Behind in different languages

Behind in Different Languages

Discover 'Behind' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.

Updated on March 6, 2024

The word 'behind' is a small but powerful term, carrying significant meaning in various cultural and linguistic contexts. It can signify physical placement, as in something being at the back of a location, or metaphorical meaning, such as being responsible for an event or having hidden knowledge. Throughout history, the concept of 'behind' has played a crucial role in storytelling and communication. From ancient cave paintings depicting hunters stalking their prey from behind to modern literature using the term to build suspense, the word has stood the test of time. Understanding the translation of 'behind' in different languages can provide valuable insights into various cultures and their unique perspectives on the world. For instance, the German word 'hinten' and the French word 'derrière' both convey the physical meaning of the term, while the Spanish word 'detrás' can also imply causation. Join us as we delve deeper into the translations of 'behind' in different languages, shedding light on the fascinating nuances of this simple yet powerful word.

Behind

Behind in Sub-Saharan African Languages

Afrikaansagter
In Middle Dutch "achter" meant both "rear" and "afterwards".
Amharicበስተጀርባ
The word "በስተጀርባ" can also mean "because of" or "due to" in Amharic.
Hausaa baya
In the Kunama language, this term means "up" and is related to the name for a dog, "abbay".
Igbon'azụ
"N'azụ" can also mean "behind someone's back" (figuratively) or "ago" (temporally).
Malagasyaoriana
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.
Shonakumashure
The word "kumashure" in Shona can also mean "in the presence of" or "under the protection of".
Somaligadaal
"Gadaal" is also used to refer to the rear end of a person or animal, or the stern of a boat.
Sesothoka morao
Ka morao could also mean 'at the end' or 'eventually' in Sesotho.
Swahilinyuma
"Nyuma" can also refer to the past or to one's back
Xhosangasemva
The word "ngasemva" is also used to mean "in the past" or "ago" in Xhosa.
Yorubasile
Sile in Yoruba can also refer to a person's back, or their support or defense.
Zulungemuva
The Zulu word "ngemuva" has additional meanings such as "afterwards" and "in the past".
Bambarakɔfɛ
Eweemegbe
Kinyarwandainyuma
Lingalansima
Lugandaemabega
Sepedika morago
Twi (Akan)akyire

Behind in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicخلف
"خلف" in Arabic originates from the same root as "خليف" (successor, deputy), denoting the one who takes the place of another.
Hebrewמֵאָחוֹר
The word מֵאָחוֹר also means 'after' and 'from behind'.
Pashtoشاته
"شاته" is also used to refer to the back of an animal or an object.
Arabicخلف
"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

Albanianmbrapa
"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.
Basqueatzean
The Basque word 'atzean' also means 'in the forest', due to the prevalence of trees in the area behind a house.
Catalandarrere
The word "darrere" comes from the Latin "de retro", meaning "from behind" or "backwards".
Croatianiza
The Croatian word "iza" can also refer to the back of a building or a line of people.
Danishbag
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.
Dutchachter
Achter can also mean 'after' or 'in pursuit of', e.g. 'de trein achterna rennen' ('running after the train').
Englishbehind
"Behind" also means "inferior to" or "worse than" something else.
Frenchderrière
Frisianefter
In Frisian, "efter" can also mean "afterwards" or "later".
Galiciandetrás
In Galician, "detrás" can also mean "afterwards" or "later".
Germanhinter
In the context of surnames the word 'Hinter' means 'farmer living beyond the last border'
Icelandicá eftir
Á eftir can also mean 'after' or 'subsequently' and is cognate with the English word 'after'.
Irishtaobh thiar de
This word also means 'backside' or 'other side'
Italiandietro a
"Dietro a" can also be used to mean "in pursuit of" or "after" something.
Luxembourgishhannendrun
The word 'hannendrun' can also be used to refer to 'after', 'behind', or 'at the back' of something.
Maltesewara
The word also means 'after' (temporally), a meaning also shared by its Arabic etymon.}
Norwegianbak
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 Gaelicair a chùlaibh
}
Spanishdetrás
The phrase "detrás de" can mean "following" or "after" when referring to a sequence or order.
Swedishbakom
The word "bakom" can also be used to mean "on the back of" or "in the rear of".
Welshy 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

