Back in Different Languages
Discover 'Back' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'back' is simple, yet holds great significance in our daily lives. It can refer to the part of the body opposite to the chest or the direction opposite to the front. Culturally, 'back' has been used in various idioms and expressions, such as 'to have one's back' or 'to pat someone on the back,' indicating support or appreciation.
Moreover, the word 'back' has fascinating historical contexts. For instance, in ancient times, 'back' was used to describe the part of a shield that protected warriors. This usage highlights the defensive nature of the word, symbolizing protection and safety.
Given its significance and cultural importance, it's no wonder that someone might want to know its translation in different languages. Here are a few examples:
- Spanish: espalda
- French: dos
- German: Rücken
- Mandarin: 背部 (bèi bù)
- Japanese: 背中 (senaka)
Back
Back in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | terug | ||
| The word "terug" in Afrikaans is derived from the Dutch word "terugge" and also means "again" or "in return". | |||
| Amharic | ተመለስ | ||
| The word "ተመለስ" (back) can also refer to the concept of "return" or "come back" in Amharic. | |||
| Hausa | baya | ||
| Hausa "baya" also denotes a type of grass bag or mat, or a particular style of male clothing, and may be related to the verb "baya" (to carry). | |||
| Igbo | azu | ||
| Azu also means "behind" or "latter" and is used in phrases like "azu ụlọ" (behind the house) and "azu ụbọchị" (later in the day). | |||
| Malagasy | indray | ||
| "Indray" also means "later" or "after" in Malagasy. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kubwerera | ||
| The word "kubwerera" can also mean "reversal" or "withdrawal". | |||
| Shona | kumashure | ||
| The Shona word 'kumashure' originates from the Proto-Bantu noun *muboko, meaning 'back, rear, behind', and is also used to refer to the 'back of the head'. | |||
| Somali | gadaal | ||
| The word "gadaal" is etymologically related to the verb "gadaayin," meaning "to turn one's back on."} | |||
| Sesotho | morao | ||
| The Sesotho word for "back" is a cognate of the Nguni word for "behind", likely originating from the Bantu root for "follow". | |||
| Swahili | nyuma | ||
| The word "nyuma" may also mean "behind" or "after" in Swahili. | |||
| Xhosa | umva | ||
| The word "umva" in Xhosa can also refer to the "place where one lives and/or originates." | |||
| Yoruba | pada | ||
| The word "pada" in Yoruba also means "last position" or "lowest rank". | |||
| Zulu | emuva | ||
| "Emuva" can also mean "to return home" or "to be behind someone". | |||
| Bambara | kɔ | ||
| Ewe | megbe | ||
| Kinyarwanda | inyuma | ||
| Lingala | mukongo | ||
| Luganda | mabega | ||
| Sepedi | morago | ||
| Twi (Akan) | akyire | ||
Back in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | عودة | ||
| The Arabic word "عودة" (عودة), apart from meaning "back" or "return," also refers to a stringed musical instrument similar to a lute in Western music. | |||
| Hebrew | חזור | ||
| The Hebrew word "חזור" can also mean "to repeat" or "to return to a previous state". | |||
| Pashto | شاته | ||
| The Pashto word "شاته" also means "to support" or "to protect". | |||
| Arabic | عودة | ||
| The Arabic word "عودة" (عودة), apart from meaning "back" or "return," also refers to a stringed musical instrument similar to a lute in Western music. | |||
Back in Western European Languages
| Albanian | mbrapa | ||
| "Mbrapa", meaning "back", also has the alternate meaning of "behind" or "after" in Albanian. | |||
| Basque | atzera | ||
| The word `atzera` can also refer to the past or a previous moment, or may be an expression of regret. | |||
| Catalan | esquena | ||
| The Catalan word "esquena" derives from the Latin word "schina," meaning "spine" or "backbone." | |||
| Croatian | leđa | ||
| The Croatian word for "back", "leđa", derives from Proto-Slavic word "lędъ" (flat side), which was likely originally used to mean "waist, belly". | |||
| Danish | tilbage | ||
| The word 'tilbage' is cognate with 'tilbake' in Norwegian and 'tillbaka' in Swedish, all meaning 'back', and derives from the Old Norse word 'tilbaka' with the same meaning. | |||
| Dutch | terug | ||
| The word 'terug' in Dutch can also refer to a payment, such as a refund or compensation. | |||
| English | back | ||
| "Back" can also mean to support or endorse someone or something, or to return to a previous state or place. | |||
| French | retour | ||
| The word "retour" originally meant "turn around", from the Latin word "retornare" (to turn back). | |||
| Frisian | rêch | ||
| In Frisian, "rêch" also refers to the dorsum of an animal or a mountain ridge. | |||
| Galician | de volta | ||
| The word "de volta" in Galician can also mean "again" or "once more". | |||
| German | zurück | ||
| The etymology of "zurück" is unknown; it might be related to "Zeile" ("line") or "rücken" ("to move"). | |||
