Personal in Different Languages
Discover 'Personal' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'personal' holds great significance in our daily lives, as it pertains to things that are individual and private to us. From personal experiences that shape our character to personal items that we cherish, this concept is universal and culturally important across the globe.
Moreover, understanding the translation of 'personal' in different languages can provide valuable insights into how other cultures view the concept of individuality. For instance, in Spanish, 'personal' is 'personal' and in French, it's 'personnel.' Meanwhile, in Japanese, the word 'persons' (人間) is often used to convey the same meaning.
Did you know that the English word 'personal' comes from the Latin 'personalis,' which means 'of a person'? Or that in some cultures, the concept of individuality is not as emphasized as it is in Western societies?
So, whether you're a language enthusiast, a traveler looking to connect with people from different cultures, or simply curious about the world around you, exploring the translations of 'personal' is a great place to start. Here are some translations to get you started:
Personal
Personal in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | persoonlik | ||
| "Persoonlik" is derived from the Dutch word "persoon" meaning "person" and can also refer to "personality". | |||
| Amharic | የግል | ||
| Hausa | na sirri | ||
| The Hausa word "na sirri" can also mean "in confidence" or "secretly". | |||
| Igbo | nke onwe | ||
| The word "nke onwe" can also mean "belonging to oneself" or "one's own." | |||
| Malagasy | tena manokana | ||
| The word "tena manokana" literally translates to "very special" in Malagasy. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | zaumwini | ||
| Zaumwini in Nyanja can also refer to privacy, secrecy, or isolation. | |||
| Shona | pachako | ||
| The word "pachako" also means "someone who is close to you" in Shona. | |||
| Somali | shaqsiyeed | ||
| Shaqsiyeed is also used to refer to a person's clothing or appearance, or to a person's character or personality. | |||
| Sesotho | ea botho | ||
| The word 'ea botho' can also refer to traditional norms and customs. | |||
| Swahili | binafsi | ||
| The word "binafsi" in Swahili can also refer to oneself, one's personhood, or one's individuality. | |||
| Xhosa | ngokobuqu | ||
| "Ngokobuqu" means 'pertaining to oneself' or 'private', and also refers to Xhosa names traditionally given to boys that express the family's hope for their future. | |||
| Yoruba | ti ara ẹni | ||
| The Yoruba word "ti ara ẹni" can also refer to something that is "customary" or "traditional". | |||
| Zulu | komuntu siqu | ||
| "Komuntu siqu" also means "of a person" in Zulu. | |||
| Bambara | mɔgɔkelenko | ||
| Ewe | ame ɖeka ƒe nu | ||
| Kinyarwanda | umuntu ku giti cye | ||
| Lingala | ya yo moko | ||
| Luganda | kyaama | ||
| Sepedi | sephiri | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ankorɛankorɛ | ||
Personal in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | شخصي | ||
| In Arabic, "شخصي" can also refer to "private" or "custom-made" items, adding to its common meaning of "personal". | |||
| Hebrew | אישי | ||
| "אישי" can mean either "personal" or "marital partner". | |||
| Pashto | شخصي | ||
| The Pashto word for "personal" also translates as "individual", "individualistic", or "selfish" depending on the context in which it's used. | |||
| Arabic | شخصي | ||
| In Arabic, "شخصي" can also refer to "private" or "custom-made" items, adding to its common meaning of "personal". | |||
Personal in Western European Languages
| Albanian | personale | ||
| In Albanian, "personale" has roots in Latin, meaning "belonging to a person" or "private," and can also refer to "staff" or "personnel." | |||
| Basque | pertsonala | ||
| The Basque word "pertsonala" is derived from the Latin word "persona", meaning "mask", and has the additional meaning of "individual". | |||
| Catalan | personal | ||
