Begin in Different Languages
Discover 'Begin' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'begin' holds a special place in our vocabulary as it signifies the start of something new, a fresh chapter, or the first step in a journey. Its cultural importance is evident in the countless stories, traditions, and rituals that revolve around the concept of a new beginning. From the first day of the year, New Year's resolutions, to the beginning of a new job or relationship, the word 'begin' is intertwined with our hopes, dreams, and aspirations.
Moreover, understanding the translation of 'begin' in different languages can provide insight into how different cultures view and approach new beginnings. For instance, in Spanish, 'begin' is 'empezar,' while in French, it's 'commencer.' In German, 'begin' is 'anfangen,' and in Japanese, it's 'hajimaru.'
So, whether you're learning a new language, exploring different cultures, or simply appreciate the beauty of words, understanding the translation of 'begin' in different languages can be a fascinating and rewarding experience.
Begin
Begin in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | begin | ||
| The origin of the Afrikaans word "begin" can be traced back to the Dutch "beghinnen", a group of religious women who lived in communal houses. | |||
| Amharic | ጀምር | ||
| The word "ጀምር" also means "to start something new" or "to initiate something". | |||
| Hausa | fara | ||
| "Fara" also signifies "to initiate" or "to commence" | |||
| Igbo | malite | ||
| Malite shares its root with the word 'malitegha' meaning 'to begin afresh' and 'malitegharil' meaning 'recommencement'. | |||
| Malagasy | manomboka | ||
| The Malagasy word "manomboka," meaning "to begin," is also used to refer to the starting point of a journey or task. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | yamba | ||
| In Chichewa, "yamba" also means to "start on" something, as in 'yamba ulendo' (start on a journey). | |||
| Shona | tanga | ||
| The word 'tanga' can also mean 'to originate' or 'to be created' | |||
| Somali | bilow | ||
| The word 'bilow' in Somali can also mean 'to start' or 'to commence' an activity. | |||
| Sesotho | qala | ||
| Qala is a homophone with another word meaning 'to get lost', and has a related word meaning 'to be lost'. | |||
| Swahili | anza | ||
| The word "anza" can also mean "start, commence, or initiate" in Swahili. | |||
| Xhosa | qala | ||
| Qala is also an idiom in Xhosa meaning to start making preparations for a new task. | |||
| Yoruba | berè | ||
| Yoruba word "berè" derives from verb "bẹ̀rẹ̀" and can also mean "open" or "start off". | |||
| Zulu | qala | ||
| The word 'qala' also means 'to talk,' 'to say,' or 'to tell' in Zulu. | |||
| Bambara | ka daminɛ | ||
| Ewe | dze egᴐme | ||
| Kinyarwanda | tangira | ||
| Lingala | kobanda | ||
| Luganda | okutandika | ||
| Sepedi | thoma | ||
| Twi (Akan) | hyɛ aseɛ | ||
Begin in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | ابدأ | ||
| The word 'ابدأ' can also be used to mean 'to create' or 'to originate'. | |||
| Hebrew | התחל | ||
| The verb 'התחל' ('begin') in Hebrew is related to the word 'חול' ('sand'), suggesting a sense of starting something from scratch. | |||
| Pashto | پيل كيدل؛ شروع كيدل: او چنېدل، راوتل | ||
| In addition to meaning "begin," "پيل كيدل" or "شروع كيدل" can also mean "to emerge" or "to come out." | |||
| Arabic | ابدأ | ||
| The word 'ابدأ' can also be used to mean 'to create' or 'to originate'. | |||
Begin in Western European Languages
| Albanian | filloj | ||
| The word "filloj" in Albanian is derived from the Proto-Albanian word "*fillo-," which means "to grow," and is related to the Greek word "φύλλον" (phyllon), meaning "leaf." | |||
| Basque | hasi | ||
| "Hasi" comes from Proto-Basque "*asiri," related to "hast" ("grab") and "ahasi" ("start"). | |||
| Catalan | començar | ||
| The Catalan word 'començar' derives from the Latin 'cominitiare', meaning 'to entrust'. | |||
