How to say “person” around the world
4,890 languages · 240 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 | 人 | rén | Sino-Tibetan |
| English | person | Indo-European | |
| Spanish | persona | Indo-European | |
| Hindi | मनुष्य | manuṣya | Indo-European |
| Arabic | شَخْص | šaḵṣ | Afro-Asiatic |
| Bengali | ব্যক্তি | bêkti | Indo-European |
| Indonesian | orang | Austronesian | |
| Portuguese | pessoa | Indo-European | |
| French | personne | Indo-European | |
| Russian | челове́к | čelovék | Indo-European |
| Japanese | 人 | hito | Japonic |
| Marathi | व्यक्ती | vyaktī | Indo-European |
| Swahili | mtu | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Turkish | kişi | Turkic | |
| Telugu | వ్యక్తి | vyakti | Dravidian |
| Wu Chinese | 人 | Sino-Tibetan | |
| Korean | 사람 | saram | Koreanic |
| German | Person | Indo-European | |
| Vietnamese | người | Austroasiatic | |
| Tamil | ஆள் | āḷ | Dravidian |
| Cantonese | 人 | jan⁴ | Sino-Tibetan |
| Urdu | شَخْص | śaxs | Indo-European |
| Italian | persona | Indo-European | |
| Egyptian Arabic | شخص | šaḵṣ | Afro-Asiatic |
| Western Farsi | شَخْص | šaxs | Indo-European |
| Min Nan Chinese | 人 | lâng | Sino-Tibetan |
| Hakka Chinese | 人 | PFS: ngìn | Sino-Tibetan |
| Jinyu Chinese | 人 | reng¹ | Sino-Tibetan |
| Hausa | mutun | Afro-Asiatic | |
| Kannada | ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿ | vyakti | Dravidian |
| Polish | osoba | Indo-European | |
| Yoruba | èniyàn | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Xiang Chinese | 人 | ren² | Sino-Tibetan |
| Burmese | လူ | lu | Sino-Tibetan |
| Ukrainian | осо́ба | osóba | Indo-European |
| Uzbek | odam | Turkic | |
| Romanian | persoană | Indo-European | |
| Dutch | persoon | Indo-European | |
| Gan Chinese | 人 | nyin⁴ | Sino-Tibetan |
| Thai | คน | kon | Tai-Kadai |
| Lingala | moto | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Serbian-Croatian-Bosnian | о̏соба | Indo-European | |
| Khmer | មនុស្ស | mɔɔmɔnuh | Austroasiatic |
| Somali | qof | Afro-Asiatic | |
| Turkmen | adam | Turkic | |
| Cebuano | tawo | Austronesian | |
| Sinhala | පුද්ගලයා | pudgalayā | Indo-European |
| Greek | άτομο | átomo | Indo-European |
| Kurdish | kes | Indo-European | |
| Tajik | одам | odam | Indo-European |
| Kazakh | адам | adam | Turkic |
| Hungarian | személy | Uralic | |
| Zulu | umuntu | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Nyanja | munthu | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Southern Pashto | کسه | kəsə | Indo-European |
| Czech | osoba | Indo-European | |
| Uighur | ئادەم | adem | Turkic |
| Afrikaans | persoon | Indo-European | |
| Min Dong Chinese | 儂 | nè̤ng | Sino-Tibetan |
| Haitian | moun | Indo-European | |
| Swedish | person | Indo-European | |
| Azerbaijani | adam | Turkic | |
| Iloko | tao | Austronesian | |
| Bulgarian | чове́к | čovék | Indo-European |
| Hiligaynon | tawo | Austronesian | |
| Belarusian | чалаве́к | čalavjék | Indo-European |
| Central Kurdish | کەس | kes | Indo-European |
| Tumbuka | munthu | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Kikuyu | mũndũ | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Luba-Lulua | muntu | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Northern Thai | ᨤᩫ᩠ᨶ | Tai-Kadai | |
| Danish | person | Indo-European | |
| Slovak | osoba | Indo-European | |
| Sukuma | mùùn̥ʊ̀ | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Finnish | henkilö | Uralic | |
