How to say “bone” around the world
5,503 languages · 214 in their own spelling
Dots of one colour begin with a similar sound. Colours group words by the class of their first consonant (a sound-class method used in linguistics): words that begin alike share a colour. This shows resemblance, not common origin — proving relationship needs case-by-case comparison. Readable forms come from Wiktionary translation tables; many smaller languages come from the ASJP word lists, in ASJP’s simplified transcription.
| Language | Word | Romanization | Family |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese | 骨头 | gǔtóu | Sino-Tibetan |
| English | bone | Indo-European | |
| Spanish | hueso | Indo-European | |
| Hindi | हड्डी | haḍḍī | Indo-European |
| Arabic | عَظْم | ʕaẓm | Afro-Asiatic |
| Bengali | হাড় | haṛ | Indo-European |
| Indonesian | tulang | Austronesian | |
| Portuguese | osso | Indo-European | |
| French | os | Indo-European | |
| Russian | кость | kostʹ | Indo-European |
| Japanese | 骨 | hone | Japonic |
| Marathi | हाड | hāḍ | Indo-European |
| Swahili | mfupa | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Turkish | kemik | Turkic | |
| Telugu | ఎముక | emuka | Dravidian |
| Korean | 뼈 | ppyeo | Koreanic |
| German | Knochen | Indo-European | |
| Vietnamese | xương | Austroasiatic | |
| Tamil | எலும்பு | elumpu | Dravidian |
| Urdu | ہَڈّی | haḍḍī | Indo-European |
| Italian | osso | Indo-European | |
| Egyptian Arabic | عضم | ʕaḍm | Afro-Asiatic |
| Western Farsi | اُسْتُخوَان | ustuxān | Indo-European |
| Nigerian Pidgin | bón | Indo-European | |
| Hausa | ƙashi | Afro-Asiatic | |
| Kannada | ಮೂಳೆ | mūḷe | Dravidian |
| Polish | kość | Indo-European | |
| Yoruba | egungun | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Malayalam | എല്ല് | ellŭ | Dravidian |
| Odia | ଅସ୍ଥି | asthi | Indo-European |
| Burmese | အရိုး | a.rui: | Sino-Tibetan |
| Igbo | ọkpụkpụ | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Ukrainian | кі́стка | kístka | Indo-European |
| Uzbek | suyak | Turkic | |
| Romanian | os | Indo-European | |
| Dutch | been | Indo-European | |
| Amharic | አጥንት | ʾäṭənt | Afro-Asiatic |
| Thai | กระดูก | grà-dùuk | Tai-Kadai |
| Serbian-Croatian-Bosnian | кост | Indo-European | |
| Khmer | ឆ្អឹង | chʼəng | Austroasiatic |
| Turkmen | süňk | Turkic | |
| Sinhala | ගිනිමැලය | ginimælaya | Indo-European |
| Greek | κόκαλο | kókalo | Indo-European |
| Kurdish | hestî | Indo-European | |
| Tajik | устухон | ustuxon | Indo-European |
| Kazakh | сүйек | süyek | Turkic |
| Hungarian | csont | Uralic | |
| Kinyarwanda | igufwa | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Zulu | ithambo | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Nyanja | fupa | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Southern Pashto | هډ | haḍ | Indo-European |
| Czech | kost | Indo-European | |
| Uighur | سۆڭەك | sö'ngek | Turkic |
| Afrikaans | been | Indo-European | |
| Haitian | zo | Indo-European | |
| Swedish | ben | Indo-European | |
| Azerbaijani | sümük | Turkic | |
| Bulgarian | кост | kost | Indo-European |
| Belarusian | косць | koscʹ | Indo-European |
