Twin in Different Languages
Discover 'Twin' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Twin
Afrikaans tweeling | ||
Albanian binjak | ||
Amharic መንትያ | ||
Arabic التوأم | ||
Armenian երկվորյակ | ||
Assamese যমজ | ||
Aymara gemelo | ||
Azerbaijani əkiz | ||
Bambara filanin | ||
Basque bikia | ||
Belarusian двайняты | ||
Bengali যমজ | ||
Bhojpuri जुड़वाँ बच्चा के नाम बा | ||
Bosnian blizanac | ||
Bulgarian близнак | ||
Catalan bessó | ||
Cebuano kaluha | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 双胞胎 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 雙胞胎 | ||
Corsican gemella | ||
Croatian blizanac | ||
Czech dvojče | ||
Danish tvilling | ||
Dhivehi ޓްވިން އެވެ | ||
Dogri जुड़वाँ | ||
Dutch tweeling | ||
English twin | ||
Esperanto ĝemelo | ||
Estonian kaksik | ||
Ewe twin | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) kambal | ||
Finnish kaksoset | ||
French double | ||
Frisian twilling | ||
Galician xemelgo | ||
Georgian ტყუპი | ||
German zwilling | ||
Greek δίδυμο | ||
Guarani gemelo | ||
Gujarati જોડિયા | ||
Haitian Creole jimo | ||
Hausa tagwaye | ||
Hawaiian māhoe | ||
Hebrew תְאוֹם | ||
Hindi जुड़वां | ||
Hmong ntxaib | ||
Hungarian iker- | ||
Icelandic tvíburi | ||
Igbo ejima | ||
Ilocano singin | ||
Indonesian kembar | ||
Irish cúpla | ||
Italian gemello | ||
Japanese ツイン | ||
Javanese kembar | ||
Kannada ಅವಳಿ | ||
Kazakh егіз | ||
Khmer ភ្លោះ | ||
Kinyarwanda impanga | ||
Konkani जुळोवणी | ||
Korean 쌍 | ||
Krio twin | ||
Kurdish cêwî | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) دوانە | ||
Kyrgyz эгиз | ||
Lao ແຝດ | ||
Latin geminae | ||
Latvian dvīņi | ||
Lingala lipasa | ||
Lithuanian dvynis | ||
Luganda twin | ||
Luxembourgish zwilling | ||
Macedonian близнак | ||
Maithili जुड़वाँ | ||
Malagasy kambana | ||
Malay kembar | ||
Malayalam ഇരട്ട | ||
Maltese tewmin | ||
Maori mahanga | ||
Marathi जुळे | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯇ꯭ꯔꯤꯅꯤꯇꯤ꯫ | ||
Mizo twin a ni | ||
Mongolian ихэр | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) အမွှာ | ||
Nepali जुम्ल्याहा | ||
Norwegian tvilling | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) mapasa | ||
Odia (Oriya) ଯାଆଁଳା | ||
Oromo lamaan | ||
Pashto دوه | ||
Persian دوقلو | ||
Polish bliźniak | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) gêmeo | ||
Punjabi ਜੌੜੇ | ||
Quechua gemelo | ||
Romanian gemeni | ||
Russian близнец | ||
Samoan masaga | ||
Sanskrit द्विजः | ||
Scots Gaelic càraid | ||
Sepedi mafahla | ||
Serbian близанац | ||
Sesotho lefahla | ||
Shona mapatya | ||
Sindhi ڳنيل | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) නිවුන් | ||
Slovak dvojča | ||
Slovenian dvojčka | ||
Somali mataano | ||
Spanish gemelo | ||
Sundanese kembar | ||
Swahili pacha | ||
Swedish tvilling- | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) kambal | ||
Tajik дугоник | ||
Tamil இரட்டை | ||
Tatar игезәк | ||
Telugu జంట | ||
Thai แฝด | ||
Tigrinya ማንታ | ||
Tsonga mawele | ||
Turkish ikiz | ||
Turkmen ekiz | ||
Twi (Akan) twin | ||
Ukrainian близнюк | ||
Urdu جڑواں | ||
Uyghur twin | ||
Uzbek egizak | ||
Vietnamese sinh đôi | ||
Welsh gefell | ||
Xhosa amawele | ||
Yiddish צווילינג | ||
Yoruba ibeji | ||
Zulu iwele |
Etymology & Notes
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | The word "tweeling" in Afrikaans derives from the Dutch word "tweeling", which is a diminutive form of "twee", meaning "two". |
| Albanian | The word "binjak" in Albanian also means "mirror image" and is used to describe a perfect match or resemblance between two things. |
| Amharic | In Amharic, the word መንትያ not only refers to twins but can also mean "a pair of similar things." |
| Arabic | The word 'التوأم' (twin) comes from the Arabic root 'تا', which means 'to follow' or 'to come after', indicating two individuals arriving subsequently. |
| Armenian | In literary usage, "yerkuoryak" can also refer to something composed of two separate but connected parts, like shoes. |
