Between in Different Languages
Discover 'Between' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'between' is a simple preposition in English, but it carries a significant weight in communication. It connects things, people, or ideas, creating a relationship that's crucial in understanding context. From a cultural perspective, 'between' is used in numerous idiomatic expressions, such as 'being caught between a rock and a hard place', highlighting the dilemma of choosing between two undesirable options.
Given its importance, knowing the translation of 'between' in different languages can enrich your communication skills and cultural understanding. For instance, in Spanish, 'between' translates to 'entre', while in French, it's 'entre'. In German, it's 'zwischen', and in Japanese, 'between' is 'あいだ (aidа)'. These translations not only help in literal translation but also provide insights into how different cultures perceive and express the concept of 'between'.
Stay tuned as we delve deeper into the translations of 'between' in various languages, providing you with a global perspective on this simple yet profound word.
Between
Between in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | tussen | ||
| From the Middle Dutch word "tusschen", akin to the English word "twixt" | |||
| Amharic | መካከል | ||
| መካከል can mean either 'between', or 'during' | |||
| Hausa | tsakanin | ||
| The Hausa word "tsakanin" can also mean "among" or "within". | |||
| Igbo | n'etiti | ||
| The Igbo word "n'etiti" can be broken down into "n'" (meaning "in") and "etiti" (meaning "center"), suggesting its literal translation as "in the center". | |||
| Malagasy | eo | ||
| The Malagasy word "eo" can also mean "by" or "with". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | pakati | ||
| The word `pakati' means `between,' originates from the root word `paka,' and can also mean to cut into two pieces. | |||
| Shona | pakati | ||
| The word "pakati" is also used to mean "in the middle of" or "amongst" something. | |||
| Somali | u dhexeeya | ||
| The word "u dhexeeya" can also mean "through" or "among" in Somali. | |||
| Sesotho | pakeng tsa | ||
| Swahili | kati | ||
| The word 'kati' can also refer to waist in some East African dialects and has similar etymological roots to the Greek 'ketos' (whale), possibly due to historical trade connections. | |||
| Xhosa | phakathi | ||
| The word '*phakathi* (between) can also mean middle, central, or interior (of a country/place/etc.). | |||
| Yoruba | laarin | ||
| Laarin is cognate with 'l'aarin', 'arin' or 'aarin', all meaning "interior", "midst" or "in between" depending on context. | |||
| Zulu | phakathi | ||
| Used in the phrase 'phakathi kwe' to mean 'in the midst of' or 'amongst'. | |||
| Bambara | cɛ | ||
| Ewe | titina | ||
| Kinyarwanda | hagati | ||
| Lingala | na kati ya | ||
| Luganda | mu masekkati | ||
| Sepedi | magareng | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ntam | ||
Between in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | ما بين | ||
| ما بين (bayna) can also refer to an unspecified period, amount, distance, or space, as in ما بين العصر والمغرب (between afternoon and sunset). | |||
| Hebrew | בֵּין | ||
| The name of the Jewish month of "Iyar" is derived from the Akkadian word "ayar" (meaning "light"), and may be related to the Hebrew word "בֵּין" (meaning "between") referring to its position between the months of Nisan and Sivan. | |||
| Pashto | تر منځ | ||
| The Pashto word "تر منځ" is also used to describe the relationship between two things or persons who are emotionally connected. | |||
| Arabic | ما بين | ||
| ما بين (bayna) can also refer to an unspecified period, amount, distance, or space, as in ما بين العصر والمغرب (between afternoon and sunset). | |||
Between in Western European Languages
| Albanian | ndërmjet | ||
| "Ndërmjet" is the Albanian equivalent of the Greek word "μεταξύ" (metáxy), which means "in between" or "among". | |||
| Basque | artean | ||
| Artean can also mean 'with' or 'together' in Basque. | |||
| Catalan | entre | ||
| In Catalan, "entre" also means the "internal part of something" | |||
| Croatian | između | ||
| The Croatian word "između" is a cognate of the English word "among" and also has the alternate meaning of "aside". | |||
| Danish | mellem | ||
| In Swedish, 'mellem' means 'among' or 'in the middle', and 'mellan' means 'between'. | |||
| Dutch | tussen | ||
| In Dutch, "tussen" can refer to the physical or abstract space between two entities or indicate a time period that lies between two points in time. | |||
| English | between | ||
| Historically "between" only applied to two objects but now can be used for any number, and its original meaning, "in the midst of" remains in phrases like "there was a great feast between them" | |||
| French | entre | ||
| The French word "entre" can also refer to the entrance, gap, interval, or opening of something. | |||
