Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'others' is a small but powerful term that plays a significant role in our daily lives. It's a word that promotes inclusivity and diversity, encouraging us to recognize and respect the unique qualities of individuals who are different from us. This cultural importance is reflected in various languages around the world.
Moreover, understanding the translation of 'others' in different languages can be a fascinating exploration of cultural nuances and language complexity. For instance, in Spanish, 'others' is translated as 'otros' and 'otras' depending on the gender of the individuals being referred to, highlighting the language's gendered nature. Meanwhile, in Chinese, 'others' is translated as '他/她/它' (tā), reflecting the language's gender-neutral pronouns.
With that said, here are some translations of 'others' in different languages:
Afrikaans | ander | ||
The Afrikaans word "ander" derives from the Old English "ānðra", cognate with Latin "alter" and Greek "allos" | |||
Amharic | ሌሎች | ||
Its origin traces back to the Geʽez term ሌላ (“another”) which also gives rise to the words “ለጋ” and “ሌላው” (“friend”). | |||
Hausa | wasu | ||
The Hausa word "wasu" can also refer to "other people's property" or "other people's children." | |||
Igbo | ndị ọzọ | ||
The Igbo word "ndị ọzọ" can also refer to non-human entities, such as animals or spirits. | |||
Malagasy | ny hafa | ||
Ny hafa (others) literally means 'that side' in Malagasy, emphasizing the separation between the speaker and the others. | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | ena | ||
The Chichewa word "ena" can also refer to relatives and friends, or to non-humans. | |||
Shona | vamwe | ||
The word vamwe, meaning "others" in Shona, also carries a sense of "collectivity" and "diversity" | |||
Somali | kuwa kale | ||
In addition to meaning "others," "kuwa kale" can also mean "outsiders" or "foreigners" in Somali. | |||
Sesotho | ba bang | ||
The word "ba bang" in Sesotho also refers to people who are not members of one's own family or clan. | |||
Swahili | wengine | ||
Wengine, a common noun in Swahili, can also refer to a 'part', 'side', or 'section'. | |||
Xhosa | abanye | ||
In certain contexts, "abanye" can refer to ancestors, ghosts, or supernatural beings, rather than just other people. | |||
Yoruba | awọn miiran | ||
The Yoruba word "awọn miiran" has a root word, "miiran," which also means "different" and is related to the word "iyara," meaning "to deviate" or "to change direction." | |||
Zulu | abanye | ||
'Abanye' can also mean 'the others' (i.e. a group), or 'others' (i.e. people). | |||
Bambara | dɔw wɛrɛw | ||
Ewe | bubuwo hã | ||
Kinyarwanda | abandi | ||
Lingala | basusu | ||
Luganda | abalala | ||
Sepedi | ba bangwe | ||
Twi (Akan) | afoforo nso | ||
Arabic | الآخرين | ||
The word "الآخرين" can also refer to "outsiders" or "foreigners" in Arabic. | |||
Hebrew | אחרים | ||
While usually understood to mean 'others,' 'אחרים' is ultimately related to the word 'rear,' and so 'אחרים' (others) in Hebrew can also refer to someone's 'rear.' | |||
Pashto | نور | ||
The word "نور" has a similar root to the word for "new" in other Indo-European languages, like the Latin "novus" and the English "new". | |||
Arabic | الآخرين | ||
The word "الآخرين" can also refer to "outsiders" or "foreigners" in Arabic. |
Albanian | të tjerët | ||
The word 'të tjerët' in Albanian derives from the Proto-Indo-European root '*tero-' meaning 'across, beyond, through'. | |||
Basque | beste batzuk | ||
The Basque word "beste batzuk" can be split into two words, "beste" meaning "other" and "batzuk" meaning "some". Therefore, "beste batzuk" literally means "some others". | |||
Catalan | altres | ||
The word "altres" in Catalan can also refer to "others" in a spiritual or philosophical context, such as "the other side" or "the unknown." | |||
Croatian | drugi | ||
While the word 'drugi' generally means 'others' in Croatian, it can also refer to 'the second' or 'the next one' in some contexts. | |||
Danish | andre | ||
The word "andre" in Danish can also mean "different" or "other people". | |||
Dutch | anderen | ||
The Dutch word "anderen" can also refer to "others" in the sense of "different" or "other people". | |||
English | others | ||
The word "others" can also refer to people who are not present or who are not considered to be part of a particular group. | |||
French | autres | ||
"Autres" in French is derived from the Latin word "alter", meaning "the other" or "another". | |||
Frisian | oaren | ||
Frisian "oaren" (others) is cognate with the English word "others" and the Old Norse "annarr" (other) | |||
Galician | outros | ||
The word "outros" can refer to other people or things, or to the opposite of "within". | |||
German | andere | ||
