Parent in Different Languages
Discover 'Parent' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Parent
Afrikaans ouer | ||
Albanian prindi | ||
Amharic ወላጅ | ||
Arabic الأبوين | ||
Armenian ծնող | ||
Assamese পিতৃ-মাতৃ | ||
Aymara awki tayka | ||
Azerbaijani valideyn | ||
Bambara bangebaga | ||
Basque guraso | ||
Belarusian бацька | ||
Bengali পিতামাতা | ||
Bhojpuri अभिभावक के बा | ||
Bosnian roditelj | ||
Bulgarian родител | ||
Catalan pare | ||
Cebuano ginikanan | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 父母 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 父母 | ||
Corsican parente | ||
Croatian roditelj | ||
Czech rodič | ||
Danish forælder | ||
Dhivehi ބެލެނިވެރިޔާއެވެ | ||
Dogri माता-पिता | ||
Dutch ouder | ||
English parent | ||
Esperanto gepatro | ||
Estonian vanem | ||
Ewe dzila | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) magulang | ||
Finnish vanhempi | ||
French parent | ||
Frisian parent | ||
Galician pai | ||
Georgian მშობელი | ||
German elternteil | ||
Greek μητρική εταιρεία | ||
Guarani túva ha sy | ||
Gujarati માતાપિતા | ||
Haitian Creole paran | ||
Hausa iyaye | ||
Hawaiian makua | ||
Hebrew הוֹרֶה | ||
Hindi माता-पिता | ||
Hmong niam txiv | ||
Hungarian szülő | ||
Icelandic foreldri | ||
Igbo nne na nna | ||
Ilocano nagannak | ||
Indonesian induk | ||
Irish tuismitheoir | ||
Italian genitore | ||
Japanese 親 | ||
Javanese wong tuwa | ||
Kannada ಪೋಷಕರು | ||
Kazakh ата-ана | ||
Khmer ឪពុកម្តាយ | ||
Kinyarwanda umubyeyi | ||
Konkani पालक | ||
Korean 부모의 | ||
Krio mama ɔ papa | ||
Kurdish dê û bav | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) دایک و باوک | ||
Kyrgyz ата-эне | ||
Lao ພໍ່ແມ່ | ||
Latin parente | ||
Latvian vecāks | ||
Lingala moboti | ||
Lithuanian tėvas | ||
Luganda omuzadde | ||
Luxembourgish elteren | ||
Macedonian родител | ||
Maithili अभिभावक | ||
Malagasy ray aman-dreny | ||
Malay ibu bapa | ||
Malayalam രക്ഷകർത്താവ് | ||
Maltese ġenitur | ||
Maori matua | ||
Marathi पालक | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯃꯃꯥ-ꯃꯄꯥ꯫ | ||
Mizo nu leh pa | ||
Mongolian эцэг эх | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) မိဘ | ||
Nepali अभिभावक | ||
Norwegian foreldre | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) kholo | ||
Odia (Oriya) ପିତାମାତା | | ||
Oromo warra | ||
Pashto مور او پلار | ||
Persian والدین | ||
Polish rodzic | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) pai | ||
Punjabi ਮਾਪੇ | ||
Quechua tayta mama | ||
Romanian mamă | ||
Russian родитель | ||
Samoan matua | ||
Sanskrit मातापिता | ||
Scots Gaelic pàrant | ||
Sepedi motswadi | ||
Serbian родитељ | ||
Sesotho motsoali | ||
Shona mubereki | ||
Sindhi والدين | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) දෙමාපිය | ||
Slovak rodič | ||
Slovenian starš | ||
Somali waalid | ||
Spanish padre | ||
Sundanese kolot | ||
Swahili mzazi | ||
Swedish förälder | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) magulang | ||
Tajik волидайн | ||
Tamil பெற்றோர் | ||
Tatar ата-ана | ||
Telugu తల్లిదండ్రులు | ||
Thai ผู้ปกครอง | ||
Tigrinya ወላዲ | ||
Tsonga mutswari | ||
Turkish ebeveyn | ||
Turkmen ene-atasy | ||
Twi (Akan) ɔwofo | ||
Ukrainian батько | ||
Urdu والدین | ||
Uyghur ئاتا-ئانا | ||
Uzbek ota-ona | ||
Vietnamese cha mẹ | ||
Welsh rhiant | ||
Xhosa umzali | ||
Yiddish פאָטער | ||
Yoruba obi | ||
Zulu umzali |
Etymology & Notes
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | The word "ouer" has been used in Afrikaans since at least 1658, and is derived from an archaic Dutch spelling of the word "ouder" meaning older or elder. |
| Albanian | The Albanian word "prindi" is also a short form of "prindër", which can mean "progenitor" or "ancestor". |
| Amharic | The root word “ወለደ” from which “ወላጅ” is derived means to give birth, hence “ወላጅ” originally meant mother but over time came to refer to both parents. |
