Common words of Indo-European languages
Summary: This page presents a comparative overview of common words found across Indo‑European languages, highlighting their shared linguistic heritage and probable roots in Proto‑Indo‑European . It explains the geographic spread and historical development of the Indo‑European family, which includes Sanskrit, Greek, Latin, Hittite, English, and many others. Through detailed tables, the page illustrates similarities in vocabulary, pronunciation, and semantic evolution. Additional sections compare Sanskrit with English, Iranian, and even Ancient Egyptian terms, offering readers a clear understanding of how these languages diverged yet retained deep structural and phonetic connections.
The Indo European Languages numbering about 439, are a family of related languages. Of them 221 languages belong to the Indo-Aryan sub branch. It is believed that they were derived from a common source or they shared a common history at some point in human history.
These languages were mostly spoken in Europe, Middle East, including the ancient Anatolia, and the Indian subcontinent, accounting for nearly 40% of the world population or three billion people. Of the twenty largest languages spoken in the world, 12 belong to this group, namely, Spanish, English, Hindi, Portuguese, Bengali, Russian, German, Marathi, French, Italian, Punjabi, and Urdu.
These twelve languages account for nearly 2 billion people or approximately 25% to 30% of the world population. There is a lot of speculation regarding how these languages came into existence and how they were diversified. The consensus opinion is that they might have originated from a common source, probably a Proto Indo European language (PIE), which is now extinct.
To understand the origin and diversification of these languages, linguistic study and knowledge of the following languages are considered important namely Vedic Sanskrit, Mycenaean Greek, Hittite, Latin, Ancient Gothic, Ancient Avestan, Ancient Lithuanian, Ancient Slavonic, and Ancient Anatolian.
The following tables presents a comparative analysis of common words from various Indo European languages that suggest to their relationship and their possible common origin. The difference in the spelling is mainly do to the differences in the manner in which they are pronounced in each language. As the languages diversified and evolved, their sound systems also evolved and diversified, resulting in different speech sounds and ways of pronunciation.
Words of Common Origin from the Indo European Languages
| Sanskrit | Hittite | Greek | Latin | English | Armenian | Tocharian | Old Irish | Lithuanian | Albanian |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mam | ammuk | eme | me | me | is | - | - | mane | mua |
| tuvam | - | su | tu | thou | du | twe | tu | tu | ti |
| tvam | tuk | se | te | thee | k'ez | ci | -t | tave | ty |
| kas | kuis | tis | quis | who? | ov | kuse | cia | kas | kush |
| tat | - | to | - | that | da | te | - | tai | - |
| pitar | - | pater | pater | father | hayr | pacer | athair | - | - |
| matar | - | mater | mater | mother | mayr | macer | mathair | motina | - |
| bhratar | - | - | frater | brother | elbayr | procer | brathair | brolis | - |
| svasar | - | - | soror | sister | k'oyr | ser | siur | seser | - |
| duhitar | - | thugater- | - | daughter | dustr | tkacer | - | dukter | - |
| sunus | - | huios | - | son | - | soy | - | sunus | - |
| gav- | - | bous | bos | cow | kov | keu | bo | guovs(Latv) | - |
| asvas | (Hier.Luw) asuwa | hippos | equus | eoh (OE ) | - | yakwe | ech | asva, mare | - |
| svan | (Hier.Luw) suwana- | kuon | canis | hound | sun | kwen | con | sun | - |
| hrid | kart- | kardia | cord | heart | sirt | - | cride | sirdis | - |
| janu | kenu | gonu | genu | knee | cunr | keni | glun | - | gju |
| daru | taru | doru | - | tree | - | - | daur (oak) | drevo (OCS) | dru |
| pad | pat(a) | pod- | ped- | foot | otn | paiyye | - | - | - |
| navas | newas | ne(w)os | novus | new | nor | nuwe | nue | naujas | - |
| na | - | - | ne | not | - | - | ni | ne | - |
| asti | estsi | esti | est | is | e | ste | is | esti | eshte |
| bharati | - | pherei | fert | bears | bere | paran | berid | - | brings (BIE) |
| veda | - | (w)oide | - | wot | gite | - | ro-fitir | vestu (OCS) | - |
| ekas | - | oi(w)os, 'alone' | unus | one | - | - | oin | vienas | nje |
| duva | twi | duo | duo | two | erku | wi | do | du | dy |
| trayas | tri- | treis | tres | three | erek | trey | tri | trys | tri |
| catarvas | - | tettares | quattuor | four | c'ork | stwer | cethair | kesturi | kater |
| panca | - | pente | quinque | five | hing | pis | coic | penki | pese |
| sat | - | hex | sex | six | vec' | skas | se | sensi | gjasthe |
| sapta | - | hepta | septem | seven | ewt'n | sukt | secht | septyni | shtate |
| asta | - | okto | octo | eight | ut' | okt | ocht | astuoni | tete |
| nava | - | enne(w)a | novem | nine | inn | nu | noui | devyni | nede |
| dasa | - | deka | decem | ten | tasn | sak | deich | desimit | dhjete |
| satam | - | hekaton | centum | hundred | - | kante | cet | simtas | - |
Abbreviation used for the closely related languages having the corresponding words: Luw= Luwian, Hier.Luw= Hieroglyphic Luwian, OE=Old English, Latv=Latvian, OCS= Old Church Slavonic
Some examples of shared Indo-Iranian words:
| Sanskrit | Iranian | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Yajna | Yasna | A sacrificial ceremony |
| hotar | zaotr | Priest |
| Mitra | Mithra | A divinity |
| Arya | Airya (Ave.), Ariya (OP) | A Nobleman |
| duhitr | dugdar | Daughter |
Words of Sanskrit and English Languages That Sound Similar
We are not suggeting that they were derived from them. They sound similar and probably some of the English words had their source in identical Latin or Greek words.
| Sanskrit | English |
|---|---|
| Matar | Mother |
| Pitar | Father |
| bhratar | Brother |
| svasar | Sister |
| Duhitar | Daughter |
| Nav (boat) | Navy |
| Sama | same |
| Siri | Cereal |
| Manu, Manav | Man |
| Nara | Nerve |
| Deva (daiva) | Divine |
| Gau | Cow |
| Asvah | Horse |
| Thri | Three |
| Danta | Dental |
| Pala, Palitha | polity |
| Vas | House |
| Rtam | Rhythm |
| Sant | Saint |
| Matar | Matter |
| Manah | Mind |
| Na | No |
| Sarpa | Serpent |
| Nava (boat) | Navy |
| Yoga | Yolk |
| Gau | Cow |
| Sant | Saint |
| Vid | Video |
| Atma, Adima | Adam |
| Vatica | Vatican |
| Charcha | Church |
| Daiva | Divine |
| Matar | Matter |
Words of Sanskrit and Ancient Egyptian Languages
| Sanskrit | Egyptian |
|---|---|
| Sarpah | Asar-Hapi (From the Greek Seraph) |
Abbreviation used
OP= Old Persian
Ave=Avestan