| The word "personal" comes from Latin, where it meant both "belonging to oneself" and "face-to-face." | |||
| Croatian | osobni | ||
| "Osoba" means "person" in Croatian, so "osobni" can also mean "interpersonal" or "relational". | |||
| Danish | personlig | ||
| Personlig comes from the Latin word "persona" meaning "mask" or "character." | |||
| Dutch | persoonlijk | ||
| The Dutch word 'persoonlijk' derives from the Latin 'persona' meaning 'mask', hence its connotations of performance and superficiality. | |||
| English | personal | ||
| The word "personal" stems from the Latin "persona," meaning "mask" or "character in a play." | |||
| French | personnel | ||
| Personnel comes from latin "persona", which means "character" and "mask". | |||
| Frisian | persoanlik | ||
| The Frisian word "persoanlik" is most likely derived from the Old Frisian word "persōna", meaning "person". | |||
| Galician | persoal | ||
| In the Galician language, "persoal" can also refer to a kind of traditional clothing for women. | |||
| German | persönlich | ||
| "Persönlich" means "personal" or "face-to-face" depending on whether it refers to a meeting or an object. | |||
| Icelandic | persónuleg | ||
| The Icelandic word 'persónuleg' is not only used for 'personal' but also for 'individual', 'unique' and 'special'. | |||
| Irish | pearsanta | ||
| The word "pearsanta" in Irish is derived from the Latin word "persona", meaning "mask" or "character". | |||
| Italian | personale | ||
| The feminine form of this word, 'personale,' refers specifically to underwear. | |||
| Luxembourgish | perséinlech | ||
| The word 'perséinlech' is derived from the Latin word 'persona', meaning 'mask', and originally referred to the role that an actor played in a drama. | |||
| Maltese | personali | ||
| The Maltese word "personali", derived from Italian and ultimately Latin, can also refer to "self-esteem" and "intimate". | |||
| Norwegian | personlig | ||
| "Personlig" is the Norwegian word for "personal" and it can also refer to one's personality or character. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | pessoal | ||
| In Brazilian Portuguese, "pessoal" can also refer to a group of people, equivalent to "staff" or "crew" in English. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | pearsanta | ||
| The Scottish Gaelic word "pearsanta" comes from the Latin "persona," meaning "mask" or "character," and can also refer to one's appearance, behavior, or personality. | |||
| Spanish | personal | ||
| Personal can also mean «suitcase, briefcase» or «pair of shoes» in Spanish slang. | |||
| Swedish | personlig | ||
| The word personlig originates from the Latin word "persona", meaning a mask of an actor. | |||
| Welsh | personol | ||
| The Welsh word 'personol' can also mean 'of or relating to a person'. | |||
Personal in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | асабісты | ||
| The word "асабісты" is cognate with the Russian word "особый" (special). | |||
| Bosnian | lični | ||
| The word "lični" is derived from the Slavic root "lik", meaning "face" or "person", and can also mean "private" or "intimate". | |||
| Bulgarian | лично | ||
| "Лично" comes from "лице" ("face") and in the past meant "to a person's face", but in modern Bulgarian, the word only implies "to the person" not "in the person's face". | |||
| Czech | osobní | ||
| Osobní also means 'passenger' in Czech, stemming from the 14th century term 'osob' meaning 'person'. | |||
| Estonian | isiklik | ||
| It comes from the word "is", meaning "self". The suffix "-ik" forms a possessive adjective, making "isiklik" mean "belonging to the self". | |||
| Finnish | henkilökohtainen | ||
| Henkilökohtainen is derived from Finnish words henki (spirit) and kohta (meeting), thus meaning the place where the spirits meet, the soul. | |||
| Hungarian | személyes | ||
| Személyes is related to "szem" meaning "eye", as personal things are those that you only show to your closest ones, as if only looking them in the eye. | |||
| Latvian | personisks | ||