| Azerbaijani | The word "əkiz" in Azerbaijani is derived from the Proto-Turkic word "ekiz," meaning "to be born together." |
| Basque | In Proto-Basque, the word *biki- meant "pair", from which we derive the words "bikia" and "bikoti" that still exist today. |
| Belarusian | Двайняты comes from the Belarusian word "двойня" ("pair") and is also used to refer to a group of three or more children born at the same time. |
| Bengali | The term 'যমজ' shares a common origin with the Sanskrit term 'यम' (Yama), the Hindu god of death and the underworld, potentially suggesting a connection to the idea of life and its counterpart. |
| Bosnian | The word 'blizanac' can refer to a double cherry or double plum, with two attached fruits resembling twins. |
| Bulgarian | Близнaк may refer either to twins (близнаци) or to Gemini (zodiac sign) (Зодия Близнаци). |
| Catalan | Catalan word "bessó" derives from Latin "bissus" (double), also related to Latin "gemini" (twins). |
| Cebuano | The Cebuano word "kaluha" is also used to refer to other things, such as people, animals, or objects that come in pairs or that are of the same kind. |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 双胞胎字面意为“双胞”，也指两个相同的事物或概念。 |
| Chinese (Traditional) | The word 「雙胞胎」can also refer to two items that are closely related, like two sides of a coin or two peas in a pod. |
| Corsican | In Corsica 'gemella' also has various meanings such as 'doublet', 'couple' and 'pair'. |
| Croatian | The word "blizanac" also means "close up" in Croatian, referring to the proximity of twins. |
| Czech | The word "dvojče" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "dvojь", meaning "two" or "pair". |
| Danish | Tvilling comes from the Old Norse word "tví-burr", meaning "two-borne". |
| Dutch | "Tweeling" is also sometimes used in Dutch to refer to Siamese twins. |
| Esperanto | The word "ĝemelo" also means "one of a pair of equal but opposite things". |
| Estonian | The Estonian word "kaksik" also refers to a pair of playing cards of the same rank. |
| Finnish | Kaksoset derives from the word "kaksois", meaning "double", and refers to a pair of individuals or objects that originate together or share a common origin. |
| French | "Double" comes from the Latin word "duplex," which means "twofold" or "double." |
| Frisian | In Frisian, a "twilling" can also refer to a young boy or girl who is still unmarried. |
| Galician | In addition to "twin", "xemelgo" also means a "pair" or a "couple" of something in Galician. |
| Georgian | ტყუპი derives from the Proto-Kartvelian *tkʷopi, possibly meaning "pair" or "couple" |
| German | The word "Zwilling" can also refer to a pair of pliers or tongs, deriving from the Middle High German "zwilinc" meaning "double, paired". |
| Greek | Δίδυμο also refers to the constellation and zodiac sign Gemini and two adjacent mountain peaks in Crete. |
| Gujarati | The word "જોડિયા" is the Gujarati equivalent of the Sanskrit word "युग्म" meaning "pair". It is also used in a figurative sense to mean "companion" or "partner". |
| Haitian Creole | The word “jimo” in Haitian Creole comes from the French word for “twin,” "jumeau". |
| Hausa | In Hausa, the word "tagwaye" is also used figuratively to refer to two closely related entities, such as the two parts of a pair of scissors. |
| Hawaiian | The word "māhoe" in Hawaiian also refers to a sticky sap extracted from the bark of the māhoe tree, used as glue. |
| Hebrew | In Hebrew, "תְאוֹם" ("twin") is derived from the root "תאֹם," meaning "similarity" or "likeness." |
| Hindi | The word जुड़वां (twin) is derived from the Sanskrit word युज् (yuj), meaning 'to join' or 'to unite'. |
| Hmong | The Hmong word "ntxaib" is related to the word for "to bear or give birth" |
| Hungarian | The word "iker-" in Hungarian comes from the Proto-Indo-European word *dwiko-, meaning "two" or "pair". |