| Frisian | tusken | ||
| Frisian "tusken" is related to Dutch "tussen" and German "zwischen", all meaning "between". | |||
| Galician | entre | ||
| In Galician, "entre" can also mean "during" or "within". | |||
| German | zwischen | ||
| In German, "zwischen" also means "meanwhile" or "in the meantime". | |||
| Icelandic | milli | ||
| In Icelandic, "milli" also means "among, during, into, or within". | |||
| Irish | idir | ||
| Idir can also mean 'among', 'through', 'via', 'versus', 'during', 'in the midst of', 'by turns', 'alternately', 'intermittently', or 'reciprocally'. | |||
| Italian | fra | ||
| In Italian, "fra" can also refer to a friar or a member of a monastic order. | |||
| Luxembourgish | tëscht | ||
| In the German language used in Luxembourg, "tëscht" can also mean "among", "through", "over", "on" or "into" depending on the context. | |||
| Maltese | bejn | ||
| "Bejn" can also mean "among" or "amidst." | |||
| Norwegian | mellom | ||
| In Old Norse, "mellom" also meant "middle" and is related to the English word "middle" | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | entre | ||
| The word "entre" in Portuguese can also mean "among", "inside" or "within". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | eadar | ||
| Eadar, meaning "between" in Scots Gaelic, also refers to "mutual" or "equally". | |||
| Spanish | entre | ||
| The word "Entre" is derived from the Latin "inter" meaning "among" or "within". | |||
| Swedish | mellan | ||
| Mellan (between) is also a preposition used in Swedish to express a relationship between two things, and as a noun meaning "interval". | |||
| Welsh | rhwng | ||
| The word "rhwng" in Welsh can also mean "among" or "amidst". | |||
Between in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | паміж | ||
| Bosnian | između | ||
| "Između" in Bosnian originally referred to a gap between two rivers. | |||
| Bulgarian | между | ||
| Bulgarian "между" corresponds to Russian "между" and Serbian "између." | |||
| Czech | mezi | ||
| The word 'mezi' has the same origin as the German preposition 'mit', meaning 'with'. | |||
| Estonian | vahel | ||
| "Vahel" derives from a Proto-Finnic "*väli-", meaning "space", and is also found in Finnish, Karelian, and Veps, where it carries similar meanings. | |||
| Finnish | välillä | ||
| "Välillä" can also mean "sometimes" or "occasionally". | |||
| Hungarian | között | ||
| The Hungarian word "között" can refer to a spatial relationship between two or more objects, a temporal relationship between two or more events, or a logical relationship between two or more concepts. | |||
| Latvian | starp | ||
| Another meaning of "starp" is "among or within" instead of "between". | |||
| Lithuanian | tarp | ||
| While the Lithuanian word "tarp" has the primary meaning of "between", it also denotes space inside a container without necessarily indicating a separation. | |||
| Macedonian | помеѓу | ||
| The word "помеѓу" can also mean "among" or "amidst". | |||
| Polish | pomiędzy | ||
| In old Polish language, 'pomiędzy' could also mean 'after some time', 'later', or 'in certain period of time'. | |||
| Romanian | între | ||
| Între is often used in idiomatic expressions, such as entre timp ("in the meantime") or se întîmplă ("it happens"). | |||
| Russian | между | ||
| The word "между" can also mean "among" or "during". | |||
| Serbian | између | ||
| The word "између" derives from the Old Slavic word "mędъ", meaning "among" or "in the middle". | |||
| Slovak | medzi | ||
| In some dialects, "medzi" can also mean "among" or "during". | |||
| Slovenian | med | ||
| The word "med" also means "honey" in Slovenian and has cognates across the Slavic languages. | |||
| Ukrainian | між | ||
| "Між" is related to "міра" (measure), meaning the space between two measurements. | |||
Between in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | মধ্যে | ||
| The word "মধ্যে" (madhye) in Bengali can also refer to "within" or "among" depending on the context. | |||
| Gujarati | વચ્ચે | ||
| The Gujarati word "વચ્ચે" is also used to mean "inside" or "within". | |||
| Hindi | के बीच | ||
| The word "के बीच" can also be used to mean "in the midst of" or "during". | |||
| Kannada | ನಡುವೆ | ||
| The word "ನಡುವೆ" can also mean "middle" when used as a noun. | |||
| Malayalam | ഇടയിൽ | ||
| The word "ഇടയിൽ" ("between") is derived from the Proto-Dravidian word *iṭi, meaning "in the inside of" or "within". | |||
| Marathi | यांच्यातील | ||
| Nepali | बीचमा | ||
| "बीचमा" (between) in Nepali, from Sanskrit "madhya," also means "middle" or "center." | |||
| Punjabi | ਵਿਚਕਾਰ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | අතර | ||
| අතර is also used to mean on the way to or from somewhere | |||
| Tamil | இடையில் | ||
| The word "இடையில்" can also mean "in the middle" or "during" in Tamil. | |||
| Telugu | మధ్య | ||
