Person in Different Languages
Discover 'Person' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'person' is a fundamental building block in our understanding of individual identity and human connection. It signifies a unique being, imbued with personality, dignity, and the capacity for complex thoughts and emotions. Throughout history and across cultures, the concept of 'person' has been explored, celebrated, and debated in myriad ways.
From legal and philosophical discourses to artistic and spiritual expressions, the idea of a 'person' transcends linguistic and cultural boundaries. It is a universal concept that resonates with our shared human experience, while also reflecting the rich diversity of our world's languages and cultures.
For instance, in Spanish, 'person' is translated as 'persona', in French as 'personne', and in German as 'Person'. These translations not only convey the same basic meaning but also offer intriguing insights into the unique linguistic and cultural contexts from which they emerge.
In this article, we delve into the fascinating world of 'person' translations, shedding light on the significance, cultural importance, and historical contexts of this deceptively simple word. Join us on this journey of linguistic and cultural discovery!
Person
Person in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | persoon | ||
| The word "persoon" in Afrikaans originates from the Dutch "persoon" which in turn derives from the Latin "persona", meaning "mask" or "character" in a play. | |||
| Amharic | ሰው | ||
| The word “ሰው” can also refer to "men" in contrast to "women", or "humans" in contrast to "animals" | |||
| Hausa | mutum | ||
| The word "mutum" in Hausa can also refer to a corpse or a ghost. | |||
| Igbo | mmadu | ||
| The word 'mmadu' can also refer to a specific group or category of people, such as a clan or a family. | |||
| Malagasy | olona | ||
| "Olona" can also refer to a human being, a species, or a group of people sharing a common identity. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | munthu | ||
| The word 'munthu' in Nyanja (Chichewa) can also mean 'human being', 'individual', or 'soul'. | |||
| Shona | munhu | ||
| Munhu can also mean owner, master, or boss in Shona. | |||
| Somali | qof | ||
| The word "qof" can also refer to "something" or "anyone" in Somali. | |||
| Sesotho | motho | ||
| The word 'motho' is used in the singular and can also mean 'a body of people' or 'a nation'. | |||
| Swahili | mtu | ||
| The word "mtu" in Swahili can also refer to a human being as a member of a group or a community. | |||
| Xhosa | umntu | ||
| "Umntu" also means "humanity" or "human being" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yoruba | eniyan | ||
| The word "eniyan" (person) in Yoruba is derived from the root word "eni" (life or breath), indicating that a person is a living being. | |||
| Zulu | umuntu | ||
| The word 'umuntu' in Zulu can also mean 'humanity' or 'character' to describe someone with good qualities. | |||
| Bambara | mɔgɔ | ||
| Ewe | ame | ||
| Kinyarwanda | umuntu | ||
| Lingala | moto | ||
| Luganda | omuntu | ||
| Sepedi | motho | ||
| Twi (Akan) | onii | ||
Person in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | شخص | ||
| The Arabic word "شخص" derives from the Greek "πρόσωπον" meaning "face" and carries connotations related to individual presence, character, and appearance. | |||
| Hebrew | אדם | ||
| The word "אדם" can also mean "earth" in Hebrew, derived from the fact that in Biblical tradition, humanity was created from the dust of the earth. | |||
| Pashto | شخص | ||
| The word "شخص" in Pashto can also refer to a physical body or a particular individual. | |||
| Arabic | شخص | ||
| The Arabic word "شخص" derives from the Greek "πρόσωπον" meaning "face" and carries connotations related to individual presence, character, and appearance. | |||
Person in Western European Languages
| Albanian | personi | ||
| In Albanian, "personi" also means "mask" or "face", reflecting its Latin root "persona". | |||
| Basque | pertsona | ||
| The word 'pertsona' is a borrowing from Latin, where 'persona' meant originally a theatrical mask and later a role. | |||
| Catalan | persona | ||
