Anyway in Different Languages
Discover 'Anyway' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'anyway' is a small but powerful part of many languages, including English. It's a versatile word that can be used to move a conversation forward, to soften the impact of what has been said, or to signal a shift in topic. Its cultural importance cannot be overstated, as it is a word that is used in everyday conversation around the world.
For those interested in language and culture, knowing the translation of 'anyway' in different languages can be a fun and interesting way to expand their vocabulary and connect with people from other cultures. For example, in Spanish, 'anyway' can be translated as 'de todos modos,' while in French, it is 'toujours est-il.' In German, 'anyway' can be translated as 'jedenfalls,' and in Japanese, it is 'どうしても (doushitemo).'
These translations not only give us a glimpse into the linguistic diversity of our world, but they also remind us of the commonalities that we share as human beings. No matter where we come from or what language we speak, we all use words like 'anyway' to communicate and connect with one another.
Anyway
Anyway in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | in elk geval | ||
| The Afrikaans word "in elk geval" literally means "in every case". | |||
| Amharic | ለማንኛውም | ||
| In Amharic, "ለማንኛውም" can also refer to a person or thing that is not specified or known. | |||
| Hausa | ta wata hanya | ||
| Ta wata hanya (Hausa for "anyway") literally means "from which way," and it can also mean "nevertheless" or "regardless." | |||
| Igbo | agbanyeghị | ||
| In addition to its common meaning of "anyway," "agbanyeghị" can also mean "even so" or "notwithstanding." | |||
| Malagasy | ihany | ||
| The word "ihany" can also mean "only" or "merely" in Malagasy. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | mulimonse | ||
| "Mulimonse" is a portmanteau word derived from "onse" (anyway) and "muli" ("very" or "at least") and is often used as a response to a request or suggestion that the speaker wants to avoid giving a firm "yes" or "no" answer to. | |||
| Shona | zvakadaro | ||
| Zvakadaro can also mean "that is it" or "so it is" in Shona. | |||
| Somali | sikastaba | ||
| The name "sikaastaba" originates from the phrase "iska aamin", meaning "trust yourself". | |||
| Sesotho | joalo | ||
| The word "joalo" comes from a shortening of the original term "ha e le joale," meaning "it is the case that." | |||
| Swahili | hata hivyo | ||
| The word "hata hivyo" also carries the meaning of "still but", "rather yet," or "nevertheless" | |||
| Xhosa | kunjalo | ||
| The word 'kunjalo' in Xhosa can also mean 'like that' or 'in that manner'. | |||
| Yoruba | lonakona | ||
| The phrase "lóná kónà" is a contraction of "o lọ́ náà, kí o kọ́ nà", which translates to "you are going there, and you are learning there." | |||
| Zulu | noma kunjalo | ||
| The Zulu phrase "noma kunjalo" can also mean "whatever" or "regardless of that". | |||
| Bambara | a kɛra cogo o cogo | ||
| Ewe | ɖe sia ɖe ko | ||
| Kinyarwanda | anyway | ||
| Lingala | eza bongo to te | ||
| Luganda | engeri yonna | ||
| Sepedi | efe le efe | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ɛnyɛ hwee | ||
Anyway in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | على أي حال | ||
| The phrase "على أي حال" literally means "on any situation." | |||
| Hebrew | בכל מקרה | ||
| "בכל מקרה" means "in any case," also means "no matter what" or "in any event." | |||
| Pashto | په هرصورت | ||
| په هرصورت "pah harsurat" is a phrase used in Pashto to mean "anyway" or "in any case." | |||
| Arabic | على أي حال | ||
| The phrase "على أي حال" literally means "on any situation." | |||
Anyway in Western European Languages
| Albanian | gjithsesi | ||
| Gjithsesi is a loanword from the Turkish "hepsi" which translates both to "anyway" or "everything, altogether". | |||
| Basque | hala ere | ||
| The Basque language word "hala ere" comes from the older expression "hala eregi" and means "yet for all that" or "nevertheless". | |||
| Catalan | de totes maneres | ||
