Population in Different Languages
Discover 'Population' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
At its core, the word population refers to the total number of people living in a specific area, be it a city, country, or the entire world. But this term goes beyond mere statistics, as it also encompasses the diverse cultures, traditions, and languages that make up our global community.
Understanding the translation of population in different languages can provide valuable insights into how various societies perceive and interact with their surroundings. For instance, in Spanish, población shares roots with the word pueblo, meaning people or village, reflecting a strong community-oriented mindset. Meanwhile, in Japanese, jouken not only signifies population but also implies a sense of territory and land, highlighting the country's deep connection to its geography.
Delving into the linguistic nuances of population can open doors to fascinating cultural discoveries and promote cross-cultural communication. Keep reading to explore more translations of this intriguing term!
Population
Population in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | bevolking | ||
| The Afrikaans word "bevolking" originates from Middle Dutch "bevolken" meaning "to settle" or "to inhabit". | |||
| Amharic | የህዝብ ብዛት | ||
| The word "የህዝብ ብዛት" can also refer to the number of people living in a particular area, or to the collective body of people who live in a particular area. | |||
| Hausa | yawan jama'a | ||
| The word "yawan jama'a" in Hausa can also mean "the multitude" or "the public." | |||
| Igbo | ọnụọgụgụ | ||
| Malagasy | mponina | ||
| "Mponina" may also refer to a group of people who live in close proximity to each other, or a family group. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | anthu | ||
| The word 'anthu' is also used in Chichewa to refer to people or individuals. | |||
| Shona | huwandu hwevanhu | ||
| Huwandu hwevanhu derives from "hu" (the people) and "ndu" (state of being), meaning "the state of being people." | |||
| Somali | tirada dadka | ||
| Tirad dadka, meaning population in English has different meanings based on the context. | |||
| Sesotho | baahi | ||
| The word 'baahi' also refers to a group of animals like a herd or flock. | |||
| Swahili | idadi ya watu | ||
| "Idadi ya watu" is derived from "idada" ("number") and "ya watu" ("of people") in Swahili. | |||
| Xhosa | inani labemi | ||
| The word "inani labemi" in Xhosa originally meant "the crowd which we see." | |||
| Yoruba | olugbe | ||
| "Olugbe" also conveys density, which emphasizes the closeness of people within a defined or circumscribed area | |||
| Zulu | inani labantu | ||
| The word "inani labantu" is also used to refer to the people who live in a particular area. | |||
| Bambara | jama | ||
| Ewe | amehawo | ||
| Kinyarwanda | abaturage | ||
| Lingala | bato | ||
| Luganda | omungi gw'abantu | ||
| Sepedi | setšhaba | ||
| Twi (Akan) | nnipa dodoɔ | ||
Population in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | تعداد السكان | ||
| The Arabic word "تعداد السكان" literally means "the number of the people inhabiting a place" | |||
| Hebrew | אוּכְלוֹסִיָה | ||
| The word "אוּכְלוֹסִיָה" also means "group of people". This is likely due to its root in the word "אוכלוס", which means "to gather together". | |||
| Pashto | نفوس | ||
| The Pashto word "نفوس" also means "souls" or "spirits". | |||
| Arabic | تعداد السكان | ||
| The Arabic word "تعداد السكان" literally means "the number of the people inhabiting a place" | |||
Population in Western European Languages
| Albanian | popullatë | ||
| The word "popullatë" in Albanian also means "to become populated". | |||
| Basque | biztanleria | ||
| The Basque word "biztanleria" is derived from the words "biz" (we) and "tatal" (group), thus meaning "the group of us". | |||
| Catalan | població | ||
| The Catalan word "població" also refers to a town or a village, and originates from the Latin "populatio" meaning "the act of settling down". | |||
| Croatian | stanovništvo | ||
| The word 'stanovništvo' derives from the Slavic base 'stan', meaning 'place to live,' and refers to a settled community in a specific area. | |||
| Danish | befolkning | ||
| Befolkning (population in Danish) also means "to people" or "to populate" (a place). | |||
| Dutch | bevolking | ||
| The Dutch word 'bevolking' (population) is derived from the Old Dutch word 'bevelken', meaning 'to move around' or 'to dwell' | |||
| English | population | ||
| The English word 'population' derives from the Latin 'populus', meaning 'people'. In this sense, it denotes a human society. | |||
| French | population | ||
| In French, the word "population" can also refer to a group of people who live in a particular area or who share a common characteristic. | |||
| Frisian | befolking | ||
| The word "befolking" in Frisian is derived from the Middle Dutch word "bevolkinghe", meaning "people, population". | |||
| Galician | poboación | ||
| "Poboación" in Galician also refers to a small town or village. | |||
| German | population | ||
