Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'share' holds great significance in our daily lives, as it represents the act of giving or contributing something to others. This simple action carries deep cultural importance, as it fosters a sense of community and togetherness. From a young age, we are taught the value of sharing, whether it's a toy with a sibling or a meal with a friend. But have you ever wondered how to say 'share' in different languages?
Knowing the translation of 'share' in various languages can be incredibly useful in a globalized world. It can help you communicate effectively with people from different cultural backgrounds, build connections, and show respect for their native language. For instance, in Spanish, 'share' is 'compartir', while in French, it's 'partager'. In Mandarin Chinese, it's '分享' (fēnxiǎng), and in Japanese, it's 'シェア (shia)'.
Understanding the nuances of this word in different languages can also provide insight into how different cultures view the concept of sharing. So, let's explore the many ways to say 'share' in different languages and cultures!
Afrikaans | deel | ||
The Afrikaans word "deel" also means "to divide" or "to distribute". | |||
Amharic | .ር ያድርጉ | ||
In Amharic, "ር ያድርጉ" can also mean "to communicate," "to inform," or "to spread." | |||
Hausa | raba | ||
The Hausa word 'raba' also means 'part, division, or portion' and comes from the Arabic word 'rab' meaning 'lord, master, or owner'. | |||
Igbo | kesaa | ||
The Igbo word 'kesaa' also refers to dividing food into equal portions. | |||
Malagasy | anjara | ||
In the Malagasy language, "anjara" also means "contribution" or "portion, which emphasizes the communal aspect of sharing. | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | gawo | ||
The word "gawo" can also refer to a part or a portion of something, such as a piece of land or a section of a book. | |||
Shona | share | ||
In Shona, the word "share" also means "to spread out" or "to distribute something equally among a group of people." | |||
Somali | wadaag | ||
The term "wadaag" in Somali also denotes the concept of "joint ownership". | |||
Sesotho | arolelana | ||
"Aro lelana" comes from "aro" (give) and "lelana" (friend), meaning literally "give to your friend". | |||
Swahili | shiriki | ||
In some contexts, "shiriki" can refer to one of two parties in a transaction, e.g. the buyer and seller in a market. | |||
Xhosa | yabelana | ||
'Yabelana' is a Nguni word meaning 'to share,' but it can also mean 'to distribute' or 'to apportion'. | |||
Yoruba | pin | ||
While a 'share' in English refers to a unit or a part of something, the Yoruba pin, besides meaning 'share', additionally refers to a small piece of wood or a part thereof to light fires; a peg; the handle of an instrument or any object; and by implication a share of a whole. | |||
Zulu | yabelana | ||
The Zulu word 'yabelana', meaning 'to share', is derived from the verb 'yabela', which means 'to distribute' or 'to divide into parts'. | |||
Bambara | niyɔrɔ | ||
Ewe | ma | ||
Kinyarwanda | kugabana | ||
Lingala | kokabola | ||
Luganda | omugabo | ||
Sepedi | abelana | ||
Twi (Akan) | kyɛ | ||
Arabic | شارك | ||
"شارك" also means to participate or to be involved in something, and it is derived from the Arabic root "ش ر ك" (sh-r-k), which means "to take part" or "to join." | |||
Hebrew | לַחֲלוֹק | ||
The verb לחלוק also means "to divide" or "to distribute". | |||
Pashto | شریکول | ||
The word "شریکول" can also refer to a joint, a partner, or an accomplice in crime. | |||
Arabic | شارك | ||
"شارك" also means to participate or to be involved in something, and it is derived from the Arabic root "ش ر ك" (sh-r-k), which means "to take part" or "to join." |
Albanian | ndajnë | ||
Albanian "ndajnë" "share" derives from "ndaj" "apart," and "na" "us/our," implying sharing from the perspective of the group. | |||
Basque | partekatu | ||