| Arabic | The word "الأبوين" in Arabic can also refer to one's ancestors or guardians. |
| Armenian | The Armenian word "ծնող" ("parent") also has the meaning of "ancestor", and is cognate with the Sanskrit word "जनक" ("progenitor"). |
| Azerbaijani | "Valideyn" is derived from the Arabic word "vâlideyn", which literally means "two progenitors" or "two creators". |
| Basque | "Guraso" in Basque also means "mouth" and is derived from "aho" (mouth) and "raso" (piece). |
| Belarusian | In Belarusian, the word "бацька" also has the specific meaning of "father" and is used in this sense in official documents and formal settings. |
| Bengali | "পিতামাতা" means "parent", "father" or "mother". The word is derived from Sanskrit "pitri", meaning "father" and "mata", meaning "mother". |
| Bosnian | In some Slavic languages 'roditelj' can mean 'relative'. |
| Bulgarian | "Родител" can also refer to "begetter" or "progenitor" in Bulgarian. |
| Catalan | Catalan "pare" is cognate with English "peer" and means not only "parent" but also "senior official." |
| Cebuano | "Ginikanan" can also refer to a place where something comes from, similar to the English "origin." |
| Chinese (Simplified) | "父母" originally referred to older relatives; it gradually took on its current meaning during the Tang Dynasty. |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 父母 (parent) is a compound of 父母 (mother) and 父母 (father). |
| Corsican | The Corsican word "parente" also means "relative" or "ancestor." |
| Croatian | The Croatian word 'roditelj' ('parent') is derived from the Slavic root 'rod', meaning 'family' or 'birth'. |
| Czech | The word "rodič" in Czech can also refer to a "birthmark" or a "midwife". |
| Danish | The word "forælder" derives from the Old Norse word "foreldre", meaning "one who goes before" or "ancestor and descendant". |
| Dutch | The Dutch word "ouder" (parent) is also used to refer to an older person (senior), especially in formal or official settings. |
| Esperanto | The word |
| Estonian | The word "vanem" also refers to an elder or more experienced person in Estonian culture. |
| Finnish | "Vanhempi" can also refer to a senior or elder, not necessarily a parent. |
| French | The French word "parent" derives from the Latin "parens", meaning "one who brings forth" or "one who begets". |
| Frisian | In Frisian, the word "mem" can mean both "mom" and "parent". |
| Galician | In Galician, the word "pai" can also be used to refer to a father-in-law or a godfather. |
| Georgian | The word "მშობელი" has the alternate meaning of "Creator" in Georgian, implying the role of parents in shaping and nurturing their children's lives. |
| German | "Elternteil" is also used in German to describe someone who is only the parent of only one of the two children of a couple. |
| Greek | The word "μητρική εταιρεία" ("parent") can also refer to a parent company (a company that owns other companies). |
| Gujarati | The word "માતાપિતા" (parent) in Gujarati is also sometimes used to refer to a person's spouse's parents. |
| Haitian Creole | The word "paran" in Haitian Creole can also mean "godfather" or "godmother". |
| Hausa | Iyaye is derived from the word 'yaaye', which means 'mother', and is often used to refer to both parents or the mother in particular. |
| Hawaiian | In Tongan, “makua” means “male elder or father”. |
| Hebrew | The word "הוֹרֶה" derives from the root "יר" meaning "to shoot", and originally meant "one who conceives and bears children". |
| Hindi | The word "माता-पिता" in Hindi is composed of two words: "माता" meaning "mother" and "पिता" meaning "father". |
| Hmong | The word "niam txiv" is also used to refer to ancestors or elders in Hmong culture. |
| Hungarian | The term szülő can also be used to refer solely to the mother. |
