Afrikaans skouer | ||
Albanian shpatulla | ||
Amharic ትከሻ | ||
Arabic كتف | ||
Armenian ուսին | ||
Assamese কান্ধ | ||
Aymara kallachi | ||
Azerbaijani çiyin | ||
Bambara kamakun | ||
Basque sorbalda | ||
Belarusian плячо | ||
Bengali কাঁধ | ||
Bhojpuri कंधा | ||
Bosnian rame | ||
Bulgarian рамо | ||
Catalan espatlla | ||
Cebuano abaga | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 肩 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 肩 | ||
Corsican spalla | ||
Croatian rame | ||
Czech rameno | ||
Danish skulder | ||
Dhivehi ކޮނޑު | ||
Dogri मूंढा | ||
Dutch schouder | ||
English shoulder | ||
Esperanto ŝultro | ||
Estonian õlg | ||
Ewe abɔta | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) balikat | ||
Finnish olkapää | ||
French épaule | ||
Frisian skouder | ||
Galician ombreiro | ||
Georgian მხრის | ||
German schulter | ||
Greek ώμος | ||
Guarani ati'y | ||
Gujarati ખભા | ||
Haitian Creole zepòl | ||
Hausa kafada | ||
Hawaiian poʻohiwi | ||
Hebrew כָּתֵף | ||
Hindi कंधा | ||
Hmong xub pwg | ||
Hungarian váll | ||
Icelandic öxl | ||
Igbo ubu | ||
Ilocano abaga | ||
Indonesian bahu | ||
Irish ghualainn | ||
Italian spalla | ||
Japanese ショルダー | ||
Javanese pundhak | ||
Kannada ಭುಜ | ||
Kazakh иық | ||
Khmer ស្មា | ||
Kinyarwanda igitugu | ||
Konkani खांद | ||
Korean 어깨 | ||
Krio sholda | ||
Kurdish mil | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) شان | ||
Kyrgyz ийин | ||
Lao ບ່າ | ||
Latin humero | ||
Latvian plecu | ||
Lingala lipeka | ||
Lithuanian peties | ||
Luganda amabegaabega | ||
Luxembourgish schëller | ||
Macedonian рамо | ||
Maithili कन्हा | ||
Malagasy -tsorony | ||
Malay bahu | ||
Malayalam തോൾ | ||
Maltese spalla | ||
Maori pakihiwi | ||
Marathi खांदा | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯂꯦꯡꯖꯨꯝ | ||
Mizo koki | ||
Mongolian мөр | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) ပခုံး | ||
Nepali काँध | ||
Norwegian skulder | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) phewa | ||
Odia (Oriya) କାନ୍ଧ | ||
Oromo gateettii | ||
Pashto اوږه | ||
Persian شانه | ||
Polish ramię | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) ombro | ||
Punjabi ਮੋ shoulderੇ | ||
Quechua rikra | ||
Romanian umăr | ||
Russian плечо | ||
Samoan tauʻau | ||
Sanskrit स्कन्ध | ||
Scots Gaelic ghualainn | ||
Sepedi legetla | ||
Serbian раме | ||
Sesotho lehetla | ||
Shona bendekete | ||
Sindhi ڪلهو | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) උරහිස | ||
Slovak rameno | ||
Slovenian ramo | ||
Somali garabka | ||
Spanish hombro | ||
Sundanese taktak | ||
Swahili bega | ||
Swedish axel | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) balikat | ||
Tajik китф | ||
Tamil தோள்பட்டை | ||
Tatar җилкә | ||
Telugu భుజం | ||
Thai ไหล่ | ||
Tigrinya መንኰብ | ||
Tsonga katla | ||
Turkish omuz | ||
Turkmen egin | ||
Twi (Akan) abatire | ||
Ukrainian плече | ||
Urdu کندھا | ||
Uyghur مۈرىسى | ||
Uzbek yelka | ||
Vietnamese vai | ||
Welsh ysgwydd | ||
Xhosa igxalaba | ||
Yiddish אַקסל | ||
Yoruba ejika | ||
Zulu ihlombe |
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | The Afrikaans word "skouer" derives from Middle Dutch "schoudere" and Old English "sculder". |
| Albanian | The word "shpatulla" is derived from the Proto-Albanian word *spat-ŭla, which also meant "shoulder blade". |
| Amharic | The word "ትከሻ" can also refer to the "joint of the shoulder" or the "upper part of the back near the shoulder." |
| Arabic | "كتف" also means "blade", like a sword's blade. |
| Armenian | "Ուսին" also means "duty" in Armenian, derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₂eḱs-. |
| Azerbaijani | 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". |
| Basque | "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"). |
| Belarusian | The word "плячо" can also refer to the part of a shirt or dress that covers the shoulder. |
| Bengali | The word "কাঁধ" can also mean "responsibility" or "burden" in Bengali. |
| Bosnian | The term "rame" can also refer to a person's upper body or their physical strength. |
| Bulgarian | The word "рамо" in Bulgarian, besides meaning "shoulder", can also refer to a "frame" in the context of an image or picture. |
| Catalan | The word "espatlla" comes from the Latin word "spatula", meaning "flat surface". |
| Cebuano | In the Philippines, the term "abaga" refers to a particular cut of beef or pork taken from the shoulder area. |
| Chinese (Simplified) | "肩" also means "responsibility" or "mission". |
| Chinese (Traditional) | The Chinese character 肩 (肩), when used as a verb, means to carry or support something on one's shoulder. |
| Corsican | In Corsican, the word "spalla" can also mean "slope" or "side" of a mountain. |
