Them in Different Languages
Discover 'Them' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'them' is a small but powerful part of our language, often used to refer to people or things that are not present or not specifically identified. It holds cultural significance in many ways, as it can indicate a separation or distinction between the speaker and the subject being referred to.
Moreover, understanding the translations of 'them' in different languages can provide insight into how other cultures view the concept of grouping or distinguishing objects and people. For instance, in Spanish, 'them' translates to 'ellos' or 'ellas' depending on the gender of the group being referred to, while in Chinese, 'them' is translated as '他们' for a group of males and '她们' for a group of females.
So, whether you're a language enthusiast, a cultural explorer, or simply curious, learning the translations of 'them' in different languages can be a fun and enlightening experience. Here are some translations to get you started:
Them
Them in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | hulle | ||
| In Middle Dutch, "hulle" also meant "hiding place". Later it gained the meaning "covering". | |||
| Amharic | እነሱን | ||
| The word "እነሱን" can also be used as a polite way to address someone without using a name. | |||
| Hausa | su | ||
| The word "su" in Hausa is derived from the Proto-West-Atlantic root *su, which also means "their" in many other West African languages such as Fulani, Wolof, and Serer. | |||
| Igbo | ha | ||
| The Igbo word 'ha' can also be used to mean 'they' or 'their'. | |||
| Malagasy | azy ireo | ||
| The Malagasy word "azy ireo" can also refer to people in general, or be used as a polite form of address for someone unknown or unfamiliar. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | iwo | ||
| "Iwo" is also the name for a type of Nyanja dance. | |||
| Shona | ivo | ||
| In addition to meaning "them", "ivo" can also mean "those" or "the ones" in Shona. | |||
| Somali | iyaga | ||
| Somali 'iyaga' is derived from the Proto-Cushitic root *yag ('they'). | |||
| Sesotho | bona | ||
| The word "bona" can also mean "good" or "beautiful" in Sesotho. | |||
| Swahili | wao | ||
| The Swahili word "wao" can also be used to refer to a group of people who share a common interest or characteristic. | |||
| Xhosa | kubo | ||
| The Xhosa word "kubo" can also refer to a place or location, particularly a homestead or dwelling place. | |||
| Yoruba | wọn | ||
| "Wọn" can also mean "they" or "their" in English. | |||
| Zulu | kubo | ||
| "Kubo" is also used informally to refer to a group of people, like a gang or a team. | |||
| Bambara | u | ||
| Ewe | wo | ||
| Kinyarwanda | bo | ||
| Lingala | bango | ||
| Luganda | bbo | ||
| Sepedi | bona | ||
| Twi (Akan) | wɔn | ||
Them in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | معهم | ||
| An alternate meaning of معهم is "in their presence" or "in their company". | |||
| Hebrew | אוֹתָם | ||
| The word "אותם" (otam) in Hebrew can also refer to "letters" in a written text. | |||
| Pashto | دوی | ||
| The word "دوی" in Pashto also means "they" and "their". | |||
| Arabic | معهم | ||
| An alternate meaning of معهم is "in their presence" or "in their company". | |||
Them in Western European Languages
| Albanian | ata | ||
| The word 'ata' is also an acronym of the phrase 'Auto Transport Asociation'. | |||
| Basque | haiek | ||
| In Basque, "haiek" can also refer to an unspecified person or group, as in "ni haiek" (I and them). | |||
| Catalan | ells | ||
| The Catalan word "ells" can also refer to the unit of length known as an "ell," which is approximately 1.1 meters. | |||
| Croatian | ih | ||
| Ih (pronounced 'ee-uh') can also mean 'it' or 'there' in Croatian | |||
| Danish | dem | ||
| "Dem" can also mean "judge" or "those", depending on the context. | |||
| Dutch | hen | ||
| Dutch "hen" is also a masculine first name and a synonym for a very small child. | |||
| English | them | ||
| The word 'them' can also refer to a group of people or things, or to a particular object or concept that has been mentioned previously. | |||
| French | leur | ||
| In French, "leur" can also be a possessive adjective meaning "their" and a demonstrative pronoun meaning "theirs." | |||
| Frisian | harren | ||
| The Frisian word "harren" is also used to mean "their" in the genitive case. | |||
| Galician | eles | ||
| The Galician word "eles" can also mean "others" or "people" in a general sense. | |||
| German | sie | ||
| The word "Sie" in German can also be used as a formal way to address a person, similar to "you" in English. | |||
| Icelandic | þá | ||
| In the Old Norse languages, the word þá could also mean 'then'. | |||
| Irish | iad | ||
| In the phrase 'iad an' ('one of'), 'iad' is a mutated version of the word for 'they'. | |||
| Italian | loro | ||
