Someone in Different Languages
Discover 'Someone' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'someone' is a common English pronoun that holds significant meaning and cultural importance across the globe. It is used to refer to an individual whose specific identity is not known or not important in the current context. This word has been used in various forms of literature, music, and media to convey a sense of mystery, ambiguity, or inclusivity.
For instance, the famous line 'Someone like you' from Adele's hit song or Shakespeare's quote 'Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them' from Twelfth Night demonstrate the cultural significance and versatility of the word.
Moreover, understanding the translation of 'someone' in different languages can be beneficial for travelers, language learners, and cultural enthusiasts. It can help in building connections, expressing thoughts, and appreciating the nuances of different cultures.
Here are some translations of 'someone' in various languages:
Someone
Someone in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | iemand | ||
| The word "iemand" ('someone') derives from the Dutch word "iemand," which in turn originates from the Old High German word "einiman," meaning 'a person' or 'an individual'. | |||
| Amharic | አንድ ሰው | ||
| The Amharic word "አንድ ሰው" ("someone") can also refer to an anonymous individual or group of individuals, often when discussing unknown or unspecified actors. | |||
| Hausa | wani | ||
| The word “wani” can also mean “a thing” or “an unknown person” | |||
| Igbo | onye | ||
| The word "onye" can also mean "a person" or "an individual". | |||
| Malagasy | olona | ||
| "Olona" comes from a Proto-Austronesian word for "person" or "human being", with cognates in many other Austronesian languages, such as "ulun" in Tagalog and "ulun" in Indonesian. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | winawake | ||
| "Winawake" can also mean "something" or be used to refer to an unspecified person or thing. | |||
| Shona | mumwe munhu | ||
| Somali | qof | ||
| The word "qof" can also mean "person" or "individual" in Somali. | |||
| Sesotho | motho emong | ||
| The word 'motho emong' can also refer to a specific person, usually someone who is well-known or respected. | |||
| Swahili | mtu | ||
| The word 'mtu' in Swahili is derived from the Bantu root word '-tu', meaning 'person'. | |||
| Xhosa | umntu othile | ||
| The Xhosa word "umntu othile" also means "a certain person" or "a particular person" | |||
| Yoruba | ẹnikan | ||
| Yoruba term ẹnikan means “a person,” or “one who breathes.” | |||
| Zulu | othile | ||
| Othile is a Zulu word meaning 'someone', and it can also refer to a person of unknown or uncertain identity. | |||
| Bambara | mɔgɔ | ||
| Ewe | ame aɖe | ||
| Kinyarwanda | umuntu | ||
| Lingala | moto moko | ||
| Luganda | waliwo omuntu | ||
| Sepedi | motho yo mongwe | ||
| Twi (Akan) | obi | ||
Someone in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | شخصا ما | ||
| The Arabic word "someone" can also refer to a human being in general or to an unidentified or indeterminate person, similar to the English "anybody" or "someone". | |||
| Hebrew | מִישֶׁהוּ | ||
| The word "מִישֶׁהוּ" can also mean "a certain person" or "a person of importance." | |||
| Pashto | یو څوک | ||
| The Pashto word "يو څوک" is also used to refer to a stranger, or a person who is not known by the speaker. | |||
| Arabic | شخصا ما | ||
| The Arabic word "someone" can also refer to a human being in general or to an unidentified or indeterminate person, similar to the English "anybody" or "someone". | |||
Someone in Western European Languages
| Albanian | dikush | ||
| The word “dikush” derives from the Latin “quisque,” meaning “each” or “any. | |||
| Basque | norbait | ||
| "Norbait" is a portmanteau of "nor" (who) and "bait" (some), and can also be used as a question word. | |||
| Catalan | algú | ||
| The Catalan word "algú" ultimately derives from the Latin word "aliquis", meaning "a certain person". | |||
| Croatian | nekoga | ||
| The word "nekoga" in Croatian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "ne kotoryj", meaning "not any". | |||
| Danish | nogen | ||
| The word "nogen" also means "enough" in Danish, a meaning shared with the related German word "genug". | |||
| Dutch | iemand | ||
| Dutch word “iemand” derives from “niemand” (nobody) and used to mean “not nobody”. | |||
| English | someone | ||
| "Someone" comes from the Old English word "sum+" "man," meaning "one particular person". | |||
| French | quelqu'un | ||
| Quelqu’un derives from the Latin word ‘qualicunque’ meaning ‘of whatever kind’ and is related to ‘quelque’ (some). | |||
| Frisian | immen | ||
| The Frisian word "immen" likely derives from Proto-Germanic *immijaz, meaning "someone" or "someone there". | |||
| Galician | alguén | ||
| The word "alguén" in Galician can also refer to an unknown or indeterminate person that is about to take an action. | |||
| German | jemand | ||
| In German, "jemand" can also mean "a person" or "an individual". | |||
| Icelandic | einhver | ||
| In Icelandic, einhver can also mean "one of many" or "an unspecified person". | |||
