Since the year 2000, February 21st has been observed around the world as the International Mother Language Day, in order to promote awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity, and multilingualism.

In view of that, let’s see how the words mother & mother language (mother tongue) are said in some of the languages. Whether we speak just our mother tongue, or on top of that our father tongue (if it’s not the same as our mother’s), or acquire yet another language skill in childhood or later on in life, we can all appreciate the emotional familiarity of the very first language we learn.

So, here’s to that:

Arabic: um - allughat al’umu
Chinese: Mǔqīn 母亲 - Mǔyǔ 母语
Czech: matka - mateřský jazyk
Danish: mor - modersmål
English: mother - mother tongue
Estonian: ema - emakeel
Finnish: äiti - äidinkieli
French: mère - langue maternelle
German: Mutter - Muttersprache
Greek: mitéra (μητέρα) - mitrikí glossa (μητρική γλώσσα)
Hawaiian: makuahine -ʻlelo makuahine
Hindi: maan (मां) - maatr bhaasha (मातृ भाषा)
Hungarian: anya - anyanyelv
Icelandic: móðir - móðurmál
Irish: Máthair - máthairtheanga
Italian: madre - madrelingua
Japanese: haha (母) - haha kokugo (母国語)
Korean: eomeoni (어머니 ) - mogug-eo (모국어)
Latin: mater - Mater Lingua
Norwegian: mor - morsmål
Polish: mama - język ojczysty
Portuguese: mãe -língua nativa
Russian: mama (мама) - radnoy yizik (родной язык)
Samoan: tina - gagana faʻaiʻu
Spanish: madre - lengua materna
Swahili: mama - lugha ya mama
Swedish: moder/mor/mamma - modersmål
Turkish: anne - ana dil
Welsh: mam - mamiaith