Behind in Different Languages
Discover 'Behind' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Behind
Behind in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | agter | ||
| In Middle Dutch "achter" meant both "rear" and "afterwards". | |||
| Amharic | በስተጀርባ | ||
| The word "በስተጀርባ" can also mean "because of" or "due to" in Amharic. | |||
| Hausa | a baya | ||
| In the Kunama language, this term means "up" and is related to the name for a dog, "abbay". | |||
| Igbo | n'azụ | ||
| "N'azụ" can also mean "behind someone's back" (figuratively) or "ago" (temporally). | |||
| Malagasy | aoriana | ||
| Derived from the Proto-Austronesian root word *quli, meaning "tail" or "rear position," and related to the Javanese word "uri" and the Malay word "ekor," both meaning "tail." | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kumbuyo | ||
| The word "kumbuyo" can also refer to someone who has a criminal record. | |||
| Shona | kumashure | ||
| The word "kumashure" in Shona can also mean "in the presence of" or "under the protection of". | |||
| Somali | gadaal | ||
| "Gadaal" is also used to refer to the rear end of a person or animal, or the stern of a boat. | |||
| Sesotho | ka morao | ||
| Ka morao could also mean 'at the end' or 'eventually' in Sesotho. | |||
| Swahili | nyuma | ||
| "Nyuma" can also refer to the past or to one's back | |||
| Xhosa | ngasemva | ||
| The word "ngasemva" is also used to mean "in the past" or "ago" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yoruba | sile | ||
| Sile in Yoruba can also refer to a person's back, or their support or defense. | |||
| Zulu | ngemuva | ||
| The Zulu word "ngemuva" has additional meanings such as "afterwards" and "in the past". | |||
| Bambara | kɔfɛ | ||
| Ewe | emegbe | ||
| Kinyarwanda | inyuma | ||
| Lingala | nsima | ||
| Luganda | emabega | ||
| Sepedi | ka morago | ||
| Twi (Akan) | akyire | ||
Behind in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | خلف | ||
| "خلف" in Arabic originates from the same root as "خليف" (successor, deputy), denoting the one who takes the place of another. | |||
| Hebrew | מֵאָחוֹר | ||
| The word מֵאָחוֹר also means 'after' and 'from behind'. | |||
| Pashto | شاته | ||
| "شاته" is also used to refer to the back of an animal or an object. | |||
| Arabic | خلف | ||
| "خلف" in Arabic originates from the same root as "خليف" (successor, deputy), denoting the one who takes the place of another. | |||
Behind in Western European Languages
| Albanian | mbrapa | ||
| "Mbrapa" is also used in the expression "të mbrapem dikujt" (to go behind someone), which means to follow someone or to be in their shadow. | |||
| Basque | atzean | ||
| The Basque word 'atzean' also means 'in the forest', due to the prevalence of trees in the area behind a house. | |||
| Catalan | darrere | ||
| The word "darrere" comes from the Latin "de retro", meaning "from behind" or "backwards". | |||
| Croatian | iza | ||
| The Croatian word "iza" can also refer to the back of a building or a line of people. | |||
| Danish | bag | ||
| The word "bag" also means "back" in Danish, and its etymological origin is the same as "pack" in English, referring to the carrying of a load or luggage. | |||
| Dutch | achter | ||
| Achter can also mean 'after' or 'in pursuit of', e.g. 'de trein achterna rennen' ('running after the train'). | |||
| English | behind | ||
| "Behind" also means "inferior to" or "worse than" something else. | |||
| French | derrière | ||
| Frisian | efter | ||
| In Frisian, "efter" can also mean "afterwards" or "later". | |||
| Galician | detrás | ||
| In Galician, "detrás" can also mean "afterwards" or "later". | |||
| German | hinter | ||
| In the context of surnames the word 'Hinter' means 'farmer living beyond the last border' | |||
| Icelandic | á eftir | ||
| Á eftir can also mean 'after' or 'subsequently' and is cognate with the English word 'after'. | |||
| Irish | taobh thiar de | ||
| This word also means 'backside' or 'other side' | |||
| Italian | dietro a | ||
| "Dietro a" can also be used to mean "in pursuit of" or "after" something. | |||
| Luxembourgish | hannendrun | ||
| The word 'hannendrun' can also be used to refer to 'after', 'behind', or 'at the back' of something. | |||
| Maltese | wara | ||
| The word also means 'after' (temporally), a meaning also shared by its Arabic etymon.} | |||
| Norwegian | bak | ||
| The Norwegian word "bak" can also mean "at the back", "after", or "because". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | atrás | ||
| The word "atrás" (Portuguese) derives from the Latin root "trans" (across) and the suffix "-ás" (towards). | |||
