The word “sister” is special in many cultures and languages worldwide. Whether referring to a younger sister, an older sister, or even a twin sister, the nuances of translation can vary from one language to another.
This post dives into the different translations of the word “sister,” how to say it in different languages, and some interesting linguistic aspects, like terms of endearment, native speakers’ preferences, and more.
Translation of “Sister” in Different Languages
- Abkhaz: аԥацә (apats’a)
- Acehnese: adék
- Acholi: nyaka
- Afar: safar
- Afrikaans: suster
- Albanian: motër
- Amharic: እህት (iht)
- Arabic: أخت (ukht)
- Armenian: քույր (kuyr)
- Assamese: ভগ্নী (bhognī)
- Avar: шудин (shudin)
- Awadhi: बहिन (bahin)
- Aymara: t’alla
- Azerbaijani: bacı
- Balinese: adik
- Baluchi: یغینک (yaghink)
- Bambara: senbe
- Baoulé: nanmoro
- Bashkir: һеңле (hengle)
- Basque: arreba
- Batak Karo: senina
- Batak Simalungun: senina
- Batak Toba: senina
- Belarusian: сястра (syastra)
- Bemba: mwishi
- Bengali: বোন (bon)
- Betawi: adik
- Bhojpuri: बहिन (bahin)
- Bikol: ading
- Bosnian: sestra
- Breton: c’hoar
- Bulgarian: сестра (sestra)
- Buryat: абгя (abgya)
- Cantonese: 姊妹 (zímuih)
- Catalan: germana
- Cebuano: igsoong babaye
- Chamorro: achague
- Chechen: ванаш (vanash)
- Chichewa: mlongo
- Chinese (Simplified): 姐妹 (jiěmèi)
- Chinese (Traditional): 姐妹 (jiěmèi)
- Chuukese: ningur
- Chuvash: кӳкерте (kükérte)
- Corsican: surella
- Crimean Tatar: bacı
- Croatian: sestra
- Czech: sestra
- Danish: søster
- Dari: خواهر (khwahar)
- Dhivehi: މުޙައްމަދު (muhaad)
- Dinka: yän
- Dogri: बहिन (bahin)
- Dombe: ciouer
- Dutch: zus
- Dyula: kumba
- Dzongkha: ཨ་ནེ (ani)
- English: sister
- Esperanto: fratino
- Estonian: õde
- Ewe: nuvo
- Faroese: systir
- Fijian: goneyalewa
- Filipino: kapatid na babae
- Finnish: sisko
- Fon: se
- French: soeur
- Frisian: suster
- Friulian: surèli
- Fulani: soddo
- Ga: noɔla
- Galician: irmá
- Georgian: და (da)
- German: schwester
- Greek: αδελφή (adelfí)
- Guarani: kypy’y
- Gujarati: બહેન (bahen)
- Haitian Creole: sè
- Hakha Chin: 姊妹 (zímuih)
- Hausa: yar’uwarka
- Hawaiian: kaikuahine
- Hebrew: אָחוֹת (akhot)
- Hiligaynon: kapatid nga babaye
- Hindi: बहन (bahan)
- Hmong: muam
- Hungarian: nővér
- Hunsrik: schweschder
- Iban: adi
- Icelandic: systir
- Igbo: nne
- Ilocano: kasinsin nga babái
- Indonesian: adik perempuan
- Irish: deirfiúr
- Italian: sorella
- Jamaican Patois: sis
- Japanese: 姉妹 (shimai)
- Javanese: adhik
- Jingpo: pwa hkrat
- Kalaallisut: søster
- Kannada: ತಂಗಿ (tangi)
- Kanuri: yéríma
- Kapampangan: kapatad a babai
- Kazakh: қарындас (qaryndaş)
- Khasi: kynduh
- Khmer: បងស្រី (bangsrei)
- Kiga: mushiki
- Kikongo: lumbeto
- Kinyarwanda: mushiki
- Kituba: mpasu
- Kokborok: boüla
- Komi: систер (sister)
- Konkani: बहिण (bahin)
- Korean: 여동생 (yeodongsaeng)
- Krio: sista
- Kurdish (Kurmanji): xwişk
- Kurdish (Sorani): واخت (wakht)
- Kyrgyz: карындаш (karyndash)
- Lao: ເອື້ອຍ (euay)
