Greek word for friends

You may be surprised to know that in Greek, there are actually four words that all mean love.

Similar to how in English we refer to love in different ways (love, passion, affection, adoration, etc.), Greek does so as well.

The four most common words for “love” in Greek are philia, storge, agape, and eros.

One of these words specifically, philia, refers to love as “friendship love,” what we would call “brotherly love.”

The kind of love that is purely platonic, and void of any passion or sexual or emotional romance.

The philosopher Aristotle defined the concept of brotherly love, or philia, in many of his works.

In books VIII and IX of his Nicomachean Ethics, he gave a few examples of brotherly love: lifelong friends, fellow voyagers, parents and children, members of the same religion or tribe, business contacts, to name a few.

With all the war and contention in today’s world, you may think brotherly love is hard to find.

However, it’s all around us, especially in our own communities and circles of friends.

While Aristotle referred to it as philia, we may refer to brotherly love in terms of affection, friendship, a “brother from another mother,” soul sisters, or even kindred spirits.

No matter which term you use, the basis of philia is that it’s a kind of love that is wholly platonic.

There is no romantic attraction or lust whatsoever.

How do you know if it’s true philia?

There are a few key characteristics of brotherly love that set it apart from other kinds of love. True friendship is authentic, genuine, loyal, delightful, and selfless.

Authenticity in brotherly love

Authenticity in brotherly love

The first quality, authenticity, is key to determining whether a friendship can be characterized as philia.

The opposite of authenticity in a friendship would be ill intent.

For example, if someone befriends another because that person can be beneficial for their own personal gain, that is not an authentic friend.

If they truly want to be your friend, they will never ask anything of you or use you for who you know or what you have.

If you have a friend who only wants to hang out with you when you are going to an exclusive event or when you are with other important people who may help to further their career or personal interests, they are not authentic because they are not forthcoming in their intent.

An authentic friend who truly loves you as a friend is happy to spend time with you anytime, anywhere, no matter who will (or won’t) be there.

What it means to be a genuine friend

What it means to be a genuine friend

Similar to authenticity, genuity is crucial to a true friendship. Being genuine means that your friend means what they say and says what they mean.

They are earnest and straightforward. There is no guile or deceit in their actions and words.

For example, if a friend seems like they’re trying to manipulate you, that is not genuine. And that is not a true friend.

If they try to catch you in a lie or gaslight you to make you feel like you are in the wrong, this person does not have your best interest at heart.

A genuine friend, like an authentic friend, is just happy to be your friend.

A friendship with a genuine person is healthy, honest, and easy.

There is no drama, and you know they are always going to behave in a consistent manner because they have the confidence to always be themselves.

Loyalty in brotherly love or philia

Loyalty in brotherly love or philia

Loyalty is one of the highest forms of love because it requires total fidelity to the other person.

While many think loyalty is reserved for more romantic relationships, loyalty is actually a major part of philia or true friendship.

You know you have a loyal friend when they speak highly of you even if you aren’t in the room.

When they defend you behind your back and give you the benefit of the doubt, they are showing loyalty.

Loyalty also shows itself in the way they support you through conflicts or hard times.

To be loyal means being there, no matter what, and no matter what judgments may come from supporting you.

Now, of course, you don’t want someone who is blindly loyal and cannot think for themselves, but you do want a friend who will be right there with you, saying, “I’ve got your back. We’ll get through this together.”

They prioritize your friendship over any other outside influence, and you can always count on them to maintain confidentiality and respect your privacy.

It can be tempting to gossip, especially when other friends don’t know the full story like you might but being loyal means keeping your mouth shut when it matters most. That is philia because that is true friendship.

True friendship is a delight

True friendship is a delight

Delight comes from one of the kinds of true friendship Aristotle identified – friendships of pleasure.

These friendships are based on pure delight in the company of others.

Think of friends who you can just relax and have fun with no matter what else is going on in your lives.

Who doesn’t want that in a true, brotherly love kind of friendship? Delight is easy to see in a relationship when you have a shared hobby you both enjoy.

If you are looking for more delight in your friendships, consider joining a local sports league or a Facebook group for others in your community who are interested in the same thing as you.

Whether it’s pickleball or volleyball, shopping, antiquing, or cooking new recipes, you’re bound to find someone with whom you can delight in shared interests.

Selflessness in true friendship

Selflessness in true friendship

Perhaps, above all the qualities I’ve listed, selflessness may just be the most important quality in true friendship.

Aristotle noted that friendships that embody philia are those where each friend enjoys the other’s character and is motivated to care for the other person.

We’re sure as you’re reading this you have a certain friend coming to mind.

The friend who always checks in and reaches out just to tell you that you’ve been on their mind. Stay close to these kinds of people!

If someone in your life is motivated to care for you and to make sure that your well-being is prioritized, they are definitely someone you can count on as a true friend.

You may think that only a romantic partner, or even a parent or immediate family member, would be the only one who can show selflessness towards you, but friends can do this too. Especially true friends.

Selflessness in a true friendship may look like bringing you groceries when you’re sick, giving you a ride to the airport, mailing you a card just because, or doing you a favor without expecting anything in return.

Now that you’ve read through some of the main characteristics of true friendship, what other qualities come to mind?

Table of Contents

  1. What is the meaning of the Greek word Istoria?
  2. What is the Greek word of Philo?
  3. What is the meaning of the word Greek?
  4. What is the greatest form of love?
  5. What are the 8 types of love?
  6. What is a bigger word for love?
  7. What are the 8 types of love in Greek?
  8. How many times one can fall in love?
  9. What is an altruistic love?
  10. What is a fatuous love?
  11. What are love types?
  12. What are the 5 kinds of love?
  13. What are the 3 words for love in Greek?
  14. How does Greek define love?
  15. What are 3 word better than I love you?
  16. What is a synonym for I Love You?

Philia (/ˈfɪliə/; Ancient Greek: φιλία), often translated “highest form of love”, is one of the four ancient Greek words for love: philia, storge, agape and eros. In Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, philia is usually translated as “friendship” or affection.

What is the meaning of the Greek word Istoria?

The word istoria is the Greek word for story.

What is the Greek word of Philo?

before vowels phil-, word-forming element meaning “loving, fond of, tending to,” from Greek philos (adj.) “dear, loved, beloved,” as a noun, “friend,” from philein “to love, regard with affection,” a word of unknown origin.

What is the meaning of the word Greek?

Greek means belonging or relating to Greece, or to its people, language, or culture. A Greek is a person who comes from Greece.

What is the greatest form of love?

Agape

What are the 8 types of love?

Meet the 8 Different Types of Love

  • Philia — Affectionate Love. Philia is love without romantic attraction and occurs between friends or family members.
  • Pragma — Enduring Love.
  • Storge — Familiar Love.
  • Eros — Romantic Love.
  • Ludus — Playful Love.
  • Mania — Obsessive Love.
  • Philautia — Self Love.
  • Agape — Selfless Love.

What is a bigger word for love?

SYNONYMS FOR love 1 tenderness, fondness, predilection, warmth, passion, adoration. 2 liking, inclination, regard, friendliness. 15 like. 16 adore, adulate, worship.

What are the 8 types of love in Greek?

The eight different types of love, according to the ancient Greeks, are:

  • Eros (sexual passion)
  • Philia (deep friendship)
  • Ludus (playful love)
  • Agape (love for everyone)
  • Pragma (longstanding love)
  • Philautia (love of the self)
  • Storge (family love)
  • Mania (obsessive love)

How many times one can fall in love?

How many times can you fall in love? Well, the average person falls in love four times during their lifetime.

What is an altruistic love?

Also called Unconditional Love (Agape) A specific type of love in which care, tenderness, and affection is freely given while expecting nothing in return.

What is a fatuous love?

Fatuous Love In this type of love, commitment and passion are present while intimacy or liking is absent. Fatuous love is typified by a whirlwind courtship in which passion motivates a commitment without the stabilizing influence of intimacy.

What are love types?

The Four Types of Love: Some Are Healthy, Some Are Not

  • Eros: erotic, passionate love.
  • Philia: love of friends and equals.
  • Storge: love of parents for children.
  • Agape: love of mankind.

What are the 5 kinds of love?

We all give and receive love in 5 different ways: words of affirmation, acts of service, receiving gifts, quality time, and physical touch.

What are the 3 words for love in Greek?

Eros – Philia – Agape: The Three Greek Words For LOVE.

How does Greek define love?

Philia (φιλία philía) means “affectionate regard, friendship”, usually “between equals”. Storge (στοργή storgē) means “love, affection” and “especially of parents and children”. It is the common or natural empathy, like that felt by parents for offspring.

What are 3 word better than I love you?

Originally Answered: What are three words better than ‘I love you’? “Pray for you.”

What is a synonym for I Love You?

What is another word for love you?

affection adoration
devotion like
attachment friendship
intimacy respect
amity amour
International Friendship day friend in different languages

FRIEND! Around the world, this simple word is used as an expression of companionship, camaraderie, loyalty, support, trust and good times. Yes, it may appear as a straightforward word, yet it holds so much of meaning for almost everyone. This word is said an infinite number of times each day in a plethora of situations across cultures, traditions, and backgrounds. Every language has a way of expressing friendship out loud and since you’re looking for another word for friend, you’ve certainly come to the right place! Continue reading to discover more than 100 ways to say friend in different languages of the world.

True friends are never apart, maybe in distance, but never in heart

The dictionary defines friend as a person you like and enjoy being with. Someone that you feel affection towards.

A person that you have met repeatedly and who has a passing knowledge or understanding of and with you. Another individual who provides help and support.

While the world may seem to be filled with many differences, friendship and fellowship are universal. Many of us have friends located all over the world, whether we met them online or during past travels. Why not impress these friends or make new ones by knowing how to greet them in the language of their country. Below you will find out how to say friend in any and every country.

Get ready to impress your friends, amigos, freunde, péngyǒumen, rafikis, and dost around the world.

Do you know:
July 30th is International Day of Friendship and the ideal opportunity for celebrating our friends around the world

The word friend is guaranteed to induce feelings of closeness and joy. A simple way of making someone feel loved, acknowledged, and appreciated.

A friend is someone who gets you, who you can talk to about anything, someone you can share your thoughts and problems with. A friend is another person who shares the same interests as you. Someone you can have new experiences with, like trying weird foods, or discovering beautiful places, or simply watching the sun rise together.

