ίδιος
ídios/ˈiðʝos/
The Greek word for "same", meaning identical, is ίδιος (ídios).
ίδιος means "the same" or "identical". ακριβώς το ίδιο means "exactly the same". The opposite is διαφορετικός, meaning "different".
Meaning: not different as regards self, identical (adj)
Which one should you use?
Ομοίως is a formal adverb meaning "in the same way" or "likewise".
How does it change in a sentence?
ίδιος changes with gender and number. The plural forms are ίδιοι for masculine, ίδιες for feminine and ίδια for neuter, which is identical to the neuter singular.
How do you pronounce it?
It is pronounced /ˈiðʝos/, romanized ídios, with the stress on the first syllable.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Note that ίδιος is also used to mean "own", as in "my own house", so read the context carefully.
Did you know?
- In Ancient Greece, the word ιδιώτης, derived from ίδιος, described a private citizen who avoided political life. This originally neutral term for someone 'on their own' eventually evolved into the English word 'idiot'.
- Greek has a strict distinction between ίδιος, meaning the exact same individual item, and παρόμοιος, meaning similar in appearance. Confusing the two can make a listener think you are claiming two different objects are actually one and the same.
- While English speakers say 'the same to you' to return a greeting, Greeks use the specific adverb επίσης. Using ίδιος in this social context would sound unnatural to a native speaker.
Examples in context
- Έχουν τα ίδια χρώματα.They are the same colours.Here τα ίδια is the neuter plural agreeing with colours.
- Έχουν ίδιο μέγεθος.They are the same size.Here ίδιο is the neuter form agreeing with size.
- Οι φίλοι μου έχουν ίδια αυτοκίνητα.My friends have the same cars.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “same” translations and entries ίδιος, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