| The Catalan phrase "de totes maneres" has the same origin as the Castilian expression "de todas maneras", which in turn comes from the Latin phrase "de omnibus modis", meaning "in all ways". However, "de totes maneres" is also used as an intensifier in Catalan, similar to "de todos modos" in Castilian, to emphasize a point or express disagreement. | |||
| Croatian | svejedno | ||
| "Svejedno" literally means "all the same" which can also imply "regardless of what you do". | |||
| Danish | alligevel | ||
| The word "alligevel" in Danish originates from "allige" (all) and "vel" (well), meaning "in all cases" or "nonetheless". | |||
| Dutch | in ieder geval | ||
| In Dutch, "in ieder geval" literally translates to "in every case", but it is used in a similar way to the English word "anyway." | |||
| English | anyway | ||
| The word 'anyway' has been used in English since the late 14th century, originally meaning 'in any event or circumstance'. | |||
| French | en tous cas | ||
| The phrase "en tous cas" comes from the Latin phrase "in toto casu," meaning "in all cases." | |||
| Frisian | hoe dan ek | ||
| In German, "hoedanoch" means "anyhow" or "yet". | |||
| Galician | de todos os xeitos | ||
| The Galician phrase "de todos os xeitos" may also be translated as "in any case" or "in any way" | |||
| German | wie auch immer | ||
| In colloquial speech, "wie auch immer" often emphasizes dismissiveness or unwillingness to provide further explanation. | |||
| Icelandic | allavega | ||
| It comes from "að loka vega" in Old Norse, lit. "to close the way" (in order to block or obstruct progress) | |||
| Irish | mar sin féin | ||
| "Mar sin féin" is an Irish phrase that literally means "like without itself" and can be used in a variety of contexts, including to express resignation, indifference, or concession. | |||
| Italian | comunque | ||
| Comunque is used not only as a conjunction, but also as an adverb with the meaning of 'in any case', 'at all events' or 'nevertheless'. | |||
| Luxembourgish | souwisou | ||
| The expression is a syncope of «sou wéinstens» - literally: «at least that». | |||
| Maltese | xorta waħda | ||
| The Maltese idiom "xorta waħda" has its roots in the Arabic expression "sawa sawa," which also means "anyway." | |||
| Norwegian | uansett | ||
| The word “uansett” derives from Old Norse “uanset” and can also mean “in spite of, regardless of.” | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | de qualquer forma | ||
| The expression "de qualquer forma" can also mean "regardless", "in any case", or "in any event". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | co-dhiù | ||
| The Gaelic word "co-dhiù" has additional meanings including "however" and "moreover". | |||
| Spanish | de todas formas | ||
| The Spanish phrase "de todas formas" can be literally translated to the English words "of all forms." | |||
| Swedish | i alla fall | ||
| The Swedish phrase "i alla fall" originates from the German "in allen Fällen" and the French "en tous cas," and also has the meaning "in any case." | |||
| Welsh | beth bynnag | ||
| The alternate meaning of "beth bynnag" is "in the house of the weaver". | |||
Anyway in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | у любым выпадку | ||
| The Belarusian phrase "у любым выпадку" means "in any case," and is derived from the Old Church Slavonic phrase "во всяком случае." | |||
| Bosnian | svejedno | ||
| The word "svejedno" in Bosnian can also mean "all the same" or "indifferent". | |||
| Bulgarian | така или иначе | ||
| The word "така или иначе" originally meant "this way or that way" | |||
| Czech | tak jako tak | ||
| The phrase "tak jako tak" is a combination of the words "tak" (so, thus) and "jako" (as), which together mean "anyway". | |||
| Estonian | igatahes | ||
| The word "igatahes" is a portmanteau of the Estonian words "igatahul" and "haaval" which originally meant "at every rate"} | |||
| Finnish | joka tapauksessa | ||
| Literally "anyway" in Finnish, "joka tapauksessa" directly translates to "in all cases". | |||
| Hungarian | egyébként is | ||
| The original meaning of the Hungarian word 'egyébként is' is still evident in other languages with a similar word structure like German ('übrigens auch'). | |||
| Latvian | vienalga | ||
| Vienalga was originally an expression signifying the unimportance or immateriality of something, before becoming an adverb expressing resignation or indifference. | |||
