Afternoon in Different Languages
Discover 'Afternoon' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Afternoon is a significant part of the day, marking the transition from the bustling activities of the morning to the more relaxed hours leading up to evening. It holds cultural importance across the globe, often associated with the traditional siesta in Mediterranean countries or the afternoon tea in the United Kingdom. Understanding the translation of 'afternoon' in different languages can be a gateway to appreciating diverse cultural nuances and customs.
Historically, the division of the day into morning, afternoon, and evening can be traced back to ancient civilizations such as the Romans. This division not only served practical purposes but also reflected their understanding of the natural world and its rhythms.
For language enthusiasts and travelers alike, knowing the local term for 'afternoon' can enrich conversations and interactions. Here are some translations of 'afternoon' in various languages:
Afternoon
Afternoon in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | middag | ||
| The Afrikaans word "middag" is derived from the Dutch word "middag" which also means "noon". | |||
| Amharic | ከሰአት | ||
| The word ከሰአት (afternoon) is derived from the verb ከሰተ (to be in the afternoon). | |||
| Hausa | la'asar | ||
| 'La'asar' in Hausa shares the same root word with 'la'asiri' in Yoruba which similarly denotes the 'evening' period. | |||
| Igbo | ehihie | ||
| The word 'ehihie' in Igbo shares its root with 'Ihe', meaning thing, and is often used to describe the period when the day's activities wind down. | |||
| Malagasy | tolakandro | ||
| The word 'tolakandro' is also used to refer to the 'southwest' direction. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | masana | ||
| The Nyanja word 'masana' can also refer to the period between sunset and nightfall. | |||
| Shona | masikati | ||
| The word's etymology is unclear, but it is possibly derived from the Proto-Bantu root *-sɨkɨta "to become hot". | |||
| Somali | galabnimo | ||
| "Galabnimo" can also be used to refer to the evening, especially in the context of meeting someone or doing something in the evening. | |||
| Sesotho | thapama | ||
| The term 'thapama' also refers to the time just before sunset, when the sun has turned orange or red. | |||
| Swahili | mchana | ||
| "Mchana" also means "noon" or "midday," and originates from the verb "kuchana," which means "to meet" or "to join together." | |||
| Xhosa | njakalanga | ||
| While the word "njakalanga" often refers to "afternoon," it also means "a time of leisure" | |||
| Yoruba | ọsan | ||
| The word `ọsan` in Yoruba also means 'dry land' or 'upland', and originates from the Yoruba phrase `ọ̀sà ò̩n`, meaning 'dry land of the savannah'. | |||
| Zulu | ntambama | ||
| The word "ntambama" also means "sunlight" in Zulu. | |||
| Bambara | wula | ||
| Ewe | ŋdᴐ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | nyuma ya saa sita | ||
| Lingala | nsima ya nzanga | ||
| Luganda | mu tuntu | ||
| Sepedi | mathapama | ||
| Twi (Akan) | awia | ||
Afternoon in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | بعد الظهر | ||
| The word "بعد الظهر" literally translates to "after the noon" in Arabic, indicating the time of day after the sun has passed its highest point in the sky. | |||
| Hebrew | אחרי הצהריים | ||
| The Hebrew word "אחרי הצהריים" (afternoon) literally translates to "after the heat of the day." | |||
| Pashto | غرمه | ||
| The Pashto word "غرمه" can also refer to the afternoon from noon to 3 pm. | |||
| Arabic | بعد الظهر | ||
| The word "بعد الظهر" literally translates to "after the noon" in Arabic, indicating the time of day after the sun has passed its highest point in the sky. | |||
Afternoon in Western European Languages
| Albanian | pasdite | ||
| The Albanian word "pasdite" (afternoon) is also used in the compound word "pasditen" (eve) and in phrases like "pasi mesnate" (after lunch) and "pasi darkës" (after dinner). | |||
| Basque | arratsaldea | ||
| In the Basque language, "arratsaldea" originally also meant "sunset" or "twilight" | |||
| Catalan | tarda | ||
| The word "tarda" is also used to refer to the period of time between sunset and nightfall, or the end of the day. | |||
