Afrikaans samelewing | ||
Albanian shoqërisë | ||
Amharic ህብረተሰብ | ||
Arabic المجتمع | ||
Armenian հասարակություն | ||
Assamese সমাজ | ||
Aymara jaqinaka | ||
Azerbaijani cəmiyyət | ||
Bambara sosiyete | ||
Basque gizartea | ||
Belarusian грамадства | ||
Bengali সমাজ | ||
Bhojpuri समाज | ||
Bosnian društvo | ||
Bulgarian общество | ||
Catalan societat | ||
Cebuano katilingban | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 社会 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 社會 | ||
Corsican sucietà | ||
Croatian društvo | ||
Czech společnost | ||
Danish samfund | ||
Dhivehi މުޖުތަމަޢު | ||
Dogri समाज | ||
Dutch maatschappij | ||
English society | ||
Esperanto socio | ||
Estonian ühiskonnas | ||
Ewe du | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) lipunan | ||
Finnish yhteiskunnassa | ||
French société | ||
Frisian maatskippij | ||
Galician sociedade | ||
Georgian საზოგადოება | ||
German gesellschaft | ||
Greek κοινωνία | ||
Guarani avano'õ | ||
Gujarati સમાજ | ||
Haitian Creole sosyete a | ||
Hausa jama'a | ||
Hawaiian kaiāulu | ||
Hebrew חֶברָה | ||
Hindi समाज | ||
Hmong tib neeg | ||
Hungarian társadalom | ||
Icelandic samfélag | ||
Igbo ọha mmadụ | ||
Ilocano gimong | ||
Indonesian masyarakat | ||
Irish sochaí | ||
Italian società | ||
Japanese 社会 | ||
Javanese masarakat | ||
Kannada ಸಮಾಜ | ||
Kazakh қоғам | ||
Khmer សង្គម | ||
Kinyarwanda sosiyete | ||
Konkani सोसायटी | ||
Korean 사회 | ||
Krio sosayti | ||
Kurdish civat | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) کۆمەڵگە | ||
Kyrgyz коом | ||
Lao ສັງຄົມ | ||
Latin societatis, | ||
Latvian sabiedrībā | ||
Lingala lisanga | ||
Lithuanian visuomenės | ||
Luganda abantu ku kyaalo | ||
Luxembourgish gesellschaft | ||
Macedonian општеството | ||
Maithili समाज | ||
Malagasy society | ||
Malay masyarakat | ||
Malayalam സമൂഹം | ||
Maltese soċjetà | ||
Maori hapori | ||
Marathi समाज | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯈꯨꯟꯅꯥꯏ | ||
Mizo khawtlang | ||
Mongolian нийгэм | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) လူ့အဖွဲ့အစည်း | ||
Nepali समाज | ||
Norwegian samfunn | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) gulu | ||
Odia (Oriya) ସମାଜ | ||
Oromo hawaasa | ||
Pashto ټولنه | ||
Persian جامعه | ||
Polish społeczeństwo | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) sociedade | ||
Punjabi ਸਮਾਜ | ||
Quechua huñu | ||
Romanian societate | ||
Russian общество | ||
Samoan sosaiete | ||
Sanskrit समाज | ||
Scots Gaelic comann-sòisealta | ||
Sepedi setšhaba | ||
Serbian друштво | ||
Sesotho sechaba | ||
Shona nzanga | ||
Sindhi سماج | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) සමාජය | ||
Slovak spoločnosti | ||
Slovenian družba | ||
Somali bulshada | ||
Spanish sociedad | ||
Sundanese masarakat | ||
Swahili jamii | ||
Swedish samhälle | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) lipunan | ||
Tajik ҷомеа | ||
Tamil சமூகம் | ||
Tatar җәмгыять | ||
Telugu సమాజం | ||
Thai สังคม | ||
Tigrinya ሕብረተሰብ | ||
Tsonga vaaki | ||
Turkish toplum | ||
Turkmen jemgyýet | ||
Twi (Akan) nipakuo | ||
Ukrainian суспільство | ||
Urdu معاشرے | ||
Uyghur جەمئىيەت | ||
Uzbek jamiyat | ||
Vietnamese xã hội | ||
Welsh cymdeithas | ||
Xhosa uluntu | ||
Yiddish געזעלשאַפט | ||
Yoruba awujo | ||
Zulu umphakathi |
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | "Samelewing" is an Afrikaans word with several different meanings, including "society" but also "community" and "association." |
| Albanian | The Albanian word "shoqërisë" is derived from the Latin word "societas" meaning "companionship, association, alliance, or league". |
| Amharic | The Amharic word ህብረተሰብ means not only "society", but also "social contract" |
| Arabic | In Arabic, "المجتمع" is a term used to describe not only "society" but also a "mosque", hinting at the intertwining of religion and community in the region's culture. |
| Azerbaijani | The word "cəmiyyət" (society) is derived from Arabic and refers to a group of individuals living together. Its plural form is "cəmiyyətlər". |
| Basque | The word "gizartea" can also mean "social gathering" or "community". |
| Belarusian | The Belarusian word "грамадства" is derived from the Old Church Slavonic word "громада", which originally meant "crowd" or "gathering". |