"Partekatu" also means "to communicate, to inform" in Basque. | |||
Catalan | compartir | ||
The verb “Compartir’’ is derived from Latin “compartiri’’ (i.e. ‘’share’’) referring to the idea of giving or receiving a part. | |||
Croatian | udio | ||
In some contexts, "udio" can signify the "proportion" of something. | |||
Danish | del | ||
Danish "del" means 'share' and derives from Old Norse "deila" and ultimately Proto-Indo-European "*deh₃l-/*dal-" meaning 'to divide'. | |||
Dutch | delen | ||
"Delen" is etymologically also connected to "deals" and "deel", meaning a part. | |||
English | share | ||
"Share" originates from the Old English "scieran," meaning "to cut" or "to divide." | |||
French | partager | ||
In the 16th century, "partager" was a slang word for "cut someone open" | |||
Frisian | diele | ||
In German, "Diele" can refer to the threshing floor or the hallway. | |||
Galician | compartir | ||
Galician "compartir" relates to the Latin "compartiri", and, besides its meaning of "to share", it can also mean "to compare". | |||
German | aktie | ||
"Aktie" can also refer to a general legal right | |||
Icelandic | deila | ||
In Icelandic, the word "deila" can also refer to a division in a chess game or a share of responsibility. | |||
Irish | scair | ||
Irish word "scair" also denotes the portion of an estate to which a coheir becomes entitled upon a division of property. | |||
Italian | condividere | ||
In Italian, "condividere" can also mean "to confess" or "to share a meal with someone." | |||
Luxembourgish | deelen | ||
The Luxembourgish word "deelen" also appears in the name of the commune of Useldange where it refers to the "shared fields" used for communal grazing of sheep. | |||
Maltese | jaqsmu | ||
The Maltese word "jaqsmu" has also been used historically to mean "divide" or "distribute". | |||
Norwegian | dele | ||
Norwegian "dele" comes from Middle English "delen" or Old English "dǣlan", which is related to terms meaning "divide", "distribute" or "disperse" in Germanic and Indo-European languages | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | compartilhar | ||
In Portuguese, "compartilhar" comes from the Latin "compartis", meaning "to divide", but also means "to experience something with someone". | |||
Scots Gaelic | roinn | ||
"Roinn" can also mean a division of land or a geographical part of an island | |||
Spanish | compartir | ||
In Spanish, the word "compartir" also means to "compare" or to "participate". | |||
Swedish | dela med sig | ||
"Dela med sig" literally translates to "Deal with it", with "dela" meaning "deal" as in "agreement", and "med sig" meaning "with oneself". This is likely due to the fact that sharing something implies a certain degree of compromise and agreement. | |||
Welsh | rhannu | ||
The Welsh word "rhannu" likely derives from the Proto-Celtic root *ran-, meaning "to divide" or "to distribute." |
Belarusian | падзяліцца | ||
The word "падзяліцца" is derived from the Proto-Slavic verb *děliti, meaning "to divide" or "to distribute." | |||
Bosnian | podijeli | ||
The word "podijeli" in Bosnian shares the same Indo-European root with the English word "portion", the Latin word "portio", and the Russian word "часть" | |||
Bulgarian | дял | ||
"Дял" means several things. It can mean a portion, or part, or duty, or the border of a field, or a riverbank, or a part of something bigger like a nation." | |||
Czech | podíl | ||
"Podíl" also denotes part or fraction of something, portion in a meal or inheritance | |||
Estonian | jagama | ||
The word "jagama" in Estonian is also used to refer to the act of cutting or dividing something. | |||
Finnish | jaa | ||
Jaa, meaning "share", also means "or" in the Finnish language, a characteristic unique among Finno-Ugric languages, where it has a meaning similar to that of 'vel' in Estonian and 'vagy' in Hungarian. | |||
Hungarian | ossza meg | ||
