She in Different Languages
Discover 'She' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'she' is a small but powerful term, often used to refer to a female individual. Its significance extends beyond mere grammar, as it represents cultural perceptions and attitudes towards women. 'She' is a term of endearment, respect, and identity, making it a vital part of our linguistic and cultural landscape.
Throughout history, 'she' has held various connotations in different societies. In some cultures, 'she' is associated with strength and wisdom, while in others, it symbolizes beauty and grace. Understanding the translations of 'she' in various languages can offer fascinating insights into these cultural nuances.
For instance, in Spanish, 'she' is 'ella', while in French, it's 'elle'. In Mandarin, 'she' is '她', and in Japanese, it's '彼女 (kanojo)'. These translations not only help in cross-cultural communication but also in appreciating the diversity and richness of different languages and cultures.
Stay tuned to explore more translations of 'she' in various languages, and in the process, gain a deeper understanding of the world's linguistic and cultural tapestry.
She
She in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | sy | ||
| "Sy" can also refer to an unknown female person or a female animal. | |||
| Amharic | እሷ | ||
| The word 'እሷ' in Amharic can also mean 'woman' or 'lady'. | |||
| Hausa | ita | ||
| The word 'ita' in Hausa can also refer to a female deity or a woman's title of respect. | |||
| Igbo | ọ | ||
| Ọ can also mean 'person' or 'people' and is used to refer to a person of unknown gender or in a general sense. | |||
| Malagasy | izy | ||
| The word "izy" is also used to refer to women in general or to female ancestors. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | iye | ||
| Nyanja's 'iye' also refers to one's mother, grandmother, and any other female elder | |||
| Shona | iye | ||
| Iye is also used to refer to a female animal, but with a connotation of respect or endearment. | |||
| Somali | iyada | ||
| The Somali word "iyada" can also mean "her" or "it" depending on the context. | |||
| Sesotho | eena | ||
| The word "eena" in Sesotho also refers to a type of beer, or a woman who brews beer. | |||
| Swahili | yeye | ||
| The Swahili word "yeye" derives from the Proto-Bantu *yeye and also means "breast" and "mother". | |||
| Xhosa | yena | ||
| The word "yena" can also be used as a possessive pronoun, meaning "her" or "hers". | |||
| Yoruba | oun | ||
| The word 'oun' in Yoruba can also refer to 'a particular one' or 'a specific individual'. | |||
| Zulu | yena | ||
| The Zulu word "yena" also means "her" in Xitsonga and "you" in the Nguni language spoken by the Baca people. | |||
| Bambara | bi | ||
| Ewe | e | ||
| Kinyarwanda | we | ||
| Lingala | ye | ||
| Luganda | ye | ||
| Sepedi | yena | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ɔno | ||
She in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | هي | ||
| The word "هي" in Arabic can also mean "it" or can be used to refer to an unspecified person or thing. | |||
| Hebrew | היא | ||
| The word "היא" ("she") also means "it" in biblical Hebrew, unlike in modern Hebrew where different words are used. | |||
| Pashto | هغه | ||
| The Pashto word "هغه" (she) can also be used to indicate a female animal or the female form of an object or concept. | |||
| Arabic | هي | ||
| The word "هي" in Arabic can also mean "it" or can be used to refer to an unspecified person or thing. | |||
She in Western European Languages
| Albanian | ajo | ||
| The Albanian word 'ajo' is a contraction of 'aja' (meaning 'there' and used as a respectful form of address) and the possessive suffix '-o' (meaning 'her'). | |||
| Basque | bera | ||
| In Proto-Basque, "bera" may have meant "woman" or "lady". | |||
| Catalan | ella | ||
| "Ella" derives from Latin "illa" and also means "that" or "the one over there" in Catalan. | |||
| Croatian | ona | ||
| In Croatian, 'ona' ('she') shares a root with the Latin pronominal adjective 'unus', which means 'one'. | |||
| Danish | hun | ||
| Hun is the Danish equivalent of the English word "she" and is also used to refer to a female animal or object. | |||
| Dutch | ze | ||
| The word "ze" can also be used as a gender-neutral third-person singular pronoun, similar to "they" in English. | |||
| English | she | ||
| The word 'she' originated from the Old English word 'heo', which was a gender-neutral pronoun meaning 'he' or 'she'. | |||
| French | elle | ||
| The French word "elle" derives from the Latin "illa", which originally referred to a third person as opposed to the person speaking or being spoken to. | |||
| Frisian | sy | ||
| The Frisian word 'sy' not only means 'she' but can also be used as a possessive pronoun, meaning 'her' or 'hers'. | |||
| Galician | ela | ||
| In Galician, "ela" is also used in contexts where "it" would be used in other languages. | |||
| German | sie | ||
| In Old High German, "sie" could also mean "they" and was pronounced "siu". | |||
| Icelandic | hún | ||
