Beginning in Different Languages
Discover 'Beginning' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Beginning
Afrikaans begin | ||
Albanian fillim | ||
Amharic በመጀመር ላይ | ||
Arabic البداية | ||
Armenian սկիզբը | ||
Assamese আৰম্ভণি | ||
Aymara qallta | ||
Azerbaijani başlanğıc | ||
Bambara daminɛ | ||
Basque hasiera | ||
Belarusian пач | ||
Bengali শুরু | ||
Bhojpuri शुरुआत | ||
Bosnian početak | ||
Bulgarian начало | ||
Catalan inici | ||
Cebuano sinugdanan | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 开始 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 開始 | ||
Corsican principiu | ||
Croatian početak | ||
Czech začátek | ||
Danish starten | ||
Dhivehi ފެށުން | ||
Dogri शुरुआत | ||
Dutch begin | ||
English beginning | ||
Esperanto komenco | ||
Estonian alguses | ||
Ewe gɔmedzedze | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) simula | ||
Finnish alku | ||
French début | ||
Frisian begjin | ||
Galician comezo | ||
Georgian დასაწყისი | ||
German anfang | ||
Greek αρχή | ||
Guarani oñepyrũ | ||
Gujarati શરૂઆત | ||
Haitian Creole kòmansman | ||
Hausa farawa | ||
Hawaiian e hoʻomaka ana | ||
Hebrew התחלה | ||
Hindi शुरू | ||
Hmong pib | ||
Hungarian kezdet | ||
Icelandic byrjun | ||
Igbo mbido | ||
Ilocano rugi | ||
Indonesian awal | ||
Irish ag tosú | ||
Italian inizio | ||
Japanese 始まり | ||
Javanese wiwitan | ||
Kannada ಆರಂಭ | ||
Kazakh басы | ||
Khmer ចាប់ផ្តើម | ||
Kinyarwanda intangiriro | ||
Konkani सुरवात | ||
Korean 처음 | ||
Krio bigin | ||
Kurdish destpêk | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) دەستپێکردن | ||
Kyrgyz башталышы | ||
Lao ການເລີ່ມຕົ້ນ | ||
Latin principium | ||
Latvian sākumā | ||
Lingala ebandeli | ||
Lithuanian pradžios | ||
Luganda okutandika | ||
Luxembourgish ufank | ||
Macedonian почеток | ||
Maithili शुरुआत | ||
Malagasy voalohany | ||
Malay permulaan | ||
Malayalam ആരംഭം | ||
Maltese bidu | ||
Maori timatanga | ||
Marathi सुरुवात | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯑꯍꯧꯕ | ||
Mizo tirlam | ||
Mongolian эхлэл | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) အစ | ||
Nepali सुरुवात | ||
Norwegian begynnelse | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) kuyambira | ||
Odia (Oriya) ଆରମ୍ଭ | ||
Oromo jalqaba | ||
Pashto پیل | ||
Persian آغاز | ||
Polish początek | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) começo | ||
Punjabi ਸ਼ੁਰੂਆਤ | ||
Quechua qallariy | ||
Romanian început | ||
Russian начало | ||
Samoan amataga | ||
Sanskrit आरंभ | ||
Scots Gaelic a ’tòiseachadh | ||
Sepedi mathomong | ||
Serbian почетак | ||
Sesotho qalo | ||
Shona kutanga | ||
Sindhi شروعات | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) ආරම්භය | ||
Slovak začiatok | ||
Slovenian začetek | ||
Somali laga bilaabo | ||
Spanish comenzando | ||
Sundanese mimiti | ||
Swahili mwanzo | ||
Swedish början | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) simula | ||
Tajik оғоз | ||
Tamil ஆரம்பம் | ||
Tatar башы | ||
Telugu ప్రారంభం | ||
Thai จุดเริ่มต้น | ||
Tigrinya መጀመርታ | ||
Tsonga masungulo | ||
Turkish başlangıç | ||
Turkmen başlangyjy | ||
Twi (Akan) rehyɛ aseɛ | ||
Ukrainian початок | ||
Urdu آغاز | ||
Uyghur باشلىنىش | ||
Uzbek boshlanishi | ||
Vietnamese bắt đầu | ||
Welsh dechrau | ||
Xhosa ukuqala | ||
Yiddish אָנהייב | ||
Yoruba ibere | ||
Zulu ukuqala |
Etymology & Notes
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | In Afrikaans, "begin" can also mean "to understand" or "to grasp". |
| Albanian | "Fill" in Albanian can also mean "year". |
| Amharic | ብሌቄሰቻባሌ መህቄላ ማቂሃር ኢሉተቄላ ብሌሾሌቄላ ኔሁሤላ ቻቦላቄላ መራር ብሓሌመሌቅላ ቄሰባሌ እሀቄላ ብሌሾሌቄላ ኔሁሤላ ቻቦላቄላ ማቂሃር ኢሉተቄላ ብሌሾሌቄላ ኔሁሤላ ነሽሌመሌቅላ ቄሰባሌ እሀቄላ ብሌሾሌቄላ ኔሁሤላ ቻቦላቄላ መራር ኢሉተቄላ እሃላሀ. |
| Arabic | The word "البداية" can also refer to the "first day of a journey" or the "first stage of something" in Arabic. |