- Latgalian: masa
- Latin: soror
- Latvian: māsa
- Ligurian: surèa
- Limburgish: zus
- Lingala: nko
- Lithuanian: sesuo
- Lombard: surèla
- Luganda: mwannyinaze
- Luo: nyamin
- Luxembourgish: Schwëster
- Macedonian: сестра (sestra)
- Madurese: ladéyan
- Maithili: बहिन (bahin)
- Makassar: adik
- Malagasy: rahavavy
- Malay: adik perempuan
- Malay (Jawi): أخت (ukht)
- Malayalam: ചെക്കത്തി (chekatti)
- Maltese: oħt
- Mam: xtian
- Manx: shuyr
- Maori: tuahine
- Marathi: बहीण (bahin)
- Marshallese: lal
- Marwadi: बहिन (bahin)
- Mauritian Creole: ser
- Meadow Mari: шенгел (shengel)
- Meiteilon (Manipuri): সহদর (sahadar)
- Minang: adiak padusi
- Mizo: naupang
- Mongolian: эгч (egch)
- Myanmar (Burmese): မိခင် (mi khen)
- Nahuatl (Eastern Huasteca): icniuhyotl
- Ndau: tatu
- Ndebele (South): udadewethu
- Nepalbhasa (Newari): हँगी (hangi)
- Nepali: बहिनी (bahini)
- NKo: ߛߌߛߍ߬ (sisè)
- Norwegian: søster
- Nuer: yääŋ
- Occitan: sòrre
- Odia (Oriya): ଭଉଣୀ (bhauni)
- Oromo: oboleessa
- Ossetian: сæстер (saester)
- Pangasinan: bayaw
- Papiamento: ruman
- Pashto: خور (khoor)
- Persian: خواهر (khwahar)
- Polish: siostra
- Portuguese (Brazil): irmã
- Portuguese (Portugal): irmã
- Punjabi (Gurmukhi): ਭੈਣ (bhen)
- Punjabi (Shahmukhi): بہن (bhen)
- Quechua: ñañay
- Qʼeqchiʼ: ixoqib
- Romani: chiora
- Romanian: soră
- Rundi: mushiki
- Russian: сестра (sestra)
- Sami (North): oabbá
- Samoan: tuafafine
- Sango: bâa
- Sanskrit: भगिनी (bhaginī)
- Santali: ᱚᱢᱠᱟᱭ (omkay)
- Scots Gaelic: piuthar
- Sepedi: kgaitsedi
- Serbian: сестра (sestra)
- Sesotho: khaitseli
- Seychellois Creole: ser
- Shan: ညီမ (nima)
- Shona: hanzvadzi
- Sicilian: soru
- Silesian: siostra
- Sindhi: ڀيڻ (bheṇ)
- Sinhala: සහෝදරිය (sahodariya)
- Slovak: sestra
- Slovenian: sestra
- Somali: walaal
- Spanish: hermana
- Sundanese: adik
- Swahili: dada
- Swedish: syster
- Tagalog: kapatid na babae
- Tahitian: tuaine
- Tajik: хоҳар (khohar)
- Tamil: சகோதரி (cakotari)
- Tatar: апа (apa)
- Telugu: చెల్లి (chelli)
- Tetum: biin
- Thai: พี่สาว (phī̂s̄āw)
- Tibetan: བུམ་སྤོས་ (bumpa)
- Tigrinya: ሓሜላ (hamela)
- Tongan: tuofefine
- Tok Pisin: susinda
- Tsonga: makwavo
- Tswana: kgaitsadi
- Turkmen: ini
- Turkish: kız kardeş
- Tuvaluan: tuagina
- Ukrainian: сестра (sestra)
- Upper Sorbian: so
- Urdu: بہن (bhen)
- Uyghur: singil
- Uzbek: opa
- Vietnamese: chị
- Volapük: sisor
- Walloon: sowe
- Walser: schwestara
- Waray: bugto nga babaye
- Welsh: chwaer
- Xhosa: udadewethu
- Yiddish: שוועסטער (shvester)
- Yoruba: arabinrin
- Zazaki: xwişk
- Zulu: udadewethu
Learning to say “sister” in different languages is fascinating. Here’s a quick overview of some translations:
- French: “Sœur” is the French word for sister. If you’re learning French, you’ll find this word is used frequently in everyday conversations.
- Spanish: “Hermana” is used for sister. Both younger sister and older sister are called “hermana,” but the context or an additional word clarifies which one you’re talking about.
