Sister in Different Languages
Discover 'Sister' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Sister
Afrikaans suster | ||
Albanian moter | ||
Amharic እህት | ||
Arabic أخت | ||
Armenian քույրիկ | ||
Assamese ভণ্টি | ||
Aymara kullaka | ||
Azerbaijani bacı | ||
Bambara balimamuso | ||
Basque ahizpa | ||
Belarusian сястра | ||
Bengali বোন | ||
Bhojpuri बहिन | ||
Bosnian sestro | ||
Bulgarian сестра | ||
Catalan germana | ||
Cebuano igsoon nga babaye | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 妹妹 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 妹妹 | ||
Corsican surella | ||
Croatian sestra | ||
Czech sestra | ||
Danish søster | ||
Dhivehi ދައްތަ | ||
Dogri भैन | ||
Dutch zus | ||
English sister | ||
Esperanto fratino | ||
Estonian õde | ||
Ewe nᴐvi nyᴐnu | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) ate | ||
Finnish sisko | ||
French sœur | ||
Frisian suster | ||
Galician irmá | ||
Georgian და | ||
German schwester | ||
Greek αδελφή | ||
Guarani pehẽngue | ||
Gujarati બહેન | ||
Haitian Creole sè | ||
Hausa yar uwa | ||
Hawaiian kaikuaʻana, kaikaina | ||
Hebrew אָחוֹת | ||
Hindi बहन | ||
Hmong tus muam | ||
Hungarian nővér | ||
Icelandic systir | ||
Igbo nwanne | ||
Ilocano kabsat a babai | ||
Indonesian saudara | ||
Irish deirfiúr | ||
Italian sorella | ||
Japanese シスター | ||
Javanese mbakyu | ||
Kannada ಸಹೋದರಿ | ||
Kazakh қарындас | ||
Khmer បងស្រី | ||
Kinyarwanda mushiki wawe | ||
Konkani भयण | ||
Korean 여자 형제 | ||
Krio sista | ||
Kurdish xwişk | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) خوشک | ||
Kyrgyz бир тууган | ||
Lao ເອື້ອຍ | ||
Latin soror | ||
Latvian māsa | ||
Lingala ndeko-mwasi | ||
Lithuanian sesuo | ||
Luganda mwanyina | ||
Luxembourgish schwëster | ||
Macedonian сестра | ||
Maithili बहिन | ||
Malagasy rahavavy | ||
Malay saudari | ||
Malayalam സഹോദരി | ||
Maltese oħt | ||
Maori tuahine | ||
Marathi बहीण | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯏꯆꯦ | ||
Mizo unaunu | ||
Mongolian эгч | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) နှမ | ||
Nepali बहिनी | ||
Norwegian søster | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) mlongo | ||
Odia (Oriya) ଭଉଣୀ | ||
Oromo obboleettii | ||
Pashto خور | ||
Persian خواهر | ||
Polish siostra | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) irmã | ||
Punjabi ਭੈਣ | ||
Quechua ñaña | ||
Romanian sora | ||
Russian сестра | ||
Samoan tuafafine | ||
Sanskrit भगिनी | ||
Scots Gaelic piuthar | ||
Sepedi sesi | ||
Serbian сестра | ||
Sesotho khaitseli | ||
Shona hanzvadzi sikana | ||
Sindhi ڀيڻ | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) සහෝදරිය | ||
Slovak sestra | ||
Slovenian sestra | ||
Somali walaasheed | ||
Spanish hermana | ||
Sundanese adi | ||
Swahili dada | ||
Swedish syster | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) ate | ||
Tajik хоҳар | ||
Tamil சகோதரி | ||
Tatar апа | ||
Telugu సోదరి | ||
Thai น้องสาว | ||
Tigrinya ሓፍቲ | ||
Tsonga sesi | ||
Turkish kız kardeş | ||
Turkmen aýal dogany | ||
Twi (Akan) nuabaa | ||
Ukrainian сестра | ||
Urdu بہن | ||
Uyghur سىڭىل | ||
Uzbek opa | ||
Vietnamese em gái | ||
Welsh chwaer | ||
Xhosa usisi | ||
Yiddish שוועסטער | ||
Yoruba arabinrin | ||
Zulu dade |
Etymology & Notes
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | "Suster" also means "nurse" in Afrikaans due to the influence of the Dutch language. |
| Albanian | The word "moter" in Albanian is also used to refer to a female cousin. |
| Amharic | In Ge'ez, the root for እህት, እሠሥ, means "brother," but when a vowel suffix such as a -ት is added to the end, it takes on the meaning of "sister. |
| Arabic | The root of the word sister (أخت) is the Arabic verb 'to take,' as in to take someone as a brother or sister. |
| Armenian | The word "քույրիկ" can also refer to a female cousin or a close female friend in Armenian. |
| Azerbaijani | "Bacı" also means "sister-in-law" in Turkish and "aunt" in several Turkic languages. |
| Basque | The word "ahizpa" in Basque can also refer to a cousin, nephew, or niece |
