English in Different Languages
Discover 'English' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
English, the global lingua franca, is a language of immense significance and cultural importance. It is the third most native spoken language in the world, after Mandarin and Spanish, but its influence extends far beyond its 379 million native speakers. As the primary language of business, education, and entertainment, English has become a vital tool for communication in our increasingly interconnected world.
But why should we be interested in the translations of 'English' in different languages? For one, it offers a fascinating glimpse into how diverse cultures perceive and interact with this powerful language. For instance, in Spanish, 'English' is 'Inglés', while in French, it is 'Anglais'. In German, it is 'Englisch', and in Japanese, it is 'Eigo'.
Moreover, understanding the translations of 'English' can be a practical necessity for travelers, language learners, or business professionals looking to bridge cultural gaps. It's a small step towards appreciating the richness and diversity of our global linguistic landscape.
English
English in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | engels | ||
| In the Afrikaans language, "Engels" also refers to angels, and the phrase "Engelse vis" means angelfish. | |||
| Amharic | እንግሊዝኛ | ||
| The term "እንግሊዝኛ" can refer to the English language, people or culture, or even the United Kingdom itself, depending on the context. | |||
| Hausa | turanci | ||
| Hausa word borrowed from English, also used to refer to white people or Europeans. | |||
| Igbo | bekee | ||
| The etymology of 'Bekee' is debated: some say it derives from 'Beeke' ('beak' in Igbo); while others say it's an evolution of 'Bigheri', a Bight of Biafra Pidgin English term for Europeans. | |||
| Malagasy | anglisy | ||
| The word "anglisy" in Malagasy, derived from the French "anglais," also has the alternate meaning of "Protestant" or "missionary." | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | chingerezi | ||
| "Chingerezi" can also mean "a person of European descent" | |||
| Shona | chirungu | ||
| The word Chirungu is also used to refer to the English language in general. | |||
| Somali | ingiriis | ||
| The word | |||
| Sesotho | senyesemane | ||
| The word Senyesemane may also refer to a white person. | |||
| Swahili | kiingereza | ||
| Kiingereza derives from the word 'king', possibly a reference to the British Empire. | |||
| Xhosa | isingesi | ||
| The term IsiNgesi (English) is also used to refer to Afrikaans. | |||
| Yoruba | gẹẹsi | ||
| "Gẹẹsi" derives from a Yoruba word that refers to the British accent and way of speaking. | |||
| Zulu | isingisi | ||
| IsiNgisi also means 'the sound of iron', from the 1800s interaction with missionaries who translated the Bible using blacksmithing imagery. | |||
| Bambara | angilɛtɛri | ||
| Ewe | iŋlisi | ||
| Kinyarwanda | icyongereza | ||
| Lingala | lingelesi | ||
| Luganda | olungereeza | ||
| Sepedi | seisimane | ||
| Twi (Akan) | borɔfo | ||
English in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | الإنجليزية | ||
| لغة إنجليزية أو انكليزية هي كلمة أعجمية اصلها انكليزي تعني بالإنجليزية language of the Angles. | |||
| Hebrew | אנגלית | ||
| The word "אנגלית" also means "Anglican" or "England" in Hebrew. | |||
| Pashto | انګلیسي | ||
| The name | |||
| Arabic | الإنجليزية | ||
| لغة إنجليزية أو انكليزية هي كلمة أعجمية اصلها انكليزي تعني بالإنجليزية language of the Angles. | |||
English in Western European Languages
| Albanian | anglisht | ||
| 'Anglisht' in Albanian ultimately derives from Late Latin, but also has a folk etymology tying it to 'angel' (angelëzi) | |||
| Basque | ingelesa | ||
| The word "Ingelesa" derives from the Basque word "ineles" for "island" and originally referred to the English people. | |||
