Slavic *sebe, which also means "for oneself". | |||
| Slovenian | sebe | ||
| The word "sebe" in Slovenian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "sę" meaning "self". | |||
| Ukrainian | себе | ||
| "Себе" also means "to oneself" and "to its home base" in Ukrainian. | |||
Myself in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | আমার | ||
| The word "আমার" is ultimately derived from the Sanskrit word "आत्मन" (atman), meaning "self" or "soul." | |||
| Gujarati | મારી જાતને | ||
| "મારી જાતને" (myself) was borrowed from Persian "man khud," meaning "to my own self," "of my own self." | |||
| Hindi | खुद | ||
| Hindi "खुद" means not only "myself" but also "self" or "essence." | |||
| Kannada | ನಾನೇ | ||
| ನಾನೇ is also used to refer to the God and has a sense of "by oneself" in some cases. | |||
| Malayalam | ഞാൻ തന്നെ | ||
| In Malayalam, 'ഞാൻ തന്നെ' ('myself') can also mean 'one and the same' and 'with own hands'. | |||
| Marathi | मी | ||
| The word "मी" in Marathi can also mean "mine" when used as an adjective and "me" when used as an object pronoun. | |||
| Nepali | म | ||
| "म" (ma) is a contraction of "मैं" (mai, "I") and is used as an intensifier to express possession, emphasis, or reflection. | |||
| Punjabi | ਆਪਣੇ ਆਪ ਨੂੰ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | මා | ||
| The Sinhala word “මා” can also be used to refer to the concept of “essence” or “soul”. | |||
| Tamil | நானே | ||
| In Tamil, 'நானே' can also be an interjection expressing exasperation, such as "Oh, really?" | |||
| Telugu | నేనే | ||
| The word "నేనే" in Telugu is derived from the Sanskrit word "नमः" (namah), meaning "bowing down" or "obeisance". | |||
| Urdu | خود | ||
| The word "خود" in Urdu can also mean "self-existence" or the "essence of something." | |||
Myself in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 我 | ||
| The character "我" was originally used to mean "axe" in Oracle bone inscriptions. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 我 | ||
| The character 我 can also mean "ego" or "self" in a more philosophical sense. | |||
| Japanese | 私自身 | ||
| In informal speech, "私自身" can also refer to one's immediate family members. | |||
| Korean | 자기 | ||
| The Korean word "자기" can also be translated as "one's own" or "self-confidence". | |||
| Mongolian | би өөрөө | ||
| The word "би өөрөө" can also be used to emphasize the speaker's own agency or responsibility. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ငါကိုယ်တိုင် | ||
Myself in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | diri | ||
| In the Indonesian language, "diri" can also mean "self" or "identity". | |||
| Javanese | aku dhewe | ||
| "Aku dhewe" in Javanese can also mean "by myself" in English. | |||
| Khmer | ខ្លួនខ្ញុំ | ||
| "ខ្លួនខ្ញុំ" means "myself" in English, but it can also be used to refer to the mind and body as a whole. | |||
| Lao | ຕົວຂ້ອຍເອງ | ||
| Malay | saya sendiri | ||
| In Malay, 'saya sendiri' also means 'by myself' and can emphasize the speaker's independence. | |||
| Thai | ตัวเอง | ||
| The word "ตัวเอง" in Thai has many different meanings, including "myself," "you," "yourself," "I," and "we." | |||
| Vietnamese | riêng tôi | ||
| The Vietnamese word "riêng tôi" is derived from the Chinese words "ziran", meaning "nature", and "wo", meaning "I". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sarili ko | ||
Myself in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | özüm | ||
| The word "özüm" in Azerbaijani is derived from the Proto-Turkic word "öz", meaning "inner self" or "essence". | |||
| Kazakh | өзім | ||
| The word "өзім" in Kazakh can also refer to "self" or "one's own person". | |||
| Kyrgyz | өзүм | ||
| "Өзүм" can also mean "self", "ego", or "soul" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | худам | ||
| The word "худам" may also mean "myself" as a grammatical term, rather than as a pronoun. | |||
| Turkmen | özüm | ||
| Uzbek | o'zim | ||
| The word "o'zim" is a possessive pronoun in Uzbek which can also mean "my own", "personal", or "self-interest." | |||
| Uyghur | ئۆزۈم | ||
Myself in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | naʻu iho | ||
| "Naʻu iho" comes from "naʻu" (mine) and "iho" (down), referring to something coming from oneself. | |||
| Maori | ko au tonu | ||
| "Ko au tonu" can also mean "I am" or "I alone" in Maori. | |||
| Samoan | o aʻu lava | ||
| The Samoan word "o aʻu lava" literally means "of me myself". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | ang sarili ko | ||
| "Ang sarili ko" in Tagalog can also refer to one's sense of self or personal identity, or the essence of oneself. | |||
Myself in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | nayapacha | ||
| Guarani | chete | ||
Myself in International Languages
| Esperanto | mi mem | ||
| The Esperanto word "mi mem" is a contraction of "mi me mem" or "mi mem mem mem," meaning "me" as the direct object, indirect object, and subject of a verb. | |||
| Latin | me | ||
| In Latin, "me" also denotes a form of the accusative case, indicating the object of a verb. | |||
Myself in Others Languages
| Greek | εγώ ο ίδιος | ||
| The Greek word "εγώ ο ίδιος" (myself) is derived from the reflexive pronoun "εγώ" (I) and the intensifier "ο ίδιος" (the same). | |||
| Hmong | kuv tus kheej | ||
| The word "kuv tus kheej" literally translates to "my own body" in Hmong. | |||
| Kurdish | xwe | ||
| The Kurdish word "xwe", meaning "myself", is also used in the phrase "xwebexwe", meaning "each other" or "one another" | |||
| Turkish | kendim | ||
| In Old Turkish, 'kendim' meant 'my own people, my family, my tribe', later it was extended to mean 'myself'. | |||
| Xhosa | ngokwam | ||
| "Ngam" is the root of the word "ngokwam", meaning "my", and "kwam" means "at my place". | |||
| Yiddish | זיך | ||
| The Yiddish word "זיך" (zikh) is derived from the Old High German word "sih", meaning "self" or "oneself." | |||
| Zulu | nami | ||
| The Zulu word "nami" can also mean "my body" or "my person." | |||
| Assamese | মই নিজেই | ||
| Aymara | nayapacha | ||
| Bhojpuri | हम खुद | ||
| Dhivehi | އަހަރެން | ||
| Dogri | आपूं | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sarili ko | ||
| Guarani | chete | ||
| Ilocano | bagbagik | ||
| Krio | misɛf | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | خۆم | ||
| Maithili | खुद सँ | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯩꯍꯥꯡ ꯏꯁꯥꯃꯛ | ||
| Mizo | keimah | ||
| Oromo | ofuma kiyya | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ମୁଁ ନିଜେ | ||
| Quechua | kikiy | ||
| Sanskrit | माम् | ||
| Tatar | үзем | ||
| Tigrinya | ባዕለይ | ||
| Tsonga | mina | ||