Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'besides' is a small but powerful part of many languages, including English. It can be used in a variety of ways, such as to introduce additional details or to indicate physical location. But 'besides' is more than just a functional word - it's a window into the cultural significance of language and the many ways that people around the world express similar ideas.
For example, did you know that in Spanish, 'besides' can be translated as 'además'? Or that in German, it's 'nebenbei'? These translations not only help us communicate with speakers of other languages, but they also give us insight into the unique linguistic and cultural contexts of those languages.
Whether you're a language enthusiast, a world traveler, or just someone who wants to expand their vocabulary, learning the translations of 'besides' in different languages can be a fun and enlightening experience. So without further ado, here are some of the many ways that 'besides' is translated around the world:
Afrikaans | buitendien | ||
Buitendien, in Afrikaans, can also mean "moreover", "in addition", "furthermore", "what is more", and "anyway". | |||
Amharic | በተጨማሪ | ||
"በተጨማሪ" can also mean "moreover", "furthermore", "in addition", | |||
Hausa | ban da | ||
"Ba" is a short form of "bawa" (take) and "da" means "at" or "to". | |||
Igbo | e wezụga | ||
In addition to its primary meaning of "besides," "e wezụga" can also mean "except" or "other than." | |||
Malagasy | afa-tsy | ||
"Afa-tsy" is a Malagasy word meaning "except" and also used as a conjunction meaning "and" in the negative. | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | kupatula | ||
The word “kupatula” comes from the verb “kuputa” meaning “to cut”. | |||
Shona | kunze kwaizvozvo | ||
Somali | ka sokow | ||
"Ka sokow" also means "in addition to" or "moreover." | |||
Sesotho | ntle le | ||
The word 'ntle le' can also be used to connect relative clauses, similarly to 'hobane' (because) or 'kaha' (while), with the connotation of a condition being imposed or a situation being suggested. | |||
Swahili | zaidi ya hayo | ||
The word "zaidi ya hayo" can also mean "moreover" or "in addition". | |||
Xhosa | ngaphandle | ||
The isiXhosa word 'ngaphandle' may also mean "outside, beyond, or apart from" | |||
Yoruba | yato si | ||
The word “yato si” also translates to "aside", "besides", "in addition to" and "except for" in English. | |||
Zulu | ngaphandle | ||
The word 'ngaphandle' also has the meaning of 'exceedingly'. | |||
Bambara | o kɔfɛ | ||
Ewe | kpeɖe eŋu | ||
Kinyarwanda | usibye | ||
Lingala | longola | ||
Luganda | okuleka | ||
Sepedi | ka ntle ga | ||
Twi (Akan) | to nkyɛn | ||
Arabic | إلى جانب ذلك | ||
Hebrew | חוץ מזה | ||
"חוץ מזה" (chutz mizé) is a Hebrew phrase that can also mean "in addition to" or "except for". | |||
Pashto | د دې نه علاوه | ||
The word "د دې نه علاوه" has additional meanings, including "in addition to", "moreover", and "what's more". | |||
Arabic | إلى جانب ذلك | ||
Albanian | përveç kësaj | ||
"Përveç kësaj" comes from the Persian "barve cheh", which also means "besides" and literally translates as "over this". | |||
Basque | gainera | ||
The word "gainera" in Basque can also mean "again" or "plus". | |||
Catalan | a més | ||
"A més" also means "plus" (as in addition) in Catalan, which is the meaning of the French word "de plus". | |||
Croatian | osim | ||
The word "osim" is derived from a Proto-Slavic word "*osьmь" meaning "eight", and it originally meant "leaving out the eighth part". | |||
Danish | udover | ||
UDover is a contraction of ud af over ('out of over'), hence the meaning 'besides' that is not expressed in the individual morphemes. | |||
Dutch | trouwens | ||
In Dutch, "trouwens" can also mean "on the other hand" or "however". | |||
English | besides | ||
The word 'besides' can mean 'nearby,' 'in addition to,' or 'aside from,' and derives from the Middle English word 'be-siden,' meaning 'at the side of' | |||
French | outre | ||
In French, "outre" not only means "besides" but also "leather" or "skin", as in "outrecuidance": insolence or excessive audacity | |||
Frisian | neist | ||
It also means "almost" and is related to Dutch "naast". | |||
Galician | ademais | ||
The word "ademais" can also mean "as well as" or "moreover" in some contexts. | |||
German | außerdem | ||
Besides being an adverb meaning 'in addition,' 'Außerdem' emerged as a contraction of 'all das' ('all that'). | |||
Icelandic | fyrir utan | ||
The Icelandic word "fyrir utan" can also be used to mean "outside of" or "without." | |||
Irish | seachas | ||