| Croatian | početi | ||
| The word "početi" can also mean "to make" or "to do". | |||
| Danish | begynde | ||
| The word "begynde" in Danish is derived from the Old Norse word "byrgja", meaning "to protect" or "to defend". | |||
| Dutch | beginnen | ||
| The Dutch word "beginnen" has similar alternate meanings to the German one, such as "to start a dispute" and "to start crying". | |||
| English | begin | ||
| The word 'begin' originates from the Old English word 'beginnan,' which also means 'to do, make, cultivate,' indicating the inherent connection between starting something and actively engaging in it. | |||
| French | commencer | ||
| The French word "commencer" derives from "commémorer" ("to commemorate"), as something is initiated to commemorate an event. | |||
| Frisian | begjinne | ||
| The word "begjinne" in Frisian derives from the Latin word "begina", meaning "female religious devotee". | |||
| Galician | comezar | ||
| The Galician word "comezar" derives from the Latin "cummittere," meaning "to send forth or to commit." | |||
| German | start | ||
| In German, "start" can also mean "tail" or "stern," likely derived from the Old High German word "starz," meaning "end" or "projecting part of the body." | |||
| Icelandic | byrja | ||
| Byrja is also a noun referring to a favorable wind that brings a ship out to sea. | |||
| Irish | tosú | ||
| 'Tosú' is derived from the Old Irish word 'tossach', meaning 'beginning' or 'origin'. | |||
| Italian | inizio | ||
| "Inizio" shares an etymological root with "initiate": the Latin "initiare". | |||
| Luxembourgish | ufänken | ||
| "Ufänken" is an informal term in Luxembourgish that is most likely derived from the archaic German expression "uff anken", which means "begin work" or "commence an action". | |||
| Maltese | tibda | ||
| The Maltese word "tibda" is derived from the Arabic word "ibtida'", which means "beginning" or "commencement." | |||
| Norwegian | begynne | ||
| In Norwegian, "begynne" can also mean "to commit", coming from the Old Norse word "byggja", referring to building or creating something. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | início | ||
| "Início" comes from the Latin word "initium", which means "beginning" or "commencement". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | tòiseachadh | ||
| The Scots Gaelic word `tòiseachadh` also encompasses the idea of becoming aware of or realizing something. | |||
| Spanish | empezar | ||
| "Empezar" comes from the Latin "incipere", which also means "to begin", and "empezar" can also mean "to start a business". | |||
| Swedish | börja | ||
| The Swedish word "börja" has alternate meanings including "originate", "commence", "initiate", "set out", and "get going". | |||
| Welsh | dechrau | ||
| Dechrau also means the first part of something in Welsh, for example a film or book chapter. | |||
Begin in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | пачаць | ||
| The word "пачаць" in Belarusian is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *po-čęti, meaning "to start, to begin". | |||
| Bosnian | početi | ||
| "Početi" also means "to act", "to do", or "to make". | |||
| Bulgarian | започнете | ||
| The word "започнете" can also mean "to start a journey" or "to set out on a path" in Bulgarian. | |||
| Czech | začít | ||
| The word 'začít' shares the same Proto-Slavic root as 'počátek' ('beginning'), but it originally meant 'to conceive'. | |||
| Estonian | algama | ||
| The word "algama" is thought to be derived from the Proto-Uralic verb "*alga-/*alge-", meaning "to become; to come." | |||
| Finnish | alkaa | ||
| Alkaa is cognate with the Estonian word "algama", the Latvian word "sākt", and the Prussian word "algan", all meaning "to begin". | |||
| Hungarian | kezdődik | ||
| The word "kezdődik" is derived from the Proto-Uralic verb "*keče-" meaning "to open". | |||
| Latvian | sākt | ||