The verb "ossza meg" in Hungarian is ultimately derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*sъdъ", meaning "court" or "judgment" | |||
Latvian | dalīties | ||
“Dalīties” originally meant a division into parts but today mostly implies sharing with the connotation of generosity. | |||
Lithuanian | dalintis | ||
The word "dalintis" in Lithuanian is related to the word "dalies", meaning "piece", and also to the word "dalyti", meaning "to divide". | |||
Macedonian | сподели | ||
The word "сподели" is derived from the Slavic root "*pod-lьj-*" meaning "to put under" or "to lay down". It can also mean "to communicate" or "to tell". | |||
Polish | dzielić | ||
"Dzielić" also means "to separate" and comes from the Proto-Slavic word *dĕliti, which meant "to cut". | |||
Romanian | acțiune | ||
In Romanian, the word 'acțiune' can also mean 'action', 'deed', or 'operation'. | |||
Russian | поделиться | ||
The Russian word "Поделиться" has cognates in other Slavic languages, such as the Polish word "podzielić" (to divide) or the Czech word "podělit" (to share), all ultimately derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*dey-/*doy-" (to give). | |||
Serbian | објави | ||
Originally, this word used to mean 'to announce' or 'to make public'. | |||
Slovak | zdieľam | ||
The Slovak word "zdieľam" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*děliti", meaning "to divide" or "to distribute". | |||
Slovenian | deliti | ||
"Deli" originally meant "something given", a share of a loaf of bread or a joint possession. | |||
Ukrainian | поділитися | ||
In Ukrainian, "поділитися" also means "to confide" or "to trust someone with a secret". |
Bengali | ভাগ | ||
The word "ভাগ" also means "division" or "portion". | |||
Gujarati | શેર કરો | ||
The verb "શેર કરો" is derived from "શીર", meaning "head" in Sanskrit, and is cognate to the words "shire" (meaning "county") and "sir" (meaning "lord"), both of which share its origin in Proto-Indo-European. | |||
Hindi | शेयर | ||
In Hindi, the word "शेयर" can also refer to a lion or a tiger, deriving from the Sanskrit word "सिंह" (siṃha). | |||
Kannada | ಪಾಲು | ||
ಪಾಲು (pālu) is derived from the Sanskrit word "phala" (फल) which means fruit or result. | |||
Malayalam | പങ്കിടുക | ||
The Malayalam word "പങ്കിടുക" ("share") comes from the Proto-Dravidian term *paŋke-, which also meant "to be together". | |||
Marathi | सामायिक करा | ||
"सामायिक करा" can also refer to distributing portions of food to people as charity. | |||
Nepali | सेयर | ||
The word "सेयर" in Nepali also means "a large quantity" or "a lot". | |||
Punjabi | ਸ਼ੇਅਰ | ||
The word 'ਸ਼ੇਅਰ' ('share') in Punjabi can also refer to the act of bragging or showing off. | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | බෙදාගන්න | ||
The word "බෙදාගන්න" ("share") in Sinhala is derived from the Sanskrit word "भज्" (bhaj), which means "to divide, distribute, or allot."} | |||
Tamil | பகிர் | ||
"பகிர்" (share) derives from the Proto-Dravidian root "*pak-/*pakir" meaning split, divide, distribute. | |||
Telugu | వాటా | ||
This Telugu word may also refer to a "portion" or "lot". | |||
Urdu | بانٹیں | ||
“بانٹیں” is derived from the Sanskrit word “bhaga,” meaning “to distribute” or “to divide.” |
Chinese (Simplified) | 分享 | ||
In Cantonese, "分享"(fēnxiǎng) also means "to show off". | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 分享 | ||
The word "分享" can also mean "to divide" or "to distribute". | |||
Japanese | シェア | ||
The Japanese word "シェア" is derived from the Middle English word "share," meaning to divide or distribute, and has multiple meanings such as stock ownership, market share, or social media shares. | |||
Korean | 공유 | ||
The Korean word "공유" can also be interpreted as "going public" or "opening to the public". | |||
Mongolian | хуваалцах | ||
The word "хуваалцах" can also mean "division of property or assets". | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | ဝေစု | ||