| Icelandic | In the sagas, 'tvíburi' could also refer to two closely-related persons or siblings, not exclusively twin brothers |
| Igbo | The Igbo word "ejima" also denotes a pair of identical things like two shoes, two eyes, etc. |
| Indonesian | The word "kembar" in Indonesian can also refer to the concept of duality, such as the two sides of a coin or the opposing forces of nature. |
| Irish | The Irish word 'cúpla' can also refer to a pair of things. |
| Italian | The Italian word "gemello" (twin) derives from the Latin word "geminus" (twin), which shares the same root as "gemini" (twins, the zodiac sign). |
| Japanese | The word for "twin" in Japanese, "twin", comes from the English word "twin". The word is often used as a noun, but can also be used as an adjective. |
| Javanese | In Javanese, "kembar" also refers to the number two, representing the duality of twins. |
| Kannada | The word 'ಅವಳಿ' in Kannada is derived from the Sanskrit word 'अवल' meaning 'pair' or 'couple'. |
| Kazakh | There is a theory that the word 'егіз' is derived from the ancient Turkic word 'егізү', meaning 'to double' or 'to be doubled'. |
| Khmer | ភ្លោះ can also mean "to be the same size" or "to be in the same group". |
| Korean | The Korean word 쌍 (twin) can also refer to a pair, set, or double. |
| Kurdish | In Kurdish, 'cêwî' can also refer to a pair of something, such as shoes or socks. |
| Kyrgyz | "Egiz" is related to the Mongolian word "ejig" meaning "elder brother" and the Tuvan word "ezi" meaning "mother" |
| Lao | The Lao word for twin, ແຝດ, may also refer to a pair of bananas that grow together or a matched set of utensils or clothing. |
| Latin | The word 'geminae' derives from the Latin root 'gem-' meaning 'to produce' or 'to bring forth' and is related to words like 'germen' (bud) and 'genesis' (origin). |
| Latvian | Latvian "dvīņi" comes from the Proto-Balto-Slavic word *dъvěnē, meaning "one of a pair or set." |
| Lithuanian | "Dvynis" also means "Gemini" in the context of astrology. |
| Luxembourgish | The word "Zwilling" can also refer to a couple who are not married or two people who are very similar in appearance or character. |
| Macedonian | The word "близнак" in Macedonian also has the meaning of "double" or "pair". |
| Malagasy | The word "kambana" can also mean "pair" or "double" in Malagasy. |
| Malay | The word 'kembar' also means 'double' or 'pair' in Malay. |
| Malayalam | "ഇരട്ട" also means "double, twofold" in Malayalam |
| Maltese | The Maltese word "tewmin" can also refer to a pair of objects or a group of two people. |
| Maori | The word "mahanga" can also refer to an identical person or a reflection in a mirror. |
| Marathi | Marathi जुळे likely derives from Skt युग्म 'pair' via the Prakrit जुग्गम, and it can also mean 'mate' or 'a pair of similar things' |
| Mongolian | Mongolic *eke-r/*ekir, possibly from Proto-Tungusic *keke/*kiki with assimilation or Proto-Mongolian *gekir/ *geki, both ultimately from Proto-Altaic *gege/*gigi meaning "sister's child", cognate with Turkish ikiz and Korean gegeu "twin" |
| Myanmar (Burmese) | "အမွှာ" is also derived from the Pali word "amacca" and can refer to a personal attendant or advisor. |
| Nepali | जुम्ल्याहा also means "a pair of similar things" in Nepali. |
| Norwegian | The Norwegian word "tvilling" has a Proto-Germanic root, "*twizlinga-," meaning "one of two", or "double." |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | The Nyanja word 'mapasa' can also refer to a 'pair' of anything, not just twins. |
| Pashto | In Pashto, the word "دوه" (twin) also refers to double objects, such as a double room or a double mattress. |
| Persian | دوقلو is a Persian term that is also sometimes used in Persian to mean "double". |
| Polish | The word "bliźniak" also means "a twin flame" in Polish. |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | In Portuguese, "gêmeo" can also refer to one of the two halves of a pair, such as gloves or shoes. |
