Sir in Different Languages
Discover 'Sir' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Sir
Afrikaans meneer | ||
Albanian zotëri | ||
Amharic ጌታዬ | ||
Arabic سيدي المحترم | ||
Armenian պարոն | ||
Assamese মহোদয় | ||
Aymara tata | ||
Azerbaijani cənab | ||
Bambara cɛ | ||
Basque jauna | ||
Belarusian сэр | ||
Bengali স্যার | ||
Bhojpuri हुजूर | ||
Bosnian gospodine | ||
Bulgarian сър | ||
Catalan senyor | ||
Cebuano sir | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 先生 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 先生 | ||
Corsican signore | ||
Croatian gospodine | ||
Czech vážený pane | ||
Danish hr | ||
Dhivehi ސަރ | ||
Dogri सर | ||
Dutch meneer | ||
English sir | ||
Esperanto sinjoro | ||
Estonian sir | ||
Ewe amega | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) sir | ||
Finnish arvon herra | ||
French monsieur | ||
Frisian mynhear | ||
Galician señor | ||
Georgian ბატონო | ||
German herr | ||
Greek κύριε | ||
Guarani karai | ||
Gujarati સર | ||
Haitian Creole mesye | ||
Hausa sir | ||
Hawaiian haku | ||
Hebrew אֲדוֹנִי | ||
Hindi महोदय | ||
Hmong txiv neej | ||
Hungarian uram | ||
Icelandic herra | ||
Igbo nwem | ||
Ilocano apo | ||
Indonesian pak | ||
Irish a dhuine uasail | ||
Italian signore | ||
Japanese お客様 | ||
Javanese pak | ||
Kannada ಶ್ರೀಮಾನ್ | ||
Kazakh мырза | ||
Khmer លោក | ||
Kinyarwanda nyakubahwa | ||
Konkani घुसळप | ||
Korean 경 | ||
Krio sa | ||
Kurdish mirze | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) بەڕێز | ||
Kyrgyz мырза | ||
Lao ທ່ານ | ||
Latin domine | ||
Latvian ser | ||
Lingala monsieur | ||
Lithuanian pone | ||
Luganda ssebo | ||
Luxembourgish här | ||
Macedonian господине | ||
Maithili महाशय | ||
Malagasy tompoko | ||
Malay tuan | ||
Malayalam സാർ | ||
Maltese sinjur | ||
Maori ariki | ||
Marathi सर | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯁꯔ | ||
Mizo ka pu | ||
Mongolian эрхэм ээ | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) ဆရာ | ||
Nepali सर | ||
Norwegian herr | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) bwana | ||
Odia (Oriya) ସାର୍ | ||
Oromo obboo | ||
Pashto صاحب | ||
Persian آقا | ||
Polish pan | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) senhor | ||
Punjabi ਸਰ | ||
Quechua sir | ||
Romanian domnule | ||
Russian сэр | ||
Samoan aliʻi | ||
Sanskrit महोदयः | ||
Scots Gaelic sir | ||
Sepedi morena | ||
Serbian господине | ||
Sesotho mohlomphehi | ||
Shona changamire | ||
Sindhi سائين | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) සර් | ||
Slovak pane | ||
Slovenian gospod | ||
Somali mudane | ||
Spanish señor | ||
Sundanese pak | ||
Swahili bwana | ||
Swedish herr | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) ginoo | ||
Tajik ҷаноб | ||
Tamil ஐயா | ||
Tatar сэр | ||
Telugu సార్ | ||
Thai ท่าน | ||
Tigrinya ሃለቃ | ||
Tsonga nkulukumba | ||
Turkish bayım | ||
Turkmen jenap | ||
Twi (Akan) sa | ||
Ukrainian сер | ||
Urdu جناب | ||
Uyghur ئەپەندىم | ||
Uzbek janob | ||
Vietnamese quý ngài | ||
Welsh syr | ||
Xhosa mhlekazi | ||
Yiddish הער | ||
Yoruba sir | ||
Zulu mnumzane |
Etymology & Notes
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | The Afrikaans word "meneer" ("sir") is derived from the Dutch word "mijnheer" ("my lord"), which itself originated from the German word "mein Herr" ("my Lord"). |
| Albanian | Etymology: derives from the Proto-Indo-European word for "king," "master," or "lord" and is related to the Latin word "dominus" |
| Amharic | "ጌታዬ" (sir) originates from the Ge'ez word "ጌተ" (master) and originally referred to a wealthy person or landowner. |
| Arabic | سيدي المحترم, as is the case with many other Arabic words, is derived from the root "س-ي-د" (s-y-d), which means "master" or "lord". |
| Armenian | "Պարոն" in Armenian is derived from Persian, where it originally meant "ruler" or "lord". |
