Woman in Different Languages
Discover 'Woman' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'woman' is a powerful and significant term, denoting the female gender and representing a myriad of cultural, societal, and personal identities. Throughout history, women have played pivotal roles in shaping societies, influencing cultures, and driving change. From groundbreaking leaders like Joan of Arc and Rosa Parks to artistic prodigies like Frida Kahlo and Maya Angelou, women have left an indelible mark on the world.
Given the global reach and impact of women, it's no wonder that people might be interested in learning the translation of 'woman' in different languages. Not only does this knowledge deepen our appreciation for the word's significance, but it also opens up new avenues for cross-cultural communication and understanding.
For instance, the word for 'woman' in Spanish is 'mujer,' while in French, it's 'femme.' In Mandarin Chinese, the term is '女人' (nǚrén), and in Japanese, it's '女性' (josei). These translations not only reflect linguistic differences but also highlight the unique cultural contexts and histories that shape our understanding of gender and identity.
In this article, we'll explore the translations of 'woman' in various languages, shedding light on the fascinating cultural and historical contexts that underpin these terms. So, whether you're a language enthusiast, a cultural aficionado, or simply curious, read on to discover the rich and diverse world of the word 'woman' in different languages.
Woman
Woman in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | vrou | ||
| “Vrou” is Dutch in origin and also means "wife" (as a married or engaged woman). | |||
| Amharic | ሴት | ||
| The word "ሴት" (woman) in Amharic traces its origins to the Cushitic word "set" (birth-giver). | |||
| Hausa | mace | ||
| The Hausa word 'mace' is also used to refer to a type of traditional dance performed by women. | |||
| Igbo | nwanyi | ||
| The Igbo word "nwanyi" also signifies femininity, motherhood, and the female essence. | |||
| Malagasy | vehivavy | ||
| The word "vehivavy" is derived from the Proto-Malayo-Polynesian feminine suffix "*-ay" or "*-i". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | mkazi | ||
| In Nyanja (Chichewa), "mkazi" can also refer to a "husband" or "resident." | |||
| Shona | mukadzi | ||
| Mukadzi derives from the verb 'kuvaka', which means to 'cover', as women in Shona culture cover their bodies. | |||
| Somali | naag | ||
| "Naag" in Somali can also refer to a "snake" or a "young woman" | |||
| Sesotho | mosali | ||
| Mosali is also used to refer to a wife or a married woman specifically. | |||
| Swahili | mwanamke | ||
| "Mwanamke" derives from the root "-ana" (to give birth) and suggests the role of women in childbearing. | |||
| Xhosa | umfazi | ||
| In Xhosa, 'umfazi' (woman) literally translates to 'the giver of life', emphasizing the role of women in procreation and nurturing. | |||
| Yoruba | obinrin | ||
| The word "obinrin" in Yoruba comes from the root "abire," meaning "to be born," and the suffix "-in," denoting gender, hence "one who is born." | |||
| Zulu | owesifazane | ||
| The Zulu word "owesifazane" can also refer to a "wife" or a "lady." | |||
| Bambara | muso | ||
| Ewe | nyɔnu | ||
| Kinyarwanda | umugore | ||
| Lingala | mwasi | ||
| Luganda | omukazi | ||
| Sepedi | mosadi | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ɔbaa | ||
Woman in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | النساء | ||
| The Arabic word "النساء" not only means "woman" but also "women", and it is derived from the root word "ن-س-أ", which means "to forget". | |||
| Hebrew | אִשָׁה | ||
| The word "אִשָׁה" can also mean "fire" or "flame" in Hebrew, highlighting the dual nature of women as both nurturing and protective. | |||
| Pashto | ښځه | ||
| The Pashto word "ښځه" (pronounced "shpaza") also refers to an "intelligent" or "clever" woman. | |||
| Arabic | النساء | ||
| The Arabic word "النساء" not only means "woman" but also "women", and it is derived from the root word "ن-س-أ", which means "to forget". | |||