There’s no shortage of words for friend and ways to call someone a friend in many languages around the world. The words may be different, but the good intentions and intended joy are one and the same, with infinite feelings no matter which country you may find yourself in. You can learn a lot about a region and its inhabitants from the way the locals express themselves and a benefit of traveling is this experience gained. 

It’s always a good idea to know a few words in the language of the country you’re exploring. Start conversations, impress the locals, and make a new best friend by learning these other words too:

  • HELLO in every language of the world
  • I LOVE YOU in different languages of the world
  • CHEERS in all languages of the world
  • GOODBYE in other languages
  • THANK YOU in another language
  • GOOD MORNING in a different language
  • GOOD NIGHT in different languages
  • LIGHT in different languages

Friendship around the World

Do you know:

Where does the term FRIEND come from?

The etymological origin of the word friend is from
Old English frēond, which meant to love or to favour. It is of Germanic origin; related to Dutch vriend and German Freund, from an Indo-European root meaning ‘to love.’

The word for friend in Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish is also derived from the verb to love. The root of ‘ven’ in Danish means beautiful. However, in Arabic, the root of the word ‘Sadeeq’ (from Sadaqa صدق), means truth. This is from a saying, “who is your friend? The one who tells you the truth.”

Friend, of Anglo-Saxon origin, was name for a person who was considered to be very good-natured, considerate, and neighborly. During the Middle Ages people would use this word when they referred to their relatives or their kinsmen.

Good friends are like stars.
You don’t always see them, but you know they’re always there

friend is different languages

Continue reading to discover the complete list of friends in all languages. Copy and paste, save to your phone, or print out and stick it in your passport. I’ll be continually updating this as I discover other different languages for friend.

Be sure to bookmark this post so that it’ll always be on hand for when the moment strikes.

If you wanted to call every person in the world a friend, you would need to learn those individual words from over 7,000 languages.

Fortunately, just by reading this guide I have put together for you, you will be able to say friendship in different languages to more than 90% of the world’s population. So whether you find yourself in Africa, Europe, Asia, or America, I’ve got you covered, my beautiful friend.

A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out

Other Creative and Fun Ways to Say Friend

In addition to saying the word friend in other languages, here are ten other words for friend in English that you could use:

  1. mate
  2. confidante
  3. companion
  4. comrade
  5. buddy
  6. chum
  7. pal
  8. ally
  9. homeboy
  10. bestie

FRIEND IN DIFFERENT LANGUAGES

Calling someone a close or best friend is sure to bring a huge smile to their face.

Here’s your ultimate guide on how to say friend in a different language.
Over 100 ways to acknowledge friendship in the most spoken languages of the world.

With pronunciation. In brackets you will find how to pronounce the word as it can often be difficult to know how to vocalise the word just by reading or looking at the direct translation.

Are you ready to take a trip around the world and learn how to convey some friendly vibes?

I have included the word for friend in every language I could think of. If you don’t spot your language, let me know (in the comments) and I will be happy to add it to this list.

Scroll to the bottom for a little bonus! ↓↓

friend in different languages

Speaking of best friends in different languages, describe your great love for traveling with friends with these: 50 fun words for travel

How do I say FRIEND in another language? Different languages for friendship?
Find every language in the world here ↓

Let’s get into it…

Here’s how you say “friend” in:

Afrikaans

  • vriend
    — is the Afrikaans word for friend
  • vriendskap
    — friendship in Afrikaaans

Afrikaans is a West Germanic language of Southern Africa mostly derived from Dutch. It developed as Dutch settlers and indigenous African mixed languages beginning in the 17th century. Today, an estimated 15 to 23 million people call Afrikaans their mother tongue. It is mainly spoken in South Africa and Namibia and can also be heard in parts of Botswana and Zimbabwe.

Albanian

  • miq
    — is the Albanian word for friend
  • miqësi
    — word for friendship in Albanian

Albanian is an Indo-European language, spoken mainly in Albania and Kosovo, though it is also spoken in other areas of the Balkans. With about 7.5 million speakers, it comprises an independent branch within the Indo-European languages and is not closely related to any other language in Europe.

Alsatian

  • freund
    — is the Alsatian word for friend

Alsatian is a West Germanic language spoken by around 900,000 people, mainly in the Alsace region of northeastern France.

Amharic

  • ጓደኛ gwadenya
    — is the Amharic word for friend
  • ጓደኝነት gwadenyineti

Amharic is a Semitic language and the official language of Ethiopia. It can also be heard in Egypt and Eritrea, as well as in Israel, Sweden, Canada and the United States.

Arabic

  • صديق  sadiq
    — the word for friend in Arabic
  • رفيق  rafiq
  • sadaqa
    — means friendship in Arabic

Arabic (العربية) is a Semitic language spoken by over 420 million people as their first language in countries in Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and other parts of the Middle East. Many more people can also understand it as a second language. Modern Standard Arabic is the liturgical language for 1.6 billion Muslims and is the official written form of the language with the Arabic alphabet, which is written from right to left.

Aragonese

  • amigo
    — masculine version of friend in Aragonese
  • amiga
    — feminine form

Aragonese is a language in the Romance language family that is native to Spain and spoken by just over 10, 000 people in the Pyrenees valley of Aragon.

Armenian

  • ընկեր ynker
    — friend in Armenian
  • բարեկամություն barekamut’yun
    — friendship in Armenian

Armenian is an Indo-European language spoken in the Republic of Armenia, as well as in large communities of Armenian diaspora by around 6.7 million people.

Assamese

  • বান্ধৱ
    — friend in Assamese

Assamese is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in the northeast Indian state of Assam, where it is an official language. Native to India and Bangladesh, it is spoken by over 23 million people.

Asturian

  • amigo
    — friend in Asturian
  • amiga

Asturian is a West Iberian Romance language spoken by around 400,000 people in Asturias, Spain.

Azerbaijani

  • dost
    — means friend in Azerbaijani
  • dostum
  • dostluq
    — the word for friendship in Azerbaijani

Azerbaijani or Azeri is the primary and official language of Azerbaijan by its 8.8 million native speakers. It is also widely spoken in Northern Iran and to a small extent in southern Dagestan, the Kvemo Kartli region of Georgia, eastern Turkey, in Shia cities of Iraq, like Karbala and Kirkuk. The language is a Turkic language and is highly intelligible with modern-day Turkish.

Basque

  • laguna
     is the Basque word that translates as friends
  • adiskidetasuna

Basque (euskara) is a language spoken in the Basque Country (Gipuzkoa, Araba, Bizkaia) and Navarra (in Spain) as well as in the French Basque Country (Labourd, Soule and Basse-Navarre). Linguistically, Basque is a language isolate and is unrelated to the other languages of Europe.

Bavarian / Austrian German

  • to say friend in Bavarian use:
    Spezl

Bavarian is a regional dialect of German spoken in the German state of Bavaria, western Austria, and Northeastern Italy by over 14 million people. It uses German grammar, but takes several root words from Latin.

Belarusian

  • сябар siabar
    — is the Belarusina word for friend
  • siabroŭstva
    — friendship in Belarusian

Belarusian is the official language of Belarus. This East Slavic language is also spoken in Russia, Ukraine and Poland.

Bengali

  • বন্ধু bandhu
    — The Bengali noun for friend
  • bandhutba
    — means friendship in Bengali

Bengali বাংলা is the only official language of Bangladesh, one of the 22 official languages of India, and the sixth most spoken language in the world. It is spoken as a first language by the majority of the population in Bangladesh, as well as people in the Indian state of West Bengal.

Bodo

  • suthru

Bodo बर’/बड़ is the Sino-Tibetan language spoken primarily by the Bodo people of Northeast India, Nepal and Bengal. It is official language of the Bodoland Autonomous region and co-official language of the state of Assam in India.

Bosnian

  • prijatelj
    — is the Bosnian word for friend
  • prijateljstvo
    — friendship pronounced (pre-yah-tell-svo)

Bosnian, a south Slavic language of the Indo-European family, is the official language of Bosnia and is essentially the same language as Croatian and Serbian. All three languages used to be known as Serbo-Croatian before the break-up of Yugoslavia.

Brazilian Portuguese

  • amigo
    —is the word for male friend in Brazilian Portuguese
  • amiga
    — female friend

Brazilian Portuguese (Português do Brasil) is the variety of Portuguese dialect spoken in Brazil. It is spoken by virtually all of the 200 million inhabitants of Brazil and spoken widely across the Brazilian diaspora. European Portuguese differs from the Brazilian variety in pronunciation, as well as in some vocabulary.

Breton

  • kamarad
    — is the word for friend in Breton

Breton is a Southwestern Brittonic language of the Celtic language spoken in Brittany in the northwest of France.

Bulgarian

  • приятел priyatel
    is the Bulgarian word for friend
  • приятелство priyatelstvo
    — the word for friendship in Bulgarian

Bulgarian is a South Slavic language spoken in Southeastern Europe, primarily in Bulgaria. It is the country’s only official language and Bulgarian is written with Cyrillic.

Burmese

  • သူငယ်ချင်း suungaalhkyinn
    — friend in Burmese
  • ခင်မင်မှု hkainmainmhu

Burmese is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken in Myanmar where it is an official language and the language of the Bamar people, the country’s principal ethnic group.

Cambodian Khmer

  • មិត្តភក្តិ mitt phokte
    — means friend in Khmer

Khmer is the language of the Khmer people and the official language of Cambodia. With over 16 million speakers, it is the second most widely spoken Austroasiatic language.

Catalan

  • amic
    — is the word for friend in Catalan, masculine
  • amiga
    — feminine form of friend
  • amistat
    — friendship in Catalan

Catalan is a Western Romance language derived from Vulgar Latin and named after the medieval Principality of Catalonia, in northeastern of modern Spain. It is the only official language of Andorra, and a co-official language of the Spanish autonomous communities of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and Valencia.

Cebuano

  • higala

Cebuano, also known as Bisaya or Binisaya, is an Austronesian language spoken in the southern Philippines region in Central Visayas, western parts of Eastern Visayas and the majority of Mindanao.

Chamorro

  • amiga
  • amigu
  • ga’chong

Chamorro is an Austronesian language, the native and spoken language of the Chamorro people, who are the indigenous people of the Mariana Islands.

