Better in Different Languages
Discover 'Better' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'better' holds a special place in our hearts and minds as it represents improvement, progress, and advancement. It's a word that drives us to be better versions of ourselves, to make our lives better, and to contribute to making the world a better place. Better has been a part of our cultural lexicon for centuries, inspiring countless stories, songs, and sayings.
For those interested in language and culture, understanding the translation of better in different languages can provide fascinating insights into the values and beliefs of different cultures. For example, in Spanish, 'better' is 'mejor,' which shares its Latin root with the English word. Meanwhile, in Japanese, 'better' is 'すき ('suki'),' which also means 'like' or 'prefer,' highlighting the connection between what we prefer and what we consider better.
Below, you'll find a list of translations of better in different languages, from Arabic to Zulu, each with its own unique cultural context and significance. Explore them and discover the beauty and diversity of the world's languages and cultures.
Better
Better in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | beter | ||
| The Afrikaans word "beter" is derived from the Middle Dutch word "beter" and the Old English word "betera". | |||
| Amharic | የተሻለ | ||
| The word "የተሻለ" can also mean "improved" or "advanced". | |||
| Hausa | mafi kyau | ||
| The Hausa word "mafi kyau" is also used to refer to something that is "very good" | |||
| Igbo | mma | ||
| The Igbo word "mma" not only means "better," but also refers to the "right side" of the body or a "senior sibling". | |||
| Malagasy | tsara kokoa | ||
| "Tsara kokoa" in Malagasy can also mean "very good" or "the best". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | bwino | ||
| The word "bwino" in Nyanja also means "good" and "nice". | |||
| Shona | zvirinani | ||
| The word "zvirinani" in Shona, which means "better," is derived from the verb root "rina" (to surpass or excel). | |||
| Somali | fiican | ||
| In Southern Somali, fiican can mean 'to the right' in addition to "better". | |||
| Sesotho | betere | ||
| In Sesotho, the word "betere" not only means "better" but also "healthier". | |||
| Swahili | bora | ||
| "Bora" also means "good," "excellent," or "fine." | |||
| Xhosa | bhetele | ||
| The word "bhetele" can also mean "good" or "nice" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yoruba | dara julọ | ||
| The word "dara julọ" in Yoruba also means "very good" and "beautiful." | |||
| Zulu | kangcono | ||
| The word "kangcono" can also refer to superiority or excellence. | |||
| Bambara | fisa | ||
| Ewe | nyo wu | ||
| Kinyarwanda | byiza | ||
| Lingala | malamu koleka | ||
| Luganda | okusinga | ||
| Sepedi | kaone | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ɛyɛ | ||
Better in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | أفضل | ||
| In Arabic, "أفضل" can also refer to "higher" or "more superior" in the context of rank or status. | |||
| Hebrew | טוב יותר | ||
| The verb טוֹב can also mean to grow or increase, like in the phrase טוֹב לֵבָב (increase of the heart). | |||
| Pashto | ښه | ||
| The word "ښه" in Pashto ultimately traces its roots to the Proto-Indo-European word "*wesu-", meaning "good" or "desirable." | |||
| Arabic | أفضل | ||
| In Arabic, "أفضل" can also refer to "higher" or "more superior" in the context of rank or status. | |||
Better in Western European Languages
| Albanian | më mirë | ||
| In Tosk dialect, the word "më mirë" primarily means "healthier" but can also mean "better" overall, while in the Gheg dialect, "më mirë" exclusively means "better". | |||
| Basque | hobeto | ||
| "Hobetu" also means "to improve" or "to get better" in Basque. | |||
| Catalan | millor | ||
| The Catalan word "millor" comes from the Latin word "melior", meaning "better" or "more favorable". | |||
