Big in Different Languages
Discover 'Big' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Big
Afrikaans groot | ||
Albanian i madh | ||
Amharic ትልቅ | ||
Arabic كبير | ||
Armenian մեծ | ||
Assamese ডাঙৰ | ||
Aymara jach'a | ||
Azerbaijani böyük | ||
Bambara belebele | ||
Basque handia | ||
Belarusian вялікі | ||
Bengali বিশাল | ||
Bhojpuri बड़हन | ||
Bosnian velika | ||
Bulgarian голям | ||
Catalan gran | ||
Cebuano dako | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 大 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 大 | ||
Corsican grande | ||
Croatian velik | ||
Czech velký | ||
Danish stor | ||
Dhivehi ބޮޑު | ||
Dogri बड्डा | ||
Dutch groot | ||
English big | ||
Esperanto granda | ||
Estonian suur | ||
Ewe lolo | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) malaki | ||
Finnish iso | ||
French gros | ||
Frisian grut | ||
Galician grande | ||
Georgian დიდი | ||
German groß | ||
Greek μεγάλο | ||
Guarani tuicha | ||
Gujarati મોટું | ||
Haitian Creole gwo | ||
Hausa babba | ||
Hawaiian nui | ||
Hebrew גָדוֹל | ||
Hindi बड़े | ||
Hmong loj | ||
Hungarian nagy | ||
Icelandic stór | ||
Igbo ukwu | ||
Ilocano dakkel | ||
Indonesian besar | ||
Irish mór | ||
Italian grande | ||
Japanese 大きい | ||
Javanese amba | ||
Kannada ದೊಡ್ಡದು | ||
Kazakh үлкен | ||
Khmer ធំ | ||
Kinyarwanda binini | ||
Konkani व्हड | ||
Korean 큰 | ||
Krio big | ||
Kurdish mezin | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) گەورە | ||
Kyrgyz чоң | ||
Lao ໃຫຍ່ | ||
Latin magnum | ||
Latvian liels | ||
Lingala monene | ||
Lithuanian didelis | ||
Luganda obunene | ||
Luxembourgish grouss | ||
Macedonian големо | ||
Maithili पैघ | ||
Malagasy big | ||
Malay besar | ||
Malayalam വലുത് | ||
Maltese kbir | ||
Maori nui | ||
Marathi मोठा | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯑꯆꯧꯕ | ||
Mizo lian | ||
Mongolian том | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) ကြီးတယ် | ||
Nepali ठूलो | ||
Norwegian stor | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) chachikulu | ||
Odia (Oriya) ବଡ | ||
Oromo guddaa | ||
Pashto لوی | ||
Persian بزرگ | ||
Polish duży | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) grande | ||
Punjabi ਵੱਡਾ | ||
Quechua hatun | ||
Romanian mare | ||
Russian большой | ||
Samoan lapoʻa | ||
Sanskrit विशालः | ||
Scots Gaelic mòr | ||
Sepedi kgolo | ||
Serbian велика | ||
Sesotho kholo | ||
Shona hombe | ||
Sindhi وڏو | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) මහා | ||
Slovak veľký | ||
Slovenian velik | ||
Somali weyn | ||
Spanish grande | ||
Sundanese badag | ||
Swahili kubwa | ||
Swedish stor | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) malaki | ||
Tajik калон | ||
Tamil பெரியது | ||
Tatar зур | ||
Telugu పెద్దది | ||
Thai ใหญ่ | ||
Tigrinya ዓብይ | ||
Tsonga lexikulu | ||
Turkish büyük | ||
Turkmen uly | ||
Twi (Akan) kɛseɛ | ||
Ukrainian великий | ||
Urdu بڑا | ||
Uyghur big | ||
Uzbek katta | ||
Vietnamese to | ||
Welsh mawr | ||
Xhosa enkulu | ||
Yiddish גרויס | ||
Yoruba nla | ||
Zulu enkulu |
Etymology & Notes
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | The word "groot" in Afrikaans originates from the Dutch word "groot", which also means "big". |
| Albanian | The word "i madh" is also used in the expression "i shumtë", meaning "many" or "much". |
| Amharic | The word ትልቅ (big) in Amharic can also mean "old" or "senior". |
| Arabic | The root (ك ب ر) can also mean "to honor" or "to be important." |
| Armenian | "մեծ" (big) is derived from Proto-Indo-European *meg- (large), found in Latin magnus and many other Indo-European languages. |
| Azerbaijani | Böyük, meaning big in Azerbaijani, derives from Old Turkic "büjük/biyük," originally used to express "elder/leader." |