| Azerbaijani | The word "cənab" in Azerbaijani originates from the Persian word "janab" meaning "excellency" or "majesty". |
| Basque | The Basque word "jauna" can also mean "master"} |
| Belarusian | In Belarusian, "сэр" can also mean "husband" or "master". |
| Bengali | Derived from Proto-Indo-European *ḱer- "to make" or *ǵʰer- "to be warm." |
| Bosnian | Like the Russian word «господин» (gospodin), the word «господине» (gospodine) derives from the Church Slavonic language and ultimately the Greek word «κύριος» (kyrios), meaning "lord". |
| Bulgarian | The word "сър" also means "heart" in Bulgarian and is related to the word "сърце" which means "heart" in Russian and other Slavic languages. |
| Catalan | The Catalan word "senyor" originates from the Latin word "senior" and can also mean "lord" or "master" in a feudal context. |
| Cebuano | The term is also used in some Philippine languages, such as Cebuano, meaning "elder sister". |
| Chinese (Simplified) | "先生" originally meant "teacher," but is now commonly used as a respectful way to address a man. |
| Chinese (Traditional) | The Chinese character "先生" also means 'teacher', which reflects the traditional Chinese respect and honor to knowledge. |
| Corsican | Corsican "signore" may derive from the Latin "signus" (mark) or "senior" (older). |
| Croatian | The word 'gospodine' is derived from the Slavic word 'gospod', meaning 'master' or 'lord'. |
| Czech | Despite its respectful connotation, "Vážený pane" literally means "esteemed lord" in Czech. |
| Danish | The word hr is derived from the Old Norse word 'herra', meaning 'master' or 'lord'. |
| Dutch | The word "meneer" is derived from the Dutch word "man" (meaning "man") and the French word "sieur" (meaning "lord"). |
| Esperanto | The word 'sinjoro' also means 'lord', 'master' and 'Mr.' |
| Estonian | The word |
| Finnish | Alternate meanings of the word 'arvon herra' in Finnish include 'distinguished lord' and 'respected gentleman'. |
| French | "Monsieur" comes from "mon sieur," which is itself the contraction of "mon seigneur" meaning "my lord." |
| Frisian | The word "mynhear" comes from the Middle Dutch "mijnheer" and eventually Latin "dominus," meaning "lord" or "master." |
| Galician | In Galician, "señor" can also refer to a landowner or a feudal lord. |
| Georgian | "ბატონო" has also been used to refer to God in Georgian Christianity. |
| German | Originally meaning "master", the word "Herr" still carries connotations of authority or respect in certain contexts. |
| Greek | The word 'Κύριε' in Greek originally meant 'lord' or 'master', and is also used as a term of respect for God. |
| Gujarati | The word "સર" in Gujarati is also used as a polite form of address for elders or superiors. |
| Haitian Creole | The Haitian Creole word "mesye" derives from the French "monsieur", which originally meant "my lord". |
| Hausa | In Hausa, 'sir' is derived from Arabic 'sayyid' meaning 'lord' or 'master'. |
| Hawaiian | The term "haku" can also refer to a master, expert, or chief. |
| Hebrew | The Hebrew word "אֲדוֹנִי" is also used to refer to God, a master, or a married man. |
| Hindi | The word 'महोदय' (sir) originates from the Sanskrit word 'महत्' (great) and 'उदय' (rise), meaning 'one who rises to greatness'. |
| Hmong | "Txiv neej" is also the term for a paternal uncle. |
| Hungarian | The Hungarian word "uram" is derived from the Old Turkish word "er" meaning "man" or "husband" and entered the Hungarian language through the Slavic languages. |
| Icelandic | "Herra" in Icelandic can also refer to "lord", "master", or "husband." |
| Igbo | Nwanyi, from which the word nwem derives, denotes a married woman or a female that belongs to the highest echelon of society. |