| Croatian | bolje | ||
| The Croatian word "bolje" has cognates in other Slavic languages, such as "belyj" (Russian for "white"), suggesting a possible connection to the concepts of "lightness" and "goodness". | |||
| Danish | bedre | ||
| The Danish word "bedre" is thought to have roots in the Proto-Germanic *batizaz, meaning "to improve" or "to make good". | |||
| Dutch | beter | ||
| In Dutch, 'beter' can also mean 'improvement' or 'recovery' from illness or injury. | |||
| English | better | ||
| "Better" is a comparative adjective of "good" and can also mean "more than" or "rather". | |||
| French | mieux | ||
| The word 'mieux' in French has evolved from the Latin word 'melius', meaning both 'better' and 'more' | |||
| Frisian | better | ||
| The Frisian word "better" is derived from the Old English word "beter" and is a cognate with the Dutch word "beter" and the German word "besser." | |||
| Galician | mellor | ||
| Mellor is a variant of the comparative of "bo" ("good") "mellor" in Galician. | |||
| German | besser | ||
| "Besser" can also be used as an adverb to mean "more". For instance, "ich kann es besser" means "I can do it more (or better)". | |||
| Icelandic | betra | ||
| "Betra" is the comparative form of "gott" (good) and can also mean "more" or "rather". | |||
| Irish | níos fearr | ||
| Italian | meglio | ||
| The Italian word "meglio" derives from the Latin "meliorem", comparative of "bonus" and means both "better" and "best". | |||
| Luxembourgish | besser | ||
| Besser is the comparative of 'good' or 'well' and is derived from the Middle High German 'bezzer' ('better') and the Old High German 'bezziro' ('better'). | |||
| Maltese | aħjar | ||
| The Maltese word "aħjar" derives from the Arabic "aḥjar" meaning "more noble, more worthy". | |||
| Norwegian | bedre | ||
| The Norwegian word 'bedre' is cognate with the English word 'better', both derived from the Proto-Germanic word *batizo ('good'). | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | melhor | ||
| The word "Melhor" derives from the Latin "melior", and its alternate meanings include "more desirable", "more advantageous", and "more suitable". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | nas fheàrr | ||
| The word "nas fheàrr" in Scots Gaelic originally meant "best, foremost", but is now commonly used to mean "better". | |||
| Spanish | mejor | ||
| The Spanish word "mejor" derives from the Latin "melior", meaning better, and can also refer to a child's older sibling or a child's favorite thing. | |||
| Swedish | bättre | ||
| The Swedish word "bättre" can also mean "more" or "rather", and is cognate with the English word "better" and the German word "besser"} | |||
| Welsh | gwell | ||
| In Welsh, 'gwell' can also mean 'health' or 'wellness', reflecting the holistic connection between physical and mental well-being in the language. | |||
Better in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | лепш | ||
| The word "лепш" comes from the Proto-Slavic root *lěpъ, which also means "beautiful". | |||
| Bosnian | bolje | ||
| The word "bolje" can also mean "more" or "rather" in Bosnian, especially when used in comparative constructions. | |||
| Bulgarian | по-добре | ||
| "По-добре" is derived from the root "добър" (good) and means "in a better way" or "to a better degree, | |||
| Czech | lepší | ||
| "Lepší" comes from the Proto-Slavic "*lěpъšī" and is also the root of the words "lepidlo" (glue) and "lepivý" (sticky). | |||
| Estonian | parem | ||
| "Parem" is not only used to compare two things, but it can also mean "healthy" or "right" in some contexts. | |||
| Finnish | paremmin | ||
| The word "paremmin" is derived from the Proto-Finnic word *parempi*, which also meant "more". | |||
| Hungarian | jobb | ||
| The word "jobb" also means "right" in Hungarian, with potential etymological ties to the concept of correctness or superiority. | |||
| Latvian | labāk | ||
| The word "labāk" in Latvian can also mean "rather" or "more". | |||
