Updated on March 6, 2024
The abbreviation 'PM' holds significant meaning in various contexts worldwide. Originally derived from the Latin phrase 'post meridiem,' it translates to 'after midday' or 'after noon.' This term is commonly used to denote the hours following noon, typically 12:01 PM to 11:59 PM in the 12-hour clock system. Intriguingly, 'PM' is also used to refer to Project Management, a crucial aspect of business operations and team coordination.
Beyond its practical usage, 'PM' carries cultural importance in different regions. For instance, in Spain, the 'p' in 'PM' is pronounced with a lisp, reflecting the country's unique phonetic traits. Furthermore, 'PM' is a significant term in the medical field, referring to a physician's evening shift. This highlights the term's versatility and broad applicability.
Given the term's significance and cultural importance, one might wonder: what does 'PM' mean in other languages? Here's a list of translations of 'PM' in various languages, from Arabic to Yiddish, that will satiate your curiosity and broaden your cultural horizons.
Afrikaans | pm | ||
In Afrikaans, "PM" can also refer to a military police officer. | |||
Amharic | ጠቅላይ ሚኒስትር | ||
Literally translates to 'head of the ministers', referring to the leadership of the government's cabinet. | |||
Hausa | pm | ||
In Hausa, "PM" (pronounced "fay-em") can also refer to a type of traditional Hausa attire worn by women. | |||
Igbo | pm | ||
The Igbo word "PM" can also refer to "afternoon" when used alone. | |||
Malagasy | pm | ||
In Malagasy, "PM" can also mean "ministerial decree" or "administrative decision." | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | pm | ||
PM is a military abbreviation for 'private message' in Chichewa. | |||
Shona | pm | ||
PM can also mean 'in the afternoon' in Shona. | |||
Somali | pm | ||
In Somali, "PM" can also refer to "evening" or "afternoon." | |||
Sesotho | pm | ||
PM in Sesotho is short for "prime minister" but also is the abbreviation for "afternoon". | |||
Swahili | pm | ||
PM in Swahili can also mean 'afternoon' (post meridiem) or 'Prime Minister'. | |||
Xhosa | pm | ||
PM can also mean 'at night' when used in conjunction with time, e.g. '4pm' (4 emini) = 'four in the evening'. | |||
Yoruba | pm | ||
In Yoruba, "PM" also means "afternoon." | |||
Zulu | pm | ||
In Zulu, the abbreviation 'PM' can also refer to the position of 'secretary of state'. | |||
Bambara | pm ye | ||
Ewe | pm | ||
Kinyarwanda | pm | ||
Lingala | pm | ||
Luganda | pm | ||
Sepedi | pm | ||
Twi (Akan) | pm na ɛyɛ | ||
Arabic | مساء | ||
"مَسَاء" (PM) literally means "evening" but is also used for the period from noon to sunset. | |||
Hebrew | אחר הצהריים | ||
The Hebrew word "אחר הצהריים" (afternoon) literally means "after the heat of the day". | |||
Pashto | ماښام | ||
Historically, "ماښام" had the general meaning of "afternoon" or "the time between noon and sunset". | |||
Arabic | مساء | ||
"مَسَاء" (PM) literally means "evening" but is also used for the period from noon to sunset. |
Albanian | pm | ||
In Albanian, "PM" can also stand for "Partia e Majte" (Left Party), a political party founded in 1991. | |||
Basque | arratsaldeko | ||
No alternate meanings exist for the Basque word "ARRATSALDEKO" (PM). | |||
Catalan | pm | ||
Catalan PM (short for Presidenta/President de la Generalitat de Catalunya) has other meanings: primer ministre (prime minister), postmeridian (afternoon), etc. | |||
Croatian | pm | ||
U engleskom jeziku, PM može značiti "poslije podne" ili "premijer". | |||
Danish | om eftermiddagen | ||
The Danish abbreviation "ef." for "eftermiddag" (PM) is a reduced form of "eftermiddags" (PM) and was historically used in the military to avoid confusion with the German "PM" (Prozessionsmusik). | |||
Dutch | p.m | ||
In Dutch, "PM" is the abbreviation for "post meridiem" which means "afternoon or evening". | |||
English | pm | ||
In addition to the title Prime Minister, "PM" can also mean "post meridiem" (afternoon and evening) in the 12-hour clock system. | |||
French | pm | ||
"PM" (post meridiem) désigne en français l'après-midi et non le Premier ministre. | |||
Frisian | pm | ||
PM can also mean "post meridiem" in Latin. | |||
Galician | pm | ||
En galego "PM" equivale á frase inglesa "post meridiem" (despois do mediodía). | |||
German | pm | ||
The abbreviation "PM" in German has a second meaning as an acronym for "Personalmeldung" (personal message). | |||
Icelandic | forsætisráðherra | ||
Forsætisráðherra, the Icelandic word for 'PM', is a compound of 'forseti', meaning 'president', and 'ráðherra', meaning 'minister' or 'councillor'. | |||