Irish "seachas" also means "leisure", and derives from Latin "securus" meaning "carefree"} | |||
Italian | oltretutto | ||
The word 'Oltretutto' also means 'in addition', 'moreover', or 'on top of that' in Italian. | |||
Luxembourgish | ausserdeem | ||
In Old High German and Old Saxon, the word “außer” also means “from”. | |||
Maltese | barra minn hekk | ||
The Maltese word "barra minn hekk" derives from the Arabic word "min barra," meaning "from outside." | |||
Norwegian | i tillegg | ||
In Old Norse, "í lægð" meant "in the hollow of a valley" or "low-lying land", and could also refer to a "secret place" or a "hidden recess". | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | além de | ||
In Portuguese, "além de" can also mean "in addition to", "except for", "other than", or "exclusive of". | |||
Scots Gaelic | a bharrachd air an sin | ||
Spanish | además | ||
In Old Spanish, "además" meant "also," which is still one of its meanings today. | |||
Swedish | förutom | ||
Förutom's 'ur-' prefix suggests 'out of' or 'from', while its '-tom' suffix means 'empty' or 'void', yielding the literal meaning 'out of the void'. | |||
Welsh | ar wahân | ||
Ar wahân can also mean "aside" or "separate" in Welsh, with its roots in the Proto-Celtic word *wore-. |
Belarusian | да таго ж | ||
The phrase "да таго ж" can also mean "in addition to that" or "moreover". | |||
Bosnian | osim toga | ||
Osim toga is a conjunction that can also mean "except" or "apart from". | |||
Bulgarian | освен това | ||
The word "Освен това" can also mean "in addition to" or "in addition". | |||
Czech | kromě | ||
The Czech word "kromě" also has the meaning of "except for". | |||
Estonian | pealegi | ||
The words "Pealegi" and "Pealegi" in Estonian are homographs but have different etymologies. | |||
Finnish | sitä paitsi | ||
The phrase can also be used like "by the way" or "moreover"} | |||
Hungarian | kívül | ||
The word "kívül" can also mean "outdoors" or "in the open". | |||
Latvian | turklāt | ||
The word "Turklāt" has Turkic roots and is related to the Turkish word "tur" meaning "addition" or "continuation." | |||
Lithuanian | be to | ||
The Lithuanian word "be to" is a fossilized dative form of "tas" and means "in relation to something". | |||
Macedonian | покрај тоа | ||
The Slavic word "крај" meaning "side" is related to the Macedonian word "покрај" meaning "beside". | |||
Polish | oprócz | ||
The Polish preposition oprócz (besides), derives from the Proto-Slavic *oprokъ which has the meaning of 'away from the mouth'. | |||
Romanian | în afară de | ||
The Romanian word "în afară de" comes from the preposition "în" (in) and the noun "afară" (outside), and it can also mean "except for" or "apart from". | |||
Russian | помимо | ||
The word “Помимо” can also be an antonym of the Russian verb "унизить" (to humiliate). | |||
Serbian | осим тога | ||
In Serbian, "Осим тога" can also be used to emphasize something or to introduce an afterthought. | |||
Slovak | okrem toho | ||
The word "okrem toho" is a compound word consisting of the preposition "okrem" and the noun "to". "Okrem" means "except" or "besides", while "to" means "this". Thus, the literal meaning of "okrem toho" is "except for this" or "besides this." | |||
Slovenian | poleg tega | ||
The term "poleg tega" also has the alternate meaning of "in addition". | |||
Ukrainian | до того ж | ||
"До того ж" in Ukrainian can also mean "moreover" or "in addition to all this." |
Bengali | ছাড়াও | ||
In Bengali, "ছাড়াও" (chāṛāo) can also mean "except" or "excluding". | |||
Gujarati | ઉપરાંત | ||
ઉપરાંત, which means 'In addition' or 'Apart from' in Gujarati, comes from the Sanskrit word 'uparyanta' which means 'up to' or 'beyond' | |||
Hindi | के अतिरिक्त | ||
The word 'के अतिरिक्त' means 'in addition to' or 'apart from' in Hindi, and can also be used to introduce an exception or contrast. | |||
Kannada | ಜೊತೆಗೆ | ||
ಜೋಟಿಗ (jôṭiga) is a compound word formed by the junction of the words ಜೋಡಿ and ಗ | |||
Malayalam | കൂടാതെ | ||
The word "കൂടാതെ" can also mean "moreover", "in addition" or "as well as" in Malayalam. | |||
Marathi | याशिवाय | ||
The word "याशिवाय" in Marathi can also mean "except" or "other than". | |||
Nepali | बाहेक | ||
The word "बाहेक" can also mean "other than" or "in addition to". | |||
Punjabi | ਇਲਾਵਾ | ||
The word ਇਲਾਵਾ also means a | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | හැර | ||
In Sinhala, 'හැර' can also mean 'other than' or 'except for'. | |||
Tamil | தவிர | ||
The word தவிர (thavira) in Tamil is derived from the Sanskrit word 'tyāga' meaning 'abandonment' or 'rejection'. It is used to convey the idea of exclusion or exception. | |||
