Neighbor in Different Languages
Discover 'Neighbor' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'neighbor' holds a special significance in our lives, denoting a person who lives near us, but also carrying connotations of community, friendship, and support. Throughout history and across cultures, the role of the neighbor has been vital, from the tight-knit communities of ancient villages to modern suburban streets.
Beyond its cultural importance, understanding the translation of 'neighbor' in different languages can be a fascinating exploration of linguistic and cultural diversity. For example, in Spanish, 'neighbor' is 'vecino', while in German, it's 'Nachbar'. In French, it's 'voisin', and in Japanese, it's 'kinjo'.
Moreover, knowing the word for 'neighbor' in various languages can be practical for travelers, expatriates, or anyone interested in building connections with people from different backgrounds. It's a small word, but it can open doors to new friendships and deeper cultural understanding.
Neighbor
Neighbor in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | buurman | ||
| The word "buurman" originally meant "farmer" and is cognate with the English word "boor". | |||
| Amharic | ጎረቤት | ||
| The word "ጎረቤት" literally means "someone who shares a wall" or "a fellow wall-dweller." | |||
| Hausa | makwabci | ||
| The Hausa word makwa also means "mate" or "friend." | |||
| Igbo | onye agbata obi | ||
| "Onye agbata obi" literally means "person who shares a fence" in Igbo, highlighting the importance of close proximity in the concept of neighborhood. | |||
| Malagasy | mpiara-belona | ||
| The word "mpiara-belona" is derived from the Malagasy words "mpiara" (to help) and "belona" (to be there), and it can also mean "friend" or "relative". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | mnansi | ||
| The word "mnansi" can also mean "friend" or "relative" and is derived from the verb "kupansiana" meaning "to be close to". | |||
| Shona | muvakidzani | ||
| The word “muvakidzani” can also refer to a person who lives in the same area or community. | |||
| Somali | deriska | ||
| "Deriska" can also refer to a person who shares a fence or boundary with someone else, or to a close friend or associate. | |||
| Sesotho | moahisane | ||
| It's unclear how and when moahisane came to signify a neighbor. While mo means 'with', 'together with', its usage is not well understood. | |||
| Swahili | jirani | ||
| The word "jirani" in Swahili has Bantu cognates that imply a wider sense of community than the English "neighbor". | |||
| Xhosa | ummelwane | ||
| The word "ummelwane" can also refer to a close associate or comrade. | |||
| Yoruba | aladugbo | ||
| The word "aladugbo" in Yoruba derives from the root "a-du-gbo," meaning "to share ears with" or "to listen with." | |||
| Zulu | umakhelwane | ||
| Umakhelwane shares the same Zulu root as ukukhela, meaning 'take care of, look after'. | |||
| Bambara | sigiɲɔgɔn | ||
| Ewe | aƒelika | ||
| Kinyarwanda | umuturanyi | ||
| Lingala | voisin | ||
| Luganda | muliraana | ||
| Sepedi | moagišani | ||
| Twi (Akan) | borɔno so ni | ||
Neighbor in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | الجار | ||
| The Arabic word الجار (neighbor) also refers to an adjacent plot of land, as in the expression جار الجنان (neighbors in Paradise). | |||
| Hebrew | שָׁכֵן | ||
| The word "שָׁכֵן" in Hebrew also means "to dwell" or "to inhabit." | |||
| Pashto | ګاونډي | ||
| In some contexts, "ګاونډي" can refer to close friends or relatives rather than just geographical neighbors. | |||
| Arabic | الجار | ||
| The Arabic word الجار (neighbor) also refers to an adjacent plot of land, as in the expression جار الجنان (neighbors in Paradise). | |||
Neighbor in Western European Languages
| Albanian | fqinji | ||
| The word "fqinji" is derived from an ancient Indo-European root meaning "one who lives near". In Albanian, it can also refer to a relative or close friend. | |||
| Basque | bizilaguna | ||
| The word "bizilaguna" is thought to derive from the Proto-Basque *bizil- (*close) and the suffix -laguna (-friend). | |||
| Catalan | veí | ||
| Veí likely derives from Latin "vicinus" (neighbor) and originally meant "dweller in the same street or quarter". | |||