Woman in Western European Languages
| Albanian | grua | ||
| "Grua" is also used colloquially to refer to a person's wife or a married woman. | |||
| Basque | emakumea | ||
| "Emak" means "giving" and "ume" means "child". | |||
| Catalan | dona | ||
| "Dona" originates from the Latin word "domina", meaning "lady" or "mistress", and also has the alternate meaning of "gift" or "offering". | |||
| Croatian | žena | ||
| "Žena" shares its root with the Proto-Slavic "*žena" and the Sanskrit "jan-, jani-." These roots mean "to beget, to give birth" and also appear in the English words "kin" and "gender." | |||
| Danish | kvinde | ||
| The word 'kvinde' derives from Old Norse 'kvendi', meaning 'female person' and was originally used as a generic term for both unmarried and married women. | |||
| Dutch | vrouw | ||
| The Dutch word | |||
| English | woman | ||
| The word 'woman' derives from the Old English word 'wifman', meaning 'female human being' or 'wife'. | |||
| French | femme | ||
| The word "femme" can also mean "wife" in French, and derives from the Latin "femina" meaning "young woman". | |||
| Frisian | frou | ||
| Galician | muller | ||
| The Galician word "muller" also means "miller" (person who operates a mill) and "millstone" (stone used for grinding). | |||
| German | frau | ||
| The word "Frau" in German derives from the Old High German word "frouwa", meaning "lady" or "mistress". | |||
| Icelandic | kona | ||
| The Icelandic word "kona" is cognate with the English word "queen" and originally meant "wife". | |||
| Irish | bean | ||
| The word "bean" in Irish can refer to a fairy woman or a female spirit, as well as a woman in general. | |||
| Italian | donna | ||
| Donna is also used as a term of respect, similar to "lady" in English. | |||
| Luxembourgish | fra | ||
| In 15th century Luxembourgish, "Fra" could mean "lady", "mistress" or "wife". | |||
| Maltese | mara | ||
| Maltese "mara" derives from Arabic "amara", meaning "to be sad", "in pain", or "sick". | |||
| Norwegian | kvinne | ||
| "Kvinne" derives from the Old Norse "kvæn", meaning "wife", and is cognate with the English "queen" | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | mulher | ||
| In Portuguese, "mulher" can also refer to a wife, a mistress, or a female servant, depending on the context. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | boireannach | ||
| In Classical Gaelic, boireannach meant "female" or "wife" but since the 13th century it has meant "woman" or "lady." | |||
| Spanish | mujer | ||
| The word 'mujer' (woman) in Spanish is thought to derive from the Latin word 'mulier', meaning 'woman' or 'wife'. | |||
| Swedish | kvinna | ||
| The word 'kvinna' is derived from the Old Norse term 'kvinna', which originally referred to both 'woman' and 'wife'. | |||
| Welsh | fenyw | ||
| The word "fenyw" is also the root of the word "fennaidd" meaning "female". | |||
Woman in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | жанчына | ||
| Bosnian | žena | ||
| Bulgarian | жена | ||
| The word "жена" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*žena", which also means "wife" or "female." | |||
| Czech | žena | ||
| The Czech word "žena" is related to the Russian word "zhena" (wife), which in turn is derived from the Proto-Slavic *žena, meaning "woman, wife". | |||
| Estonian | naine | ||
| The word "naine" in Estonian is derived from the Proto-Finnic word "naini", which originally meant "mistress of the house" or "female elder". It is also related to the Finnish word "nai", which means "wife" or "woman". | |||
| Finnish | nainen | ||
| Some theorize the Finnish word "nainen" (woman) originates from "nainen" (skin) or "naida" (to marry). | |||
| Hungarian | nő | ||
| The word "nő" meaning "woman" in Hungarian is derived from a Turcic word used for "wife" and ultimately comes from the Proto-Indo-European "*ǵenh₁-" root meaning "to be born, to give birth." | |||
| Latvian | sieviete | ||
| Sieviete is a Latvian word that ultimately derives from Proto-Slavic *sъnova, meaning 'wife' or 'daughter-in-law'. This word has also been used historically to refer to a woman of lower social status. | |||
