Teen in Different Languages
Discover 'Teen' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'teen' is a significant term that represents the period of growth and transition between childhood and adulthood. This stage of life, encompassing ages 13 to 19, is filled with unique experiences, challenges, and self-discovery, making it a culturally important concept across the globe. Understanding the translation of 'teen' in different languages can provide valuable insights into how various cultures perceive and value this critical stage of life.
Did you know that the English word 'teen' is derived from the Old English 'teona' which means 'age, period of life'? Or that in some languages, the term for 'teen' is a simple numerical translation, while in others, it is a more complex phrase that captures the essence of this life stage?
For instance, in Spanish, 'teen' is translated as 'adolescente,' while in German, it is 'Jugendlicher.' In Japanese, the term 'teen' is expressed as '十代 (jūdai),' which literally means 'ten years' or 'tenth year.' In Russian, 'teen' is 'подросток (podrostok),' which translates to 'young person' or 'adolescent.'
Teen
Teen in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | tiener | ||
| The word "tiener" is derived from the Dutch word "tien" and can also refer to someone in their early 20s. | |||
| Amharic | ታዳጊ | ||
| "ታዳጊ" (teen) has no alternate meanings and is derived from Amharic "ተ+አዳጌ" (having matured). | |||
| Hausa | saurayi | ||
| In some dialects of Hausa, 'saurayi' can mean someone between 13 and 19 years old rather than 13 to 19. | |||
| Igbo | afọ iri na ụma | ||
| In Igbo, the word "afọ iri na ụma" has an alternate meaning related to "adolescence" or the "period of life between childhood and adulthood." | |||
| Malagasy | tanora | ||
| The word "tanora" can also mean "young people" or "youth" in Malagasy. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | wachinyamata | ||
| The word "wachinyamata" also means "those who are not yet adults". | |||
| Shona | wechidiki | ||
| In Shona, a "wechidiki" is not just a teenager, it can also be a young adult or married man in his late thirties. | |||
| Somali | dhallinyar | ||
| Dhallinyar is an Arabic loanword, it means a young male goat. | |||
| Sesotho | mocha | ||
| In Sesotho, "mocha" can refer to a "young person" or "youngster". | |||
| Swahili | kijana | ||
| In Tanzania, "kijana" can be used to address people who are not necessarily teenagers but are young, often unmarried and without children | |||
| Xhosa | ulutsha | ||
| The word "ulutsha" comes from the root "ulu-", meaning "to grow" or "to become," and is suffixed with "-sha" to indicate a state or condition. | |||
| Yoruba | ọdọmọkunrin | ||
| The word "ọdọmọkunrin" in Yoruba is an ambiguous term that can also refer to "youthful" or "immature" people. | |||
| Zulu | osemusha | ||
| The word "osemusha" can also refer to a young person who is just starting out in their life or career. | |||
| Bambara | teen ye | ||
| Ewe | ƒewuivi | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ingimbi | ||
| Lingala | elenge | ||
| Luganda | omuvubuka omutiini | ||
| Sepedi | mofsa wa mahlalagading | ||
| Twi (Akan) | mmabun | ||
Teen in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | في سن المراهقة | ||
| The Arabic word "في سن المراهقة" "(teen)" is derived from the verb "عاشر" "(share with or live among)", and can also refer to the decade of "life" after childhood, or more abstractly, "youth". | |||
| Hebrew | נוער | ||
| The Hebrew word "נוער" not only means "teen" but also signifies "freshness," "youthfulness," and "immaturity." | |||
| Pashto | ځواني | ||
| ځواني can also mean young, fresh, new, tender, raw, unripe, unseasoned, and youthful in Pashto. | |||
| Arabic | في سن المراهقة | ||
| The Arabic word "في سن المراهقة" "(teen)" is derived from the verb "عاشر" "(share with or live among)", and can also refer to the decade of "life" after childhood, or more abstractly, "youth". | |||
Teen in Western European Languages
| Albanian | adoleshent | ||
| The word "adoleshent" derives from the Latin word "adolescens", meaning "a young person". | |||
| Basque | nerabea | ||
| The Basque word "nerabea" (teen) comes from the word "nerabe" (half), as teens are halfway to adulthood. | |||