| Armenian | "Սկիզբը" also means "element" which is an apt description of a beginning |
| Azerbaijani | "Başlanğıc" in Azerbaijani comes from the Persian word "ser"+ "anlac", meaning "the starting point" or "the source". |
| Basque | In Basque, "hasiera" can also mean "origin" or "source". |
| Belarusian | "Пач" is also the name of a small river in Belarus. |
| Bengali | The word "শুরু" in Bengali also means "to start", "to initiate", "to commence", and "to originate". |
| Bosnian | The term početak shares the same roots with the Slavic word which means "to wait", suggesting the original meaning of "the start of waiting", i.e. "the start of time". |
| Bulgarian | The word "начало" can also mean "an initiative", or "a principle". |
| Catalan | "Inici" comes from the Latin "initium", meaning "beginning, commencement, or origin". |
| Cebuano | Sinugdanan can also mean a place where something originates or starts. |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 开始 derives from 始 (“beginning”) and 端 (“tip, end”), suggesting the inception of an action or process. |
| Chinese (Traditional) | "始" means "beginning" and "do" and is used in "開始" but is also a surname; "開" is found in words like "開放" (open) or "開花" (blossom). |
| Corsican | Corsican "principiu" also means foundation, origin, base, principle, and element. |
| Croatian | "Početak" is derived from Proto-Slavic word "počęti", which means "to start, to begin, to make, to create". |
| Czech | The word "začátek" is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *čęti, meaning "to start" or "to begin." |
| Danish | The Danish word "starten" also refers to the "beginning of a race" in English. |
| Dutch | The Dutch word "beginnen" and its past participle "begonnen" are cognate with the English "begin" and "begun". |
| Esperanto | The Esperanto word "komenco" is derived from the Latin "comincio" and also means "commencement." |
| Estonian | The Estonian word "alguses" can also mean "at first" or "in the beginning". |
| Finnish | The word "alku" is also related to the words "alkaa" (to start) and "aloittaa" (to initiate). |
| French | The word "début" derives from Old French, where it meant "the first blow" or "the first move" in a duel or other contest. |
| Frisian | The word "begjin" can be used to refer to a person who begs, similar to the Dutch word "bedelaar" |
| Galician | "Comezo" shares its origin with "comienzo" in Spanish and "começar" in Portuguese, all of Latin origin with the infinitive "cominciare" |
| German | "Anfang" in German is cognate with "anfangen" (to start), and related to the Old High German "anafēn" (to receive). |
| Greek | The word "αρχή" in Greek can also refer to "power", "authority", or "principle". |
| Gujarati | The word "શરૂઆત" can also mean "origin," "commencement," or "starting point" in Gujarati. |
| Haitian Creole | "Kòmansman" in Haitian Creole can also refer to the first day of a market week. |
| Hausa | The term 'farawa' can also refer to the first day of the week in the Hausa calendar. |
| Hawaiian | "Hoʻomaka" is also used as an adjective meaning "first" or "primary". |
| Hebrew | The Hebrew word "התחלה" (beginning) is derived from the root "חול" (to spin, to rotate), alluding to the cyclic nature of time and the perpetual cycle of beginnings and endings. |
| Hindi | The word "शुरू" (beginning) in Hindi is derived from the Sanskrit word "शुरु" (to commence). |
| Hmong | The word "pib" can also mean "first" or "foremost" in Hmong. |
| Hungarian | The word 'kezdet' is derived from the Proto-Uralic root *keś, meaning 'to originate'. |
| Icelandic | "Byrjun" is also the name of the first day in the month, and the first month in a season, in Icelandic. |
| Igbo | "Mbido" in Igbo also means "first position" or "first place" and can refer to someone or something that is first or foremost. |
