People in Different Languages
Discover 'People' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'people' is a simple, everyday term that carries immense significance. It refers to the collective group of human beings, encompassing individuals from all walks of life, cultures, and backgrounds. People are the essence of societies, the driving force behind cultural evolution, and the bearers of traditions that span generations.
Throughout history, people have been at the heart of monumental events, from the rise and fall of civilizations to the sharing of groundbreaking ideas. The study of people, their behaviors, and their interactions is a fascinating field that sheds light on our shared humanity and the unique aspects that define us as individuals.
Understanding the translation of 'people' in different languages is a small step towards appreciating the rich tapestry of cultures that exist in our world. For instance, in Spanish, 'people' translates to 'gente'; in French, it's 'personnes'; in German, 'Leute'; in Mandarin, 'renmin' (人民); in Japanese, 'hito-bito' (人々); and in Arabic, 'nas' (الناس).
Join us as we delve deeper into the translations of 'people' in various languages, uncovering interesting facts and historical contexts along the way.
People
People in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | mense | ||
| Dutch "mens" (person), cognate to the English "man" and German "Mensch". | |||
| Amharic | ሰዎች | ||
| The word "ሰዎች" (people) in Amharic also means "human beings" or "nation." | |||
| Hausa | mutane | ||
| The word "mutane" is also used in Hausa to refer to the common people or the masses. | |||
| Igbo | ndị mmadụ | ||
| The word "ndị mmadụ" is derived from the Proto-Benue-Congo root "*-ɗú" meaning "person; human being or beings; people; clan." | |||
| Malagasy | people | ||
| The word "people" in Malagasy also means "ancestors". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | anthu | ||
| The word "anthu" can also refer to "visitors" in the Nyanja language. | |||
| Shona | vanhu | ||
| "Vanhu" is also the name of several clans, most notably the ruling clan of the Rozvi Empire. | |||
| Somali | dadka | ||
| In some Somali contexts, “dadka” can refer to ancestors or kin, rather than simply “people”. | |||
| Sesotho | batho | ||
| The word 'batho' may be cognate with the Bantu root for 'human being' or 'person', but it can also refer to people in general, including non-humans. | |||
| Swahili | watu | ||
| The word "watu" derives from Arabic "wa-t" and can also mean "and they"/"and those" depending on context. | |||
| Xhosa | abantu | ||
| The word 'abantu' can also refer to the 'living dead' who are said to roam the earth and cause harm to the living. | |||
| Yoruba | eniyan | ||
| The word "eniyan" has many additional meanings and uses including "humanity", "society", "nation", and "ethnicity". | |||
| Zulu | abantu | ||
| "A bantu is one who speaks (ntu), a human (umu ntu)" | |||
| Bambara | jama | ||
| Ewe | amewo | ||
| Kinyarwanda | abantu | ||
| Lingala | bato | ||
| Luganda | abantu | ||
| Sepedi | batho | ||
| Twi (Akan) | nnipa | ||
People in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | اشخاص | ||
| The word "اشخاص" also means "personages" or "characters," such as in a play or novel. | |||
| Hebrew | אֲנָשִׁים | ||
| The Hebrew word "אֲנָשִׁים" (anashim) also means "human beings" and is related to the Akkadian word "anāšu" (human being). | |||
| Pashto | خلک | ||
| The word "خلک" can also mean "multitude" or "throng" in Pashto. | |||
| Arabic | اشخاص | ||
| The word "اشخاص" also means "personages" or "characters," such as in a play or novel. | |||
People in Western European Languages
| Albanian | njerëzit | ||
| Albanian is thought to be one of a few languages that uses the same word ('njerëz') for human beings regardless of their sex, age or class (though it can also mean 'male') | |||
| Basque | jendea | ||
| The word “jendea” was derived from “jende”, a plural form of “gizona” which means “man”. | |||
| Catalan | gent | ||
| The word "gent" in Catalan can also refer to a specific group of people, such as a tribe or nation. | |||