| In the 11th-12th centuries, "hún" referred to the third person plural, not just singular third person feminine, as in "þær," meaning "they." | |||
| Irish | sí | ||
| The Irish word "sí" derives from an older Gaelic word for fairy or goddess. | |||
| Italian | lei | ||
| The Italian word "lei" can also be used as a formal address for a woman. | |||
| Luxembourgish | hatt | ||
| In Luxembourgish, "hatt" means "she" in the feminine singular, and in German, it is a command to "stop". | |||
| Maltese | hi | ||
| The Maltese word 'hi' is also used as a respectful way to address an elderly woman or a superior. | |||
| Norwegian | hun | ||
| In Bokmål, the word "hun" can also mean "they" (plural feminine). | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | ela | ||
| In Portuguese, the word "ela" is also a noun meaning "she" in the 3rd person singular feminine | |||
| Scots Gaelic | i | ||
| The word "i" can also be used as a possessive adjective meaning "her" or "hers." | |||
| Spanish | ella | ||
| The term "ella" comes from the Latin "illa" and can also mean "that" or "it" in Spanish. | |||
| Swedish | hon | ||
| In Old Norse, "hon" was also a general pronoun for someone whose gender is unknown, like the German "man" and French "on" | |||
| Welsh | hi | ||
| The word 'hi' in Welsh also means 'she' when used after a noun. | |||
She in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | яна | ||
| The Belarusian word “яна” (“she”) is derived from the Proto-Slavic *jь, which also meant “she”. | |||
| Bosnian | ona | ||
| The word 'ona' can also mean 'her' or 'hers' in Bosnian. | |||
| Bulgarian | тя | ||
| The Bulgarian word 'тя' can also mean 'this one' or 'it' (when referring to a previously mentioned feminine noun). | |||
| Czech | ona | ||
| The word "ona" also means "it" and is sometimes used to refer to inanimate objects when the speaker wishes to emphasize the object's importance or uniqueness. | |||
| Estonian | tema | ||
| The word "tema" in Estonian is thought to be derived from the Proto-Uralic root *tämi, which also meant "she" in other Uralic languages, including Hungarian and Finnish. | |||
| Finnish | hän | ||
| Hän, meaning she or he, is borrowed from Proto-Indo-European *k̑ē̯, *k̑hē, which also meant "she" and "he". | |||
| Hungarian | ő | ||
| Hungarian "ő" derives from Proto-Uralic *tä, also found in Finnish "hän" (she), Estonian "tema" (he/she), and Livonian "tem" (he/she). | |||
| Latvian | viņa | ||
| The word "viņa" in Latvian also means "her" when used as the object of a verb. | |||
| Lithuanian | ji | ||
| The form 'ji' is an archaic nominative form of 'jie', and is sometimes used as a poetic form of address, but only for women, as the form is specifically feminine. | |||
| Macedonian | таа | ||
| Related to the word "татъ" (father), with which it once formed a pair of grammatical categories, referring to parents. | |||
| Polish | ona | ||
| The word "ona" also means "he" in the archaic poetic style. | |||
| Romanian | ea | ||
| In some Romanian dialects, "ea" can also refer to a female demon or an evil spirit. | |||
| Russian | она | ||
| The word "она" (she) in Russian is derived from the Old Slavic word "она" (this one), which is also the root of the word "он" (he). | |||
| Serbian | она | ||
| The word "она" can also refer to a female person in a generic sense, or even to a female animal. | |||
| Slovak | ona | ||
| Also an affectionate nickname for a girlfriend. | |||
| Slovenian | ona | ||
| "Ona" is also used as the third masculine person singular form of the personal pronoun in Slovenian. | |||
| Ukrainian | вона | ||
| "Вона" in Ukrainian comes from the Proto-Slavic root for "that one" (feminine), cognate with Lithuanian "ana", Russian "она", Old Church Slavonic "она", Greek "ἐκείνη", and Sanskrit "अना". | |||
She in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | সে | ||
| The word 'সে' ('she') in Bengali can also mean 'that', 'he', or 'it', depending on the context. | |||
| Gujarati | તે | ||
| The Gujarati word "તે" (she) has a homophone and homograph "તે" (then), which can cause confusion in spoken and written language. | |||
| Hindi | वह | ||
| Hindi 'वह' ('she') is derived from Sanskrit 'सा' ('that') and also means 'that woman'. | |||
| Kannada | ಅವಳು | ||
| "ಅವಳು" can also mean "her" or "hers" in Kannada. | |||
| Malayalam | അവൾ | ||
| The word "അവൾ" may also refer to a young unmarried woman or a female deity. | |||
| Marathi | ती | ||
| The word "ती" in Marathi can also refer to the third person feminine singular pronoun, similar to "she" in English. | |||
| Nepali | उनी | ||
| उनी, meaning "she" in Nepali, is a cognate of the Hindi word "वहनी," which means "sister-in-law." | |||
| Punjabi | ਉਹ | ||
| The word "ਉਹ" (oh) in Punjabi can also mean "water" and "rain". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ඇය | ||
| The word "ඇය" also means "her" and is derived from the Pali word "aya". | |||
| Tamil | அவள் | ||
| "அவள்" (she) comes from the Proto-Dravidian *aval, which also means "woman" or "female." | |||
| Telugu | ఆమె | ||