| Punjabi | The word "ਜੌੜੇ" also refers to a pair of bullocks used for plowing in Punjab, which is likely due to their close working relationship. |
| Romanian | The Romanian word "gemeni" comes from Latin "geminus" which can also mean "double, similar" |
| Russian | The word "близнец" can also refer to the constellation Gemini or the zodiac sign of a person born between May 21 and June 21. |
| Samoan | Masaga may also refer to a pair of fishhooks tied together. |
| Scots Gaelic | 'Càraid' can refer to a platonic friend, lover, or a person with the same parents and a different father. |
| Serbian | The word 'близанац' (twin) has an alternate meaning in Serbian: a person who likes to be close and friendly with someone. |
| Sesotho | The word "lefahla" can also refer to a mirror image or double of something. |
| Shona | In Shona, "mapatya" is also used to describe "two objects with a common shape". |
| Sindhi | The Sindhi word ڳنيل (twin) is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *ǵʰéy- meaning "to be born" or "to beget." |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | The Sinhala word 'නිවුන්' also means 'joined together' or 'connected'. |
| Slovak | The Slovak word "dvojča" originates from the Proto-Slavic word "*dъvojь", meaning "a couple", and is thus etymologically unrelated to the English word "twin", which derives from the Old English word "twinn", meaning "two". |
| Slovenian | The word "dvojčka" literally translates to "one who doubles" or "pair of doubles" in Slovenian. |
| Somali | In Somali, the word "mataano" refers to identical or fraternal twins, and it is derived from the Proto-Somali root "*matan-", which means "to resemble" or "to be like". |
| Spanish | The word "gemelo" comes from the Latin word "gemellus", meaning "twin" or "double". |
| Sundanese | The Sundanese word "kembar" not only means "twin", but also "very similar" or "same size and shape". |
| Swahili | In Swahili, 'pacha' not only means 'twin' but also a kind of plant commonly known as 'twin plant' or 'devil's claw'. |
| Swedish | The Swedish word "tvilling" can also refer to a child that is born from two different fathers. |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | According to Loarca, another meaning for "kambal" among the Kapampangans referred to the "children of a slave and a freeman and their descendants for four generations." |
| Tajik | The word "дугоник" in Tajik can also mean "a pair of things that are identical in shape or size". |
| Tamil | "இரட்டை" in Tamil can also refer to a pair of oxen or a pair of something in general. |
| Telugu | The word "జంట" in Telugu is derived from the Sanskrit word "यम" (yama), meaning "pair" or "twin". |
| Thai | "แฝด" comes from "แผ่ด" meaning "to spread" from the spreading of the Siamese Crocodiles' tails during mating season. |
| Turkish | Ikiz shares its Proto-Turkic root with the verb |
| Ukrainian | The word 'близнюк' is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *близъ, meaning 'near' or 'close'. |
| Urdu | The Urdu word 'جڑواں' ('twin') can also mean 'pair', 'couple', or 'two similar things'. |
| Uzbek | In Uzbek, the word "egizak" can also refer to two children with the same birthday but not necessarily twins. |
| Vietnamese | Sinh đôi có nghĩa là “đẻ hai con trong một lần sinh con”, đôi khi cũng chỉ dùng để gọi một trong hai đứa trẻ song sinh. |
| Welsh | The word 'gefell' is also used as a term of endearment between close friends or family members. |
| Yiddish | The word "tsvilling" (צווילינג) is a Yiddish term for "twin" which is derived from the German word "Zwilling". |
| Yoruba | The word 'ibeji' originally referred to twins born after a set of triplets |
| Zulu | The Zulu word "iwele" is derived from the Proto-Bantu root *-ele-, which also means "to join" or "to be united." |
| English | In Old English, 'twin' meant 'two-fold' or 'two-of-a-kind', and was not limited to human siblings |