Belarusianззаду
In Polish, the word "zza" ("behind") is used after a noun to specify location "behind" it.
Bosnianiza
"Iza" is a Slavic preposition meaning "behind", but it can also be used in other contexts like "after" or even "in the future".
Bulgarianотзад
It is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *otzadu with the same meaning.
Czechza
In Old Czech, "za" could also mean "before" instead of "behind".
Estoniantaga
The word "taga" in Estonian can also mean "behind the scenes" or "in the background".
Finnishtakana
"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.
Hungarianmögött
"Mögött" is used figuratively to mean "in the background" or "unseen".
Latvianaiz muguras
"Aiz muguras" literally means "behind the back" and can also refer to "in the past" or "in secret".
Lithuanianuž nugaros
In some dialects, the term "už nugaros" can refer to the past or the future, indicating a temporal dimension.
Macedonianпозади
"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.
Polishza
The word "za" can also mean "for" in the sense of "in exchange for"
Romanianin spate
In Romanian, "spate" means both "back" or "behind" and "spate" (flood).
Russianпозади
"Позади" is a preposition in Russian that can also mean "past" or "after".
Serbianиза
The word "иза" also means "beyond" or "after" in Serbian.
Slovakvzadu
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".
Slovenianzadaj
Zadaj can also mean 'at the back' or 'in the rear'.
Ukrainianпозаду
In West Ukrainian dialects, “позаду” also means “in the backyard”.

Behind in South Asian Languages

Bengaliপিছনে
The word "পিছনে" can also mean "afterwards", "later" or "in the past".
Gujaratiપાછળ
The word "પાછળ" can also mean "after" or "later" in Gujarati.
Hindiपीछे
Also used informally to indicate an event occurring in the near past.
Kannadaಹಿಂದೆ
The word "ಹಿಂದೆ" can also mean "after" or "past" in Kannada, and is derived from the Proto-Dravidian word *pinte, meaning back.
Malayalamപിന്നിൽ
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"
Marathiमागे
The word "मागे" ("behind") in Marathi can also mean "in the past" or "afterwards."
Nepaliपछाडि
In certain contexts, "पछाडि" can mean "after" or "later".
Punjabiਪਿੱਛੇ
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.
Tamilபின்னால்
"பின்னால்" can also mean 'future' in addition to its common meaning of 'behind' in Tamil.
Teluguవెనుక
The word "వెనుక" also means "back" or "rear" in Telugu.
Urduپیچھے
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."
Korean뒤에
The Sino-Korean word 뒤에 (duwe) 'behind' also means 'later' in time.
Mongolianард
The word "ард" also means "nation" or "people" in Mongolian.
Myanmar (Burmese)နောက်ကွယ်မှ

Behind in South East Asian Languages

Indonesiandibelakang
The word "dibelakang" originally meant "in the back of the house" and is still used in this sense in some contexts.
Javanesemburi
The word "mburi" also means "later" or "after" in Javanese, indicating its temporal significance beyond spatial location.
Khmerនៅខាងក្រោយ
The word “នៅខាងក្រោយ” also sometimes means 'to follow' in English, as in “I am walking behind her.”
Laoຫລັງ
The Lao word ຫລັງ "(behind)" can also refer to the roof of a house.
Malaydi 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').
Thaiข้างหลัง
Aside from its literal meaning, "ข้างหลัง" can also refer to one's background or past.
Vietnamesephía 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

Azerbaijaniarxada
Arxada can be traced back to Old Turkic language 'arka'}
Kazakhартында
The word "артында" can also mean "on the back" (as in "on the back of a horse") or "on the other side".
Kyrgyzартында
Kyrgyz "артында" in Turkic languages means "behind, after" and in Mongolian languages means "North"
Tajikқафо
The word "қафо" also means "last" in Tajik.
Turkmenarkasynda
Uzbekorqada
"Orqada" also means "in the back" in Uzbek.
Uyghurئارقىدا

Behind in Pacific Languages

Hawaiianma hope
The word "ma hope" in Hawaiian can also mean "towards the ocean" or "to the west".
Maorimuri
"Muri" also refers to the West, and is sometimes used to refer to New Zealand's West Coast (Te Tai Poutini)"
Samoantua
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

Aymaraqhipata
Guaranikupépe

Behind in International Languages

Esperantomalantaŭe
"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.
Latinpost
Latin 'post' also means 'after', 'in support of' and 'subsequent'.