| Bengali | The word "সমাজ" (samaj) in Bengali has the additional meaning of "gathering" or "assembly". |
| Bosnian | The word "društvo" in Bosnian can also refer to a formal organization or association. |
| Bulgarian | The word "общество" also means "community" or "company" and is derived from the Old Church Slavonic word "съборъ", meaning "gathering" or "assembly". |
| Catalan | The Catalan word "societat" derives from the Latin word "societas", meaning "group" or "community". |
| Cebuano | "Katilingban" is related to the word "lingaw" which means entertainment or fun, implying that society is a place for interaction and enjoyment. |
| Chinese (Simplified) | The Chinese character 社会 (shèhuì), meaning "society," also refers to "social" phenomena, interactions, and relationships. |
| Chinese (Traditional) | The word 社會 (society) is derived from the combination of 社 (shrine or temple) and 會 (gathering or assembly), indicating the importance of social interactions in early Chinese societies. |
| Corsican | The Corsican word "sucietà" shares its etymology with the Italian word "società" but can also mean "relationship" and "family". |
| Croatian | The Croatian word "društvo" originates from the Slavic root "drug" meaning "friend" or "companion". |
| Czech | The word "společnost" in Czech also means "companionship", "company" or "gathering". |
| Danish | The word "samfund" in Danish comes from the Proto-Germanic root *samafundjan, meaning "community". |
| Dutch | The word 'maatschappij' is derived from the Old Dutch word 'maatschap', which means 'partnership' or 'company'. |
| Esperanto | The Esperanto word "socio" is derived from the Latin word "socius," meaning "companion" or "friend." |
| Estonian | The word "ühiskonnas" can also mean "in society" or "in a community". |
| Finnish | The word "yhteiskunnassa" is derived from the verb "yhtyä" (to unite) and the suffix "-ssa" (in), indicating a place or context where people are united to form a society. |
| French | The French word "société" not only means society but also a company or corporation. |
| Frisian | The word "maatskippij" is derived from the Old Frisian words "maet" (meeting) and "skip" (ship), implying a group of people who meet together. |
| Galician | In Galician, "sociedade" also refers to a legal entity, like a company or association. |
| German | Gesellschaft derives from the Old High German word "giscaft," meaning "creation" or "creature." |
| Greek | The word 'κοινωνία' in Greek can also mean 'fellowship' or 'communion', reflecting the bonds between individuals in a society. |
| Gujarati | The Gujarati word 'સમાજ' ('society') is derived from the Sanskrit root 'sam' (together) and 'aaaj' (to move), implying a group of people moving together in a harmonious manner. |
| Haitian Creole | "Sosyete a" can also mean "elite". |
| Hausa | The Hausa word "jama'a" also means "group of people" or "community." |
| Hawaiian | Kaiāulu, which means 'community' in Hawaiian, is derived from the words kai ('ocean') and ʻāulu ('community, society') which together imply a shared connection to the ocean and the land. |
| Hebrew | In Hebrew, "חֶברָה" can also refer to a group of friends or a partnership. |
| Hindi | The word "समाज" (samaaj) in Hindi derives from the Sanskrit root "सम्" (sam), meaning "together," and also refers to a gathering or assembly of people with common interests or goals. |
| Hmong | "Tib neeg" comes from "tis" meaning "to join" and "neeg" meaning "people". |
| Hungarian | The word "társadalom" stems from the words "társ" (companion) and "dalom" (belonging somewhere), referring to the sense of community among people who share a common identity. |
| Icelandic | Samfélag literally means "gathering of the same," referring to an assembly or group of peers. |
| Igbo | "Ọha mmadụ" means "meeting or gathering of people", but in a more metaphorical sense, it is used in Igbo to refer to "society," or more particularly, the "social order." |
| Indonesian | The Indonesian word "masyarakat" is derived from the Sanskrit word "masyam", which means "crowd" or "gathering". |
| Irish | The word "sochaí" in Irish comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *sa-, meaning "to bind together". |