| Lithuanian | moteris | ||
| The Baltic root **mot-** ('to give birth') is found in Slavic and Albanian vocabulary as well. | |||
| Macedonian | жена | ||
| In Bulgarian the word "жена" means "wife" but in Macedonian it means "woman" | |||
| Polish | kobieta | ||
| The word "kobieta" shares its etymological roots with the word "kob", meaning "basket", due to the historic association of women with domestic duties. | |||
| Romanian | femeie | ||
| The word "femeie" is derived from the Latin word "femina", meaning "woman", and is cognate with words like "feminine" and "feminism". | |||
| Russian | женщина | ||
| The term 'женщина' in Russian derives from the word 'жена' ('wife') and originally implied the concept of 'belonging to a man'. | |||
| Serbian | жена | ||
| "жена" is a Proto-Indo-European word that originally meant "wife" but came to mean "woman". | |||
| Slovak | žena | ||
| In Slovak, the word "žena" can also refer to a wife, while its root "žen" signifies the feminine gender. | |||
| Slovenian | ženska | ||
| "Ženska" originally comes from the Proto-Slavic word for "wife," and is cognate with the Sanskrit word "jāyā." It can also be used to refer to a female animal or plant. | |||
| Ukrainian | жінка | ||
| "Жінка" in Ukrainian is a derivative of "жизнь" ("life") which refers to the female sex. | |||
Woman in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | মহিলা | ||
| "Mahila", or 'woman' in Bengali, is derived from the Sanskrit words 'mahi,' which denotes the earth and its fertile nature. It implies both the earth's nurturance as well as the woman's capacity to create, sustain and grow." | |||
| Gujarati | સ્ત્રી | ||
| The word 'સ્ત્રી' originally meant 'female' or 'wife', but it has also come to mean 'woman' in a more general sense. | |||
| Hindi | महिला | ||
| In Sanskrit, 'mahilā' refers to the earth or a woman of noble birth. | |||
| Kannada | ಮಹಿಳೆ | ||
| The word | |||
| Malayalam | സ്ത്രീ | ||
| Marathi | स्त्री | ||
| The Marathi word "स्त्री" (stri) derives from the Sanskrit word "स्त्री" (strī), which means "female" or "woman." | |||
| Nepali | महिला | ||
| The word 'महिला' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'महिला,' which means 'great' or 'magnificent'. | |||
| Punjabi | .ਰਤ | ||
| .ਰਤ is also the name of the Indian musical note corresponding to the fourth note in the Western diatonic scale, also known as "ma". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | කාන්තාවක් | ||
| The word “kántáwak” also means “woman” in a respectful sense. | |||
| Tamil | பெண் | ||
| The word "பெண்" in Tamil can also refer to a female deity or a she-animal. | |||
| Telugu | స్త్రీ | ||
| The Telugu word "స్త్రీ" is derived from the Proto-Dravidian root "*strī" meaning "woman" or "female". | |||
| Urdu | عورت | ||
| In Urdu, the word "عورت" is often used as a synonym for "wife" or "female," and can also refer to a woman's honor or virtue. | |||
Woman in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 女人 | ||
| The character for "woman" (女) in Chinese has evolved over centuries and has different meanings in different contexts, sometimes representing the female gender, other times a goddess or a sorceress, and sometimes a slave or a servant. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 女人 | ||
| "女" (woman) originally meant “weak” and “人” (person) indicated a type of human, so "女人" (woman) means a weak person. | |||
| Japanese | 女性 | ||
| 女性 (じょせい) is also pronounced 'じょせい' to mean 'normal, ordinary' | |||
| Korean | 여자 | ||
| "여자" has a historical secondary meaning of "shaman" and is cognate with Mandarin "nǚ" and "nǚ'er" ( | |||
| Mongolian | эмэгтэй | ||
| The Mongolian word "эмэгтэй" has alternative meanings including "female", "wife", and "mistress". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | မိန်းမ | ||
Woman in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | wanita | ||
| The word 'wanita' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'vanitha', meaning 'a lady or a young woman'. | |||
| Javanese | wanita | ||
| "Wanita" in Javanese can also mean "moon" or "moonlight". | |||