| Irish | duine éigin | ||
| Italian | qualcuno | ||
| The word "qualcuno" comes from the Latin word "qualicumque," meaning "of whatever kind". | |||
| Luxembourgish | een | ||
| The word "een" can also be used as a pronoun meaning "it" or "this." | |||
| Maltese | xi ħadd | ||
| The term "xi ħadd" literally translates to "a nobody", but it is commonly used to refer to a non-specific individual. | |||
| Norwegian | noen | ||
| "Noen" is also cognate with the English word "any", and can be used in the same way. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | alguém | ||
| The Portuguese word "alguém" derives from the Arabic word "al-ğayr", meaning "the other". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | cuideigin | ||
| In Scottish Gaelic, 'cuideigin' can also refer to a familiar form of address for a young woman or girl. | |||
| Spanish | alguien | ||
| The Spanish word "alguien" (someone) comes from the Latin word "aliquis", which also means "someone" or "anyone". | |||
| Swedish | någon | ||
| In the 14th century, "någon" could also mean "any" or "one". | |||
| Welsh | rhywun | ||
| The word "rhywun" can also mean "a person of some kind" or "a certain person". | |||
Someone in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | хто-небудзь | ||
| Bosnian | neko | ||
| Bosnian "neko" is used when referring to a person, but is also the diminutive for "child". | |||
| Bulgarian | някой | ||
| The etymology of "някой" is unknown, but it is thought to be related to the Old Church Slavonic word "нѣкто" meaning "no one". | |||
| Czech | někdo | ||
| The word "někdo" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *někъto, which also means "someone else" or "some other thing." | |||
| Estonian | keegi | ||
| The word "keegi" is also used in Estonian as an indefinite pronoun meaning "anybody" or "some person" | |||
| Finnish | joku | ||
| The word "joku" is related to the word "jokin" ("something") and the suffix "-kin/-kän", used to form indefinite pronouns. | |||
| Hungarian | valaki | ||
| "Valaki" was originally the name of a male deity of love and beauty in Hungarian mythology. | |||
| Latvian | kāds | ||
| The Latvian word "kāds" has the same root as the Lithuanian word "koks" and the Old Prussian word "kas", all meaning "who". | |||
| Lithuanian | kažkas | ||
| The Lithuanian word "kažkas" is a compound word composed of "kaž-," meaning "someone," and the suffix "-kas," a possessive suffix, giving it a sense of "one of many" or "someone in particular." | |||
| Macedonian | некој | ||
| The word "некој" in Macedonian also has the alternate meaning of "anybody" or "someone important". | |||
| Polish | ktoś | ||
| "Ktoś" is the second person singular future tense of the Polish verb "kraść" (to steal). | |||
| Romanian | cineva | ||
| The word "cineva" is derived from the Latin word "quisque," meaning "each, each one, everyone, anybody," and has a similar meaning in Romanian. | |||
| Russian | кто то | ||
| The word "кто то" can also be used in the sense of "somebody" or "someone unknown" | |||
| Serbian | некога | ||
| The word 'некога' can also mean 'for some time' or 'at some point'. | |||
| Slovak | niekoho | ||
| In informal Slovak, "niekoho" can also mean "no one." | |||
| Slovenian | nekdo | ||
| The word "nekdo" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*někъto", meaning "a certain person" or "someone". | |||
| Ukrainian | когось | ||
| The word "когось" derives from the Old East Slavic "къто", meaning "who, which, which one." | |||
Someone in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | কেউ | ||
| The Bengali word "কেউ" ("someone") is also used to mean "anyone" or "nobody" in certain contexts. | |||
| Gujarati | કોઈ | ||
| The word "કોઈ" in Gujarati, originally derived from Prakrit "kovi", cognate with Sanskrit "ko api", ultimately derives from Indo-Aryan "ka" meaning "who". | |||
| Hindi | कोई व्यक्ति | ||
| The word 'कोई व्यक्ति' can also mean 'any person', indicating an unidentified or unspecified individual. | |||
| Kannada | ಯಾರಾದರೂ | ||
| Its usage as a substitute for 'whoever' is considered substandard | |||
| Malayalam | ആരെങ്കിലും | ||
| The word "ആരെങ്കിലും" ("someone") in Malayalam also means "whoever" when used in a negative sense. | |||
| Marathi | कोणीतरी | ||
| While "कोणीतरी" literally means "any of many" in Marathi, it can also be used as "someone" in English. | |||
| Nepali | कोही | ||
| The word "कोही" is derived from the Sanskrit word "किमपि" (kimpi), meaning "any" or "some" | |||
| Punjabi | ਕੋਈ | ||
| The Punjabi word "ਕੋਈ" also translates as "some" and can be synonymous with "any" in English, indicating an indeterminate amount or an unspecified individual. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | කවුරුහරි | ||
| Tamil | யாரோ | ||
| The word யாரோ (someone) in Tamil may also refer to a specific person in a context where the identity of the person is not clear or known. | |||
| Telugu | ఎవరైనా | ||
| The word "ఎవరైనా" can also mean "whoever" or "anybody". | |||
| Urdu | کسی | ||
| The word "کسی" can be used as a pronoun to refer to a generic person of either gender or as an adjective to mean "any" or "some". | |||