| Croatian | narod | ||
| The term 'narod' can refer to a nation, people, or a single person, and is cognate with the Russian word 'narod' and the Old Church Slavonic word 'narodŭ'. | |||
| Danish | mennesker | ||
| The Danish word "mennesker" is derived from the Old Norse word "manneskja", which means "person". | |||
| Dutch | mensen | ||
| Dutch "mensen" also means "period" when discussing menstruation, from Old Dutch "maent" and Indo-European "men-." | |||
| English | people | ||
| The word "people" is derived from the Latin word "populus" which also means "nation" or "tribe". | |||
| French | personnes | ||
| In French, the word "personnes" can also refer to the "dramatis personae" of a play. | |||
| Frisian | folk | ||
| In Frisian, "folk" can also refer to "nation" or "tribe". | |||
| Galician | xente | ||
| The word 'xente' has a Celtic origin, and also means "group" in Portuguese and 'gente' in Spanish. | |||
| German | menschen | ||
| The word "Menschen" likely evolved from the Old High German word "mennisko," itself an adaptation of the Latin "homuncio," meaning "little human being." | |||
| Icelandic | fólk | ||
| In Old Norse, 'fólk' also meant 'host' or 'army', and may ultimately derive from 'felleg,' which meant 'many' or 'crowd'. | |||
| Irish | daoine | ||
| The Irish word "daoine" is derived from the Proto-Celtic *dāni, which also means "tribesmen" or "retainers". | |||
| Italian | persone | ||
| The Italian word "persone" derives from the Etruscan "phersu" and the Latin "persona", meaning "mask". | |||
| Luxembourgish | leit | ||
| The Luxembourgish word "Leit" is cognate with the German "Leute" and the English "leute". | |||
| Maltese | nies | ||
| The word "nies" in Maltese is derived from the Sicilian word "gnenti", meaning "people" or "folk". | |||
| Norwegian | mennesker | ||
| The Norwegian word "mennesker" is derived from the Old Norse word "mennska", which means "humanity" or "humankind." | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | pessoas | ||
| The word "pessoas" in Portuguese derives from the Latin "persona," meaning "mask" or "actor," and is also used to refer to a specific individual. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | dhaoine | ||
| The word 'dhaoine' is cognate with the Welsh word 'dyn' and the Breton word 'den', all meaning 'person' or 'people'. | |||
| Spanish | personas | ||
| The Spanish word "personas" derives from the Latin "persona", meaning "mask" or "character", as actors typically wore masks during performances. | |||
| Swedish | människor | ||
| "Människor" literally translates to "human-ish" but was historically used for mankind only. | |||
| Welsh | bobl | ||
| The word 'bobl' can also mean 'world' or 'nation', and is related to the Irish word 'pobal'. | |||
People in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | людзей | ||
| The word "людзей" in Belarusian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *ljudьje, which also means "people" in other Slavic languages. | |||
| Bosnian | ljudi | ||
| The word 'ljudi' is derived from the Proto-Slavic word 'ljudije', meaning 'men' or 'human beings'. | |||
| Bulgarian | хора | ||
| "Хора" is an old Bulgarian word for "dance" | |||
| Czech | lidé | ||
| The word "lidé" in Czech is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*leudh-", which also gave rise to the English word "people". In addition to its primary meaning as "people", the word "lidé" can also refer to "humans" as opposed to animals, "peasantry", or "laymen" as opposed to clergy. | |||
| Estonian | inimesed | ||
| The word "inimesed" in Estonian is derived from the Proto-Finno-Ugric root "*inime-/*inäm-/*inäm-i", which also means "human being". | |||
| Finnish | ihmiset | ||
| The word "ihmiset" is likely derived from the Proto-Uralic word for "human being," *ikmi̮. | |||
| Hungarian | emberek | ||
| The word ember in Hungarian derives from the Proto-Turkic word *ämär "man, subject, male" (cf. Turkish adam "man") and entered the Finno-Ugric languages at some point as a loanword. | |||
| Latvian | cilvēki | ||
| The word "cilvēki" may derive from the archaic word "cilts" (tribe, clan) and the suffix "-ēki" (those who belong to). | |||