| Scots Gaelic | air a chùlaibh | ||
| } | |||
| Spanish | detrás | ||
| The phrase "detrás de" can mean "following" or "after" when referring to a sequence or order. | |||
| Swedish | bakom | ||
| The word "bakom" can also be used to mean "on the back of" or "in the rear of". | |||
| Welsh | y tu ôl | ||
| The phrase "y tu ôl" appears in many fixed idioms, such as "y tu ôl i" meaning "because" and "y tu ôl a'r awr" meaning "the next day." | |||
Behind in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | ззаду | ||
| In Polish, the word "zza" ("behind") is used after a noun to specify location "behind" it. | |||
| Bosnian | iza | ||
| "Iza" is a Slavic preposition meaning "behind", but it can also be used in other contexts like "after" or even "in the future". | |||
| Bulgarian | отзад | ||
| It is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *otzadu with the same meaning. | |||
| Czech | za | ||
| In Old Czech, "za" could also mean "before" instead of "behind". | |||
| Estonian | taga | ||
| The word "taga" in Estonian can also mean "behind the scenes" or "in the background". | |||
| Finnish | takana | ||
| "Takana" also means the end of something (e.g. "talven takana" = "at the end of winter"), and it's related to the word "taka" meaning "fire", suggesting a connection to the hearth as a gathering place located behind the doorway of a home. | |||
| Hungarian | mögött | ||
| "Mögött" is used figuratively to mean "in the background" or "unseen". | |||
| Latvian | aiz muguras | ||
| "Aiz muguras" literally means "behind the back" and can also refer to "in the past" or "in secret". | |||
| Lithuanian | už nugaros | ||
| In some dialects, the term "už nugaros" can refer to the past or the future, indicating a temporal dimension. | |||
| Macedonian | позади | ||
| "Позади" (behind) is used to talk about something happening in a time before the present moment, or a place that is less important or significant that something discussed previously. | |||
| Polish | za | ||
| The word "za" can also mean "for" in the sense of "in exchange for" | |||
| Romanian | in spate | ||
| In Romanian, "spate" means both "back" or "behind" and "spate" (flood). | |||
| Russian | позади | ||
| "Позади" is a preposition in Russian that can also mean "past" or "after". | |||
| Serbian | иза | ||
| The word "иза" also means "beyond" or "after" in Serbian. | |||
| Slovak | vzadu | ||
| The word "vzadu" has a root related to the word "vzad" ("backward") and originally meant "on the back side" but gradually changed into having the spatial meaning "behind". | |||
| Slovenian | zadaj | ||
| Zadaj can also mean 'at the back' or 'in the rear'. | |||
| Ukrainian | позаду | ||
| In West Ukrainian dialects, “позаду” also means “in the backyard”. | |||
Behind in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | পিছনে | ||
| The word "পিছনে" can also mean "afterwards", "later" or "in the past". | |||
| Gujarati | પાછળ | ||
| The word "પાછળ" can also mean "after" or "later" in Gujarati. | |||
| Hindi | पीछे | ||
| Also used informally to indicate an event occurring in the near past. | |||
| Kannada | ಹಿಂದೆ | ||
| The word "ಹಿಂದೆ" can also mean "after" or "past" in Kannada, and is derived from the Proto-Dravidian word *pinte, meaning back. | |||
| Malayalam | പിന്നിൽ | ||
| The word പിന്നിൽ also means "afterwards" or "after" in Malayalam, but it should not be confused with the word "അനന്തരം" which also means "afterwards" or "after" | |||
| Marathi | मागे | ||
| The word "मागे" ("behind") in Marathi can also mean "in the past" or "afterwards." | |||
| Nepali | पछाडि | ||
| In certain contexts, "पछाडि" can mean "after" or "later". | |||
| Punjabi | ਪਿੱਛੇ | ||
| The Punjabi word "ਪਿੱਛੇ" is derived from the Prakrit word "पछा" (pacchā), which originally meant "back" or "rear" but eventually came to mean "behind" in Punjabi. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | පිටුපස | ||
| පිටුපස can also refer to a 'back' seat of a vehicle or a 'rear' part of something. | |||
| Tamil | பின்னால் | ||
| "பின்னால்" can also mean 'future' in addition to its common meaning of 'behind' in Tamil. | |||
| Telugu | వెనుక | ||
| The word "వెనుక" also means "back" or "rear" in Telugu. | |||
| Urdu | پیچھے | ||
| The word "پیچھے" also means "later" or "in the past" in Urdu. | |||
Behind in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 背后 | ||
| 背后 (bèihòu) literally means "back side", and can also refer to "secretly" or "in private." | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 背後 | ||
