Ourselves in Different Languages
Discover 'Ourselves' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'ourselves' is a reflection of our identity, representing our individual and collective selves. It is a term that binds us together and allows us to express our connection to the world around us. The significance of 'ourselves' extends beyond language, as it is a concept that is deeply ingrained in our cultural and personal identities.
Throughout history, the word 'ourselves' has been used in various contexts, from literature to philosophy, to explore the complexities of human nature. From Shakespeare's famous soliloquy in Hamlet, where he contemplates the question of 'To be, or not to be: that is the question: / Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer / The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, / Or to take Arms against a Sea of troubles, / And by opposing end them: to die, to sleep / No more; and by a sleep, to say we end / The Heartache, and the thousand Natural shocks / That Flesh is heir to?', to modern-day philosophical debates about self-awareness and consciousness, the word 'ourselves' continues to be a source of fascination and exploration.
Understanding the translation of 'ourselves' in different languages can provide valuable insights into the cultural nuances and unique perspectives of people around the world. Here are some sample translations of 'ourselves' in various languages:
Ourselves
Ourselves in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | onsself | ||
| The Afrikaans word "onsself" is derived from the Old English word "usself", which originally meant "one's own self". | |||
| Amharic | እኛ ራሳችን | ||
| Hausa | kanmu | ||
| As well as meaning "ourselves", "kanmu" can be "the same"} | |||
| Igbo | onwe anyị | ||
| The Igbo word | |||
| Malagasy | saina | ||
| The word "Saina" in Malagasy can also mean "each other" or "one another". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | tokha | ||
| The word "tokha" derives from the Proto-Bantu word "-toka" meaning "alone". | |||
| Shona | pachedu | ||
| "Pachedu" is the possessive reciprocal form of the first-person plural pronoun "ti-." | |||
| Somali | nafteenna | ||
| "Nafteenna" can also mean "us" or "ourselves" and is derived from the Somali word "naf, | |||
| Sesotho | rona ka borona | ||
| In the Sesotho expression “rona ka borona”, the word “ka” means “like” instead of the more typical meaning of “and”. | |||
| Swahili | sisi wenyewe | ||
| Sisi wenyewe can also mean "we ourselves" or "us ourselves" in Swahili. | |||
| Xhosa | thina | ||
| The word 'thina' in Xhosa can also be used to emphasize a statement, indicate inclusivity, or refer to a collective entity. | |||
| Yoruba | awa funra wa | ||
| "Awa funra wa" means "ourselves" in Yoruba, derived from the words "awa" (we) and "funra" (self). | |||
| Zulu | thina | ||
| Zulu "thina" is a possessive form of the pronoun "ithi" and can mean "us" in a reflexive sense. | |||
| Bambara | an yɛrɛw de ye | ||
| Ewe | mía ŋutɔwo | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ubwacu | ||
| Lingala | biso moko | ||
| Luganda | ffe kennyini | ||
| Sepedi | rena ka noši | ||
| Twi (Akan) | yɛn ankasa | ||
Ourselves in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | أنفسنا | ||
| The singular form of “أنفسنا” is “نفس” which also means breath, soul, or personality. | |||
| Hebrew | בְּעָצמֵנוּ | ||
| The word "בְּעָצמֵנוּ" can also mean "in our essence" or "in our own being" in Hebrew. | |||
| Pashto | خپل ځان | ||
| The word “خپل ځان” in Pashto can also mean "alone" or "by oneself" | |||
| Arabic | أنفسنا | ||
| The singular form of “أنفسنا” is “نفس” which also means breath, soul, or personality. | |||
Ourselves in Western European Languages
| Albanian | vetveten | ||
| The word "vetveten" comes from the Proto-Albanian word *vetvetan, which also meant "our" or "we." | |||
| Basque | geure buruak | ||
| The Basque word "geure buruak" also means "our own" and can refer to something that belongs to the speaker or group. | |||
