They in Different Languages
Discover 'They' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'they' is a small but powerful part of our everyday language. It is a pronoun used to refer to people who are either plural or singular and gender-neutral. This usage has been recognized in English for centuries, but its significance has grown in recent times as we strive for more inclusive and respectful ways of communicating.
The cultural importance of 'they' cannot be overstated. It has been named Word of the Year by the American Dialect Society and Merriam-Webster, reflecting its increasing use and acceptance in modern English. Moreover, it has paved the way for the creation of new gender-neutral pronouns, such as 'ze' and 'co', which further expand our linguistic options and promote diversity and inclusivity.
If you're interested in language and culture, you might want to know how 'they' translates into different languages. This can help you understand how other cultures express gender and plurality, and enrich your cross-cultural communication skills.
Here are some translations of 'they' in various languages:
They
They in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | hulle | ||
| Hulle shares its origin with the Dutch "zij", which also means "they" but is used to refer to the female gender specifically. | |||
| Amharic | እነሱ | ||
| The Amharic word "እነሱ" derives from the Proto-Semitic root "*hwn", meaning "those" or "the ones over there." | |||
| Hausa | su | ||
| In some dialects, 'su' can also be used to mean "they are". | |||
| Igbo | ha | ||
| "Ha" in Igbo can also mean "it" or "he" instead of just "they". | |||
| Malagasy | izy ireo | ||
| The word "izy ireo" in Malagasy can also mean "those" or "these". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | iwo | ||
| The word "iwo" can also mean "these" and is used in the context of people. | |||
| Shona | ivo | ||
| The Shona language form "ivo" may also refer to the English word "we". | |||
| Somali | iyagu | ||
| "Iyagu" can also mean "those" in Somali. | |||
| Sesotho | bona | ||
| In Southern Sotho, "bona" is also used as a polite way to refer to a single person. | |||
| Swahili | wao | ||
| The Swahili word "wao" can also refer to a group of people or animals. | |||
| Xhosa | bona | ||
| "Bona" also means "they" when referring to a general, unspecified group of people. | |||
| Yoruba | àwọn | ||
| "Àwọn" can be prefixed to numerals to form ordinal numbers. | |||
| Zulu | bona | ||
| The word "bona" can also mean "their" or "theirs" in the Zulu language, demonstrating its versatility in expressing different aspects of ownership and possession. | |||
| Bambara | olu | ||
| Ewe | wo | ||
| Kinyarwanda | bo | ||
| Lingala | bango | ||
| Luganda | bbo | ||
| Sepedi | bona | ||
| Twi (Akan) | wɔn | ||
They in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | هم | ||
| The word "هم" in Arabic also means "worry" or "concern" and is related to the Hebrew word "הום" (worry). | |||
| Hebrew | הֵם | ||
| The word "הֵם" ('they') derives from the Proto-Semitic root H-M, denoting "they", "it", or "its". | |||
| Pashto | دوی | ||
| دوی (duy) is ultimately derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *dwi meaning 'two' and is cognate to the English words 'two', 'duo', 'dyad', 'duet' and 'double'. | |||
| Arabic | هم | ||
| The word "هم" in Arabic also means "worry" or "concern" and is related to the Hebrew word "הום" (worry). | |||
They in Western European Languages
| Albanian | ata | ||
| In old Albanian, “ata” could mean “they,” “he,” or even “him.” | |||
| Basque | haiek | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning of "they," "haiek" can also mean "those people" or "the others". The word "haiek" is derived from the Proto-Basque root *hai-, meaning "that"} | |||
| Catalan | ells | ||
| The word "ells" in Catalan, derived from Latin "illi", can also refer to a unit of length originating in the forearm. | |||
| Croatian | oni | ||
| The word "oni" can also refer to a type of mythical creature known as a demon or ogre in Croatian mythology. | |||
| Danish | de | ||
| The Danish word "de" is derived from Old Norse "þeir" and has the alternate meaning of "those". | |||
| Dutch | ze | ||
| The word “ze” in Dutch can also refer to an indefinite number of people without specifying any gender. | |||
| English | they | ||
| The pronoun "they" has been used as a singular non-binary pronoun since at least the 14th century. | |||
| French | ils | ||
| The French word "ils" can also refer to "he" or "she" when the gender is unknown or not specified. | |||
| Frisian | sy | ||
| In Saterland Frisian, "sy" can also mean "you" (singular informal). | |||
| Galician | eles | ||
| The Galician word "eles" derives from the same Latin root as "other," suggesting a sense of separation or difference. | |||
| German | sie | ||
| German "Sie" stems from Middle High German "sī", which derives from Old High German "sī", meaning "he, she, or it". | |||
| Icelandic | þeir | ||
| Þeir can also refer to one person if that person's gender is unknown or unspecified. | |||
| Irish | siad | ||