| "Persona" derives from Latin and also means "mask" or "character" in Catalan. | |||
| Croatian | osoba | ||
| In Old Church Slavonic, 'osoba' meant 'mask' or 'role' in a theatre performance. | |||
| Danish | person | ||
| Its second meaning refers to the grammatical person, for example in "first person plural", and the word can also be used in the sense of someone's character or qualities | |||
| Dutch | persoon | ||
| In Dutch, "persoon" can also refer to a grammatical pronoun or dramatic character. | |||
| English | person | ||
| Derived from Latin meaning “mask,” “persona” referred to characters played by Roman actors, and also referred to the masks themselves, possibly made from human bones. | |||
| French | la personne | ||
| The word "la personne" comes from the Latin "persona", meaning "mask" or "character". | |||
| Frisian | persoan | ||
| The word "persoan" in Frisian, like the English word "persona," originally meant "mask." | |||
| Galician | persoa | ||
| In Galician, "persoa" derives from the Latin word "persona", also meaning "mask" or "character" in theatre. | |||
| German | person | ||
| In German, "Person" has multiple meanings, including "individual" and "character in a play or movie." | |||
| Icelandic | manneskja | ||
| Manneskja can alternatively refer to any kind of person, regardless of sex (karl-man and kona-woman), or the whole of mankind | |||
| Irish | duine | ||
| In Irish mythology, "duine" also referred to a supernatural being with human form but superhuman powers. | |||
| Italian | persona | ||
| In Italian theatre, "persona" denotes the "mask", while in Latin it referred to the mask and the corresponding dramatic role or "character" | |||
| Luxembourgish | persoun | ||
| Persoun is derived from Latin, with alternate meanings including 'mask' and 'role', reflecting the concept of individuals embodying various personae in society. | |||
| Maltese | persuna | ||
| The Maltese word "persuna" also means "mask". | |||
| Norwegian | person | ||
| In Norwegian, the word «person» can refer to both an individual and a role or character, such as in a play or film. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | pessoa | ||
| In Brazilian Portuguese, 'pessoa' can also mean 'individual' or 'subject' in a legal or grammatical context. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | duine | ||
| The word “duine” in Scots Gaelic is thought to derive from the Gaelic for “man” or “warrior”, but may also mean “noble” or “human being”. | |||
| Spanish | persona | ||
| In Spanish, the word "persona" originally meant "theatrical mask". | |||
| Swedish | person | ||
| In Swedish, "person" can also refer to a character in a story, the subject of a verb, or a human being. | |||
| Welsh | person | ||
| The Welsh word "person" can also mean "face" or "look". | |||
Person in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | чалавек | ||
| The Belarusian word “чалавек” (person) likely originates from the Proto-Slavic word *čelověkъ, which could also mean “foreman, servant, slave”. | |||
| Bosnian | osoba | ||
| In Old Church Slavonic, "osoba" meant "mask" or "face". | |||
| Bulgarian | човек | ||
| The word "човек" in Bulgarian is related to the Proto-Slavic word "*čelověkъ" meaning "forehead", which in turn derives from the Proto-Indo-European word "*ḱel-/*ḱl-/*ḱelh-", meaning "to shelter" or "to cover". | |||
| Czech | osoba | ||
| The word "osoba" in Czech also refers to a mask, as worn by an actor or at a celebration. | |||
| Estonian | isik | ||
| "Isik" comes from the Old Estonian word "ise" meaning "self" and is also related to the Finnish "ihminen" meaning "human", both derived from the Proto-Uralic root *-iče "human being" | |||
| Finnish | henkilö | ||
| The Finnish word "henkilö" (person) also refers to a "character" in a play or "actor" in a movie. | |||
| Hungarian | személy | ||
| Its word origin suggests that `személy` used to mean 'one who presents himself at a legal trial'. | |||
| Latvian | persona | ||
| The word "persona" in Latvian shares the same Indo-European root as the word "perceive". | |||
| Lithuanian | asmuo | ||
| The word "asmuo" (person) in Lithuanian derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₂es- "to breathe", hence its original meaning was "a living being". | |||