| Lao | ຄົນ | khon | Tai-Kadai |
| Norwegian | person | Indo-European | |
| Tatar | кеше | keşe | Turkic |
| Catalan | persona | Indo-European | |
| Guarani | ava | Tupian | |
| Sicilian | cristianu | Indo-European | |
| Kirghiz | адам | adam | Turkic |
| Armenian | անձ | anj | Indo-European |
| Lithuanian | asmuo | Indo-European | |
| Tok Pisin | man | Indo-European | |
| Kamba | mundu | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Georgian | ადამიანი | adamiani | Kartvelian |
| Acehnese | ureuëng | Austronesian | |
| Mazanderani | کس | Indo-European | |
| Waray | tawo | Austronesian | |
| Albanian | njeri | Indo-European | |
| Luo | ng'ato | Nilotic | |
| Shan | ၵူၼ်း | kúun | Tai-Kadai |
| Mongolian | хүн | xün | Mongolic-Khitan |
| Bikol | tawo | Austronesian | |
| Galician | persoa | Indo-European | |
| Pampanga | tau | Austronesian | |
| Slovenian | oseba | Indo-European | |
| Esperanto | persono | Artificial Language | |
| Kʼicheʼ | winaq | Mayan | |
| Macedonian | личност | ličnost | Indo-European |
| Zhuang | boux | Tai-Kadai | |
| Latvian | persona | Indo-European | |
| Scots | person | Indo-European | |
| Chechen | адам | adam | Nakh-Daghestanian |
| Estonian | isik | Uralic | |
| Bashkir | кеше | keşe | Turkic |
| Tibetan | མི | mi | Sino-Tibetan |
| Pangasinan | too | Austronesian | |
| Tausug | tau | Austronesian | |
| Kinaray-a | tawo | Austronesian | |
| Western Frisian | persoan | Indo-European | |
| Nupe-Nupe-Tako | ezà | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Maranao | taw | Austronesian | |
| Avar | гӏадан | ʻadan | Nakh-Daghestanian |
| Talysh | kas | Indo-European | |
| Basque | pertsona | Isolates | |
| Welsh | person | Indo-European | |
| Yucatec Maya | may | Mayan | |
| Lü | ᦅᦳᧃ | kun | Tai-Kadai |
| Tai Nüa | ᥐᥨᥢᥰ | kön | Tai-Kadai |
| Rusyn | чолові́к | čolovík | Indo-European |
| Walloon | djin | Indo-European | |
| Adyghe | цӏыфы | cʼəfə | Abkhaz-Adyge |
| Classical Syriac | ܐܦܐ | Afro-Asiatic | |
| Maltese | persuna | Afro-Asiatic | |
| Occitan | persona | Indo-European | |
| Tetum | ema | Austronesian | |
| Asturian | persona | Indo-European | |
| Ibanag | tolay | Austronesian | |
| Icelandic | manneskja | Indo-European | |
| Mapuche | che | Araucanian | |
| Tuvinian | кижи | kiji | Turkic |
| Plautdietsch | Persoon | Indo-European | |
| Kambera | tau | Austronesian | |
| Iriga Bicolano | tawō | Austronesian | |
| Amis | tamdaw | Austronesian | |
| Māori | tangata | Austronesian | |
| Navajo | diné | Athabaskan-Eyak-Tlingit | |
| Irish | duine | Indo-European | |
| Kashubian | òsoba | Indo-European | |
| Breton | den | Indo-European | |
| Mwani | munu | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Erzya | лиця | lića | Uralic |
| Tboli | tau | Austronesian | |
| Komi-Permyak | морт | mort | Uralic |
| Zou | mi | Sino-Tibetan | |
| Scottish Gaelic | pearsa | Indo-European | |
| Southern Altai | кижи | kiži | Turkic |
| Sanskrit | पुरुष | puruṣa | Indo-European |
| Dungan | жын | řɨn | Sino-Tibetan |
| Romansh | persuna | Indo-European | |
| Karelian | ihmini | Uralic | |
| Hawaiian | kanaka | Austronesian | |
| Palauan | chad | Austronesian | |
| Yogad | tolay | Austronesian | |
| Mirandese | pessona | Indo-European | |
| Upper Sorbian | wosoba | Indo-European | |
| Yagnobi | одам | odam | Indo-European |
| Choctaw | hatak | Muskogean | |