| Icelandic | aftur | ||
| In Icelandic, 'aftur' can also mean 'again' or 'in return'. | |||
| Irish | ar ais | ||
| The Irish word "ar ais" can also mean "again" or "backwards". | |||
| Italian | indietro | ||
| The Latin root of "indietro" is "in directum," "in a straight line," with "retro" meaning "backwards," so "straight back and away". | |||
| Luxembourgish | zréck | ||
| The etymology of "zréck" is unclear, but it has cognates in Middle High German "zurücke". Other meanings include "return" and "response." | |||
| Maltese | lura | ||
| 'Lura' is also used to refer to the ridge of a mountain or the spine of an animal. | |||
| Norwegian | tilbake | ||
| The Norwegian word "tilbake" shares an etymological root with "tilt", as well as the English "teeter". All of these words refer to a rocking, swaying motion. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | de volta | ||
| "Volta" (Portuguese for "back") also means "voltage" and comes from Latin *volta(re)*, "to turn". Related to English "volt." | |||
| Scots Gaelic | air ais | ||
| In Scottish Gaelic, the word 'air ais' can also refer to the 'after' or 'return'. | |||
| Spanish | espalda | ||
| The word "espalda" also means "shoulder" in Spanish, and derives from the Latin "spatha", meaning "sword", as it was the part of the body where the sword was carried. | |||
| Swedish | tillbaka | ||
| Swedish "tillbaka" likely originates from "till" meaning "to" and "baka" meaning "bake," perhaps implying a return to one's homestead. | |||
| Welsh | yn ôl | ||
| Yn ôl is also used to mean "in arrears" and "behind" in terms of position or time. | |||
Back in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | назад | ||
| Слово назад в Белорусском означает так же как и в русском «назад», но еще и «снова». | |||
| Bosnian | nazad | ||
| In the dialect of Bosnian spoken in the town of Fojnica, "nazad" is also used to mean "again" | |||
| Bulgarian | обратно | ||
| The word "обратно" can also mean "on the contrary" or "on the other hand". | |||
| Czech | zadní | ||
| The word "zadní" is also used to describe something that is located behind something else, or that is the last in a series. | |||
| Estonian | tagasi | ||
| The word "tagasi" also means "again" in Estonian. | |||
| Finnish | takaisin | ||
| It originates from the Proto-Baltic term *at-gʰes, which also appears in Lithuanian and Latvian, where it means "again" or "back". | |||
| Hungarian | vissza | ||
| In Hungarian, "vissza" can also mean "again" and is related to the words "visszavezet" (to lead back) and "visszahoz" (to bring back). | |||
| Latvian | atpakaļ | ||
| The word "atpakaļ" comes from Proto-Indo-European "*h₂ep-," which also means "back" or "behind."} | |||
| Lithuanian | atgal | ||
| The word "atgal" is cognate with the Latin word "retro" and the Greek word "ὀπίσω" (opisō), both meaning "backwards". | |||
| Macedonian | назад | ||
| The word "назад" in Macedonian originates from the Proto-Slavic word "nazadъ", which also means "behind". | |||
| Polish | plecy | ||
| The word "plecy" in Polish originated from the Proto-Slavic word "plěti" meaning "to spread out" and also refers to the wingspan of a bird. | |||
| Romanian | înapoi | ||
| In Greek, "înapoi" means "in front," while in Romanian it means "in back." | |||
| Russian | назад | ||
| The etymology of Russian "назад" is connected with Proto-Slavic *na-zadъ, which also meant "at once" or "right away". | |||
| Serbian | назад | ||
| The word "назад" can also refer to a previous time or event in Serbian. | |||
| Slovak | späť | ||
| "Späť" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*spatь" meaning "to sleep" and shares its root with the word "spánok" (sleep). | |||
| Slovenian | nazaj | ||
| The word "nazaj" in Slovenian can also mean "a small amount of something" or "a short distance". | |||
| Ukrainian | назад | ||
| "Назад" comes from the Proto-Slavic word *nazadъ, meaning "back" and "again". | |||
Back in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | পেছনে | ||
| The Bengali word "পেছনে" can also mean "afterward" or "behind in time or position." | |||
| Gujarati | પાછા | ||
| The word 'પાછા' comes from the Gujarati word 'પાછો', which literally means 'reversed'. Additionally, it can also mean 'again', like in the phrase 'પાછા ફરો', which means 'come back'. | |||
| Hindi | वापस | ||
| The word "वापस" is derived from the Sanskrit word "अपास," meaning "away" or "from a distance." | |||
| Kannada | ಹಿಂದೆ | ||
| The Kannada word "ಹಿಂದೆ" (back) also means "previous" in the sense of time or order. | |||
| Malayalam | തിരികെ | ||
| The word തിരികെ in Malayalam can also mean 'again' or 'in return'. | |||
| Marathi | परत | ||
| In Sanskrit, "परत" ("parata") refers to a return journey, indicating its etymological connection to the concept of "back". | |||
| Nepali | फिर्ता | ||
| The word 'फिर्ता' also means 'return' or 'refund' in Nepali. | |||
| Punjabi | ਵਾਪਸ | ||