| Belarusian | The word “сястра” has Slavic roots, and it is related to the words |
| Bengali | The word 'বোন' ('sister') in Bengali also refers to a female friend or a wife's younger sister. |
| Bosnian | The word "sestro" in Bosnian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "sestra", meaning "sister", and also refers to a close female friend. |
| Bulgarian | Bulgarian "сестра" derives from Proto-Slavic *sestra, meaning "sister" but also "nun". |
| Catalan | The word "germana" is a cognate of the Latin word "germen", meaning "sprout" or "seedling", and is related to the word "germane", meaning "relevant" or "closely related". |
| Cebuano | The word "igsoon nga babaye" can also be used to refer to female cousins, reflecting the close familial ties in Cebuano culture. |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 妹妹 (mèimei) is also used as a term of endearment for a girlfriend or a younger, unmarried woman. |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 妹妹 was originally a term of endearment for a younger female cousin and later came to mean "sister". |
| Corsican | Surella is etymologically derived from the Latin word "soror", meaning "sister", and can also refer to a nun or a cousin. |
| Croatian | The Croatian word "sestra" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "sestra", which also means "nurse". |
| Czech | The word "sestra" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "sestra", meaning "kinswoman" or "female sibling." |
| Danish | Historically, the word "søster" in Danish could also refer to a female friend or relative, but this is no longer common |
| Dutch | The word "zus" is derived from the Proto-Germanic word *swesōr, which also gave rise to the English word "sister". |
| Esperanto | Esperanto 'fratino' is also a term of address for a young woman, and originally meant 'little sister'. |
| Estonian | In Estonian, "õde" also denotes a female friend, a nurse, or a nun. |
| Finnish | It is a diminutive of 'sisar', which is the name for a female sibling both biological and non-biological. |
| French | In Old French, "sœur" also meant "nun," which explains its use in the phrase "la sainte sœur" |
| Frisian | The word "suster" in Frisian is cognate with the English word "sister", and both words derive from the Proto-Indo-European word *swesor. |
| Galician | In Galician, "irmá" can also refer to female religious figures like nuns or priestesses. |
| Georgian | The word "და" (da) derives from the Proto-Kartvelian root "*dað-“, which also meant "sibling in general". |
| German | The word "Schwester" comes from the Old High German "swestar" and is related to the English word "sister". |
| Greek | The word 'αδελφή' also means 'womb' in Greek, sharing the same root word as 'brother'. |
| Gujarati | The Gujarati word "બહેન" (sister) can also refer to members of religious communities or groups, such as a "sister" in a convent or a "sister" in a political organization. |
| Haitian Creole | The word "sè" in Haitian Creole also means "cousin" or "close relative". |
| Hausa | Yar uwa shares roots with ''uwa'', meaning ''mother'' in Hausa; they both come from the Proto-Chadic ''*ʔá-''.} |
| Hawaiian | Kaikuaʻana refers to a biological bond between sisters, while kaikaina describes a spiritual connection between sisters. |
| Hebrew | The word "אָחוֹת" also means "female relative" or "kinswoman" in Hebrew. |
| Hindi | The word 'बहन' in Hindi is derived from the Sanskrit word 'bhagini', meaning 'co-born' or 'one who is born from the same womb'. |
| Hmong | The word "tus muam" in Hmong can also refer to a female cousin or a woman who is like a sister to someone. |
| Hungarian | The word 'nővér' also means 'nurse', both deriving from the old Hungarian 'nover' which meant 'young woman'. |
| Icelandic | The Icelandic word "systir" is derived from the Old Norse word "systir", which means "sibling" or "kinswoman" and is related to the modern English word "sister". |