| Catalan | anglès | ||
| Anglès is derived from the Latin word 'anglius', meaning 'Angle' or 'English'. | |||
| Croatian | engleski | ||
| Engleski is also used in Croatian to mean 'English language' or 'English literature'. | |||
| Danish | engelsk | ||
| In Danish, "engelsk" can refer to a type of dance as well as to the language and nationality. | |||
| Dutch | engels | ||
| The word "Engels" originally referred to the Angles, one of the Germanic tribes that settled in England. | |||
| English | english | ||
| The term "English" is derived from the Old English word "Englisc," which originally meant "a member of the Angles," one of the Germanic tribes that settled in Britain in the 5th and 6th centuries. | |||
| French | anglais | ||
| L'origine du mot « Anglais » vient du vieux néerlandais « Angleis », faisant référence au peuple germanique anglo-saxon qui s'est installé en Grande-Bretagne. | |||
| Frisian | ingelsk | ||
| The term Ingelsk likely originated from the word Ingvaeones, an ancient Germanic tribe that lived along the North Sea coast. | |||
| Galician | inglés | ||
| German | englisch | ||
| Im Deutschen kann "Englisch" auch als Farbbezeichnung für ein helles Rot oder Rosa verwendet werden. | |||
| Icelandic | enska | ||
| It comes from the Old Norse word 'Englar' referring to an area centered on the Angeln Peninsula in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. | |||
| Irish | béarla | ||
| Modernly, "Béarla" can colloquially refer to Irish itself, especially in contexts of Irish-language education or media. | |||
| Italian | inglese | ||
| The word "inglese" in Italian also has the alternate meaning of "groin". | |||
| Luxembourgish | englesch | ||
| "Englesch" also means "angelic" or, in older texts, "language of the angels". | |||
| Maltese | ingliż | ||
| The term 'Ingliż' is derived from the Greek 'Englizi' and originally referred to the Angles, a Germanic tribe who settled in England. | |||
| Norwegian | engelsk | ||
| The word "Engelsk" can also refer to an angelic being or the language of angels in Norwegian mythology. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | inglês | ||
| Apesar do nome, Inglês vem do antigo alto-germânico Englez, que significa "ângulo", o povo que originou os ingleses. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | sasannach | ||
| The word "Sasannach" can also refer to a Lowland Scot or a Protestant | |||
| Spanish | inglés | ||
| El término "Inglés" en español tiene su origen en el latín "Anglus", que inicialmente hacía referencia a los anglos, un pueblo germánico que habitó las islas británicas. | |||
| Swedish | engelsk | ||
| The word "engelsk" in Swedish can also mean "angelic" or "heavenly". | |||
| Welsh | saesneg | ||
| In older Welsh, 'Saesneg' could refer to the languages of all of the Germanic peoples who invaded Britain. | |||
English in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | англійская | ||
| Англійская is the Belarusian form of English — it can be used for things related to England as well (like an | |||
| Bosnian | engleski | ||
| "Engleski" in Bosnian also means "foreign" or "European". | |||
| Bulgarian | английски | ||
| В болгарском языке слово "Английски" также может обозначать "английский язык". | |||
| Czech | angličtina | ||
| The word “Angličtina” is also used to refer to the English language or to something related to England. | |||
| Estonian | inglise | ||
| The Estonian | |||
| Finnish | englanti | ||
| Englanti also means "angel" or "angel's" in Finnish. | |||
| Hungarian | angol | ||
| A "angol" szó eredetileg a "szász" népnév magyar változata, amelynek jelentése "a szászok földje". | |||
| Latvian | angļu | ||