| Indonesian | The word "awal" in Indonesian can also refer to a "first step" or a "source". |
| Irish | Etymology unknown, possibly related to Welsh |
| Italian | The Italian word "inizio" is derived from the Latin word "initium," which means "a commencement" and is related to the verb "initiare," which means "to enter into." |
| Japanese | "Hajimari" can also mean "the first time" or "the origin" in Japanese. |
| Javanese | In ancient Java, the term "wiwitan" also referred to a council of royal advisors and regional leaders. |
| Kannada | The word "ಆರಂಭ" is derived from the verb "ಆರು" which means "to get going". |
| Kazakh | The word "басы" also has the alternate meaning of "top" or "peak", likely derived from its root meaning as "the point of origin". |
| Khmer | This Khmer word can also mean the beginning movement in a dance or the beginning of a meal. |
| Korean | "처음" is also used to refer to the first time you meet someone. |
| Kurdish | In the Sorani dialect, the word "destpêk" can also refer to a "headache". |
| Kyrgyz | The Kyrgyz word "башталышы" can also refer to the "origin" or "root" of something. |
| Latin | "Principium" also means "principle" or "first principle", and is related to the word "princeps" ("first"). |
| Latvian | The Old Prussian word "sakuman" is possibly an etymological cognate. |
| Lithuanian | "Pradžios" is also a Lithuanian surname, which is a form of the surname "Pradauskas". |
| Luxembourgish | Ufank is used in the sense of the start of a journey or the start of a task, or as an alternative for "begin" |
| Macedonian | The word "почеток" in Macedonian has a root "поч" which means "to start" and the suffix "-ок" which indicates a noun. It can also mean "the first part of something" or "the point at which something starts". |
| Malagasy | The word "voalohany" comes from the verb "mivaloha" meaning "to love something or somebody". |
| Malay | The word "permulaan" has roots in the Proto-Austronesian word "*mulaŋ" which means "to sprout" or "to begin." |
| Malayalam | The word 'ആരംഭം' is derived from Sanskrit and originally meant 'to embark on a journey'. |
| Maltese | The Maltese word "bidu" is derived from the Arabic word "bidāya" meaning "commencement" and is also used to refer to the first part of a book or chapter. |
| Maori | {"text": "The Maori word "timatanga," meaning "beginning," also refers to the first stage of a marae ceremonial welcome."} |
| Marathi | The Marathi word 'सुरुवात' originates from the Sanskrit word 'सुरूप', meaning 'beautiful form' or 'good appearance'. It also has connotations of 'foundation' or 'base' and is often used in a philosophical context to refer to the starting point or origin of something. |
| Mongolian | The word "эхлэл" is derived from the verb "эхлэх", which means "to start" or "to originate". |
| Myanmar (Burmese) | "အစ" is also a verb and means "to come about" or "to happen". |
| Nepali | सुरुवात is derived from the Sanskrit word 'suru', meaning 'to start' or 'to begin'. |
| Norwegian | The Norwegian word, "begynnelse", meaning "beginning", derives from the Middle Low German, "beginnen", and is cognate with the English verb, "to begin". |
| Pashto | پیل can also mean "origin" or "source". |
| Persian | 'آغاز' can also refer to the first chapter of a book or the first verse of a poem in Persian. |
| Polish | The Polish word "początek" may also refer to the origin of something. |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | "Começo" derives from the Late Latin word "comitium" (meaning "meeting place") through Old French "commencement" (meaning "an assembly" or "a commencement"). |
| Punjabi | The word "ਸ਼ੁਰੂਆਤ" also means "the first letter of a word" or "the top of a page" in Punjabi. |
| Romanian | The Romanian word "început" derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *enkw-, meaning "to put into" or "to fasten." |