| Croatian | In Croatian, "rame" also refers to a shoulder bag or a harness. |
| Czech | The term "rameno" comes from the Proto-Slavic root "*ramę", which originally meant "arm" or "upper extremity". |
| Danish | The Danish word "skulder" is derived from the Proto-Germanic word "skuldrō", meaning "shoulder" or "inclined slope". |
| Dutch | The word "schouder" in Dutch means "shoulder", but it is derived from the Old Dutch word "skuldra" which originally meant "slope" or "inclined surface". |
| Esperanto | Esperanto's "ŝultro" comes from German "Schulter", and it can also mean "responsibility" or "duty" in a figurative sense. |
| Estonian | The word "õlg" in Estonian can also be used to refer to the blade or shank of a weapon. |
| Finnish | The word "olkapää" contains "olka" which means a branch or a limb, referring to its function as a junction point |
| French | The word "épaule" derives from the Late Latin "spatula," meaning both "shoulder" and "a flat implement used for mixing. |
| Frisian | The Frisian word "skouder" derives from the Proto-Germanic word "skudra", meaning "protruding part or projection". |
| Galician | The word "ombreiro" can also be used in Galician to mean a person who is always willing to help others. |
| Georgian | The Georgian word "მხრის" can also refer to a "slope" or a "side". |
| German | The word "Schulter" (shoulder) is derived from the Proto-Germanic word "skuldra", meaning both "shoulder" and "armhole". |
| Greek | The word `ώμος` may originally have meant "arm" and has a cognate in the Sanskrit `āmsa` meaning "shoulder blade". |
| Gujarati | The word 'ખભા' ('shoulder') in Gujarati is also used to refer to 'burden' or 'responsibility', highlighting the metaphorical weight it can carry. |
| Haitian Creole | The Haitian Creole word "zepòl" can also refer to a person's responsibility or burden. |
| Hausa | The word "kafada" is also used in Hausa to describe the area behind the neck, or the nape of the neck. |
| Hawaiian | In the Hawaiian language, the word "poʻohiwi" can also mean "corner" or "bend in a road". |
| Hebrew | The word "כָּתֵף" (pronounced "katéf") in Hebrew can also mean "wing" or "side". |
| Hindi | The word "कंधा" can also mean "responsibility" or "burden" in Hindi. |
| Hmong | In some Hmong dialects, "xub pwg" also means "upper arm" or "bicep". |
| Hungarian | 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. |
| Icelandic | The word "öxl" also means "axle" or "armpit" in Icelandic. |
| Igbo | The word 'ubu' in Igbo can also mean 'a large pot for cooking or storing food'. |
| Indonesian | The word "bahu" can also mean "arm" or "upper arm" in Indonesian. |
| Irish | In Irish, "ghualainn" also refers to the slope or angle of a roof. |
| Italian | From Latin 'spatula', meaning 'flat object' or 'bone used to stir' |
| Japanese | This term was originally used in the context of clothing rather than parts of the body. |
| Javanese | The word 'pundhak' has another meaning, namely a piece of bamboo on the top of a house that functions as a beam |
| Kannada | Derived from Sanskrit "bhuja", it can also refer to an arm, strength, or power. |
| Kazakh | The word "иық" can also refer to the shoulder blade or the back of the neck in Kazakh. |
| Khmer | "ស្មា" in Khmer is etymologically related to Sanskrit "skandha," with a possible alternate meaning of "support" or "base." |
| Korean | 어깨 (shoulder) originally meant 'the part where the arm rests or leans on'. |
| Kurdish | The Kurdish word "mil" can also refer to a tribe, a clan, or a group of people united by a common ancestor. |
| Kyrgyz | The word "ийин" is also used to refer to "a part of a river where the water bends" in Kyrgyz. |
| Lao | The word ບ່າ "shoulder" may also figuratively mean "responsibility" or "burden". |
| Latin | The Latin word "humero" can also refer to the upper arm or the shoulder joint. |
| Latvian | Latvian “plecu” was derived from Old High German word “bāhha”, originally meaning “joint”. |
| Lithuanian | 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". |
| Luxembourgish | The Luxembourgish word |
| Macedonian | Рамо (shoulder) in Macedonian is cognated with “arm” (German arm, French arme). |
| Malagasy | -tsorony also means "side" or "face" in Malagasy. |
| Malay | The word 'bahu' may also refer to a husband's brother or a husband's brother's wife in Malay culture. |
| Malayalam | The word `തോൾ` is likely derived from the Tamil word `தோள்` (`thōl`), which also means "shoulder". |
| Maltese | Maltese "spalla" derives from Italian "spalla" or Italian "spallare" (to bear on the shoulder), cognate with French "épaule" and Spanish "espalda". |