| "Personisks" derives from the Latin word "persona," meaning "mask" or "character." | |||
| Lithuanian | asmeninis | ||
| The root "asm" in "Asmeninis" derives from an archaic word for "I" as well as the Latin "sui-," referring to oneself. | |||
| Macedonian | лично | ||
| The word "лично" in Macedonian comes from the Proto-Slavic word *ličьnъ, meaning "face" or "visage". | |||
| Polish | osobisty | ||
| The word "osobisty" in Polish can also mean "private" or "confidential". | |||
| Romanian | personal | ||
| In Romanian, "personal" is also used to describe an employee or staff member, likely derived from the French "personnel" with the same meaning. | |||
| Russian | личный | ||
| "Личный" comes from the Old Russian word "лицо", which means "face". | |||
| Serbian | лични | ||
| "Лични" in Serbian can also mean "financial" or "private". | |||
| Slovak | osobné | ||
| The word "osobné" in Slovak can also refer to "passenger" or "private" in certain contexts. | |||
| Slovenian | osebno | ||
| The word "osebno" has its roots in the Proto-Slavic language and is related to the word "oseba" meaning "person". | |||
| Ukrainian | особисті | ||
| The word "особисті" (_osobystі_) derives from Old East Slavic, likely from Proto-Slavic *(sъ)osobъ* meaning "separate entity, being," or possibly even from Proto-Indo-European *(h)as-/*(h)es- meaning "be". | |||
Personal in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ব্যক্তিগত | ||
| The word ব্যক্তিগত originates from the Sanskrit word 'व्यक्तिगत', which means 'belonging to an individual'. | |||
| Gujarati | વ્યક્તિગત | ||
| In Gujarati, "વ્યક્તિગત" is derived from "व्यक्ति" meaning "individual" and ultimately from "पक्ति" meaning "line" or "row", suggesting an individual's distinct and unique position or perspective. | |||
| Hindi | निजी | ||
| The Hindi word 'निजी' ('personal') ultimately derives from the Sanskrit word 'निज' ('own, private'), and has also been used to mean 'solitary, lonely'. | |||
| Kannada | ವೈಯಕ್ತಿಕ | ||
| The word "ವೈಯಕ್ತಿಕ" (personal) in Kannada also refers to something that is specific to a particular person or group. | |||
| Malayalam | വ്യക്തിഗത | ||
| The word "personal" in English has several etymological meanings, ranging from "belonging to a person" to "involving one's own personal feelings or experiences". | |||
| Marathi | वैयक्तिक | ||
| The term 'वैयक्तिक' (personal) in Marathi originates from the Sanskrit word 'व्यक्ति', meaning 'one's own self' or 'individual'. | |||
| Nepali | व्यक्तिगत | ||
| The Nepali word व्यक्तिगत ('personal') comes from the Sanskrit word 'व्यक्ति' which also means 'person'. | |||
| Punjabi | ਨਿੱਜੀ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | පුද්ගලික | ||
| The word "පුද්ගලික" (personal) in Sinhala is derived from the Sanskrit word "पुद्गल" (pudgala), which originally meant "person" or "self". | |||
| Tamil | தனிப்பட்ட | ||
| Telugu | వ్యక్తిగత | ||
| The word "వ్యక్తిగత" (personal) comes from the Sanskrit word "vyakti" (individual) and can also mean "individual" or "private" in Telugu. | |||
| Urdu | ذاتی | ||
| Derived from Sanskrit 'svatvah' (one's own nature) or 'svatah' (from oneself). Also means 'innate' or 'inherent'. | |||
Personal in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 个人 | ||
| In Chinese, 个人 (gèrén) does not only refer to the "personal" sphere but carries the broader connotation of "individual" as a distinct entity. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 個人 | ||
| The Chinese character "個人" (gè rén) originally referred to a "private person" but has since expanded to include "personal" belongings or matters. | |||
| Japanese | 個人 | ||
| The word "個人" (kojin) originally meant "private person" or "individual." | |||
| Korean | 개인적인 | ||
| Mongolian | хувийн | ||
| The word хувийн can also mean "own" or "of one's own" in Mongolian. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ပုဂ္ဂိုလ်ရေး | ||
Personal in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | pribadi | ||
| The Indonesian word "pribadi" originated from the Sanskrit word "pribadi", which means "individual" or "soul". | |||