Cheyenne

  • navésé’e
    — this is the Cheyenne for friend, only said by a female, of a female friend
  • néséne
    — said by a male of a male friend

Cheyenne is the Native American language spoken by the Cheyenne people of the United States. It is part of the Algonquian language family. The Cheyenne are a Native American tribe that live in the Great Plains of Minnesota, Montana, Oklahoma, Colorado, Wyoming and South Dakota.

Chichewa

  • mnzanga

Chichewa, also known as Nyanja, is a Bantu language spoken in much of Southern, Southeast and East Africa. It is the national language of Malawi and is also spoken in Zambia, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.

Chinese Cantonese

How to say friend in Chinese Cantonese:

  • 朋友
    — the Chinese word for friend
    pronounced (pang you)

Cantonese is a variety of Chinese originating from the city of Guangzhou and its surrounding area in Southeastern China. Belonging to the Sino-Tibetan family of languages, it is the traditional prestige variety of the Yue Chinese dialect group, which has about 68 million native speakers.

Chinese Mandarin

How do you say friends in Chinese Mandarin:

  • 朋友  Peng You
    — the Chinese word for friend
    pronounced (pong yoh)
  • 友谊 Yǒuyì
    — is Chinese for friendship

Mandarin Chinese is the official language of Mainland China and Taiwan, and is one of the official languages of Singapore. Mandarin is often placed first in lists of languages by number of native speakers with almost a billion speakers.

Corsican

  • amicu

Corsican is a Romance language from the Italo-Dalmatian family that is spoken predominantly on the Mediterranean island of Corsica. Corsican is closely related to Tuscan and to the Florentine-based Italian.

friends different languages

Croatian

  • prijatelj
    — is the Croatian word for friend
  • prijateljstvo
    — friendship in Croatian, pronounced (pre-yah-tell-svo)

Croatian or Hrvatski is a South Slavic language spoken mainly in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, some parts of Serbia, and the neighbouring countries by about 5.5 million people.

Czech

  • přitelé
    — the word for friend in Czech
  • přátelství
    — friendship in Czech

Czech is a Western Slavic language which is mutually intelligible with Slovak. It is mainly spoken in the Czech Republic with over 10,5 million speakers.

Danish

  • ven
    — is the word for friend in Danish
  • venskab
    — friendship in Danish

Danish is a Scandinavian language and the only official language of the Kingdom of Denmark. Closely related to Swedish and Norwegian, it is spoken in Denmark and in some parts of Greenland and northern Germany.

Dhivehi

  • rahumaiytheriyaa
    — is the word for friend in Dhivehi

Dhivehi or Maldivian is an Indo-Aryan language spoken on the islands of Maldives where it is an official language.

Dogri

  • साथन

Dogri is a Northern Indo-Aryan language spoken by around five million people in India, mainly in the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir.

Dutch

  • vriend
    — the Dutch word meaning friend
  • vriendje
    — the plural form of friend
  • vriendschap
    — friendship in Dutch

Dutch is a West Germanic language spoken by about 27 million people world-wide mostly in the Netherlands and northern Belgium.

Dzongkha

  • charo

Dzonkha or Bhutanese is the sole official and national language of the Kingdom of Bhutan. This Sino-Tibetan language is spoken by over half a million people in Bhutan and is written with the Tibetan alphabet.

English

  • Friend

English is a West Germanic language that was first spoken in Anglo-Saxon England in the early Middle Ages. It is spoken in many countries around the world with over 375 million native speakers. English is the second most spoken language, and the most international language in the world.

Estonian

  • sõber
    — is the Estonian word for friend
  • sõprus
    — friendship in Estonian, pronounced (suh-pruhs)

Estonian is a Finno-Ugric language spoken as the official language in Estonia. It is closely related to Finnish.

Faroese

  • vinur
    — is the word for best friend in Faroese

Faroese is a North Germanic language spoken as a first language by Faroe Islanders, residing on the Faroe Islands and in other areas, mainly Denmark.

Farsi / Persian

  • دوست  dost
  • رفیق  rafeeq
    — the Persian word meaning friends

Persian is an ancient language belonging to the Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian subdivision of the Indo-European languages. It is a pluricentric language predominantly spoken and used officially within Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan.

Fijian

  • itau
    — this is the Fijian word for friend

Fijian is an Austronesian language of the Malayo-Polynesian family. It is an official language of Fiji spoken by some 350,000–450,000 ethnic Fijians as a native language.

Finnish

  • ystävä
    — is the Finnish word for friend, pronounced (oo-stah-vah)
  • ystävyys
    — Finnish for friendship (oo-stah-voo)

Finnish is a Finno-Ugric language spoken only in Finland as the official language and by ethnic Finns elsewhere in Scandinavia.

Flemish

  • vriend
    is the Flemish word for friend
  • maat

Flemish is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language, native to the historical region of Flanders in northern Belgium. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch, Belgian Dutch, or Southern Dutch spoken by over 6 million people.

French

  • ami
    — is the French masculine word for friend
    pronounced like (ah-me)
  • amie
    — feminine form of friend in French
  • amitié
    — the word for friendship in French, pronounced (ah-me-tee-eh)

French is a Romance language of the Indo-European family spoken by over 354 million people in France and around the world. It is the third most spoken language in Europe, the official language of 29 countries, spoken in parts of Africa, North America, and South America.

Frisian

  • freon

The Frisian languages are a closely related group of Germanic languages, spoken by about 500,000 Frisian people, who live on the southern fringes of the North Sea in the Netherlands and Germany.

Galician

  • amigo

Galician is a Romance language spoken by around 2.4 million people in Galicia, a region in northwestern Spain, where it is the official language.

Georgian

  • მეგობარო megobari
  • მეგობრობა megobroba
    — friendship in Georgian

Georgian is the official language of Georgia and the country’s most widely spoken language with over 4.1 million people.

German

  • freund
    — the German noun that translates to friend, masculine form
  • freundin
    — feminine form of friend in German
  • freundschaft
    — friendship in German

German Deutsch is the official language of both Germany and Austria and one of the three official languages of Switzerland. German belongs to the West Germanic group of the Indo-European language family. One of the major languages of the world, German is a native language to almost 100 million people worldwide and the most widely spoken native language in the European Union.

Gilbertese

  • raou

Gilbertese, also called Kiribati, is an Austronesian Oceanic language spoken mainly in Kiribati, but also on the islands of Fiji, the Solomon Islands and Tuvalu.

Greek

  • φίλος Fílos
    — word for friend in Greek, pronounced (fee-yohs)
  • filía
    — friendship in Greek

Greek (ελληνικά) belongs to the Hellenic branch of the Indo-European language family, mainly spoken in Greece and Cyprus an an official language. It has the longest documented history of any living Indo-European language, spanning more than 3000 years of written records. There are about 13.1 million speakers of Greek worldwide and it is recognised as a minority language in Albania, Armenia, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Turkey and Ukraine.

Greenlandic

  • ikinngut
    — is the Greenlandic word for friend

Greenlandic falls under the Eskimo–Aleut language family, spoken by around 57,000 Greenlandic Inuit people in Greenland.

Gujarati

  • મિત્ર mitra
    — is the Gujarati word for friend
  • મિત્રતા mitratā

Gujarati is an Indo-Aryan language native to the Indian state of Gujarat and spoken predominantly by the Gujarati people. Gujarati is part of the greater Indo-European language family.

Haitian Creole

Say friends in Creole:

  • zanmi
  • amitye

Haitian Creole (kreyòl ayisyen)) is a French-based creole language spoken by 10–12 million people worldwide and the only language of most Haitians. Along with French it is one of the official languages of Haiti.

Hausa

  • aboki
  • abota
    — friendship in Hausa

Hausa language, the most important indigenous bridge language in West and Central Africa, spoken as a first or second language by about 40–50 million people. It belongs to the Western branch of the Chadic language family within the Afro-Asiatic language phylum. It is spoken mainly in northern Nigeria and Niger, and also in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Central African Republic (CAR), Chad, Congo, Eritrea, Germany, Ghana, Sudan and Togo.

Hawaiian

How to say friend in Hawaiian:

  • hoa
  • makamaka
  • aloha
    — to say friendship use aloha

The Hawaiian language is a Polynesian language that takes its name from Hawaiʻi, the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed. Hawaiian, along with English, is an official language of the State of Hawaii and here are the best words about Hawaii to know.

Hebrew

  • חבר yadid
    — is the Hebrew word for friend
  • חֲבֵרוּת
    — friendship in Hebrew

Hebrew is a Northwest Semitic language spoken by over nine million people worldwide. Historically, it is regarded as the language of the Israelites and their ancestors. It is written using its own script from right to left.

Hindi

  • दोस्त Dosth
  • मित्र Mitra
  • यार Yaar
    — are the Hindi words for friends
  • mitratā
    — friendship in Hindi

Hindi (हिन्दी) is an Indo-European language spoken in India, Nepal, and throughout the Indian diaspora. Hindi is descended from Sanskrit, sometimes called “the mother of all languages.” While there are 22 official languages and over 1,000 dialects of India, Hindi and English take precedence in government affairs. It is a link-language for over half of India’s population.

Hmong

  • phooj ywg

Hmong is a Hmong-Mien language spoken by about 2.6 million people in China, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, USA, and French Guiana.

Hopi

  • wikwawa wikwawa

Hopi is a Uto-Aztecan language spoken by the Hopi people in northeastern Arizona, USA.

Hungarian

  • barát
    — this is the word for friend in Hungarian
  • barátság
    — friendship in Hungarian

Hungarian is a Uralic language of the Ugric branch spoken in Hungary and parts of several neighbouring countries. It is the official language of Hungary and one of the 24 official languages of the European Union.

friendship in different languages friend

Icelandic

  • vinur
    — is the Icelandic word for friend
  • vinátu
    — friendship in Icelandic

Icelandic (íslenska) is a North Germanic language spoken in Iceland as its official language. It’s most closely related to Faroese and Western Norwegian and has around 314,000 speakers. The language is more conservative than most other Western European languages.

Igbo

  • enyi

Igbo is the principal native language of the Igbo people of southeastern Nigeria with around 45 million speakers and over 20 dialects.