Behind in Others Languages

Greekπίσω
It also signifies 'after' in the sense of later time, position or order, or of the sequel of an event.
Hmongtom qab
The morpheme "tom" also means "back of the house" or "back of a house".
Kurdishpaş
The word "paş" can also mean "after" in the sense of time or order.
Turkisharkasında
"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.
Xhosangasemva
The word "ngasemva" is also used to mean "in the past" or "ago" in Xhosa.
Yiddishהינטער
The word “הינטער” (“hinter”) in Yiddish can also mean “after” or “later on”.
Zulungemuva
The Zulu word "ngemuva" has additional meanings such as "afterwards" and "in the past".
Assameseপিছফালে
Aymaraqhipata
Bhojpuriपीछे
Dhivehiފަހަތުގައި
Dogriपिच्छें
Filipino (Tagalog)sa likod
Guaranikupépe
Ilocanonabati
Kriobiɛn
Kurdish (Sorani)لەدواوە
Maithiliपाछू
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯃꯇꯨꯡꯗ
Mizohnungah
Oromoduuba
Odia (Oriya)ପଛରେ
Quechuaqipapi
Sanskritपृष्ठतः
Tatarартта
Tigrinyaብድሕሪ
Tsongaendzhaku

Click on a letter to browse words starting with that letter

Weekly TipWeekly Tip

Deepen your understanding of global issues by looking at keywords in multiple languages.

Immerse Yourself in the World of Languages

Type in any word and see it translated into 104 languages. Where possible, you'll also get to hear its pronunciation in languages your browser supports. Our goal? To make exploring languages straightforward and enjoyable.

How to use our multi-language translation tool

How to use our multi-language translation tool

Turn words into a kaleidoscope of languages in a few simple steps

  1. Start with a word

    Just type the word you're curious about into our search box.

  2. Auto-complete to the rescue

    Let our auto-complete nudge you in the right direction to quickly find your word.

  3. See and hear translations

    With a click, see translations in 104 languages and hear pronunciations where your browser supports audio.

  4. Grab the translations

    Need the translations for later? Download all the translations in a neat JSON file for your project or study.

Explore More Apps You'll Love

Customize your gameplay with our Scrabble US Dictionary Tool, ensuring you're always one step ahead with the most relevant, high-scoring words.

This perfect adjective selector is a beacon for anyone looking to refine their written expression. It's a key resource for impactful writing.

Join a growing community of learners who rely on learn correct pronunciation tools to enhance their language proficiency.

Features section image

Features overview

  • Instant translations with audio where available

    Type in your word and get translations in a flash. Where available, click to hear how it's pronounced in different languages, right from your browser.

  • Quick find with auto-complete

    Our smart auto-complete helps you quickly find your word, making your journey to translation smooth and hassle-free.

  • Translations in 104 Languages, no selection needed

    We've got you covered with automatic translations and audio in supported languages for every word, no need to pick and choose.

  • Downloadable translations in JSON

    Looking to work offline or integrate translations into your project? Download them in a handy JSON format.

  • All free, All for you

    Jump into the language pool without worrying about costs. Our platform is open to all language lovers and curious minds.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you provide translations and audio?

It's simple! Type in a word, and instantly see its translations. If your browser supports it, you'll also see a play button to hear pronunciations in various languages.

Can I download these translations?

Absolutely! You can download a JSON file with all the translations for any word, perfect for when you're offline or working on a project.

What if I can't find my word?

We're constantly growing our list of 3000 words. If you don't see yours, it might not be there yet, but we're always adding more!

Is there a fee to use your site?

Not at all! We're passionate about making language learning accessible to everyone, so our site is completely free to use.