| Basque | The Basque word 'handia' shares its root with the word 'handi', meaning 'great' or 'magnificent'. |
| Belarusian | In addition to its literal meaning as 'big', 'вялікі' can also mean 'important', 'great', or 'grand' in Belarusian. |
| Bengali | "বিশাল" comes from the Sanskrit word "višāla" meaning "wide" or "broad". |
| Bosnian | "Velika" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "velьka" and is related to the English word "whale". |
| Bulgarian | The word "голям" can also mean "great" or "important" in Bulgarian. |
| Catalan | The Catalan word "gran" comes from the Latin word "grandis", which also means "large" or "big" and is the root of the English word "grand". |
| Cebuano | The word "dako" can also mean "great" or "important" in a non-physical sense. |
| Chinese (Simplified) | The simplified Chinese character "大" is a combination of two radicals, "人" (person) and "一" (one), and originally meant "great" or "important." |
| Chinese (Traditional) | In addition to meaning "big", "大" (大) can also mean "very", "greatly", "universally", or "generally". |
| Corsican | In Corsican, "grande" can also mean "elderly" or "pregnant." |
| Croatian | The word 'velik' is cognate with the Latin word 'grandis', meaning 'great'. |
| Czech | The Czech word "velký" is cognate with the Latvian word "lielks" (great), suggesting a shared Proto-Balto-Slavic origin. |
| Danish | The Danish word "stor" has cognates in other Germanic languages, such as "stór" in Icelandic and "stor" in Swedish, all deriving from the Proto-Germanic root *stōr-. |
| Dutch | The word "groot" can also be used to refer to the size of a person, an animal, or a thing, or to the amount of something. |
| Esperanto | The Esperanto word "granda" comes from the French word "grand", meaning "large" or "great". |
| Estonian | The word "suur" in Estonian is also used to refer to something that is great or important. |
| Finnish | The word "iso" in Finnish has an alternate meaning of "father" or "master", possibly derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₁es-. |
| French | The word 'gros' not only means 'big' in French, but also 'fat', 'gross', 'vulgar', and 'rude'. |
| Frisian | The Frisian word "grut" is thought to be derived from the Proto-Germanic word *greuta-, meaning "large" or "heavy". |
| Galician | The Galician word "grande" also means "tall", "important", "magnificent", "great" or "excellent". |
| Georgian | The Georgian word "დიდი" (big) has the alternate meaning of "great" and is related to the Persian word "دیدن" (to see). |
| German | The German word "groß" originates from the Proto-Germanic "grautaz," meaning both "big" and "old." |
| Greek | The word 'μεγάλο' (big) in Greek is derived from the root 'μεγ-,' which also means 'great' or 'mighty.' |
| Gujarati | The word 'મોટું' originated from the Sanskrit word 'महत्' meaning 'great' or 'large', but it can also refer to an older person as a term of respect. |
| Haitian Creole | In Haitian Creole, "gwo" originally derives from the French "gros" meaning "fat" or "coarse" but is now used exclusively to mean "big". |
| Hausa | Hausa 'babba' also refers to the first male born into a family's compound after the construction of a new room. |
| Hawaiian | "Nui" means "very" or "very much" when used with adjectives and adverbs, as well as "big". |
| Hebrew | The Hebrew word "גָדוֹל" (gadol) has the same root as the word "גָדַל" (גדל), meaning "to grow". |
| Hindi | The word "बड़े" can also mean "elder" or a "respected person" in Hindi. |
| Hmong | The word "loj" can also mean "long" or "tall". |
| Hungarian | The word "nagy" also means "great" or "illustrious" and is the etymon of many Hungarian-originated words, such as "magnate". |
