Shoulder in Different Languages
Discover 'Shoulder' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The shoulder, a crucial part of the human body, is not only an essential component in our physical well-being but also carries significant cultural importance across various societies. It serves as a symbol of strength, support, and protection in many art forms and literature. Have you ever wondered how the word 'shoulder' translates in different languages, each with its unique cultural context?
For instance, the Spanish translation for shoulder is 'hombro', which originates from the Latin 'omero', meaning 'shoulder blade'. In German, 'Schulter' reflects the Germanic roots of the language. Meanwhile, the Chinese translation, '肩膀 (jiānbǎng)', consists of two characters representing the physical shoulder and the metaphorical 'wing' - symbolizing power and authority.
Discovering the translations of 'shoulder' in various languages can offer a fascinating glimpse into the cultural nuances and linguistic histories of different nations. Keep reading to explore more intriguing translations!
Shoulder
Shoulder in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | skouer | ||
| The Afrikaans word "skouer" derives from Middle Dutch "schoudere" and Old English "sculder". | |||
| Amharic | ትከሻ | ||
| The word "ትከሻ" can also refer to the "joint of the shoulder" or the "upper part of the back near the shoulder." | |||
| Hausa | kafada | ||
| The word "kafada" is also used in Hausa to describe the area behind the neck, or the nape of the neck. | |||
| Igbo | ubu | ||
| The word 'ubu' in Igbo can also mean 'a large pot for cooking or storing food'. | |||
| Malagasy | -tsorony | ||
| -tsorony also means "side" or "face" in Malagasy. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | phewa | ||
| The word "phewa" in Nyanja can also mean "wing" or "fin". | |||
| Shona | bendekete | ||
| In Shona, the term "bendekete" is also used to refer to a "heavy blanket" or "a heavy weight carried on the shoulder." | |||
| Somali | garabka | ||
| The word "garabka" also means "the side of something" or "a group of people" in Somali. | |||
| Sesotho | lehetla | ||
| "Lehetla" can also mean "responsibility" or "burden" in Sesotho. | |||
| Swahili | bega | ||
| Bega is also a Swahili word for a type of basket used in coastal areas. | |||
| Xhosa | igxalaba | ||
| The word "igxalaba" is also used as a metaphor for responsibility or burden. | |||
| Yoruba | ejika | ||
| The Yoruba word "ejika" may also refer to a type of wrestling match where opponents face each other with their right hands interlocked, with the left arm wrapped around the opponent's neck. | |||
| Zulu | ihlombe | ||
| "Ihlombe" also means "responsibility" or "burden" in Zulu. | |||
| Bambara | kamakun | ||
| Ewe | abɔta | ||
| Kinyarwanda | igitugu | ||
| Lingala | lipeka | ||
| Luganda | amabegaabega | ||
| Sepedi | legetla | ||
| Twi (Akan) | abatire | ||
Shoulder in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | كتف | ||
| "كتف" also means "blade", like a sword's blade. | |||
| Hebrew | כָּתֵף | ||
| The word "כָּתֵף" (pronounced "katéf") in Hebrew can also mean "wing" or "side". | |||
| Pashto | اوږه | ||
| In addition to meaning "shoulder," "اوږه" can also mean "weight," "burden," or "responsibility." | |||
| Arabic | كتف | ||
| "كتف" also means "blade", like a sword's blade. | |||
Shoulder in Western European Languages
| Albanian | shpatulla | ||
| The word "shpatulla" is derived from the Proto-Albanian word *spat-ŭla, which also meant "shoulder blade". | |||
| Basque | sorbalda | ||
| "Sorbalda" is probably derived from the Proto-Basque form "*orbalta" or "*or-b-alda" (meaning "that which is up to the height of the hand"). | |||
| Catalan | espatlla | ||
| The word "espatlla" comes from the Latin word "spatula", meaning "flat surface". | |||
| Croatian | rame | ||