| The etymology of the German word "Population" derives from the Latin "populatio", which originally meant "devastation", "plundering" or "ravaging". | |||
| Icelandic | íbúa | ||
| Íbúa derives from the Old Norse word for "dwelling" and can also refer to the size or density of a population. | |||
| Irish | daonra | ||
| The word "daonra" in Irish is derived from the Old Irish word "doine", meaning "people". | |||
| Italian | popolazione | ||
| The word "popolazione" comes from the Latin word "populus" meaning "people" and can also refer to the inhabitants of a place. | |||
| Luxembourgish | populatioun | ||
| The word "Populatioun" in Luxembourgish can also refer to a group of people or a community. | |||
| Maltese | popolazzjoni | ||
| The word 'popolazzjoni' is derived from the Italian word 'popolazione', which comes from the Latin word 'populus', meaning 'people'. | |||
| Norwegian | befolkning | ||
| "Befolkning" is derived from "folk" (people) and "kning" (state, condition), and can also mean "race" or "ethnicity". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | população | ||
| In the 15th century, "população" referred to the act of populating a place and later on to the inhabitants themselves. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | sluagh | ||
| The term 'sluagh' also has a more mystical meaning, referring to a supernatural or ghostly host. | |||
| Spanish | población | ||
| The word "población" comes from the Latin "populus" meaning "people" and can also refer to a town or village. | |||
| Swedish | befolkning | ||
| Befolkning derives from the word 'befolka' (to inhabit) and has other meanings such as 'stock', 'crew', 'settlers' and 'inhabitants'. | |||
| Welsh | poblogaeth | ||
| The word 'poblogaeth' is also used in Welsh to refer to a settlement or community, highlighting its connection to the concept of people and habitation. | |||
Population in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | насельніцтва | ||
| Bosnian | stanovništva | ||
| In Bosnian, the word "stanovništvo" comes from the root "stanoviti" meaning "to establish" or "to settle". | |||
| Bulgarian | население | ||
| "Населени"е" means "settlement" in Old Bulgarian, as well as "to settle" in Russian. | |||
| Czech | počet obyvatel | ||
| The word "počet obyvatel" can also mean "census" in Czech. | |||
| Estonian | elanikkonnast | ||
| The word "elanikkonnast" is derived from the word "elanik" (inhabitant) and the suffix "-kond" (group), thus meaning "group of inhabitants". | |||
| Finnish | väestö | ||
| "Väestö" is derived from the Proto-Uralic word *wäke, meaning "people, folk". | |||
| Hungarian | népesség | ||
| Népesség, a Hungarian word for "population," is related to "nemzet" meaning "nation" and "szaporodás" meaning "multiplication". | |||
| Latvian | populācija | ||
| Latvian ”populācija” comes from Latin ”populus” meaning "people" and, besides "population," can also mean "ethnicity". | |||
| Lithuanian | gyventojų | ||
| The word "gyventojų" in Lithuanian is derived from the verb "gyventi," which means "to live" or "to dwell." | |||
| Macedonian | популација | ||
| The word 'популација' also means 'population' in Macedonian. | |||
| Polish | populacja | ||
| The word "populacja" comes from the Latin word "populatio", which means a multitude of people. | |||
| Romanian | populației | ||
| The word populație derives from Latin "populatio," which means "destruction, devastation." | |||
| Russian | численность населения | ||
| The Russian word "численность населения" can also refer to the number of troops in an army or the number of students in a class. | |||
| Serbian | популација | ||
| The word "Популација" derives from the Latin "populatio", meaning "plundering, laying waste, devastation". | |||
| Slovak | populácia | ||
| Populácia also means 'crop' or 'plants' that are cultivated in a certain area. | |||
| Slovenian | prebivalstva | ||
| Derived from the verb prebivati (to reside), 'prebivalstvo' initially meant the act of residing, and only later its participants (the residents). | |||
| Ukrainian | населення | ||
| The word "населення" in Ukrainian comes from the verb "насилювати", meaning "to populate" or "to inhabit". | |||
Population in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | জনসংখ্যা | ||
| The word "জনসংখ্যা" can also refer to a specific group of people sharing a set of characteristics or interests. | |||
| Gujarati | વસ્તી | ||
| As an alternate, "વસ્તી" can indicate a "settlement" or "habitation" within Gujarati. | |||
| Hindi | आबादी | ||
| The Hindi word "आबादी" is also used to refer to a settlement or locality, and is related to the Persian word "آباد" meaning "inhabited place". | |||
| Kannada | ಜನಸಂಖ್ಯೆ | ||
| Malayalam | ജനസംഖ്യ | ||
| The term "ജനസംഖ്യ" also refers to the number of people per unit area, typically used in the context of demographics. | |||
| Marathi | लोकसंख्या | ||
| In Marathi, "लोकसंख्या" (loksankhya) means "the total number of people living in a particular area" or "the total number of people in a group or place." | |||
| Nepali | जनसंख्या | ||
| "जनसंख्या" comes from the Sanskrit word "जन" meaning "people" and "संख्या" meaning "count". | |||