| The word "Angļu" is derived from the Old Saxon "angul", meaning "hook" or "barb", and was originally used to refer to the inhabitants of the Angeln peninsula in Germany. | |||
| Lithuanian | anglų | ||
| The Lithuanian word "Anglų" derives from the name of the historical region of "Angeln" in contemporary northern Germany, from which the Angles originated and migrated to Britain. | |||
| Macedonian | англиски | ||
| Англиски could also mean "of England" or "a person from England", when used as an adjective. | |||
| Polish | język angielski | ||
| język angielski - nazwa ta pochodzi od plemienia Anglów, którzy zasiedlili w V wieku południowo-wschodnią Anglię. | |||
| Romanian | engleză | ||
| "Engleză" comes from the word "englezi" which means "people of England" in Romanian. | |||
| Russian | английский | ||
| В русском языке слово "английский" также используется для обозначения представителя народа, живущего в Англии. | |||
| Serbian | енглески језик | ||
| The word 'engleski' is derived from the German word 'englische', which means 'English'. | |||
| Slovak | angličtina | ||
| The term "Angličtina" can also be used to refer to the language spoken in England as well as the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. | |||
| Slovenian | angleščina | ||
| The name derives from the Old English word "Englaland" | |||
| Ukrainian | англійська | ||
| Англійська, англійський - похідне від назви германського племені англів, яке прибуло на Британські острови у V ст. нашої ери. | |||
English in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ইংরেজি | ||
| "ইংরেজি" ("English") শব্দটি এসেছে "ইংল্যান্ড" শব্দ থেকে, যা অ্যাঙ্গলস নামক একটি জার্মানিক গোষ্ঠীর নাম থেকে নেওয়া হয়েছে। | |||
| Gujarati | અંગ્રેજી | ||
| Hindi | अंग्रेज़ी | ||
| The word "अंग्रेज़ी" (English) is derived from the Sanskrit word "अंग" (Anga), which refers to the ancient Indian kingdom of Anga. | |||
| Kannada | ಆಂಗ್ಲ | ||
| Malayalam | ഇംഗ്ലീഷ് | ||
| The word "ഇംഗ്ലീഷ്" in Malayalam may have originated from Persia, where it means "belonging to a kingdom" or "noble". | |||
| Marathi | इंग्रजी | ||
| The word "इंग्रजी" also refers to the English language or culture, regardless of its geographical origin. | |||
| Nepali | अंग्रेजी | ||
| The word 'अंग्रेजी' comes from the Persian word 'अंगरेजी' ('Angrezi'), which in turn comes from the Old French word 'Engleis' ('English'). | |||
| Punjabi | ਅੰਗਰੇਜ਼ੀ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ඉංග්රීසි | ||
| The word 'ඉංග්රීසි' (English) may have originated from the word 'Angrezi', which was used by the Portuguese to refer to the people of England in the 16th century. | |||
| Tamil | ஆங்கிலம் | ||
| The Tamil word "ஆங்கிலம்" is derived from the name of the Anglo-Saxons, a Germanic people who settled in England. | |||
| Telugu | ఆంగ్ల | ||
| Urdu | انگریزی | ||
| انگریزی is also sometimes used to refer to the people, language, or culture of England. | |||
English in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 英语 | ||
| 英语一词源自于英语Angles，指来自德国西北部的一个部落，后来成为不列颠的主体民族，其语言也成为今天英语的源头。 | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 英語 | ||
| 英語在英語中意為「英國的語言」，在漢語中則意為「英國的」「英國化的」或「歐洲的」 | |||
| Japanese | 英語 | ||
| 英語 can also mean a type of fish or a flower in Japanese. | |||
| Korean | 영어 | ||
| 영어 (English) was originally used in Korean to mean the language of angels (天使語) before acquiring its current meaning as the language of England. | |||
| Mongolian | англи | ||
| Англи can also refer to the color grey, a small coin, or a type of small, cheap knife. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အင်္ဂလိပ် | ||
English in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | inggris | ||
| Inggris is also the name of a small town in the district of Indramayu in West Java, Indonesia. | |||
| Javanese | basa inggris | ||
| "Basa Inggris" dalam bahasa Jawa juga merujuk pada bahasa Inggris Kuno. | |||