| Central Kurdish | ئێسقان | êsqan | Indo-European |
| Santali | ᱡᱟᱝ | jaṅ | Austroasiatic |
| Danish | knogle | Indo-European | |
| Slovak | kosť | Indo-European | |
| Southern Sotho | lesapo | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Finnish | luu | Uralic | |
| Lao | ກະດູກ | ka dūk | Tai-Kadai |
| Norwegian | bein | Indo-European | |
| Tatar | сөяк | söyäk | Turkic |
| Catalan | os | Indo-European | |
| Guarani | kangue | Tupian | |
| Kirghiz | сөөк | söök | Turkic |
| Swiss German | Chnoche | Indo-European | |
| Armenian | ոսկոր | oskor | Indo-European |
| Lithuanian | kaulas | Indo-European | |
| Tok Pisin | bun | Indo-European | |
| Georgian | ძვალი | ʒvali | Kartvelian |
| Albanian | kockë | Indo-European | |
| Luo | chogo | Nilotic | |
| Mongolian | яс | jas | Mongolic-Khitan |
| Bikol | tulang | Austronesian | |
| Galician | óso | Indo-European | |
| Pampanga | butul | Austronesian | |
| Slovenian | kost | Indo-European | |
| Esperanto | osto | Artificial Language | |
| Zhuang | goet | Tai-Kadai | |
| Bini | ùgbòlòkò | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Igala | áchíkwúù | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Latvian | kauls | Indo-European | |
| Quechua | tullu | Quechuan | |
| Chechen | даьӏахк | däˀaxk | Nakh-Daghestanian |
| Estonian | luu | Uralic | |
| Bashkir | һөйәк | höyäk | Turkic |
| Tibetan | རུས་ཁོག | rus khog | Sino-Tibetan |
| Tausug | bukug | Austronesian | |
| Central Okinawan | 骨 | funi | Japonic |
| Nuer | cɔɣ | Nilotic | |
| Western Frisian | bonke | Indo-European | |
| Iu Mien | mbungv | Hmong-Mien | |
| Kalmyk | ясн | yasn | Mongolic-Khitan |
| Basque | hezur | Isolates | |
| Chuvash | шӑмӑ | šămă | Turkic |
| Welsh | asgwrn | Indo-European | |
| Yucatec Maya | baak | Mayan | |
| Lezghian | кӏараб | ḳarab | Nakh-Daghestanian |
| Rusyn | кість | kistʹ | Indo-European |
| Morisyen | lezo | Indo-European | |
| Réunion Creole French | zo | Indo-European | |
| Walloon | oxhea | Indo-European | |
| Kara-Kalpak | su'yek | Turkic | |
| Classical Syriac | ܓܪܡܐ | garmā | Afro-Asiatic |
| Maltese | għadma | Afro-Asiatic | |
| Crimean Tatar | süyek | Turkic | |
| Occitan | òs | Indo-European | |
| Asturian | güesu | Indo-European | |
| Yakut | уҥуох | uŋuox | Turkic |
| Kumyk | сюек | süyek | Turkic |
| Dhivehi | ކަށި | kaṣi | Indo-European |
| Icelandic | bein | Indo-European | |
| Karachay-Balkar | сюек | süyek | Turkic |
| Tuvinian | сөөк | söök | Turkic |
| Udmurt | лы | ly | Uralic |
| Plautdietsch | Knoaken | Indo-European | |
| Zeelandic | beên | Indo-European | |
| Buriat | яһан | jahan | Mongolic-Khitan |
| Amis | 'okak | Austronesian | |
| Māori | iwi | Austronesian | |
| Abkhaz | абаҩ | abajʷ | Abkhaz-Adyge |
| Navajo | tsʼin | Athabaskan-Eyak-Tlingit | |
| Komi | лы | ly | Uralic |
| Irish | cnámh | Indo-European | |
| Aromanian | os | Indo-European | |
| Belize Kriol English | boan | Indo-European | |
| Kashubian | gnôt | Indo-European | |
| Breton | askorn | Indo-European | |
| Erzya | ловажа | lovaža | Uralic |
| Nogai | суьек | süyek | Turkic |
| Faroese | bein | Indo-European | |
| Scottish Gaelic | cnàimh | Indo-European | |