| In classical Chinese, 背後 (literally "back side") can refer to a person's family or clan | |||
| Japanese | 後ろに | ||
| "後ろに" can also mean "after" or "in the future." | |||
| Korean | 뒤에 | ||
| The Sino-Korean word 뒤에 (duwe) 'behind' also means 'later' in time. | |||
| Mongolian | ард | ||
| The word "ард" also means "nation" or "people" in Mongolian. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | နောက်ကွယ်မှ | ||
Behind in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | dibelakang | ||
| The word "dibelakang" originally meant "in the back of the house" and is still used in this sense in some contexts. | |||
| Javanese | mburi | ||
| The word "mburi" also means "later" or "after" in Javanese, indicating its temporal significance beyond spatial location. | |||
| Khmer | នៅខាងក្រោយ | ||
| The word “នៅខាងក្រោយ” also sometimes means 'to follow' in English, as in “I am walking behind her.” | |||
| Lao | ຫລັງ | ||
| The Lao word ຫລັງ "(behind)" can also refer to the roof of a house. | |||
| Malay | di belakang | ||
| "Di belakang" also means 'in one's care or responsibility,' such as in the expression 'anak di belakangku' (literally 'the child behind me' = 'my child'). | |||
| Thai | ข้างหลัง | ||
| Aside from its literal meaning, "ข้างหลัง" can also refer to one's background or past. | |||
| Vietnamese | phía sau | ||
| Phía sau also means "reason" when used in the context of "the reasoning behind something". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sa likod | ||
Behind in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | arxada | ||
| Arxada can be traced back to Old Turkic language 'arka'} | |||
| Kazakh | артында | ||
| The word "артында" can also mean "on the back" (as in "on the back of a horse") or "on the other side". | |||
| Kyrgyz | артында | ||
| Kyrgyz "артында" in Turkic languages means "behind, after" and in Mongolian languages means "North" | |||
| Tajik | қафо | ||
| The word "қафо" also means "last" in Tajik. | |||
| Turkmen | arkasynda | ||
| Uzbek | orqada | ||
| "Orqada" also means "in the back" in Uzbek. | |||
| Uyghur | ئارقىدا | ||
Behind in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ma hope | ||
| The word "ma hope" in Hawaiian can also mean "towards the ocean" or "to the west". | |||
| Maori | muri | ||
| "Muri" also refers to the West, and is sometimes used to refer to New Zealand's West Coast (Te Tai Poutini)" | |||
| Samoan | tua | ||
| The noun "tua" also means "last" or "end" in Samoan. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | sa likuran | ||
| Sa likuran is also an informal Tagalog term that means "someone who is left behind". | |||
Behind in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | qhipata | ||
| Guarani | kupépe | ||
Behind in International Languages
| Esperanto | malantaŭe | ||
| "Malantaŭ" can also be used to mean "after" in the sense of time, or "later". This is a calque from the Polish "za" (meaning "behind" but also "after") and is used in the same situations. | |||
| Latin | post | ||
| Latin 'post' also means 'after', 'in support of' and 'subsequent'. | |||
Behind in Others Languages
| Greek | πίσω | ||
| It also signifies 'after' in the sense of later time, position or order, or of the sequel of an event. | |||
| Hmong | tom qab | ||
| The morpheme "tom" also means "back of the house" or "back of a house". | |||
| Kurdish | paş | ||
| The word "paş" can also mean "after" in the sense of time or order. | |||
| Turkish | arkasında | ||
| "Arka" (back, behind) and "sırt" (back) come from the same word, indicating the original meaning of "arka" was both the back and the area around the back. | |||
| Xhosa | ngasemva | ||
| The word "ngasemva" is also used to mean "in the past" or "ago" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yiddish | הינטער | ||
| The word “הינטער” (“hinter”) in Yiddish can also mean “after” or “later on”. | |||
| Zulu | ngemuva | ||
| The Zulu word "ngemuva" has additional meanings such as "afterwards" and "in the past". | |||
| Assamese | পিছফালে | ||
| Aymara | qhipata | ||
| Bhojpuri | पीछे | ||
| Dhivehi | ފަހަތުގައި | ||
| Dogri | पिच्छें | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sa likod | ||
| Guarani | kupépe | ||
| Ilocano | nabati | ||
| Krio | biɛn | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | لەدواوە | ||
| Maithili | पाछू | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯇꯨꯡꯗ | ||
| Mizo | hnungah | ||
| Oromo | duuba | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ପଛରେ | ||
| Quechua | qipapi | ||
| Sanskrit | पृष्ठतः | ||
| Tatar | артта | ||
| Tigrinya | ብድሕሪ | ||
| Tsonga | endzhaku | ||