Best in Different Languages
Discover 'Best' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'best' holds a significant place in our vocabulary, signifying excellence, superiority, and an aspirational quality that drives us to achieve greatness. Its cultural importance is evident in various aspects of our lives, from the books we read to the products we buy, and the people we admire. 'Best' is not just a superlative adjective; it is a powerful concept that inspires us to strive for greatness and to continuously improve ourselves.
Moreover, understanding the translation of 'best' in different languages can offer fascinating insights into the cultural nuances and values of various societies. For instance, the German word 'Bestmöglich' not only means 'best' but also implies the idea of striving for the most favorable outcome possible. Similarly, the Chinese word 'jiàn' (坚) signifies 'best' in the context of perseverance, determination, and unyielding spirit.
So, whether you're a language enthusiast, a cultural explorer, or simply curious about how different cultures express the concept of excellence, read on to discover the translations of 'best' in various languages.
Best
Best in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | beste | ||
| The Afrikaans word "beste" is derived from the Dutch word "beste" meaning "best" and can also be used as a form of address for a close friend or family member. | |||
| Amharic | ምርጥ | ||
| "ምርጥ" is derived from the root "ምረጥ", which means "to choose". | |||
| Hausa | mafi kyau | ||
| Hausa word "mafi kyau" also means "most beautiful, handsome or fine." | |||
| Igbo | kacha mma | ||
| In Igbo, "kacha mma" also means "most excellent" and is used to denote superiority or extreme quality. | |||
| Malagasy | tsara indrindra | ||
| The word "tsara indrindra" is derived from the words "tsara" (good) and "indrindra" (most), and can also mean "excellent" or "very good." | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | zabwino | ||
| The word "zabwino" in Nyanja (Chichewa) is also used as a noun to refer to the good or excellent qualities of something. | |||
| Shona | zvakanaka | ||
| The word "zvakanaka" can also mean "very good" or "excellent" in Shona. | |||
| Somali | ugu fiican | ||
| The Somali word "ugu fiican" (best) originates from the Arabic phrase "al-fuʾqa fi al-ḥāl" (the highest in rank or quality). | |||
| Sesotho | molemo ka ho fetisisa | ||
| Swahili | bora | ||
| The word "bora" in Swahili also means "good". | |||
| Xhosa | okona kulungileyo | ||
| The word 'okona kulungileyo' literally means 'the one who has done right' in Xhosa. | |||
| Yoruba | ti o dara julọ | ||
| The word "ti o dara julọ" in Yoruba means "most favored" or "most excellent" and is often used to describe people or things that are highly valued or praised. | |||
| Zulu | okuhle kakhulu | ||
| The Zulu word "okuhle kakhulu" literally translates to "very good" or "extremely good". | |||
| Bambara | fisaya | ||
| Ewe | nyuietᴐ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | byiza | ||
| Lingala | malamu koleka | ||
| Luganda | ekisinga | ||
| Sepedi | kaonekaone | ||
| Twi (Akan) | papa pa ara | ||
Best in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | الأفضل | ||
| The Arabic word "الأفضل" also means "the most appropriate" and has the same consonants as "الفاضل" ("virtuous"). | |||
| Hebrew | הטוב ביותר | ||
| The word "הטוב ביותר" literally means "the best of the good" in Hebrew. | |||
| Pashto | غوره | ||
| The word "غوره" in Pashto also means "top" or "uppermost part" of something. | |||
| Arabic | الأفضل | ||
| The Arabic word "الأفضل" also means "the most appropriate" and has the same consonants as "الفاضل" ("virtuous"). | |||
Best in Western European Languages
| Albanian | më të mirë | ||
| In Albanian, "më të mirë" not only means "best", but also "better" in certain contexts like comparisons. | |||
| Basque | onena | ||
| The Basque word 'onena' comes from the Proto-Basque root *on-, meaning 'good' or 'better'. | |||
| Catalan | millor | ||
| The word millor (meaning "best" in Catalan) may also refer to an old coin from Majorca. | |||