| In Italian, "loro" (which means "them") derives from the Latin pronoun "illorum" and can also mean "their". | |||
| Luxembourgish | hinnen | ||
| In addition to its meaning "them", "hinnen" can also mean "here" or "now" in Luxembourgish. | |||
| Maltese | minnhom | ||
| The Maltese word "minnhom" can also refer to a certain someone that needs not be mentioned or who should not be mentioned | |||
| Norwegian | dem | ||
| The Norwegian word "dem" has an additional meaning of "those people", often referring to a specific group or category of individuals. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | eles | ||
| The word "eles" is also used to refer to plural second person formal pronouns, as in "Tratamos deles" (We'll treat you). | |||
| Scots Gaelic | iad | ||
| Iad (Scots Gaelic for "them") can also refer to an island in the Outer Hebrides. | |||
| Spanish | ellos | ||
| The Spanish word "ellos" can also be used as a possessive pronoun, meaning "their". | |||
| Swedish | dem | ||
| The word "dem" in Swedish can also be used to refer to a group of people, such as a family or a team. | |||
| Welsh | nhw | ||
| In Old Welsh, "nhw" also referred to "this one" or "the one here" when used as a demonstrative pronoun. | |||
Them in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | іх | ||
| The word "іх" in Belarusian can also be used to refer to a group of people or animals. | |||
| Bosnian | njih | ||
| The word "njih" derives from Proto-Slavic "ny", meaning "their" or "them". | |||
| Bulgarian | тях | ||
| "Тях" (them) is a personal pronoun in Bulgarian that is always used in the accusative case and can also be used to refer to animate objects. | |||
| Czech | jim | ||
| Czech "jim" can also mean "to them," "at their place," or "at their house." | |||
| Estonian | neid | ||
| Neid can also be a 3rd-person plural personal pronoun in the accusative case, referring to inanimate things or persons considered as inanimate. | |||
| Finnish | niitä | ||
| Niitä can be used in a plural form, while niitä is always singular, even though both mean the same, 'them.' | |||
| Hungarian | őket | ||
| Latvian | tos | ||
| The Latvian word "tos" (them) is derived from the Old Prussian word "tons" (they). | |||
| Lithuanian | juos | ||
| The word "juos" in Lithuanian, besides meaning "them" also has an archaism for "those" and "ones". | |||
| Macedonian | нив | ||
| The word "нив" is derived from the Proto-Slavic reflexive pronoun "*se" and is used in many other Slavic languages as well. | |||
| Polish | im | ||
| The Polish word "im" can also mean "to them" or "by them". | |||
| Romanian | lor | ||
| The Romanian word "lor" is derived from Proto-Slavic, possibly via Hungarian. | |||
| Russian | их | ||
| The Russian word "их" ("them") is also used to form possessive pronouns, such as "ихний" ("their") or "ихняя" ("their"), and can be used in a plural form to mean "their" as well. | |||
| Serbian | њих | ||
| The Serbian word "њих" can also be used to refer to a group of people or things that are unknown or unspecified. | |||
| Slovak | ich | ||
| The word "ich" can also mean "their" (genitive), "theirs," or "those" (plural). | |||
| Slovenian | njim | ||
| The word "njim" can also mean "to them" in Serbo-Croatian. | |||
| Ukrainian | їх | ||
| The word "їх" can also be used to refer to inanimate objects or concepts, similar to the French "leur". | |||
Them in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | তাদের | ||
| The word 'তাদের' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'तेषाम्', which means 'of them'. | |||
| Gujarati | તેમને | ||
| The Gujarati word "તેમને" can also mean "them there" or "those people". | |||
| Hindi | उन्हें | ||
| In Hindi, "उन्हें" can also mean "to them" or "for them" depending on the context. | |||
| Kannada | ಅವರು | ||
| The word "ಅವರು" in Kannada has its roots in the Sanskrit word "अथ" (atha), meaning "now" or "next." | |||
| Malayalam | അവ | ||
| The Malayalam word for 'them' can trace its roots back to the Proto-Dravidian word 'ava'. | |||
| Marathi | त्यांना | ||
| त्यांना is the plural form of तू (you), and is used to refer to a group of two or more people. | |||
| Nepali | उनीहरु | ||
| उनीहरु, meaning 'they' in Nepali, originates from the Sanskrit pronoun 'तद्' (tad), indicating a distal third person. | |||
| Punjabi | ਉਹ | ||
| 'ਉਹ' is also frequently used to replace personal pronouns referring to people or beings that have recently been referenced. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ඔවුන්ට | ||
| The word "ඔවුන්ට" can also mean "to them" or "for them" in Sinhala. | |||
| Tamil | அவர்களுக்கு | ||
| The word 'அவர்களுக்கு' in Tamil can also be used to mean 'in place of' or 'as a substitute for'. | |||
| Telugu | వాటిని | ||
| The word 'వాటిని' ('them') in Telugu can also refer to a group of animals or inanimate objects. | |||
| Urdu | انہیں | ||
