Any in Different Languages
Discover 'Any' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'any', a small but powerful term, holds great significance in many languages and cultures around the world. Its flexibility and utility make it an essential part of daily communication, as it allows us to express inquiries, doubts, and possibilities. 'Any' transcends boundaries and unites us in our shared human experience.
Did you know that the English word 'any' can be traced back to the Old English 'anes' or 'an', meaning 'one' or 'a single'? Over time, it evolved to encompass a broader meaning, giving us the versatile term we know today.
As global citizens, understanding the translation of 'any' in different languages can enrich our cross-cultural communication and foster deeper connections. Here are a few examples:
- Spanish: cualquiera
- French: n'importe lequel / n'importe quelle
- German: beliebig
- Mandarin: 任何 (rèn hé)
- Japanese: いかなる (ikana)
Any
Any in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | enige | ||
| Enige is likely a shortening of the Dutch phrase "eenige van een menigte" (some of a multitude). | |||
| Amharic | ማንኛውም | ||
| In addition to meaning “any”, "ማንኛውም" also means "which one" in Amharic. | |||
| Hausa | kowane | ||
| The word 'kowane' may also refer to the number 'all' or the concept of 'generality'. | |||
| Igbo | ọ bụla | ||
| Ọ bụla can also mean "whichever" or "every". | |||
| Malagasy | misy | ||
| The word "misy" in Malagasy, in addition to meaning "any", can also mean "there exists" or "there are". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | zilizonse | ||
| The word "zilizonse" is derived from the Proto-Bantu root *-onse, which also means "all" or "every." | |||
| Shona | chero | ||
| In the 19th century, "chero" also meant "all" or "each". | |||
| Somali | mid kasta | ||
| Mid kasta, which literally translates to "in the middle of everything," is also used to emphasize the concept of "each" or "every". | |||
| Sesotho | efe kapa efe | ||
| Sesotho word "efe kapa efe" can also mean "each and every" or "either" in English. | |||
| Swahili | yoyote | ||
| "Yoyote" can also mean "any part of something" in Swahili. | |||
| Xhosa | nayiphi na | ||
| In Xhosa, "nayiphi na" (literally "what of what") is used to express a strong sense of surprise or wonder. | |||
| Yoruba | eyikeyi | ||
| In the context of food, "eyikeke" is sometimes used to mean "small", as in "eyikeke amala", "small amala". | |||
| Zulu | noma yini | ||
| The Zulu word "noma yini" can also be used as an expression of surprise or disbelief. | |||
| Bambara | a mana ke min ye | ||
| Ewe | aɖe | ||
| Kinyarwanda | icyaricyo cyose | ||
| Lingala | nyonso | ||
| Luganda | -nna | ||
| Sepedi | efe goba efe | ||
| Twi (Akan) | biara | ||
Any in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | أي | ||
| The word "أي" can also mean "some" or "whatever." | |||
| Hebrew | כל | ||
| The Hebrew word "כל" ("any") also means "all" and "whole" if followed by a definite article in some contexts. | |||
| Pashto | کوم | ||
| The word "کوم" in Pashto can also mean "some" or "a little bit". | |||
| Arabic | أي | ||
| The word "أي" can also mean "some" or "whatever." | |||
Any in Western European Languages
| Albanian | ndonjë | ||
| The word "ndonjë" is related to the Albanian words "ndër" (among) and "një" (one), and it can also mean "each" or "every". | |||
| Basque | edozein | ||
| The word "edozein" can also be used to refer to "all" or "everyone". | |||
| Catalan | cap | ||
| Catalan "cap" means "any" in English, and is pronounced the same, with a hard "c", but can also mean "none"} | |||
| Croatian | bilo koji | ||
| In Dalmatia, the word 'bilo koji' can also mean 'some' or 'a certain'. | |||
| Danish | nogen | ||
| Nogen, which means "any" in Danish, originated from "noget," which means "something or anything." | |||