| Lithuanian | žmonių | ||
| The word „žmonių“ can also refer to people as a collective group, such as a nation or society. | |||
| Macedonian | луѓе | ||
| The word "луѓе" also refers to a specific ethnic group in Macedonia known as the "Torbeši" | |||
| Polish | ludzie | ||
| The singular form of "ludzie" is "ludzik", meaning "little man" or "human figure". | |||
| Romanian | oameni | ||
| The word "oameni" comes from the Latin "homines", meaning "human beings" or "people", and the Proto-Indo-European root "*h₃m̥nós", meaning "man" or "member of a community". In Romanian, the term "oameni" is often pluralized to "oamenilor" when referring to a group of people or individuals. | |||
| Russian | люди | ||
| The word "люди" is related to the Old Russian word "люд," meaning "folk" or "crowd," and is also related to the Sanskrit word "lôkah," meaning "world" or "people." | |||
| Serbian | људи | ||
| The word "људи" also has the connotation of "humanity" or "mankind" in a broader sense, emphasizing the collective nature of human beings. | |||
| Slovak | ľudí | ||
| The Slovak word "ľudí" is not cognate with "люди" in Russian or Bulgarian although all mean "people". | |||
| Slovenian | ljudi | ||
| The word 'ljudi' is of Slovene origin and is related to the Slavic root 'ljud', meaning 'people' or 'folk'. | |||
| Ukrainian | люди | ||
| The word "Люди" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *ljudьe*, which is also the origin of the Russian word "люди" and the Polish word "ludzie". | |||
People in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | মানুষ | ||
| The word "মানুষ" (manus) has an etymological connection to the Sanskrit word "man" (mind), implying a strong emphasis on the cognitive aspects of human nature. | |||
| Gujarati | લોકો | ||
| In Gujarati, the word "લોકો" also refers to the plural form of "human being" or "person". | |||
| Hindi | लोग | ||
| लोग (log) is a polysemic word in Sanskrit with meanings such as 'people' and 'world'. | |||
| Kannada | ಜನರು | ||
| The word "ಜನರು" can also refer to "folk", "nation", or "a group of people of a particular kind" in Kannada. | |||
| Malayalam | ആളുകൾ | ||
| "ആളുകൾ" is also used to refer to a group of individuals who perform a specific task. | |||
| Marathi | लोक | ||
| The word 'लोक' in Marathi shares an etymological root with the word 'लोक' in Sanskrit, both meaning 'worldly realms' or 'planes of existence'. | |||
| Nepali | मान्छे | ||
| The word "मान्छे" can also refer to a "personified being" or a "deity" in Nepali. | |||
| Punjabi | ਲੋਕ | ||
| In Gurmukhi, "ਲੋਕ" is also used to refer to a "melody" or "folk song". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | මිනිසුන් | ||
| Tamil | மக்கள் | ||
| The word "மக்கள்" can also refer to a community or a group of individuals with shared characteristics or interests. | |||
| Telugu | ప్రజలు | ||
| The word 'ప్రజలు' in Telugu likely originates from the Prakrit word 'pajala', meaning 'crowd' or 'assembly'. | |||
| Urdu | لوگ | ||
| The word "لوگ" (log) also means "speech" in Urdu. | |||
People in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 人 | ||
| The character "人" also appears in the word "入" (to enter), which is a pictogram of a person bending down to walk through a doorway. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 人 | ||
| "人" originally meant "a person with outstretched arms and legs". | |||
| Japanese | 人 | ||
| In addition to meaning "person," 人 can also refer to a human radical in Chinese characters or serve as a classifier for objects with human characteristics, such as dolls. | |||
| Korean | 사람들 | ||
| Korean word 사람들 (people) was borrowed from Japanese in the 19th century and used to refer to the public. | |||
| Mongolian | хүмүүс | ||
| 'Хүмүүс' is the plural form of 'хүн' ('person') and the word is often used as a collective noun to refer to a group of people or individuals. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | လူ | ||
| "လူ" (lu) means "people," "human," and "person" in Burmese. | |||
People in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | orang-orang | ||