| Khmer | អង់គ្លេស | ||
| Lao | ພາສາອັງກິດ | ||
| Malay | bahasa inggeris | ||
| "Bahasa Inggeris" can also refer to the English people or the English language. | |||
| Thai | ภาษาอังกฤษ | ||
| 'ภาษาอังกฤษ' (English) comes from the Old French word 'Engleish', which in turn comes from the Old English word 'Englisc', meaning 'the language of the Angles'. | |||
| Vietnamese | tiếng anh | ||
| "Tiếng Anh" also means "the sound of the English language". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | ingles | ||
English in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | i̇ngilis dili | ||
| The word 'İngilis dili' is also used in Azerbaijani to refer to the language of Scotland. | |||
| Kazakh | ағылшын | ||
| The word "Ағылшын" also means "smart" or "knowledgeable" in Kazakh. | |||
| Kyrgyz | англисче | ||
| The word 'Англисче' ('English') in Kyrgyz is a loanword from the Russian language, where it is pronounced as 'английский' and has the same meaning. | |||
| Tajik | англисӣ | ||
| In Tajik, 'Англисӣ' originated from the name of a nomadic Turkic people, the Англиc, later assimilated into the Tajik-Persian speaking population | |||
| Turkmen | iňlis | ||
| Uzbek | ingliz tili | ||
| "Ingliz tili" ("English") in Uzbek also means "the language of the English" or "the English language." | |||
| Uyghur | ئىنگىلىزچە | ||
English in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | pelekania | ||
| Pelekania is also a Hawaiian surname, and a type of gastropod shell. | |||
| Maori | ingarihi | ||
| Ingarihi is derived from the word "Ingarangi", meaning "land of the foreigners". | |||
| Samoan | igilisi | ||
| The word 'Igilisi' is derived from 'Ingrisi' (English), which itself is derived from the Old English 'Englisc' (of the Angles, a Germanic tribe). | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | ingles | ||
English in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | inklisa | ||
| Guarani | inglés | ||
English in International Languages
| Esperanto | angla | ||
| Latin | anglicus | ||
| The term 'anglicus' in Latin may also refer to the Angles, an ancient Germanic tribe that settled in Britain. | |||
English in Others Languages
| Greek | αγγλικά | ||
| Η λέξη Αγγλικά προέρχεται από την παλαιότερη λέξη Γλώγκλικα που σημαίνει 'γλώσσα των Γάλλων'. | |||
| Hmong | lus askiv | ||
| Lus Askiv derives from "Askiv," which means "American". | |||
| Kurdish | îngilîzî | ||
| The word "Îngilîzî" in Kurdish is a loanword from Persian ("Īnglīsī") and a calque of the Greek word "aggeloi" ("messengers"), ultimately meaning "speaker of a foreign language". | |||
| Turkish | ingilizce | ||
| "İngiliz" kelimesi Orta Farsça kökenli olup "İngil" halkını ifade etmektedir. | |||
| Xhosa | isingesi | ||
| The term IsiNgesi (English) is also used to refer to Afrikaans. | |||
| Yiddish | ענגליש | ||
| The Yiddish word "ענגליש" can also refer to the language of Jewish merchants known as Yiddish or Anglo-Jewish. | |||
| Zulu | isingisi | ||
| IsiNgisi also means 'the sound of iron', from the 1800s interaction with missionaries who translated the Bible using blacksmithing imagery. | |||
| Assamese | ইংৰাজী | ||
| Aymara | inklisa | ||
| Bhojpuri | अंगरेजी | ||
| Dhivehi | އިނގިރޭސި | ||
| Dogri | अंगरेजी | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | ingles | ||
| Guarani | inglés | ||
| Ilocano | ingles | ||
| Krio | inglish | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ئینگلیزی | ||
| Maithili | अंग्रेजी | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯍꯪꯂꯤꯁ | ||
| Mizo | sap | ||
| Oromo | afaan ingilizii | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଇଂରାଜୀ | | ||
| Quechua | ingles simi | ||
| Sanskrit | आंग्ल | ||
| Tatar | инглиз | ||
| Tigrinya | ኢንግሊሽ | ||
| Tsonga | xinghezi | ||