Indonesian Bahasa

  • teman
    — the Indonesian noun for friend

Indonesian (bahasa Indonesia) is the official language of Indonesia.With over 230 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. It is a group of varieties of Malay, an Austronesian language that has been used as the common language in the multilingual Indonesian archipelago for centuries. Indonesia uses the Latin alphabet system and Arabic numerals.

Inuktitut

  • piqatialuk
    — is the word for best friend in Inuktitut (pi-qa-TIA-luk)

Inuktitut is an Eskimo-Aleut language spoken in Arctic territories and the topmost span of North America including Alaska and Northern Canada.

Irish

  • cara
    — this is the all-purpose word for friend n Irish, pronounced (kor-juhs)
  • cairdeas
    — friendship in Irish (kor-juhs)

Irish (Gaeilge) is one of the three Goidelic languages, along with Scottish Gaelic and Manx. This Goidelic branch together with the Brythonic branch (Welsh, Cornish and Breton) form the Celtic language family.

Italian

How to say friend in Italian:

  • amico
    is the Italian noun for male friend, and it’s pronounced as (ah-ME-co)
  • amica
    — feminine form of friend in Italian
  • amicizia
    — the word for friendship in Italian

Italian (Italiano) is a Romance language of the Indo-European language family spoken by over 90 million people, the vast majority of which are in Italy, Sicily and Sardinia. It is the official language of Italy, San Marino, and the Vatican City.

Japanese

  • 友達 tomodachi
    — the word for friend in Japanese, pronounced (to -mo-da-chi)
    written as ともだち
    or トモダチ
  • 友人 yûjin
  • 友情 yūjō
    — is how you say friendship in Japanese, pronounced (yoo-joo)

Japanese (日本語 Nihongo) is an East Asian language of the Japonic language family. It is spoken by about 125 million people, mostly in Japan, where it is the official and national language.

Jamaican

  • friend
    — is a Jamaican saying to express friendship

Jamaican Patois, often also referred to as Jamaican Creole, is an English-based creole language with West African influences spoken mainly in Jamaica. Belonging to the English Creole language family, it is spoken by the the majority of Jamaicans with over 3 million native speakers.

Javanese

  • kanca
    — is the word for friend in Javanese

Javanese is the language of the Javanese people of the island of Java, in Indonesia that is the native language of more than 98 million people.

Kannada

  • gelati ಸ್ನೇಹಿತ
    — is the Kannada word for friends

Kannada, spoken by nearly 45 million native speakers, is a Dravidian language of the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, and by significant linguistic minorities in the states of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Kerala and abroad.

Kazakh

  • дос dos
    — friend in Kazakh
  • достық dostıq

Kazakh is a Turkic language of the Kipchak branch spoken in Central Asia and the official language of Kazakhstan. The language comprises 21 million native speakers including regions of Bayan-Ulgii in Mongolia and the Dzungarian region of Xinjiang, China.

Kikuyu

  • mũrata

Kikuyu or Gĩkũyũ is a Bantu language of the Niger-Congo language family that is spoken as a first language by over 6.6 million Agĩkũyũ people in Kenya.

Kinyarwanda

  • shuti

Kinyarwanda, an official language of Rwanda, is a Bantu language of the Niger-Congo language family that is spoken by at least 10 million people in Rwanda, DR Congo, and Uganda.

Korean

Friend in Korean:

  • 친구 chingu
    — friend in Korean pronounced (chin-goo)
  • 우정 ujeon
    — friendship in Korean, pronounced (oo-djong)

Korean, an East Asian language, is the official language of South Korea (Republic of Korea) and North Korea (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) spoken by more than 75 million people.

Kurdish

  • heval

Kurdish is spoken by about 30 million Kurds in western Asia including parts of Kurdistan, Iraq, Turkey, Iran, and Syria. It is one of the Indo-Iranian languages, ranks as the third largest Iranian language, after Persian and Pashto.

Kyrgyz

  • дос dos
    — friend in Kyrgyz
  • достук dostuk

Kyrgyz is a member of the Kipchak branch of the Turkic language family spoken by over 4 million speakers mainly in Kyrgyzstan, and also in China, Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Turkey.

Lao

  • ເພື່ອນ pheuon
  • ມິດຕະພາບ midtaphab
    — friendship in Lao

Lao is the main language of Laos. It is a Kra–Dai language serving as a common language among all citizens of Laos, who speak approximately 90 other languages, many of which are unrelated to Lao. Modern Lao is heavily influenced by the Thai language and comprises over 30 million native speakers.

Latin

  • amicus
    — is the Latin word for male friend
  • amica
    — is the Latin word for female friend

Latin was the dominant language of the Roman Empire from 6th century BC to 600 AD. When the Roman Empire collapsed, Latin evolved into the various languages that we know today. Italian, French, Portuguese, Spanish, and Romanian all consider Latin as their parent tongue. Latin is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages.

Latvian

  • draugs
    — translates as friend in Latvian
  • draudzība
    — the word for friendship in Latvian

Latvian (latviešu valoda) is an Indo-European Eastern Baltic language spoken in the Baltic region. It is the official language of Latvia and one of the official languages of the European Union.

Lebanese

  • sahbe
    — is the Lebanese word for friend
  • rfiki

Lebanese is a variety of North Levantine Arabic, indigenous to and spoken primarily in Lebanon. With significant linguistic influences borrowed from other Middle Eastern and European languages it is spoken by over 5,7 million native speakers.

friendship in different languages

Limburgish

  • vriend

Limburgish is a member of the East Low Franconian group of the Germanic languages considered a variety of German or Dutch by many people. It is spoken by around 1.6 million people in the Netherlands and Belgium.

Lingala

  • moninga

Lingala is a Bantu language spoken throughout the northwestern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and a large part of the Republic of the Congo by over 70 million people.

Lithuanian

  • draugas
    — is the word for friend in Lithuanian
  • draugystė
    — friendship in Lithuanian

Lithuanian (lietuvių kalba) is an Eastern Baltic language spoken in the Baltic region as the official language of Lithuania. It is also one of the official languages of the European Union spoken by just under 3 million native speakers. The language is one of the oldest in the world.

Luxembourgish

  • Frënd

Luxembourgish is a West Germanic language that is spoken mainly in Luxembourg. About 390,000 people speak Luxembourgish worldwide.

Luganda

  • mukwano
    — friend in Luganda, (moo-kwa-no)

Luganda, a Bantu language, is an official language of Uganda along with English and Swahili. It is spoken primarily in Kampala, but may be understood in much of the country and in the African Great Lakes region.

Macedonian

  • пријател prijatel
  • пријателство prijatelstvo
    — friendship in Macedonian

Macedonian, the official language of the Republic of North Macedonia, is a south Slavic language spoken as a first language by 2 million people.

Malagasy

  • namana
    — friend and friendship in Malagasy

Malagasy is the national language of Madagascar belonging to the Austronesian Malayo-Polynesia family of languages spoken by 25 million people.

Malay

  • kawan
    — is the Malay word for friend
  • persahabatan
    — friendship in Malay

Malay (Bahasa Melayu) is an Austronesian language spoken as the sole official language of Malaysia and Brunei. It is also heard in Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand at a total of 250 – 300 million speakers.

Malayalam

  • സുഹൃത്ത് suhr̥tt
    — is the word for friends in Malayalam (su-hu-ru-tth)
  • സൗഹൃദം sahr̥daṁ
    — friendship in Malayalam

Malayalam (മലയാളം) belongs to the Dravidian language family, spoken mostly in the Southern Indian states of Kerala and Lakshadweep. Around 36 million people use this language, which is one of the 22 official languages of India.

Maltese

  • habib
    — is how you say friend in Maltese

Maltese, a language of central Semitic origin written in the Latin script, is the national language of Malta. It is spoken by around 420,000 people on the Mediterranean islands of Malta, Gozo and Comino. The Maltese language developed from Sicilian Arabic, Over the centuries, it has incorporated many words derived from English, Italian and French.

Māori

  • hoa
    friend in Māori

Māori is an Eastern Polynesian language spoken by the Māori people, the indigenous population of New Zealand. it has also gained recognition as one of New Zealand’s official languages.

Marathi

  • मित्र mitra
  • मैत्री maitrī

Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by around 83.1 million Marathi people of Maharashtra, India. It is the official language and co-official language in the Maharashtra and Goa states of Western India, respectively, and is one of the 22 scheduled languages of India.

Marshallese

  • motta
    — is the Marshallese word for friend

Marshallese, also known as Ebon, is a Micronesian language spoken in the Marshall Islands by about 44,000 people. It is an official language of the Marshall Islands, along with English, and is used as the language of instruction in most primary schools.

Mongolian

  • найз naiz
    — the word for friend in Mongolian
  • нөхөрлөл nökhörlöl
    — friendship in Mogolian

Mongolian is the official language of Mongolia and both the most widely-spoken and best-known member of the Mongolic language family. It is an Altaic language spoken by approximately 5 million people in Mongolia, China, Afghanistan and Russia.

Moroccan Arabic

  • صاحب saheb
    — male friend

  • صاحبة sabha
    — female friend

Moroccan Arabic, also known as Darija, is a form of vernacular Arabic spoken in Morocco. It is part of the Maghrebi Arabic dialect continuum, with over 30 million native speakers.

Nahuatl

  • cnīuh

Nahuatl is a group of languages of the Uto-Aztecan language family. It was the language of the Aztecs and the Toltecs. Variations of Nahuatl are spoken by around 1.7 million Nahua people of Central Mexico and the USA and Nahuatl remains the most widely-spoken group of Native American languages in North America.

Nauruan

  • dañan

Nauruan is an Austronesian language, spoken natively on the island country of Nauru by around 6,000 people.

Navajo

  • shik’is
    — is the general Navajo word for friends
  • alah
    — friend of the opposite gender
  • akis
    — friend of the same gender

Navajo is an American Indian language of the Athabascan family, spoken by around 170, 000 Navajo people in the Southwestern United States regions of Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado.

Ndebele

  • umngane
    — is the Ndebele word for friend

Ndebele, an African language of the Nguni group of Bantu languages, is spoken by around 5 million Northern Ndebele people of Zimbabwe.