| Punjabi | ਆਬਾਦੀ | ||
| The word "ਆਬਾਦੀ" is derived from the Persian word "آبادی" meaning "cultivated land" or "settlement". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ජනගහනය | ||
| "ජනගහනය" can also mean "the body of people living in a particular place, region, or country", and comes from Sanskrit जन (jana), meaning "folk, people". | |||
| Tamil | மக்கள் தொகை | ||
| The word மக்கள் தொகை originally meant 'people' or 'common people', but it has since come to mean 'population'. | |||
| Telugu | జనాభా | ||
| The word "జనాభా" can also refer to "population of a particular place". | |||
| Urdu | آبادی | ||
| The word "آبادی" also means "cultivation" or "habitation" in Urdu. | |||
Population in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 人口 | ||
| "人口" also can be used to refer to "mouths, a way to say a count of human beings". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 人口 | ||
| 人口 also means "a mouth to feed" | |||
| Japanese | 人口 | ||
| The word "人口" (jinkō) literally means "person mouth" and can also refer to "ration" | |||
| Korean | 인구 | ||
| Another possible etymology for "인구" ("population") relates to the idea of a "group of people" who are "in the same boat". | |||
| Mongolian | хүн ам | ||
| 'Хүн ам' (population) can also mean 'people' or 'nation' in Mongolian. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | လူ ဦး ရေ | ||
Population in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | populasi | ||
| Populasi in Indonesian can also mean 'population density', 'rate of occurrence', or 'prevalence'. | |||
| Javanese | pedunung | ||
| The word "pedunung" also means "settlement". | |||
| Khmer | ចំនួនប្រជាជន | ||
| Lao | ປະຊາກອນ | ||
| Malay | penduduk | ||
| The Old Malay word “penduduk” originally meant “to sit” or “to live in a place”, similar to its Sanskrit root “duduk”. It only acquired its current meaning of “population” during the 20th century. | |||
| Thai | ประชากร | ||
| The term "ประชากร" (population) can also refer to "people" or a certain "demographic group" in Thai. | |||
| Vietnamese | dân số | ||
| "Dân số" can also mean "ethnic groups". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | populasyon | ||
Population in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | əhali | ||
| The word "əhali" in Azerbaijani is derived from the Arabic word "ahl" meaning "people". | |||
| Kazakh | халық | ||
| The word "халық" can also mean "nation" or "people". | |||
| Kyrgyz | калк | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "калк" can also refer to "people", "nation" or "society." | |||
| Tajik | аҳолӣ | ||
| "Аҳолӣ" can also refer to the inhabitants of a particular area or group, such as a village or tribe. | |||
| Turkmen | ilaty | ||
| Uzbek | aholi | ||
| The word "aholi" in Uzbek can also refer to "people" or "folk". | |||
| Uyghur | نۇپۇس | ||
Population in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | heluna kanaka | ||
| The word "heluna kanaka" can also mean "household" or "census" in Hawaiian. | |||
| Maori | taupori | ||
| The Maori word taupori can also refer to a group of people who come together for a common purpose. | |||
| Samoan | faitau aofai o tagata | ||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | populasyon | ||
| The Tagalog word "populasyon" is derived from the Spanish word "población", which means "town" or "settlement". | |||
Population in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | marka | ||
| Guarani | tetãyguára | ||
Population in International Languages
| Esperanto | loĝantaro | ||
| Latin | population | ||
| The word "population" (Latin "populus") initially referred only to citizens, excluding slaves, children, and foreigners. | |||
Population in Others Languages
| Greek | πληθυσμός | ||
| The word "πληθυσμός" can also mean "abundance" or "multitude" in Greek. | |||
| Hmong | pejxeem | ||
| The word "pejxeem" in Hmong can also mean "group of people" or "community". | |||
| Kurdish | gelî | ||
| In some dialects, the Kurdish word "gelî" can refer to a group, tribe, or clan. | |||
| Turkish | nüfus | ||
| The word "nüfus" is derived from Arabic and literally means "souls" | |||
| Xhosa | inani labemi | ||
| The word "inani labemi" in Xhosa originally meant "the crowd which we see." | |||
| Yiddish | באַפעלקערונג | ||
| The word "באַפעלקערונג" also refers to the act of moving or populating a place with people. | |||
| Zulu | inani labantu | ||
| The word "inani labantu" is also used to refer to the people who live in a particular area. | |||
| Assamese | জনসংখ্যা | ||
| Aymara | marka | ||
| Bhojpuri | आबादी | ||
| Dhivehi | އާބާދީ | ||
| Dogri | अबादी | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | populasyon | ||
| Guarani | tetãyguára | ||
| Ilocano | populasion | ||
| Krio | pipul dɛn | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | دانیشتوان | ||
| Maithili | आबादी | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯤꯁꯤꯡ | ||
| Mizo | mipui | ||
| Oromo | uummata | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଜନସଂଖ୍ୟା | ||
| Quechua | runakuna | ||
| Sanskrit | जन | ||
| Tatar | халык | ||
| Tigrinya | በዝሒ ህዝቢ | ||
| Tsonga | ntalo wa vanhu | ||