| Russian | The word "начало" can also mean "source" or "origin". |
| Samoan | The second component of the word 'amataga', 'taga', means 'edge'; thus, the 'amataga' could be the edge or the end of something. |
| Scots Gaelic | Scots Gaelic "a ’tòiseachadh" (literally - "at the starting") can also mean "an incentive" or "an initiation" |
| Serbian | The word "почетак" also means "cause" or "origin" in Serbian. |
| Sesotho | The word "qalo" in Sesotho can also refer to a small or insignificant thing. |
| Shona | The Shona word "kutanga" can also refer to the "act of initiating" or the "source" of something. |
| Sindhi | The word “شروعات” in Sindhi has its roots in the Sanskrit word 'शुरू' (shuru), meaning 'to commence'. Its plural form suggests multiple initiations or starting points. |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | "ආරම්භය" is an abstract noun in Sinhalese which has various meanings depending on its context, including commencement, origin, cause and basis. |
| Slovak | The Slovak word "začiatok" derives from the Proto-Slavic word *začinъ (meaning "start, origin"), which shares an origin with the word "činovi" (meaning "actions, deeds") in Serbo-Croatian. |
| Slovenian | Začetek derives from the Proto-Slavic *za-čętъkъ meaning "starting point" or "beginning" |
| Somali | The word "laga bilaabo" is also used in Somali to refer to the origin or starting point of something. |
| Spanish | The verb "comenzar" comes from the Late Latin "cominitiare", meaning "to put together the threads of a web". |
| Sundanese | The word 'mimiti' in Sundanese can also mean 'to start' or 'to initiate' an action. |
| Swahili | The word 'mwanzo' can also mean the 'source' of something, or its 'origin'. |
| Swedish | The word "början" shares its etymology with the Old Norse word "byrja", meaning "to begin" or "to come into being". |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | In Philippine folklore, "simula" refers to the first couple created by the god Bathala who descended to the physical world from the spiritual realm. |
| Tajik | The word 'оғоз' in Tajik can also refer to the mouth of a person or animal or the opening of a container or passage |
| Tamil | The Tamil word "ஆரம்பம்" can also refer to the first letter of a word or the opening part of a book chapter. |
| Telugu | The word "ప్రారంభం" can also refer to an auspicious occasion or a ceremony marking the commencement of an event. |
| Thai | จุดเริ่มต้น is a Thai loanword from Sanskrit and Pali, cognate with the Hindi "ārambha." |
| Turkish | "Başlangıç" means both "beginning" and "the act of putting one's head on something" in Turkish. |
| Ukrainian | "Початок" (beginning) comes from "почат" (start), and also refers to an ear of corn. |
| Urdu | "آغاز" also means "the start of a poetic composition or a musical performance" in Urdu. |
| Uzbek | The word "boshlanishi" can also refer to a "source" or "origin" in Uzbek. |
| Vietnamese | The word "bắt đầu" in Vietnamese can also mean "to commence" or "to undertake". |
| Welsh | The Welsh word "dechrau" shares its root with "dehongli" which means to "commence, initiate, begin or start" in Mandarin Chinese. |
| Xhosa | "Ukuqala" means "the point at which something starts," but also means "to weave" and "to arrange or set something in order." |
| Yiddish | The word "אָנהייב" in Yiddish also means "the first portion of a meal". |
| Yoruba | "(Ibere) (Beginning) This word may also be called the "mother" in the sense that all other things started from it and with it." |
| Zulu | 'Ukukala' may alternatively refer to 'starting something new' or 'composing a song, poem, or story'. |
| English | Beginning traces back to Old English onginnan meaning "to undertake (a job or task)". |