Both in Different Languages
Discover 'Both' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'both' is a small but powerful term, often used to refer to two things or people simultaneously. Its significance lies in its ability to connect and unify, emphasizing the inclusion of multiple entities rather than their separation. This cultural importance is reflected in various languages and traditions around the world.
For language enthusiasts and cultural explorers, understanding the translation of 'both' in different languages can offer fascinating insights into the nuances of global communication. For instance, in Spanish, 'both' translates to 'ambos' (pronounced: ahm-bohs), while in French it becomes 'les deux' (pronounced: le duh). In Mandarin Chinese, 'both' is translated as '兩個' (liǎng gè), and in Japanese, it's '両方' (ryōhō).
Delving into these translations not only broadens your linguistic repertoire but also provides a window into the unique ways different cultures perceive and express the concept of unity and inclusion.
Both
Both in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | albei | ||
| The Afrikaans word "albei" derives from the Dutch "allebei" or the German "alle beide," meaning "both of them" or "both of you." | |||
| Amharic | ሁለቱም | ||
| 'ሁለቱም' also means 'two' in Amharic, similar to 'both' in English. | |||
| Hausa | duka biyun | ||
| In some Hausa dialects, "duka biyun" is used instead of "biyu" for the number "two". | |||
| Igbo | ha abua | ||
| The etymology of "ha abụa" is unknown, with some linguists suggesting a possible connection to the Proto-Igbo word *bụ́, meaning "two" and the Igbo word *hà*, a particle emphasizing equality. | |||
| Malagasy | na | ||
| In Malagasy, "na" also signifies two things together or at the same time. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | zonse | ||
| The word zonse is derived from the Proto-Bantu *zonsE which means 'all' or 'everyone' | |||
| Shona | zvese | ||
| "Zvese" can mean "all" or "everything" in addition to "both". | |||
| Somali | labadaba | ||
| The term "labadaba" is derived from the Arabic word "li-ba'ḍihī", meaning "for each other". | |||
| Sesotho | ka bobeli | ||
| The word "ka bobeli" in Sesotho can also mean "to be the same" or "to be equal". | |||
| Swahili | zote mbili | ||
| Zote mbili translates to both in English and was derived from merging the words "zote" meaning "all" and "mbili" meaning "two" in Swahili. | |||
| Xhosa | zombini | ||
| Zombini also means "at the same time" or "meanwhile". | |||
| Yoruba | mejeeji | ||
| The Yoruba word "mejeeji" derives from the root "meji", meaning "two". | |||
| Zulu | kokubili | ||
| Kokubili is an isiZulu word meaning 'both', and is derived from the isiZulu words 'koko' and 'bili', which mean 'all' and 'two', respectively. | |||
| Bambara | u fila bɛ | ||
| Ewe | wo ame eve la | ||
| Kinyarwanda | byombi | ||
| Lingala | nyonso mibale | ||
| Luganda | byombi | ||
| Sepedi | bobedi | ||
| Twi (Akan) | baanu | ||
Both in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | على حد سواء | ||
| The Arabic word "على حد سواء" can also be used to refer to two types of things that are different from each other but that are still somehow considered "one". | |||
| Hebrew | שניהם | ||
| Hebrew 'שניהם' derives from 'שנים' (two), which ultimately derives from Babylonian 'šunā' (two), while the suffix '-ם' marks dual (of a masculine noun). | |||
| Pashto | دواړه | ||
| The word "دواړه" (both) in Pashto is derived from the Proto-Iranian word *dvai-, meaning "two". | |||
| Arabic | على حد سواء | ||
| The Arabic word "على حد سواء" can also be used to refer to two types of things that are different from each other but that are still somehow considered "one". | |||
Both in Western European Languages
| Albanian | të dyja | ||
| The Albanian word ''të dyja'' is derived from the Proto-Albanian form *të *dy *ja, which is further related to the Ancient Greek ''dyô'', the Old Armenian ''erkow'', the Sanskrit ''dváu'' and the Latin ''duo'', all meaning "two". | |||
| Basque | biak | ||
| The word "biak" in Basque also relates to the term "two" or "number two", further expanding its semantic range beyond the concept of "both". | |||
| Catalan | tots dos | ||
| In the phrase "tots dos", the word "tots" means "all" and the word "dos" means "two", creating a redundant expression that emphasizes totality. | |||
| Croatian | oba | ||
| In some Croatian dialects, "oba" also means "all" or "entire". | |||
| Danish | begge | ||
| The word 'begge' is derived from the Old Norse word 'bægge', which also means 'both', and is related to the English word 'both'. | |||
| Dutch | beide | ||
| "Beide" shares its etymology with the English word "both" and the German word "beide". It can also mean "both of them" or "both of them together". | |||
| English | both | ||
| The word "both" is derived from the Old English word "bathe," meaning "two" or "both." | |||
| French | tous les deux | ||
| The French phrase "tous les deux" literally translates to "all the two," highlighting the idea that both parties are considered as a collective group. | |||
| Frisian | beide | ||
| Frisian "beide" also means "all" and is cognate with West Frisian "beiden" "wait" and Old English "bidan" "delay, wait for". | |||
| Galician | os dous | ||
| "Os dous" translates as "both" but its roots lie in the Latin "amb" (both), which is also the source of the Spanish "ambos". | |||
| German | beide | ||
| In some Bavarian and Austrian dialects, "beide" is used to mean "all" rather than "both" | |||
| Icelandic | bæði | ||
| Bæði derives from the Proto-Norse word "beggeir", which is related to the English word "both". | |||