| Lithuanian | geriau | ||
| Derived from PIE root *ǵʰer- ("to desire, to love") and cognate with Greek χείρων ("worse") and Latin cura ("care, concern"). | |||
| Macedonian | подобро | ||
| "Подобро" in Macedonian derives from the Proto-Slavic "*po-dobrъ", meaning "very good" or "rather good". | |||
| Polish | lepszy | ||
| It is related to Polish "lepki" ("sticky") and Old Prussian "lappen" ("to stick"), likely denoting "more adhesive". | |||
| Romanian | mai bine | ||
| The Romanian word "mai bine" originated from the Latin phrase "magis bene". | |||
| Russian | лучше | ||
| The word “лучше” comes from the Old Slavonic word “лучiи”, which means “better”. The original meaning of the word was “more pleasing” or “more suitable”. Over time, it came to mean “better” in a more general sense. | |||
| Serbian | боље | ||
| The Serbian word 'боље' ('bolje') originates from the Proto-Slavic word 'bolьjь', which also meant 'more' and 'rather' in some Slavic languages. | |||
| Slovak | lepšie | ||
| The Slovak word "lepšie" (better) shares the same etymological root ("lep-") as the English word "lip" (to touch, to adhere). | |||
| Slovenian | bolje | ||
| The word 'bolje' is derived from the Proto-Slavic 'boljь' and also means 'rather' or 'sooner'. | |||
| Ukrainian | краще | ||
| In Polish, the word "lepiej" ("better") comes from "bole" ("pain" or "agony", cf. "boleo" in Latin) and means "less painful". | |||
Better in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | উত্তম | ||
| In the past, "উত্তম" meant "upwards" or "higher", and also "good" or "appropriate." | |||
| Gujarati | વધુ સારું | ||
| The word "વધુ સારું" is derived from the Sanskrit word "वधु" (vadhu), meaning "bride" or "good wife", and it is often used in the context of praising someone or something. | |||
| Hindi | बेहतर | ||
| The Hindi word 'बेहतर' can also be used to mean 'more' or 'greater', and it is derived from the Sanskrit word 'bhotara', which means 'excellent' or 'superior'. | |||
| Kannada | ಉತ್ತಮ | ||
| The word "ಉತ್ತಮ" also means "high" or "elevated" in Kannada. | |||
| Malayalam | മികച്ചത് | ||
| "മികച്ചത്" is derived from the Sanskrit word "medhya," meaning "intelligence" or "intellect". | |||
| Marathi | चांगले | ||
| चांगले comes from the Sanskrit word "caṅguṇa" meaning "good" and can also mean "beautiful," "pleasant," "excellent," "well," or "perfect." | |||
| Nepali | राम्रो | ||
| राम्रो also means "beautiful" and in certain contexts "correct" | |||
| Punjabi | ਬਿਹਤਰ | ||
| The Punjabi word 'बिहਤ' ('bihit'), which 'बिहतर' ('bihter') is derived from, means 'a lot' and 'abundance' | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | වඩා හොඳ | ||
| Tamil | சிறந்தது | ||
| சிறந்தது can also mean 'very', 'much', 'a lot', or 'great' in Tamil. | |||
| Telugu | మంచి | ||
| "మంచి" can also mean "good", "right", or "well" in Telugu. | |||
| Urdu | بہتر | ||
| The word "behtar" in Urdu originated from the Persian word "beh" meaning "good" or "well, whereas in English, "better" is a comparative adjective indicating a higher degree of quality or status. | |||
Better in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 更好 | ||
| 更好 (更好) also sometimes mean 'even more' to emphasize a degree in Chinese (like 'much higher' vs 'even more higher'). | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 更好 | ||
| “更好”的字面意思是“更加好”，也常用于表示“改进”。 | |||
| Japanese | より良い | ||
| The word "より良い" (literally "more good") can also mean "improved" or "better quality". | |||
| Korean | ...보다 나은 | ||
| "보다 나은" is a compound word composed of "보다" ("than") and "나은" ("good"), and can also mean "rather" in certain contexts. | |||
| Mongolian | илүү сайн | ||
| The Mongolian word "илүү сайн" can also refer to "more suitable" or "more appropriate". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ပိုကောင်း | ||
Better in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | lebih baik | ||
| Kata 'lebih baik' juga berarti 'lebih banyak' dalam konteks tertentu. | |||