| Indonesian | "Pak" can also be used as an affectionate term for an older male friend or relative. |
| Irish | "A dhuine uasail" can also mean "nobleman" or "gentleman", and has the literal meaning "good person". |
| Italian | In Italian, "signore" can also refer to God, a husband, or a feudal lord. |
| Japanese | The word "お客様" ("okyaku-sama") literally means "honorable guest" in Japanese. |
| Javanese | "Pak" is cognate to "bapak" in Indonesian and "bapa" in Javanese Old Javanese language, and is also related to the Malay word "bapa" (father). |
| Kannada | The word "ಶ್ರೀಮಾನ್" also means "wealthy" and is derived from the Sanskrit word "Shriman" meaning "auspicious" or "fortunate". |
| Kazakh | The Kazakh word "мырза" is related to the Persian word "emir," which also means "sir." |
| Khmer | The Khmer word "លោក" can also refer to a husband or a man who is older than the speaker. |
| Korean | "경" is derived from "京", which originally meant "capital" and came to be used for high-ranking officials in the palace or government. |
| Kurdish | The Kurdish word "mirze" is derived from the Persian word "mir," meaning "lord" or "prince." |
| Kyrgyz | The word "мырза" is also used to address a distinguished guest or elder in Kyrgyz. |
| Lao | "ທ່ານ" is also used to address a king, a lord or a royal, an honored person, or an elderly person. |
| Latin | The term "domine" also appears in the Christian Latin Bible and is sometimes used to refer to God or Jesus. |
| Latvian | "Ser" is cognate with the English "sir" and the Latin word "serus", meaning "late". |
| Lithuanian | 'Pone' is a Lithuanian borrowing from Polish pan ('mister'). |
| Luxembourgish | In German, "Här" is also used to address a person with a position of authority, like a teacher or a policeman. |
| Macedonian | Господине е таква христијанско убива славенското лично име милостивотската на бога "bogini" (бохини). |
| Malagasy | The word "tompoko" is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word "*tampa" meaning "chief" or "leader". |
| Malay | The word tuan is derived from the Chinese word "tuan" (大人), meaning "master" or "lord". |
| Malayalam | The word "സാർ" ("sir") in Malayalam can also mean "father" or "teacher", and is derived from the Sanskrit word "shreshtha" meaning "best". |
| Maltese | In medieval times, "Sinjur" was also used to refer to feudal lords. |
| Maori | The word 'ariki' in Maori also refers to a high-ranking chief or nobleman, and is cognate with the Hawaiian word 'ali'i'. |
| Marathi | The Marathi word "सर" (sir) is derived from the Sanskrit word "शिरा" (head), which also means "crown" or "top". |
| Mongolian | The word may derive from the Mongolian word |
| Myanmar (Burmese) | In Burmese, "ဆရာ" can also refer to a professor, guru, or religious teacher. |
| Nepali | In the past, "सर" (pronounced "sur") was a name of respect and a way to address one's father in Nepali. |
| Norwegian | In Norway, 'Herr' can also be a military rank similar to 'lieutenant'. |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | The term 'bwana' is derived from the Bantu root word 'bana', which means 'father', and was adopted by Swahili speakers to refer to European colonizers. |
| Pashto | "صاحب" can mean either "master" or "friend" in Pashto, with the latter usage being more common in Kandahar. |
| Persian | The word "آقا" also has the colloquial meaning of "man" or "dude" in Persian informal speech. |
| Polish | In Polish, "Pan" can also refer to a pagan lord or a gentleman, and is cognate with the English word "pawn" |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | In Portuguese, "Senhor" is historically related to "senior" from Latin, originally meaning "older", and also denotes God. |
| Punjabi | ਸਰ (sir) is derived from the Persian word سر (sar), meaning 'head' or 'chief', and can also refer to a respectable or elderly person. |