| Catalan | nosaltres mateixos | ||
| The term "nosaltres mateixos" is a Catalan reflexive pronoun, meaning "ourselves" and derived from the Latin word "nosmet ipsi". | |||
| Croatian | sebe | ||
| In Old Croatian, "sebe" also meant "to". | |||
| Danish | os selv | ||
| Os selv derives from the Old Norse | |||
| Dutch | onszelf | ||
| The Dutch word "onszelf" is a reflexive pronoun that can also mean "our own person" or "our own mind". | |||
| English | ourselves | ||
| The term 'ourselves' also means 'we have done it by/to ourselves' or 'we, in our capacity' as a reflexive pronoun. | |||
| French | nous-mêmes | ||
| The word "nous-mêmes" in French also has the alternate meaning of "we". | |||
| Frisian | ússels | ||
| The Frisian word "ússels" can also mean "ourselves" or "us". | |||
| Galician | nós mesmos | ||
| The Galician word "nós mesmos" can be used as an emphatic plural or as a reciprocal. | |||
| German | uns selbst | ||
| The term 'uns selbst' is a dative reflexive pronoun used in formal contexts and is often interchangeable with the accusative form 'uns'. | |||
| Icelandic | okkur sjálfum | ||
| Okkur sjálfum's original meaning was 'to each other', similar to the Swedish 'varandra' | |||
| Irish | muid féin | ||
| The word "muid féin" directly translates to "our selves" but it also carries the idea of being in control of one's own actions. | |||
| Italian | noi stessi | ||
| "Noi stessi" in Italian literally means "we ourselves", but it can also be used to refer to "our inner selves" or "our true selves." | |||
| Luxembourgish | eis selwer | ||
| The word "eis selwer" is the reflexive pronoun "ourselves" in Luxembourgish, derived from the Old High German word "selb". It can also be used to refer to one's own person or group of people. | |||
| Maltese | lilna nfusna | ||
| The word 'lilna nfusna' comes from the Arabic 'li-anfusina' meaning 'to ourselves'. | |||
| Norwegian | oss | ||
| Oss is the reflexive form of the Norwegian word for 'we' (vi). | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | nós mesmos | ||
| "Nós mesmos" is the accusative pronoun of the first person plural and is thus preceded by a verb. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | sinn fhìn | ||
| The word "sinn fhìn" can imply both "we ourselves" and "ourselves alone" in Scots Gaelic. | |||
| Spanish | nosotros mismos | ||
| The Spanish word "nosotros mismos" can also mean "by ourselves" or "on our own". | |||
| Swedish | oss själva | ||
| The word "oss själva" can also be used to refer to a specific group of people, such as "the members of our family" or "the people in our community." | |||
| Welsh | ein hunain | ||
| The word "ein hunain" also means "of our own" in Welsh, implying ownership or belonging. | |||
Ourselves in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | мы самі | ||
| "Мы самі" means "we ourselves" in Belarusian and also "we are ourselves". | |||
| Bosnian | mi sami | ||
| This word in Bosnian is a reflexive pronoun which may be used to express emphasis or reciprocity, not only referring to the subject of the sentence. | |||
| Bulgarian | ние самите | ||
| In Bulgarian, "ние самите" comes from the combination of the reflexive pronoun "ние" (we) and the word "сами" (self). Historically, it had an ethical meaning implying respect toward others. | |||
| Czech | sebe | ||
| Czech "sebe" has different meanings as a reflexive pronoun, personal pronoun, or noun. | |||
| Estonian | ise | ||
| The Estonian word "ise" means "self" and was originally derived from *isa (itself) in Proto-Finnic. | |||
| Finnish | itseämme | ||
| The word "itseämme" is the reflexive plural form of the Finnish word "itse" meaning "self". It is also used for emphasis like "the very same". | |||
| Hungarian | minket | ||
| The word "minket" is also a shortened form of "mi magunkat," meaning "we ourselves." | |||
| Latvian | mēs paši | ||
| 'Mēs paši' is also a Latvian phrase meaning 'we ourselves'. | |||