| The Irish word "siad" is derived from the Old Irish "siat", meaning "those". It can also be used in formal or archaic contexts to refer to people in a non-specific way | |||
| Italian | essi | ||
| The word "essi" in Italian derives from the Latin word "ipsi" and originally meant "themselves" or "the same people". | |||
| Luxembourgish | si | ||
| Luxembourgish "si" is also used as a polite form of "you" (singular), like French "vous". | |||
| Maltese | huma | ||
| The word "huma" also means "them" in Maltese, and comes from the Arabic word "hum". | |||
| Norwegian | de | ||
| The Norwegian word "de" is cognate to the German "die" and the English "they/those", and in Old Norse it could also be used for the neuter gender (whereas today the neuter form is always "de") and as a demonstrative pronoun (meaning "these/those") | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | eles | ||
| "Eles" is the plural form of "ele" (he) and "ela" (she). It can also be used as a gender-neutral pronoun, equivalent to the English "they". In Brazil, "eles" is also used to refer to a formal or polite "you" (similar to the French "vous") when addressing a person or group. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | iad | ||
| The Scots Gaelic word 'iad' can also refer to 'he' or 'she'. | |||
| Spanish | ellos | ||
| Ellos is the plural third person form of the Spanish personal pronoun used when referring to two or more people or things, and it is derived from the Latin "illi"} | |||
| Swedish | de | ||
| The word 'de' in Swedish can also mean 'them' in English, as in 'They are going to the store'. | |||
| Welsh | nhw | ||
| The Welsh word 'nhw' also has the meaning of 'us', 'our', or 'ours'. | |||
They in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | яны | ||
| In some contexts, "яны" can also refer to "it" (3rd person neuter) or "you" (2nd person plural in formal settings). | |||
| Bosnian | oni | ||
| In Bosnian, 'oni' can also mean 'theirs' when referring to masculine plural nouns, and 'onima' when referring to feminine plural nouns. | |||
| Bulgarian | те | ||
| The word "те" can refer to people, animals, or things in Bulgarian. | |||
| Czech | ony | ||
| The Czech "ony" is a shortened form of the Proto-Slavic "oni" and has the alternate meaning "some". | |||
| Estonian | nad | ||
| "Nad" is derived from Proto-Finnic *nä, related to Hungarian "ők", "they". | |||
| Finnish | ne | ||
| The word "ne" in Finnish, besides meaning "they", also refers to "others" or "people in general". | |||
| Hungarian | ők | ||
| "Ők" is also used as a possessive suffix, e.g. "az ő könyve" (their book). | |||
| Latvian | viņi | ||
| In certain Latvian dialects, "viņi" can refer to "two people of either gender" | |||
| Lithuanian | jie | ||
| The word "jie" can also mean "those" or "the ones" in Lithuanian. | |||
| Macedonian | тие | ||
| The Slavic word "тие" (they) may also refer to a specific group of people, or be used as a polite form of address. | |||
| Polish | one | ||
| In Polish, "one" can also mean an indefinite person, as in English "one does not simply walk into Mordor" | |||
| Romanian | ei | ||
| The Romanian word "ei" can also mean "he" when referring to an individual of unknown or unspecified gender. | |||
| Russian | oни | ||
| 'Они' (они) в русском языке также может использоваться для обозначения неопределенного или неизвестного лица. | |||
| Serbian | они | ||
| The word "они" can also mean "those" or "them". | |||
| Slovak | oni | ||
| The word "oni" in Slovak also means "those" or "people". | |||
| Slovenian | oni | ||
| "Oni" can also refer to the mythological "they-creature" | |||
| Ukrainian | вони | ||
| In Western Ukrainian dialects, "вони" can mean both "they" and "it," while in Standard Ukrainian, "воно" is used for "it." | |||
They in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | তারা | ||
| "তারা" (tara) in Bengali may also refer to stars in the sky. | |||
| Gujarati | તેઓ | ||
| The Guajarati word "તેઓ" has an alternate meaning of "those". | |||
| Hindi | वे | ||
| The word "वे" (they) in Hindi can also mean "those" or "people". | |||
| Kannada | ಅವರು | ||
| The word "ಅವರು" can also refer to a particular person in a respected or formal manner, similar to the use of "vous" in French. | |||
| Malayalam | അവർ | ||
| The word 'അവർ' is also used to refer to people who are absent, deceased, or non-specific. | |||
| Marathi | ते | ||
| The Sanskrit word "ते" means "to protect" or "to defend" (as in "तारण"), and is a masculine declension of a nominal form of the PIE root "*ter-", meaning "to cross (a body of water)". | |||
| Nepali | तिनीहरू | ||
| The Nepali word for "they" is "तिनीहरू" and is derived from the Sanskrit word "ते" (ta) meaning "that." | |||
| Punjabi | ਉਹ | ||
| The Punjabi word "ਉਹ" can also refer to a distant or hypothetical person or thing. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ඔවුන් | ||
| The Sinhalese word "ඔවුන්" can also be used to refer to people who are not present. | |||
| Tamil | அவர்கள் | ||
| "அவர்கள்" can also refer to a particular group of people or a person of a certain status. | |||
| Telugu | వాళ్ళు | ||
| Telugu "వాళ్ళు" means "they", but can also mean "those people" or "the people over there". | |||
| Urdu | وہ | ||