| Croatian | najbolje | ||
| The word "najbolje" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "naj" meaning "most" and "bolje" meaning "good". | |||
| Danish | bedst | ||
| In Danish, "bedst" holds the alternate meaning of "at the end" or "last". | |||
| Dutch | het beste | ||
| In Dutch, "het beste" not only means "the best" but also "the most" or "all of it." | |||
| English | best | ||
| "Best" originates from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₁ésti, meaning "excellent" or "superlative." | |||
| French | meilleur | ||
| The word "meilleur" in French, although it shares the meaning "best" with its English cognate, also has a connotation of "the most ripe, the ripest" in some contexts. | |||
| Frisian | bêst | ||
| The Frisian word "bêst" is related to the English "beast", and means "big" or "large". | |||
| Galician | mellor | ||
| The word "mellor" in Galician can also mean "better" or "more". | |||
| German | beste | ||
| The word "Beste" in German can also mean "east" or "beast". | |||
| Icelandic | best | ||
| Icelandic "besti" has a secondary meaning that's related to "beat" meaning the defeat of another individual or group and its derivatives "beta" and "beat". | |||
| Irish | is fearr | ||
| The Irish word "is fearr" can also mean "better" or "superior", and is related to the comparative form of the adjective "maith" (good). | |||
| Italian | migliore | ||
| The word "migliore" originally meant "more sweet" in Latin, which is the root of the English word "meliorism". | |||
| Luxembourgish | bescht | ||
| The Luxembourgish word "bescht" can also refer to a type of pastry filled with fruit or chocolate. | |||
| Maltese | l-aħjar | ||
| Maltese word l-aħjar (best) is derived from the Arabic al-khayr (good) and also means "good" and "better". | |||
| Norwegian | beste | ||
| Norwegian "beste" means "best" (as an adjective), but can also mean "grandmother" or "aunt" (as a noun). | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | melhor | ||
| The word 'melhor' is derived from the Latin 'melior', meaning 'better', and shares a root with the English word 'mellowness'. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | as fheàrr | ||
| The Scots Gaelic phrase "as fheàrr" may also refer to health, well-being, or excellence in a particular domain. | |||
| Spanish | mejor | ||
| The word "mejor" comes from the Latin "melior", meaning "better" or "more excellent". | |||
| Swedish | bäst | ||
| The word "bäst" in Swedish can also mean "feast" or "banquet". | |||
| Welsh | orau | ||
| Orau, which appears in the names of several locations in Wales, derives from the Middle Welsh word "awr" (hour) and may have been used to denote places where religious services were held at specific times. | |||
Best in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | лепшае | ||
| The word "лепшае" is a cognate with the Polish word "lepsze", both meaning "better", and is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *lěpъšij, which meant "more pleasant" or "more beautiful." | |||
| Bosnian | najbolje | ||
| The word "najbolje" in Bosnian is derived from the Slavic root "bolj", meaning "more" or "better", and the suffix "-je", which denotes a superlative form. | |||
| Bulgarian | най-добре | ||
| The Bulgarian word "най-добре" also means "the most well" or "optimally". | |||
| Czech | nejlepší | ||
| The word "nejlepší" is derived from the Czech word "nej" (meaning "most") and the comparative suffix "-jší" (meaning "-er"). | |||
| Estonian | parim | ||
| The word "parim" in Estonian also means "very much" or "really". | |||
| Finnish | parhaat | ||
| Its origin is the word "parhain", an adjective that in its superlative form is "paras". The Estonian equivalent, "parim", has a similar use and origin. | |||
| Hungarian | legjobb | ||
| In Hungarian, "legjobb" also means "most right" or "most correct". | |||
| Latvian | labākais | ||
| The word "labākais" is derived from the Old East Baltic word "laba", meaning "good", and the comparative suffix "-kais", used to indicate a greater degree of goodness. | |||
| Lithuanian | geriausia | ||
