Self in Different Languages
Discover 'Self' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'self' is a small but powerful term, denoting one's own person or identity. Its significance lies in its ability to encapsulate the essence of individuality and personal autonomy. Throughout history, the concept of self has been explored in various philosophical, psychological, and cultural contexts, leading to a wealth of interpretations and understandings.
In many Eastern philosophies, the self is often seen as an illusion or a construct that obscures our true nature. For instance, in Buddhism, the self is regarded as anatman, or non-self, emphasizing the impermanence and interconnectedness of all things. Meanwhile, in Western thought, the self is typically viewed as a stable and enduring entity, central to our sense of self-awareness and self-determination.
Given the cultural importance of the word 'self', it's no wonder that people might be interested in its translation in different languages. By exploring how other cultures conceptualize the self, we can gain valuable insights into their worldviews and ways of life. Here are some sample translations of the word 'self' in various languages:
Self
Self in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | self | ||
| The Afrikaans word "self" can also mean "very" or "too". | |||
| Amharic | ራስን | ||
| The word “ራስን” also means the first, top, or beginning of someone or something. | |||
| Hausa | kai | ||
| The word "kai" in Hausa can also be a possessive pronoun or an intensifier, and in some contexts may be used to denote a habitual action or a state of being. | |||
| Igbo | onwe | ||
| In addition to 'self', Igbo onwe can also mean 'owner, lord, or master' or 'soul, essence, or spirit' in different contexts. | |||
| Malagasy | tena | ||
| The word "tena" is derived from the Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *taŋa, meaning "body" or "person". This word is likely related to the Proto-Austronesian *təna, meaning "body", and to the Proto-Oceanic *tena, meaning "self". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kudzikonda | ||
| In Nyanja, the word "kudzikonda" can be traced back to the Bantu root "-zikon-," meaning "to gather," or "to be close together."} | |||
| Shona | wega | ||
| The Shona word 'wega' also means 'a person's shadow' or 'one's other self'. | |||
| Somali | is | ||
| The word 'is' can also mean 'body' or 'person' in Somali. | |||
| Sesotho | boithati | ||
| The word "boithati" also refers to the inner self or essence of a person, conveying the idea of one's individuality or true nature. | |||
| Swahili | binafsi | ||
| In Swahili, 'binafsi' can also refer to 'in person' or 'privately'. | |||
| Xhosa | isiqu sakho | ||
| The word 'isiqu sakho' is also used to describe the innermost part of a person, their essence or spirit. | |||
| Yoruba | funrararẹ | ||
| The etymology of the Yoruba word 'funrarẹ' suggests it is a compound word made up of the root word 'fun' meaning possession and the reflexive pronoun 'ara' meaning 'self'. | |||
| Zulu | uqobo | ||
| "Uqobo" in Zulu also refers to someone who is independent and self-reliant. | |||
| Bambara | yɛrɛ | ||
| Ewe | ame ŋutɔ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | wenyine | ||
| Lingala | yo moko | ||
| Luganda | obwananyini | ||
| Sepedi | ka noši | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ho | ||
Self in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | الذات | ||
| The word "الذات" can also mean "essence", "nature", or "identity". | |||
| Hebrew | עצמי | ||
| The Hebrew word "עצמי" also has the connotation of "essence" or "core being". | |||
| Pashto | ځان | ||
| The word "ځان" can also refer to one's life, existence, or individuality. | |||
| Arabic | الذات | ||
| The word "الذات" can also mean "essence", "nature", or "identity". | |||
Self in Western European Languages
| Albanian | vetvetja | ||
