Afrikaans paar | ||
Albanian palë | ||
Amharic ጥንድ | ||
Arabic زوج | ||
Armenian զույգ | ||
Assamese যোৰা | ||
Aymara parisa | ||
Azerbaijani cüt | ||
Bambara fila | ||
Basque bikotea | ||
Belarusian пара | ||
Bengali জোড় | ||
Bhojpuri जोड़ा | ||
Bosnian par | ||
Bulgarian двойка | ||
Catalan parell | ||
Cebuano pares | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 对 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 對 | ||
Corsican coppia | ||
Croatian par | ||
Czech pár | ||
Danish par | ||
Dhivehi ޕެއަރ | ||
Dogri जोड़ा | ||
Dutch paar- | ||
English pair | ||
Esperanto paro | ||
Estonian paar | ||
Ewe nu eve | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) pares | ||
Finnish pari | ||
French paire | ||
Frisian pear | ||
Galician par | ||
Georgian წყვილი | ||
German paar | ||
Greek ζεύγος | ||
Guarani papyjoja | ||
Gujarati જોડ | ||
Haitian Creole pè | ||
Hausa biyu | ||
Hawaiian pālua | ||
Hebrew זוג | ||
Hindi जोड़ा | ||
Hmong khub | ||
Hungarian pár | ||
Icelandic par | ||
Igbo ụzọ | ||
Ilocano agkadua | ||
Indonesian pasangan | ||
Irish péire | ||
Italian paio | ||
Japanese ペア | ||
Javanese pasangan | ||
Kannada ಜೋಡಿ | ||
Kazakh жұп | ||
Khmer គូ | ||
Kinyarwanda couple | ||
Konkani जोडी | ||
Korean 쌍 | ||
Krio bay tu | ||
Kurdish cot | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) جووت | ||
Kyrgyz жуп | ||
Lao ຄູ່ | ||
Latin par | ||
Latvian pāris | ||
Lingala mibale | ||
Lithuanian pora | ||
Luganda omugogo | ||
Luxembourgish koppel | ||
Macedonian пар | ||
Maithili जोड़ा | ||
Malagasy miaraka tsiroaroa | ||
Malay berpasangan | ||
Malayalam ജോഡി | ||
Maltese par | ||
Maori takirua | ||
Marathi जोडी | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯄꯨꯡꯕꯥ | ||
Mizo kawppui | ||
Mongolian хос | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) စုံတွဲတစ်တွဲ | ||
Nepali जोडी | ||
Norwegian par | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) awiriawiri | ||
Odia (Oriya) ଯୋଡି | | ||
Oromo cimdii | ||
Pashto جوړه | ||
Persian جفت کردن | ||
Polish para | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) par | ||
Punjabi ਜੋੜਾ | ||
Quechua masa | ||
Romanian pereche | ||
Russian пара | ||
Samoan paga | ||
Sanskrit युग्म | ||
Scots Gaelic paidhir | ||
Sepedi phere | ||
Serbian пар | ||
Sesotho para | ||
Shona vaviri | ||
Sindhi جوڙو | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) යුගල | ||
Slovak pár | ||
Slovenian par | ||
Somali labo | ||
Spanish par | ||
Sundanese sapasang | ||
Swahili jozi | ||
Swedish par | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) pares | ||
Tajik ҷуфт | ||
Tamil ஜோடி | ||
Tatar пар | ||
Telugu జత | ||
Thai คู่ | ||
Tigrinya ጽምዲ | ||
Tsonga swimbirhi | ||
Turkish çift | ||
Turkmen jübüt | ||
Twi (Akan) nta | ||
Ukrainian пара | ||
Urdu جوڑا | ||
Uyghur جۈپ | ||
Uzbek juftlik | ||
Vietnamese đôi | ||
Welsh pâr | ||
Xhosa isibini | ||
Yiddish פּאָר | ||
Yoruba bata | ||
Zulu ngababili |
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | In 16th-century Middle Dutch, 'paar' meant 'a set of two matched things', and was derived from the Latin 'par' ('equal'). |
| Albanian | The etymology of "palë" is unclear but it likely derives from the reconstructed Proto-Albanian "pālis" meaning "side" or "part". |
| Amharic | "ጥንድ" (pair) is derived from the root "ጥን" (to be together, to be joined), and is also used to refer to twins or married couples |
| Arabic | The word "زوج" in Arabic can also refer to a "spouse" or "mate", particularly in the context of marriage. |
| Armenian | The Armenian word "զույգ" ("pair") originally referred to a "yoke" of oxen, hinting at its Indo-European origins shared with Latin iugum and Sanskrit yuga. |
| Azerbaijani | In addition to meaning "pair", "cüt" also means "equal" and "double" in Azerbaijani. |
| Basque | Bikotea also means 'a pair of oxen' in Basque. |
| Belarusian | The word "пара" in Belarusian can also mean "steam". |
| Bengali | The word "জোড়" can also refer to a couple or a team. |
| Bosnian | The word 'par' derives from the Proto-Slavic form *parъ, which also meant 'dispute' or 'argument'. |
| Bulgarian | The word "двойка" can also mean a "two", a "grade of two", or a "team of two" |
| Catalan | Catalan word "parell" has a double etymology: Latin "par" and Greek "pareilos", which convey "similar" and "equal" respectively. |
| Cebuano | The Cebuano word "pares" is derived from the Spanish word "pares", meaning "equal". It can also refer to a dish of beef or pork stewed in a soy sauce-based broth. |
| Chinese (Simplified) | The word "对" also refers to a specific arrangement of four characters in Chinese poetry, where the second and fourth characters rhyme. |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 對 in Chinese can also mean 'to face', 'to compare', or 'to check'. |