| Dutch | ieder | ||
| The word "ieder" is the modern Dutch form of the Old Dutch word "jegider," which also meant "each." | |||
| English | any | ||
| The word 'any' can sometimes mean 'all' or 'each', as in 'any one of these books' or 'any dog can learn tricks'. | |||
| French | tout | ||
| The word "tout" in French also means "all" and is derived from the Latin word "totus" meaning "whole". | |||
| Frisian | elk | ||
| The Frisian word "elk" can also refer to an alder tree or alder wood. | |||
| Galician | calquera | ||
| The Galician word "calquera" is derived from the Latin phrase "qualiscumque" meaning "of whatever kind". | |||
| German | irgendein | ||
| The term "irgendein" can be etymologically traced back to the Middle High German word "iegelich", which in turn comes from Old High German "iogelich", both meaning either "any" or "each". | |||
| Icelandic | einhver | ||
| 'Einhver' is the Icelandic word for 'any,' but it can also mean 'a certain,' 'some,' or 'one.' | |||
| Irish | ar bith | ||
| Ar bith can also mean 'ever', 'always' and 'at any time'. | |||
| Italian | qualunque | ||
| The word "qualunque" derives from the Latin "qualiscumque," meaning "of whatever kind." | |||
| Luxembourgish | iergendeen | ||
| The word "iergendeen" in Luxembourgish is derived from the Old High German "io-ginde-ein" which means "ever". | |||
| Maltese | kwalunkwe | ||
| The Maltese word "kwalunkwe" comes from "qualunque" which means "any kind"} | |||
| Norwegian | noen | ||
| The Norwegian word "noen" is related to the English word "any", but it can also mean "someone" or "something". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | qualquer | ||
| The word "qualquer" ultimately stems from the Latin phrase "qualisqualis," meaning "such as" or "of any kind." | |||
| Scots Gaelic | sam bith | ||
| Derived from Old Irish "sen bi, | |||
| Spanish | alguna | ||
| The word "alguna" in Spanish can also mean "some", "a few", or "any amount" depending on the context. | |||
| Swedish | några | ||
| The Swedish word "några" means "any", but it also means "a few". | |||
| Welsh | unrhyw | ||
| Welsh "unrhyw" from "rhyw-", a variant of the Proto-Celtic root "*kwen- " and "un-" (denial/privation). Therefore, it also means "of no sort." This is reflected in the compound "unrhywbeth" (any sort of thing, anything) | |||
Any in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | любы | ||
| The word "любы" in Belarusian can also mean "beloved" or "anybody". | |||
| Bosnian | bilo koji | ||
| Bilokoi may also be a diminutive of the word 'bili', meaning 'white' in Bosnian. | |||
| Bulgarian | всякакви | ||
| The word "всякакви" (pronounced "vsayakvi") is derived from the Old Slavonic word "всякъ" (pronounced "vsak"), meaning "all" or "every." | |||
| Czech | žádný | ||
| The word "žádný" is also used as a negation, meaning "no" or "not any" in English. | |||
| Estonian | mis tahes | ||
| The word "mis tahes" literally means "whatever you want" in Estonian, and it is often used in a similar way to the English word "anything". | |||
| Finnish | minkä tahansa | ||
| The Finnish word "minkä tahansa" comes from the possessive form of the word "mikä" (what) and the word "tahansa" (any kind). | |||
| Hungarian | bármi | ||
| Bármi derives from the phrase "bármik" (any thing) which is made from the indefinite pronoun "bár" meaning "any". The element "-mi" is a suffix indicating the indefinite form. | |||
| Latvian | jebkurš | ||
| In Latvian, "jebkurš" is derived from "jebkur" ("anywhere") and "šis" ("this"), indicating a choice among multiple possibilities. | |||
| Lithuanian | bet koks | ||
| The Lithuanian word "bet koks" also means "whatever" or "of any kind." | |||
| Macedonian | било кој | ||
| In Old Church Slavonic, "било кој" meant "whichever" or "some". | |||