| The word 'vetvetja' ('self') is derived from Indo-European root *swe- ('his, their, her, its'), but it also retains the older Proto-Indo-European meaning 'one's own'. | |||
| Basque | norberak | ||
| "Norberak" also means "alone" in Basque. | |||
| Catalan | jo | ||
| The word "jo" in Catalan has its origins in the Latin word "ego" and also means "I" or "me". | |||
| Croatian | sebe | ||
| The word "sebe" can also mean "to oneself" or "by oneself" in Croatian. | |||
| Danish | selv | ||
| In Danish, selv can denote the individual, the totality of an individual's qualities, or a person's true nature as distinct from their social persona. | |||
| Dutch | zelf | ||
| In Dutch, "zelf" can also refer to an individual's own person, or to the true or essential nature of something. | |||
| English | self | ||
| The word 'self' derives from the Old English 'self,' meaning 'oneself,' and can refer to the entirety of an individual, their personality, or their sense of identity. | |||
| French | soi | ||
| The French word 'soi' derives from the Latin 'se' and 'suus', both meaning 'self' or 'his' respectively. | |||
| Frisian | sels | ||
| The Frisian word "sels" has two meanings in English: "self" and "seal". | |||
| Galician | eu | ||
| Eu in Galician can mean either "I" or "self", depending on context. | |||
| German | selbst | ||
| The word "selbst" in German is derived from the Proto-Germanic word "selbaz", which means "same" or "identical". | |||
| Icelandic | sjálf | ||
| The Icelandic word "sjálf" (self) is cognate with the English word "self" and the German word "selbst," and also means "alone" or "by oneself." | |||
| Irish | féin | ||
| Féin also means 'own' and was used in Irish family names to signify 'son of' | |||
| Italian | se stesso | ||
| In archaic usage, "se stesso" could mean "by itself" or "by himself". | |||
| Luxembourgish | selwer | ||
| The Luxembourghish word "selwer" derives from the Proto-Germanic word "selbaz" and is related to the English word "self". | |||
| Maltese | awto | ||
| "Awto" can also mean "own" or "his/her own" in Maltese. | |||
| Norwegian | selv- | ||
| Norw. 'selv-' ('self') derives from an Old Eng. word meaning 'apart' and is cognate with Eng. 'self' but has no relation with 'soul'. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | auto | ||
| The word 'auto' in Portuguese has an additional meaning of 'car', coming from the French 'automobile'. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | fèin | ||
| The word 'fèin' or 'fin' can also mean 'family', 'clan', 'tribe' or 'kindred' in various contexts. | |||
| Spanish | yo | ||
| "Yo" also means "I" in Spanish, as in "yo soy español" ("I am Spanish"). | |||
| Swedish | själv | ||
| The Swedish word "själv" originates from the Old Norse word "sjalfr," which also meant "body". | |||
| Welsh | hunan | ||
| The word "hunan" in Welsh also means "alone" or "by oneself". | |||
Self in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | сябе | ||
| The word "сябе" is related to the word "себя" in Russian and means "myself", but it is also the reflexive form of the first-person singular pronoun in Belarusian. | |||
| Bosnian | sebe | ||
| The word sebe can also refer to a person's property or belongings. | |||
| Bulgarian | себе си | ||
| The word "себе си" can also be used to mean "himself" or "herself". | |||
| Czech | já | ||
| The word "já" in Czech is also an abbreviation of the Latin phrase "Jesus Christus". The phrase "Ježíš Kristus" is the traditional Czech name for Jesus Christ. | |||
| Estonian | ise | ||
| The word "ise" in Estonian has additional meanings such as "itself". | |||
| Finnish | itse | ||
| The word itse also means 'alone' and is cognate with the Estonian ise and the Livonian īž. | |||
| Hungarian | maga | ||
| Hungarian "maga" comes from Proto-Uralic "maŋa" meaning "me" and has the archaic forms of "magam" and "magad". | |||
| Latvian | pats | ||
