Anniversary in Different Languages
Discover 'Anniversary' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'anniversary' is steeped in significance and cultural importance, marking the special occasion of a recurring event or the passage of time in a relationship or historical event. Derived from the Latin 'annus' meaning 'year' and 'versus' meaning 'turning,' an anniversary signifies the full turn of a year since a particular event. This term is used universally, but its translation into different languages can offer a unique cultural perspective.
For instance, in Spanish, 'anniversary' is 'aniversario,' while in German, it's 'Jahrestag.' In French, it's 'anniversaire,' and in Japanese, it's '記念日' (kinenbi). These translations not only reflect linguistic diversity but also highlight the global cultural significance of anniversaries.
Whether it's a personal milestone, a historical event, or a cultural tradition, understanding the translation of 'anniversary' in different languages can enrich our appreciation of the world's rich cultural tapestry. Explore the list below to discover more about this important word in various languages.
Anniversary
Anniversary in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | herdenking | ||
| "Herdenking" also means "reflection" in Afrikaans. | |||
| Amharic | አመታዊ በአል | ||
| The word "አመታዊ በአል" (anniversary) literally translates to "the day of years" in Amharic, reflecting its connection to the passage of time. | |||
| Hausa | ranar tunawa | ||
| Ranar tunawa is also used to refer to the day of a wedding or other special occasion. | |||
| Igbo | ncheta | ||
| The word "ncheta" also means "a gathering of people" or "a celebration" in Igbo. | |||
| Malagasy | tsingerintaona | ||
| "Tsingerintaona" is derived from the words "tsingerina" (year) and "taona" (time), and originally meant "annual festival". The word has since taken on the extended meaning of "anniversary", referring to yearly commemorations of past events. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | tsiku lokumbukira | ||
| "Tsiku lokumbukira" is also used to refer to a person's birthday or wedding anniversary. | |||
| Shona | mhembero | ||
| The Shona word "mhembero" likely derives from the verb "kupemberera," meaning "to celebrate" or "to commemorate." | |||
| Somali | sanadguuradii | ||
| The Somali word "sanadguuradii" originally meant "revolution" or "year of change" and was not used to mean "anniversary" until the 1970s. | |||
| Sesotho | sehopotso | ||
| The word "sehopotso" in Sesotho is also sometimes translated as "remembrance" or "memorial". | |||
| Swahili | maadhimisho ya miaka | ||
| The Swahili word "maadhimisho ya miaka" literally means "the completion of a yearly cycle". | |||
| Xhosa | usuku enazimanya ngalo | ||
| The word "usuku enazimanya ngalo" literally means "day of getting to know each other". | |||
| Yoruba | aseye | ||
| The word "aseye" also means "annual remembrance" in Yoruba. | |||
| Zulu | isikhumbuzo | ||
| "Isikhumbuzo" can also refer to someone who remembers, or who likes reminding others about something. | |||
| Bambara | sanyɛlɛma | ||
| Ewe | dzigbezã | ||
| Kinyarwanda | isabukuru | ||
| Lingala | aniversere | ||
| Luganda | okujaguza | ||
| Sepedi | segopotšo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | apontoɔ | ||
Anniversary in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | ذكرى سنوية | ||
| In Arabic, "ذكرى سنوية" is also used to mean "commemoration". | |||
| Hebrew | יוֹם הַשָׁנָה | ||
| The Hebrew word "יוֹם הַשָׁנָה" ("anniversary") literally means "day of the year". | |||
| Pashto | لمانځ غونډه | ||
| The Pashto word "لمانځ غونډه" can also refer to a commemorative gathering or assembly held annually or on special occasions. | |||
| Arabic | ذكرى سنوية | ||
| In Arabic, "ذكرى سنوية" is also used to mean "commemoration". | |||
Anniversary in Western European Languages
| Albanian | përvjetori | ||
| The Albanian word "përvjetori" ultimately derives from the Latin word "annus" meaning "year". | |||
| Basque | urteurrena | ||
| Basque “urteurrena” derives from proto-Basque “urte urte”, meaning “one year”. | |||
| Catalan | aniversari | ||
| The term «aniversari» is derived from the Latin «anniversarius», meaning «annual». | |||
| Croatian | obljetnica | ||
| In Croatian, "obljetnica" is linked to the verb "obljet", meaning "to revolve around something". | |||
| Danish | jubilæum | ||