Nepali

  • साथी mitra
    — is the Nepali word for friend
  • मित्रता mitratā
    — friendship in Nepali

Nepali (नेपाली), is an Indo-Aryan language of the sub-branch of Eastern Pahari written in Devanagari script It is the sole official language of Nepal and one of the 22 scheduled languages of India. While most Nepalese people speak at least some Nepali, there are more than 100 different languages and dialects spoken in Nepal.

Neapolitan

Friend in Neapolitan

  • amico

Neapolitan is a Romance language of the Italo-Dalmatian group spoken across much of southern Italy by 6 million people. It is related to but generally not mutually intelligible with Italian.

Northern Sotho / Sepedi

  • mogwera

Northern Sotho is a Bantu language spoken primarily in South Africa, where it is one of the 11 official languages. It is spoken by about 4.2 million people in the South African provinces of Gauteng, Limpopo and Mpumalanga.

Norwegian

The word for friend in Norwegian:

  • venn
  • vennskap
    — friendship in Norwegian

Norwegian (norsk) is a Germanic language derived from Old Norse spoken primarily in Norway by over 5 million people where it is the official language.

Odia

  • इआर

Odia is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in the Indian state of Odisha where it is the official language.

Oromo

  • fira-i

Oromo is a Cushitic language spoken by about 30 million people in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Egypt. It is the third largest language in Africa.

Papiamento

Friednship in Papiamento:

  • amigu
    — male friend
  • amiga
    — female friend

Papiamento is a Portuguese-based creole language spoken in the Dutch Caribbean by less than 500,00 native speakers. It is the most-widely spoken language on the Caribbean ABC islands, having official status in Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao.

Pashto

  • ملګرې malgarey
  • دوست  dost
    — means friends in Pashto

Pashto is an Eastern Iranian language in the Indo-European family spoken in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran. It is an official language of Afghanistan along with Dari.

Polish

Say the word friend in Polish:

  • przyjaciel
    — male friend in Polish
  • przyjaciółka
    — female friend in Polish
  • przyjaźń
    — friendship in Polish, pronounced (pshey-ah-szuhn)

Polish (polski) is a West Slavic language spoken by about 45 million people. Said to be one of the hardest languages to learn, it is the official language of Poland. It is understood and can be used for communication in the western parts of Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania.

Portuguese

  • amigo
    — the Portuguese masculine noun for friend. The pronunciation is (ah-me-go)
  • amiga
    — feminine form of friend in Portuguese
  • amigos
    — the plural form of friend in Portuguese
  • amizade
    — friendship in Portuguese, pronounced (ah-mih-zah-dje)

Portuguese (português) is a Romance language spoken as the official language of Portugal and Brazil. It is also the official language of Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, São Tomé e Principe, Angola, Mozambique, and the co-official language of East Timor, and Macau. There are around 200 million native Portuguese speakers.

Punjabi

  • ਮਿਤ੍ਰ mitra
  • ਦੋਸਤ dost
    — the Punjabi word for friend
  • dōsatī
    — friendship in punjabi

Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language with more than 130 million native speakers in the Indian subcontinent and around the world. It is the 10th most spoken language in the world.

Romanian

  • prieten
    — the Romanian word for friend
  • prietenie
    — friendship in Romanian, pronounced (pree-eh-tehn-ee-ey)

Romanian (limba română) is a Balkan Romance language spoken by approximately 24–26 million people as a native language, primarily in Romania and Moldova, and by another 4 million people as a second language. Although it descended from Vulgar Latin, Romanian was influenced by Slavic and Greek languages in the Middle Ages. It is an official and national language of both Romania and Moldova.

Russian

  • друг droog
    — the Russian noun for friend, masculine form
  • padrooga подруга
    — a female friend in Russian
  • prijátel
    — you could also use this as friend in Russian
  • druzhba Дружба
    — friendship in Russian

Russian is an East Slavic language spoken by 300+ million people worldwide. It is  is an official language in the Russian Federation, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, and many other people in Central Asia, the Baltic states, the Caucasus, and Eastern Europe know it as a second language. Commonly written in Cyrillic, it is the 8th most widely spoken language in the world.

friends in every language

Samoan

  • uo
    — a commonly used word for friend in Samoan
  • faigauo

Samoan is the official language spoken in the Samoan Islands, which is made up of the Independent State of Samoa and the American Samoa. The language is the most spoken of the Polynesian language family with a total of 510,000 speakers worldwide.

Sanskrit

  • mitra
    — a commonly used word for friend in Sanskrit

Sanskrit is a 4,000-year-old classical language that belongs to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. Known as ‘the mother of all languages,’ Sanskrit is the root of many, but not all, Indian languages. It is also the liturgical language of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism. Sanskrit has less than 15,000 native speakers at present and is mostly used by Hindu priests during religious ceremonies.

Sardinian

  • amico
    — a commonly used word for friend in Sardinian

Sardinian or Sard is a Romance language spoken by over 1.5 million inhabitants of the Mediterranean island of Sardinia in Italy.

Scottish Gaelic

  • caraid

Scots Gaelic is a Goidelic language of the Celtic and Indo-European language family, native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, like Modern Irish and Manx, developed out of Middle Irish.

Serbian

  • пријатељу prijatelj
  • пријатељство prijateljstvo
    — friendship in Serbian

Serbian is a South Slavic language spoken mainly in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and Macedonia by about 9 million people. Serbian is the official and main language of Serbia and Montenegro.

Sesotho

  • motswalle

Sesotho (Sotho) is a Southern Bantu language of the Sotho-Tswana group, spoken primarily by the Basotho in Lesotho, where it is the national and official language, South Africa, where it is one of the 11 official languages and in Zimbabwe where it is one of 16 official languages.

Shona

  • shamwari

Shona, one of the most widely spoken Bantu languages, is the main language in Zimbabwe.

Sicilian

  • amicu

Sicilian is a Romance language spoken by more than 4 million speakers on the island of Sicily in Italy.

Sindhi

  • دوست

Sindhi, an Indo-Aryan language, is the official language of the Pakistani province of Sindh and spoken by over 25 million Sindhi people.

Sinhala

  • මිතුරා miturā
    — friend in Sinhala
  • මිත්රත්වය mitratvaya
    — friendship in Sinhala

Sinhala is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by approximately 16 million Sinhalese people in Sri Lanka and is one of two official languages of Sri Lanka.

Slovak

  • priateľ
    — translates to friend in Slovak
  • priateľstvo
    — friendship in Slovak

Slovak, the official language of Slovakia, is a West Slavic language where it is spoken by approximately 5.6 million people.

Slovenian

  • prijatelj
    — is the Slovenian word for friend
  • prijateljstvo
    — friendship in Slovenian

Slovenian, an Indo-European language of the South Slavic language branch is the official and national language of Slovenia spoken by less than 3 million people.

Somali

  • saaxiib

Somali, an Afro-Asiatic language spoken by over 16 million people, is an official language of Somalia, a national language in Djibouti, and a working language in the Somali Region of Ethiopia.

Spanish

A number of different words in Spanish are used to express the concept of friendship including:

  • amigo
    — a general term to use when you are referring to a friend in Spanish
  • amiga
    — feminine form of friend in Spanish
  • amistad
    — the word for friendship in Spanish

Spanish is the second most widely used language in the world natively spoken by more than 437 million people including Spain, most of Central and South America, Mexico, Dominican Republic, and the USA. There are over 21 countries in the world that have Spanish as their official language. It is a Romance language that originated in the Iberian Peninsula.

Sundanese

  • réréncangan

Sundanese is a Malayo-Polynesian language spoken by about 39 million people mainly in western Java in Indonesia. There are also speakers in Banten, Jakarta, parts of western Central Java and southern Lampung. It is the third most-spoken language in Indonesia.

Swahili

  • rafiki
    — is the Swahili word for friend
  • urafiki
    — friendship in Swahili

Swahili is a Bantu languages spoken by the Swahili communities in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Swati

  • umngane

Swati is a Bantu language of the Nguni group spoken in Eswatini and South Africa by the Swazi people. It is the official language of Swaziland (along with English) and since 1994 one of the nine indigenous languages to enjoy official recognition in South Africa. The number of speakers is estimated to be in the region of 2.4 million.

Swedish

  • vän
  • vännen
    — the Swedish word for friend
  • vänskap
    — friendship in Swedish, pronounced (vahn-skopp)

Swedish is a North Germanic language, closely related to Norwegian and Danish spoken by around 10 million people. A descendant of Old Norse, it is the national language of Sweden and the official language of the Åland Islands.

Swiss German

  • fründ
    — the Swiss German word for boyfriend or male friend
  • fründin
    — the Swiss German word for girlfriend or female friend

Swiss German (Schweizerdeutsch) is the collective name for the great variety of Upper German dialects spoken in Switzerland, Liechtenstein, in the Austrian province of Vorarlberg, in parts of Baden-Württemberg in Germany and Alsace in France.

Tagalog Filipino

  • kaibigan
    — friend in filipino
  • pagkakaibigan
    — friendship, pronounced as (pah-GEE-big)

Tagalog is an Austronesian language spoken as a first language by a quarter of the population of the Philippines and as a second language by the majority. Its standardized form, officially named Filipino, is the national language of the Philippines, and is one of two official languages alongside English.

Tahitian

  • hoa
    — is the Tahitian word for friend

Tahitian belongs to the Eastern Polynesian language group, spoken mainly on the Society Islands in French Polynesia and Bora Bora.

Tajik

  • дуст doost
    — friend in Tajik
  • дӯстӣ dūstī

Tajik is the main language of Tajikistan, closely related to Farsi and Kurdish. Since the late 1930s, it is written using a variant of the Cyrillic script.

Tamil

  • நண்பன் nanban
    — the general term for friend in Tamil (nan-pan)

Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken in southern India, Sri Lanka and Singapore by about 67.5 million people. It can also be heard in Mauritius and Malaysia.

Tarifit

  • amidi

Tarifit or Tarifit Berber is spoken by around 4 million speakers in Arrif (Northern Africa) and Europe.

Tatar

  • дус
    — friend in Tatar
  • дуслык

Tatar (татарча), the national language of the Tatars, is a Turkic language spoken mainly in the Russian republic of Tatarstan as well as Siberia by about 7 million people in Central Asia. It refers to the Volga-Kipchak Kipchak subgroup of the Turkic group of languages. 

Telugu

  • స్నేహితుడు Snehithu
    — is the Telugu word meaning friend

Telugu is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and the union territories of Puducherry by 75 million Telugu people.

