Anyone in Different Languages
Discover 'Anyone' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'anyone' is a small but powerful term that has made a significant impact on the English language and culture. It is a pronoun that refers to an individual without specifying their identity, allowing for inclusivity and anonymity in various contexts. This quality has made 'anyone' a crucial element in literature, music, and everyday conversations, as it enables us to express universal feelings and experiences.
Interestingly, the concept of 'anyone' is not exclusive to English-speaking cultures. In fact, many languages around the world have their own unique ways of expressing this idea. Understanding these translations can provide valuable insights into different cultures and their ways of communicating. For instance, in Spanish, 'anyone' translates to 'alguien,' while in French, it becomes 'quelqu'un.' In German, the word is 'jemand,' and in Japanese, it is '誰か (dareka).'
Exploring the various translations of 'anyone' is not only a fascinating linguistic journey but also an opportunity to appreciate the rich cultural diversity that exists around the globe.
Anyone
Anyone in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | enigiemand | ||
| The word 'enigiemand' is derived from the Dutch 'een ieder', which also means 'anyone'. It is used colloquially, mostly to emphasize that a certain action applies to all people, regardless of their characteristics, gender, age, etc. | |||
| Amharic | ማንኛውም ሰው | ||
| The word "ማንኛውም ሰው" can also mean "whoever" or "anybody" in Amharic. | |||
| Hausa | kowa | ||
| "Kowa" can also be used to mean someone's property or possessions. | |||
| Igbo | onye obula | ||
| The word 'onye obula' literally translates to 'a person who is all', implying that the person is everywhere. | |||
| Malagasy | na iza na iza | ||
| Its etymology is unknown, but the reduplication of "iza" probably emphasizes the universality of the concept. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | aliyense | ||
| The word "aliyense" can also mean "everyone" or "all people" in Nyanja. | |||
| Shona | chero munhu | ||
| The Shona word "chero munhu" literally means "all people" and can also mean "everyone" or "whoever." | |||
| Somali | qofna | ||
| The word "qofna" can also be understood as "one person" and "someone" in Somali. | |||
| Sesotho | mang kapa mang | ||
| 'Mang kapa mang' is said to originate from a saying that goes: 'Mang kapa mang o ka fela a ntse a bua lemang' (Whoever is talking to 'anyone' will eventually get tired and stop talking). | |||
| Swahili | yeyote | ||
| The word "yeyote" can also mean "everyone" or "all." | |||
| Xhosa | nabani na | ||
| The term "nabani na" can also refer to a specific person or thing, depending on the context. | |||
| Yoruba | ẹnikẹni | ||
| Ẹnikẹ́ní, meaning “anyone,” comes from the Yoruba word ẹ̀ni, “person,” and the Yoruba word kẹ́ní, “belonging to.” | |||
| Zulu | noma ngubani | ||
| The word 'noma ngubani' can also mean 'whoever it may concern' in Zulu. | |||
| Bambara | mɔgɔ o mɔgɔ | ||
| Ewe | ame sia ame | ||
| Kinyarwanda | umuntu uwo ari we wese | ||
| Lingala | moto nyonso | ||
| Luganda | omuntu yenna | ||
| Sepedi | mang le mang | ||
| Twi (Akan) | obiara | ||
Anyone in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | أي واحد | ||
| The Arabic word "أي واحد" can also mean "whatever" or "whichever". | |||
| Hebrew | כֹּל אֶחָד | ||
| The Hebrew phrase "כל אחד" literally means "every one" and can also refer to a specific person. | |||
| Pashto | هر یو | ||
| The Pashto word "هر یو" also means "everyone" and is derived from the Persian word "هر کس" (har kas). | |||
| Arabic | أي واحد | ||
| The Arabic word "أي واحد" can also mean "whatever" or "whichever". | |||
Anyone in Western European Languages
| Albanian | çdokush | ||
| Çdokush derives from the Albanian words "çdo" (each) and "kush" (who) and has the broader sense of "everyone". | |||
| Basque | edonor | ||