| Croatian | poslijepodne | ||
| The word "poslijepodne" in Croatian can also refer to the period of time from noon to sunset. | |||
| Danish | eftermiddag | ||
| "Eftermiddag" comes from "efter", meaning "after," and "middag", meaning "midday." | |||
| Dutch | namiddag | ||
| The word 'namiddag' in Dutch is derived from the Middle Dutch word 'namiddach', which means 'after midday'. | |||
| English | afternoon | ||
| The word "afternoon" originally meant "the ninth hour," as it was the ninth hour after sunrise in ancient Rome. | |||
| French | après midi | ||
| In French, "après midi" (literally "after midday") has the specific meaning of "the time between noon and 6 PM". | |||
| Frisian | middei | ||
| "Middei" comes from the Old Frisian "middei", which possibly derives from the Proto-West-Germanic "*middijai" or "*middie" (similar to Old Norse "miðr"), and ultimately traces its origin to Indo-European "*medhió" (middle). | |||
| Galician | tarde | ||
| Galician "tarde" derives from Latin "tempus" (time), sharing an etymology with Spanish "tarde" and Portuguese "tarde". | |||
| German | nachmittag | ||
| The German word "Nachmittag" literally means "after midday" and can also refer to the time of the day after lunch. | |||
| Icelandic | síðdegis | ||
| "Síðdegis" is cognate with English "side" and Swedish "sida" and comes from the Proto-Germanic "*sido-", meaning "side", referring to the declining sun being on the western side. | |||
| Irish | tráthnóna | ||
| The word “tráthnóna” has traditionally referred to the time period from 12pm to 6pm, but its meaning has shifted to refer to the afternoon and early evening. | |||
| Italian | pomeriggio | ||
| The word "pomeriggio" originally meant "the time after the ninth hour" (3pm), and is still used in rural contexts to refer to any time from midday to sunset. | |||
| Luxembourgish | mëtteg | ||
| The word "Mëtteg" is derived from the Old High German word "mettag", meaning "midday meal". | |||
| Maltese | wara nofsinhar | ||
| The word 'wara nofsinhar' is derived from the Semitic word for 'sunset'. | |||
| Norwegian | ettermiddag | ||
| The Old Norse "eftirmiddægja" likely meant "the time when work stopped". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | tarde | ||
| The word “tarde” derives from the Latin word “tardus”, meaning “slow,” but has come to mean “afternoon” in Portuguese. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | feasgar | ||
| The word "feasgar" also means "the evening" in Scots Gaelic and is cognate with the Irish word "feascar". | |||
| Spanish | tarde | ||
| The Spanish word "tarde" also means "late" or "delayed". | |||
| Swedish | eftermiddag | ||
| The word "eftermiddag" in Swedish literally means "after midday", reflecting its time of day. | |||
| Welsh | prynhawn | ||
| The Welsh word 'prynhawn' is derived from the Middle Welsh phrase 'pryd nawn', meaning 'time of noon'. | |||
Afternoon in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | днём | ||
| Belarusian "днём" ("afternoon") is related to Polish "dzien" ("day"), Russian "день" ("day"), and Old Church Slavonic "дънь" ("day"). This suggests that the word originally referred to all daytime (as opposed to nighttime). | |||
| Bosnian | popodne | ||
| The term 'popodne' may also refer to 'in the twilight' and is derived from 'pod' ('under') and 'podne' ('noon'). | |||
| Bulgarian | следобед | ||
| The word "следобед" is derived from Proto-Slavic "*obědъ", meaning "meal eaten around noon". In some dialects, it can also refer to the morning. | |||
| Czech | odpoledne | ||
| The word "odpoledne" is derived from the words "odpočívat" (to rest) and "poledne" (noon), indicating the time after noon when people typically take a break from work or activities. | |||
| Estonian | pärastlõuna | ||
| The word "pärastlõuna" is derived from the words "pärast" (after) and "lõuna" (noon), indicating the time period after midday. | |||
| Finnish | iltapäivällä | ||
| The word 'iltapäivällä' is a combination of the words 'ilta' ('evening') and 'päivä' ('day'). | |||
| Hungarian | délután | ||
| The word “délután” is derived from the Hungarian phrase “dél után”, which literally means “after noon”. | |||