| pats in Latvian comes from the Proto-Indo-European reflexive pronoun *se, which also gave rise to the word "self" in English and "sich" in German. | |||
| Lithuanian | savarankiškai | ||
| The word "savarankiškai" has the alternative meaning of "independently". | |||
| Macedonian | себе | ||
| The word "себе" can also refer to one's own person or to one's own interests. | |||
| Polish | samego siebie | ||
| The original meaning of the word "samego siebie" is "oneself" and it is of the same origin as the Sanskrit word "sa-ama-ka" meaning "same to oneself". | |||
| Romanian | de sine | ||
| The Romanian word for "self" "de sine" originates in Latin, meaning "of oneself." | |||
| Russian | я | ||
| The word "я" also refers to the first person singular pronoun "I" and the nominative form of the word "ego" (ego). | |||
| Serbian | себе | ||
| The word "себе" in Serbian, помимо значения "себя", может употребляться и в значении "в свой адрес". | |||
| Slovak | ja | ||
| "Ja", like "self" in English can also indicate "I" as it comes from the Slavic Proto-language "az". | |||
| Slovenian | sebe | ||
| The word also means 'selfhood' and is related to the Latin word 'sebum' ('fat') and the Sanskrit word 'sap' ('fat'). | |||
| Ukrainian | себе | ||
| The word "себе" can also be translated as "myself". | |||
Self in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | স্ব | ||
| The original meaning of 'স্ব' was 'one's own', but through grammatical evolution it took on the meaning 'self'. | |||
| Gujarati | સ્વ | ||
| સ્વ can also mean 'one's own' in Sanskrit, and is used as a prefix on many words to signify personal use or ownership (e.g. સ્વ-ગૃહ = one's own house). | |||
| Hindi | स्वयं | ||
| In addition to meaning 'self', 'स्वयं' can also refer to independence, agency, or autonomy. | |||
| Kannada | ಸ್ವಯಂ | ||
| The word 'ಸ್ವಯಂ' in Kannada can also refer to 'automatically' or 'spontaneously'. | |||
| Malayalam | സ്വയം | ||
| The word "സ്വയം" also means "by oneself" or "alone" in Malayalam. | |||
| Marathi | स्वत: चे | ||
| The word 'स्वत: चे' in Marathi is derived from Sanskrit, where it refers to 'one's own'. | |||
| Nepali | आत्म | ||
| "आत्म" also means "soul" in Nepali, derived from the Sanskrit word "आत्मन्" (ātman) meaning "inner self" or "essence." | |||
| Punjabi | ਸਵੈ | ||
| The word "ਸਵੈ" (self) in Punjabi also means "consciousness" or "essence". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ස්වයං | ||
| "ස්වයං" is also used to refer to one's own "true" or "inner" self. | |||
| Tamil | சுய | ||
| சுய ('self') is the shortened form of the Tamil word சுயம்பு ('self-born'), which implies the innate and inherent existence of something without any external cause. | |||
| Telugu | స్వీయ | ||
| The word "స్వీయ" can also mean "one's own", "personal", or "private" in Telugu. | |||
| Urdu | خود | ||
| In Urdu, the word "خود" ("self") also denotes "oneself", "person", and "identity". In some contexts, it can refer to "ego" or "pride". | |||
Self in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 自 | ||
| The character "自" can also mean "from," "since," or "out of its own accord." | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 自 | ||
| 自 (self) is etymologically related to 巳 (serpent, sixth Earthly Branch). | |||
| Japanese | 自己 | ||
| The word "自己" can also mean "ego" or "myself", and is often used in a philosophical context. | |||
| Korean | 본인 | ||
| "본인" (self) can also mean "principle" or "subject" in Korean. | |||
| Mongolian | өөрийгөө | ||
| "Өөрийгөө" can also mean "one's own" or "personal". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ကိုယ့်ကိုယ်ကို | ||
Self in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | diri | ||
| The Indonesian word "diri" is cognate with the Sanskrit word "atman," which also means "self". | |||
| Javanese | awake dhewe | ||
| Javanese "awake dhewe" ('self') reflects Sanskrit "atma" (‘self, soul’), referring to a person's spiritual or essential nature. | |||