Tetum

  • belu or belo
    — is the Tetum word meaning friend

Tetum is an official language of Timor-Leste belonging to the Austronesian language family and spoken by just under 400,000 people.

Thai

How to say friends in Thai:

  • เพื่อน Pheụ̄̀xn
    — is the Thai noun for friend
  • มิตรภาพ Mitrp̣hāph
    — Thai word for friendship

Thai ภาษาไทย, the sole official and national language of Thailand, spoken by 50 million people, belongs to the Tai group of the Kra–Dai language family of Southeast Asia.

Tibetan

  • mdza’ bshes (མཛའ་བཤེས)
    — This is the Tibetan word for friend
  • grogs po (གྲོགས་པོ)
    — can also be used


Tibetan is an official language of the Tibet Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic of China. The Tibetic languages are a cluster of Tibeto-Burman languages descended from Old Tibetan, spoken across a wide area of eastern Central Asia bordering the Indian subcontinent, including the Tibetan Plateau and the Himalayas.

Tok Pisin

  • wantok
    — This is the Tok Pisin word for friend

Tok Pisin, more commonly known as New Guinea Pidgin, is a creole language spoken throughout Papua New Guinea, where it is an official language. It is the most widely used language in the country, spoken by around 120,000 people.

Tongan

  • kaungame’a
    — This is the Tongan word for friend

Tongan is an Austronesian language of the Polynesian branch mainly spoken in Tonga, where it is the official language.

Tsalagi Cherokee

  • unalii
    — friend pronounced (oo-nah-lee-ee)
  • olii
    — friendship in Cherokee

Cherokee (Tsalagi) belongs to the Iroquoian language family. The Cherokee language is unique among Native American languages in that it is both a written and spoken language.

Tshivenda

  • thama

Tshivenda is a language spoken by the Venda people of South Africa

Tsonga

  • munghana

Tsonga is a Bantu language spoken by the Tsonga people totalling 12 million people mainly in South Africa, but also Mozambique and Eswatini.

Tswana

  • mmata

Tswana is a Bantu language spoken by about 4.4 million people in Bostwana, where it is the national and majority language, Namibia, Zimbabwe and South Africa. The majority of speakers, about 3.6 million, live in South Africa, where the language is officially recognised.

Turkish

  • arkadaş
    — the Turkish word for friend.
  • dostluk or arkadaşlık
    — friendship in Turkish

Turkish is a Turkic language believed to be of the Altaic language family spoken mainly in Turkey, Northern Cyprus, Cyprus and other countries of the former Ottoman Empire by about 88 million people.

Turkmen

  • dost
    — friend in Turkmen
  • dostluk

Turkmen belongs to the Turkic language family and is spoken by around 11 million Turkmen people of Central Asia, mainly in Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and Iran.

Tuvaluan

  • taugasoa
    — the Tuvaluan word for friend

Tuvaluan is a Polynesian language that is native to Tuvalu, Fiji, Kiribati, and Nauru.

Ukrainian

  • друг druh
    — the Ukrainian word for friend
  • druzhba
    — friendship in Ukrainian

Ukrainian is an Eastern Slavic language spoken mainly in Ukraine by about 51 million people.

Urdu

  • دوست dost
    — friend in Urdu
  • یار yaar
  • دوستی
    — friendship in Urdu

Urdu is the official national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is a member of the Indo-Aryan group within the Indo-European family of languages and is mutually intelligible with Hindi.

Uyghur

  • دوستى
    — friend in Uyghur
  • دوستلۇق

Uyghur is a Turkic language of the Karluk branch written in a Uyghur Perso-Arabic script. It is spoken primarily by 10 million Uyghur people in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China.

Uzbek

  • do’stim
  • do’stlik
    — friendship in Uzbek

Uzbek is a Turkic language that is the official national language of Uzbekistan spoken by around 27 million people.

Vietnamese

How to express friendship in Vietnamese:

  • bạn
  • người bạn
    — the word for friend in Vietnamese
  • hữu nghị
    — friendship in Vietnamese, (hee-uhn-gyee)

Vietnamese is an Austroasiatic language spoken mainly in Vietnam, where it is the national and official language, by about 82 million people.

Welsh

  • ffrind
    — how to say friend in Welsh
  • cyfeillgarwch
    — friendship in Welsh

Welsh is a Brittonic language of the Celtic language family spoken natively in Wales, and by some in England.

Woiwurrung

  • bunji

Woiwurrung or Woiworung is an Australian Aboriginal language of the Kulin Nation of Central Victoria.

Wolof

  • xharit
    — friend in Wolof, pronounced (hair-reet)

Wolof is a national language of Senegal, where it is spoken by approximately 5.4 million people as a first language. It belongs to the Atlantic group of the Niger-Congo language family and is the native language of the Wolof people.

Xhosa

  • umhlobo
    — is the Xhosa word for friend
  • ubuhlobo
    — friendship in Xhosa

Xhosa is a Nguni Bantu language with click consonants and is one of the official languages of South Africa. It is spoken as a first language by approximately 8.2 million people and by another 11 million as a second language in South Africa, mostly in Eastern Cape Province.

Yiddish

  • פרייַנד fraynd
  • פרייַנדשאַפט frayndshaft
    — friendship in Yiddish

Yiddish is the historical language of the Ashkenazi Jews originating during the 9th century in Central Europe. Belonging to the Indo-European language family, it is spoken by 1.5 million people.

Yoruba

  • ọ̀rẹ́
    — friend and friendship in Yoruba

Yoruba is a pluricentric language spoken in West Africa with the number of speakers estimated between 30 and 40 million. It is a language spoken principally in Nigeria and Benin, with communities in Sierra Leone, Liberia, other parts of Africa.

Zulu

  • umngani
    — is the word for friend in Zulu
  • ubungane
    — friendship in Zulu

Zulu is a member of the Bantu/Nguni family of languages. It is one of the official languages of South Africa spoken by about 10 million people mainly in Zululand and northern Natal in South Africa and also in Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique and Eswatini.

FRIENDSHIP in Different Languages — BONUS

in different languages friend

–> Here a couple final ways on how to say friend in different languages

American Sign Language (ASL)

How to sign friend in American Sign Language:

  • Hold out both of your index fingers hooked in a curved or ‘C’-like shape, while the rest of your fingers are folded into each palm.

    Hold one hand with your hook index facing up, and hook the second index into the first. Then reverse the position for the hands and do it again. 

American Sign Language is a complete, natural language that has the same linguistic properties as spoken languages, with grammar that differs from English, expressed by movements of the hands and face.

British Sign Language (BSL)

How to sign friend in British Sign Language:

  • The primary hand holds the secondary hand.
    This is followed by the hands making a small up and down movement in front of the body.

British Sign Language is a sign language used in the United Kingdom as the first or preferred language of some deaf people. The language makes use of space and involves movement of the hands, body, face, and head.

Dothraki

  • okeo
    — How to say friend in Dothraki

Dothraki is a constructed fictional language spoken by the Dothraki, a nomadic people in the fictional world of George Martin’s fantasy novel series A Song of Ice and Fire and its television adaptation the Game of Thrones.

Elvish Sindarin

  • mellon
    — How to say friend in Elvish, masculine
  • melleth
    — feminine form of friend in Sindarin


Elvish Sindarin is one of the fictional languages created by J. R. R. Tolkien for use in his fantasy stories set in Arda, primarily in Middle-earth. Sindarin is one of the many languages spoken by the Elves, called the Eledhrim or Edhellim in Sindarin.

Espetanto

  • amiko

Esperanto is an artificially constructed language and belongs to no linguistic family, with most of its vocabulary coming from the Romance languages. This phonetic language is the most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language.

Klingon

  • jup
    — this is the word for friend in Klingon

Klingon is a language that was made for the Klingons in the Star Trek movie. It is a constructed language, and not one that developed naturally. Only a few people can speak the Klingon language well enough to talk in it.

Minionese

  • migo

Minionese spoken by the minions of the Despicable Me movie series appears to be a polyglot language which borrows words and grammatical rules from many different languages.

Na’vi

  • ‘eylan

Na’vi is a constructed language, created for the fictional Na’vi, the humanoid inhabitants of the moon Pandora in the 2009 film Avatar.

Quenya

  • meldo
    — masculine form for friend in Quenya
  • melde
    — feminine friend in Quenya

Quenya is one of the fictional languages devised by J. R. R. Tolkien and used by the immortal Elves in the Lord of the Rings and as inspiration for countless travel quotes. Tolkien began devising the language around 1910 and restructured the grammar several times until Quenya reached its final state. The vocabulary remained relatively stable throughout the creation process.


LEARN THESE WORDS IN OTHER LANGUAGES TOO!

MY LOVE: LOVE in different languages

THANK YOU: thanks in every language of the world

HELLO: hi in every language of the world

GOOD MORNING: morning in different languages

GOOD NIGHT: night in different languages

GOOD BYE: Bye in different languages

CHEERS: Cheers in all languages

BEAUTIFUL: You are beautiful in all languages

Aaaaaaaand now you know how to say friendship in different languages and friend in all languages of the world! An expression of joy and an acknowledgement of someone that delights you and your senses.

OVER TO YOU GUYS!
What is the word for friendship in your language? Extra points if you can speak several languages… Let me know in the comments.

If you see an error here or if your language is missing from this list, please comment and let me know!

`Your friendly amigo,

Rai

So you’re dreaming of a trip to Greece. On the to-do list: Dust off your camera to capture the awe-inspiring ruins and dazzling cliffside sunsets, find the perfect island-hopping outfits for stylish Instagram snaps in front of white-washed houses draped with bougainvillea, and prepare yourself to come back a few pounds heavier from all the feta and haloumi doused in olive oil that will surely be eaten at many a quaint taverna.

Lower on the list of priorities may be picking up a few basic Greek phrases to converse with locals while you’re there. Even though Greece is a popular tourist destination, few people consider trying to learn Greek as part of their travels.

The culprit is likely the Greek alphabet. If you’re unfamiliar, think of the angular shapes used by college fraternities and sororities everywhere. Unlike the Latin alphabet of romance languages, Greek letters are indecipherable for English speakers, making the language more difficult to learn than Romance languages such as Spanish, Italian, and French.