Irish | pm | ||
Irish "PM" can refer to either "Post Meridiem" (afternoon or evening) or "Prime Minister". | |||
Italian | pm | ||
PM was originally the abbreviation of the Latin term "post meridiem" (after midday). | |||
Luxembourgish | pm | ||
The abbreviation "PM" can also stand for "Premier ministre" (prime minister) in Luxembourgish. | |||
Maltese | pm | ||
In Maltese, "PM" can also refer to "Prim Ministru" (Prime Minister). | |||
Norwegian | pm | ||
"PM" is also an abbreviation for "personmale" which means "male person" in Norwegian. | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | pm | ||
Em Portugal, "PM" é também abreviatura de "primeiro-ministro". | |||
Scots Gaelic | pm | ||
PM is used for "post meridian" or "afternoon" in Scots Gaelic, or as an abbreviation of the Scots Gaelic "prime minister." | |||
Spanish | pm | ||
PM in Spanish can also stand for 'peso mexicano' (Mexican peso). | |||
Swedish | pm | ||
In Swedish, "PM" can also stand for "promemoria," a type of business document. | |||
Welsh | pm | ||
In Welsh, "PM" can also refer to a "project manager" or "post meridian." |
Belarusian | пм | ||
There seems to be no other meaning or special etymology for ПМ.} | |||
Bosnian | pm | ||
Bosnian PM is the abbreviation for the Prime Minister, but it also stands for the Muslim Brotherhood. | |||
Bulgarian | pm | ||
The abbreviation PM means post meridiem, which is Latin for afternoon or after midday. | |||
Czech | odpoledne | ||
The "OD" part in "ODPOLEDNE" is likely derived from a Slavic word meaning "after", and "POLEDNE" means "noon". | |||
Estonian | pm | ||
„PM” on inglise keeles lühend sõnast „post meridiem”, mis tähendab „pärast lõunat”. | |||
Finnish | pm | ||
It can also be an abbreviation of "puhelinmerkintä" (telephone note). | |||
Hungarian | délután | ||
The word "délután" also means "afternoon" and comes from the Old Hungarian words "del" (sun) and "út" (road), referring to the time when the sun starts to set. | |||
Latvian | pm | ||
PM vai PM var būt arī abreviatūra no latīņu valodas "post meridiem", kas nozīmē "pēc pusdienlaika". | |||
Lithuanian | pm | ||
In Lithuanian, "PM" also means "post meridiem" (literally "after noon"), which is a Latin term used to denote the afternoon. | |||
Macedonian | премиерот | ||
The word "Премиерот" is derived from the Latin word "primus" meaning "first" and the suffix "-ier" meaning "one who does". | |||
Polish | po południu | ||
The word 'popołudniu' ('PM' in English) literally means "after afternoon" in Polish. | |||
Romanian | p.m | ||
Derived from the Latin phrase "post meridiem," "P.M." and "PM" indicate "afternoon" in English and Romanian, respectively. | |||
Russian | вечера | ||
ВЕЧЕРА is related to the word ВЕЧЕР, meaning 'evening' in English. | |||
Serbian | после подне | ||
The Serbian word "ПОСЛЕ ПОДНЕ" (PM) literally translates to "after noon". | |||
Slovak | popoludnie | ||
POPOLUDNIE: from 'PO-' meaning 'after,' 'POL-' meaning 'field,' and '-UDNIE' meaning 'afternoon,' so 'after the field' (which in Medieval times was where work ended; work stopped around 3 PM). | |||
Slovenian | pm | ||
"PM" je okrajšava za "popoldne" ali "predsednik vlade." | |||
Ukrainian | пм | ||
Bengali | প্রধানমন্ত্রী | ||
"প্রধানমন্ত্রী" শব্দটি সংস্কৃত শব্দ "প্রধান" এবং "মন্ত্রী" থেকে এসেছে, যার অর্থ যথাক্রমে "প্রধান" এবং "মন্ত্রী"। | |||
Gujarati | પી.એમ. | ||
"પી.એમ." has its origins in the Latin phrase "post meridian," which literally translates to "after noon". | |||
Hindi | pm | ||
In Hindi, "PM" can also refer to "police" or "postmaster". | |||
Kannada | ಪಿ.ಎಂ. | ||
In Kannada, the abbreviation 'PM' also stands for 'Pradhana Mantri', meaning 'Prime Minister'. | |||
Malayalam | പ്രധാനമന്ത്രി | ||
Marathi | पंतप्रधान | ||
The word "पंतप्रधान" in Marathi, meaning "Prime Minister," is derived from the Sanskrit words "pradhāna" (chief) and "mantri" (minister). | |||
Nepali | बेलुकी | ||
This word can be broken into two parts, the first part "बेल" means "to ask" and the second part "उकी" means "sound". | |||
Punjabi | ਪ੍ਰਧਾਨ ਮੰਤਰੀ | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | පී.එම් | ||
"පී.එම්" stands for "Post Meridiem" which is Latin, indicating time from noon to night. | |||
Tamil | மாலை | ||
"மாலை" also refers to an offering of flowers worn as a garland or presented to a deity. | |||
Telugu | pm | ||
In Telugu, the letters "PM" can also mean "post-meridiem" (afternoon). | |||
Urdu | پی ایم | ||
In English, 'PM' can mean 'Public/Private Message', 'Post Meridian', 'Prime Minister', or 'Police Magistrate'. |