| Puyuma | taw | Austronesian | |
| Lower Sorbian | wósoba | Indo-European | |
| Jejueo | 사름 | sareum | Koreanic |
| Pitjantjatjara | aṉangu | Pama-Nyungan | |
| Yami | tao | Austronesian | |
| Mòcheno | mènsch | Indo-European | |
| Southern Amami-Oshima | むん | mun | Japonic |
| Dogrib | done | Athabaskan-Eyak-Tlingit | |
| Interlingua | persona | Artificial Language | |
| Nanai | най | naj | Tungusic |
| Pipil | takat | Uto-Aztecan | |
| Taos Northern Tiwa | tʼóyna | Kiowa-Tanoan | |
| Kis | omonto | Austronesian | |
| Ingrian | henki | Uralic | |
| Alabama | aati | Muskogean | |
| Chickasaw | hattak | Muskogean | |
| Maricopa | piipaa | Cochimi-Yuman | |
| Manchu | ᠨᡳᠶᠠᠯᠮᠠ | niyalma | Tungusic |
| Central Sierra Miwok | míw·y- | Miwok-Costanoan | |
| Ainu | アイヌ | 'aynu | Ainu |
| N||ng | ǃui | Tuu | |
| Chamicuro | klistyano | Arawakan | |
| Ahom | 𑜀𑜤𑜃𑜫 | kun | Tai-Kadai |
| Aklanon | tawo | Austronesian | |
| Mescalero-Chiricahua Apache | ndé | Athabaskan-Eyak-Tlingit | |
| Classical-Middle Armenian | անձն | anjn | Indo-European |
| Butuanon | tao | Austronesian | |
| Chagatai | کِیشِی | kīšī | Turkic |
| Khumi Chin | khimi | Sino-Tibetan | |
| Tedim Chin | mi | Sino-Tibetan | |
| Min Bei Chinese | 人 | nêng | Sino-Tibetan |
| Fataluku | ma'ar | Timor-Alor-Pantar | |
| Gaddang | tolay | Austronesian | |
| Ancient Greek | ἄνθρωπος | ánthrōpos | Indo-European |
| Achaean Greek | 𐀀𐀵𐀫𐀦 | a-to-ro-qo | Indo-European |
| Kalaallisut | inuk | Eskimo-Aleut | |
| Hebrew | בֶּן אָדָם | ben ádam | Afro-Asiatic |
| Hmong Daw | tib neeg | Hmong-Mien | |
| Tuwali Ifugao | tagu | Austronesian | |
| Inuktitut | ᐃᓄᒃ | inok | Eskimo-Aleut |
| Iranun | tau | Austronesian | |
| Isoko | ohwo | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Ibatan | tao | Austronesian | |
| Javanese | wong | Austronesian | |
| Lubuagan Kalinga | tagu | Austronesian | |
| Bangad | taku | Austronesian | |
| Kankanaey | ipogaw | Austronesian | |
| Kaurna | miyu | Pama-Nyungan | |
| Kituba (Democratic Republic of Congo) | muntu | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Klamath-Modoc | maqlaqs | Isolates | |
| Kom | wul | Atlantic-Congo | |
| South-Central Koongo | muntu | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Latin | homo | Indo-European | |
| Bukusu | omundu | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Lautu | cawsaapaa | Sino-Tibetan | |
| Makasae-Makalero | anu | Timor-Alor-Pantar | |
| Malay | orang | Austronesian | |
| Meriam | le | Eastern Trans-Fly | |
| Meru | monto | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Mori Bawah | mia | Austronesian | |
| Classical Nahuatl | tlācatl | Uto-Aztecan | |
| Old Provençal | persona | Indo-European | |
| Old English | mann | Indo-European | |
| Pali | manussa | Indo-European | |
| Potawatomi | nene | Algic | |
| Eastern Panjabi | ਮਨੁੱਖ | manukkha | Indo-European |
| Tagalog | tao | Austronesian | |
| Rio Grande Tewa | tʼowa | Kiowa-Tanoan | |
| Tokharian B | onolme | Indo-European | |
| Tupinambá | abá | Tupian | |
| Unami | awèn | Algic | |
| Wichita | ihaas | Caddoan | |
| Wolof | nit | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Yámana | yamana | Isolates | |
| Yiddish | פּאַרשוין | parshoyn | Indo-European |
| Yurok | 'oohl | Algic | |
| Zande | boro | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Dimli | kes | Indo-European | |
| Kirmanjki | mordım | Indo-European | |
| East Taa | tâa | Tuu |