| Croatian | susjed | ||
| The word "susjed" can also refer to a close friend or a fellow countryman. | |||
| Danish | nabo | ||
| In the past, the word "nabo" has also been used figuratively to mean "one who has the same opinions and interests as oneself." | |||
| Dutch | buurman | ||
| The Dutch word 'buurman' is a compound word, derived from the words 'buren' (neighbors) and 'man' (man). | |||
| English | neighbor | ||
| The word "neighbor" originated from the Old English word "neahgebur," meaning "one who lives nearby". | |||
| French | voisin | ||
| In Old French, "voisin" could mean "neighbor" or "relative". | |||
| Frisian | buorman | ||
| The word "buorman" is also used to refer to a person who lives in the same neighbourhood or village. | |||
| Galician | veciño | ||
| The Galician word "veciño" (neighbor) also means "relative" or "fellow countryman" and comes from the Latin word "vicinus". | |||
| German | nachbar | ||
| Neighbor is a loanword from German 'Nachbar' which originally meant 'one who lives near' | |||
| Icelandic | nágranni | ||
| The word "nágranni" in Icelandic also refers to a person's neighbour's neighbour. | |||
| Irish | comharsa | ||
| The Irish word "comharsa" derives from the Old Irish "comarsan," denoting "fellow-borderer" | |||
| Italian | vicino | ||
| The Italian word "vicino" is derived from the Latin word "vicinus", meaning "near" or "close by". | |||
| Luxembourgish | noper | ||
| The word "Noper" can also refer to someone who lives on the same street or in the same village. | |||
| Maltese | ġar | ||
| The origin of the Maltese word "ġar" is the Arabic word "jār," meaning "neighbor," which itself comes from the Canaanite word "gr," meaning "companion, comrade." | |||
| Norwegian | nabo | ||
| Its Old Norse root “nabui” also means “close friend.” | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | vizinho | ||
| In Portuguese, 'vizinho' can also refer to a person who lives nearby, such as a friend or acquaintance. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | nàbaidh | ||
| The word "nàbaidh" in Scots Gaelic can also mean "a person who lives nearby" or "a friend". | |||
| Spanish | vecino | ||
| The Spanish word "vecino" derives from the Latin "vicinus", meaning "near" or "close by". | |||
| Swedish | granne | ||
| The word "granne" also means "fir tree" in Old Swedish and "branch" in Old Norse. | |||
| Welsh | cymydog | ||
| The 1542 dictionary lists a word cymydoges as being in use as a term for ‘neighbour’, as it still is in some Welsh-speaking areas in the north of the country. | |||
Neighbor in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | сусед | ||
| The word "сусед" comes from the Proto-Slavic word *sǫsědъ, meaning "co-dweller." | |||
| Bosnian | komšija | ||
| The word "komšija" also refers to someone who lives in the same neighborhood or village, and can be used to describe a person's character or behavior. | |||
| Bulgarian | съсед | ||
| The word "съсед" in Bulgarian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "sъsědъ," which also means "relative" or "family member." | |||
| Czech | soused | ||
| The Czech word "soused" is ultimately derived from the Proto-Slavic word *sǫsędъ, which also meant "guest" or "stranger." | |||
| Estonian | naaber | ||
| "Naaber" is thought to mean someone who lives nearby or on the same street. Its origin is likely the Ancient Germanic word "nebhan" meaning "next". Alternatively, it may have originated from "nabo", a word meaning "to sit beside". | |||
| Finnish | naapuri- | ||
| "Naapuri" is cognate with "neighbour" (English) and "nabo" (Swedish). | |||
| Hungarian | szomszéd | ||
| The Hungarian word "szomszéd" is related to the Proto-Slavic noun *sъsědъ, meaning "cohabitant", "inhabitant of the same village", "companion". | |||
| Latvian | kaimiņš | ||
| "Kaimiņš" in Latvian originally meant "a person who lives far away" but evolved to mean "a neighbor". | |||
| Lithuanian | kaimynas | ||
| "Kaimynas" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European word *kei- "side", also related to the English word "home" and Latin "hiems" (winter). | |||
| Macedonian | сосед | ||
| The word "сосед" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *sъsědъ, meaning "a person who lives nearby", and is related to the words "село" (village) and "сад" (garden). | |||