| Corsican | In Corsican, "coppia" originally referred to a "yolk" or "testicle" and took on the meaning of "pair" later on. |
| Croatian | The Croatian word "par" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "para", meaning "pair" or "couple." |
| Czech | The word "pár" can also mean "a few" or "some" in Czech, as in the phrase "pár dnů" (a few days). |
| Danish | The Danish word "par" can also refer to a team or a couple. |
| Dutch | "Paar" can also refer to a set of two similar or matching things. |
| Esperanto | The root "*par-/*per-" means "to give birth to, to produce" and is found in words like "parent" and "parity". |
| Estonian | Derived from Proto-Finnic *para, related to the Hungarian pár and Finnish pari. |
| Finnish | "Pari" can also mean "good" or "even number" in Finnish. |
| French | In French, "paire" can also refer to a couple, a set, or a pair of animals pulling a wagon. |
| Frisian | Frisian "pear" means "pair" but can also be used to refer to a single thing, like an object or animal. |
| Galician | In Galician, "par" can also mean "equal" or "similar". |
| Georgian | The Georgian word "წყვილი" is related to the word for "two" and the word for "double". |
| German | The German word "Paar" originally referred to a brace of birds that would fly together during mating season. |
| Greek | 'Ζεύγος' also refers to a yoke which harnessed animals together, thus implying the idea of 'union' or 'couple' |
| Gujarati | The word "જોડ" in Gujarati can also mean a couple, a match, or a junction |
| Haitian Creole | In the Haitian Creole noun phrase `yon pè soulye`, the term pè also means `one`, referring to the pair of shoes. |
| Hausa | The word biyu in Hausa can also refer to the number two as a grammatical element or two items as a collective whole. |
| Hawaiian | Pālua means 'two' in Hawaiian but can also refer to a spouse, friend, or colleague. |
| Hebrew | זוג (pair) is an ancient word with roots in both Hebrew and Sanskrit, and it retains an alternate meaning of 'yoke'. |
| Hindi | The Hindi word "जोड़ा" can also mean "a yoke for bullocks" or "a couple of oxen". |
| Hmong | The word "khub" also means "to double" and "to multiply" in Hmong. |
| Hungarian | “Pár” can also mean “a few” or “some”. |
| Icelandic | In Icelandic, "par" can refer to a married couple, a couple in a romantic relationship, or a group of two people who are close friends. |
| Igbo | In Igbo, "ụzọ" can also refer to a path, road, or way of life |
| Indonesian | Pasangan can also refer to a married couple or partners in a romantic relationship. |
| Irish | The Irish word "péire" also has the meaning of "sum", "amount", or "quantity". |
| Italian | The word "paio" can also refer to a set of bells or to the sticks used to play them. |
| Japanese | "ペア" (pair) is a loanword from English, and the original Japanese word for "pair" is "番" (ban). |
| Javanese | The word "pasangan" can refer to two separate objects in Javanese and also means "partner" or "spouse" |
| Kannada | The word ಜೋಡಿ can also be used to mean 'couple', 'mates' or 'partners'. |
| Kazakh | In Kazakh, "жұп" has multiple meanings including "double," "both," "similar," and "even (numbers)" while in Turkish it means "thin," "weak," or "skinny." |
| Khmer | The word "គូ" can also refer to a team or a group of people working together. |
| Korean | 쌍 (雙) can also mean "both" or "double" and is used in various combinations, such as 쌍둥이 (twins), 쌍꺼풀 (double eyelids), 쌍문 (double doors), and 쌍곡선 (hyperbola). |
| Kurdish | In Kurdish, "cot" has historical and cultural meanings related to the concept of a 'couple' within the context of marriage, extending beyond the mere notion of two. |
| Kyrgyz | The Kyrgyz word “жуп” can also mean “a match” between two socks, shoes, or gloves. |
| Lao | ຄູ່ can also mean 'friend', 'companion', or 'partner'. |
| Latin | "Par" also means "equal" or "alike" in Latin. |
| Latvian | The Latvian word "pāris" comes from the Indo-European word *per-, meaning "to go across," and is related to the English word "ferry." |
| Lithuanian | "Pora" also means "time" in Lithuanian, derived from the Proto-Balto-Slavic word "*porъ". So, "porą" means "a pair" and "porą" also means "for a while". |
| Luxembourgish | In Luxembourgish, 'Koppel' originally meant 'bond' or 'lock' in Middle High German, before it came to mean 'pair'. |
| Macedonian | The word "пар" can also mean "steam" or "vapour" in Macedonian, which is related to its use in the term "парно греење" (central heating). |
| Malagasy | In Malagasy, the term "Miaraka tsiroaroa" is not only used in the sense of a couple or a pair, but also has the underlying meaning of "to be together until the end". |
| Malay | The Malay word "berpasangan" has Javanese roots and can refer not only to pairs but also to relationships or companionships. |