| Catalan | adolescent | ||
| The word "adolescent" comes from the Latin word "adolescere", which means "to grow up". | |||
| Croatian | tinejdžerica | ||
| The Croatian word "tinejdžerica" is derived from the English word "teenager" and has the same meaning, referring to a person between the ages of 13 and 19. | |||
| Danish | teenager | ||
| In Danish, 'teen' was originally used to describe young sheep; it now means 'teenager'. | |||
| Dutch | tiener | ||
| The word 'tiener' is derived from 'dertien' (13), but it actually refers to those aged 12–19. | |||
| English | teen | ||
| The word "teen" stems from the Old English word "tene," meaning "ten," and was used to refer to the decade from 13 to 19 in the 13th century. | |||
| French | l'adolescence | ||
| L'adolescence, deriving from the Latin "adolescentia" meaning "growth" or "coming of age", also signifies a transition and transformation period marked by significant changes. | |||
| Frisian | teen | ||
| In Frisian, "teen" also means "against" and "towards". | |||
| Galician | adolescente | ||
| In Galician, the word "adolescente" also has the alternate meaning of "novice". | |||
| German | teen | ||
| "Teen" in German can also mean "a bucket" or "a large cup". | |||
| Icelandic | unglingur | ||
| The word "unglingur" can also refer to a young person, typically between the ages of 13 and 19. | |||
| Irish | déagóir | ||
| The word **déagóir** in Irish comes from the Old Irish "déac" meaning "ten" and "ocht" meaning "eight" because "teen" is the period of life between eighteen and twenty. | |||
| Italian | adolescente | ||
| The Italian word "adolescente" derives from the Latin word "adolescens," meaning "young person" or "youthful." | |||
| Luxembourgish | teenager | ||
| In Luxembourgish, teenager can mean 'an irritable person' as well. | |||
| Maltese | żagħżugħ | ||
| The word "żagħżugħ" is derived from the Arabic word "shabab", which means "youth" or "young man". It can also be used to refer to a young woman. | |||
| Norwegian | tenåring | ||
| The word "tenåring" was created in the 1950s by merging "ten" (teens) and "åring" (year). | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | adolescente | ||
| The word "adolescente" in Portuguese originates from the Latin word "adolescens", meaning "young person". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | deugaire | ||
| In Scots Gaelic, it can also refer to a person in their teens or early twenties, especially a mischievous or rebellious youth. | |||
| Spanish | adolescente | ||
| The Spanish word "adolescente" derives from the Latin "adolescere," meaning "to grow up." | |||
| Swedish | tonåring | ||
| The Swedish word "tonåring" also means "a person who is ten years old". | |||
| Welsh | teen | ||
| The Welsh word "teen" can also refer to a decade or a score, as in "dau ddeg" (twenty), or a group of ten objects. | |||
Teen in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | падлетак | ||
| "Падлетак" is a derivative of the word "падлетак" meaning "one who follows behind". | |||
| Bosnian | teen | ||
| In Bosnian, 'teen' can also refer to a type of earthenware jar. | |||
| Bulgarian | тийнейджър | ||
| Bulgarian „тийнейджър” (teen) was coined from the English word „teenager” and has the same meaning. | |||
| Czech | dospívající | ||
| "Dospívající" is a Czech word that literally means "reaching maturity," but is commonly used to refer to teenagers. | |||
| Estonian | teismeline | ||
| The term "teismeline" was originally used to refer to a person between the ages of 13 and 19. | |||
| Finnish | teini | ||
| The word "teini" in Finnish originated in the 1950s as slang for "teenager", and is thought to derive from the English word "teen" or the Swedish word "tonåring". | |||
| Hungarian | tini | ||
| In Hungarian, "tinédzserek" (teens, "teen" in the plural) is a direct loan from the English "teenager", but the word "tini" itself is short for "tini-bödön" (literally, "youth can"). | |||
| Latvian | pusaudzis | ||
| The root of the word pusaudzis (teen) comes from the old word puuss, meaning boy or male servant and the ending -audzu, denoting age or growth in Latvian. | |||
| Lithuanian | paauglys | ||
