Wife in Different Languages
Discover 'Wife' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Wife
Afrikaans vrou | ||
Albanian gruaja | ||
Amharic ሚስት | ||
Arabic زوجة | ||
Armenian կին | ||
Assamese পত্নী | ||
Aymara warmi | ||
Azerbaijani arvad | ||
Bambara furumuso | ||
Basque emaztea | ||
Belarusian жонка | ||
Bengali স্ত্রী | ||
Bhojpuri लुगाई | ||
Bosnian supruga | ||
Bulgarian съпруга | ||
Catalan dona | ||
Cebuano asawa | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 妻子 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 妻子 | ||
Corsican moglia | ||
Croatian žena | ||
Czech manželka | ||
Danish kone | ||
Dhivehi އަންހެނުން | ||
Dogri घरै-आहली | ||
Dutch vrouw | ||
English wife | ||
Esperanto edzino | ||
Estonian naine | ||
Ewe srɔ̃ nyᴐnu | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) asawa | ||
Finnish vaimo | ||
French épouse | ||
Frisian frou | ||
Galician muller | ||
Georgian ცოლი | ||
German ehefrau | ||
Greek γυναίκα | ||
Guarani tembireko | ||
Gujarati પત્ની | ||
Haitian Creole madanm | ||
Hausa matar | ||
Hawaiian wahine | ||
Hebrew אשה | ||
Hindi पत्नी | ||
Hmong tus poj niam | ||
Hungarian feleség | ||
Icelandic kona | ||
Igbo nwunye | ||
Ilocano asawa a babai | ||
Indonesian istri | ||
Irish bean chéile | ||
Italian moglie | ||
Japanese 妻 | ||
Javanese garwa | ||
Kannada ಹೆಂಡತಿ | ||
Kazakh әйелі | ||
Khmer ប្រពន្ធ | ||
Kinyarwanda umugore | ||
Konkani बायल | ||
Korean 아내 | ||
Krio wɛf | ||
Kurdish jin | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) هاوسەر | ||
Kyrgyz аялы | ||
Lao ເມຍ | ||
Latin uxorem | ||
Latvian sieva | ||
Lingala mwasi | ||
Lithuanian žmona | ||
Luganda mukyaala | ||
Luxembourgish fra | ||
Macedonian сопруга | ||
Maithili पत्नी | ||
Malagasy vady | ||
Malay isteri | ||
Malayalam ഭാര്യ | ||
Maltese mara | ||
Maori wahine | ||
Marathi बायको | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯂꯣꯏꯅꯕꯤ | ||
Mizo nupui | ||
Mongolian эхнэр | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) ဇနီး | ||
Nepali पत्नी | ||
Norwegian kone | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) mkazi | ||
Odia (Oriya) ପତ୍ନୀ | ||
Oromo haadha warraa | ||
Pashto ښځه | ||
Persian همسر | ||
Polish żona | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) esposa | ||
Punjabi ਪਤਨੀ | ||
Quechua warmi | ||
Romanian soție | ||
Russian жена | ||
Samoan ava | ||
Sanskrit भार्या | ||
Scots Gaelic bean | ||
Sepedi mosadi | ||
Serbian жена | ||
Sesotho mosali | ||
Shona mukadzi | ||
Sindhi زال | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) බිරිඳ | ||
Slovak manželka | ||
Slovenian žena | ||
Somali xaas | ||
Spanish esposa | ||
Sundanese pamajikan | ||
Swahili mke | ||
Swedish fru | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) asawa | ||
Tajik зан | ||
Tamil மனைவி | ||
Tatar хатыны | ||
Telugu భార్య | ||
Thai ภรรยา | ||
Tigrinya ሰበይቲ | ||
Tsonga nsati | ||
Turkish kadın eş | ||
Turkmen aýaly | ||
Twi (Akan) yere | ||
Ukrainian дружина | ||
Urdu بیوی | ||
Uyghur ئايالى | ||
Uzbek xotin | ||
Vietnamese người vợ | ||
Welsh gwraig | ||
Xhosa umfazi | ||
Yiddish ווייב | ||
Yoruba iyawo | ||
Zulu unkosikazi |
Etymology & Notes
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | The word "vrou" can also refer to a woman who is old or has a certain status. |
| Albanian | The Albanian word "gruaja" originally meant "female" and is related to the word "grua" (girl). |
| Amharic | The word |
| Arabic | The word 'زوجة' ('wife') in Arabic derives from 'زوج' ('pair') and implies a bond between two individuals. |
| Armenian | The literal meaning of "կին" is "woman", and it can refer to both married and unmarried women, unlike in English. |
| Azerbaijani | The word "arvad" in Azerbaijani can also refer to a "mistress". |
| Basque | The Basque word "emaztea" derives from the Proto-Basque "*emazte", meaning "woman of the house" |
| Belarusian | The word "жонка" also means "she-wolf". |
| Bengali | The word "স্ত্রী" derives from the Sanskrit "strī", meaning "woman" or "female," and is cognate with the English word "sister." |
| Bosnian | The Bosnian word |
| Bulgarian | The Bulgarian word "съпруга" originates from the Proto-Slavic word *sъprьga, which could refer to both a wife or a husband. |
| Catalan | The Catalan word 'dona' is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *de- (to give), implying the idea of a woman's role as a caregiver and nurturer. |
| Cebuano | The Cebuano word 'asawa' comes from the Sanskrit word 'svamin', which means 'lord' or 'husband'. It can also refer to a female spouse in a non-marital or common-law relationship. |
| Chinese (Simplified) | "妻子" (wife) originally referred to a woman's sister or female cousin, later evolving to mean "wife" in the Song Dynasty (960-1279). |