| Macedonian | лице | ||
| Macedonian 'лице' is related to the Old-Church Slavonic word 'лице' and Lithuanian 'veidas' and may originally have meant 'appearance' or 'image'. | |||
| Polish | osoba | ||
| The Polish word "osoba" derives from the Latin "persona," meaning "mask" or "stage character." | |||
| Romanian | persoană | ||
| In Romanian, the term "persoană" can also mean "mask" in a theatrical context. | |||
| Russian | человек | ||
| The word "человек" can also mean "human being" or "mankind" depending on the context and inflection. | |||
| Serbian | особа | ||
| In Russian, 'особа' can also refer to 'identity', as in 'документ, удостоверяющий личность' ('identity document'). | |||
| Slovak | osoba | ||
| The Slovak word "osoba" can also refer to a theatrical role or a character in a play or movie. | |||
| Slovenian | oseba | ||
| The word 'oseba' is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *osъba, meaning 'essence' or 'nature'. | |||
| Ukrainian | людина | ||
| The word "людина" is derived from the Proto-Slavic "*ljudina", meaning "people" or "tribe". | |||
Person in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ব্যক্তি | ||
| In the Sanskrit original, "ব্যক্তি" meant "a man or woman who is present", from the root "vi-kṛt", meaning "to transform", and "jan", meaning "to be born". | |||
| Gujarati | વ્યક્તિ | ||
| "વ્યક્તિ" is ultimately derived from Sanskrit "vi" (to separate) + "kri" (to do). Thus, "person" originally meant something like "the one who separates/divides." It can also mean "individual" "human being" or a "certain person, gentleman, or lady." | |||
| Hindi | व्यक्ति | ||
| The word व्यक्त can also mean a specific thing or individual, and in Sanskrit its root word व्यज् means to manifest. | |||
| Kannada | ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿ | ||
| The word 'ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿ' ('person') is also used in Kannada to refer to a 'distinct entity' or an 'individual'. | |||
| Malayalam | വ്യക്തി | ||
| Marathi | व्यक्ती | ||
| The word "व्यक्ती" in Marathi also means "individual", "character", or "personality" | |||
| Nepali | व्यक्ति | ||
| व्यक्ति derives from the root 'vis' (to enter), implying a person who has entered into a community or a role. | |||
| Punjabi | ਵਿਅਕਤੀ | ||
| In Sanskrit, the word 'व्यक्ति' (vyakti) means 'manifestation' or 'appearance', and is related to the root word 'विच्' (vic) which means 'to separate'. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | පුද්ගලයා | ||
| Tamil | நபர் | ||
| Telugu | వ్యక్తి | ||
| The word "వ్యక్తి" ("person") in Telugu can also mean "individual", "self", or "agent" depending on the context. | |||
| Urdu | شخص | ||
| The word "شخص" also means "form, figure, shape" in Urdu. | |||
Person in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 人 | ||
| 人 (rén) is also used as a generic term for 'people' or 'the public' | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 人 | ||
| The right component of 人 represents 'two legs', the left component represents 'a vertical pole', hence 'human being'. | |||
| Japanese | 人 | ||
| The 人 (ningen) kanji is often used to emphasize humanity and can be translated as "humankind" or "humanity" | |||
| Korean | 사람 | ||
| The word 사람 can also mean a group of people or a crowd. | |||
| Mongolian | хүн | ||
| In some dialects, the Mongolian word “хүн” can also refer to the human race, the human species, mankind, the people, and humanity in a more general sense. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | လူတစ်ယောက် | ||
| The term လူတစ်ယောက် is not only used for a single human individual, but can also refer to an indefinite group or a representative thereof, as can the corresponding word "one" in English. | |||
Person in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | orang | ||
| The Malay, Javanese, and Indonesian word "orang" is also used with the meaning "a being with a body like that of a human being, but of a supernatural character", including angels, devils, and ghosts | |||
| Javanese | wong | ||
| The Javanese word 'wong' is cognate with 'urang' in Sundanese, 'orang' in Malay, and 'ulun' in Balinese, all meaning 'person'. | |||