| Khmer | ស្ត្រី | ||
| There is no consensus about the etymology of the Khmer word for "woman" (ស្ត្រី), but it could be derived from a Mon-Khmer root word meaning "female". The word can also be used as a term of respect for an older woman. | |||
| Lao | ແມ່ຍິງ | ||
| Malay | wanita | ||
| The term 'wanita' in Malay was formerly a gender-neutral word and was not exclusively associated with females or women. | |||
| Thai | ผู้หญิง | ||
| "ผู้หญิง" (woman) comes from "ผู้" (person) and "หญิง" (female), a term originally used to refer to young ladies. | |||
| Vietnamese | đàn bà | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | babae | ||
Woman in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | qadın | ||
| The term “qadın” is also used in a broader sense, encompassing not only adult married women but also unmarried girls or female relatives. | |||
| Kazakh | әйел | ||
| The Kazakh word "әйел" also historically meant "wife". | |||
| Kyrgyz | аял | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "аял" (ayal) is an archaic verb used to refer to 'walking', and in the plural form (аялдар) refers to a family's cattle. | |||
| Tajik | зан | ||
| The etymology of the word "зан" is uncertain, but it may be derived from the root "jan", meaning "life". | |||
| Turkmen | aýal | ||
| Uzbek | ayol | ||
| The word "ayol" is a Turkic word also meaning "moon". | |||
| Uyghur | ئايال | ||
Woman in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | wahine | ||
| "Wahine" can refer to both women and girls in Hawaiian, and is cognate with "fafine" in Samoan and "wahine" in Tahitian and Maori, all meaning "woman". | |||
| Maori | wahine | ||
| Derived from the Proto-Polynesian word *wahine*, it also means "female" or "wife" in other Polynesian languages. | |||
| Samoan | fafine | ||
| The Samoan word "fafine" can also refer to a male who identifies as a woman or a transgender woman. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | babae | ||
| The word "babae" in Tagalog also refers to a female animal, particularly a cow. | |||
Woman in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | warmi | ||
| Guarani | kuña | ||
Woman in International Languages
| Esperanto | virino | ||
| Despite sounding like "virino" could mean "masculine" in Esperanto, it actually means "woman" because it is derived from the Latin word "vira" which also means "woman". | |||
| Latin | femina | ||
| Femina was also the name of a goddess of the underworld in Roman mythology. | |||
Woman in Others Languages
| Greek | γυναίκα | ||
| The term 'γυναίκα' (gynaika) in Greek derives from the Proto-Indo-European root '*gʷen-' ('woman'), akin to 'queen', and also meant 'wife' or 'bride' in ancient times. | |||
| Hmong | poj niam | ||
| 'Poj niam' is the Hmong word for 'woman' but it can also refer to the female spirit responsible for a woman's health and well-being. | |||
| Kurdish | jin | ||
| "Cin" is another variant of "jin" and it means "fairy" (in mythology). | |||
| Turkish | kadın | ||
| In Ottoman Turkish, the word 'kadın' referred to the wife of the sultan, similar to 'hatun' in other Turkic languages. | |||
| Xhosa | umfazi | ||
| In Xhosa, 'umfazi' (woman) literally translates to 'the giver of life', emphasizing the role of women in procreation and nurturing. | |||
| Yiddish | פרוי | ||
| Its other meanings include (non-kosher) fruit, produce, and the feminine gender. | |||
| Zulu | owesifazane | ||
| The Zulu word "owesifazane" can also refer to a "wife" or a "lady." | |||
| Assamese | মহিলা | ||
| Aymara | warmi | ||
| Bhojpuri | जनाना | ||
| Dhivehi | އަންހެނުން | ||
| Dogri | जनानी | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | babae | ||
| Guarani | kuña | ||
| Ilocano | babai | ||
| Krio | uman | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ئافرەت | ||
| Maithili | मउगी | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯅꯨꯄꯤ | ||
| Mizo | hmeichhia | ||
| Oromo | dubartii | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ମହିଳା | ||
| Quechua | warmi | ||
| Sanskrit | महिला | ||
| Tatar | хатын-кыз | ||
| Tigrinya | ሰበይቲ | ||
| Tsonga | wansati | ||