| Lithuanian | mes patys | ||
| The word "mes patys" in Lithuanian also means "my feet". | |||
| Macedonian | ние самите | ||
| In the Macedonian language, | |||
| Polish | my sami | ||
| The word "my sami" also means "us" and is used when the subject of the sentence is a group of which the speaker is a member. | |||
| Romanian | noi insine | ||
| The word "noi insine" in Romanian has an alternate meaning, "very close people; relatives". | |||
| Russian | мы сами | ||
| The word "мы сами" in Russian can also refer to "we alone" or "we independently." | |||
| Serbian | ми сами | ||
| The word "ми сами" (pronounced "mee sah-mee") can also mean "we ourselves" or "us ourselves" in Serbian. | |||
| Slovak | sami seba | ||
| The word "sami seba" has been used in Slovak for over 500 years, with the first known records dating back to the 15th century. | |||
| Slovenian | sami | ||
| The word "sami" also means "alone" or "by oneself" in Slovenian, highlighting the concept of individuality within the collective. | |||
| Ukrainian | ми самі | ||
| "Ми самі" literally translates to "we ourselves", implying that an action is done without the need for external help. | |||
Ourselves in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | আমাদের | ||
| The Bengali word for "ourselves" (আমাদের) originated from the same Sanskrit word as the Hindi word for "himself" (अपने). | |||
| Gujarati | જાતને | ||
| The Gujarati word "જાતને" is derived from the Sanskrit word "ātman" meaning "self" and can also mean "one's own person" or "one's own self." | |||
| Hindi | हम | ||
| "हम" means both "ourselves" and "we" in Hindi, the former being a reflexive pronoun and the latter a personal pronoun. | |||
| Kannada | ನಾವೇ | ||
| The word "ನಾವೇ" can also mean "to us" or "by us" in Kannada. | |||
| Malayalam | സ്വയം | ||
| The etymology of Malayalam word “സ്വയം” (“ourselves”) can be traced to the Sanskrit words “स्व” and “अयम्”, meaning self, and is often used to emphasize a sense of self or independence in a given context. | |||
| Marathi | स्वतःला | ||
| "स्वतःला" means "ourselves" in Marathi but it also means "naturally" or "automatically". | |||
| Nepali | हामी आफैं | ||
| The word "हामी आफैं" comes from the Sanskrit word "आत्मन्", which means "self" or "soul." | |||
| Punjabi | ਆਪਣੇ ਆਪ ਨੂੰ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | අපි | ||
| "අපි" can also mean "we" or "us" when used in a sentence that already establishes the meaning as plural. | |||
| Tamil | நாமே | ||
| The word 'நாமே' ('ourselves') is a compound word, derived from the words 'நாம்' ('we') and 'மே' ('self'). | |||
| Telugu | మనమే | ||
| మనమే's alternate meaning is the 'Mind'. | |||
| Urdu | خود | ||
| The Persian word “خود” (“ourselves”) can also refer to “self” or “ego”. | |||
Ourselves in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 我们自己 | ||
| "我们自己"的字面意思为"我们的身体", 在古代也被用来指代"我们自己"这个概念. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 我們自己 | ||
| The characters themselves are pronounced separately, but when combined they take on the third person plural inclusive pronoun usage. | |||
| Japanese | 私たち自身 | ||
| The second morpheme in '私たち自身' (じしん) can also mean 'truth', 'fact', or 'reality' | |||
| Korean | 우리 스스로 | ||
| 우리 스스로 can also mean "our nature" or "our identity". | |||
| Mongolian | өөрсдөө | ||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ကိုကို | ||
| The Burmese word "ကိုကို" ("ourselves") is derived from the Pali word "sakha" and the Sanskrit word "sakha", both meaning "friend". | |||
Ourselves in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | diri | ||
| In Old Javanese, the term 'diri' has a broader meaning, encompassing the notion of 'self' and 'essence', and can also refer to the 'body'. | |||
| Javanese | awake dhewe | ||
| The word "awake dhewe" in Javanese also means "one's own property". | |||
| Khmer | ខ្លួនយើង | ||
| The Khmer word for “ourselves” is often used instead of a possessive pronoun and can also mean “our own” in other contexts | |||