| The word "edonor" can also mean "whoever" or "whomever" in Basque. | |||
| Catalan | ningú | ||
| The word "ningú" is based on the Latin phrase "nec ūnum" meaning "not even one". | |||
| Croatian | bilo tko | ||
| The word "bilo tko" derives from the Proto-Slavic root "tъ", meaning "who". It can also mean "somebody" or "some person". | |||
| Danish | nogen som helst | ||
| The word "nogen som helst" in Danish is derived from the old Norse word "nokkurr", meaning "some" or "a few", and the word "som helst", meaning "at all" or "whatever". | |||
| Dutch | iedereen | ||
| The Old Dutch "iede" meant "every" or "whole". | |||
| English | anyone | ||
| The word "anyone" originally meant "all" but acquired its current meaning by the 12th century. | |||
| French | n'importe qui | ||
| "N'importe qui" literally means "not important who" in French. | |||
| Frisian | elkenien | ||
| The word "elkenien" in Frisian is derived from the Old Frisian word "elck", meaning "each" or "every", and the suffix "-enien", which indicates a plurality. | |||
| Galician | calquera | ||
| The word "calquera" comes from the Latin "qualicumque", meaning "of any kind or character". | |||
| German | jemand | ||
| The word "jemand" derives from Old High German "ieman" meaning "no man" or "not a man", thus it originally meant "an unknown person". | |||
| Icelandic | einhver | ||
| In Old Norse, the word "einhver" also meant "somebody" or "someone" | |||
| Irish | éinne | ||
| The Irish word "éinne" can also refer to a particular person, or to people in general | |||
| Italian | chiunque | ||
| The Italian word "chiunque" originally meant "whoever" and was used in a legal context. | |||
| Luxembourgish | iergendeen | ||
| In other Germanic languages, such as German or Yiddish, the word "irgend" is still used as an intensifier that adds emphasis to statements. | |||
| Maltese | xi ħadd | ||
| The word "xi ħadd" can also be used to refer to a person who is unknown or anonymous. | |||
| Norwegian | hvem som helst | ||
| The Norwegian word "hvem som helst" can also mean "anybody else". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | alguém | ||
| The word "alguém" derives from Arabic "الغُلام" (al-ǵulām), meaning "young servant". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | duine sam bith | ||
| The Gaelic word "duine sam bith" literally means "a person of any kind". | |||
| Spanish | nadie | ||
| The word "nadie" in Spanish is derived from the Latin word "natus" meaning "born" and originally meant "no one who is born". | |||
| Swedish | någon | ||
| In some Swedish dialects, "någon" can also mean "the devil". | |||
| Welsh | unrhyw un | ||
| The word "unrhyw un" originates from "rhyw un," with "un" meaning "a" and "rhyw" being a general term meaning "some" or "a sort of." | |||
Anyone in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | хто заўгодна | ||
| The word "хто заўгодна" is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *xotъ, meaning "anyone, anyone at all." | |||
| Bosnian | bilo ko | ||
| The word 'bilo ko' is a contraction of the phrase 'bilo ko god', which means 'anybody who'. | |||
| Bulgarian | някой | ||
| The word "някой" can also mean "some," "a certain," or "an indefinite person." | |||
| Czech | kdokoliv | ||
| "Kdokoliv" is a compound word formed by combining the relative pronoun "kdo" ("who") with the indefinite pronoun "koliv" ("anyone"). | |||
| Estonian | kedagi | ||
| The word "kedagi" is derived from the Proto-Finnic word *kēd- meaning "individual, person, someone". | |||
| Finnish | kenellekään | ||
| "Kenellekään" is a contracted form of "kenen\/kellekään" (to anyone), which in turn consists of the genitive and adessive forms of the interrogative pronoun "kuka" (who). | |||
| Hungarian | bárki | ||
| The word "bárki" comes from the Turkic word "bari" meaning "peace" or "harmony" and suggests that everyone has the right to live in peace and harmony. | |||
| Latvian | kāds | ||