| The word "ఆమె" in Telugu can also be used to refer to a female animal, or to a woman who is not present. | |||
| Urdu | وہ | ||
| The feminine pronoun "وہ" is etymologically derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *swh₂e-, meaning "self or own". | |||
She in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 她 | ||
| 她 can also refer to a female demon or monster in Chinese mythology. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 她 | ||
| 她 can also mean 'that' or 'it' in some contexts, especially in literary Chinese. | |||
| Japanese | 彼女 | ||
| 彼女 (kanojo) literally means "that child" and can also refer to a girlfriend or a daughter. | |||
| Korean | 여자 | ||
| The Korean word "여자" (yeoja) can etymologically refer to an unmarried woman, or one who has lost her spouse. | |||
| Mongolian | тэр | ||
| The word 'тэр' may also be used respectfully to address someone, particularly an elder or superior. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | သူမ | ||
| The word "သူမ" can be used to refer to a female person in both polite and familiar settings, and can also be used as a pronoun for the third person singular feminine gender. | |||
She in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | dia | ||
| The word "dia" in Indonesian is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word "diha", meaning "other" or "other person". | |||
| Javanese | dheweke | ||
| The word "dheweke" can also be used to refer to a third person or a group of people, depending on the context. | |||
| Khmer | នាង | ||
| The honorific នាង is also used in Khmer to refer to a goddess or a female deity. | |||
| Lao | ນາງ | ||
| The word "ນາງ" originates from Pali-Sanskrit "nānā", meaning "of great wisdom". | |||
| Malay | dia | ||
| "Dia" is also an archaic word for "you" in the Malay language. | |||
| Thai | เธอ | ||
| The Thai word "เธอ" (she) also means "you" in polite forms of address. | |||
| Vietnamese | bà ấy | ||
| The word "bà ấy" can also refer to an older or respected woman, or to a female deity. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | siya | ||
She in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | o | ||
| 'O' is an alternative form of 'oğul' ('son'), which is often used in affectionate terms. | |||
| Kazakh | ол | ||
| The word "ол” in Kazakh can also refer to "that" or "the one". | |||
| Kyrgyz | ал | ||
| "Ал" also means "to take", "to get", "to bring" in Kyrgyz, and is related to the verb "алуу" (to take), which is used in many compound words. | |||
| Tajik | вай | ||
| The word "вай" in Tajik can also refer to female animals, female deities, or female relatives. | |||
| Turkmen | ol | ||
| Uzbek | u | ||
| In Uzbek, "u" has roots in "u-," an ancient pronoun that also means "he or she." | |||
| Uyghur | she | ||
She in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ʻo ia | ||
| ʻO ia can also mean "that one" or "that one over there." | |||
| Maori | ia | ||
| The Maori word "ia" can also mean "her" or "hers" when used as a possessive pronoun. | |||
| Samoan | o ia | ||
| The word "o ia" in Samoan can also refer to a "she-male" or a "transgender woman". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | siya | ||
| The Tagalog word "siya" can also refer to a person's self or to an unspecified person. | |||
She in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jupa | ||
| Guarani | ha'e | ||
She in International Languages
| Esperanto | ŝi | ||
| "ŝi" can also mean "her" or "hers" depending on context and grammar. | |||
| Latin | quæ | ||
| "Quæ" has also been used in Classical Latin as an indirect interrogative or relative pronoun meaning "what kind of?," "which one?", or "what?". | |||
She in Others Languages
| Greek | αυτή | ||
| The Greek word "αυτή" can also refer to a female deity or spirit. | |||
| Hmong | nws | ||
| In some dialects, "nws" can also be used as a term of endearment for the elderly or to refer to something inanimate. | |||
| Kurdish | wê | ||
| The word "wê" in Kurdish can also refer to a female goat or a female donkey. | |||
| Turkish | o | ||
| The Turkish word "o" can also mean "him" or "it" depending on the context. | |||
| Xhosa | yena | ||
| The word "yena" can also be used as a possessive pronoun, meaning "her" or "hers". | |||
| Yiddish | זי | ||
| זי derives from Old High German "sī", where "s" refers to female gender, which also is present in German "sie". | |||
| Zulu | yena | ||
| The Zulu word "yena" also means "her" in Xitsonga and "you" in the Nguni language spoken by the Baca people. | |||
| Assamese | তাই | ||
| Aymara | jupa | ||
| Bhojpuri | ऊ | ||
| Dhivehi | އޭނާ | ||
| Dogri | ओह् | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | siya | ||
| Guarani | ha'e | ||
| Ilocano | isuna | ||
| Krio | i | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ئەو | ||
| Maithili | ओ | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯍꯥꯛ | ||
| Mizo | ani | ||
| Oromo | ishee | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ସେ | ||
| Quechua | pay | ||
| Sanskrit | सा | ||
| Tatar | ул | ||
| Tigrinya | እሳ | ||
| Tsonga | yena | ||