- Vietnamese: In Vietnamese, em gái refers to a younger sister, while “chị gái” refers to an older sister. These terms reflect the Vietnamese respect for age and hierarchy.
- German: “Schwester” is the German word for sister. For a younger sister, you might say “kleine Schwester,” while an older sister is “große Schwester.”
- Mandarin Chinese: “妹妹” (mèimei) is used for a younger sister, while “姐姐” (jiějie) refers to an older sister. As in many East Asian languages, the terms differentiate between siblings by age.
Each of these translations carries a sense of family, closeness, and often, a term of endearment.
Knowing how to say sister in various languages can enrich your experience, whether chatting with a female friend, traveling, or learning new cultures.
Younger vs. Older Sister: Different Words
In many languages, including Asian and European ones, the distinction between a younger sister and an older sister is essential.
As mentioned, “em gái” and “chị gái” are examples in Vietnamese. Similarly, Japanese uses “妹” (imouto) for younger sister and “姉” (ane) for older sister.
It’s common for languages to use different words for these concepts, reflecting the cultural emphasis on age and hierarchy within families.
In contrast, languages like English, French, and Spanish use a single word for sister, whether she is older or younger. However, to clarify, people add modifiers like “older” or “younger,” especially in everyday conversations.
Twin Sisters and Biological Sisters
Another fascinating aspect of the word sister in different languages is when it refers to a twin or biological sister. For example, in German, “Zwillingsschwester” is used for twin sister, while “Schwester” still refers to a biological sister.
Meanwhile, in Mandarin, you would add “双胞胎” (shuāngbāotāi) to mean twin, so “双胞胎妹妹” (shuāngbāotāi mèimei) would mean twin younger sister.
In some cultures, the notion of biological sisters may also overlap with that of close friends, where someone you share a deep bond with can be affectionately called “sister.”
This is especially true in English-speaking countries like the United States, where the word sister is used colloquially between female friends.
Audio Pronunciation and Learning New Words
It’s important to focus on audio pronunciation when learning to say sister in different languages.
Many words might seem similar in writing but differ significantly in pronunciation, especially between languages like French and Vietnamese.
Several resources offer pronunciation guides, including online dictionaries and simple translation dictionary tools. Websites like Interglot (2000–2024) provide excellent tools to hear how native speakers say these words, giving you a better understanding of how to use them in real-world conversations.
Learning new languages often means learning new words that might not have exact equivalents in your native tongue. For instance, while English uses “sister” universally, languages like Vietnamese and Mandarin use specific terms to denote age differences.
Having audio pronunciation handy helps you understand the nuances, especially in tonal languages like Vietnamese and Mandarin.
Translation and Cultural Context
Every language reflects the culture it comes from. In some cases, translating the word “sister” may require more than just a simple translation dictionary. Understanding the cultural context is key.
For example, in Vietnamese and Japanese, addressing your younger sister by name without adding “em” or “imouto” can be disrespectful, while in English, it’s completely normal.
Moreover, some languages are considered extinct, meaning their use has significantly declined or native speakers no longer speak them.
In these languages, the word for “sister” might have evolved, merged with other words, or fallen out of usage. However, in some cases, linguistic revitalization efforts have helped preserve these terms.
Terms of Endearment for Sisters
The word sister often carries a tone of love and familiarity. In English, people might use “sis” as a term of endearment, particularly in casual settings or among close friends.
Similarly, other languages have their affectionate versions. In Spanish, “hermanita” is a diminutive form that means “little sister,” often used to show affection.
In French, adding “petite” before “sœur” can give it a similar endearing feel, making it a term of endearment for a little sister.
Conclusion: The Global Concept of Sisterhood
The concept of “sister” is universal, but how it’s expressed across different languages varies widely.
Whether distinguishing between a younger sister and an older sister or referring to a twin sister, these linguistic differences reflect the speakers’ values and cultural practices.
To explore these translations further, resources like Interglot (2000–2024) and language-learning apps provide comprehensive guides and audio pronunciation that can help you master how to say these words and use them in everyday conversations.
Understanding how the word “sister” is translated across various languages gives us insight into how family structures and relationships are viewed worldwide.
As you delve into these languages, you’ll find that the word “sister” is more than just a simple translation—it reflects cultural values, hierarchy, and affection.
Whether you’re looking to communicate with native speakers, learn new terms of endearment, or expand your vocabulary, knowing “sister” in various languages can enrich your language-learning journey.
Source: University of Texas at Austin – Linguistics Research Center