| Lithuanian | vistiek | ||
| Etymology uncertain, but perhaps related to the imperative of the verb "vesti" (lead, draw) or the interjection "vist" (an exclamation of displeasure). | |||
| Macedonian | како и да е | ||
| The phrase "како и да е" is derived from the Old Church Slavonic phrase "како и да есть", which means "as it is" or "in any case". It can also be used to express indifference or resignation. | |||
| Polish | tak czy inaczej | ||
| Tak czy иначе' has the same etymology as the phrase 'so or otherwise' in English. | |||
| Romanian | oricum | ||
| The Romanian term «oricum» originated from the Latin word «quocunque» (wherever), via French and Romanian («oric» = whatever). | |||
| Russian | тем не мение | ||
| The Russian phrase "тем не мение" (anyway) literally means "this non-the-less". | |||
| Serbian | у сваком случају | ||
| У сваком случају, the Serbian equivalent of the English word "anyway" is derived from the Russian phrase "во всяком случае" (vo vsyakom sluchae), meaning "in any case" or "in any event." | |||
| Slovak | každopádne | ||
| The word "každopádne" is derived from the Slovak words "každý" (every) and "pád" (fall), and can also mean "in any case" or "at any rate". | |||
| Slovenian | vseeno | ||
| The word "vseeno" shares the same root with "vse" meaning "everything" and "eno" meaning "one" suggesting a literal translation of "everything as one/the same". | |||
| Ukrainian | так чи інакше | ||
| Meaning literally "thus or otherwise", "так чи інакше" is a phrase of Ukrainian origin that serves as a conjunctive adverb equivalent to the English "anyway, anyhow, or otherwise." | |||
Anyway in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | যাইহোক | ||
| **যাইহোক** is derived from the word **যায়** (go) + **হোক** (be), implying 'let it be'. | |||
| Gujarati | કોઈપણ રીતે | ||
| "કોઈપણ રીતે" is a Gujarati word that has multiple meanings, such as "in any way" and "in any event". | |||
| Hindi | वैसे भी | ||
| ''वैसे भी'' (vaisee bhee) is a Hindi adverb that can also mean "by the way". | |||
| Kannada | ಹೇಗಾದರೂ | ||
| "ಹೇಗಾದರೂ" also means "somehow" or "somehow or other". | |||
| Malayalam | എന്തായാലും | ||
| In its original usage, "എന്തായാലും" meant "at any rate", referring to the cost of something. | |||
| Marathi | असो | ||
| The Marathi word "असो" (aso) has an alternate usage as a form of the verb "to be" in the third person singular present tense. | |||
| Nepali | जे भए पनि | ||
| "जे भए पनि" literally means "whatever happened"} | |||
| Punjabi | ਵੈਸੇ ਵੀ | ||
| "ਵੈਸੇ ਵੀ" comes from the Sanskrit word "viśeṣa" which means "particular", and it can also mean "in any case". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | කෙසේ හෝ වේවා | ||
| This phrase derives its meaning from 'කෙසෙ' ('anyway'), 'හෝ' (an emphatic particle) and 'වේවා' (a contracted form of 'වේවාට', meaning 'however'), translating to 'regardless of the situation' in English. | |||
| Tamil | எப்படியும் | ||
| The literal translation of "எப்படியும்" in Tamil is "in whatever manner," and it can also mean "certainly" or "inevitably." | |||
| Telugu | ఏమైనప్పటికీ | ||
| In some cases the word is also used to mean “however” or “although” when expressing contrasting sentiments. | |||
| Urdu | بہرحال | ||
| بہرحال (Ba-har-haal) is an Urdu word that literally means "in any case" or "at any rate" and is often used to mean "anyway." | |||
Anyway in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 无论如何 | ||
| 无论如何 is composed of 无论 how-so-ever and 如何 how, both used as adverbs. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 無論如何 | ||
| 無論如何(Wúlùn rúhé) literally means “no matter how.” | |||
| Japanese | とにかく | ||
| The word "とにかく" can also mean "on the contrary" or "in short". | |||
| Korean | 어쨌든 | ||
| Korean '어쨌든' can be etymologically linked to '어쩜' (how much more so) + '든' (every/all) and can also indicate the manner of an act like 'in any case'. | |||
| Mongolian | ямар ч байсан | ||
| In Mongolian, the phrase "ямар ч байсан" can also be used to mean "whatever happens" or "whoever it is." | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဘာပဲဖြစ်ဖြစ် | ||
Anyway in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | bagaimanapun | ||
| "Bagaimanapun" can also mean "whatever" or "never mind". | |||