| The word 'మధ్య' ('between') in Telugu can also mean 'middle' or 'center'. | |||
| Urdu | کے درمیان | ||
| The Urdu word "کے درمیان" literally means "in the middle of" or "amongst". However, it can also be used figuratively to mean "in the course of" or "during". | |||
Between in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 之间 | ||
| The character 间 is also used to form compound words such as 空间 (space), 时间 (time), and 期间 (period). | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 之間 | ||
| The original meaning of “之間” is an interval of time and later came to mean space and logic. | |||
| Japanese | の間に | ||
| The word "の間に" can also mean "during" or "while" in Japanese. | |||
| Korean | 중에서 | ||
| "중에서" (between) is derived from the Sino-Korean word "中" (inside, center) and the native Korean word "에서" (in, on). | |||
| Mongolian | хооронд | ||
| The word "хооронд" can also mean "within" or "among". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အကြား | ||
| The word "အကြား" can refer to an intervening space or period of time or the state of being interposed. | |||
Between in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | antara | ||
| The word "antara" can also mean "barrier" or "divider" in Indonesian. | |||
| Javanese | antarane | ||
| "Antarane" in Javanese can also mean "the middle one" among siblings. | |||
| Khmer | រវាង | ||
| In addition to "between," "រវាង" can also mean "during" and "from among." | |||
| Lao | ລະຫວ່າງ | ||
| Malay | antara | ||
| The word "antara" is also used figuratively to mean "a difference of opinion" or "a compromise". | |||
| Thai | ระหว่าง | ||
| ระหว่าง" is a homonym with two meanings - one meaning between and the other "while" | |||
| Vietnamese | giữa | ||
| The word "giữa" shares the same etymological origin as the words "trung" (middle) and "chính" (right). | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sa pagitan | ||
Between in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | arasında | ||
| In the phrase | |||
| Kazakh | арасында | ||
| "Арасында" also means "in the presence of" or "among" in Kazakh. | |||
| Kyrgyz | ортосунда | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "ортосунда" can also refer to the time between two events or the interval between two places. | |||
| Tajik | байни | ||
| In the Tajik word "байни" (between), the root "байн" means "separation" or "interval". | |||
| Turkmen | arasynda | ||
| Uzbek | o'rtasida | ||
| The word "o'rtasida" has Arabic roots, deriving from "wasat," meaning "middle." | |||
| Uyghur | between | ||
Between in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ma waena o | ||
| In Hawaiian, the word "ma waena o" can also mean "within" or "in the middle of". | |||
| Maori | i waenga | ||
| I waenga means 'between' in Maori but also refers to the space within something, like the space between two people or the space between two ideas. | |||
| Samoan | va | ||
| The word "va" in Samoan can also mean "with" or "together with". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | sa pagitan ng | ||
Between in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | ukataypina | ||
| Guarani | mbyte | ||
Between in International Languages
| Esperanto | inter | ||
| Inter also implies 'at a time between', as seen in intertagme 'in the meantime'. | |||
| Latin | inter | ||
| In Latin, "inter" not only means "between," but also "among" or "within." | |||
Between in Others Languages
| Greek | μεταξύ | ||
| The word μεταξύ, 'between' in English, is derived from the Ancient Greek word metà, meaning 'with' or 'among' and the preposition xύ, meaning 'together' or 'close to'. | |||
| Hmong | nruab nrab ntawm | ||
| The two words can also mean "the middle" or "the center". | |||
| Kurdish | navber | ||
| "Navber" in Kurdish can also mean "boundary" or "middle" in some contexts. | |||
| Turkish | arasında | ||
| "Arasındaki" can also mean "among" or "in the middle of". | |||
| Xhosa | phakathi | ||
| The word '*phakathi* (between) can also mean middle, central, or interior (of a country/place/etc.). | |||
| Yiddish | צווישן | ||
| The word 'צווישן' in Yiddish can also mean 'amongst' or 'amidst'. | |||
| Zulu | phakathi | ||
| Used in the phrase 'phakathi kwe' to mean 'in the midst of' or 'amongst'. | |||
| Assamese | মাজত | ||
| Aymara | ukataypina | ||
| Bhojpuri | बीच में | ||
| Dhivehi | ދެމެދު | ||
| Dogri | बिच्च | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sa pagitan | ||
| Guarani | mbyte | ||
| Ilocano | baet | ||
| Krio | bitwin | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | لەنێوان | ||
| Maithili | बीच मे | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯔꯛꯇ | ||
| Mizo | karah | ||
| Oromo | gidduu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ମଧ୍ୟରେ | ||
| Quechua | chawpipi | ||
| Sanskrit | मध्ये | ||
| Tatar | арасында | ||
| Tigrinya | አብ መንጎ | ||
| Tsonga | exikarhi | ||