| Maori | "Pakihiwi" derives from "paki" (border) and "hiwi" (bone), referring to the arm/chest boundary. |
| Marathi | 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" |
| Mongolian | The word "мөр" can also refer to a riverbank or the edge of a body of water. |
| Myanmar (Burmese) | 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. |
| Nepali | The word "काँध" (shoulder) in Nepali is derived from the Sanskrit word "स्कन्ध" (shoulder), which also means "a battalion of soldiers". |
| Norwegian | 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". |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | The word "phewa" in Nyanja can also mean "wing" or "fin". |
| Pashto | In addition to meaning "shoulder," "اوږه" can also mean "weight," "burden," or "responsibility." |
| Persian | The word شانه in Persian can be used to refer to a shoulder or an ornament on clothing, and etymologically derives from Proto-Indo-European roots meaning "tooth". |
| Polish | The word "ramię" in Polish can also mean "arm" or "branch" of a tree. |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | In Portuguese "ombro" also means "responsibility" or "burden". |
| Punjabi | The word 'mohre' ('shoulder') has an alternate meaning in Punjabi: 'a friend' or 'companion' |
| Romanian | "Umăr" also has meanings like "humerus", "side" and "angle", and its etymology traces back to Medieval Greek "hōmos" (shoulder). |
| Russian | Originally, besides meaning "shoulder", the word "плечо" also meant "wing" in Old Slavonic. |
| Samoan | In Samoan, the word "tau'au" can also refer to the shoulder blade and the collarbone. |
| Scots Gaelic | The Gaelic word 'ghualainn' may derive from the Old Irish 'gualaind' meaning 'shoulder' or 'jaw', or from the Latin 'humerus' meaning 'humerus, arm, shoulder'. |
| Serbian | "Раме" can also mean "arms" or "shoulders" in Serbo-Croatian. |
| Sesotho | "Lehetla" can also mean "responsibility" or "burden" in Sesotho. |
| Shona | In Shona, the term "bendekete" is also used to refer to a "heavy blanket" or "a heavy weight carried on the shoulder." |
| Sindhi | The Sindhi word "ڪلهو" (shoulder) is derived from Sanskrit "kandhara", with similar meanings in various Indo-Aryan languages. |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | The word උරහිස (urahis) also means 'back' in Sinhala, and is related to the Sanskrit word 'ura' ('chest'). |
| Slovak | The word "rameno" can also mean "arm" or "branch (of a tree)" in Slovak. |
| Slovenian | "Ramo" is also a term for a wooden beam with a fork serving as a support for wooden ceilings. |
| Somali | The word "garabka" also means "the side of something" or "a group of people" in Somali. |
| Spanish | The word "hombro" in Spanish derives from the Latin word "humerus", meaning "upper arm bone". |
| Sundanese | The word "taktak" in Sundanese not only means "shoulder" but also refers to a bamboo musical instrument played by striking two pieces together. |
| Swahili | Bega is also a Swahili word for a type of basket used in coastal areas. |
| Swedish | The word "axel" can also mean "axle" in Swedish. |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | "Balikat" also means "responsibility" or "burden" in Tagalog. |
| Tajik | The word "китф" in Tajik can also refer to a person's back or side. |
| Tamil | The word 'தோள்பட்டை' also refers to the topmost or broadest part of something, like the shoulder of a dam. |
| Telugu | The word "భుజం" in Telugu can also refer to the arms or the upper part of the body. |
| Thai | ไหล่ (shoulder) derives from Proto-Tai *plăːj, which originally meant "slope" but later came to refer to the human shoulder. |
| Turkish | "Omuz" can also mean "responsibility" or "burden" in Turkish. |
| Ukrainian | The word "плече" also means "wing" in Ukrainian. |
| Urdu | The word 'kandha' also means 'burden' or 'responsibility' |
| Uzbek | The word "yelka" in Uzbek also means "shoulder blade" and is derived from the Proto-Turkic word "yelkek". |
| Vietnamese | The word "vai" in Vietnamese can also mean "shoulder bag" or "a piece of cloth carried over the shoulder" |
| Welsh | The verb "ysgwydd" in Welsh, meaning "to support", is derived from the noun "ysgwydd" (shoulder), implying a metaphor of bodily support. |
| Xhosa | The word "igxalaba" is also used as a metaphor for responsibility or burden. |
| Yiddish | The Yiddish word "אַקסל" can also mean "wheel axle". |
| Yoruba | 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" also means "responsibility" or "burden" in Zulu. |
| English | Shoulder derives from an Old English word meaning "upper arm" and akin to Dutch schouder and German Schulter. |