| Icelandic | Derived from the word "eldri", meaning "grandfather" or "ancestor", "foreldri" also has historical and archaic meanings of "forebears" or "forefathers". |
| Igbo | 'Nne na nna' is also used to refer to a couple who are the parents of a child or children. |
| Indonesian | The word "induk" also has the meaning of "origin" or "source" in Indonesian. |
| Italian | Genitore shares an origin with "genero," and so traditionally referred only to fathers, while "genitrice" was used for mothers. |
| Japanese | "親" (oya) in Japanese can also refer to "relatives" or "close friends". |
| Javanese | The word "wong tuwa" originally meant "old person" but later became a term of respect for parents. |
| Kannada | The term "ಪೋಷಕರು" in Kannada is derived from the Sanskrit word "poṣaka," which means "nourisher" or "sustainer." |
| Kazakh | The word "ата-ана" means "parent" in Kazakh, but the term can also refer to a guardian or any person who plays a parental role in a child's life. |
| Khmer | The word "ឪពុកម្តាយ" (pronounced "oh-pook-mtaoy") can also mean "father", "mother", or "both father and mother" depending on the context. |
| Korean | The word "parent" originates from 1500–10, perhaps via French parenting from Latin parens (genitive parentis) "parent." In Korean, it is written as 부모님, which also means "one's parents" or "a person's parents." |
| Kurdish | The word "dê û bav" literally translates to "mother and father" but can also be used as a general term for "parents". |
| Kyrgyz | Kyrgyz word "ата-эне" means "father-mother" (parents), as "ата" means "father" and "эне" means "mother". |
| Latin | The Latin term parens (plural parentes) is also used in the more specific sense of «father» (pater) or «mother» (mater). |
| Latvian | "Vecāks" also means "older" in Latvian, and is related to the words "vecums" (age) and "vecis" (old man). |
| Lithuanian | "Tėvas" also carries the meaning of "father" and comes from the reconstructed Proto-Indo-European root "*tewós" which is the root of "father" in various Indo-European languages. |
| Luxembourgish | Etymology: 'elter' (old; person of elder age) |
| Macedonian | In Macedonian, "родител" (parent) is also used in a wider sense to denote a progenitor of any person, thing, or idea. |
| Malagasy | Ray aman-dreny is also used figuratively to refer to ancestors, elders, or respected members of society and is sometimes translated as "those who have given birth." |
| Malay | In archaic Malay, "ibu" means "mother" and "bapa" means "father." |
| Maltese | The Maltese word "ġenitur" comes from the Latin word "genitor", meaning "father", but can also refer to both parents |
| Maori | "Matua" can also mean "ancestor" or "elder," and is used as a term of respect for older people. |
| Marathi | The word "पालक" can also mean a "guardian" or "caretaker" in Marathi. |
| Mongolian | The Mongolian word "эцэг эх" ("parent") is cognate with the Chinese "父亲" ("father") and "母亲" ("mother"). |
| Myanmar (Burmese) | "မိဘ" in Burmese is used not only for biological parents but also for teachers, monks, and other figures who provide guidance and support. |
| Nepali | The word 'अभिभावक' ('parent') in Nepali is derived from the Sanskrit root 'पातृ', meaning 'protector' or 'guardian' |
| Norwegian | The word "foreldre" derives from the Old Norse word "forelldrar", meaning "those who give birth or bring up." |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | The word comes from a Proto-Bantu root signifying "birth, procreation". |
| Pashto | In Persian and some other IE dialects, it has the same meaning (parent) but comes at the end of a phrase, as an attachment to the name, meaning 'father of' or 'mother of' (e.g., Cyrus the Great is 'کوروش مورِ'} |
| Persian | The word "والدین" can also refer to one's father or mother individually, and is often used in a respectful or formal context |
