Arm in Different Languages
Discover 'Arm' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'arm' carries significant meaning and cultural importance across the globe. An arm is not only a body part that connects the hand to the shoulder, but it is also a symbol of strength, power, and protection. Throughout history, arms have been depicted in art, literature, and culture as a sign of courage and resilience. For instance, the statue of Liberty, a symbol of freedom and democracy, is depicted with a torch in one hand and a tablet in the other, symbolizing enlightenment and justice.
Moreover, the word 'arm' has fascinating translations in different languages, shedding light on the cultural nuances and diversity of the world. For example, in Spanish, the word for arm is 'brazo,' which is derived from the Latin word 'brachium.' In German, the word for arm is 'Arm,' which is similar to its English counterpart. In Japanese, the word for arm is 'ude,' which also means 'way' or 'path,' symbolizing the journey of life.
In the sections below, you will find the translations of the word 'arm' in various languages, providing a glimpse into the rich cultural diversity of the world. Explore and learn, and discover the beauty of language and culture.
Arm
Arm in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | arm | ||
| The word "arm" in Afrikaans has Germanic roots and also means "poor" or "miserable." | |||
| Amharic | ክንድ | ||
| "ክንድ" (arm) also means "force" or "power" and is used in phrases like "ክንድ አለው" (he/she is strong). | |||
| Hausa | hannu | ||
| The Hausa word "hannu" comes from the Proto-Chadic form *ɗaŋg, meaning "hand". Similarly, the cognate word in Proto-Afro-Asiatic was likely *dng, also meaning "hand". | |||
| Igbo | ogwe aka | ||
| In Igbo, 'ogwe aka' can also refer to the branch of a tree. | |||
| Malagasy | hiomana | ||
| The word 'hiomana' may come from an Indonesian word 'romana', meaning something held in one's hand. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | mkono | ||
| Nyanja derives the word "mkono" from the Proto-Bantu word "*kono" meaning "branch" or "limb". | |||
| Shona | ruoko | ||
| The Shona word "ruoko" comes from the verb "kuwoka", meaning "to stretch" or "to extend". | |||
| Somali | gacanta | ||
| The Somali word "gacanta" can also mean "hand" or "authority". | |||
| Sesotho | letsoho | ||
| The word "letsoho" can also refer to a "hand" or a "forearm". | |||
| Swahili | mkono | ||
| In some dialects, "mkono" also means "leg". | |||
| Xhosa | ingalo | ||
| "Ingalo" also refers to the foreleg of a quadrupedal animal, like a cow or horse. | |||
| Yoruba | apa | ||
| In its alternate form, 'apa' may refer to the 'foreleg' or the 'strength' of a person or thing. | |||
| Zulu | ingalo | ||
| "Ingalo" can also mean "power" or "strength" in Zulu. | |||
| Bambara | tɛgɛkala | ||
| Ewe | abɔ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ukuboko | ||
| Lingala | loboko | ||
| Luganda | omukono | ||
| Sepedi | letsogo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | abasa | ||
Arm in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | ذراع | ||
| The word "ذراع" (arm) in Arabic also means "measure of length," which is a unit of measurement in medieval Islamic culture that is roughly 48 to 57 cm. | |||
| Hebrew | זְרוֹעַ | ||
| The Hebrew word "זְרוֹעַ" can also mean "help" or "power", and it is related to the verb "עזר" (to help). | |||
| Pashto | مټ | ||
| In Pashto, the word "مټ" can also refer to a measure of length equal to the distance from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger. | |||
| Arabic | ذراع | ||
| The word "ذراع" (arm) in Arabic also means "measure of length," which is a unit of measurement in medieval Islamic culture that is roughly 48 to 57 cm. | |||
Arm in Western European Languages
| Albanian | krah | ||
| The Albanian word "krah" also means "branch" or "limb". | |||
| Basque | besoa | ||
| "Besoa" comes from the Basque word "beso" meaning "five" and denotes the upper extremity of the body because it is made up of five fingers. | |||
