Son in Different Languages
Discover 'Son' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'son' carries a profound significance in many cultures and families around the world. It represents filial bond, familial connection, and lineage. As a term of endearment or a formal title, 'son' bridges generations and honors familial relationships. Moreover, it's a common term in various languages, showcasing the global unity in family structures.
Throughout history, the role of a son has been multifaceted, often expected to carry on the family name, tradition, and values. This significance transcends cultural boundaries and is reflected in the various translations of the word.
For those interested in language, culture, or genealogy, understanding the translation of 'son' in different languages can be enlightening and rewarding. Here are a few examples:
Son
Son in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | syne | ||
| The word "syne" has been used in Afrikaans since the 17th century to mean "son", and may be derived from the Dutch word "zoon" or the Middle Dutch word "sone". | |||
| Amharic | የእሱ | ||
| The word "የእሱ" ("son") in Amharic can also refer to a "child", "offspring", or a "descendant". | |||
| Hausa | nasa | ||
| The Hausa word "nasa" (pronounced "nah-sah") can also refer to a "young man" or "boy" in a general sense, as opposed to a specific biological son. | |||
| Igbo | ya | ||
| The word "ya" in Igbo also means "father's younger brother". | |||
| Malagasy | ny | ||
| "Ny" can also mean "his/her", "the", "of" or "belonging to" | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | ake | ||
| In Northern dialects of Chichewa, 'Ake' can also mean 'child' or 'younger sibling'. | |||
| Shona | zvake | ||
| The Shona word "zvake" is also used to refer to a nephew or grandson. | |||
| Somali | isaga | ||
| The word 'isaga' also means 'him' in Somali. | |||
| Sesotho | hae | ||
| Hae can also mean "child", which is a gender neutral term for offspring of any age group in Sesotho. | |||
| Swahili | yake | ||
| A homophone of 'yake' (his/her/its), 'yake' is also a term of endearment for a boyfriend or girlfriend. | |||
| Xhosa | yakhe | ||
| The word 'yakhe', commonly translated as 'son' in Xhosa, also carries the profound alternate meaning of 'heir,' encapsulating not only a biological connection but an inheritance of legacy and responsibility. | |||
| Yoruba | tirẹ | ||
| Yoruba word "tirẹ" also means "one who is to be cared for." | |||
| Zulu | okwakhe | ||
| 'Okwakhe' is derived from the Zulu verb 'ukwakha', meaning 'to build', alluding to the notion of a child as a foundation or extension of their parents. | |||
| Bambara | denkɛ | ||
| Ewe | viŋutsuvi | ||
| Kinyarwanda | umuhungu | ||
| Lingala | mwana mobali | ||
| Luganda | omwana wange | ||
| Sepedi | morwa | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ɔba | ||
Son in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | له | ||
| The word "له" can also refer to "him" or "his" in Arabic. | |||
| Hebrew | שֶׁלוֹ | ||
| The word "שֶׁלוֹ" in Hebrew can also refer to "his" or "its" when describing ownership or possession. | |||
| Pashto | د | ||
| The Pashto word "د" can also be used to refer to students or followers of a particular person or group. | |||
| Arabic | له | ||
| The word "له" can also refer to "him" or "his" in Arabic. | |||
Son in Western European Languages
| Albanian | e tij | ||
| The term 'e tij' can also refer to the male relative of any generation, such as nephew, grandson, or great-grandson. | |||
| Basque | haren | ||
| The word “haren” also refers to “descendant” in the case of “haren zahar” (ancestor) | |||
| Catalan | seva | ||
| The Catalan word "seva" can also mean "sap" or "juice". | |||
| Croatian | njegova | ||
| The word "njegova" can also refer to a man's wife or girlfriend. | |||
| Danish | hans | ||
| The word 'hans' also means 'his' in Danish. | |||
| Dutch | zijn | ||
| "Zijn" is also used as a possessive pronoun, meaning "his" or "hers." | |||
| English | son | ||
| "Son" in English can also refer to a male member of a religious order or a title for a male god. | |||
| French | son | ||
| In French, the word 'son' can also refer to a sound or tone. | |||
| Frisian | syn | ||
| The Old Frisian word 'syn' also means 'sin', as it does in the modern Frisian dialects, Dutch and German. | |||
| Galician | súa | ||
| In Galician, "súa" can also refer to a female relative (not necessarily a daughter), such as a granddaughter or niece. | |||
| German | seine | ||
| The German word "seine" can also refer to a fishing net or a river in France. | |||
| Icelandic | hans | ||