| Southern Altai | сӧӧк | söök | Turkic |
| Sanskrit | अस्थि | asthi | Indo-European |
| Khakas | сӧӧк | söök | Turkic |
| Karelian | luu | Uralic | |
| Hawaiian | iwi | Austronesian | |
| North Saami | dákti | Uralic | |
| 'Are'are | susuri | Austronesian | |
| Svan | ჯიჯვ | ǯiǯv | Kartvelian |
| Western Apache | bitsʼinn | Athabaskan-Eyak-Tlingit | |
| Upper Sorbian | kósć | Indo-European | |
| Cherokee | ᎪᎳ | gola | Iroquoian |
| Louisiana Creole | dézo | Indo-European | |
| Choctaw | foni | Muskogean | |
| Lower Sorbian | kósć | Indo-European | |
| Jejueo | 꽝 | kkwang | Koreanic |
| Megleno-Romanian | uos | Indo-European | |
| Dolgan | оӈуок | oñuok | Turkic |
| Pitjantjatjara | tarka | Pama-Nyungan | |
| Yami | toang | Austronesian | |
| Koryak | гʼытгʼым | ʕətʕəm | Chukotko-Kamchatkan |
| Mrassu Shor-Tutal | сӧӧк | söök | Turkic |
| Moksha | пакарь | pakaŕ | Uralic |
| Manx | craue | Indo-European | |
| Interlingua | osso | Artificial Language | |
| Veps | lu | Uralic | |
| Istriot | uosso | Indo-European | |
| Istro-Romanian | os | Indo-European | |
| Cornish | askorn | Indo-European | |
| Kildin Saami | та̄ххьт | tāxx’t | Uralic |
| Nganasan | latää | Uralic | |
| Manchu | ᡤᡳᡵᠠᠩᡤᡳ | giranggi | Tungusic |
| Alawa | galawa | Mangarrayi-Maran | |
| Ainu | ポネ | pone | Ainu |
| Chamicuro | kajpu | Arawakan | |
| Amal | nəŋolak | Sepik | |
| Jewish Babylonian Aramaic (ca. 200-1200 CE) | גַּרְמָא | garmā | Afro-Asiatic |
| Classical-Middle Armenian | ոսկր | oskr | Indo-European |
| Western Balochi | ہڈ | haḍḍ | Indo-European |
| Coptic | ⲕⲁⲥ | kas | Afro-Asiatic |
| Dargwa | лига | liga | Nakh-Daghestanian |
| Hawkesbury | jarra | Pama-Nyungan | |
| Ifè | ekũkũ | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Geez | ዐፅም | ʿäṣ́m | Afro-Asiatic |
| Ancient Greek | ὀστέον | ostéon | Indo-European |
| Kalaallisut | saaneq | Eskimo-Aleut | |
| Hebrew | עֶצֶם | étsem | Afro-Asiatic |
| Hmong Daw | pob txha | Hmong-Mien | |
| Old Irish | cnáim | Indo-European | |
| Ibatan | tohang | Austronesian | |
| Izon | ungbóu | Ijoid | |
| Javanese | balung | Austronesian | |
| Latin | os | Indo-European | |
| Low German | Been | Indo-European | |
| Lucumi | epá | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Moselle Franconian | Schank | Indo-European | |
| Malagasy | taolana | Austronesian | |
| Malay | tulang | Austronesian | |
| Classical Nahuatl | omitetl | Uto-Aztecan | |
| Namo | goat | Yam | |
| Ojibwa | nikan | Algic | |
| Church Slavic | кость | kostĭ | Indo-European |
| Old English | bān | Indo-European | |
| Ulukwumi | ógúngún | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Oromo | lafee | Afro-Asiatic | |
| Phoenician | 𐤏𐤑𐤌 | ʿṣm | Afro-Asiatic |
| Eastern Panjabi | ਹੱਡੀ | haḍḍī | Indo-European |
| Sardinian | ossu | Indo-European | |
| Tagalog | buto | Austronesian | |
| Tokharian B | āy | Indo-European | |
| Ugaritic | 𐎓𐎑𐎎 | ʿẓm | Afro-Asiatic |
| Wappo | c'íti | Yuki-Wappo | |
| Wolof | yax | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Yiddish | ביין | beyn | Indo-European |
| Yurok | 'werhlkerr' | Algic | |
| Dimli | bine | Indo-European | |
| East Taa | ǂàã | Tuu |