| Icelandic | The word “stór” (big) stems from the Proto-Germanic word “*staur-“ meaning “post” or “pole,” which also gave rise to the English word “stare” (a rigid post, stake). |
| Igbo | "Ukwu" also means "forehead" or "beginning" in Igbo. |
| Indonesian | In Indonesian, the word "besar" also means "important" or "grand" in a figurative sense. |
| Irish | The word "mór" in Irish also has connotations of "important" or "significant". |
| Italian | In Italian, "grande" also signifies high quality, impressive size, or high status. |
| Japanese | The word "大きい" can also mean "great" or "important" in Japanese. |
| Javanese | "Amba" can also refer to a tree house or a small house built on stilts, or to a type of Javanese mask used in traditional dance. |
| Kazakh | Үлкен's root word **үл** means **to grow**, so it can also mean **mature** or **old** in addition to **big**. |
| Khmer | ធំ refers to size as well as age, importance, or social status. |
| Korean | The word "큰" can also be a noun that means "an adult" or "a high-ranking person". |
| Kurdish | The word "mezin" is also used to describe an older sibling or the biggest child in the family. |
| Kyrgyz | The word "чоң" can also mean "great" or "important" in Kyrgyz. |
| Latin | The Latin word "magnum" was used in a more general sense of "great" or "noble" rather than strictly denoting physical size. |
| Latvian | The word 'liels' is derived from the Proto-Balto-Slavic word *leli-, meaning 'open space' or 'field'. |
| Lithuanian | The word "didelis" in Lithuanian is cognate with the Sanskrit word "dirdha," also meaning "big." |
| Luxembourgish | The word "grouss" in Luxembourgish, originating from the German "groß", also means "great" and "important" in some contexts. |
| Macedonian | The word "големо" can also mean "great" or "important". |
| Malagasy | In Malagasy, "lehibe" and "be" both mean "big" but "lehibe" emphasizes size and "be" refers to importance or quality. |
| Malay | The word "besar" is closely related to words in other Austronesian languages, such as "bassal" in Tagalog and "besaq" in Indonesian, all meaning "big" or "large". |
| Malayalam | "വലുത്" is derived from the Proto-Dravidian root *pulu-, meaning "to grow, to be great or grand". It also carries the connotation of "seniority" and "importance". |
| Maltese | Kbir, ultimately sourced from Arabic, not only signifies 'large' in Maltese but can also mean 'old' in certain contexts. |
| Maori | In Māori, the word "nui" can also refer to a large group of people or a great distance. |
| Marathi | "मोठा" may be related to the Sanskrit word "महान" (great) through Prakrit "मोहण" (beautiful), and "मोहा" (fascination or attachment). |
| Mongolian | The word 'том' in Mongolian can also refer to a bundle or package. |
| Nepali | ठूलो derives from the Sanskrit word sthūla, which also means 'coarse' or 'heavy'. |
| Norwegian | The Norwegian word "stor" can refer to anything from physical size to large scale events. |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | The word "chachikulu" in Nyanja (Chichewa) means "big" or "large", and can also be used to describe something that is impressive or magnificent. |
| Pashto | The word "لوی" can also mean "chief" or "leader" in Pashto. |
| Persian | 'بزرگ' (Bozorg) comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *meg- 'great' (compare Sanskrit mahat, Greek megas, and English 'much'). In modern Persian, however, it can also mean 'elder' or 'senior' (as in برادر بزرگ (barâdar-e bozorg) 'older brother'). |
| Polish | In the Slavic languages, the word "duży" is related to the word for "heavy", suggesting that size and weight were once closely associated. |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | The Portuguese word "grande" can also mean "magnanimous" or "noble". |