| The word “kāds” is derived from the Old Latvian word “kad,” meaning “one.” The genitive case of “kad” is “kada,” and its plural is “kādi,” meaning “some” or “several.” | |||
| Lithuanian | bet kas | ||
| The word "bet kas" in Lithuanian is derived from the Old Prussian word "betkas", meaning "the one who is near" or "the neighbor". | |||
| Macedonian | кој било | ||
| The word "кој било" is a compound of the interrogative pronouns "кој" (who) and "било" (any), and can also mean "anybody", "whoever", or "no matter who". | |||
| Polish | ktoś | ||
| The Polish word "ktoś" is thought to derive from an Old Slavic root meaning "who," and is commonly translated as "someone" or "anybody." | |||
| Romanian | oricine | ||
| The word comes from the Hungarian | |||
| Russian | кто угодно | ||
| Originally, "кто угодно" meant "whom God wishes," from the Old Church Slavonic "угодникъ" (a favorite of God). | |||
| Serbian | било ко | ||
| The word "било ко" is derived from the phrase "било ко то" meaning "anyone who". | |||
| Slovak | ktokoľvek | ||
| 'Ktokoľvek' is a compound of 'kto' ('who') and the indefinite pronoun '-koľvek' | |||
| Slovenian | kdorkoli | ||
| Derived from Old Slavic *kъtokori, it initially meant 'at any moment'. Today, the word is mostly used in negative clauses and questions. | |||
| Ukrainian | будь-хто | ||
| The word "будь-хто" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*bъdě" and the reflexive particle "*sę". It can also mean "some" or "any". | |||
Anyone in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | যে কেউ | ||
| ওয়ার্ড 'যে কেউ' ('anyone') সর্বনাম 'যে ('who') এবং অনির্দিষ্ট নির্দেশক 'কেউ' ('one') জুড়ে তৈরি। | |||
| Gujarati | કોઈ પણ | ||
| The Gujarati word "કોઈ પણ" can also be used to mean "without any hesitation" or "without any doubt". | |||
| Hindi | किसी को | ||
| "किसी को" is an indefinite pronoun in Hindi, derived from the Sanskrit word "कश्चित्" meaning "someone". | |||
| Kannada | ಯಾರಾದರೂ | ||
| Malayalam | ആർക്കും | ||
| The word "ആർക്കും" literally means "everyone" or "anybody" in Malayalam, but it is also used in sentences to indicate an individual or group that is not specified. | |||
| Marathi | कोणीही | ||
| The Marathi word "कोणीही" ("anyone") stems from "कोण" ("who") with the suffix "-ही" ("any") added. | |||
| Nepali | जो कोही | ||
| The Nepali word "जो कोही" (anyone) is used in both formal and informal contexts, and can also mean "whoever" or "any one particular individual". | |||
| Punjabi | ਕੋਈ ਵੀ | ||
| ਕੋਈ ਵੀ is derived from the Persian word 'kōʾī' meaning 'some', but in Punjabi, it refers to 'any'. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ඕනෑම කෙනෙකුට | ||
| Tamil | யாராவது | ||
| "யாராவது" is often used in the sense of "one of a group" or "a certain person". | |||
| Telugu | ఎవరైనా | ||
| The word "ఎవరైనా" can also mean "somebody" or "someone" in Telugu. | |||
| Urdu | کوئی | ||
| The word "کوئی" can also mean "a little" or "some" in Urdu. | |||
Anyone in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 任何人 | ||
| The Chinese word 任何人 is a compound of 人 (person) and 何 (what), which means “whatever person”. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 任何人 | ||
| 任何人 can also mean any people in Mandarin, or all people. | |||
| Japanese | 誰でも | ||
| The word "誰でも" (dare demo) in Japanese literally means "whoever comes," implying that it includes everyone without exception. | |||
| Korean | 누군가 | ||
| The word '누군가' literally translates to 'a body', and can sometimes be used in that sense too. | |||
| Mongolian | хэн ч байсан | ||
| The word "хэн ч байсан" in Mongolian can also refer to "whoever" or "whomever". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဘယ်သူမဆို | ||
Anyone in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | siapa saja | ||
| In Indonesian, siapa saja can also refer to 'everybody' or 'all people'. | |||
| Javanese | sopo wae | ||
| The word 'sopo wae' in Javanese is a contraction of the phrase 'sopo-sopo wae', which means 'whoever'. | |||
| Khmer | នរណាម្នាក់ | ||