| "Orang-orang" is a reduplication of the word "orang" meaning "person" and is used to emphasize the plurality of a group. | |||
| Javanese | wong | ||
| The word 'wong' in Javanese also refers to the concept of a 'person' or an 'individual'. | |||
| Khmer | ប្រជាជន | ||
| Lao | ຄົນ | ||
| The word "ຄົນ" is derived from the same Proto-Austroasiatic word as is "to count" and is used to mean "ones" or "a group of persons." | |||
| Malay | orang | ||
| The word "orang" in Malay is derived from the Sanskrit word "nara" meaning "person" or "human being" and cognate with English "man". | |||
| Thai | คน | ||
| The Thai word "คน" (people) can also refer to a particular person or an individual. | |||
| Vietnamese | mọi người | ||
| "Mọi người" literally means "everyone and all things." | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | mga tao | ||
People in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | xalq | ||
| The word "Xalq" can also mean "nation" or "tribe" in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | адамдар | ||
| 'Adamdar' is borrowed from Persian and is cognate with the Arabic plural 'adam' (mankind). | |||
| Kyrgyz | адамдар | ||
| The term "адамдар" in Kyrgyz is derived from the Altaic root "ada-," which signifies "earth" or "world." | |||
| Tajik | мардум | ||
| The word "мардум" is derived from the Middle Persian word "mardom", meaning "country, people", which in turn comes from the Old Persian word "martiya", meaning "mortal". | |||
| Turkmen | adamlar | ||
| Uzbek | odamlar | ||
| The word "odamlar" is derived from the Persian word "ādam" meaning "human being". | |||
| Uyghur | كىشىلەر | ||
People in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kanaka | ||
| Kanaka, meaning 'the people' in Hawaiian, has other meanings in various Pacific languages, including 'man' and 'human being'. | |||
| Maori | tangata | ||
| The word 'tangata' can refer to a specific tribe or people group as well as to humanity in general. | |||
| Samoan | tagata | ||
| Tagata is also the name of the God of Man in Samoan mythology. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | mga tao | ||
| The Tagalog word "mga tao" is also sometimes used as a respectful way to address one person. | |||
People in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jaqi | ||
| Guarani | yvypóra | ||
People in International Languages
| Esperanto | homoj | ||
| In Classical Esperanto, "homoj" could mean "human" or "man" but this usage is obsolete. | |||
| Latin | populus | ||
| Populus, meaning 'poplar', referred to a group assembled in the public square to hear announcements. | |||
People in Others Languages
| Greek | ανθρωποι | ||
| Ανθρωποι is derived from Ancient Greek "άνθρωπος" (anthropos), meaning "human being" or "man". | |||
| Hmong | neeg | ||
| The Hmong word "neeg" also has additional meanings such as "a human being" or "a person". | |||
| Kurdish | gel | ||
| The word 'gel' can also refer to a group of friends or associates. | |||
| Turkish | insanlar | ||
| In Turkish, "insanlar" is plural, and "insan" can refer to a specific human, while also occasionally being used to describe an ideal human. | |||
| Xhosa | abantu | ||
| The word 'abantu' can also refer to the 'living dead' who are said to roam the earth and cause harm to the living. | |||
| Yiddish | מענטשן | ||
| The Yiddish word מענטשן can also refer to "men" in the generic sense (as in "menschlichkeit", meaning "humanity"). | |||
| Zulu | abantu | ||
| "A bantu is one who speaks (ntu), a human (umu ntu)" | |||
| Assamese | লোক | ||
| Aymara | jaqi | ||
| Bhojpuri | लोग | ||
| Dhivehi | މީހުން | ||
| Dogri | लोक | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | mga tao | ||
| Guarani | yvypóra | ||
| Ilocano | tattao | ||
| Krio | pipul dɛn | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | خەڵک | ||
| Maithili | लोक | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯤꯌꯥꯝ | ||
| Mizo | mi | ||
| Oromo | namoota | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଲୋକମାନେ | ||
| Quechua | runakuna | ||
| Sanskrit | जनाः | ||
| Tatar | кешеләр | ||
| Tigrinya | ህዝቢ | ||
| Tsonga | vanhu | ||