| In Croatian, "rame" also refers to a shoulder bag or a harness. | |||
| Danish | skulder | ||
| The Danish word "skulder" is derived from the Proto-Germanic word "skuldrō", meaning "shoulder" or "inclined slope". | |||
| Dutch | schouder | ||
| The word "schouder" in Dutch means "shoulder", but it is derived from the Old Dutch word "skuldra" which originally meant "slope" or "inclined surface". | |||
| English | shoulder | ||
| Shoulder derives from an Old English word meaning "upper arm" and akin to Dutch schouder and German Schulter. | |||
| French | épaule | ||
| The word "épaule" derives from the Late Latin "spatula," meaning both "shoulder" and "a flat implement used for mixing. | |||
| Frisian | skouder | ||
| The Frisian word "skouder" derives from the Proto-Germanic word "skudra", meaning "protruding part or projection". | |||
| Galician | ombreiro | ||
| The word "ombreiro" can also be used in Galician to mean a person who is always willing to help others. | |||
| German | schulter | ||
| The word "Schulter" (shoulder) is derived from the Proto-Germanic word "skuldra", meaning both "shoulder" and "armhole". | |||
| Icelandic | öxl | ||
| The word "öxl" also means "axle" or "armpit" in Icelandic. | |||
| Irish | ghualainn | ||
| In Irish, "ghualainn" also refers to the slope or angle of a roof. | |||
| Italian | spalla | ||
| From Latin 'spatula', meaning 'flat object' or 'bone used to stir' | |||
| Luxembourgish | schëller | ||
| The Luxembourgish word | |||
| Maltese | spalla | ||
| Maltese "spalla" derives from Italian "spalla" or Italian "spallare" (to bear on the shoulder), cognate with French "épaule" and Spanish "espalda". | |||
| Norwegian | skulder | ||
| The Norwegian word "skulder" is related to the English word "shoulder" and the Dutch word "schouder", all stemming from an ancient Germanic root meaning "to cover". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | ombro | ||
| In Portuguese "ombro" also means "responsibility" or "burden". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | ghualainn | ||
| The Gaelic word 'ghualainn' may derive from the Old Irish 'gualaind' meaning 'shoulder' or 'jaw', or from the Latin 'humerus' meaning 'humerus, arm, shoulder'. | |||
| Spanish | hombro | ||
| The word "hombro" in Spanish derives from the Latin word "humerus", meaning "upper arm bone". | |||
| Swedish | axel | ||
| The word "axel" can also mean "axle" in Swedish. | |||
| Welsh | ysgwydd | ||
| The verb "ysgwydd" in Welsh, meaning "to support", is derived from the noun "ysgwydd" (shoulder), implying a metaphor of bodily support. | |||
Shoulder in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | плячо | ||
| The word "плячо" can also refer to the part of a shirt or dress that covers the shoulder. | |||
| Bosnian | rame | ||
| The term "rame" can also refer to a person's upper body or their physical strength. | |||
| Bulgarian | рамо | ||
| The word "рамо" in Bulgarian, besides meaning "shoulder", can also refer to a "frame" in the context of an image or picture. | |||
| Czech | rameno | ||
| The term "rameno" comes from the Proto-Slavic root "*ramę", which originally meant "arm" or "upper extremity". | |||
| Estonian | õlg | ||
| The word "õlg" in Estonian can also be used to refer to the blade or shank of a weapon. | |||
| Finnish | olkapää | ||
| The word "olkapää" contains "olka" which means a branch or a limb, referring to its function as a junction point | |||
| Hungarian | váll | ||
| While the word "váll" primarily means "shoulder" in Hungarian, it can also be used to refer to the slope of a hill or the edge of a roof. | |||
| Latvian | plecu | ||
| Latvian “plecu” was derived from Old High German word “bāhha”, originally meaning “joint”. | |||
| Lithuanian | peties | ||
| The word "peties" derives from the Proto-Indo-European root "*pek-to-i-", meaning "shoulder", and is related to Sanskrit "pakṣa" and Old English "peax", both meaning "wing". | |||