| The word "انہیں" can also be used as an intensifier, similar to the English word "indeed" or "very". | |||
Them in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 他们 | ||
| 他们 (Tā men) can also refer to people in general or those who are mentioned in the context | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 他們 | ||
| 他們 can also mean "he" or "she" if the context is unclear or the speaker is referring to a non-specific person of either gender. | |||
| Japanese | それら | ||
| The word "それら" can also be used to refer to inanimate objects, similar to the English word "they". | |||
| Korean | 그들 | ||
| "그들" can also mean "those," "them," or "they" in Korean. | |||
| Mongolian | тэд | ||
| In Mongolian, "тэд" (te̱d) can also refer to "those" or "they" in the third person plural. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | သူတို့ကို | ||
Them in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | mereka | ||
| The word 'mereka' derives from the Proto-Austronesian word '*miRa' meaning 'you (plural)'. | |||
| Javanese | dheweke | ||
| The word "dheweke" in Javanese can also refer to "the people who are present" or "the ones who are involved in a particular situation". | |||
| Khmer | ពួកគេ | ||
| ពួកគេ is also used informally to refer to a respected person or group of people, expressing endearment or admiration. | |||
| Lao | ພວກເຂົາ | ||
| "ພວກເຂົາ" can also be used to refer to a group of people in a more general sense, similar to the English word "they". | |||
| Malay | mereka | ||
| The word "mereka" in Malay can also refer to the third person plural pronoun "they". | |||
| Thai | พวกเขา | ||
| พวกเขา (phụk kĥao) contains 'เขา' which also means horn, but is a different word to 'เขา' (mountain). | |||
| Vietnamese | họ | ||
| "Họ" is also an interrogative pronoun meaning "who?" when used in a question. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sila | ||
Them in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | onlara | ||
| "Onlara" may refer to "to them" in Azerbaijani or "to the ones" in Turkish. | |||
| Kazakh | оларды | ||
| Оларды, derived from the Old Turkic word olar meaning | |||
| Kyrgyz | аларды | ||
| In Kyrgyz, "аларды" can also mean "about them" or "at them" depending on the context. | |||
| Tajik | онҳо | ||
| Although "онҳо" is usually translated as "them" in English, it can also be used to refer to people in a more general sense or to indicate a group of people. | |||
| Turkmen | olar | ||
| Uzbek | ularni | ||
| The Uzbek word "ularni" (them) is a plural form of the word "u" (he, she, it). | |||
| Uyghur | ئۇلار | ||
Them in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | lākou | ||
| The word "lākou" also means "their" or "theirs" in Hawaiian. | |||
| Maori | ratou | ||
| The word "ratou" can also mean "they" or "them". | |||
| Samoan | latou | ||
| The word "latou" in Samoan can also refer to a group of people who are closely related, such as a family or a clan. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | sila | ||
| Sila, the Tagalog equivalent of "them," is also used for "he" when the speaker is talking to an elder or when referring to a male with respect. | |||
Them in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jupanakaru | ||
| Guarani | hikuái | ||
Them in International Languages
| Esperanto | ilin | ||
| The word "ilin" is also used to refer to the accusative case in Esperanto grammar. | |||
| Latin | illis | ||
| Illis can also mean "to them" or "for them" depending on the context. | |||
Them in Others Languages
| Greek | τους | ||
| "Τους" in Greek can also mean "the" or "their" depending on the context. | |||
| Hmong | lawv | ||
| The word "lawv" in Hmong also means "all" or "everything". | |||
| Kurdish | wê | ||
| 'Wê' also refers to the plural of 'tu', meaning 'you'. | |||
| Turkish | onları | ||
| "Onlar" can also mean "they" in Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | kubo | ||
| The Xhosa word "kubo" can also refer to a place or location, particularly a homestead or dwelling place. | |||
| Yiddish | זיי | ||
| The Yiddish word "זיי" (zey) is derived from the Hebrew word "הֵם" (hem), which means "they" or "them." | |||
| Zulu | kubo | ||
| "Kubo" is also used informally to refer to a group of people, like a gang or a team. | |||
| Assamese | তেওঁলোকক | ||
| Aymara | jupanakaru | ||
| Bhojpuri | उहनी लोग | ||
| Dhivehi | އެމީހުން | ||
| Dogri | उनें | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sila | ||
| Guarani | hikuái | ||
| Ilocano | isuda | ||
| Krio | dɛn | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ئەوان | ||
| Maithili | हुनकर | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯈꯣꯏ | ||
| Mizo | anni | ||
| Oromo | isaan | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ସେଗୁଡିକ | ||
| Quechua | paykuna | ||
| Sanskrit | ते | ||
| Tatar | алар | ||
| Tigrinya | ንሶም | ||
| Tsonga | vona | ||