| Italian | The word "società" in Italian can also refer to a business partnership or association. |
| Japanese | The term "社会" can also refer to a social gathering or event in Japanese |
| Javanese | The Javanese word 'masarakat' shares the same etymology with 'masyarakat' in Indonesian, which means 'to associate', highlighting the communal nature of society. |
| Kannada | The word ಸಮಾಜ literally combines the words 'sama' (equal) and 'aja' (goat), referring to a group of goats that treat each other equally |
| Kazakh | The word "қоғам" also means "people" or "community" in Kazakh. |
| Khmer | The term "Sangkum" can also mean a "political coalition". |
| Korean | The word '사회' can also mean 'world' or 'universe' in Korean, reflecting the concept of society as a microcosm of the larger cosmos. |
| Kurdish | The word "civat" also means "world" or "the public". |
| Kyrgyz | The Kyrgyz word “коом” (society) is likely derived from the Turkic word “qom” (horde, clan). |
| Lao | The word ສັງຄົມ (sangkōm) shares the etymology of "sangha," meaning Buddhist society, order, or community, suggesting a strong historical link between society and religious life in Lao culture. |
| Latin | Societatis derives from two Latin roots: "socius" meaning companion and "etatis" meaning age or generation. |
| Latvian | The Latvian word "sabiedrībā" can also mean "in the company of someone" or "amongst people". |
| Lithuanian | The Lithuanian word "visuomenės" is derived from the word "visas" meaning "whole" or "all", and originally meant "the community of all people". |
| Luxembourgish | The word "Gesellschaft" in Luxembourgish can also refer to a group of people with common interests or goals. |
| Macedonian | The word "општеството" comes from the Old Church Slavonic and means "gatherings", but can also mean "association" or "community" in modern Macedonian. |
| Malagasy | The Malagasy word "fiarahamonina" originates from the root word "fiaraha" meaning "together" and carries the same meaning of "society" in English. |
| Malay | The word "masyarakat" in Malay is derived from the Sanskrit word "majjhati", meaning "middle" or "center". |
| Malayalam | The term 'സമൂഹം' comes from Sanskrit and originally meant 'a gathering of people' or 'an assembly'. |
| Maltese | The word "soċjetà" is derived from the Italian word "società", which in turn comes from the Latin word "societas", meaning "companionship, association, or alliance" |
| Maori | The word 'hapori' also denotes a 'community of like-minded people' or 'a gathering of people' in Maori. |
| Marathi | "समाज" comes either from the Sanskrit word "समाज" meaning "to meet" or "समन् + आ + जा" meaning "coming together". |
| Mongolian | The word 'нийгэм' in Mongolian is derived from the Tibetan 'mi 'gyu ma' ('people's group'), and is also cognate with the Russian word 'общество', both of which derive from the Latin 'socius'. |
| Nepali | The word "समाज" in Nepali is derived from the Sanskrit word "samāja", which means "assembly" or "gathering". |
| Norwegian | In Old Norse the word "samfunn" referred to shared property, indicating that sharing and community were key concepts in the Viking society. |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | The word "gulu" in Nyanja also means "a group of people who live together". |
| Pashto | The Pashto word ټولنه (tolna) also refers to a meeting of a tribe for discussion or to settle disputes. |
| Persian | The word 'جامعه' (society), which is often used synonymously with 'جماعت' (group), derives from the Arabic root 'جمـع', meaning 'collection' or 'gathering'. |
| Polish | "Społeczeństwo" comes from the Old Polish word "społ", meaning "together". |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | The word 'sociedade' in Portuguese comes from the Latin 'societas,' meaning a group of individuals united for a common purpose, but can also refer to a group of individuals sharing common interests or beliefs. |
| Punjabi | "ਸਮਾਜ" (society) derives from the Sanskrit root "samaj" meaning "to come together," implying a collective of individuals with common interests or goals. |
| Romanian | In Romanian, "societate" also means "company" or "firm". |
| Russian | Общество, a word for "society" in Russian, comes from the Slavic "obshchaty", which means "joint property" and "community". |