Someone in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 某人 | ||
| 某人 can also refer to a specific person whose name is unknown or intentionally concealed. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 某人 | ||
| 某人, "a certain person or thing", as an indefinite pronoun, is derived from the term "某" that means "a certain" and "人" that means "a person or thing." | |||
| Japanese | 誰か | ||
| "誰か" (dareka) literally means "who and someone" in Japanese. | |||
| Korean | 어떤 사람 | ||
| The word "어떤 사람" can also mean "a certain person" or "a particular person". | |||
| Mongolian | хэн нэгэн | ||
| "Хэн нэгэн" can mean "who" or "whoever" when used in a question. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | တစ်စုံတစ်ယောက် | ||
Someone in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | some one | ||
| The Indonesian term "seseorang" (someone) derives from the Javanese phrase "sapa-sapa wani" (anybody willing), signifying inclusivity and a sense of choice. | |||
| Javanese | wong liya | ||
| "Wong liya" also means "other people or group". | |||
| Khmer | អ្នកណាម្នាក់ | ||
| Lao | ຄົນ | ||
| In Lao, "ຄົນ" means not only "someone" but also "person," "human being," "man," "woman," "husband," "wife," or "child." | |||
| Malay | seseorang | ||
| The original meaning of "seseorang" in Malay is "one that does something" or "one who works on something", like in "seorang tukang kayu" ("carpenter"). | |||
| Thai | บางคน | ||
| In some Thai idioms, "บางคน" refers to a specific person or group of people rather than an indeterminate individual. | |||
| Vietnamese | người nào | ||
| "Người nào" also means "which one" or "which" depending on context. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | isang tao | ||
Someone in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | kimsə | ||
| The word "kimsə" is derived from the Persian word "kas" meaning "person". | |||
| Kazakh | біреу | ||
| The word "біреу" in Kazakh also means "a certain person" or "an individual". | |||
| Kyrgyz | бирөө | ||
| The Kyrgyz word “бирөө” can also refer to a deity, but in this context, it is typically used in the plural to mean “gods”. | |||
| Tajik | касе | ||
| The word "касе" can also mean "a certain person" or "a person in question". | |||
| Turkmen | kimdir biri | ||
| Uzbek | kimdir | ||
| The word "kimdir" can also be used to express "who" in indirect questions. | |||
| Uyghur | بىرەيلەن | ||
Someone in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kekahi | ||
| The word "kekahi" can also mean "some", "a few", or "several" in Hawaiian. | |||
| Maori | tangata | ||
| In other Polynesian languages, **tangata** also means human being, and it is cognate to the word **kanaka** in Hawaiian. | |||
| Samoan | se tasi | ||
| "Se tasi" is derived from "se" (a definite article) and "tasi" (ocean), hence the literal meaning is "one ocean". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | kahit sino | ||
| Despite being used like an indefinite pronoun, "kahit sino" (someone) traces its roots to the Spanish word "castellano" (Castilian, the language spoken by Spanish settlers in the Philippines). | |||
Someone in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | khithi | ||
| Guarani | máva | ||
Someone in International Languages
| Esperanto | iu | ||
| The word "iu" is derived from the Latin "ego" and can also mean "I" in Esperanto. | |||
| Latin | aliquis | ||
| In Late Latin, "aliquis" came to be used in law to refer to an unidentified person and was also used in Medieval Latin to mean "whoever". | |||
Someone in Others Languages
| Greek | κάποιος | ||
| The term 'κάποιος' has an alternate meaning of 'vague' or 'indefinite', indicating an unspecified person. | |||
| Hmong | ib tug neeg | ||
| The Hmong word "ib tug neeg" can also refer to a specific person or people. | |||
| Kurdish | kesek | ||
| The word "kesek" can also refer to "a person", "a human being", or someone with a specific identity or role in society. | |||
| Turkish | birisi | ||
| Birisi originates from the word "bir" meaning "one" in Turkish and the suffix "-isi" used to indicate possession or belonging, denoting "the one who has one of something". | |||
| Xhosa | umntu othile | ||
| The Xhosa word "umntu othile" also means "a certain person" or "a particular person" | |||
| Yiddish | עמעצער | ||
| The Yiddish word "עמעצער" can also refer to someone who is unimportant or insignificant. | |||
| Zulu | othile | ||
| Othile is a Zulu word meaning 'someone', and it can also refer to a person of unknown or uncertain identity. | |||
| Assamese | কোনোবা এজনে | ||
| Aymara | khithi | ||
| Bhojpuri | केहू | ||
| Dhivehi | ކޮންމެވެސް މީހަކު | ||
| Dogri | कोई | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | isang tao | ||
| Guarani | máva | ||
| Ilocano | maysa a tao | ||
| Krio | sɔmbɔdi | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | کەسێک | ||
| Maithili | कियो | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯀꯅꯥꯒꯨꯝꯕ ꯑꯃ | ||
| Mizo | tu emaw | ||
| Oromo | nama ta'e | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | କେହି ଜଣେ | ||
| Quechua | pipas | ||
| Sanskrit | कश्चित् | ||
| Tatar | кемдер | ||
| Tigrinya | ሓደ ሰብ | ||
| Tsonga | un'wana | ||