| Catalan | braç | ||
| "Braç" can also mean "fathom" (a nautical unit of measurement equal to 6 feet). | |||
| Croatian | ruka | ||
| The Croatian word "ruka" originated from the Proto-Slavic "*rǫka" signifying "a hand" but acquired the meaning of "an arm". | |||
| Danish | arm | ||
| The Danish word 'arm' can also mean 'poor' or 'miserable'. | |||
| Dutch | arm | ||
| In Dutch, "arm" has the additional meanings "poor" or "miserable". | |||
| English | arm | ||
| The Old English word “arm” meant a forearm, upper arm, shoulder, or the entire upper limb. | |||
| French | bras | ||
| In French, the word "bras" can also refer to the side of a chair or sofa, or a small stream or river branch. | |||
| Frisian | earm | ||
| In West Frisian, "earm" can also refer to a sleeve (of a clothing item). | |||
| Galician | brazo | ||
| In Galician, "brazo" also refers to the "sleeve" of a garment or the "leg" of a pair of pants. | |||
| German | arm | ||
| The German word "Arm" can also refer to "poor" or "miserable" and originates from the Latin "armis" (weapon), meaning that someone who is poor is "unarmed". | |||
| Icelandic | armur | ||
| The Icelandic word "armur" is derived from the Old Norse word "armr," meaning "forearm." | |||
| Irish | lámh | ||
| The Irish word "lámh" can also refer to a hand, limb, branch, or support. | |||
| Italian | braccio | ||
| The word "braccio" in Italian can also refer to a unit of length equivalent to about 58 centimeters, and is the origin of the English word "brace". | |||
| Luxembourgish | aarm | ||
| Aarm is also a Luxembourgish word for the top part of a tree (in Standard German this is 'Wipfel'), and the 'Aarm' or 'Aarme' is the plural version referring to the tree tops. | |||
| Maltese | driegħ | ||
| The word "driegħ" originally meant "branch" or "limb". | |||
| Norwegian | væpne | ||
| In Old Norse, the word "væpne" also referred to the weapon a person carried in their hand. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | braço | ||
| The term braço can refer to the human arm, as well as to a river's branch, a tree limb, or a tool's handle in Portuguese. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | gàirdean | ||
| In Scots Gaelic, "gàirdean" refers to a person's hand or the foreleg of a quadruped besides its primary meaning of "arm." | |||
| Spanish | brazo | ||
| "Brazo" is also used colloquially to refer to a branch of a tree or a river or a part of a machine. | |||
| Swedish | ärm | ||
| The Swedish word "ärm" (arm) is derived from the Proto-Germanic word "*armaz," meaning "shoulder." | |||
| Welsh | braich | ||
| The word "braich" in Welsh can also refer to a branch or a bough. | |||
Arm in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | рука | ||
| The Belarusian word "рука" (arm) is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "rǫka", which also means "hand". This is reflected in the fact that the word "рука" can be used to refer to both the arm and the hand in Belarusian. | |||
| Bosnian | ruka | ||
| "Ruka" is a Slavic word present in most Slavic languages but with many different meanings | |||
| Bulgarian | ръка | ||
| The Bulgarian word "ръка" (arm) also has the alternate meaning of "hand". | |||
| Czech | paže | ||
| "Paže" derives from Proto-Slavic "pęda" meaning "arm, fist". The same word can now mean "forefoot of an animal" in Czech. | |||
| Estonian | arm | ||
| In Estonian, "arm" (arm) also means "love" or "grace". | |||
| Finnish | käsivarsi | ||
| "Käsivarsi" also refers to a Finnish region, roughly equivalent to what in Swedish is known as Lappland. | |||
| Hungarian | kar | ||
| In addition to 'arm', 'kar' can mean 'choir', which may be related to its use in conducting. | |||
| Latvian | rokas | ||
| “Rokas” in Latvian originated in the 1300s from the Slavic word *rǫka* meaning “hand,” as it now does in Polish, but developed a specific meaning in Latvian for “arm.” | |||
| Lithuanian | ranka | ||
| "Ranka" is a Lithuanian word that also means "sleeve" or "cuff", and is cognate with the Sanskrit word "aranka", meaning "rein". | |||