| The word "ਵਾਪਸ" (vāpas) can also mean "again" or "in return" in Punjabi. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ආපසු | ||
| In Sinhala, ආපසු also refers to a person's origin. | |||
| Tamil | மீண்டும் | ||
| In Tamil, the word "மீண்டும்" can be used to denote "the next (occasion, place, time)" as well as "the same (place, time)", similar to the English usage of "back". | |||
| Telugu | తిరిగి | ||
| The word 'తిరిగి' can also mean to turn around, to return or to be inverted. | |||
| Urdu | پیچھے | ||
| The word "پیچھے" can also mean "behind" or "later" in terms of time or order. | |||
Back in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 背部 | ||
| 背 (bèi) also means to memorize or recite. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 背部 | ||
| The first character 背 in the word "背部" (back) means "to turn the back on" or "to carry on the back". | |||
| Japanese | バック | ||
| The word "バック" can also mean "a bag" or "to reverse" in Japanese. | |||
| Korean | 뒤 | ||
| The Sino-Korean word 뒤 (hui) can also mean "to be behind" or "to be subordinate to." | |||
| Mongolian | буцаж | ||
| "Буцаж" is also used to refer to a backpack or other object carried on the back. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | နောက်ကျော | ||
Back in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | kembali | ||
| "Kembali" is also used to mean "again" and "over". | |||
| Javanese | bali | ||
| The Javanese word "bali" also means "again" and can be used to indicate repetition or continuation of an action. | |||
| Khmer | ត្រឡប់មកវិញ | ||
| Lao | ກັບຄືນໄປບ່ອນ | ||
| Malay | belakang | ||
| In Malay, the word "belakang" can also refer to the past or the origin of something. | |||
| Thai | กลับ | ||
| "กลับ" also means "to change one's mind, to go back on one's word, or to change one's ways". | |||
| Vietnamese | trở lại | ||
| "Trở lại" can mean "to come back" or "to return" and is derived from Sino-Vietnamese roots. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pabalik | ||
Back in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | geri | ||
| "Geri" is cognate with "geriye" in Turkish, ultimately both deriving from the Proto-Turkic root *keyri- meaning "behind, back." | |||
| Kazakh | артқа | ||
| The word "артқа" can also refer to a "reserve" or "remaining quantity" in Kazakh. | |||
| Kyrgyz | артка | ||
| The word "артка" (back) in Kyrgyz also means "support" or "patronage". | |||
| Tajik | бозгашт | ||
| The word "бозгашт" also means "return" in Tajik. | |||
| Turkmen | yza | ||
| Uzbek | orqaga | ||
| The Uzbek word "orqaga" not only means "back", but also refers to a return to a previous state or position. | |||
| Uyghur | back | ||
Back in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kua | ||
| In Hawaiian, "kua" also refers to the windward or leeward side of an island, the edge or border of something, or a backbone. | |||
| Maori | tuara | ||
| In Māori, 'tuara' can also refer to a supporting beam or a person who carries a load on their back. | |||
| Samoan | tua | ||
| Tua may have evolved from the Proto-Austronesian */daɲu/ meaning "rear" or "behind". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | bumalik | ||
| The word "bumalik" may also mean "to turn back" or "to return". | |||
Back in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | qhipa | ||
| Guarani | kupe | ||
Back in International Languages
| Esperanto | reen | ||
| "Reen" (back) in Esperanto stems from the English word "rear". | |||
| Latin | rursus | ||
| "Rursus" can also be used in Latin to mean "again", "in return", or "on the other hand." | |||
Back in Others Languages
| Greek | πίσω | ||
| "Πίσω": Not only "back" in space, but "back" in time or "backward" in thought. | |||
| Hmong | rov qab | ||
| The word "rov qab" can also mean "back to", "return to", or "be in front of" in Hmong. | |||
| Kurdish | paş | ||
| The word "paş" in Kurdish can also refer to a mountain pass. | |||
| Turkish | geri | ||
| The word "geri" can also mean "return" or "again" in Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | umva | ||
| The word "umva" in Xhosa can also refer to the "place where one lives and/or originates." | |||
| Yiddish | צוריק | ||
| צוריק, which means "back," also has an alternate meaning of "again" or "once more." | |||
| Zulu | emuva | ||
| "Emuva" can also mean "to return home" or "to be behind someone". | |||
| Assamese | পিছলৈ | ||
| Aymara | qhipa | ||
| Bhojpuri | पीछे | ||
| Dhivehi | ފަހަތް | ||
| Dogri | पिच्छै | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pabalik | ||
| Guarani | kupe | ||
| Ilocano | likud | ||
| Krio | bak | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | گەڕانەوە | ||
| Maithili | पाछू | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯇꯨꯡ | ||
| Mizo | hnung | ||
| Oromo | dugda | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ପଛକୁ | ||
| Quechua | qipaman | ||
| Sanskrit | पृष्ठभागः | ||
| Tatar | кире | ||
| Tigrinya | ዝባን | ||
| Tsonga | tlhelela | ||