| Javanese | luwih apik | ||
| "Luwih apik" can also mean "prettier" or "more beautiful". | |||
| Khmer | កាន់តែប្រសើរ | ||
| Lao | ດີກວ່າ | ||
| Malay | lebih baik | ||
| The word "lebih baik" is a combination of the words "lebih" (more) and "baik" (good), suggesting a comparative degree of superiority. | |||
| Thai | ดีกว่า | ||
| "ดีกว่า" means "better" than but can also mean "more" as in "more expensive". | |||
| Vietnamese | tốt hơn | ||
| "Tốt hơn" literally translates to "being good at," a reference to someone with a skill, such as a painter or sculptor | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | mas mabuti | ||
Better in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | daha yaxşı | ||
| The word “daha yaxşı” can also be used to mean “improved” or “more efficient”. | |||
| Kazakh | жақсы | ||
| The Kazakh word "жақсы" is cognate with the Turkic word "yaḳşı" and ultimately derives from the Proto-Mongolic word *saɢa, meaning "good, right". | |||
| Kyrgyz | жакшы | ||
| In Kyrgyz, the word "жакшы" not only means "better", but also "good" or even "fine". | |||
| Tajik | беҳтар аст | ||
| In Persian (from which Tajik is derived), "beh" means "good" or "better" and "tar" means "comparative". So "behtar" means "better" literally | |||
| Turkmen | has gowy | ||
| Uzbek | yaxshiroq | ||
| The word "yaxshiroq" is also used to refer to something that is "more desirable" or "more beneficial". | |||
| Uyghur | تېخىمۇ ياخشى | ||
Better in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ʻoi aku ka maikaʻi | ||
| The ʻoi aku ka maikaʻi phrase translates directly to “that which is more excellent,” and emphasizes that something is very good. | |||
| Maori | pai ake | ||
| In Maori, "pai ake" also means "more good" or "very good" and is the comparative form of "pai" ("good"). | |||
| Samoan | sili atu | ||
| The word "sili atu" can be literally translated as "more sharp". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | mas mabuti | ||
| The Tagalog word 'mas mabuti' ('better') is also used to mean 'preferable' or 'more desirable'. | |||
Better in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | aski | ||
| Guarani | porãve | ||
Better in International Languages
| Esperanto | pli bone | ||
| The word "pli bone" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *pleh₂- meaning "to fill". | |||
| Latin | melior | ||
| The Latin word "melior" originally referred to honey and was later associated with sweetness, excellence, and improvement. | |||
Better in Others Languages
| Greek | καλύτερα | ||
| The term "καλύτερα" also serves as a noun in Modern Greek, referring to betterment or improvement, particularly in health or well-being. | |||
| Hmong | zoo dua | ||
| The Hmong word "zoo dua" also has the alternate meanings "more" or "too". | |||
| Kurdish | baştir | ||
| Baştir can also mean 'the act of tying' or 'the place where something is tied' in Kurdish. | |||
| Turkish | daha iyi | ||
| The word "daha iyi" can also mean "very good" or "excellent." | |||
| Xhosa | bhetele | ||
| The word "bhetele" can also mean "good" or "nice" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yiddish | בעסער | ||
| The word "בעסער" can also mean "more" or "additional." | |||
| Zulu | kangcono | ||
| The word "kangcono" can also refer to superiority or excellence. | |||
| Assamese | উত্তম | ||
| Aymara | aski | ||
| Bhojpuri | बढ़िया | ||
| Dhivehi | ރަނގަޅު | ||
| Dogri | बधिया | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | mas mabuti | ||
| Guarani | porãve | ||
| Ilocano | maymayat | ||
| Krio | bɛtɛ | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | باشتر | ||
| Maithili | बेहतर | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯍꯦꯟꯅ ꯐꯕ | ||
| Mizo | tha zawk | ||
| Oromo | fooyya'aa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଭଲ | ||
| Quechua | aswan allin | ||
| Sanskrit | समीचीनतर | ||
| Tatar | яхшырак | ||
| Tigrinya | ዝሓሸ | ||
| Tsonga | antswa | ||