| Punjabi | ਵੱਡਾ (vaḍḍā) in Punjabi originated from Sanskrit Vriddhi, meaning growth or increase. |
| Romanian | In Romanian, "mare" can also refer to a female horse, a goddess, or a body of water. |
| Russian | "Большой" originates from the Proto-Slavic "bolьšь" meaning "great, elder" and is related to the word "больше" meaning "more, greater". |
| Samoan | In Samoan, the word "lapoʻa" also signifies a sense of grandeur or majesty, connoting a profound sense of respect and admiration. |
| Scots Gaelic | The Gaelic word "mòr" is also used to refer to the Lord or God. |
| Serbian | The word "велика" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "velъkъ", which originally meant "large" or "strong". |
| Sesotho | In Sesotho, the word "kholo" derives from the Proto-Bantu word for "tall" and is often used figuratively to describe a person of high importance or respect. |
| Shona | In the phrase 'hombe nombe', hombe refers to a small amount or portion |
| Sindhi | The Sindhi word "وڏو" is also used in a metaphorical sense to describe someone who is important or respected. |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | "මහා" can also mean a person who is greatly respected and revered in Sinhala, such as a king or a scholar. |
| Slovak | "Veľký" comes from the Proto-Slavic *velьgъ, meaning "great" or "important". |
| Slovenian | The word "velik" is also used to describe something that is impressive or important. |
| Somali | The term "weyn" additionally refers to anything "outstanding" or "special" in the Somali language. |
| Spanish | The Spanish word "grande" also refers to a nobleman with a title equivalent to that of a duke. |
| Sundanese | Badag may also mean 'wide,' 'great,' 'deep,' 'tall,' and 'thick.' |
| Swahili | The word 'kubwa' also means 'important' or 'mature' in Swahili. |
| Swedish | 'Stor' also translates roughly as 'great' in its sense as the opposite of insignificant, as well as in its sense of 'fine' when referring to quality, as in the Swedish word for Britain: 'Storbritannien' ('Great Britain'). |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | The word "malaki" in Tagalog can also be used figuratively to mean "important" or "significant" in a non-physical sense. |
| Tajik | Калон is related to the Persian word کلان, meaning either "large" or "chief". |
| Tamil | "பெரியது" originally meant "mature." In the modern sense it can also mean "important" or "difficult". |
| Telugu | The root 'pedd' in 'peddadi' (big) also appears in 'peddillu' (children), where it means "elder". |
| Thai | "ใหญ่" can also mean 'mature', 'senior', or 'important'. |
| Turkish | Büyük also means 'grown-up' or 'elder' and is used to address someone with respect. |
| Ukrainian | The Ukrainian word великий can also refer to something important or significant. |
| Urdu | The term "بڑا" (baṛā) is derived from Sanskrit "वृद्ध" (vr̥ddha), meaning "grown, old" or "large, big". |
| Uzbek | "Katta" also means the first-born child or an elder relative. |
| Vietnamese | The word "to" can also mean "great" or "important". |
| Welsh | The Welsh word 'mawr' derives from the Proto-Celtic '*magros', meaning 'great' or 'noble' |
| Xhosa | In many cases, the word 'enkulu' can also refer to 'the most important' or 'the best of its kind'. |
| Yiddish | The Yiddish word "גרויס" comes from the Old High German word "grôz" meaning "huge" or "monstrous". |
| Yoruba | "Nla" can also refer to "importance" or "significance" in Yoruba. |
| Zulu | The word "enkulu" can also refer to something that is grand or imposing. |
| English | The word 'big' is derived from the Old Norse word 'biggja', meaning 'to build' or 'to dwell'. |