| The word "geriausia" in Lithuanian shares the same root with the word "geras" (good). | |||
| Macedonian | најдобар | ||
| The word "најдобар" in Macedonian originates from the Proto-Slavic root "naj-", which also means "most" or "greatest." | |||
| Polish | najlepsza | ||
| Although it means "the best" in Polish, "Najlepsza" can also be a female first name of Polish origin. | |||
| Romanian | cel mai bun | ||
| The Romanian word "Cel mai bun" is also used to mean "very good" or "the best of the best." | |||
| Russian | лучший | ||
| The word "Лучший" is derived from the Old Slavonic word "людъштии", meaning "more people's" or "the people's choice." | |||
| Serbian | најбоље | ||
| The word "најбоље" (best) in Serbian comes from the Proto-Slavic word *najboljь, which also meant "better." | |||
| Slovak | najlepšie | ||
| "Najlepšie" derives from "liepe," meaning "linden tree," and thus signifies "under the linden tree," a site often used for village meetings. | |||
| Slovenian | najboljše | ||
| The word "najboljše" is derived from the superlative form of the adjective "dobro" (good). | |||
| Ukrainian | найкраще | ||
| The Ukrainian word "найкраще" is derived from the Old Church Slavonic word "наи-краще", which means "most beautiful". | |||
Best in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | সেরা | ||
| সেরা is derived from the Sanskrit word 'श्रेष्ठ' (śreṣṭha), meaning 'best' or 'most excellent'. | |||
| Gujarati | શ્રેષ્ઠ | ||
| In ancient Sanskrit, | |||
| Hindi | श्रेष्ठ | ||
| The word "श्रेष्ठ" comes from the Sanskrit word "śreṣṭha", which means "excellent" or "preeminent". | |||
| Kannada | ಅತ್ಯುತ್ತಮ | ||
| Malayalam | മികച്ചത് | ||
| മികച്ചത് is a term used in India to describe a person or thing with exceptional qualities, often referring to the best in a particular category or field. | |||
| Marathi | सर्वोत्तम | ||
| In Sanskrit, the word "सर्वोत्तम" (sarvottama) means "most excellent" and is used as an honorific title for deities or highly respected individuals. | |||
| Nepali | उत्तम | ||
| The term उत्तम (uttam) in Nepali, derived from Sanskrit, also refers to a specific type of rice cultivated in the country. | |||
| Punjabi | ਵਧੀਆ | ||
| The word "ਵਧੀਆ" can also mean "good" or "beautiful" in Punjabi. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | හොඳම | ||
| "හොඳම" is also used to denote the highest grade in a school or university examination. | |||
| Tamil | சிறந்தது | ||
| Telugu | ఉత్తమమైనది | ||
| Derived from the Sanskrit 'uttama', meaning 'highest' or 'most excellent', implying an incomparable degree of quality. | |||
| Urdu | بہترین | ||
| The word "بہترین" is derived from the Arabic word "بهر" meaning "abundance" or "plenty." | |||
Best in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 最好 | ||
| The term "最好" (best) is also used to express the superlative of adjectives and adverbs, as well as the meaning of "very much" or "a lot". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 最好 | ||
| The word 最好 (best) also has the connotation of "most appropriate" or "most optimal". | |||
| Japanese | ベスト | ||
| The word "ベスト" ("besuto") in Japanese can also refer to a vest or a waistcoat, deriving from the English word "vest". | |||
| Korean | 베스트 | ||
| The word '베스트' has alternate meanings of 'vest' and 'guest' in Korean. | |||
| Mongolian | хамгийн сайн | ||
| The word 'хамгийн сайн' (best) in Mongolian is derived from the Old Mongolian word 'хамаг' (all) and the suffix '-сайн' (good), meaning 'all-good' or 'the best'. It is also used to express the abstract idea of 'goodness' or 'excellence' and the plural form of 'сайн' (good). | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အကောင်းဆုံး | ||
Best in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | terbaik | ||
| The root word 'baik' in 'terbaik' means 'good', and the prefix 'ter-' denotes the superlative form, hence 'the best'. | |||
| Javanese | paling apik | ||
| The word "paling apik" in Javanese also means "most beautiful" or "most handsome". | |||
| Khmer | ល្អបំផុត | ||
| The word "ល្អបំផុត" in Khmer can also be used to refer to a person's superior or an object of highest quality. | |||