| Latvian | pēcpusdiena | ||
| In the Latvian language, the word “pēcpusdiena” literally translates to “after drink,” indicating the time of day after the afternoon drink, typically coffee. | |||
| Lithuanian | popietė | ||
| "Popietė" is a derivative of "po pieti", which means "after dinner". | |||
| Macedonian | попладне | ||
| The word "попладне" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *poplъdnь, which also meant "noon". It is cognate with the Russian word "полдень" ("noon") and the Polish word "południe" ("south"). | |||
| Polish | popołudnie | ||
| "Popołudnie" comes from a Proto-Slavic word *po-poldьne, meaning "half-day" (lit. "after noon"). | |||
| Romanian | dupa amiaza | ||
| The Romanian word 'dupa amiaza' (meaning 'afternoon') likely originates from the Latin phrase 'post meridiem', which also means 'afternoon'. | |||
| Russian | после полудня | ||
| "Полудень" means "midday", so "после полудня" means "after midday", i.e. "afternoon". | |||
| Serbian | поподневни | ||
| The word "поподневни" in Serbian can also mean "afternoon tea". | |||
| Slovak | popoludnie | ||
| The word "popoludnie" in Slovak is derived from "poludnie," meaning "noon," and indicates the time after midday. | |||
| Slovenian | popoldan | ||
| The word "popoldan" is most likely derived from Slavic roots meaning "in the evening" or "during the day, late". | |||
| Ukrainian | вдень | ||
| The word "вдень" is cognate with the Czech word "den" and the Polish word "dzień", both meaning "day". | |||
Afternoon in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | বিকেল | ||
| Bengali "বিকেল" originates from a Sanskrit word that can also mean "evening" or "twilight" depending on the context and region. | |||
| Gujarati | બપોરે | ||
| The word "બપોરે" can also mean "in the afternoon" or "during the afternoon". | |||
| Hindi | दोपहर | ||
| The Hindi word "दोपहर" not only means "afternoon", but also has the metaphorical meaning "the time of full glory or prosperity". | |||
| Kannada | ಮಧ್ಯಾಹ್ನ | ||
| "ಮಧ್ಯಾಹ್ನ" comes from Sanskrit "मध्याह्न," meaning "midday" or "mid-afternoon". It also denotes a particular season (May-June) marked by intense heat. | |||
| Malayalam | ഉച്ചകഴിഞ്ഞ് | ||
| In Malayalam, “ഉച്ചകഴിഞ്ഞ്” (pronounced “utchakazhinju”) literally means “after the peak”, referring to the time of day after the sun has passed its highest point in the sky. | |||
| Marathi | दुपारी | ||
| The word "दुपारी" in Marathi can also mean "lunchtime" or "midday". | |||
| Nepali | दिउँसो | ||
| दिउँसो has an archaic meaning of 'daytime' or 'day', which is preserved in several idioms and names of festivals. | |||
| Punjabi | ਦੁਪਹਿਰ | ||
| The word 'ਦੁਪਹਿਰ' (dupahir) is derived from the Sanskrit word 'द्विपहर' (dviprahara), which literally means 'two parts of the day'. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | දහවල් | ||
| The word "දහවල්" may have originated from the Sanskrit word "दिन" (dina), meaning "day". | |||
| Tamil | பிற்பகல் | ||
| The Tamil word 'பிற்பகல்' (afternoon) is also used to refer to the time of the evening when the sun is setting. | |||
| Telugu | మధ్యాహ్నం | ||
| The Telugu word "మధ్యాహ్నం" ("afternoon") is derived from the Sanskrit word "मध्याह्न" (madhyAhna), which literally means "middle day". | |||
| Urdu | سہ پہر | ||
| "سہ پہر" is derived from the Persian words "se" (three) and "pahr" (watch), referring to the third watch of the day (2:00 pm to 6:00 pm). | |||
Afternoon in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 下午 | ||
| The character "午" in "下午" originally referred to a specific time in the day, around noon, and was later extended to mean "afternoon". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 下午 | ||
| 下午 can also mean "afternoon tea" in Chinese. | |||
| Japanese | 午後 | ||
| 午後 is written with the kanji for "later" and "noon", and can also mean "evening". | |||
| Korean | 대낮 | ||
| Literally meaning "big day", 대낮 refers to the hottest hour of the afternoon. | |||
| Mongolian | үдээс хойш | ||
| Үдээс хойш (pronounced "oodess hoyosh") also means "after lunch" or "after noon" and is commonly used to refer to the time between lunch and dinner. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | နေ့လည်ခင်း | ||