| Chinese (Traditional) | "妻子" was extended to its current meaning, a "female partner in a marriage", during the Qin Dynasty in 221 BC (the character 妻 originally indicating only female slaves, not a spouse). |
| Corsican | Etymology likely from Latin "mulier" or Italian "moglia" |
| Croatian | The word 'žena' originally meant 'woman', and the word for 'husband' was 'muž', later becoming a common noun. |
| Czech | The word "manželka" (wife) is derived from "muž" (man) and the suffix "-ka" (diminutive), indicating a lower or less important status for women. |
| Danish | The Danish word "kone" shares the same origin as the English "queen" but has a more mundane modern-day meaning. |
| Dutch | The Dutch word "vrouw" originally meant "lady" and was only later used to refer to a married woman. |
| Esperanto | The root 'edz' also means 'to give birth' and is related to the word 'ido', meaning 'offspring' |
| Estonian | Estonian word naine "wife" derives from the Ancient Greek term neanis "young unmarried woman, bride" which is in turn borrowed from a Semitic term (possibly via Latin) for "girl". |
| Finnish | The word "vaimo" is likely derived from the Proto-Finnic word *wajma, meaning "woman" or "female." |
| French | The word "épouse" is derived from the Latin word "sponsa", meaning "bride", and can also refer to a spouse of any gender in a non-marital setting. |
| Frisian | The Frisian word |
| Galician | The word "muller" can also be used to refer to a woman who grinds corn in a hand mill. |
| German | "Ehefrau" literally translates to "marriage woman," referring to a woman in relation to her husband. |
| Greek | 'Γυναίκα' is derived from Proto-Indo-European '*gʷen-/*gʷʰen- meaning 'woman' and is related to 'γυνή' meaning 'woman' or 'wife'. |
| Gujarati | "પત્ની" is the Gujarati cognate of the Vedic term *patni* meaning "mistress of the house." |
| Haitian Creole | The word "madanm" in Haitian Creole has roots in the French word "madame," meaning both "wife" and "lady." |
| Hausa | In some Hausa dialects, it (matar) can also refer to a female slave. |
| Hawaiian | The word "wahine" also means "woman" or "female" in Hawaiian. |
| Hebrew | The word "אשה" also means "woman" and it can trace its roots to a Semitic root meaning "to be weak". |
| Hindi | The word "पत्नी" also signifies "lady of the house" due to its root word "पत" (husband or master). |
| Hmong | The Hmong word "tus poj niam" is also used to refer to a female companion or partner in a romantic relationship. |
| Hungarian | The word "feleség" in Hungarian also means "helpmeet" or "better half." |
| Icelandic | The word "kona" can also refer to a female animal, such as a mare or a cow. |
| Igbo | The Igbo word |
| Indonesian | The word "istri" is derived from the Sanskrit word "strī" meaning "woman" and is also used in other Austronesian languages to refer to a "female relative" or "wife". |
| Irish | The term |
| Italian | "Moglie" comes from the Latin word "mulier", meaning "woman". |
| Japanese | The character 妻, meaning 'wife,' is also a phonetic component in words related to marriage or women, such as 'sister' (姉) and 'husband' (夫). |
| Javanese | The term 'garwa' can also refer to a consort, a spouse of equal rank, or a partner in marriage. |
| Kannada | The word "ಹೆಂಡತಿ" (wife) in Kannada can also refer to a woman who is considered to be a "good wife" or a "virtuous woman". |
| Kazakh | The word "әйелі" is derived from the Turkic root "*äñäl-", meaning "mother" or "female". |
| Korean | The morpheme -내 has a possessive function which marks the word as someone's wife in the context of relationship. |
| Kurdish | The Kurdish word "jin" is also used to refer to a woman of good character and integrity. |
| Kyrgyz | The word "аялы" in Kyrgyz can also mean "partner" or "companion". |
| Lao | From Sanskrit 'māy', Lao 'ເມຍ' can also mean 'witch'. |
| Latin | In Roman law, "uxorem" was the female counterpart to "vir" or "husband" and was used in both the singular and plural forms. |
| Latvian | "Sieva" also means "sieve" or a similar household item for separating solids from liquids in Latvian. |
| Lithuanian | The word "žmona" is derived from the Proto-Baltic root *žmen-, meaning "to take, grasp" or "to have, possess". |
| Luxembourgish | The origin of the Luxembourgish word "Fra" for "wife" is possibly connected to the word "Frau" from Old High German. |
| Macedonian | The word "сопруга" is also used to refer to a female singer in a choir. |
| Malay | The word 'isteri' possibly derives from Proto-Austronesian *isəq 'woman', and may be cognate with Javanese 'estri' ('woman') and Balinese 'stri' ('woman', 'wife'). |