| Polish | sąsiad | ||
| Sąsiad originates from Proto-Slavic "*sǫsedъ" and historically also meant a "guest". | |||
| Romanian | vecin | ||
| Vecin derives from the Slavic language element “vɛcin”, related to the Latin “vicus” (village) and “vicinus” (neighbor). | |||
| Russian | сосед | ||
| Neighbor originally meant "near-dweller" coming from Middle English neihebour deriving ultimately from Old English "neahgebur", or "one who lives nigh" in relation to another. | |||
| Serbian | комшија | ||
| The Serbian word "комшија" can also mean "relative" or "friend". | |||
| Slovak | suseda | ||
| In Slovak, the word 'suseda' not only means 'neighbor' but can also refer to a woman who shares a farm with others through a shared lease; this stems from the Proto-Slavic root 'sǫsědъ', meaning 'co-dweller'. | |||
| Slovenian | sosed | ||
| The word "sosed" in Slovenian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "sъsędъ", which also means "neighbor" in other Slavic languages. | |||
| Ukrainian | сусід | ||
| The word "сусід" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *sęsędъ, which also means "neighbor" and is related to the word "sit" in several Indo-European languages. | |||
Neighbor in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | প্রতিবেশী | ||
| The word "প্রতিবেশী" literally means "one who sits beside" in Sanskrit and has similar connotations in Bengali. | |||
| Gujarati | પાડોશી | ||
| The word "પાડોશી" (neighbor) in Gujarati possibly derives from Prakrit "padi-vāsin" or Sanskrit "prati-vāsin" meaning "one who resides opposite". | |||
| Hindi | पड़ोसी | ||
| Originally derived from Sanskrit 'parisāsa', meaning 'dwelling nearby,' पड़ोसी ('paṛosī') refers to people living in proximity and sharing a sense of community. | |||
| Kannada | ನೆರೆಯ | ||
| ನೆರೆಯ also means 'support' or 'protection'. | |||
| Malayalam | അയൽക്കാരൻ | ||
| Marathi | शेजारी | ||
| The word "शेजारी" in Marathi comes from the Sanskrit word "सहचार्य" which means "companion, friend or associate". | |||
| Nepali | छिमेकी | ||
| The Nepali word "छिमेकी" (neighbor) is also used to refer to a person who lives in the vicinity or to someone who is associated with a particular locality. | |||
| Punjabi | ਗੁਆਂ .ੀ | ||
| The word "ਗੁਆਂ .ੀ" can also refer to a member of a neighboring village or a person who lives nearby but is not necessarily a neighbor. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | අසල්වැසියා | ||
| Tamil | அண்டை | ||
| The word "அண்டை" derives from the same root as "அண்டு", meaning "edge" or "border", suggesting the idea of one living near the boundary of another's property. | |||
| Telugu | పొరుగు | ||
| The word "పొరుగు" (porugu) is derived from the Sanskrit word "पड़ोस" (parodosha), meaning "boundary" or "vicinity", and ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root "*per-/*por-/*pro-," meaning "forward" or "beyond." | |||
| Urdu | پڑوسی | ||
| The word "پڑوسی" (neighbor) is derived from the Persian word "pad-shid", meaning "one who lives at the foot of". | |||
Neighbor in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 邻居 | ||
| 邻居 (línjū) originally meant "people who live in the same hamlet," and it can still be used in that sense today. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 鄰居 | ||
| 「鄰居」之「鄰」於《說文》中解釋為「近也」，而「居」則為「止也」或「坐也」 | |||
| Japanese | 隣人 | ||
| "隣人" (neighbor) derives from "隣り" (nearby) and "人" (person), but it can also refer to someone outside one's immediate neighborhood or even a fellow countryman in a foreign land. | |||
| Korean | 이웃 사람 | ||
| The term "이웃 사람" literally means "a person who lives next to" in Korean. | |||
| Mongolian | хөрш | ||
| The Mongolian word хөрш, meaning 'neighbor,' also signifies 'the boundary between neighboring houses.' | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အိမ်နီးချင်း | ||
Neighbor in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | tetangga | ||
| The word "tetangga" in Indonesian can also refer to a person who shares a common wall with another person, or someone who is a close associate or friend. | |||
| Javanese | tanggane | ||
| The Javanese word 'tanggane' can also refer to a 'relative' or a 'member of the community'. | |||
| Khmer | អ្នកជិតខាង | ||