| Lao | ຕົວເຮົາເອງ | ||
| Malay | diri kita | ||
| Some Malay dictionaries describe the word "kita" as an abbreviation of "diri kita" (ourselves). | |||
| Thai | ตัวเราเอง | ||
| The word "ตัวเราเอง" can also mean "our own". | |||
| Vietnamese | chính chúng ta | ||
| "Chính chúng ta" (meaning "ourselves") derives from "chúng ta" (meaning "we") and the possessive pronoun "của" (meaning "of") and is often used to emphasize the subject of a sentence. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | ating sarili | ||
Ourselves in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | özümüz | ||
| The word "özümüz" in Azerbaijani also shares a root with the word "öz" meaning "essence" or "core". | |||
| Kazakh | өзіміз | ||
| The Kazakh word "өзіміз" originates from the root word "өз", meaning "self". | |||
| Kyrgyz | өзүбүз | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "өзүбүз" ("ourselves") has alternate meanings such as "on our own" or "by ourselves". | |||
| Tajik | худамон | ||
| The word "худамон" is derived from the Persian word "خودمان" (khudaman), meaning "ourselves" or "our own." | |||
| Turkmen | özümiz | ||
| Uzbek | o'zimiz | ||
| The word "o'zimiz" is derived from the Proto-Turkic word "*öz" meaning "self" and the suffix "-imiz" indicating the plural genitive form. | |||
| Uyghur | ئۆزىمىز | ||
Ourselves in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | o makou iho | ||
| The Hawaiian word "o makou iho" can also refer to "our children" or "our descendants." | |||
| Maori | ko taatau ano | ||
| The Māori word "ko taatau ano" can be literally translated as "of us all" and has the additional meaning of "our inner circle" or "our whānau" (family or extended family) | |||
| Samoan | tatou lava | ||
| The word "tatou" also means "our bodies" or "ourselves" in the physical sense. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | ang ating mga sarili | ||
Ourselves in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jiwasa pachpa | ||
| Guarani | ñandejehegui | ||
Ourselves in International Languages
| Esperanto | ni mem | ||
| Ni mem is derived from the Latin words "nos" and "met" meaning "we" and "with" respectively. | |||
| Latin | ipsi | ||
| Ipsi could mean both "we" or "they", and could be used as a reflexive pronoun. | |||
Ourselves in Others Languages
| Greek | εμείς οι ίδιοι | ||
| The word "εμείς οι ίδιοι" can also mean "our very own" or "our own selves". | |||
| Hmong | peb tus kheej | ||
| Tus kheej, or 'peb tus kheej' in its full form, is also used to refer to a person's body. | |||
| Kurdish | xwe | ||
| Xwe comes from the Proto-Indo-European root '*swe', meaning 'oneself'. | |||
| Turkish | kendimizi | ||
| "Kend" is an old Turkish word meaning "self" or "body" and "imiz" is a suffix meaning "our". | |||
| Xhosa | thina | ||
| The word 'thina' in Xhosa can also be used to emphasize a statement, indicate inclusivity, or refer to a collective entity. | |||
| Yiddish | זיך | ||
| The Yiddish word "זיך" (zich) is derived from the Proto-Germanic word "*siki", meaning "oneself," and has a reflexive meaning. | |||
| Zulu | thina | ||
| Zulu "thina" is a possessive form of the pronoun "ithi" and can mean "us" in a reflexive sense. | |||
| Assamese | নিজকে | ||
| Aymara | jiwasa pachpa | ||
| Bhojpuri | खुदे के बा | ||
| Dhivehi | އަމިއްލައަށް | ||
| Dogri | अपने आप गी | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | ating sarili | ||
| Guarani | ñandejehegui | ||
| Ilocano | ti bagitayo | ||
| Krio | wisɛf | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | خۆمان | ||
| Maithili | स्वयं | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯩꯈꯣꯌ ꯏꯁꯥꯃꯛ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | keimahni ngei pawhin | ||
| Oromo | ofii keenya | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଆମେ ନିଜେ | ||
| Quechua | kikinchik | ||
| Sanskrit | स्वयं | ||
| Tatar | үзебез | ||
| Tigrinya | ባዕልና | ||
| Tsonga | hina hi hexe | ||