The word "ဝေစု" can also refer to a portion of an estate or inheritance. |
Indonesian | bagikan | ||
The Indonesian word "Bagikan" is derived from the Sanskrit word "Bhajana", which means a vessel or a container. | |||
Javanese | nuduhake | ||
In modern Indonesian, "nuduhake" only means "to say", but originally it carries the meaning of "to show" or "to direct". Possibly came from the phrase "nuduhake lepen" which means "to show the way". | |||
Khmer | ចែករំលែក | ||
This word can also mean "dividing" like dividing the spoils. | |||
Lao | ແບ່ງປັນ | ||
Malay | berkongsi | ||
The Malay word "berkongsi" shares its root with "kongsi" (association), emphasizing the communal aspect of sharing. | |||
Thai | แบ่งปัน | ||
The Thai word "แบ่งปัน" ("share") can also mean to divide or distribute something among a group of people. | |||
Vietnamese | chia sẻ | ||
"Chia sẻ" is a combination of the words "chia" (to divide) and "sẻ" (a small part). | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | ibahagi | ||
Azerbaijani | pay | ||
The word "pay" also means "piece" or "part" in Azerbaijani. | |||
Kazakh | бөлісу | ||
The Kazakh word “бөлісу” comes from the Proto-Turkic word “böl-” meaning “to divide.” | |||
Kyrgyz | бөлүшүү | ||
The verb 'бөлүшүү' ('distribute') can mean 'to divide by a number', 'to split', 'to share', 'to give out' or 'to distribute'. | |||
Tajik | ҳисса | ||
ҳисса in Tajik derives from the Middle Persian "xēš" and Avestan "hish", meaning "part" or "portion". | |||
Turkmen | paýlaş | ||
Uzbek | ulush | ||
Ulush also means "nation" or "people" in Uzbek. | |||
Uyghur | share | ||
Hawaiian | mahele | ||
The Hawaiian word "mahele" can also mean "division", "distribution", or "partition". | |||
Maori | tohatoha | ||
"Tohatoha" in Māori can also refer to the act of opening a door or box, or to the distribution of food at a feast. | |||
Samoan | faʻasoa | ||
The Samoan word "faʻasoa" can also mean "to distribute" or "to divide". | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | magbahagi | ||
"Magbahagi" is also the Tagalog word for "to give birth to multiple children". |
Aymara | uñt'ayaña | ||
Guarani | mboja'o | ||
Esperanto | kunhavigi | ||
"Kunhavigi" is related to "konhavigi" meaning to "make a nest" and "havigi" meaning "to have". | |||
Latin | share | ||
The Latin word "share" means "a part" and is the origin of the English word "share". |
Greek | μερίδιο | ||
"Μερίδιο" also means "division, portion, amount, part, quota, percentage, dividend". | |||
Hmong | share | ||
In Hmong, "share" also means to divide or distribute something among multiple people. | |||
Kurdish | par | ||
The Kurmanci word "par" originates from the Persian 'pāre' which also means "fragment, piece" in Persian. | |||
Turkish | paylaş | ||
"Paylaş" comes from the verb "pay" which means "bond" or "to join" and "laş" which is a suffix forming nouns. | |||
Xhosa | yabelana | ||
'Yabelana' is a Nguni word meaning 'to share,' but it can also mean 'to distribute' or 'to apportion'. | |||
Yiddish | טיילן | ||
Yiddish "טיילן" derives from Old High German "teilen", which meant "to divide" and "to take one's part or portion". | |||
Zulu | yabelana | ||
The Zulu word 'yabelana', meaning 'to share', is derived from the verb 'yabela', which means 'to distribute' or 'to divide into parts'. | |||
Assamese | ভাগ-বতৰা কৰা | ||
Aymara | uñt'ayaña | ||
Bhojpuri | बाँटीं | ||
Dhivehi | ޙިއްސާ | ||
Dogri | सांझ | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | ibahagi | ||
Guarani | mboja'o | ||
Ilocano | iparabur | ||
Krio | shɛb | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | هاوبەشکردن | ||
Maithili | साझा करु | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯂꯥꯟꯅꯕ | ||
Mizo | intawm | ||
Oromo | qooduu | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ଅଂଶୀଦାର | ||
Quechua | qunakuy | ||
Sanskrit | संविभागः | ||
Tatar | бүлешү | ||
Tigrinya | ናይ ሓባር | ||
Tsonga | avelana | ||