| Romanian | The Romanian word "domnule" is derived from Latin "dominus" meaning "master" or "lord", and originally referred to a feudal lord or landowner. |
| Russian | The word "сэр" can also refer to a type of horse or a type of plow. |
| Samoan | The Samoan word "aliʻi" also refers to a chiefly rank or a high-ranking family, with distinct connotations depending on the context. |
| Scots Gaelic | In Scots Gaelic, the word "sir" can also mean a male horse beast. |
| Serbian | The word 'господине' is derived from the Proto-Slavic word '*gospodь' meaning 'master' or 'lord' and is cognate with the Russian word 'господин'. |
| Sesotho | Mohlomphehi is also used to refer to a young male goat or sheep. |
| Shona | The word 'changamire' also means 'a great chief' or 'a commander' in Shona. |
| Sindhi | In Urdu, "سائين" is also a term of respect for saints and spiritual leaders. |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | This word also means 'master', 'boss', 'lord' or any person who is addressed respectfully. |
| Slovak | The word "pane" in Slovak can also refer to a master or a lord, and is derived from the Slavic root "pan" meaning "master". |
| Slovenian | The word 'gospod' also means 'God' in Slovenian. |
| Somali | In its original sense, "mudane" meant "old man" in Somali. |
| Spanish | The Spanish word "señor" can also be used as a term of respect for an elder or superior, or to refer to a landowner or feudal lord. |
| Sundanese | Pak is also a title for male royalty, a title for gods in Sundanese mythology, and an affectionate or polite term of address for an older male. |
| Swahili | The Swahili word "bwana" originated from the Persian word "ban" which means "lord" or "master". |
| Swedish | The word "herr" in Swedish derives from the Old Norse word "herr" meaning "lord" or "master", and is cognate with the German word "Herr". |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | "Ginoo" comes from the Spanish word "señor", meaning "lord" or "master". |
| Tajik | The word "ҷаноб" is derived from the Persian word "janab", which means "side" or "direction". |
| Telugu | The word 'సార్' ('sir') in Telugu can also refer to a teacher or an elder brother. |
| Thai | The Thai word "ท่าน" derives from the Sanskrit word "sthana", meaning "position" or "rank", reflecting its use as a reverential term for individuals in positions of respect. |
| Turkish | Bayım, or bayum, also means 'to faint' or 'to get drowsy,' originating from the Arabic 'bayyûm', meaning 'night sleep'. |
| Ukrainian | Ukrainian "сер" is cognate to Russian "сэр", but has an alternate meaning of "heart" or "mind". |
| Urdu | The term 'جناب' (sir) derives from the Arabic word 'جنب', meaning 'side', possibly alluding to the attendant standing beside a noble person. |
| Uzbek | Janob is derived from the Arabic word 'janab', meaning 'side' or 'direction'. |
| Vietnamese | "Quý ngài" is used to address a male of any age and is also used as a formal title for a noble or high-ranking official. |
| Welsh | The Welsh word "syr" also means "sour" or "bitter". |
| Xhosa | The word "mhlekazi" may be related to the verb "-hlekaza," meaning "to scatter" or "to destroy," suggesting the historical connection with warriors scattering or destroying enemies. |
| Yiddish | הער literally means "the master" in German, though it is used to translate the English "mister" into Yiddish. |
| Yoruba | The Yoruba word "sir" (ọkọ) can also refer to a "husband" |
| Zulu | Mnumzane, derived from "umnumzane", is commonly translated as "sir" but historically was a title of respect for any man, particularly a leader or elder. |
| English | The word 'sir' is derived from the Old French word 'sire', which in turn comes from the Latin word 'senior', meaning 'elder' or 'superior'. |