| The word derives from the Latin "jubilæum" referring to the Old Testament Jubilee, a time of celebration and renewal that occurred every 50 years. | |||
| Dutch | verjaardag | ||
| Verjaardag can also refer to birthdays or the establishment of cities. | |||
| English | anniversary | ||
| The word 'anniversary' comes from the Latin word 'annus' (meaning 'year') and 'vertere' (meaning 'to turn'), referring to the annual return of a particular day or event. | |||
| French | anniversaire | ||
| French word "anniversaire" comes from Latin "annualis" (yearly) and originally meant only a person's annual birthday | |||
| Frisian | jubileum | ||
| The Old Frisian term 'iubel' is related to the Latin term 'jubileum' and is likely of Celtic origin. | |||
| Galician | aniversario | ||
| In addition to "anniversary", "aniversario" can mean the date on which an event occurred or a memorial service. | |||
| German | jahrestag | ||
| The German word "Jahrestag" originally referred to the yearly remembrance of a person's death rather than a birthday celebration. | |||
| Icelandic | afmæli | ||
| Although originally meaning the anniversary of one's baptism, the modern sense of afmæli as the commemoration of one's birth came to be used more widely by the 18th century. | |||
| Irish | comóradh | ||
| The noun "comóradh" can also mean "a feast" or "a memorial". | |||
| Italian | anniversario | ||
| The term "anniversario" in Italian also refers to a memorial or commemorative celebration. | |||
| Luxembourgish | joresdag | ||
| The word "Joresdag" also refers to the Thursday after Ash Wednesday, a German custom called "Schmotzigen Donnerstag" or "Weiberfastnacht". | |||
| Maltese | anniversarju | ||
| The word "anniversarju" is derived from the Latin word "anniversarius", meaning "yearly" or "occurring annually". | |||
| Norwegian | jubileum | ||
| "Jubileum" stammer fra hebraisk "jobel" og betyr egentlig "horn" eller "trompet" | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | aniversário | ||
| The word 'aniversário' is derived from the Latin words 'annus' (year) and 'versus' (turned), referring to the annual return of a particular date or event. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | ceann-bliadhna | ||
| Alternate meanings of the Gaelic word "ceann-bliadhna" include "end of the year" or "new year". | |||
| Spanish | aniversario | ||
| In Spanish, "aniversario" can also refer to the annual commemoration of a person's death or the yearly celebration of a church calendar date. | |||
| Swedish | årsdag | ||
| The word "årsdag" is actually cognate with "year day", the Old English term for a birthday or feast day. | |||
| Welsh | pen-blwydd | ||
| The word "pen-blwydd" derives from the phrase "pen y blwydd" with the meaning of "the head of the year." | |||
Anniversary in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | юбілей | ||
| The word "юбілей" is derived from the Latin word "jubilaeus", meaning "a year of jubilee". | |||
| Bosnian | godišnjica | ||
| The word "godišnjica" comes from the Slavic root "god" meaning "year" and literally means "a return of the year" | |||
| Bulgarian | юбилей | ||
| The Russian word "юбилей" is a loanword from the Latin word "jubileus", which means "a year of joyful celebration". | |||
| Czech | výročí | ||
| The word "výročí" is derived from the Czech word "víra", meaning "faith", and refers to a day of religious significance. | |||
| Estonian | aastapäev | ||
| The word "aastapäev" is derived from the Estonian words "aasta" (year) and "päev" (day), meaning "day of the year." | |||
| Finnish | vuosipäivä | ||
| "Vuosipäivä" also means "year day" in Finnish, reflecting its origin from "vuosi" (year) and "päivä" (day). | |||
| Hungarian | évforduló | ||
| The word 'évforduló' in Hungarian is composed of two words: 'év' (year) and 'forduló' (turn). | |||
| Latvian | gadadiena | ||
| "Gadadiena" (anniversary) comes from "gads" (year) and "diena" (day), and it can also refer to the day a couple got married. | |||
| Lithuanian | jubiliejų | ||
| The term "jubiliejų" in Lithuanian has been influenced by the German word "Jubiläum" referring to a special occasion with a significant milestone. | |||
| Macedonian | годишнина | ||
| "Годишнина" (anniversary) comes from the Proto-Slavic word *godъ, meaning "year", and the suffix -ĭnĭ, which creates nouns denoting a period of time. | |||
| Polish | rocznica | ||
| "Rocz" is related to the word "rok", which means year. | |||
| Romanian | aniversare | ||