| Igbo | "Nwanne" is an Igbo word for "sister" that can also be extended to siblings of both genders or even friends. |
| Indonesian | The term 'saudara' can also be used as a more respectful way of addressing someone of similar age, regardless of their gender. |
| Irish | "Deirfiúr" is a compound noun meaning "daughter of the same father." |
| Italian | In Italian, the word "sorella" also means "sister" in the sense of a close female friend or a member of a religious order. |
| Japanese | The word シスター (sister) in Japanese can also refer to a female religious figure, such as a nun or a member of a religious order. |
| Javanese | The word "mbakyu" in Javanese also means "older sister" and is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word "*mbaqyu". |
| Kannada | "ಸಹೋದರಿ" (sister) also means a female relative, a friend or a companion. |
| Kazakh | The word "қарындас" is also used to refer to female friends or relatives who are like sisters. |
| Khmer | The term "បងស្រី" also refers to a "female teacher" or "older sister" without any relation to the speaker. |
| Korean | In Korean, the word "여자 형제" (literally "female sibling") can also refer to a female cousin or niece. |
| Kurdish | The term xwişk may also refer to a female cousin in some Kurdish dialects. |
| Kyrgyz | The word "бир тууган" can also mean "sibling" or "brother" in Kyrgyz. |
| Lao | The word "ເອື້ອຍ" ("sister") in Lao originally meant "younger sibling", and can still be used in this sense today. |
| Latin | The Latin word 'soror' also meant 'uterine sibling' or 'female cousin' |
| Latvian | The word "māsa" in Latvian can also mean "female animal used as bait in hunting" and is related to the Proto-Indo-European root *māt-, meaning "mother". |
| Lithuanian | The word "sesuo" also means "sibling" or "cousin" in Lithuanian. |
| Luxembourgish | "Schwëster" is related to words like "brother", "mother", and "daughter" in other Germanic languages like English, Danish, and Dutch. |
| Macedonian | The word "сестра" in Macedonian also has the alternate meaning of "female disciple". |
| Malagasy | The Malagasy word "rahavavy" is etymologically derived from the Malay word "kakak". It can refer to a biological or metaphorical sister, a friend, or even to the wife or female relative of the speaker's spouse. |
| Malay | Saudari is derived from the Arabic word "sawda", meaning "black" or "to blacken", and was originally used to describe a dark-skinned female slave. |
| Malayalam | The word "സഹോദരി" can also mean "sisterly" or "of a similar nature" in Malayalam. |
| Maltese | The word "oħt" is derived from the Arabic word "ukht", which also means "sister". |
| Maori | The word 'tuahine' can also refer to a female cousin or a close female friend in Maori culture. |
| Marathi | "बहीण" also means "account book" in Sanskrit and many other languages, possibly due to the fact that women were often the keepers of accounts in the past. |
| Mongolian | The term 'эгч' also means 'female friend' or 'younger female acquaintance' |
| Myanmar (Burmese) | The word "နှမ" (sister) is sometimes used to refer to a female close friend or relative in Myanmar, similar to the English term "sister-friend." |
| Nepali | The word "बहिनी" (sister) in Nepali is derived from the Sanskrit word "bhaginī". |
| Norwegian | The Norwegian word "søster" is derived from the Proto-Germanic word *swestēr, which is cognate with the English word "sister" and the German word "Schwester." |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | In Nyanja, 'mlongo' can also refer to a group of people with a common ancestor, such as a clan or tribe. |
| Pashto | The Pashto word "خور" can also refer to a stream or a valley. |
| Persian | The word "خواهر" (sister) in Persian can also mean "female friend" or "confidante". |
| Polish | Siostra derives from the Proto-Slavic word *sestra, which originally meant 'brother's wife' |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | The Portuguese word "irmã" comes from the Latin word "germana" meaning "full-sister". |