| The word "sākt" in Latvian shares an etymology with the word "seed" in English, both descending from the Proto-Indo-European root *seh₂- meaning "to sow". | |||
| Lithuanian | pradėti | ||
| The Lithuanian word "pradėti" is also cognate with the English word "practice". | |||
| Macedonian | започне | ||
| "Започне" (begin) derives from the Proto-Slavic "zaponti", meaning "to sing a song". | |||
| Polish | zaczynać | ||
| The word 'zaczynać' also means 'to start', 'to commence' and 'to initiate'. | |||
| Romanian | începe | ||
| "Începe" is also a Romanian verb meaning "to try" and "to start" (an activity). | |||
| Russian | начать | ||
| The Russian word "начать" can also mean "to initiate" or "to commence". | |||
| Serbian | почети | ||
| An alternate definition of "почети" is "to wait".} | |||
| Slovak | začať | ||
| "Začať" is also an archaic spelling of "začať" ("to charm"), a word deriving from the Proto-Slavic root *čet- ("to cast a spell"). | |||
| Slovenian | začeti | ||
| "Začeti" derives from the Proto-Slavic word *čęti, meaning "to do" or "to make". | |||
| Ukrainian | почати | ||
| The Ukrainian verb "почати" also means "to conceive a child" or "to start to smoke". | |||
Begin in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | শুরু | ||
| "শুরু" (begin) in Bengali may derive from the Sanskrit word "शुरू" (beginning) or the Prakrit word "सुरु" (start). | |||
| Gujarati | શરૂઆત | ||
| The word "શરૂઆત" also means "beginning", "commencement", or "outset". | |||
| Hindi | शुरू | ||
| The word "शुरू" is derived from the Sanskrit word "शुर्य" meaning "sun" and also has the alternate meaning of "auspicious start". | |||
| Kannada | ಆರಂಭಿಸಲು | ||
| The word "ಆರಂಭಿಸಲು" ("begin") is a causative form of the verb "ಆರಂಭ" ("origin"), which can also mean "to start", "to commence", "to initiate", or "to set in motion". | |||
| Malayalam | ആരംഭിക്കുന്നു | ||
| Marathi | सुरू | ||
| Marathi word 'सुरू' may have originated from Sanskrit word 'सु' and 'रू' which means 'good' and 'growth' respectively. | |||
| Nepali | सुरु गर्नुहोस् | ||
| The Nepali word "सुरु गर्नुहोस्" is derived from the Sanskrit word "सुरु" meaning "to begin" but it can also mean "to undertake" or "to commence." | |||
| Punjabi | ਸ਼ੁਰੂ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ආරම්භය | ||
| The Sinhala word "ආරම්භය" is derived from the Sanskrit word "आरम्भ" and can also refer to a foundation or commencement. | |||
| Tamil | தொடங்கு | ||
| Thodungu in Tamil is used to refer to the process of starting something as well as the point of beginning from which something starts. | |||
| Telugu | ప్రారంభం | ||
| The word "ప్రారంభం" also means "in the beginning" or "at the start" in Telugu. | |||
| Urdu | شروع | ||
| The Urdu word "شروع" (begin) comes from the Arabic word "شروع" (to start or commence). | |||
Begin in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 开始 | ||
| 开始 (kǎishǐ) is also used to mean 'to open' or 'to start operating'. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 開始 | ||
| 開始 literally means "to launch a boat", which is the origin of the character "開" meaning "open". | |||
| Japanese | ベギン | ||
| 「ベギン」は英語の「begin」の音訳で、日本語では「始まる」という意味のほか、「信心深い」という意味もある。 | |||
| Korean | 시작하다 | ||
| 시작 (sikjak) is also the imperative form of the verb 시키다 (sikida), which means “make someone do something.” | |||
| Mongolian | эхлэх | ||
| The word "Эхлэх" also has a secondary meaning of "to start up" or "to set in motion". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အစ | ||
| The etymology of "အစ" is from Proto-Burushaski */atʃ/ meaning "a little; first; time, season; occasion; period of time; beginning" which is also the root of the word for "year" in Burusho. | |||
Begin in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | mulai | ||
| The word "mulai" also means "to start" or "to initiate" and is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word *mulaŋ. | |||
| Javanese | miwiti | ||