| Javanese | ngono wae | ||
| "Ngono wae" (Javanese: "anyway") is also used to express resignation, indifference, or to end a conversation. | |||
| Khmer | យ៉ាងណាក៏ដោយ | ||
| Lao | ຢ່າງໃດກໍ່ຕາມ | ||
| It can also be used as an exclamation meaning "Wow!" | |||
| Malay | bagaimanapun | ||
| The word "bagaimanapun" in Malay can also mean "however" or "in any case". | |||
| Thai | อย่างไรก็ตาม | ||
| "อย่างไรก็ตาม" is also used as a sentence connector, meaning "however", "nevertheless", or "nonetheless". | |||
| Vietnamese | dù sao | ||
| The word "dù sao" in Vietnamese means "anyway" in English. It is a compound word, meaning "even if it be so". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sabagay | ||
Anyway in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | hər halda | ||
| The word "hər halda" is a compound word consisting of "hər" (each) and "hal" (state, condition), hence its literal meaning is "in each case." | |||
| Kazakh | бәрібір | ||
| The word "бәрібір" (anyway) is derived from the root "бір" (one) and the suffix "-бір" (together), meaning "all together" or "regardless." | |||
| Kyrgyz | баары бир | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "баары бир" can also mean "in any case" or "anyway". | |||
| Tajik | ба ҳар ҳол | ||
| The phrase "ба ҳар ҳол" can also mean "in any case" or "regardless of the circumstances." | |||
| Turkmen | her niçigem bolsa | ||
| Uzbek | nima bo'lganda ham | ||
| The phrase "nima bo'lganda ham" can also mean "no matter what" or "in any case". | |||
| Uyghur | قانداقلا بولمىسۇن | ||
Anyway in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | nō naʻe | ||
| The word "nō naʻe" in Hawaiian comes from two words: "nō" meaning "not" and "naʻe" meaning "but". | |||
| Maori | ahakoa ra | ||
| The word "ahakoa ra" can also be translated as "nevertheless", "despite that", or simply "although". | |||
| Samoan | e ui i lea | ||
| E ui i lea can also mean "as a result" or "as a consequence". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | kahit papaano | ||
| The phrase "kahit papaano" can also mean "no matter how" or "in any way." | |||
Anyway in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | ukhamtsa | ||
| Guarani | opaicharei | ||
Anyway in International Languages
| Esperanto | ĉiuokaze | ||
| "Ĉiuokaze" comes from "ĉio" (everything) and "okaze" (occasion), referring to any or all occasions. | |||
| Latin | usquam | ||
| In Medieval Latin it also meant "at some place". | |||
Anyway in Others Languages
| Greek | τελος παντων | ||
| ΤΕΛΟΣ παντων is a Greek phrase that literally means "the end of everything," but is commonly used to mean "anyway" or "in any case." | |||
| Hmong | xijpeem | ||
| The term xijpeem can be understood as meaning either "anyway" or "anyway you like." | |||
| Kurdish | herçi jî | ||
| The term "herçi jî" could also mean "at the end", "for this very reason", or "even if" | |||
| Turkish | neyse | ||
| "Neyse" originated from the Arabic word "nafs" meaning "self, mind" and "se" meaning "direction" indicating a shift in perspective or a change of mind. | |||
| Xhosa | kunjalo | ||
| The word 'kunjalo' in Xhosa can also mean 'like that' or 'in that manner'. | |||
| Yiddish | סייַ ווי סייַ | ||
| The Yiddish word "סייַ ווי סייַ" (say vi say) is a compound of the words "סייַ" (say), meaning "if," and "ווי סייַ" (vi say), meaning "however," and thus literally means "if however." | |||
| Zulu | noma kunjalo | ||
| The Zulu phrase "noma kunjalo" can also mean "whatever" or "regardless of that". | |||
| Assamese | যিয়েই নহওক | ||
| Aymara | ukhamtsa | ||
| Bhojpuri | कवनो तरी | ||
| Dhivehi | ކޮންމެ ގޮތެއްވިޔަސް | ||
| Dogri | कोई गल्ल नेईं | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sabagay | ||
| Guarani | opaicharei | ||
| Ilocano | no kasta | ||
| Krio | stil | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | هەرچۆنێک بێت | ||
| Maithili | खैर | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯗꯨꯝ ꯑꯣꯏꯅꯃꯛ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | engpawhnise | ||
| Oromo | waanuma fedheefuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଯାହା ବି ହେଉ | | ||
| Quechua | imaynanpipas | ||
| Sanskrit | कथञ्चिद् | ||
| Tatar | барыбер | ||
| Tigrinya | ብዝኾነ | ||
| Tsonga | hambiswiritano | ||