| Khmer | ខ្លួនឯង | ||
| "ខ្លួនឯង" can also mean 'alone' and is used to describe solitude or independence. | |||
| Lao | ຕົນເອງ | ||
| Malay | diri | ||
| The word "diri" is derived from Sanskrit, meaning "spirit" or "soul". | |||
| Thai | ตนเอง | ||
| The word "ตนเอง" in Thai has two distinct origins, with one stemming from Sanskrit and the other from the Austroasiatic Mon-Khmer languages. | |||
| Vietnamese | bản thân | ||
| The word "bản thân" can also mean "the body" or "the person himself/herself". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sarili | ||
Self in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | özünü | ||
| The word "özün" also means "essence" or "nature" in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | өзіндік | ||
| The Kazakh word "өзіндік" can also mean "own," "personal," "unique," or "characteristic."} | |||
| Kyrgyz | өзүн | ||
| Öзүн can also refer to one's own person or one's own affairs. | |||
| Tajik | худ | ||
| The word "худ" is also used to refer to a person's physical appearance or personality. | |||
| Turkmen | özi | ||
| Uzbek | o'zini o'zi | ||
| The word "o'zini o'zi" in Uzbek can also refer to "oneself" or "in person". | |||
| Uyghur | self | ||
Self in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | iho | ||
| The word "iho" can also refer to the "lower" parts of the body like the legs and abdomen. | |||
| Maori | whaiaro | ||
| The Maori word "whaiaro" has been used to describe the concept of self, consciousness, and personal identity. | |||
| Samoan | oe lava | ||
| The term 'oe lava' can also signify an individual's true, unblemished essence, untouched by external influences. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | sarili | ||
| Sarili is derived from the Malay word | |||
Self in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | ukaña | ||
| Guarani | mba'éva | ||
Self in International Languages
| Esperanto | mem | ||
| The word 'mem' also means memory, and in some contexts can refer to the self as a thinking being. | |||
| Latin | sui | ||
| Latin "sui" can also refer to "of him/her/itself" in certain contexts, and is often used in legal or formal settings. | |||
Self in Others Languages
| Greek | εαυτός | ||
| The word 'εαυτός' comes from the Greek words 'ε-' meaning 'one' and 'αὐτός' meaning 'same'. | |||
| Hmong | tus kheej | ||
| The Hmong word "tus kheej" originally referred to a person's body and was later extended to mean "self" or "individual." | |||
| Kurdish | wekhev | ||
| We can see the same stem in words like wekhdaz "selfish" (literally "the one who gives to himself/herself"), xewdek "autobiography" (literally "the book of himself/herself"), and xweşik "beautiful" (literally "pleasant to himself/herself"). | |||
| Turkish | kendini | ||
| Kendini has an alternate spelling of “kendi” when used as a possessive form in Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | isiqu sakho | ||
| The word 'isiqu sakho' is also used to describe the innermost part of a person, their essence or spirit. | |||
| Yiddish | זיך | ||
| The word "זיך" in Yiddish can also refer to a person's reflection or their own interests. | |||
| Zulu | uqobo | ||
| "Uqobo" in Zulu also refers to someone who is independent and self-reliant. | |||
| Assamese | নিজক | ||
| Aymara | ukaña | ||
| Bhojpuri | खुद | ||
| Dhivehi | ނަފްސު | ||
| Dogri | खुद | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sarili | ||
| Guarani | mba'éva | ||
| Ilocano | bagi | ||
| Krio | sɛf | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | خود | ||
| Maithili | अपन व्यक्तित्व | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯝꯁꯥꯒꯤ | ||
| Mizo | mahni | ||
| Oromo | of | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଆତ୍ମ | ||
| Quechua | kikiy | ||
| Sanskrit | स्वयं | ||
| Tatar | үзең | ||
| Tigrinya | ዓርሰ | ||
| Tsonga | wena n'wini | ||