| Lao | ດີທີ່ສຸດ | ||
| Malay | terbaik | ||
| Terbaik is the Bahasa form of the Arabic word tayyib, which holds the same meaning or better in the sense of goodness, excellent, pleasant, well, etc. | |||
| Thai | ดีที่สุด | ||
| The word "ดีที่สุด" is also used to refer to a favorite or most beloved person or thing. | |||
| Vietnamese | tốt | ||
| Tốt originated from the Chinese character tốt (好), which can mean good, well, fine, nice, excellent, beautiful, pleasant, favorable, beneficial, advantageous, and satisfactory. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pinakamahusay | ||
Best in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | yaxşı | ||
| The word "yaxşı" is derived from the Persian word "behtar", meaning "better" or "good". | |||
| Kazakh | жақсы | ||
| "Жақсы" is a word with positive connotations and can also mean "good", "well", or "nice" | |||
| Kyrgyz | мыкты | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "мыкты" (best) is also used to mean "strong" or "firm". | |||
| Tajik | беҳтарин | ||
| The word "беҳтарин" can also mean "excellent" or "very good" in Tajik. | |||
| Turkmen | iň gowusy | ||
| Uzbek | eng yaxshi | ||
| The Uzbek word "eng yaxshi" can also refer to "most favorable" or "most advantageous." | |||
| Uyghur | ئەڭ ياخشى | ||
Best in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ʻoi aku ka maikaʻi | ||
| 'Oi aku ka maikaʻi' ('best') also means 'more good' or 'more excellent' when used in comparative form. | |||
| Maori | pai rawa atu | ||
| Pai rawa atu is also a term of endearment, used to express love or admiration for someone. | |||
| Samoan | sili | ||
| Sili also has a dual meaning and can be used to describe the chief or leader of a group or village. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | pinakamahusay na | ||
| The word "pinakamahusay na" is derived from the root word "husay" which means "skill" or "ability". | |||
Best in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | waliki | ||
| Guarani | iporãvéva | ||
Best in International Languages
| Esperanto | plej bona | ||
| Originating from the superlative form of the Latin adjective "bonus" (good), "plej bona" (best) in Esperanto has preserved its semantic meaning in a more recognizable form to Latin speakers than other words of similar lineage. | |||
| Latin | optimum | ||
| The Latin word 'optimum' originally meant 'most advantageous' and was used in the context of agriculture. | |||
Best in Others Languages
| Greek | καλύτερος | ||
| The Greek word "καλύτερος" ("best") comes from the Proto-Indo-European word "*kel-," meaning "to surpass" or "to excel." | |||
| Hmong | zoo tshaj plaws | ||
| The Hmong word "zoo tshaj plaws" can also mean "very good" or "excellent." | |||
| Kurdish | baştirîn | ||
| The term baştirîn originates from the Persian language and is composed of "ser" which refers to "head" and "ter" which indicates "highest", therefore meaning "best" or "optimal". | |||
| Turkish | en iyi | ||
| "En iyi" is also a common phrase meaning "in the best way" or "in the best manner." | |||
| Xhosa | okona kulungileyo | ||
| The word 'okona kulungileyo' literally means 'the one who has done right' in Xhosa. | |||
| Yiddish | בעסטער | ||
| The Yiddish word "בעסטער" (best) is derived from the German word "besser" (better) and also means "boyfriend" in Yiddish slang. | |||
| Zulu | okuhle kakhulu | ||
| The Zulu word "okuhle kakhulu" literally translates to "very good" or "extremely good". | |||
| Assamese | সৰ্বোত্তম | ||
| Aymara | waliki | ||
| Bhojpuri | सबसे नीमन | ||
| Dhivehi | އެންމެ ރަނގަޅު | ||
| Dogri | बधिया | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pinakamahusay | ||
| Guarani | iporãvéva | ||
| Ilocano | kasayaatan | ||
| Krio | bɛst | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | باشترین | ||
| Maithili | सब सं बढ़ियां | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯈ꯭ꯋꯥꯏꯗꯒꯤ ꯐꯕ | ||
| Mizo | tha ber | ||
| Oromo | kan hunda caalu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ସର୍ବୋତ୍ତମ | ||
| Quechua | aswan allin | ||
| Sanskrit | श्रेष्ठः | ||
| Tatar | иң яхшы | ||
| Tigrinya | ምሩፅ | ||
| Tsonga | antswa | ||