But don’t let that stop you from trying to pick up some Greek, especially before you leave for your trip. Michaela Kron of the popular language learning mobile app Duolingo, told Travel + Leisure of a survey they did of their users: «One interesting finding… was that many make the mistake of not learning a language ahead of an international trip, but in hindsight wish they had done it. We actually found that many of our users pick up Duolingo after a trip, likely because they are inspired by their travels to pick up a new language.»

While you’ll find that almost everyone speaks a basic level of English in the most popular tourist destinations, Greeks are a very friendly and social people, and they will love if you can trade a bit of banter with them in their own language — even if they poke fun at you for trying. When they treat you to a free slice of halva cake or a shot of ouzo at the end of your meal, you’ll know you scored points for trying.

So get ahead of the curve and try to learn some common phrases (and even a little Greek slang) before you go. We assure you that attempting (and even butchering) the most basic of phrases with locals will make the trip more memorable — and perhaps even lead to a lasting friendship.

Below, you’ll find phrases written first in Greek and the phonetic pronunciation following in parentheses, with emphasis placed on the syllables in capital letters. Use Google Translate to play an audio of how these phrases are pronounced.

Basic Greek Words and Phrases

Hello: Γειά σου (YAH-soo)

The less formal way to say «Hi» would just be «Γεια» (Yah). If addressing a group, say «YAH-sas».

Nice to meet you: Χάρηκα πολύ (HA-ree-ka po-LEE)

How are you?: Tι κανείς (tee-KAH-nis)?

Good morning: Καλημέρα (kah-lee-MER-ah)

You would say this greeting up until noon, and then for the rest of the day you can use «Γεια» (yah) as the standard greeting.

Good afternoon/evening: Καλησπέρα (kah-lee-SPER-ah)

Beginning around late afternoon/dusk and into the evening, you can use this greeting.

Goodnight: Καληνύχτα (kah-lee-NEEKH-tah)

Say this when going to bed.

Thank you: Ευχαριστώ (eff-kha-ri-STOE)

Remember that a good tourist is a polite tourist.

Please/You’re welcome: Παρακαλώ (para-kah-LOE)

In Greek, the word for «please» and «you’re welcome» is the same, making it all the more easy to learn. It’s polite to say «para-kah-LOE» after asking for directions or the price of something. It can even be used to mean «I beg your pardon?» or «Huh?» when you’ve misunderstood or want someone to repeat something.

My name is… : Με λένε (may LEH-neh)…

What is your name?: πως σε λένε? (pos-oh LEH-neh)

Goodbye: Γειά σου (YAH-soo)

The more informal way of saying bye would just be «Yah.» Recall that this is the same as saying hello (similar to «ciao» in Italian or «aloha» in Hawaiian). If addressing a group, say «YAH-sas.»

See/Talk to you later: Τα λέμε (tah-LEH-meh)

You may hear people ending their conversations with this phrase as well.

Yes: Ναί (neh); No: όχι (OH-hee)

Be careful not to confuse yes and no — it’s easy to mistakenly associate «neh» with «no» in English, and «oh-hee» with «okay» when in fact it’s just the opposite! An easy mnemonic is to remember that they’re actually the inverse of what you would initially think.

Excuse me/Sorry: Συγνώμη (See-GHNO-mee)

Say this to get someone’s attention, ask to pass by someone, or apologize if you’ve bumped into someone.

Related: The Best Resort Hotels in Greece

Common Greek Phrases Travelers Should Know

Where is the bathroom?: Πού είναι η τουαλέτα (Poh-EE-nay ee tua-LEH-tah)?

Helpful hint: «Poh-EE-nay» means «Where is?» so you can ask for help with locating something by saying this while pointing to a specific location in your guidebook or on a map.

Do you speak English?: Μιλάτε αγγλικά (Mee-LAH-teh ag-li-KAH)?

Cheers!: Στην υγειά μας! (STIN-eh YAH-mas)

This literally means «To our health!» If addressing a group of people not including yourself, say «STIN-eh YAH-sas,» which means «To your health!»

Bottoms up!: Ασπρο πάτο (AHS-pro PAH-toh)

Meaning literally «white bottom,» if you use this with a new Greek acquaintance, you’ll be sure to impress.

How much is it?: Πόσο κάνει αυτό (POH-soh KAH-nee af-TOH)?

You can get by with asking «POH-soh KAH-nee» (How much?). Adding the «af-TOH» just means «How much is it?»

I don’t understand: Δεν καταλαβαίνω (Then Kah-tah-lah-VEH-noh)

Help! Βοήθεια (voh-EE-thee-yah)

I love Greece: Αγαπώ την Ελλάδα (Ah-gah-POH teen Eh-LAH-tha)

Oops!: Ωπα (OH-pa)

If there’s one Greek word you may have heard before, it’s likely «opa.» Originally meaning «oops» or «whoops,» it’s now also used frequently as an exclamation of enthusiasm or joy in celebrations or to show appreciation for music, dancing, food, and drinks. For example, when you’ve thoroughly impressed your waiter with your new Greek skills, and he offers you a round of ouzo shots on the house, you can say, «Opa!» in appreciation.

Greek Slang and Phrases

What’s up/How’s it going?: Τι λέει (tee-LEI)

What are you up to?: Που είσαι (pou-eeSAY)

So good/so cool: και γαμώ (kay-gaMOU)

Although this is technically a curse word, you’ll hear everyone using it colloquially to address friends. But only use it on someone you know!: μαλάκα (maLAka)

See you later: τα λέμε (ta LEH-meh)

Dude/man: ρε φίλε (reh-FEEleh)

Greek words

Greece is one of the unique places with its mythological history, pleasing streets, warm people and delicious food, which visually satisfies our souls. It always arouses curiosity with its language and historical texture. In terms of the appearance of Greek letters Although it may seem incomprehensible, it is actually a pleasant language that leaves a sweet sound in the ear. Moreover, Greek and Greek words are very rich in terms of expressions and meanings. It is one of the oldest languages in the Indo-European family. If we look at its history, it has a rich and varied history with its writing system inspired by the Phoenician alphabet. The history of the Greek language spans more than 2,000 years and various periods, from the Archaic Period (900-600 BC) to the Hellenistic Period (323-30 BC), but its written tradition dates back to the 1st century BC. It begins with epic poetry at the beginning of the millennium.

One of the most fascinating things about the Greek language is its ancient roots. The Greeks have been speaking a unique language for over 3000 years! As we all know, alphabets were used in Ancient Greece and were taken as a part of cultural heritage by many countries colonized by the Greeks. Fortunately, being influenced by other languages does not change one’s roots; it just makes them stronger.

The dialect of Greece is a very poetic dialect. It has a soothing voice that makes it easy to learn and can be memorized effortlessly. Unlike other languages, Greek makes use of visual images in the meaning of words. So besides their true meaning, certain features such as colours, sounds and causes make them unique. Greek has been spoken for over three and a half thousand years, making it the oldest of the Indo-European languages – hence its nickname “the mother of western languages”. Only 13.5 million people speak Greek as their mother tongue, but the global impact is huge. Most of the major foundational texts in Western philosophy – think Plato and Aristotle. And Greek is the foundation of grammar and syntax rules, as well as words and phrases in languages spoken around the world, so don’t be surprised if some of these words sound familiar to you.

We have compiled the meanings of some of the most beautiful words in modern Greek for you. Here are some beautiful Greek words that will make you wonder what I’m waiting for to discover the history of this poetic language and its effects on languages in the world. Happy reading…


1) Charmolypi | χαρμολύπη

The first word in our list of Greek words is charmolypi. The expression Charmolipi etymologically refers to the word “joy and sorrow”. It is basically a compound word consisting of the terms joy and grief or sadness. It’s hard to translate, but conveys the idea of bittersweetness and having mixed feelings about something. It is more practical to say that chrematoli can be written as Chara (joy) or Molos (sadness). The word Charmolipi cannot be translated exactly but still it is wonderful and full of meaning. Composed of two Greek terms, one for joy and the other for grief, charmolipi encompasses all of what life means. After all, isn’t it a stunning mix of joy and sorrow?


2) Elpida | ελπίδα

This beautiful word has an equally wonderful meaning. Derived from the word Elpis, Elpida means hope. In Greek mythology, Elpis was considered the spirit and embodiment of hope, and was usually represented by a young woman bearing fertility. Elpida comes from the ancient Greek word ἐλπίς (elpis) and is the personification and spirit of hope in Greek mythology, often depicted as a young woman bearing flowers or fertility. Today, Elpida is actually a popular name for women.


3) Ygeia | ὑγίεια

Hygieia

Today’s medical care has its roots in ancient Greece. The word Ygeia extends from these roots to the present day. The word associated with Hygieia, the goddess of health and cleanliness, is derived from the word “hygiene”. Before it became colloquial, the Modern Greek phrase “Geia sou or Geia sas”—meaning “your health”—was used to wish someone well. Ygeia is also part of the Greek greeting Yia Sou, which is a wish for health.


4) Philoxenia | φιλοξενία

We’re sure you’ve heard how hospitable the Greeks are. But did you know that this hospitality dates back to ancient Greece? True, the ancestors of the Greeks thought that Zeus sent strangers on their way and they had a moral obligation to offer everything they could to outsiders, who were considered holy persons. Okay, maybe your hotel owner or a stranger you ask for directions on the street won’t consider you exactly holy today, but they will definitely be really friendly to you and treat you like a guest of their country. Also, the word they use to describe their hospitality is the same as the Greeks used in antiquity: “filoxenia”[filokseniːa] , literally being friends with strangers.


5) Kalon | καλόν

The word kalon means beautiful in Greek. It does not only express the visible beauty, but also expresses the invisible beauty by looking at the skin. It is used to describe someone who is not only outwardly great, but also has noble intentions and an honorable character. Greek words fascinate us all with the meanings of their roots as they reach our days, right?