| Javanese | pribadi | ||
| The term can also be used to refer to the "inner self" or the "true self" in a philosophical context. | |||
| Khmer | ផ្ទាល់ខ្លួន | ||
| Lao | ສ່ວນບຸກຄົນ | ||
| Malay | peribadi | ||
| The word "peribadi" in Malay has alternate meanings of "self," "identity," and "character." | |||
| Thai | ส่วนตัว | ||
| "ส่วนตัว" translates to "privately" and it also means "to be private" or "to have privacy". | |||
| Vietnamese | cá nhân | ||
| In addition to its meaning of "personal", "cá nhân" can also be a noun that refers to an individual person. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | personal | ||
Personal in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | şəxsi | ||
| The Azerbaijani word "şəxsi" also has the meaning of "own". | |||
| Kazakh | жеке | ||
| The Kazakh word “жеке” is borrowed from Persian, where it means “personal, private”. | |||
| Kyrgyz | жеке | ||
| The word "жеке" can also mean "private" or "individual" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | шахсӣ | ||
| The word "шахсӣ" (personal) in Tajik also means "characteristic" or "peculiar". | |||
| Turkmen | şahsy | ||
| Uzbek | shaxsiy | ||
| The word "shaxsiy" in Uzbek also refers to a person's dignity or honor. | |||
| Uyghur | شەخسىي | ||
Personal in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | pilikino | ||
| The Hawaiian word pilikino can also mean "to select" or "to choose" instead of "personal". | |||
| Maori | whaiaro | ||
| Whaiaro also means "secret, private thoughts or feelings," deriving from the word "aro," meaning "face or presence." | |||
| Samoan | totino | ||
| There are two other similar words in Samoan meaning personal: "patino" and "tatou". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | pansarili | ||
| Pansarili is derived from the Spanish word "personal" which means "private" or "for one's own use". | |||
Personal in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jaqinaka | ||
| Guarani | ha'ete | ||
Personal in International Languages
| Esperanto | persona | ||
| The Esperanto word "persona" originally meant "mask" and referred to the masks worn by actors in ancient Greek theatre. | |||
| Latin | personalem | ||
| The word 'personalis' in Latin also refers to a personal or religious object or possession. | |||
Personal in Others Languages
| Greek | προσωπικός | ||
| The word 'προσωπικός' originates from the Greek word 'πρόσωπον', meaning 'face' or 'mask', and refers to the unique and distinct characteristics of an individual. | |||
| Hmong | tus kheej | ||
| Tus kheej is also a term used to refer to a person's reputation or dignity. | |||
| Kurdish | şexsî | ||
| The Kurdish word "şexsî" can also refer to "private", "confidential", or "intimate" matters. | |||
| Turkish | kişiye özel | ||
| The word "kişiye özel" in Turkish, apart from its literal "personal" meaning, also refers to certain types of Turkish baths that are reserved for private use. | |||
| Xhosa | ngokobuqu | ||
| "Ngokobuqu" means 'pertaining to oneself' or 'private', and also refers to Xhosa names traditionally given to boys that express the family's hope for their future. | |||
| Yiddish | פּערזענלעך | ||
| The word "פּערזענלעך" also means "in person" or "face to face" in Yiddish. | |||
| Zulu | komuntu siqu | ||
| "Komuntu siqu" also means "of a person" in Zulu. | |||
| Assamese | ব্যক্তিগত | ||
| Aymara | jaqinaka | ||
| Bhojpuri | व्यक्तिगत | ||
| Dhivehi | އަމިއްލަ | ||
| Dogri | निजी | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | personal | ||
| Guarani | ha'ete | ||
| Ilocano | personal | ||
| Krio | pasɔnal | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | کەسی | ||
| Maithili | व्यक्तिगत | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯁꯥꯒꯤ ꯑꯣꯏꯕ | ||
| Mizo | mimal | ||
| Oromo | dhuunfaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ବ୍ୟକ୍ତିଗତ | ||
| Quechua | sapalla | ||
| Sanskrit | व्यक्तिगत | ||
| Tatar | шәхси | ||
| Tigrinya | ውልቃዊ | ||
| Tsonga | ximunhu | ||