| The word "នរណាម្នាក់" in Khmer has a literal meaning of "a person who has a name" or "a certain person". | |||
| Lao | ໃຜ | ||
| In Lao, "ໃຜ" is also used as an indirect question word, equivalent to "who" or "whom" in English. | |||
| Malay | sesiapa | ||
| The word "sesiapa" is derived from the Proto-Malayic word "sesiapa" or "sesape", meaning "anybody". | |||
| Thai | ใครก็ได้ | ||
| The Thai word "ใครก็ได้" is derived from Sanskrit "kaści api", meaning "some person" or "someone" | |||
| Vietnamese | bất kỳ ai | ||
| In the Vietnamese language, "bất kỳ ai" is a word compound and is composed of two words, "bất kỳ" and "ai." | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sinuman | ||
Anyone in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | hər kəs | ||
| The word "hər kəs" in Azerbaijani is derived from the Persian word "har kas", meaning "each one" or "everyone". | |||
| Kazakh | кез келген | ||
| The word "кез келген" also means "various" or "all kinds of" in Kazakh. | |||
| Kyrgyz | кимдир бирөө | ||
| Tajik | касе | ||
| The word касе (kasә) also means 'person' in the sense of 'a human being'. | |||
| Turkmen | her kim | ||
| Uzbek | har kim | ||
| The word "har kim" in Uzbek is derived from the Persian phrase "har kasi", which also means "anyone". | |||
| Uyghur | ھەر قانداق ئادەم | ||
Anyone in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kekahi | ||
| Some suggest that the Hawaiian word kekahi derives from the Proto-Malayo-Polynesian word *isah which means 'one' or 'other'. | |||
| Maori | tetahi | ||
| The word 'tetahi' can also mean 'a certain' or 'some'. | |||
| Samoan | soʻo seisi | ||
| In the formal register, the expression translates literally as "that which stands before" (se'e = to stand; isi = before). | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | sinuman | ||
| "Sinuman" derives from the root word "sino" (who) and the suffix "-man" (whoever), denoting an indefinite and inclusive nature. | |||
Anyone in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | kawkirisa | ||
| Guarani | mavave | ||
Anyone in International Languages
| Esperanto | iu ajn | ||
| 'Ju ajn' as a compound word, 'ju' (relative pronoun 'who') + 'ajn' ('single'), literally translates as 'who-single' or 'any single person'. | |||
| Latin | aliquis | ||
| The Latin word "aliquis" is traditionally glossed as "someone" or "anyone" but more precisely means "a certain one," especially an unknown or unnamed one. | |||
Anyone in Others Languages
| Greek | ο καθενας | ||
| Ο καθενας can also mean "each" or "every". | |||
| Hmong | leej twg | ||
| The word "leej twg" can also mean "person" or "people" in Hmong. | |||
| Kurdish | her kes | ||
| The origin of the word “her kes” is Persian, with “her” being derived from the Persian word “har” (each, every) and “kes” being the Persian word for person (kas). | |||
| Turkish | kimse | ||
| 'Kimse' also means 'nobody' in Turkish, which is a unique distinction that English does not have. | |||
| Xhosa | nabani na | ||
| The term "nabani na" can also refer to a specific person or thing, depending on the context. | |||
| Yiddish | ווער עס יז | ||
| ווער עס יז may be related to the Yiddish word עסן 'essen', with the additional -wer suggesting 'the one who eats' (anything). | |||
| Zulu | noma ngubani | ||
| The word 'noma ngubani' can also mean 'whoever it may concern' in Zulu. | |||
| Assamese | কোনো এজনে | ||
| Aymara | kawkirisa | ||
| Bhojpuri | केहू भी | ||
| Dhivehi | އެއްވެސް މީހަކު | ||
| Dogri | कोई बी | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sinuman | ||
| Guarani | mavave | ||
| Ilocano | asinno man | ||
| Krio | ɛnibɔdi | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | هەر کەسێک | ||
| Maithili | कोनो | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯤꯑꯣꯏ ꯑꯃꯍꯦꯛꯇ | ||
| Mizo | tupawh | ||
| Oromo | eenyuyyu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଯେକେହି | ||
| Quechua | mayqinpas | ||
| Sanskrit | किमपि | ||
| Tatar | теләсә кем | ||
| Tigrinya | ኩሉ | ||
| Tsonga | mani na mani | ||