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I want to get "one of a kind" tattooed on me in Latin, but I can't seem to find a translation that makes sense with the context. I want it to mean I am one of a kind but it is translating it out of context into the wrong parts of speech. For example, I have gotten "in genere suo" which when I flip it back translates to "in their family" or "Unum genus" which translates to "one gender."

cmw
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julia
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2 Answers2

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There is a standard phrase that means exactly what you want:

suī generis

literally, "of its/his/her own kind". The phrase is common even in English. You can see a sampling of its usage here.

P.S. Never trust Google Translate for Latin.

Ben Kovitz
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    You don't even need to point out Google Books, since sui generis has its own Wikipedia page. – cmw Jul 22 '22 at 20:14
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    Yes, although I think it's rare to use suus for yourself. Perhaps [mei] proprii generis? – Sebastian Koppehel Jul 22 '22 at 20:52
  • @SebastianKoppehel Hmm, good point. That might make a good competing answer. Sui generis has the advantage that English speakers will recognize it, but it might be inferior Latin. In alia manu (manu nostri), maybe the third person makes sense here, as if one has been stamped (by the tattooist?) with the label "of her own kind". – Ben Kovitz Jul 22 '22 at 20:59
  • @SebastianKoppehel Turbae rettulī. – Ben Kovitz Jul 22 '22 at 23:25
  • @BenKovitz what would "of her own kind" in latin be? – julia Jul 23 '22 at 02:40
  • @SebastianKoppehel I would have understood it as "[hoc corpus] sui generis" vel sim. – cmw Jul 23 '22 at 12:39
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    @julia sui generis is the right one for "of her own kind." The Latin reflexive pronoun sui doesn't change for a male or female antecedent. – cmw Jul 23 '22 at 13:55
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    @julia As cmw said, sui is the same for male, female, and neuter. The literal meaning of sui generis is "of its/his/her own kind", but it's the idiomatic way in Latin to say "one of a kind", "in a class of her own", "unlike any other". – Ben Kovitz Jul 23 '22 at 20:08
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This, rarely, could be a one-word answer, adjective: unus-a-um = "a single"; "sole"; "one and the same"; "the one and only". Alternatively, expanding: in unum = "so as to form a single mass"; ad unum = "to a man"; "without exception". (Oxford)

EDIT 23/7/2022:

Thanks to Sebastian for his timely intervention and the mentioning of "unicus".

The Wiki entry on "unicus" offers the following example:

"quod petis, Oleniis inquam 'mihi missus ab arvis flos dabit: est hortis unicus ille meis.'" (Ovid Fasti 5. 251-2)

"What you seek", I say, "a flower sent to me from the Olenian fields will provide: the only one [of its kind] is in my gardens."

Adapting:

"unica in terra" = "the only one [of its kind] in the world"

tony
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    Then the OP would have to get a tattoo saying simply una, but would anybody really translate that back as "one of a kind"? Similarly, I was thinking of suggesting unicus/unica, but I feel that it would sound unnatural without modifying a noun (e.g. unica indole or what have you). – Sebastian Koppehel Jul 22 '22 at 22:16
  • @Sebastian Koppehel: How many translations have you seen that massage meanings way beyond their dictionary-definitions? The Oxford-things here are a reasonable fit; "ad unum" being the most appropriate, I think. – tony Jul 23 '22 at 08:05
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    @tony I think not: "a. Ad unum, all together, unanimously, to a man, without exception:" It means "each and every one", not "unique." – cmw Jul 23 '22 at 13:57
  • @cmw: Yes, of course "ad unum" = "without exception". This was in my original answer--a close fit to the OP's request. It was Seb who introduced, "unicus/a". He declined to post this as an answer. Finding an application of "unicus" in a quote from Ovid, the EDIT provides an improvement. – tony Jul 23 '22 at 23:24