| The Lithuanian word "paauglys" also refers to a "calf", as in a baby cow. | |||
| Macedonian | тинејџер | ||
| The word "тинејџер" in Macedonian originates from the English word "teen", which refers to the years between 13 and 19. | |||
| Polish | nastolatek | ||
| The word "nastolatek" is derived from the Latin "nascor" (to be born) and "ate" (year), meaning "one who is born in the year (of the century). | |||
| Romanian | adolescent | ||
| "Adolescent" in Romanian is derived from the Latin "adolescere," meaning "to grow up," and can also refer to young adults up to 25 years old. | |||
| Russian | подросток | ||
| "Подросток" is the Russian for "teenager" as well as the name of a novel by Dostoevsky. | |||
| Serbian | теен | ||
| The word "teen" in Serbian (teen/ティーン) is cognate with the English word "teen", and like the English word it refers to a person between the ages of 13 and 19. | |||
| Slovak | dospievajúci | ||
| The word "dospievajúci" is derived from the verb "dospievať" which means "to reach maturity" or "to come of age". | |||
| Slovenian | najstnik | ||
| In older Slavic languages, the word "najstnik" was used in the sense of "younger" or "newer" (e.g. Russian: "младший" [mladšij] - "younger"). | |||
| Ukrainian | підліток | ||
| The word "підліток" comes from the Old Church Slavonic "подълитокъ", meaning “junior” | |||
Teen in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | কিশোর | ||
| In Bengali, “কিশোর” (teen) can also refer to youth, adolescence, or a young person. | |||
| Gujarati | ટીન | ||
| The Gujarati word "ટીન" can also refer to metal sheets or containers used for storing liquids. | |||
| Hindi | किशोर | ||
| The word "किशोर" in Hindi is derived from the Sanskrit word "किशोरक," meaning "young" or "immature." | |||
| Kannada | ಹದಿಹರೆಯದವರು | ||
| The Kannada word "hadīharēyadavaru" (ಹದಿಹರೆಯದವರು), which is also known as "kishoravaya" (ಕಿಶೋರಾವಸ್ಥೆ) in Sanskrit, literally means "one in their youthful years" and is derived from the words "hadinēlu" (ಹದಿನೇಳು, seventeen), meaning the age when one begins adolesecnce and "hara" (ಹರ), which refers to greenness, or youthful exuberance, as well as the spring season, when new life begins. | |||
| Malayalam | കൗമാരക്കാരൻ | ||
| The word "കൗമാരക്കാരൻ" in Malayalam translates to "teenager," but it literally means "one who is in the period of youth or adolescence." | |||
| Marathi | किशोरवयीन | ||
| The Marathi word "किशोरवयीन" can also refer to a young person between the ages of 12 and 18. | |||
| Nepali | किशोर | ||
| "किशोर" can also refer to a young bird. | |||
| Punjabi | ਕਿਸ਼ੋਰ | ||
| The word "ਕਿਸ਼ੋਰ" (teen) is derived from the Sanskrit word "किशोर" (young, youthful), which is also the origin of the English word "adolescent." | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | යෞවනය | ||
| The term "යෞවනය" also refers to the "first youth or puberty" and the "period of life between childhood and adulthood." | |||
| Tamil | டீன் | ||
| டீன் (teen) in Tamil originally meant 'to be lazy' and is cognate with 'thine' in English, while in modern usage it refers to a young person in their adolescence. | |||
| Telugu | టీన్ | ||
| The word "టీన్" also has the alternate meaning of "small" or "young" in Telugu. | |||
| Urdu | نوعمر | ||
| The Urdu word "نوعمر" (teen) is often used to describe adolescents or young people from 13 to 19 years old but can also refer to someone who is immature or inexperienced. | |||
Teen in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 青少年 | ||
| In Chinese, "青少年" can also refer to the period of adolescence or the early stage of adulthood. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 青少年 | ||
| "青少年" literally means "young people". It can also refer to adolescents, teenagers, or young people in general. | |||
| Japanese | ティーン | ||
| "ティーン" is a Japanese loanword from English, derived from the English pronunciation of "teenager" | |||
| Korean | 비탄 | ||
| Though 비탄, meaning “teen,” is most commonly rendered as “비” from “별(star) | |||
| Mongolian | өсвөр нас | ||
| The word "өсвөр нас" derives from the Mongolian word "өсөх" (to grow), denoting a period of rapid physical and mental development. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဆယ်ကျော်သက် | ||