Telugu | కాకుండా | ||
The word 'కాకుండా' (kakunda) is derived from the Proto-Dravidian root '*ka:ku-', meaning 'except' or 'without'. | |||
Urdu | اس کے علاوہ | ||
Chinese (Simplified) | 除了 | ||
除了 is also used in the sense of 'except' and 'apart from' in Chinese. | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 除了 | ||
除了, 还可以当介词使用,表示“除了……以外”或者“除了……之外”。 | |||
Japanese | その上 | ||
その上 has a secondary meaning of "furthermore" and is often used when listing additional points. | |||
Korean | 게다가 | ||
게다가 is an abbreviation of 게다가에 ('plus the other one'), indicating an additional element to the preceding list or a new fact that arises in addition to what was mentioned earlier. | |||
Mongolian | түүнээс гадна | ||
Additionally, "Түүнээс гадна" may also translate to "other than," "separate from," or "apart from." | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | အပြင် | ||
Indonesian | selain | ||
'Selain' is an Indonesian word, meaning 'other than,' or 'except,' and its root is believed to come from Old Malay, with a possible relation to the Sanskrit word 'chala,' meaning 'move, wander, go away'. | |||
Javanese | saliyane | ||
Saliane is a borrowing from Sanskrit and besides its meaning of "besides" it is also used in the sense of "furthermore". | |||
Khmer | ក្រៅពី | ||
The word "ក្រៅពី" can also mean "outside" or "beyond" in Khmer. | |||
Lao | ນອກຈາກ | ||
Malay | selain itu | ||
The word 'selain itu' is also used in the sense of 'other than' or 'apart from'. | |||
Thai | นอกจากนี้ | ||
น. บทกวีกาพย์ ชนิดหนึ่งเรียกว่า นอกจากนี้ บทหนึ่ง ๆ เรียกว่าบทนอกนั้น | |||
Vietnamese | ngoài ra | ||
"Ngoài ra" is also used as a conjunction meaning "in addition to" or "as well as". | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | bukod sa | ||
Azerbaijani | bundan başqa | ||
The word "bundan başqa" is not the only way to say "besides" in Azerbaijani: "Bundan əlavə" and "Başqa" can be used as well. | |||
Kazakh | сонымен қатар | ||
The Kazakh word "сонымен қатар" can also mean "in addition" and can be used to introduce additional or supplementary information. | |||
Kyrgyz | мындан тышкары | ||
Tajik | ғайр аз | ||
The word "ғайр аз" (besides) can also be used in Tajik to mean "other than", "except for", or "apart from". | |||
Turkmen | mundan başga-da | ||
Uzbek | bundan tashqari | ||
The word "bundan tashqari" can also mean "in addition" or "as well as". | |||
Uyghur | ئۇنىڭدىن باشقا | ||
Hawaiian | ʻē aʻe | ||
ʻĒ aʻe can also mean "again" or "moreover". | |||
Maori | haunga | ||
Haunga can also refer to a group of people, a family, or a tribe, illustrating the interconnectedness of individuals within a Maori community. | |||
Samoan | e le gata i lea | ||
\"E le gata i lea" literally means \"not of the language\". | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | bukod sa | ||
Bukod sa, meaning "not this one," is a synonym for "hiwalay sa," which connotes separation or detachment. |
Aymara | juk'ampi | ||
Guarani | avei | ||
Esperanto | krome | ||
"Krome" also means "chrome" in Esperanto, referring to the shiny metal coating. | |||
Latin | praeter | ||
The Latin word "praeter" primarily means "past, beyond, aside" and can also imply exclusion or exception. |
Greek | εκτός | ||
"Εκτός" and its cognates in modern Greek have a wide range of meanings and uses that are not immediately apparent from their etymological origins in ancient Greek. | |||
Hmong | ntxiv rau | ||
“Ntiv rau” in Hmong can also mean “moreover” or “incidentally”. | |||
Kurdish | bêyî | ||
The Kurdish word "bêyî" can also mean "without" or "except". | |||
Turkish | dışında | ||
The Turkish word "dışında" also means "outside" or "apart from". | |||
Xhosa | ngaphandle | ||
The isiXhosa word 'ngaphandle' may also mean "outside, beyond, or apart from" | |||
Yiddish | אַחוץ | ||
Yiddish אַחוץ (akhtus) literally means 'outside' and it is related to the Hebrew word חוץ (khuts) with the same meaning. | |||
Zulu | ngaphandle | ||
The word 'ngaphandle' also has the meaning of 'exceedingly'. | |||
Assamese | তাৰোপৰি | ||
Aymara | juk'ampi | ||
Bhojpuri | के अलावा | ||
Dhivehi | އެހެންނޫނަސް | ||
Dogri | अलावा | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | bukod sa | ||
Guarani | avei | ||
Ilocano | iti arpad | ||
Krio | apat frɔm dat | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | سەرەڕای | ||
Maithili | क' अतिरिक्त | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯅꯥꯀꯟꯗ | ||
Mizo | chubakah | ||
Oromo | kana malees | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ଏହା ବ୍ୟତୀତ | | ||
Quechua | chaymantapas | ||
Sanskrit | अधि | ||
Tatar | моннан тыш | ||
Tigrinya | ጎና ጎኒ | ||
Tsonga | handleka | ||