| Punjabi | The word "ਭੈਣ" ("sister") in Punjabi shares the same root as the word "भाई" ("brother"), reflecting the close bond between siblings. |
| Romanian | The Romanian word "sora" also means "sister-in-law" in Italian. |
| Russian | The word "сестра" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *sъstra, which originally meant "female relative" and was used to refer to both sisters and cousins. |
| Samoan | In Samoan, the word "tuafafine" can also refer to a woman's female cousin or to a woman of a similar age or status. |
| Scots Gaelic | The word "piuthar" in Scots Gaelic is derived from the Old Irish word "siuir", meaning "woman" or "daughter." |
| Serbian | The word "сестра" ("sister") in Serbian derives from the Proto-Slavic word "*sesorъ", meaning "female sibling", but is cognate with Latin "soror" (female sibling) and Greek "θηλέα" (nursing woman). |
| Sesotho | The Sesotho word "khaitseli" is also used to refer to a female friend or a female cousin. |
| Shona | The word "hanzvadzi" can also mean "wife" or "brother's wife" in Shona. |
| Sindhi | An alternate meaning of the Sindhi word "ڀيڻ" is "female cousin". |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | The Sinhala word "සහෝදරිය" can also refer to a female friend or a close companion. |
| Slovak | The word can also refer to a female friend or a person associated with a certain group in Slovak. |
| Slovenian | The word "sestra" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*sestrъ", which also means "nurse". |
| Somali | The word "walaasheed" in Somali can also refer to a female cousin, a close female friend, or a term of endearment for a young girl. |
| Spanish | In Andalusian Spanish, "hermana" can also refer to "sister-in-law". |
| Sundanese | The Sundanese word "adi" can also refer to a female cousin, a woman who is like a sister, or even a female friend. |
| Swahili | The Swahili word "dada" can also mean "older female relative" or "female friend". |
| Swedish | Derived from Old Norse systær and Proto-Germanic *swistar, which is cognate with English 'sister'. |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | The Tagalog word 'ate' is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word '*kaka', which means 'elder sibling' or 'older sibling of the same sex'. |
| Tajik | "Хоҳар" also means "wife's sister" in Tajik. |
| Tamil | The word 'சகோதரி' ('sister') can also mean 'friend' or 'companion' in Tamil. |
| Telugu | The word 'సోదరి' can also refer to a female disciple or a nun. |
| Thai | The word "น้องสาว" in Thai can also refer to any female junior, regardless of their actual relationship. |
| Turkish | "Kız kardeş" originates from ancient Turkic, "kiç kardaş", where "kiç" meant young and "kardaş" meant sibling |
| Ukrainian | The Ukrainian feminine noun «сестра» ("sister") comes from Old Church Slavonic «сестра», ultimately cognate with the Sanskrit «сваसृ» ("sister") |
| Urdu | In Urdu, "بہن" also means "female cousin" or "stepsister", highlighting familial relationships beyond immediate siblings. |
| Uzbek | In Uzbek, "opa" also denotes a term of respect for an older woman. |
| Vietnamese | The word "em gái" also means "girlfriend" or "lover" in Vietnamese slang. |
| Welsh | Chwaer's original meaning was more like "female relation," and is still so used of female cousins in Welsh dialects. |
| Xhosa | Xhosa 'usisi' may come from the Zulu word 'usisi' meaning 'younger sibling of either gender'. |
| Yiddish | The Yiddish word "שוועסטער" (shvester) is cognate with the English word "sister," both ultimately deriving from the Proto-Indo-European root *swesor. |
| Yoruba | "Àràbinrin" also means "kinship". It is a term of endearment for all females who are considered to be one's blood relations. |
| Zulu | "Dade" is an alternate spelling of "dadewethu," meaning "our elder sister". |
| English | The word "sister" derives from the Old English word "sweoster," which originally meant "female sibling" and could refer to either a sister or a female cousin. |