| Macedonian | рамо | ||
| Рамо (shoulder) in Macedonian is cognated with “arm” (German arm, French arme). | |||
| Polish | ramię | ||
| The word "ramię" in Polish can also mean "arm" or "branch" of a tree. | |||
| Romanian | umăr | ||
| "Umăr" also has meanings like "humerus", "side" and "angle", and its etymology traces back to Medieval Greek "hōmos" (shoulder). | |||
| Russian | плечо | ||
| Originally, besides meaning "shoulder", the word "плечо" also meant "wing" in Old Slavonic. | |||
| Serbian | раме | ||
| "Раме" can also mean "arms" or "shoulders" in Serbo-Croatian. | |||
| Slovak | rameno | ||
| The word "rameno" can also mean "arm" or "branch (of a tree)" in Slovak. | |||
| Slovenian | ramo | ||
| "Ramo" is also a term for a wooden beam with a fork serving as a support for wooden ceilings. | |||
| Ukrainian | плече | ||
| The word "плече" also means "wing" in Ukrainian. | |||
Shoulder in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | কাঁধ | ||
| The word "কাঁধ" can also mean "responsibility" or "burden" in Bengali. | |||
| Gujarati | ખભા | ||
| The word 'ખભા' ('shoulder') in Gujarati is also used to refer to 'burden' or 'responsibility', highlighting the metaphorical weight it can carry. | |||
| Hindi | कंधा | ||
| The word "कंधा" can also mean "responsibility" or "burden" in Hindi. | |||
| Kannada | ಭುಜ | ||
| Derived from Sanskrit "bhuja", it can also refer to an arm, strength, or power. | |||
| Malayalam | തോൾ | ||
| The word `തോൾ` is likely derived from the Tamil word `தோள்` (`thōl`), which also means "shoulder". | |||
| Marathi | खांदा | ||
| The Marathi term "खांदा" (shoulder) is cognate with the Gujarati term "खंधे" and is derived from the Sanskrit term "स्कन्धः" (skandha), which also means "shoulder" in Pali and is related to the Vedic term "skandh" meaning "to leap" | |||
| Nepali | काँध | ||
| The word "काँध" (shoulder) in Nepali is derived from the Sanskrit word "स्कन्ध" (shoulder), which also means "a battalion of soldiers". | |||
| Punjabi | ਮੋ shoulderੇ | ||
| The word 'mohre' ('shoulder') has an alternate meaning in Punjabi: 'a friend' or 'companion' | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | උරහිස | ||
| The word උරහිස (urahis) also means 'back' in Sinhala, and is related to the Sanskrit word 'ura' ('chest'). | |||
| Tamil | தோள்பட்டை | ||
| The word 'தோள்பட்டை' also refers to the topmost or broadest part of something, like the shoulder of a dam. | |||
| Telugu | భుజం | ||
| The word "భుజం" in Telugu can also refer to the arms or the upper part of the body. | |||
| Urdu | کندھا | ||
| The word 'kandha' also means 'burden' or 'responsibility' | |||
Shoulder in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 肩 | ||
| "肩" also means "responsibility" or "mission". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 肩 | ||
| The Chinese character 肩 (肩), when used as a verb, means to carry or support something on one's shoulder. | |||
| Japanese | ショルダー | ||
| This term was originally used in the context of clothing rather than parts of the body. | |||
| Korean | 어깨 | ||
| 어깨 (shoulder) originally meant 'the part where the arm rests or leans on'. | |||
| Mongolian | мөр | ||
| The word "мөр" can also refer to a riverbank or the edge of a body of water. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ပခုံး | ||
| The word ပခုံး also refers to a unit of weight equal to around 250 grams, and can be used to mean "a little bit" or "a few" in some contexts. | |||
Shoulder in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | bahu | ||
| The word "bahu" can also mean "arm" or "upper arm" in Indonesian. | |||
| Javanese | pundhak | ||
| The word 'pundhak' has another meaning, namely a piece of bamboo on the top of a house that functions as a beam | |||
| Khmer | ស្មា | ||