| Khmer | មនុស្ស | ||
| The word "មនុស្ស" also means "human being" and is derived from Sanskrit "manuṣya". | |||
| Lao | ບຸກຄົນ | ||
| The word "ບຸກຄົນ" ("person") in Lao is derived from the Sanskrit word "पुद्गल" ("body, matter") and can also mean "body" or "self". | |||
| Malay | orang | ||
| The word "orang" in Malay can also refer to a "type of person" or a "member of a group." | |||
| Thai | คน | ||
| The Thai word "คน" also means "species" or "group," as in "คนไทย" (the Thai people) or "คนจีน" (the Chinese people). | |||
| Vietnamese | người | ||
| The word "người" in Vietnamese can also refer to a character in a play or a statue. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | tao | ||
Person in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | şəxs | ||
| The word "şəxs" in Azerbaijani, Persian and Arabic originates from the Greek word "πρόσωπον" (face, mask), and is cognate with the Latin word "persona" and the English word "person." | |||
| Kazakh | адам | ||
| The Kazakh word "адам" can also refer to "mankind" or "humanity". | |||
| Kyrgyz | адам | ||
| The term is also borrowed from Arabic where آدَم ('ādam) "man" ultimately derives from Hebrew Adam "earthling human". | |||
| Tajik | шахс | ||
| In 13th century Persian, the word shah meant 'king' and was borrowed into Tajik as 'шахс' with the meaning of 'person'. | |||
| Turkmen | adam | ||
| Uzbek | shaxs | ||
| In Uzbek, "shaxs" can not only mean "person" but also "individual" and "personality". | |||
| Uyghur | ئادەم | ||
Person in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kanaka | ||
| In Hawaiian, "kanaka" originally meant "common person" and later referred to Polynesian people in general. | |||
| Maori | tangata | ||
| The Māori word "tangata" derives from the Proto-Polynesian root "*tangata", which also means "human being" in other Polynesian languages. | |||
| Samoan | tagata | ||
| The word 'tagata' in Samoan is an umbrella term encompassing humans and gods. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | tao | ||
| The Tagalog word "tao" also means "human being" and is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word "tau" with the same meaning. | |||
Person in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jaqi | ||
| Guarani | yvypóra | ||
Person in International Languages
| Esperanto | persono | ||
| The Esperanto word "persono" derives from the Latin word "persona", which originally meant an actor's mask. | |||
| Latin | hominem | ||
| The word "hominem" in Latin originally meant "human being", but later came to be used specifically for "man" in contrast to "woman". | |||
Person in Others Languages
| Greek | πρόσωπο | ||
| The term 'πρόσωπο' in Greek has roots in theater, referring to the actor's mask used to embody a character. | |||
| Hmong | tus neeg | ||
| Tus neeg derives from "tus" (male) and "neej" (female), reflecting the dual nature of humanity. | |||
| Kurdish | şexs | ||
| The word "şexs" derives from the Arabic word "shakhṣ," which also means "form" or "figure". | |||
| Turkish | kişi | ||
| Despite being used to designate the concept of 'person' in modern Turkish, the word 'kişi' originally denoted 'slave' or 'servant'. | |||
| Xhosa | umntu | ||
| "Umntu" also means "humanity" or "human being" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yiddish | מענטש | ||
| The Yiddish word 'mentsh' (מענטש) is derived from the German word 'Mensch', which comes from the Latin word 'humanus', meaning 'human' or 'humane' | |||
| Zulu | umuntu | ||
| The word 'umuntu' in Zulu can also mean 'humanity' or 'character' to describe someone with good qualities. | |||
| Assamese | ব্যক্তি | ||
| Aymara | jaqi | ||
| Bhojpuri | आदमी | ||
| Dhivehi | މީހާ | ||
| Dogri | माहनू | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | tao | ||
| Guarani | yvypóra | ||
| Ilocano | tao | ||
| Krio | pɔsin | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | کەس | ||
| Maithili | व्यक्ति | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯤ | ||
| Mizo | mihring | ||
| Oromo | nama | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ବ୍ୟକ୍ତି | ||
| Quechua | runa | ||
| Sanskrit | व्यक्ति | ||
| Tatar | кеше | ||
| Tigrinya | ሰብ | ||
| Tsonga | munhu | ||