| "Miwiti" can also mean "to establish" or "to start (doing something)" in Javanese. | |||
| Khmer | ចាប់ផ្តើម | ||
| In Khmer, the word "ចាប់ផ្តើម" can also mean "to start working on something" or "to commence doing something." | |||
| Lao | ເລີ່ມຕົ້ນ | ||
| Malay | bermula | ||
| "Bermula" is an archaic Malay word for "begin" that is also used to mean "originally" or "in the first place." | |||
| Thai | เริ่ม | ||
| "เริ่ม" (begin) in Thai also means "to touch" (as a verb) and also connotes the act of "entering upon" something. | |||
| Vietnamese | bắt đầu | ||
| The word "bắt đầu" is formed from two words: "bắt" (to catch) and "đầu" (head), meaning to "seize the head" or "take the lead". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | magsimula | ||
Begin in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | başlamaq | ||
| The word "başlamaq" also means "to start" or "to initiate" in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | баста | ||
| The word "баста" in Kazakh not only means "begin", but also has the meaning of "enough" or "stop". | |||
| Kyrgyz | баштоо | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "баштоо" can also mean "to create" or "to establish". | |||
| Tajik | оғоз | ||
| The word "Оғоз" derives from the Persian word "آغاز" (āghāz), meaning "beginning" or "commencement". | |||
| Turkmen | başla | ||
| Uzbek | boshlash | ||
| The word "boshlash" in Uzbek has its origins in the Persian word "āghāz". | |||
| Uyghur | باشلاش | ||
Begin in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hoʻomaka | ||
| "Hoʻomaka" has the alternate meaning of "to sprout". | |||
| Maori | tiimata | ||
| In Maori, the word 'tiimata' also means 'first fruits' or 'inauguration'. | |||
| Samoan | amata | ||
| "Amata" can also mean "beloved" or "love" in Samoan. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | magsimula | ||
| "Magsimula" can also mean "to embark on" or "to set out". | |||
Begin in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | qalltaña | ||
| Guarani | ñepyrũ | ||
Begin in International Languages
| Esperanto | komenci | ||
| The word "komenci" is also used in Esperanto to mean "to start" or "to commence". | |||
| Latin | incipere | ||
| Incipere is a Latin verb meaning "to begin" or "to undertake" and is the root of the English word "incipient". | |||
Begin in Others Languages
| Greek | αρχίζουν | ||
| "Αρχίζω" (archízo) derives from the Greek word "αρχή" (archí), which means "beginning, origin, or rule". It implies initiation, commencement, or taking the first step. | |||
| Hmong | pib | ||
| In Hmong, "pib" can also mean "root" or "beginning" of something. | |||
| Kurdish | destpêkirin | ||
| The word "destpêkirin" in Kurdish can also mean "to start a revolution" or "to start a war". | |||
| Turkish | başla | ||
| Başla, “to suppress” and “to press down” in Turkish, is derived from the Persian word “baştan” meaning “to oppress”. | |||
| Xhosa | qala | ||
| Qala is also an idiom in Xhosa meaning to start making preparations for a new task. | |||
| Yiddish | אָנהייבן | ||
| The Yiddish word "אָנהייבן" (begin) shares a common root with the German "anheben," meaning "to lift up" or "to begin." | |||
| Zulu | qala | ||
| The word 'qala' also means 'to talk,' 'to say,' or 'to tell' in Zulu. | |||
| Assamese | আৰম্ভ কৰা | ||
| Aymara | qalltaña | ||
| Bhojpuri | चालू कयिल | ||
| Dhivehi | ފެށުން | ||
| Dogri | शुरू | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | magsimula | ||
| Guarani | ñepyrũ | ||
| Ilocano | irugi | ||
| Krio | bigin | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | دەستپێکردن | ||
| Maithili | शुरू | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯍꯧꯕ | ||
| Mizo | bultan | ||
| Oromo | jalqabuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଆରମ୍ଭ କର | | ||
| Quechua | qallariy | ||
| Sanskrit | आरम्भ | ||
| Tatar | башларга | ||
| Tigrinya | ጀምር | ||
| Tsonga | sungula | ||