cidadania
/si.da.daˈni.ɐ/feminine
Citizenship in Portuguese is cidadania.
cidadania refers to the state of being a citizen. While it describes the status or concept of citizenship, you should use cidadão when referring to the actual person, which is a citizen.
Meaning: state of being a citizen (noun)
Which one should you use?
In formal or technical legal contexts, you may encounter Vínculo Jurídico com o Estado, which translates to 'legal bond with the state'. Additionally, nacionalidade (nationality) is a formal term used to refer to the legal concept of citizenship.
How does it change in a sentence?
cidadania is a feminine noun and must agree with feminine adjectives.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 5 syllables, with the stress on the 4th syllable. The IPA pronunciation is /si.da.daˈni.ɐ/.
Did you know?
- In Brazil, the phrase cidadão de bem is frequently used as a socio-political label to describe a 'law-abiding citizen' or a person of traditional moral values.
- The word cidadania is built from the word cidadão, which shares a common root with the Latin 'civitas', the same ancestor for the English word 'city'.
- Due to 'jus sanguinis' laws, many people in Brazil and other former colonies apply for cidadania based on the bloodline of Portuguese grandparents.
Examples in context
- Tom tem dupla cidadania.Tom has dual citizenship.This sentence shows how to express having dual citizenship using cidadania.Tatoeba #5090570 by Ricardo14, translation #1600909 by Spamster
- Eu tenho cidadania dupla.I have dual citizenship.This sentence demonstrates an alternative word order for expressing dual citizenship with cidadania.Tatoeba #4870096 by bill, translation #4499781 by CK
- Ele tem cidadania ucraniana.He has Ukrainian citizenship.This sentence shows how to specify a particular type of citizenship, such as Ukrainian, using cidadania.Tatoeba #5047612 by alexmarcelo, translation #4707915 by AlanF_US
- A cidadania é um direito fundamental de todos os cidadãos brasileiros.Citizenship is a fundamental right of all Brazilian citizens.
- Para obter a nacionalidade portuguesa, é necessário preencher certos requisitos legais.To obtain Portuguese citizenship, it is necessary to meet certain legal requirements.
- 8 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Camila and Rodrigo are discussing his paperwork at a cafe.
- CamilaComo está o seu processo de cidadania?How is your citizenship process going?
- RodrigoEstá demorando muito, Camila.It is taking a very long time, Camila.
- CamilaVocê precisa de mais documentos?Do you need more documents?
- RodrigoSim, o governo pediu a certidão.Yes, the government asked for the certificate.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “citizenship” translations and entries cidadania, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cidadania, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