The word "Andere" in German also refers to people who are different or unusual. | |||
Icelandic | aðrir | ||
The word "aðrir" can also mean "the rest," "the remaining," or "the latter" in Icelandic. | |||
Irish | daoine eile | ||
The Irish word "daoine eile" is derived from the Old Irish word "duine" meaning "person" or "human". | |||
Italian | altri | ||
"Altrui" (literally "of others") can also refer to "someone's property." | |||
Luxembourgish | anerer | ||
Maltese | oħrajn | ||
The word "oħrajn" in Maltese derives from the Arabic "ukhrawan", meaning "the two others", and is cognate with the Spanish "otros" and French "autres". | |||
Norwegian | andre | ||
Andre is also used as an adjective, meaning 'different' or 'other'. | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | outras | ||
Outras is derived from the Latin word "alter," which also means "other". | |||
Scots Gaelic | cuid eile | ||
The Gaelic word "cuid eile" can also mean "a lot" or "abundantly". | |||
Spanish | otros | ||
The word "otros" has its roots in the Latin "alter," meaning "the other," and its alternate meanings include "some" or "a few." | |||
Swedish | andra | ||
In Swedish, the word "andra" can also refer to "the others" or "the rest." | |||
Welsh | eraill | ||
The word 'eraill' can also refer to 'the rest' or 'the remaining' in Welsh. |
Belarusian | іншыя | ||
The word "іншыя" is also used to refer to supernatural beings or to the dead. | |||
Bosnian | drugi | ||
Drugi is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *drugъ, meaning 'friend, companion' or 'other, different'. | |||
Bulgarian | други | ||
The word "други" in Bulgarian comes from the Proto-Slavic word "drugi", meaning "friend". This meaning can still be found in some modern Slavic languages. | |||
Czech | ostatní | ||
The word "ostatní" is derived from the Old Church Slavonic "ostan'nьjь", meaning "remaining, left over". | |||
Estonian | teised | ||
The word "teised" can also mean "the others" or "the rest" in Estonian. | |||
Finnish | toiset | ||
The word "toiset" can also refer to "the second ones" or "the latter ones" in Finnish. | |||
Hungarian | mások | ||
The Hungarian word "mások" can also mean "different". | |||
Latvian | citi | ||
Citi is a loan word from Slavic and is related to the Russian 'chityi', meaning 'clean', 'pure' or 'clear'. | |||
Lithuanian | kiti | ||
The word "kiti" derives from PIE"kwo-" with the meaning "how" | |||
Macedonian | други | ||
The word "други" in Macedonian can also refer to "friends" or "comrades". | |||
Polish | inne | ||
Polish "inne" ("others") stems from an 18th-century plural form of Proto-Slavic "iny" ("other") but now also means "various" | |||
Romanian | alții | ||
In Romanian, "alții" can also refer to strangers or outsiders. | |||
Russian | другие | ||
The word "другие" can also refer to strangers or outsiders. | |||
Serbian | други | ||
In Serbian, "други" also refers to friends or companions, highlighting the dual meaning of "otherness" and "connection" | |||
Slovak | iné | ||
The word "iné" in Slovak can also refer to "different" or "other kinds of". | |||
Slovenian | drugi | ||
The word "drugi" in Slovenian can also mean "other" as in "the other one", or "the next one" as in "the next day". | |||
Ukrainian | інші | ||
Інші is cognate with іньший ('other, different') and was also used in Old Ukrainian as the word for 'foreign'. |
Bengali | অন্যান্য | ||
The word "অন্যান্য" is derived from the Sanskrit word "अन्य" (anya), meaning "other" or "different". | |||
Gujarati | અન્ય | ||
અન્ય comes from the Sanskrit word 'Anya' which also means 'other'. It is also used as a prefix to signify 'opposite' or 'different' from something else. | |||
Hindi | अन्य | ||
The word "अन्य" (anya) in Sanskrit and Hindi also means "otherworldly" or "mystical". | |||
Kannada | ಇತರರು | ||
ಇತರರು also means "outsiders" or "foreigners". | |||
Malayalam | മറ്റുള്ളവർ | ||
The word "മറ്റുള്ളവർ" (others) in Malayalam has alternative meanings such as "outsiders" or "foreigners". | |||
Marathi | इतर | ||
The word "इतर" can also refer to "the other side" or "the other world" in Marathi. | |||
Nepali | अन्य | ||
Nepali 'अन्य' can also mean 'different', 'remaining', 'rest', 'remainder', 'balance' or 'apart from' depending on the context. | |||
Punjabi | ਹੋਰ | ||
The Punjabi word 'ਹੋਰ' ('hor') originally meant 'other' or 'different', but in modern usage it can also mean 'more' or 'further'. | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | අන් අය | ||
The word "අන් අය" literally means "other people" but can also refer to strangers, outsiders, or those who are different from oneself. | |||
Tamil | மற்றவைகள் | ||
The word 'மற்றவைகள்' can also refer to the remainder of a group or the miscellaneous items in a collection. | |||
Telugu | ఇతరులు | ||