Teen in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | remaja | ||
| Remaja derives from the Sanskrit word "ramya", meaning "beautiful" or "charming". | |||
| Javanese | remaja | ||
| "Remaja" in Javanese means "young plant" or "young animal". | |||
| Khmer | ក្មេងជំទង់ | ||
| Lao | ໄວລຸ້ນ | ||
| The Lao word "ໄວລຸ້ນ" (teen) is derived from the French word "adolescent," meaning "a young person in the process of growing up." | |||
| Malay | remaja | ||
| "Remaja" in Malay also means "young man" or "young woman" and is derived from the Sanskrit word "ramyaka" meaning "delightful" or "charming". | |||
| Thai | วัยรุ่น | ||
| The term "วัยรุ่น" has been used since the late Rattanakosin period, and it originally meant a young monk who helps the head monk with temple duties. | |||
| Vietnamese | tuổi teen | ||
| The word "tuổi teen" literally translates to "age of teenager" in Vietnamese. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | tinedyer | ||
Teen in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | yeniyetmə | ||
| The word "yeniyetmə" (teen) in Azerbaijani literally means "new arrival" or "newcomer". | |||
| Kazakh | жасөспірім | ||
| The word "жасөспірім" also means "adolescent," highlighting the transitional nature of this life stage. | |||
| Kyrgyz | өспүрүм | ||
| Tajik | наврас | ||
| In the past, "наврас" also referred to a young man who had reached adulthood | |||
| Turkmen | ýetginjek | ||
| Uzbek | o'spirin | ||
| In Uzbek, "o'spirin" can also refer to a kind of bird or a type of fabric. | |||
| Uyghur | teen | ||
Teen in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ʻōpio | ||
| ʻŌpio has multiple meanings in Hawaiian, including "tender shoot" and "young animal," reflecting its connection to the concept of growth and development. | |||
| Maori | taiohi | ||
| The word 'taiohi' in Māori also has the connotation of 'friend' or 'peer'. | |||
| Samoan | talavou | ||
| Talavou, though most directly translating to "teen" in English, derives from the Proto-Polynesian word "taputo", meaning "to be prohibited" or "sacred". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | tinedyer | ||
| The Tagalog word "tinedyer" is derived from the English word "teenager" and has been shortened for ease of pronunciation. | |||
Teen in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | wayn tawaqu | ||
| Guarani | adolescente rehegua | ||
Teen in International Languages
| Esperanto | adoleskanto | ||
| The root 'adolesk' in 'adoleskanto' is Latin for 'to grow up' and is also found in 'adolescence'. | |||
| Latin | teen | ||
| In Latin, "teen" comes from "decimus" (tenth), referring to the period of life between 10 and 19. | |||
Teen in Others Languages
| Greek | έφηβος | ||
| "Ἔφηβος" originally referred to youths aged 18-20 who were undergoing military training in ancient Athens. | |||
| Hmong | tus hluas | ||
| "Tus hluas" directly translates to "small person" in Hmong dialects. | |||
| Kurdish | ciwan | ||
| The word "ciwan" in Kurdish also means "young" or "fresh". | |||
| Turkish | genç | ||
| The noun and adjective 'genç' also means 'new' and its plural, 'gençler', can also mean 'youth'. | |||
| Xhosa | ulutsha | ||
| The word "ulutsha" comes from the root "ulu-", meaning "to grow" or "to become," and is suffixed with "-sha" to indicate a state or condition. | |||
| Yiddish | טין | ||
| The alternate Yiddish meaning of "טין" is "clay" or "mud" | |||
| Zulu | osemusha | ||
| The word "osemusha" can also refer to a young person who is just starting out in their life or career. | |||
| Assamese | teen | ||
| Aymara | wayn tawaqu | ||
| Bhojpuri | किशोर के बा | ||
| Dhivehi | ޓީން | ||
| Dogri | किशोर | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | tinedyer | ||
| Guarani | adolescente rehegua | ||
| Ilocano | tin-edyer | ||
| Krio | teen | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | هەرزەکار | ||
| Maithili | किशोर | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯇꯤꯟ | ||
| Mizo | tleirawl a ni | ||
| Oromo | dargaggeessa umrii kurnanii keessa jiru | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | କିଶୋର | ||
| Quechua | wayna sipas | ||
| Sanskrit | किशोरः | ||
| Tatar | яшүсмер | ||
| Tigrinya | መንእሰይ | ||
| Tsonga | teen | ||