| Malayalam | "ജോഡി" is likely derived from the Sanskrit word "युग" (meaning 'pair', 'couple') or the Tamil word "ஜோடி" (meaning 'a pair'). In some contexts, it can also refer to a 'couple' of people or a 'set' of objects. |
| Maltese | Maltese 'par' (pair) originates from Italian 'paio'. Both words mean 'a set of two'. |
| Maori | Takirua can also refer to two objects that are joined together or a set of two. |
| Marathi | The word "जोडी" can also refer to a couple, a team, or a set of two. |
| Mongolian | In Mongolian, "хос" not only means "pair" but also "both" and "each other." |
| Nepali | The word "जोडी" is derived from the Sanskrit word "युग", meaning "two" or "pair." |
| Norwegian | The Norwegian word "par" can also mean an odd number. |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | The word originates from two words meaning "one" and "another" |
| Pashto | The Pashto word "جوړه" ("pair") also refers to an agreement between two individuals or groups, a match, or a couple. |
| Persian | In Persian, "جفت کردن" also means "mating" or "pairing animals for breeding purposes." |
| Polish | In Polish, "para" can also refer to a couple, a set of two, or a team. |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | In Portuguese, "par" can also mean "odd" or "uneven," as in a number of objects that cannot be divided into equal pairs. |
| Romanian | The term 'pereche' likely derives from the Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to combine" or "to tie up," and initially meant two things that are connected. |
| Russian | In Russian, "пара" can mean not only "pair," but also "steam," "couple," or "sailboat," depending on context. |
| Samoan | The Samoan word "paga" also means "to share" or "to divide", representing the concept of two becoming one. |
| Scots Gaelic | The word "paidhir" is cognate with the English word "pedestal". |
| Serbian | The Serbian word "пар" (pair) also means "steam" or "vapor" and comes from the Proto-Slavic word *parъ, which had the same meaning. |
| Sesotho | The word "para" in Sesotho can also mean "to split" or "to separate". |
| Shona | The word 'vaviri' also means 'two' in Shona, similar to the English word 'pair'. |
| Sindhi | The Sindhi word 'جوڙو' can also mean 'couple', 'set', or 'team'. |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | The word "යුගල" also means "couple" or "mate" in Sinhala. |
| Slovak | The word 'pár' can also mean 'a few' or 'several' in Slovak. |
| Slovenian | The noun 'par' (pair) also means 'an odd number of things' in Slovenian. |
| Somali | The Somali word "labo" is derived from the Proto-Cushitic root *-(ʔ)lab- "to cleave". |
| Spanish | In Spanish, "par" has nautical usage in the form of a pair of oars or a sail with its yard. |
| Sundanese | The Sundanese word "sapasang" also refers to two objects or people that complement or resemble each other. |
| Swahili | Jozi is a borrowing from Arabic "zawj" meaning "pair" and is also used in Kiswahili to mean "spouse". |
| Swedish | In Swedish, "par" can also refer to a couple in a relationship or a group of animals that live together. |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | The word 'pares' can also refer to a Tagalog dish consisting of a beef stew. |
| Tajik | The word “ҷуфт” also means “a complete set of something” in Tajik, such as a set of clothes or dishes. |
| Tamil | The Tamil word "ஜோடி" can also refer to a group of singers or dancers who perform together. |
| Telugu | జత is also used to refer to a match or a set of similar things. |
| Thai | คู่ (pair) can also mean "a companion" or "a couple" and is related to the word "คู่กัน (together)". |
| Turkish | Çift can also mean 'double' in Turkish, as in 'çift katlı' ('double-storied'). |
| Ukrainian | The word "пара" (pair) also means "a couple", "a pair of shoes", "a match". |
| Urdu | The word “جوڑا” can also refer to “twins.” |
| Uzbek | The word "juftlik" in Uzbek has Persian roots and can also refer to a type of Uzbek rug with symmetrical patterns. |
| Vietnamese | "Đôi" in Vietnamese is a prefix denoting two people with a close or romantic relationship, or a group of two things |
| Welsh | The Welsh word "pâr" may also mean "couple" or "mate" in the sense of a breeding pair of animals. |
| Xhosa | The Xhosa word 'isibini' means 'pair' and can also refer to a couple or a set of similar or related things. |
| Yiddish | "פּאָר" (pair) is also used informally to mean "lots" or "a lot" in Yiddish. |
| Yoruba | The word "bata" not only means "pair" in Yoruba but also "footwear" or "dance". |
| Zulu | The word 'ngababili' also means 'double' in Zulu. |
| English | The word 'pair' derives from the Latin word 'par', meaning 'equal' or 'similar'. |