6) Filia | φιλία

Greek words

Many languages use a word meaning “kisses” and “filia” as their tradition of saying goodbye.[filiaː] This is exactly what it means in Greek. Contrary to what you might imagine, it doesn’t usually mean intimacy, although it’s obvious that you’d just call someone you know pretty well “filia”, whether when you’re leaving or before you hang up. The “sweeter” version is “filakia” (literally little kisses) in which younger women sing more often. The Greek word for “kiss” is “friendship”[filiːa] You also need to make sure you don’t confuse it with


7) Curiosity | µεράκι

This word is one of the most difficult to translate; Doing something out of curiosity means adding “a piece of your soul” to what you do. The root of this term is curiosity, which means doing something with pleasure or “labor of love” in Turkish. In usage, this word expresses a passion, an absolute devotion. When you do something with Meraki, you put your soul into it. Surprisingly, this widely used modern Greek word comes across as the term “curiosity” in Turkish. Well, curiosity breeds passion, and passion breeds labor and love. Doesn’t the thought in Turkish sound great to you too?


8) Peratzatha | Περατζάδα

Greek words

“peratzatha”, one of many words that can tell you something about Greek culture[peratzaːða] refers to the idle but extremely relaxing activity of people watching. Many Greeks consider this one of the most fun things to do in life, so if you’ve been to Greece before, you’ve probably noticed that many Athenian bars and cafes have tables outside. This is to take advantage of the gorgeous weather that Greece is proud of, of course, but also because there’s something strangely hypnotic about watching people pass by while you sip your coffee or drink. So, if an authentic travel experience of Greece is what you are looking for, we have not only taught you a really great Greek vocabulary, but also a very Greek alternative to the local activities that most local city tours require.


9) Eudaimonia | ευδαιμονία

This word is formed from the root eu meaning good and tyhi meaning “luck”. It can also be translated as “contentment,” which some might say is the most genuine and most consistent form of happiness. Also spelled as Eudaemonia, the term refers to the state of being happy, healthy, and prosperous. Simply put, it means the state in which a person truly develops. We have to thank Aristotle for this term – a single term that effortlessly explains something so broad and profound.


10) Aionia | αιώνια

The word comes from the ancient Greek term aion, meaning “age,” and gives English an indefinite but long period of time, aeon, or describes a large part of geological time. In astronomy and less formal contexts, an aeon denotes a time span of one billion years, while its full Turkish equivalent is infinity.


11) Paracosm | παρακοσμικος

Greek words

Paracosm comes from the ancient Greek words παρά (pará, ‘beside’, ‘beside’) and κόσμος (kósmos, ‘earth’, ‘universe’). The dictionary meaning of this word, also known as parakosmikos, can be defined as extraterrestrial. Together, these two expressions form the paracosm, an elaborate fantasy world woven especially by children. It is so fascinating that there is a separate Greek word for this wonderful thing that children do!


12) Agapi | Aγάπη

With ancient Greek words, love is defined by many different words. Agapi is considered the highest form of love – the love of two partners for each other, the love that unites parents and their children, or even people’s love for God and vice versa. The term erotas (έρωτας) in modern Greek words means sincere love of a more romantic or sexual nature, while filia (φιλία) means love and friendship. It can be thought of how it differs from agapi in terms of meaning. What sets Agapi apart from others is that she is the purest form of love. Agapi or a-ga-pee is one of many beautiful Greek words for love.


13) Kairos | καιρός

Closely related to the Greek word for time, chronos, kairos is the acknowledgment of a special moment in less than a measure of hours and years. It is the idea of the perfect moment, ripe for action. Kairos is the right moment, at the right time and in the right place, creating the perfect atmosphere for everything to fall into place effortlessly. While the English term serendipity is a fortunate development, Kairos capitalizes on coincidence. Isn’t it fascinating how everything is connected!


14) Yia Mas | Για εμάς

Greek words

As you can probably guess, “yia mas”[jaː mas] It is also a wish for health, but this time it is ours. Unlike yia soun, “yia mas” is not a greeting, but the standard toast we Greeks do before sipping a glass of alcohol in hand. So if you’re planning to explore the world-famous Athens nightlife, this is a phrase you’ll likely hear a lot. If someone offers you a toast saying “yia mas”, respond and enjoy. Pretty easy, right? You’ll enjoy Athens’ nightlife and bar hopping – and you’ll probably hear and sing about Yia Mas over and over!


15) Philoteimos | φιλότιμο

Another difficult-to-translate word is filotimo, which encompasses a number of virtues: honor, dedication, duty, courage, pride, and honesty. Filotimo, meaning “friend of honor” or “love of honor”, refers to the once honorable and virtuous, even if it is not in his own interest. Although long counted among the highest of Greek virtues, it carried negative connotations in early writings.


16) Chalara | χαλαρά

In its most general sense, halara means “keep calm”. When looking at the dictionary meaning, it means to relax, to relax. Often associated with the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki – known for its chilly atmosphere compared to Athens – chalara denotes a way of life meaning “relaxed” and “relaxed”.


17) Nostalgia | Νοσταλγία

Greek words

Nostalgia is one of the Greek words derived from nostos meaning returning home and algos meaning pain of something.
The meaning it gives is a combination of nostos, which means returning home, and algos, which means a dull pain, longing. Together, they create nostalgia, which refers to a deep nostalgia or sad love for the past—especially when talking about or commemorating something that was had but no longer has. Oh nostalgia!


18) Petricho | πετρίκο

We continue our list of Greek words with a very familiar word that has been adopted in every language: petríko. It means the smell of earth where the first drop of rain touches it. Close your eyes and imagine that the rain has just started. When the first drops of rain hit the dry ground, an earthy scent comes to your senses – does it sound familiar? This wonderful earthy aroma is called petrichor and is composed of the Greek word for stone, petra, and īchōr, the blood of the mythological Greek gods. It refers to the pleasant earthy smell produced when it rains on dry ground, especially after a long period of drought. The word comes from the Greek words petra (stone) and īchōr (blood of the Greek gods).


19) Eleftheria | Ελευθερία

Eleftheria, meaning “freedom”, specifically refers to the state of being freed from slavery. In essence, Eleftheria is gentle and pleasant; He is free-spirited and cannot be easily crushed. He doesn’t appreciate people with limited minds and attitudes. You can see this word in the Greek national slogan – Eleftheria i thanatos (Liberty or death) which is the subject of the songs of the Greek resistance against Ottoman rule.


20) Philocalist | Φιλοκαλιστ

yunan heykel

Philokalist or Philocalist is a Greek term used to describe a person who is able to see beauty in everything. The philologist is essentially a lover of beauty, someone who appreciates the beauty of the little things that make life worthwhile. It may not be a person found beautiful, but a tree, building or landscape. In short, this term tells us that we are in love with everything that looks beautiful. Wonderful!


21) Eucharist | Ευχαριστω

The eucharist is a Greek word meaning ‘thank you’. Efharisto is a word you can use when you sincerely want to express your gratitude and appreciation for what has been given. If you’re traveling to Greece and just need to learn a word, let this be it. This will open up new conversations with the locals and let them know that you are enjoying all the philoxenia the Greeks shower on you!


22) Calimera | Καλημέρα

“Calimera”[kalimeːra] another super useful and beautiful greek word. This is probably the clearest word we know of Greek. Kalimera literally means “have a nice day”. Technically, you have to use it until 12:00, after that “kalispera”[kalispeːra] – so it is preferable to say “have a nice day”. This distinction can be thought of as the difference between the English Good Morning and Good Afternoon. Both words are fairly easy to pronounce, so if you’re looking to impress your Athens tour guide or the Greek restaurant owner you just met, throwing a casual ‘kalimera’ or ‘kalispera’ into the conversation will likely get you patted on the back.


23) Ataraxia | Aταραξία

The literal translation of Ataraxia is a state of calm calm. But the literal translation of the Greek word ataraxia is indifference. Its usage is used to express a state of ultimate freedom in which the mind is freed from the shackles of emotional disturbances such as stress and anxiety. Oh, dream!


24) Parakalo | παρακαλο

Greek words

The response to the Eucharist, parakalo, is the modern Greek word for “welcome”. But that’s not all! The Greeks like to attach several meanings to a single term. So parakalo means please along with the meaning of welcome. Between the eucharist and the parakalo, you can now say thank you, welcome and please – the holy trinity of a polite tourist!


25) Empyrean | Ουράνιος

Yes, we have come to the end of our list of Greek words. We chose a great word for closing: Empyrean. It takes its origin from the modern Greek word empyros, which is on fire or burning. Its use comes from the Ancient Greek cosmology, the highest place in heaven called Empyrean. Although it is defined as heaven in the most basic sense, it is also referred to as the highest point of the sky, the sky dome in some sources. The term itself evokes a cosmic emotion, doesn’t it?

26)Philosophia | Φιλοσοφία

Philosophy” comes from the Greek word “philosophia,” which means “love of wisdom.” This word is derived from the combination of “philo,” meaning “love,” and “sophia,” meaning “wisdom.”

27)Theoria | Θεωρία

“Theory” comes from the Greek word “theoria,” which means “contemplation” or “a looking at.” This word is derived from the combination of “thea,” meaning “a viewing,” and “horao,” meaning “to gaze at.”

28)Klinike | Κλινική

“Clinic” comes from the Greek word “klinike,” which means “bed” or “infirmary.” This word is derived from the root “kline,” meaning “bed,” which is also the origin of the English word “incline.”

29)Krisis | Κρίσις

“Crisis” comes from the Greek word “krisis,” which means “decision” or “judgment.” This word is derived from the root “krin,” meaning “to separate” or “to decide.”

30)Khaos

“Chaos” comes from the Greek word “khaos,” which means “void” or “emptiness.” This word is derived from the root “kha,” which means “to gape” or “to be wide open.”

31)Kosmos | Κόσμος

“Cosmos” comes from the Greek word “kosmos,” which means “order” or “harmony.” This word is derived from the root “kosm,” meaning “to order” or “to arrange.”

32)Ekleipsis | Εκλειψις

“Eclipse” comes from the Greek word “ekleipsis,” which means “an abandonment” or “a failure to appear.” This word is derived from the combination of “ek,” meaning “out of,” and “leip,” meaning “to leave.”

33)Heureka

“Eureka” comes from the Greek exclamation “heureka,” which means “I have found it!” This word is derived from the combination of “eu,” meaning “well,” and “heurisk,” meaning “to find.”

34)Hyperbole | Υπερβολή

“Hyperbole” comes from the Greek word “hyperbole,” which means “excess” or “overstatement.” This word is derived from the combination of “hyper,” meaning “over,” and “bole,” meaning “to throw.”

35)Odysseia | Οδύσσεια

“Odyssey” comes from the Greek word “odysseia”

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