| Polish | każdy | ||
| The word "każdy" also means "everyone" in Polish. | |||
| Romanian | orice | ||
| The Romanian word "orice" (any) originates from the Latin word "omnino" (by all means), and also means "any other kind". | |||
| Russian | любые | ||
| The word "Любые" can also refer to "any kind" or "any type" in Russian. | |||
| Serbian | било који | ||
| In Serbian, "bilo koji" literally translates to "was (or hit) by whatever". | |||
| Slovak | akýkoľvek | ||
| The word "akýkoľvek" likely descends from the Proto-Slavic word "kъto" meaning "who, what". | |||
| Slovenian | kaj | ||
| The word 'kaj' has its roots in the Proto-Slavic language and is shared by several Slavic languages, including Russian ('кой'), Polish ('co'), and Croatian ('kaj'). | |||
| Ukrainian | будь-який | ||
| “Будь-який” is a contraction of the words “бу́де”, “я́к” (“will be like”) in the genitive case, and means anything or anyone who will be like that. | |||
Any in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | যে কোন | ||
| From Sanskrit 'kī', meaning 'ever'. Also means 'some', 'several', 'a few'. | |||
| Gujarati | કોઈપણ | ||
| The Gujarati word "કોઈપણ" can also mean "either" or "no matter who/what" depending on the context. | |||
| Hindi | कोई भी | ||
| The word 'कोई भी' comes from the Sanskrit words 'ka' ('who') and 'api' ('also'), meaning 'whoever', 'whomever' or 'whatever'. | |||
| Kannada | ಯಾವುದಾದರು | ||
| The word "ಯಾವುದಾದರು" (any) is derived from the Sanskrit word "yad" (which) and "vadas" (say) | |||
| Malayalam | ഏതെങ്കിലും | ||
| Marathi | कोणत्याही | ||
| "कोणत्याही" (any) is also used to denote "some" or "a certain" when the specific item is unknown. | |||
| Nepali | कुनै | ||
| The Nepali word "कुनै" (any) is also used to mean "some" or "a particular". | |||
| Punjabi | ਕੋਈ ਵੀ | ||
| The Punjabi word "ਕੋਈ ਵੀ" (any) can also mean "someone" or "no one," depending on the context. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | කිසියම් | ||
| The Sinhala word “කිසියම්” literally means “of any kind” or “some kind of”. | |||
| Tamil | ஏதேனும் | ||
| Telugu | ఏదైనా | ||
| The word "ఏదైనా" in Telugu can also mean "anything" or "whatever" depending on the context in which it is used. | |||
| Urdu | کوئی | ||
| Urdu "کوئی" derives from the Sanskrit "ko'pi" meaning "someone". | |||
Any in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 任何 | ||
| In Chinese, "任何" can also mean "anyone" or "whatever". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 任何 | ||
| The word "任何" is derived from "任" (free) and "何" (what), implying "anything" or "all possible things". | |||
| Japanese | どれか | ||
| どれか (doreka) is a contraction of ど + れ + か (do + re + ka), where ど (do) means "which" and か (ka) is an interrogative particle. | |||
| Korean | 어떤 | ||
| 어떤 is also used in '어떤 일' ('some matter') as in '어떤 일이 있어 잠시 나가야 겠어요.'('I need to leave for a bit because a matter came up'). | |||
| Mongolian | ямар ч | ||
| "Ямар ч" is cognate with the Chinese word "任何" (p any2r4èn3) and the Tibetan word "ཡ་མཆ" (ya ma che). | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | မဆို | ||
| မဆို is an old word for any but it can also mean 'no'. In modern times, it is usually used with an affirmative meaning, such as 'I am eating (anything)'; though in colloquial speech it may carry a 'negation of alternatives', like: "We'll get home by whatever (other than by walking) means are at hand." | |||
Any in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | apa saja | ||
| The Indonesian word "apa saja" has a similar origin to Sanskrit and Proto-Austronesian languages. | |||
| Javanese | sembarang | ||
| The word "sembarang" in Indonesian is derived from Javanese and also means "reckless" and "rash". | |||
| Khmer | ណាមួយ | ||
| In archaic Khmer, "ណាមួយ" also meant "all" or "every". | |||