| In Romanian, the word "aniversare" also means "commemoration" or "remembering an event". | |||
| Russian | годовщина | ||
| The word "Годовщина" derives from the Old Russian word "годъ" (godъ), meaning "year", and the suffix "-овщина" (-ovshchina), denoting a collective noun. | |||
| Serbian | годишњица | ||
| The Serbian word "годишњица" originally meant "yearly event", hence it referred both to anniversaries and to saints' feast days celebrated on the same day every year. | |||
| Slovak | výročie | ||
| The Slovak word "výročie" is derived from the verb "vyrobiť" meaning "to produce" and the suffix "-ie" indicating a result or product, hence it originally meant "a product", "an outcome". | |||
| Slovenian | obletnica | ||
| "Obletnica" is derived from the Slavic word "leto," meaning "year," and the suffix "-ica," indicating a commemorative action or event, making it a "year-marking" occasion. | |||
| Ukrainian | ювілей | ||
| The word "ювілей" derives from Latin "jubilaeus": "year of jubilee", from Hebrew "yobel": "ram's horn". | |||
Anniversary in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | বার্ষিকী | ||
| The word "বার্ষিকী" in Bengali can also refer to the yearly celebration of an event or a milestone. | |||
| Gujarati | વર્ષગાંઠ | ||
| In Gujarat, "વર્ષગાંઠ" also refers to the anniversary of a person's death which is distinct meaning beyond just its English translation. | |||
| Hindi | सालगिरह | ||
| The word 'सालगिरह' originates from the Sanskrit compound 'sama' and 'varsha', meaning 'year' and 'turn' respectively, indicating the completion of a year. | |||
| Kannada | ವಾರ್ಷಿಕೋತ್ಸವ | ||
| 'ವಾರ್ಷಿಕೋತ್ಸವ' (anniversary) is derived from the Latin word 'annus' (year) and 'vertere' (to turn), referring to the annual return of a significant event or date. | |||
| Malayalam | വാർഷികം | ||
| വാർഷികം means 'yearly' and is derived from the Sanskrit word 'vatsara' meaning 'year'. | |||
| Marathi | वर्धापनदिन | ||
| The word "वर्धापनदिन" is derived from the Sanskrit words "वृद्धि" (growth) and "अपन" (day), indicating a day of growth or celebration. | |||
| Nepali | वार्षिकोत्सव | ||
| The word "वार्षिकोत्सव" is derived from the Sanskrit words "वार्षिक" (annual) and "उत्सव" (festival) and can also refer to an annual celebration or event. | |||
| Punjabi | ਬਰਸੀ | ||
| ਬਰਸੀ also refers to the annual remembrance day for departed loved ones in Sikhism and Hinduism, observed as the death date or a specific day after their death | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | සංවත්සරය | ||
| The Sinhala word "සංවත්සරය" has Sanskrit origins, referring to a "complete circle" or "cyclical period of time", encompassing both annual and seasonal anniversaries. | |||
| Tamil | ஆண்டுவிழா | ||
| The word 'ஆண்டுவிழா' can also mean 'the end of the year' or 'the anniversary of a person's death'. | |||
| Telugu | వార్షికోత్సవం | ||
| Vārṣikōtsavam is derived from Sanskrit and means 'annual festival', 'yearly celebration', or 'once-a-year occurrence'. | |||
| Urdu | سالگرہ | ||
| The Urdu word "سالگرہ" (saalgira) originates from the Arabic-Persian word "سال" (saal, meaning year) and "گشت" (gasht, meaning passing or completion), collectively signifying the passing of a year. | |||
Anniversary in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 周年 | ||
| "周年" can also be used in Chinese to refer to a special celebration of any time period ending in a complete number of years. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 週年 | ||
| "週" means a period, a cycle. "年" means a year, but in the word "週年" it refers to a completed period of time. | |||
| Japanese | 記念日 | ||
| The word "記念日" (kinenbi) is composed of the kanji "記" (ki), meaning "to record" or "to remember", and "念" (nen), meaning "year" or "anniversary". | |||
| Korean | 기념일 | ||
| 기념일 (記念日) is a compound word made up of the characters 기념 (memorial) and 일 (day), and can also mean 'day of remembrance'. | |||
| Mongolian | жилийн ой | ||
| The Mongolian word for "anniversary" has the alternate meaning of "lifetime" or "life years". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | နှစ်ပတ်လည်နေ့ | ||
Anniversary in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | ulang tahun | ||
| The word "ulang tahun" in Indonesian is derived from the Malay "ulang tahun", meaning "repetition of a year". | |||
| Javanese | pengetan | ||
| The word 'pengetan' may also refer to a memorial or commemoration ceremony. | |||
| Khmer | ខួប | ||