Chinese (Simplified) | 下午 | ||
"下午" derives from "午後 (wǔhòu)", meaning afternoon, which further derives from "午 (wǔ)", which originally indicated the time of "午食 (wǔshí)", lunch or noonday meal. | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 下午 | ||
下午, literally 'afternoon', is also a Chinese slang for 'to court someone'. | |||
Japanese | 午後 | ||
In Japanese, "午後" (PM) literally means "after the monkey". | |||
Korean | 오후 | ||
오후 also means "a long time ago." | |||
Mongolian | ерөнхий сайд | ||
Ерөнхий сайд (PM) derives from two Mongolian words: Ерөнхий (general) and Сайд (minister), and can also refer to "chairman" or "principal" in other contexts. | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | pm တွင် | ||
The abbreviation "PM တွင်" in Myanmar (Burmese) can also mean "in the evening" or "at night". |
Indonesian | sore | ||
The Indonesian word "SORE" can also mean "evening" or "afternoon", but in this context it means "PM or Prime Minister" | |||
Javanese | pm | ||
In Javanese, "PM" also means "night" or "afternoon". | |||
Khmer | នាយករដ្ឋមន្ត្រី | ||
Lao | ນ | ||
The Lao word "ນ" is also a prefix used before personal names to denote respect, especially for a person of higher status. | |||
Malay | pm | ||
The abbreviation "PM" can also refer to "post meridiem", meaning "afternoon" in Latin. | |||
Thai | น | ||
"น" (PM) is also an abbreviation for นาด (nad), meaning "sound". | |||
Vietnamese | buổi chiều | ||
The word "buổi chiều" in Vietnamese can also refer to the afternoon or the evening, depending on the context. | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | pm | ||
Azerbaijani | baş nazir | ||
The word "Baş nazir" can also refer to a "Minister of State". | |||
Kazakh | премьер-министр | ||
"Премьер-министр" is derived from the French "premier ministre", meaning "first minister". It is also used to refer to the head of government in some other countries. | |||
Kyrgyz | pm | ||
Tajik | сарвазир | ||
The word "Сарвазир" in Tajik is derived from the Persian word "سر وزیر" (sar vazir), meaning "chief minister" or "prime minister." | |||
Turkmen | premýer-ministr | ||
Uzbek | bosh vazir | ||
"Bosh vazir" is used as a synonym for "the head of the government", but in fact, it means "the head of the viziers". | |||
Uyghur | pm | ||
Hawaiian | pm | ||
PM (p.m./post meridiem) is also used in Hawaiian as a slang term for "police officer." | |||
Maori | pm | ||
In Maori, “PM” or “pō muri” means "evening". | |||
Samoan | palemia | ||
Palemia, which means both "after noon" (PM) and "dark skin", can also be used figuratively to refer to someone who seems to be hiding something or someone who acts like a criminal. | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | pm | ||
"PM" is also a short form of the Tagalog word "Pamamahala" which means "Governance". |
Aymara | pm | ||
Guarani | pm | ||
Esperanto | pm | ||
In esperanto, "PM" has the same meaning of "PM" in Latin, and is also the abbreviation of the term "post meridian" | |||
Latin | pm est | ||
In Latin, "PM EST" can also refer to "post meridiem est," meaning "it is afternoon." |
Greek | μετα μεσημβριας | ||
The Greek word "ΜΕΤΑ ΜΕΣΗΜΒΡΙΑΣ" (PM) literally means "after midday" or "afternoon" in English. | |||
Hmong | pm | ||
In Hmong, "PM" also means "evening" or "nighttime". | |||
Kurdish | pm | ||
PM, short for "post meridiem," means "afternoon" in Latin. | |||
Turkish | ös | ||
The abbreviation ÖS, standing for Öğleden Sonra, "afternoon" in Turkish, is a colloquial term used in various contexts, including the measurement of time or the reference to a particular period of the day. | |||
Xhosa | pm | ||
PM can also mean 'at night' when used in conjunction with time, e.g. '4pm' (4 emini) = 'four in the evening'. | |||
Yiddish | pm | ||
In Yiddish, "PM" can also refer to "post meridiem" (the afternoon), or a "personal message" to a specific recipient. | |||
Zulu | pm | ||
In Zulu, the abbreviation 'PM' can also refer to the position of 'secretary of state'. | |||
Assamese | পি এম | ||
Aymara | pm | ||
Bhojpuri | पीएम के बा | ||
Dhivehi | ޕީއެމް | ||
Dogri | पीएम | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | pm | ||
Guarani | pm | ||
Ilocano | pm | ||
Krio | pm na di pm | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | pm | ||
Maithili | पीएम | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯄꯤ.ꯑꯦꯝ | ||
Mizo | pm a ni | ||
Oromo | mm | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ପ୍ରଧାନମନ୍ତ୍ରୀ | ||
Quechua | pm | ||
Sanskrit | pm | ||
Tatar | премьер | ||
Tigrinya | ቀዳማይ ሚኒስተር | ||
Tsonga | pm | ||