| Polish | The word "rodzic" can also refer to a progenitor, ancestor, or forefather. |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | Curiously, "pai" in Portuguese also means "country" or "native land". |
| Punjabi | The word "ਮਾਪੇ" can also mean "measurement" or "dimension" in Punjabi. |
| Romanian | Mamă can also mean "motherly," "tender," or "caring." |
| Russian | The word "родитель" can also mean "ancestor" or "forefather" in Russian. |
| Samoan | "Matua" is derived from the Proto-Polynesian word "matuqa", which also means "elder" or "chief." |
| Scots Gaelic | "Pàrant" is also used to mean "a child who has not reached maturity." |
| Serbian | The word "родитељ" is derived from the Proto-Slavic "*roditi", meaning "to give birth", and also refers to a guardian or mentor. |
| Sesotho | The word "motsoali" may also refer to an ancestor or guardian. |
| Shona | "Mubereki" in Shona originally meant "father" or "master of the house". |
| Sindhi | The word "والدين" can also refer to both parents or to one's mother or father specifically. |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | Derived from Sanskrit: दैतापितर (daitāpitara) meaning "maternal grandmother's father" |
| Slovak | The word "rodič" can also refer to a godparent or a relative (in a wider sense). |
| Slovenian | The word 'starš' derives from the Proto-Slavic word '*starъ', meaning 'old'. |
| Somali | The word 'waalid' also refers to a guardian or a caretaker. |
| Spanish | Padre, meaning "father" in Spanish, derives from the Latin "pater," denoting a father or patriarch. |
| Sundanese | In colloquial Sundanese "kolot" can also mean "old person". |
| Swahili | The Swahili word "mzazi" derives from the proto-Bantu word "-zadi" meaning "to give birth" and can also mean "caretaker" or "guardian". |
| Swedish | Swedish word "förälder" derives from old Norse word "foreldre," which literally means "the elder," signifying respected elderly person within a kinship group. |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | "Magulang" also means "responsible" and may be used in a non-familial context. |
| Tajik | "Волидайн" is derived from the Persian word "walidiyya", meaning "parents". |
| Tamil | The word "பெற்றோர்" (parent) in Tamil can alternately mean "those who care for" or "those who protect". |
| Thai | ผู้ปกครอง also refers to "guardian" and is composed of the words ผู้ (classifier for humans) + ปกครอง (to control, to rule) |
| Turkish | The word "ebeveyn" is a compound noun, derived from the words "ebe" (a term of endearment for father) and "veyn" (a term of endearment for mother), and can be interpreted as "the owner of the father and the mother" (of a newborn). |
| Ukrainian | In Ukrainian, «батько» may also denote a godparent, godfather, or priest |
| Urdu | The term 'والدین' (parent) originates from the Arabic root 'ولد' (to give birth), emphasizing the biological and genetic connection between parents and their children. |
| Uzbek | In Uzbek, the word "ota-ona" can also refer to one's ancestors or elders. |
| Vietnamese | In Vietnamese, "cha mẹ" also refers to one's father and mother specifically, rather than parents in general. |
| Welsh | The Welsh word "rhiant" originally meant "lord, prince, or chieftain" before it came to mean "parent". |
| Xhosa | The term 'umzali' in Xhosa can also refer to a grandparent, a term of respect for an older person, or a term of endearment. |
| Yiddish | The word "פאָטער" can also mean a guardian or a person in charge. |
| Yoruba | In Yoruba, "obi" also refers to a palace, indicating the power and authority associated with parents. |
| Zulu | The word "umzali" also has the alternate meaning of "ancestor" in Zulu. |
| English | The word 'parent' is derived from the Latin word 'parens,' which means 'one who brings forth,' and is also related to the words 'parere' ('to bear') and 'partus' ('birth'). |