| Macedonian | рака | ||
| The word "рака" in Macedonian can also mean Cancer (zodiac sign) or a sarcophagus. | |||
| Polish | ramię | ||
| In Kashubian language, "ramię" also means "shoulder". | |||
| Romanian | braţ | ||
| The Romanian word "braţ" (arm) also refers to the branch of a plant (from the Slavic "bratъ") | |||
| Russian | рука | ||
| The word "рука" in Russian can also refer to a person's hand, a sleeve, or a branch of a tree. | |||
| Serbian | рука | ||
| The Serbian word "рука" (ruka) for "arm" derives from the Proto-Slavic "*roka" and is cognate with the Sanskrit "aruṇa" meaning "red-coloured" and the German "Arm" meaning "forearm". | |||
| Slovak | rameno | ||
| The Slovak word "rameno" derives from an obsolete term "ramo", itself originating from the Proto-Slavic word *rāme, meaning "shoulder". | |||
| Slovenian | roka | ||
| The word "roka" also means "handle" or "grip" in Slovenian. | |||
| Ukrainian | рука | ||
| The word "рука" can also mean "hand" or "wrist". | |||
Arm in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | বাহু | ||
| The word "বাহু" also means "force" and is used as a prefix for words describing various kinds of forces. | |||
| Gujarati | હાથ | ||
| The Gujarati word 'હાથ' (arm) is thought to be derived from the Sanskrit word 'हस्त' (hand), which in turn comes from the Proto-Indo-European root '*ǵʰés-to' meaning 'to grasp'. | |||
| Hindi | हाथ | ||
| The Hindi word "हाथ" also means "trunk" of an elephant. | |||
| Kannada | ತೋಳು | ||
| Originally, the Kannada word "ತೋಳು" denoted a forearm, and this meaning is still current in compound words such as "ಬಲತೋಳು" (right forearm). | |||
| Malayalam | കൈക്ക് | ||
| In addition to "arm," "കൈക്ക്" also translates to "hand" in Malayalam. | |||
| Marathi | हात | ||
| The word "हात" in Marathi also means "strength" or "power". | |||
| Nepali | पाखुरा | ||
| The word "पाखुरा" can also mean "wing" or "support". | |||
| Punjabi | ਬਾਂਹ | ||
| ਬਾਂਹ also refers to a type of tree, and an alternate spelling for the first person singular possessive pronoun "my". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | අත | ||
| The word "අත" also has meanings like "hand", "ability", "power", and "assistance" in Sinhala. | |||
| Tamil | கை | ||
| The Tamil word “கை” originates from the Proto-Dravidian “*kay”, meaning to grasp and hold. | |||
| Telugu | చేయి | ||
| The Telugu word "చేయి" can also refer to a branch of a tree in certain contexts. | |||
| Urdu | بازو | ||
| The word "بازو" (pronounced as 'bazu') comes from the Sanskrit word "bāhu," which also means "arm." | |||
Arm in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 臂 | ||
| The character "臂" also means "to help" or "to support". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 臂 | ||
| The character '臂' also refers to the branch of a tree or the side of a mountain, and is sometimes used as a metaphor for strength or support. | |||
| Japanese | 腕 | ||
| The original meaning of "腕" was "the inside of the bent arm," but by the Muromachi period it had come to mean "the entirety of the arm from the shoulder to the fingertips." | |||
| Korean | 팔 | ||
| The South Korean currency, the won (圜), was originally written as a combination of the Chinese characters for "source" (源) and "eight" (八), and the Korean word "pal" (팔), meaning "eight", is thought to be derived from the same character. | |||
| Mongolian | гар | ||
| The Mongolian word "гар" also means "branch" or "side" in some contexts. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | လက် | ||
| The Burmese word for "arm" can also refer to the handle of a tool, weapon, or musical instrument. | |||
Arm in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | lengan | ||
| The word 'lengan' comes from Proto-Austronesian *qalengan, meaning 'branch of a tree'. | |||
| Javanese | lengen | ||
| The word "lengen" also means "wings" in Javanese, referring to the wings of a bird or a plane. | |||
| Khmer | ដៃ | ||