| The word "អ្នកជិតខាង" also has a more distant meaning, referring to someone who lives in the same vicinity or district. | |||
| Lao | ເພື່ອນບ້ານ | ||
| Malay | jiran | ||
| "Jiran" can also refer to a companion, friend, or someone sharing a common experience. | |||
| Thai | เพื่อนบ้าน | ||
| In Lao, the word "เพื่อนบ้าน" can also mean "country" or "nation." | |||
| Vietnamese | hàng xóm | ||
| The word "hàng xóm" in Vietnamese could also refer to friends or relatives that live in the same neighborhood. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kapit-bahay | ||
Neighbor in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | qonşu | ||
| "Qonşu" is related to many words like "qan" (blood), "qardaş" (brother) and "könül" (heart) in the Oğuz branch of the Turkic language family. | |||
| Kazakh | көрші | ||
| The Kazakh word "көрші" means "neighbor" and it is cognate with the Mongolian "хөрш". | |||
| Kyrgyz | кошуна | ||
| In the 16th century, кошуна also meant a nomad group living together temporarily. | |||
| Tajik | ҳамсоя | ||
| The word "ҳамсоя" (neighbor) in Tajik is derived from the Persian word "hamsāyeh" which means "co-neighbor". | |||
| Turkmen | goňşusy | ||
| Uzbek | qo'shni | ||
| The word "qo'shni" is derived from the Proto-Turkic word "qoş" meaning "to be connected". | |||
| Uyghur | قوشنىسى | ||
Neighbor in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hoalauna | ||
| "Hoalauna" means "neighbor" in Hawaiian and can also be used as a term of endearment for a loved one. | |||
| Maori | hoa noho | ||
| The word "hoa noho" can also mean "friend" or "companion" in Maori. | |||
| Samoan | tuaoi | ||
| Samoan "tuaoi" can also mean "to border" or "close by". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | kapit-bahay | ||
| The term "kapit-bahay" can trace its roots to the words "kapit" (to hold) and "bahay" (house), thus signifying a close bond between neighbors who live adjacent to each other within a community. | |||
Neighbor in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | uta uñkatasi | ||
| Guarani | óga ykeregua | ||
Neighbor in International Languages
| Esperanto | najbaro | ||
| The word 'najbaro' is based on the French 'voisin' (literally 'near one'), and also means 'neighbouring, adjacent' or 'neighbourly'. | |||
| Latin | vicinus | ||
| The Latin word "vicinus" may mean "near" and "neighbor" in space, or "friend" and "companion" in social relationships. | |||
Neighbor in Others Languages
| Greek | γείτονας | ||
| The word "γείτονας" has been theorized to come from the root *γαι-, which also gave rise to words like "γη" (earth) and "χθών" (land), suggesting a connection between neighbors and the concept of land or home. | |||
| Hmong | neeg nyob ze | ||
| The Hmong word "neeg nyob ze" derives from "neeg" (person) and "nyob ze" (living nearby), which together imply "a person living nearby, a neighbor." | |||
| Kurdish | cînar | ||
| The word 'cînar', meaning 'neighbor', is also used in a metaphorical sense to refer to someone who is close or reliable. | |||
| Turkish | komşu | ||
| The Turkish word "komşu" is likely derived from the Arabic word "qawm", meaning "people", "nation", or "tribe", suggesting its original meaning was "fellow countryman" or "member of the same community". | |||
| Xhosa | ummelwane | ||
| The word "ummelwane" can also refer to a close associate or comrade. | |||
| Yiddish | חבר | ||
| The Yiddish word חבר (khever) ultimately derives from the Hebrew word for "friend". | |||
| Zulu | umakhelwane | ||
| Umakhelwane shares the same Zulu root as ukukhela, meaning 'take care of, look after'. | |||
| Assamese | চুবুৰীয়া | ||
| Aymara | uta uñkatasi | ||
| Bhojpuri | पड़ोसी | ||
| Dhivehi | އަވަށްޓެރިޔާ | ||
| Dogri | गुआंढी | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kapit-bahay | ||
| Guarani | óga ykeregua | ||
| Ilocano | karruba | ||
| Krio | neba | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | دراوسێ | ||
| Maithili | पड़ोसी | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯌꯨꯝꯂꯣꯟꯅꯕ | ||
| Mizo | thenawm | ||
| Oromo | ollaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ପଡୋଶୀ | ||
| Quechua | wasi masi | ||
| Sanskrit | प्रतिवेशी | ||
| Tatar | күрше | ||
| Tigrinya | ጎረቤት | ||
| Tsonga | muakelana | ||