The word "ఇతరులు" in Telugu can also refer to people who are not related to you or your family. | |||
Urdu | دوسروں | ||
Chinese (Simplified) | 其他 | ||
The word "其他" (qí tā) in Chinese (Simplified) literally means "separate"} | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 其他 | ||
其他 literally translates to "other remaining" and can also be used to refer to "the rest" or "the remaining amount" | |||
Japanese | その他 | ||
The word "その他" (others) can be written as both 他の物 (sonota mono) and 其の他 (sonota). | |||
Korean | 기타 | ||
"기타" can also refer to musical instruments (especially guitars), "etc.", "miscellaneous", "and others", or "various" in Korean. | |||
Mongolian | бусад | ||
Бусад is also used for 'the remainder' of a set of objects in Mongolian. | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | အခြားသူများ | ||
Indonesian | orang lain | ||
The Indonesian word "orang lain" literally translates to "other people" in English. | |||
Javanese | liyane | ||
In old Javanese, "liyane" was also employed as a pronoun to address a respected audience. | |||
Khmer | ផ្សេងទៀត | ||
The term "ផ្សេងទៀត" can also refer to "various" or "miscellaneous" in Khmer. | |||
Lao | ອື່ນໆ | ||
ອື່ນໆ is a term used in Lao to refer to items or people that are not specifically mentioned, but are related to the topic at hand. | |||
Malay | yang lain | ||
The Malay word "yang lain" also means "the rest" or "the others". | |||
Thai | อื่น ๆ | ||
In Thai, "อื่น ๆ" (others) can refer to "all other people" or "the remaining things," and is derived from the root "อื่น" (other). | |||
Vietnamese | khác | ||
"Khác" can refer to a third person or group that is different from the speaker or subject. | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | iba pa | ||
Azerbaijani | digərləri | ||
The word also means "the others" and is often used to refer to the "other half of a pair" as in "sağ ve sol" (right and left). | |||
Kazakh | басқалар | ||
The word "басқалар" is derived from the Proto-Turkic root "*başqa" meaning "different, other". | |||
Kyrgyz | башкалар | ||
The word "башкалар" is derived from the Turkic word "başka", meaning "another" or "different." | |||
Tajik | дигарон | ||
The Tajik word «дигарон» can be traced to the Persian word «دیگران», which means 'other people'. | |||
Turkmen | beýlekiler | ||
Uzbek | boshqalar | ||
In Uzbek, "boshqalar" is a word derived from the Persian word "basheg", meaning "head". It originally referred to "the others", or those who are not part of one's immediate group or family. | |||
Uyghur | باشقىلار | ||
Hawaiian | kekahi | ||
In Hawaiian, the word "kekahi" can also refer to "some", "a few", or "certain ones". | |||
Maori | etahi atu | ||
The word "etahi atu" can also refer to "some others" or "a few others". | |||
Samoan | isi | ||
ISI is commonly pronounced as /isiː/, and less commonly as /isi/ | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | iba pa | ||
The Tagalog word "iba pa" can also refer to different, other than, beside, other side |
Aymara | yaqhipanakaxa | ||
Guarani | ambuekuéra | ||
Esperanto | aliaj | ||
"aliaj" can refer to "others" or to "strange" or "foreign" people or things. | |||
Latin | alii | ||
"Alii" can also refer to "another group" or "a different class" in Latin. |
Greek | οι υπολοιποι | ||
The singular form of "οι υπολοιποι" is "ο υπολοιπος," meaning "the remainder" or "the rest." | |||
Hmong | lwm tus neeg | ||
The Hmong word "lwm tus neeg" can also refer to a third party or those who are different in some way. | |||
Kurdish | yên din | ||
"Yên din" is a Kurdish word that originated as a plural form of "yan" (single, alone), but has also come to mean "guest" or "foreigner". | |||
Turkish | diğerleri | ||
The word "diğerleri" can also refer to "the rest" or "the others" in Turkish. | |||
Xhosa | abanye | ||
In certain contexts, "abanye" can refer to ancestors, ghosts, or supernatural beings, rather than just other people. | |||
Yiddish | אנדערע | ||
The word "אנדערע" has been used in Yiddish since at least the 16th century and can refer to either "others" or "different". | |||
Zulu | abanye | ||
'Abanye' can also mean 'the others' (i.e. a group), or 'others' (i.e. people). | |||
Assamese | আন কিছুমান | ||
Aymara | yaqhipanakaxa | ||
Bhojpuri | दोसरा लोग के कहल जाला | ||
Dhivehi | އަނެއްބައި މީހުންނެވެ | ||
Dogri | दूजे गी | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | iba pa | ||
Guarani | ambuekuéra | ||
Ilocano | dagiti dadduma | ||
Krio | ɔda wan dɛn | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | هەندێکی تر | ||
Maithili | दोसरोॅ केॅ | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯇꯣꯞꯄꯁꯤꯡ꯫ | ||
Mizo | mi dangte chu | ||
Oromo | kaan | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ଅନ୍ୟମାନେ | ||
Quechua | wakintaq | ||
Sanskrit | अन्ये | ||
Tatar | башкалар | ||
Tigrinya | ካልኦት | ||
Tsonga | van’wana | ||