Afternoon in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | sore | ||
| In Indonesian, "sore" also refers to physical discomfort or emotional pain. | |||
| Javanese | awan | ||
| "Awan" can also mean "cloud" or "something in the sky". | |||
| Khmer | ពេលរសៀល | ||
| The Khmer word for "afternoon", ពេលរសៀល, is derived from the Sanskrit word for "evening". | |||
| Lao | ຕອນບ່າຍ | ||
| The word ຕອນບ່າຍ can also mean the period of time after a meal or in the afternoon. | |||
| Malay | petang | ||
| In Indonesian, 'petang' can also mean 'evening', while in Malay, it specifically refers to the late afternoon. | |||
| Thai | ตอนบ่าย | ||
| The Thai word "ตอนบ่าย" can also be translated as "after midday" in English | |||
| Vietnamese | buổi chiều | ||
| The word "buổi chiều" in Vietnamese originally referred to the time of day when the sun was in the west, but it can also mean "evening" or "night" in some contexts. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | hapon | ||
Afternoon in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | günortadan sonra | ||
| "Günortadan sonra" means "afternoon" in Azerbaijani. It is a compound word consisting of "günorta" ("midday") and "sonra" ("after"). | |||
| Kazakh | түстен кейін | ||
| Kyrgyz | түштөн кийин | ||
| Tajik | нисфирӯзӣ | ||
| The word "нисфирӯзӣ" also means "half-victorious" in Tajik, referring to the time when the sun is at its peak and its power is divided in half. | |||
| Turkmen | günortan | ||
| Uzbek | peshindan keyin | ||
| The word "peshindan keyin" also means "after lunch". | |||
| Uyghur | چۈشتىن كېيىن | ||
Afternoon in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | awakea | ||
| "Awakea" literally means "to wake the gods." | |||
| Maori | ahiahi | ||
| "Ahiahi" in Maori can also refer to the early evening, when the sun is low in the sky. | |||
| Samoan | aoauli | ||
| In Samoan, the word "aoauli" originally referred to the time when the sun was directly overhead, but now it means "afternoon". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | hapon | ||
| The word "hapon" can also mean "sunset" or "late afternoon". | |||
Afternoon in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jayp'u | ||
| Guarani | ka'aru | ||
Afternoon in International Languages
| Esperanto | posttagmeze | ||
| "Posttagmeze" is a compound word from "post" (after) and "tagmeze" (daytime)" | |||
| Latin | post meridiem, | ||
| The Latin phrase "post meridiem" originally meant "after midday" but now refers to the period from noon to sunset. | |||
Afternoon in Others Languages
| Greek | απόγευμα | ||
| The word 'απόγευμα' comes from the ancient Greek words 'από' (away) and 'γή' (earth), and originally referred to the time when the sun was away from the earth, i.e. in the afternoon. | |||
| Hmong | tav su | ||
| The term "tav su" for "afternoon" in Hmong is related to the "afternoon snack" or "afternoon meal" that is traditionally eaten around that time of day. | |||
| Kurdish | piştînîvroj | ||
| "Piştînîvroj" in Kurdish literally means "after-lunch time". | |||
| Turkish | öğleden sonra | ||
| The Turkish word "öğleden sonra" literally means "after the öğle", which refers to the midday meal. | |||
| Xhosa | njakalanga | ||
| While the word "njakalanga" often refers to "afternoon," it also means "a time of leisure" | |||
| Yiddish | נאָכמיטאָג | ||
| The Yiddish word 'nakhmitog' comes from German, and is a compound of the words 'nach,' meaning 'after' and 'mittag,' meaning 'midday'. | |||
| Zulu | ntambama | ||
| The word "ntambama" also means "sunlight" in Zulu. | |||
| Assamese | আবেলি | ||
| Aymara | jayp'u | ||
| Bhojpuri | दुपहरिया बाद | ||
| Dhivehi | މެންދުރު | ||
| Dogri | दपैहर | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | hapon | ||
| Guarani | ka'aru | ||
| Ilocano | malem | ||
| Krio | aftanun | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | دوای نیوەڕۆ | ||
| Maithili | बेर-उपहर | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯅꯨꯡꯊꯤꯜ | ||
| Mizo | chawhnu | ||
| Oromo | waaree booda | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଅପରାହ୍ନ | ||
| Quechua | chisinkuy | ||
| Sanskrit | अपराह्नः | ||
| Tatar | төштән соң | ||
| Tigrinya | ድሕሪ ሰዓት | ||
| Tsonga | nhlikanhi | ||