| "ស្មា" in Khmer is etymologically related to Sanskrit "skandha," with a possible alternate meaning of "support" or "base." | |||
| Lao | ບ່າ | ||
| The word ບ່າ "shoulder" may also figuratively mean "responsibility" or "burden". | |||
| Malay | bahu | ||
| The word 'bahu' may also refer to a husband's brother or a husband's brother's wife in Malay culture. | |||
| Thai | ไหล่ | ||
| ไหล่ (shoulder) derives from Proto-Tai *plăːj, which originally meant "slope" but later came to refer to the human shoulder. | |||
| Vietnamese | vai | ||
| The word "vai" in Vietnamese can also mean "shoulder bag" or "a piece of cloth carried over the shoulder" | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | balikat | ||
Shoulder in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | çiyin | ||
| The word "çiyin" in Azerbaijani is etymologically related to the Persian word "shane", meaning "shoulder", and also has a secondary meaning of "side" or "flank". | |||
| Kazakh | иық | ||
| The word "иық" can also refer to the shoulder blade or the back of the neck in Kazakh. | |||
| Kyrgyz | ийин | ||
| The word "ийин" is also used to refer to "a part of a river where the water bends" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | китф | ||
| The word "китф" in Tajik can also refer to a person's back or side. | |||
| Turkmen | egin | ||
| Uzbek | yelka | ||
| The word "yelka" in Uzbek also means "shoulder blade" and is derived from the Proto-Turkic word "yelkek". | |||
| Uyghur | مۈرىسى | ||
Shoulder in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | poʻohiwi | ||
| In the Hawaiian language, the word "poʻohiwi" can also mean "corner" or "bend in a road". | |||
| Maori | pakihiwi | ||
| "Pakihiwi" derives from "paki" (border) and "hiwi" (bone), referring to the arm/chest boundary. | |||
| Samoan | tauʻau | ||
| In Samoan, the word "tau'au" can also refer to the shoulder blade and the collarbone. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | balikat | ||
| "Balikat" also means "responsibility" or "burden" in Tagalog. | |||
Shoulder in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | kallachi | ||
| Guarani | ati'y | ||
Shoulder in International Languages
| Esperanto | ŝultro | ||
| Esperanto's "ŝultro" comes from German "Schulter", and it can also mean "responsibility" or "duty" in a figurative sense. | |||
| Latin | humero | ||
| The Latin word "humero" can also refer to the upper arm or the shoulder joint. | |||
Shoulder in Others Languages
| Greek | ώμος | ||
| The word `ώμος` may originally have meant "arm" and has a cognate in the Sanskrit `āmsa` meaning "shoulder blade". | |||
| Hmong | xub pwg | ||
| In some Hmong dialects, "xub pwg" also means "upper arm" or "bicep". | |||
| Kurdish | mil | ||
| The Kurdish word "mil" can also refer to a tribe, a clan, or a group of people united by a common ancestor. | |||
| Turkish | omuz | ||
| "Omuz" can also mean "responsibility" or "burden" in Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | igxalaba | ||
| The word "igxalaba" is also used as a metaphor for responsibility or burden. | |||
| Yiddish | אַקסל | ||
| The Yiddish word "אַקסל" can also mean "wheel axle". | |||
| Zulu | ihlombe | ||
| "Ihlombe" also means "responsibility" or "burden" in Zulu. | |||
| Assamese | কান্ধ | ||
| Aymara | kallachi | ||
| Bhojpuri | कंधा | ||
| Dhivehi | ކޮނޑު | ||
| Dogri | मूंढा | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | balikat | ||
| Guarani | ati'y | ||
| Ilocano | abaga | ||
| Krio | sholda | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | شان | ||
| Maithili | कन्हा | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯂꯦꯡꯖꯨꯝ | ||
| Mizo | koki | ||
| Oromo | gateettii | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | କାନ୍ଧ | ||
| Quechua | rikra | ||
| Sanskrit | स्कन्ध | ||
| Tatar | җилкә | ||
| Tigrinya | መንኰብ | ||
| Tsonga | katla | ||