| Lao | ໃດໆ | ||
| The Lao word ໃດໆ can also mean 'everything' or 'whatever' depending on the context. | |||
| Malay | ada | ||
| In Indonesian, 'ada' also means 'existing' or 'there is/are'. | |||
| Thai | ใด ๆ | ||
| The word ใด ๆ comes from the Sanskrit word "kadaci" meaning "anytime" or "on any occasion." | |||
| Vietnamese | bất kì | ||
| The Vietnamese word "bất kì" has alternative meanings or forms that do not relate to the concept of "any". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | anuman | ||
Any in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | hər hansı | ||
| The word "hər hansı" can also refer to an unknown or arbitrary person or thing. | |||
| Kazakh | кез келген | ||
| The word "кез келген" can also refer to "any" in the sense of "someone or something of no particular importance." | |||
| Kyrgyz | каалаган | ||
| The word "каалаган" can also mean "some" or "a few" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | ягон | ||
| Although "ягон" means "any" in Tajik, it originally meant "a certain one" in Old Persian and "a certain amount" in Pahlavi. | |||
| Turkmen | islendik | ||
| Uzbek | har qanday | ||
| "Har qanday" can mean "every" or "each" as well as "any" in Uzbek. | |||
| Uyghur | ھەر قانداق | ||
Any in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kekahi | ||
| 'Kekahi' also means 'some' or 'several' in Hawaiian. | |||
| Maori | tetahi | ||
| Te tahi can also mean one, which is used in counting. | |||
| Samoan | soʻo se | ||
| Samoan word "soʻo se" literally means "one kind," with "soʻo" denoting "kind" and "se" standing for "one". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | kahit ano | ||
| The Tagalog word "kahit ano," meaning "any," is derived from the root word "ano," which means "what." | |||
Any in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | kawniri | ||
| Guarani | oimeraẽva | ||
Any in International Languages
| Esperanto | iu ajn | ||
| The root "*iu* derives originally from " *iuu,* " "who." | |||
| Latin | nihil | ||
| Nihil can also mean 'nothingness' in Latin, deriving from the Proto-Indo-European root *ni-, meaning 'not'. | |||
Any in Others Languages
| Greek | όποιος | ||
| "Οποιος" is derived from the Ancient Greek word "ὅποιος", meaning "whoever" or "of whatever kind", and has also been used to refer to a person or thing that is not specified. | |||
| Hmong | twg | ||
| "Twg" is cognate to "tau" ("all") and "tob" ("whole"). They all go back to an Old Chinese word meaning "to cover," and still have this meaning in certain contexts. | |||
| Kurdish | herçiyek | ||
| The word 'herçiyek' is possibly derived from the Old Kurdish word 'herçî' meaning 'whole'. | |||
| Turkish | hiç | ||
| The word "hiç" in Turkish can also mean "never" or "nothing". | |||
| Xhosa | nayiphi na | ||
| In Xhosa, "nayiphi na" (literally "what of what") is used to express a strong sense of surprise or wonder. | |||
| Yiddish | קיין | ||
| "קיין" in Yiddish can also mean "not" (as in "I don't have any money") or "none" (as in "There are no apples left"). | |||
| Zulu | noma yini | ||
| The Zulu word "noma yini" can also be used as an expression of surprise or disbelief. | |||
| Assamese | যিকোনো | ||
| Aymara | kawniri | ||
| Bhojpuri | कवनो | ||
| Dhivehi | ކޮންމެ | ||
| Dogri | कोई बी | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | anuman | ||
| Guarani | oimeraẽva | ||
| Ilocano | aniaman | ||
| Krio | ɛni | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | هەر | ||
| Maithili | कोनो | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯃ ꯍꯦꯛꯇ | ||
| Mizo | engpawh | ||
| Oromo | kamuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଯେକ any ଣସି | ||
| Quechua | mayqinpas | ||
| Sanskrit | कश्चित् | ||
| Tatar | теләсә нинди | ||
| Tigrinya | ዝኾነ | ||
| Tsonga | xihi na xihi | ||