| Samoan | The word "sosaiete" also means fellowship, company, companionship, company, circle, or gathering together for companionship. |
| Scots Gaelic | The term 'comann-sòisealta' is also used to describe a 'commonwealth' or 'society of friends' in Scots Gaelic. |
| Serbian | The word 'друштво' can also mean a group of people or a club, and it is derived from the Old Church Slavonic word 'дръжити', meaning 'to hold' or 'to join'. |
| Sesotho | "Sechaba" is also used to refer to a group of people who live together in a community or nation. |
| Shona | The word 'nzanga' can also refer to the female head of a household. |
| Sindhi | "سماج" (samaj) is derived from the Sanskrit word "samāja," meaning "meeting" or "association". |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | The Sinhala word "සමාජය" ("samajaya") also has the alternate meaning of "community" or "public." |
| Slovak | The word "spoločnosti" can also mean "companies" or "corporations" in English, depending on the context. |
| Slovenian | The word "družba" in Slovenian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *druga, meaning "companion" or "friend." |
| Somali | The word "bulshada" in Somali can also refer to a specific group of people, such as a community or a social class. |
| Spanish | In Spanish, "sociedad" can refer to a business partnership, similar to "company" in English. |
| Sundanese | In Sundanese, "masarakat" also refers to a group of people who live in one settlement, such as a village or a district |
| Swahili | "Jamii" is an Arabic loanword in Swahili meaning "people", "congregation", or "assembly". |
| Swedish | The word "samhälle" can also mean "commune" or "parish" in Swedish. |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | The word "lipunan" in Tagalog can also refer to a group of people who share a common interest or purpose. |
| Tajik | The word "ҷомеа" also means "community" or "gathering" in Tajik. |
| Tamil | "சமூகம்" (society) derives from Sanskrit "samaja," meaning "multitude," but also refers to "goodness" in the sense of adhering to social conventions. |
| Telugu | Also refers to a gathering of people or fellowship. |
| Thai | The word "สังคม" (society) derives from the Sanskrit word "samāja" and can also mean "community", "association", or "group". |
| Turkish | The word "toplum" comes from the verb "toplamak" meaning "to collect" and "derlemek" meaning "to compile". This implies that a society is a collective of individuals and their compiled ideas and behaviors. |
| Ukrainian | The original meaning of the Ukrainian word "суспільство" was "group," and it gradually came to mean "society." |
| Urdu | The word معاشرے "society" in Urdu, derived from the Arabic root "'ashara," meaning "to mix or associate," implies a collective of interacting individuals with shared values and norms. |
| Uzbek | The word "jamiyat" is also used to refer to a group of people who share common interests or goals. |
| Vietnamese | The term "xã hội" can also refer to any type of organization that shares a common goal and a sense of cohesion, such as a club, school, or political party. |
| Welsh | The word "cymdeithas" in Welsh comes from the root word "cyd", which means "together" or "with". It can also refer to a group or community of people sharing common interests, values or goals. |
| Xhosa | The Xhosa word "uluntu" also refers to the concept of "personhood" or "humanity," emphasizing the interconnectedness of individuals within the collective. |
| Yiddish | The Yiddish word געזעלשאַפט ('society') is ultimately derived from the Middle High German 'gesellschaft', meaning 'companionship, fellowship' and 'company, assembly'. |
| Yoruba | The word 'awujo' in Yoruba derives from the root "awu," meaning "to mix" or "to blend," implying a society's diverse and interconnected nature. |
| Zulu | The word "umphakathi" is a term originating in the Bantu language, which carries additional connotations of community, collectivity, and interconnectedness, encapsulating a broader sense of cohesion than the narrower English term "society." |
| English | The word "society" derives from the Latin "societas," meaning "companionship" or "association." |