| The term "hans" in Icelandic also denotes a patronymic suffix, indicating filial relationship, comparable to the English "-son" suffix. | |||
| Irish | a | ||
| The Irish word 'a’ means son but can also have a second meaning of “beautiful” as a prefix. | |||
| Italian | suo | ||
| Suo refers to the third person possessive form of the male singular and plural form of the pronoun he, his. | |||
| Luxembourgish | seng | ||
| "Seng" can also mean "boy" or "young man". | |||
| Maltese | tiegħu | ||
| The Maltese word "tiegħu" also means "father's." | |||
| Norwegian | hans | ||
| Originally, "hans" was not only "his" (as opposed to "hers"), but also "their" (as opposed to "its"). | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | dele | ||
| The word "dele" can also refer to the third person singular masculine pronoun "his". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | aige | ||
| The word "aige" can also mean "child" or "young person" in Scots Gaelic. | |||
| Spanish | su | ||
| Su, meaning 'his', 'her,' or 'your,' derives from the Latin 'suus,' meaning 'one's own.' | |||
| Swedish | hans | ||
| In certain contexts, 'hans', which normally means 'his' can be used to mean 'hers', a usage which has become archaic in other varieties of the Scandinavian languages. | |||
| Welsh | ei | ||
| The word 'ei' in Welsh is thought to derive from the Celtic word for 'descendant' and can also be used to denote a child or offspring. | |||
Son in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | яго | ||
| The word "яго" can also mean "his" or "its" in Belarusian. | |||
| Bosnian | njegov | ||
| In Bosnian and Croatian, "njegov" can also refer to a male relative, especially a nephew or grandson. | |||
| Bulgarian | неговото | ||
| The Bulgarian word "неговото" can also refer to a male offspring, descendant, or heir. | |||
| Czech | jeho | ||
| The word "jeho" may also mean "his" in Czech. | |||
| Estonian | tema | ||
| In addition to "son", "tema" can also mean "theme" or "topic". | |||
| Finnish | hänen | ||
| 'Hän' in Finnish refers both to a third person singular pronoun and to a son. | |||
| Hungarian | övé | ||
| The word "övé" can also refer to a son-in-law or nephew. | |||
| Latvian | viņa | ||
| "Viņa" in Latvian can also mean "his" or "hers". | |||
| Lithuanian | jo | ||
| The Lithuanian word "jo" is also a vocative particle, similar to the Russian "же". | |||
| Macedonian | неговиот | ||
| The word "неговиот" can also refer to a nephew or grandson in some contexts. | |||
| Polish | jego | ||
| "Jego" in Polish can also mean "his" in the context of possession. | |||
| Romanian | a lui | ||
| "A lui" is also a personal pronoun in Romanian, meaning "his" or "hers". | |||
| Russian | его | ||
| The word "его" can also mean "his" or "its" in Russian. | |||
| Serbian | његов | ||
| In some dialects, the word “његов” (“son”) can also refer to a daughter or child of unspecified gender. | |||
| Slovak | jeho | ||
| In some Old Church Slavonic texts, the word "jeho" can also refer to a nephew. | |||
| Slovenian | njegovo | ||
| The word "njegovo" can also refer to "his" in the possessive sense. | |||
| Ukrainian | його | ||
| Його (son) derives from Proto-Slavic *jьgъ, a noun derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *i̯eǵʰ- meaning "young." | |||
Son in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | তার | ||
| The word "তার" in Bengali can also mean "his" or "her", depending on the context. | |||
| Gujarati | તેના | ||
| Gujarati word 'તેના' has alternate meaning of 'of him' or 'her' in English. | |||
| Hindi | उनके | ||
| The word "उनके" also means "his" or "her" in Hindi when used as a possessive pronoun. | |||
| Kannada | ಅವನ | ||
| The alternate meaning of 'ಅವನ' is 'that man'. | |||
| Malayalam | അദ്ദേഹത്തിന്റെ | ||
| Marathi | त्याचा | ||
| "त्याचा" can also mean "its" in standard Marathi | |||
| Nepali | उसको | ||
| The word "उसको" is also used in Sanskrit and Marathi with a similar meaning. | |||
| Punjabi | ਉਸ ਦਾ | ||
| The word "ਉਸ ਦਾ" can also mean "his" or "hers" in Punjabi. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ඔහුගේ | ||
| The Sinhala word ඔහුගේ, meaning "son", comes from the Sanskrit word "suta", meaning "one who protects". It also can mean "younger brother" or "nephew" in some contexts. | |||
| Tamil | அவரது | ||
| Telugu | తన | ||
| The word "తన" can be used to refer to a child of either gender (male or female). | |||
| Urdu | اس کی | ||
| The Urdu word 'اس کی' can also be used to mean 'his' or 'hers' in relation to an object, not just a person. | |||
Son in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 他的 | ||
| In Chinese, "他的" can also mean "his" in the sense of belonging to a man, or "its" in the sense of belonging to a male animal. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 他的 | ||