| Malayalam | The word 'ഭാര്യ' (bhArya) originates from the Sanskrit word 'bhri,' meaning 'to support' or 'to nourish,' and refers to a woman who provides support and sustenance to her husband. |
| Maltese | The word "mara" can also refer to a "sister-in-law" or "stepmother". |
| Maori | "Wahine" also has various other meanings such as "woman," "female," "lady," "mistress" or "girl," and may be used to distinguish a girl or young woman from a mature woman. |
| Marathi | The Marathi word "बायको" may derive from Sanskrit and mean "one who belongs to the house" or "householder". |
| Mongolian | The word "эхнэр" is derived from the Proto-Mongolic word *ekenör, meaning "mistress of the house". |
| Myanmar (Burmese) | The word "ဇနီး" is also used as a term of address for a female elder or superior. |
| Nepali | The word "पत्नी" in Nepali can also refer to a female companion or friend, not necessarily a spouse or wife. |
| Norwegian | The word "kone" is also used to refer to a woman who is getting married, or to a woman who is already married. |
| Pashto | The word "ښځه" may originally come from an Old Iranian language and also means "sister". |
| Persian | The Middle Persian form *ham-asor (literally "companion") was loaned into Arabic as ḥamūsa "in-law", which was reborrowed into New Persian as hamsar. |
| Polish | The Polish word 'żona' ultimately comes from the Proto-Slavic word 'žena', which also means 'woman' or 'female'. |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | The word "esposa" is derived from the Latin word "sponsa" meaning "betrothed" or "bride-to-be." |
| Punjabi | The word 'ਪਤਨੀ' (patni) in Punjabi also means a female religious partner or companion. |
| Romanian | 'Soție' also refers to a 'portion or fate', reflecting the traditional idea of women as being destined by fate to be married and subservient to their husbands |
| Russian | The word "жена" (wife) is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *žen-, meaning "female" or "woman" |
| Samoan | Ava also means 'the sun' in the Gilbertese language. |
| Scots Gaelic | Bean in Scots Gaelic also refers to a female deer or bird. |
| Serbian | The word "жена" can also refer to a woman who is not married, but is of marriageable age. |
| Sindhi | The Sindhi word "زال" can also refer to a young woman, a bride, or a daughter-in-law. |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | The Sinhala word "බිරිඳ" (birinda) can also be used to refer to a female partner or lover outside of marriage. |
| Slovak | Despite sounding very similar, the Czech "manželka" is a false friend and means "husband". The Slovak feminine equivalent is "manželka". |
| Slovenian | The word "žena" also has the archaic meaning "woman", in the sense of a female person. |
| Somali | Xaas can also mean 'female' or 'woman' in general. |
| Spanish | The Spanish word "esposa" comes from a Latin term "sponsus," which originally referred to a male spouse or betrothed. |
| Sundanese | The term 'pamajikan' can also refer to a woman who has married into a particular clan or family. |
| Swahili | "Mke" in Swahili is also a term of respect for an older or married woman. |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | The Tagalog word "asawa" is derived from the Proto-Malayo-Polynesian root *asawa, which also means "spouse" or "companion". |
| Tajik | } |
| Telugu | The word originates from Sanskrit where it represents a feminine form for 'bearer'. |
| Thai | ภรรยา derives from Sanskrit "bhrati-jaa" meaning "sister" and "jaa" meaning "birth" or "born". Alternatively, it can refer to a queen consort or a lady-in-waiting. |
| Turkish | The second part of the word "kadın eş" ("wife") comes from the Persian "iş", which also refers to "companion". |
| Ukrainian | "Druzhina" originally meant "friend" or "companion" in Old East Slavic, and is related to the word "друг" (friend) in modern Russian. |
| Urdu | The word "بیوی" is derived from the Arabic word "بَیّن", meaning "to distinguish" or "to separate". |
| Uzbek | The word "xotin" likely originates from the Persian word "khvatin," which means "lady" or "woman of high rank." |
| Vietnamese | The word "người vợ" originates from the Old Vietnamese word "ngươi", meaning both "husband" and "wife." |
| Xhosa | "Umfazi" is also used to refer to adult females and women in general. |
| Yiddish | The Yiddish word 'ווייב' ('feygl') can also refer to a 'bird' or 'fowl'. |
| Yoruba | "Iyawo" can also refer to a newly married person, regardless of gender, or to a person who has recently undergone an important initiation rite. |
| Zulu | The word 'unkosikazi' also means 'lady' in Zulu and carries connotations of respect and authority. |
| English | The word 'wife' originates from the Old English word 'wīf', meaning 'woman' or 'female'. |