| The Khmer word "ខួប" ("anniversary") derives from the Sanskrit word "khūrpa", meaning "wheel" or "cycle", suggesting the cyclical nature of time and the annual return of significant events. | |||
| Lao | ຄົບຮອບ | ||
| The word 'ຄົບຮອບ' not only refers to an anniversary, it can also mean a period of time, or a cycle. | |||
| Malay | ulang tahun | ||
| Ulang tahun (ulang: repeat; tahun: year) literally translates to "repeated yearly". | |||
| Thai | วันครบรอบ | ||
| The word "วันครบรอบ" in Thai can also mean "the day of completion" or "the day of fulfillment". | |||
| Vietnamese | ngày kỷ niệm | ||
| "Kỷ niệm" (anniversary) derives from the Chinese term "ji nian," meaning "to record" or "to commemorate" | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | anibersaryo | ||
Anniversary in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | ildönümü | ||
| The word "ildönümü" in Azerbaijani comes from the words "il" (year) and "dönüm" (turn or rotation), referring to the annual cycle. | |||
| Kazakh | мерейтой | ||
| The word "мерейтой" also means "feast" in Kazakh. | |||
| Kyrgyz | жылдык | ||
| "Жылдык" is derived from the Kyrgyz words "жыл" meaning "year" and "дык" indicating a completed action, signifying the passage of a full year. | |||
| Tajik | солгард | ||
| The word "солгард" is derived from the Persian word "سالگرد" which means "anniversary". | |||
| Turkmen | ýubileý | ||
| Uzbek | yubiley | ||
| The Uzbek word "yubiley" is derived from the Arabic word "jubayl", which means "the time of gathering". The word "yubiley" can also be used to refer to a festival or a holiday. | |||
| Uyghur | خاتىرە كۈنى | ||
Anniversary in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | lā hoʻomanaʻo | ||
| The Hawaiian word "lā hoʻomanaʻo" translates literally to "day of remembrance" or "day of being mindful." | |||
| Maori | huritau | ||
| The word 'huritau' literally translates to 'year turn', reflecting the cyclical nature of time. | |||
| Samoan | atoaga ose mafutaga | ||
| The word "atoaga ose mafutaga" can refer to any type of anniversary, not just a person's birthday. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | anibersaryo | ||
| The Tagalog word "anibersaryo" is derived from the Spanish "aniversario", which refers to the annual commemoration of an event. | |||
Anniversary in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | mara phuqhawi | ||
| Guarani | aramboty | ||
Anniversary in International Languages
| Esperanto | datreveno | ||
| The word "datreveno" combines the prefix "dat-" (meaning "given") with the root "-reven-" (meaning "to come back"), thus literally meaning "that which comes back repeatedly." | |||
| Latin | anniversary | ||
| The word 'anniversary' comes from the Latin word 'anniversarius,' which means 'yearly.' | |||
Anniversary in Others Languages
| Greek | επέτειος | ||
| The term “επέτειος” can also refer to the annual celebration of the founding of a city or the start of a war. | |||
| Hmong | hnub tseem ceeb | ||
| "Hnub tseem ceeb" literally means "day marked with a year." | |||
| Kurdish | salveger | ||
| The word "salveger" is an alternate spelling of the word "salverger", which is a more common spelling in Kurdish. | |||
| Turkish | yıldönümü | ||
| The word "yıldönümü" is derived from the words "yıl" (year) and "dönüm" (turn, revolution). | |||
| Xhosa | usuku enazimanya ngalo | ||
| The word "usuku enazimanya ngalo" literally means "day of getting to know each other". | |||
| Yiddish | יאָרטאָג | ||
| The Yiddish word "יאָרטאָג" (yortsayt) comes from the German "jahr" ("year") and "tag" ("day") or the Hebrew "yom" ("day") and "tov" ("good"). | |||
| Zulu | isikhumbuzo | ||
| "Isikhumbuzo" can also refer to someone who remembers, or who likes reminding others about something. | |||
| Assamese | বাৰ্ষিকী | ||
| Aymara | mara phuqhawi | ||
| Bhojpuri | सालगिरह | ||
| Dhivehi | އަހަރީދުވަސް | ||
| Dogri | सालगिरह् | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | anibersaryo | ||
| Guarani | aramboty | ||
| Ilocano | anibersario | ||
| Krio | anivasri | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ساڵانە | ||
| Maithili | वर्षगांठ | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯆꯍꯤ ꯐꯥꯔꯛꯄꯒꯤ ꯀꯨꯝꯑꯣꯟ | ||
| Mizo | champhaphak | ||
| Oromo | ayyaaneffannaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ବାର୍ଷିକୀ | ||
| Quechua | watan | ||
| Sanskrit | वार्षिकी | ||
| Tatar | юбилей | ||
| Tigrinya | ዓመታዊ በዓል | ||
| Tsonga | tlangela | ||