| In Urdu 'وہ' ('they') can also be used in a singular context, where it is usually translated as 'he' or 'she'. | |||
They in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 他们 | ||
| The character 他们 (tāmen) is a 3rd person plural pronoun in Chinese, but it can also be used as a way to refer to a group of people of unspecified gender. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 他們 | ||
| The character 他們 originally meant "to raise hands," and its alternate meaning developed from there. | |||
| Japanese | 彼ら | ||
| '彼ら' is short for '彼等'. '彼' means 'the other', '等' means 'same kind'. So '彼ら' means 'the other guys like you'. | |||
| Korean | 그들 | ||
| Mongolian | тэд | ||
| The word "тэд" can also be used to refer to a group of people or things, or to an unspecified person or thing. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | သူတို့ | ||
| သူတို့ is sometimes used to address a person in the third person to show respect, especially if they are older or have a high position. | |||
They in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | mereka | ||
| The word "mereka" in Indonesian can also be used as an informal second person plural pronoun, similar to "you guys" in English. | |||
| Javanese | dheweke | ||
| "Dheweke" in Javanese also translates to "I/me." | |||
| Khmer | ពួកគេ | ||
| The word “ពួកគេ” is also used to refer to a group of people, such as a family or a team. | |||
| Lao | ພວກເຂົາ | ||
| The Lao word ພວກເຂົາ (they) is also used to refer to a group of people who are not present. | |||
| Malay | mereka | ||
| "Mereka" derives from Old Javanese "markanda", which meant "person" or "self". | |||
| Thai | พวกเขา | ||
| The Thai word “พวกเขา” (“they”) is derived from the Sanskrit word “te” and has the alternate meaning of “those people”. | |||
| Vietnamese | họ | ||
| In Sino-Vietnamese, "họ" refers to the surname and implies respect, while in native Vietnamese it may also refer to the family or relatives. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sila | ||
They in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | onlar | ||
| The Azerbaijani word "onlar" may also mean "those" or "them" in English, depending on the context. | |||
| Kazakh | олар | ||
| The word "олар" comes from the Proto-Turkic root *ular, meaning "those people", and is related to the Mongolian word "олон", meaning "many." | |||
| Kyrgyz | алар | ||
| The word "алар" can also refer to a group of people or a class of objects in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | онҳо | ||
| "Онҳо" also means "demon" or "devil". | |||
| Turkmen | olar | ||
| Uzbek | ular | ||
| The word "ular" can also refer to objects that are perceived as a group or a collection. | |||
| Uyghur | ئۇلار | ||
They in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | lākou | ||
| The word "lākou" in Hawaiian can also mean "their" or "theirs". | |||
| Maori | ratou | ||
| Ratou means "they" in Maori, but can also be a possessive pronoun meaning "their". It comes from the root word "raro", meaning "below" or "underneath". | |||
| Samoan | latou | ||
| Latou also translates to 'their' and is used as a possessive pronoun. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | sila | ||
| The word "sila" can also refer to the plural form of the second person pronoun ("you") in Tagalog. | |||
They in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jupanaka | ||
| Guarani | ha'ekuéra | ||
They in International Languages
| Esperanto | ili | ||
| "Ili" is ultimately derived from Latin "ille" meaning "that one". | |||
| Latin | quod | ||
| The Latin word "quod" may also mean "because" or "that," and is related to the English word "what." | |||
They in Others Languages
| Greek | αυτοί | ||
| "Αυτοί" is a Greek article that can refer to both male and female individuals. | |||
| Hmong | lawv | ||
| Lawv (they) is derived from the Old Hmong word "la" meaning "person" or "soul." | |||
| Kurdish | ew | ||
| “Ew” in Kurdish can also mean “theirs” when used as a possessive pronoun, as in “ew maşîn” (“their car”). | |||
| Turkish | onlar | ||
| The Turkish word "onlar" can also refer to "those" or indicate a general sense of "people". | |||
| Xhosa | bona | ||
| "Bona" also means "they" when referring to a general, unspecified group of people. | |||
| Yiddish | זיי | ||
| In older Yiddish literature, 'zey' can also be found as a variant spelling of the pronoun 'er', meaning 'he'. | |||
| Zulu | bona | ||
| The word "bona" can also mean "their" or "theirs" in the Zulu language, demonstrating its versatility in expressing different aspects of ownership and possession. | |||
| Assamese | তেওঁলোক | ||
| Aymara | jupanaka | ||
| Bhojpuri | ऊ | ||
| Dhivehi | އެމީހުން | ||
| Dogri | ओह् | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sila | ||
| Guarani | ha'ekuéra | ||
| Ilocano | isuda | ||
| Krio | dɛn | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ئەوان | ||
| Maithili | ओ सभ | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯈꯣꯏ | ||
| Mizo | anni | ||
| Oromo | isaan | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ସେମାନେ | ||
| Quechua | paykuna | ||
| Sanskrit | ते | ||
| Tatar | алар | ||
| Tigrinya | ንሶም | ||
| Tsonga | vona | ||