| "他的" can also mean "her" or "his" in Chinese, depending on the context. | |||
| Japanese | 彼の | ||
| 「彼の」「彼の者」という言い方は、もとは下級武士や召使に対する呼びかけで、卑しめていうことが多い。 | |||
| Korean | 그의 | ||
| The word "그의" derives from the Middle Korean word "이", which originally meant "child" or "young one." | |||
| Mongolian | түүний | ||
| The word "түүний" in Mongolian can also refer to a "young horse" | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | သူ | ||
| In Burmese, "သူ" (son) also means "he", "she", or "it" in the context of a third person's reference. | |||
Son in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | -nya | ||
| -nya is also used to indicate possession, making it equivalent in some cases to the English "his/hers/its." | |||
| Javanese | kang | ||
| The Javanese word "kang" can also be used to refer to an older brother, a term of respect, or a person of high status. | |||
| Khmer | របស់គាត់ | ||
| The word របស់គាត់ can also mean "his" or "hers" in Khmer, depending on the context. | |||
| Lao | ລາວ | ||
| The word "ລາວ" can also mean "son of", "offspring", or "descendant". | |||
| Malay | miliknya | ||
| In Indonesian, "miliknya" also means "his/her/its possession". | |||
| Thai | ของเขา | ||
| The word "ของเขา" in Thai can also mean his or hers, or something that is owned by someone. | |||
| Vietnamese | của anh ấy | ||
| The Vietnamese word "của anh ấy" (son) also means "his". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | anak | ||
Son in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | onun | ||
| "Onun" is used to describe not only sons, but also nephews and grandsons. | |||
| Kazakh | оның | ||
| The Kazakh word "оның" (son) also means "his" or "her" in the possessive case. | |||
| Kyrgyz | анын | ||
| The word "анын" can also mean "younger brother" or "male friend" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | вай | ||
| The Tajik word "вай" also means "boy" like its Persian and Farsi cognates. | |||
| Turkmen | ogly | ||
| Uzbek | uning | ||
| In Middle Persian, "uning" means both "youth" and "son". | |||
| Uyghur | ئوغلى | ||
Son in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kāna | ||
| In Hawaiian, “kāne” can also refer to a male person, companion, husband, or human being. | |||
| Maori | tana | ||
| The word 'tana' also refers to a male descendant or a young male relative. | |||
| Samoan | lana | ||
| "Lana" in Samoan can also refer to a boy, a child of any gender, or a young man. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | ang kanyang | ||
| The word "ang kanyang" can also refer to a person's nephew or niece. | |||
Son in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | wawa | ||
| Guarani | ta’ýra | ||
Son in International Languages
| Esperanto | lia | ||
| The Esperanto word "lia" also means "his" and "hers". | |||
| Latin | eius | ||
| The Latin word eius can also mean "his" or "her" in a possessive sense. | |||
Son in Others Languages
| Greek | του | ||
| The Greek word "του" can also mean "his", "hers", or "its" when used as a possessive pronoun. | |||
| Hmong | nws | ||
| Hmong 'nws' can also mean male friend or a male cousin or brother, depending on the prefix used. | |||
| Kurdish | bûyin | ||
| In some contexts, "bûyin" can also refer to a boy or a young man, regardless of familial relation. | |||
| Turkish | onun | ||
| In Turkish, "onun" can also mean "his" or "hers" when used as a possessive pronoun. | |||
| Xhosa | yakhe | ||
| The word 'yakhe', commonly translated as 'son' in Xhosa, also carries the profound alternate meaning of 'heir,' encapsulating not only a biological connection but an inheritance of legacy and responsibility. | |||
| Yiddish | זיין | ||
| In Yiddish, "זיין" (Zayn) also means "to exist" or "to be", and is cognate with the German "sein" and the English "to be". | |||
| Zulu | okwakhe | ||
| 'Okwakhe' is derived from the Zulu verb 'ukwakha', meaning 'to build', alluding to the notion of a child as a foundation or extension of their parents. | |||
| Assamese | পুত্ৰ | ||
| Aymara | wawa | ||
| Bhojpuri | बेटा के बा | ||
| Dhivehi | ދަރިފުޅެވެ | ||
| Dogri | बेटा | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | anak | ||
| Guarani | ta’ýra | ||
| Ilocano | anak a lalaki | ||
| Krio | pikin | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | کوڕ | ||
| Maithili | बेटा | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯆꯥꯅꯨꯄꯥ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | fapa | ||
| Oromo | ilma | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ପୁଅ | ||
| Quechua | churi | ||
| Sanskrit | पुत्रः | ||
| Tatar | улы | ||
| Tigrinya | ወዲ | ||
| Tsonga | n’wana wa jaha | ||