| In some cases, ដៃ can also refer to power or influence, as in the phrase "ដៃដែក" (influence). | |||
| Lao | ແຂນ | ||
| The word "ແຂນ" in Lao not only refers to the physiological arm but also metaphorically represents a person's ability, strength, or resources. | |||
| Malay | lengan | ||
| In Javanese, the word "lengan" is used not only for "arm" but also for "sleeve" and "handle". | |||
| Thai | แขน | ||
| The word arm may also refer to a weapon or to a branch of a tree or the sea. | |||
| Vietnamese | cánh tay | ||
| "Cánh tay" can also mean a river branch, sleeve or shoulder blade. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | braso | ||
Arm in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | qol | ||
| Qol (qol) comes from the Proto-Turkic word *qol 'forearm, wrist, arm' | |||
| Kazakh | қол | ||
| "Қол" (arm) also means "power, authority, means" in Kazakh, sharing its root with "қолдау" (assistance). | |||
| Kyrgyz | кол | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "кол" (arm) is likely derived from the Turkic word "коол" (arm, wing), which in turn may be related to the Sanskrit word "कुल" (family). | |||
| Tajik | даст | ||
| The word "даст" in Tajik also means "branch" or "handle". | |||
| Turkmen | gol | ||
| Uzbek | qo'l | ||
| In Uzbek, "qo'l" can also refer to the leg or a measure of length (about 16 km). | |||
| Uyghur | arm | ||
Arm in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | lima | ||
| Lima in Hawaiian also refers to the five fingers or toes. | |||
| Maori | ringa | ||
| The word 'ringa' also signifies a 'group' or 'circle', hence the term 'whare ringa' (meeting house) where people gather in a circle. | |||
| Samoan | lima | ||
| Samoan "lima" comes from the Proto-Polynesian word "lima", which also means "five" in many Polynesian languages. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | braso | ||
| "Braso" in Tagalog (Filipino) is derived from the Spanish word "brazo" which also means "arm". Additionally, in informal Tagalog, "braso" can colloquially mean "boyfriend" or "girlfriend" (a usage also borrowed from its Spanish cognate). | |||
Arm in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | ampara | ||
| Guarani | jyva | ||
Arm in International Languages
| Esperanto | brako | ||
| The word "brako" in Esperanto may also refer to a "sleeve" or the "act of embracing". | |||
| Latin | armamini: | ||
| The Latin word 'armamini' is cognate with the German 'Arm' (poor) and English 'arm' (impoverish). | |||
Arm in Others Languages
| Greek | μπράτσο | ||
| In Byzantine Greek, "μπράτσο" could also refer to the "forearm" or the "lower part of the arm". | |||
| Hmong | npab | ||
| In Hmong, the word "npab" has an alternate meaning of "strength" or "power." | |||
| Kurdish | pîl | ||
| The word "pîl" (arm) in Kurdish derives from the Indo-European word "*pele" meaning "to protect" or "to cover". | |||
| Turkish | kol | ||
| "Kol" shares the same Proto-Indo-European root with Latin "ulna" (meaning "elbow") and Greek "ōlenē" (meaning "elbow"), both ultimately stemming from the reconstructed PIE root *h₂ely-, meaning "elbow". | |||
| Xhosa | ingalo | ||
| "Ingalo" also refers to the foreleg of a quadrupedal animal, like a cow or horse. | |||
| Yiddish | אָרעם | ||
| The word "אָרעם" is the Yiddish word for "arm" but can also refer to an axel in wagon building, or a type of Jewish prayer shawl. | |||
| Zulu | ingalo | ||
| "Ingalo" can also mean "power" or "strength" in Zulu. | |||
| Assamese | বাহু | ||
| Aymara | ampara | ||
| Bhojpuri | बांहि | ||
| Dhivehi | އަތް | ||
| Dogri | बांह् | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | braso | ||
| Guarani | jyva | ||
| Ilocano | takiag | ||
| Krio | an | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | قۆڵ | ||
| Maithili | बाहु | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯈꯨꯗꯥꯡ | ||
| Mizo | ban | ||
| Oromo | irree | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ବାହୁ | ||
| Quechua | rikra | ||
| Sanskrit | बाहु | ||
| Tatar | кул | ||
| Tigrinya | ኢድ | ||
| Tsonga | voko | ||