| Irish | araon | ||
| The word 'araon' in Irish derives from the root word 'ar' meaning 'upon' and often implies 'with'. | |||
| Italian | tutti e due | ||
| "Tutti e due" in Italian literally translates to "all and two" but idiomatically means "both." | |||
| Luxembourgish | béid | ||
| 'Béid' also refers to 'each' and 'either'. | |||
| Maltese | it-tnejn | ||
| The word "it-tnejn" in Maltese derives from the Semitic root "tn", meaning "two". | |||
| Norwegian | både | ||
| The word "både" can also mean "both" in Norwegian, but its root word is "bað" which means "profit" or "benefit". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | ambos | ||
| "Ambos" originally meant "one or the other" or "either" in Latin, then it narrowed its meaning. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | an dà chuid | ||
| "An dà chuid" is also used to signify one person as "the other half". For example, the wife of an elderly husband is his "dà chuid". In a poem by Alexander MacDonald, he calls his wife, "my other half of this life" (an dà chuid dha'n bheatha seo). | |||
| Spanish | ambos | ||
| In Spanish, "ambos" can also refer to a university chair where two or more people hold joint tenure. | |||
| Swedish | både | ||
| The word "både" is derived from the Old Norse word "báðir", meaning "both" or "both of two". | |||
| Welsh | y ddau | ||
| Originally "y ddau" meant "the two", but now it generally means "both" regardless of number. | |||
Both in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | абодва | ||
| In Belarusian, "абодва" literally means "both two". This is a cognate of the phrase "both two" in modern English, which is still used in some dialects. | |||
| Bosnian | oboje | ||
| The word 'oboje' is thought to have originated from two separate words meaning 'one' and 'the two'. | |||
| Bulgarian | и двете | ||
| The Bulgarian word "и двете" can also be used to mean "either" or "both" when referring to two alternatives. | |||
| Czech | oba | ||
| The word "oba" is a dual form that means "both" for masculine words, while "obě" is the dual form for feminine words. | |||
| Estonian | mõlemad | ||
| In Proto-Finnic, "molemba" likely derived from "muu" ("other") and the ending "-mba" meaning "side". | |||
| Finnish | molemmat | ||
| In some contexts, ( 'molemmat' ) can also mean both of something, not necessarily two different things. | |||
| Hungarian | mindkét | ||
| The word "mindkét" comes from the obsolete "mind" and "két" words, meaning "all" and "two", respectively. | |||
| Latvian | gan | ||
| The word "gan" in Latvian can also mean "again" or "on the other hand." | |||
| Lithuanian | tiek | ||
| The Lithuanian word "tiek" can also be used to mean "such", "so much", or "so many". | |||
| Macedonian | обајцата | ||
| Обајцата is derived from the Proto-Slavic *obъ and *kajь, meaning | |||
| Polish | obie | ||
| The Polish word "obie" derives from Proto-Slavic "ob" meaning "around" or "at", reflecting its original meaning as "on both sides". | |||
| Romanian | ambii | ||
| The word "ambii" has a debated etymology, being related to the Slavic languages, Germanic languages, or the Dacian language, and also means "both sides" in literary and outdated usage. | |||
| Russian | и то и другое | ||
| The phrase "и то и другое" (both) has also been used as "and this and that" or "this as well as that." | |||
| Serbian | обоје | ||
| The word 'обоје' is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *obojь, which also meant 'pair'. | |||
| Slovak | oboje | ||
| The word "oboje" is derived from the Old Slavic word "obojь", which originally meant "both" but later came to refer specifically to "both genders". | |||
| Slovenian | oboje | ||
| The word 'oboje' (both) in Slovenian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word 'obъ', which also means 'near' or 'around'. | |||
| Ukrainian | обидва | ||
| The word "обидва" is derived from the Old Slavic word "obъva", meaning "both". | |||
Both in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | উভয় | ||
| উভয় শব্দটি সংস্কৃত শব্দ 'উভ' থেকে এসেছে যার অর্থ 'দুটি'। | |||
| Gujarati | બંને | ||
| The word 'બંને' ('both') in Gujarati is derived from the Sanskrit word 'ubhaya', which also means 'both' or 'two'. | |||
| Hindi | दोनों | ||
| The word "दोनों" in Hindi is derived from the Sanskrit word "ubhau" which means "two" | |||
| Kannada | ಎರಡೂ | ||
| ಎರಡೂ is derived from the Proto-Southern Dravidian *ēr-, meaning "two". | |||
| Malayalam | രണ്ടും | ||
| രണ്ടും also means 'either', 'both of two' and 'all two' in Malayalam. | |||
| Marathi | दोन्ही | ||
| The Marathi word 'दोन्ही' ('both') is derived from the Sanskrit word 'द्वयोः' ('of the two') and is cognate with the Hindi word 'दोनों' ('both'). | |||
| Nepali | दुबै | ||
| The word 'दुबै' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'द्वय' meaning 'two', and it can also mean 'both' or 'either' depending on the context. | |||
| Punjabi | ਦੋਨੋ | ||
| The Punjabi word 'donon', meaning both, can be traced back to the Proto-Indo-Aryan form 'ubhau' and is related to the Persian word 'dahan'. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | දෙකම | ||
| The Sinhala word "දෙකම" (dekame) is derived from the Sanskrit word "dvayam" which means "a pair" or "two things together". | |||
| Tamil | இரண்டும் | ||
| The word "இரண்டும்" (irandum) also means "two, both" in Tamil, referring to two entities considered as a single unit. | |||
| Telugu | రెండు | ||
| While it normally means "both", the word "రెండు" can also be interpreted as "two" or "a pair" in Telugu. | |||
| Urdu | دونوں | ||
| The word 'دونوں' ('both') in Urdu is derived from the Sanskrit word 'ubhau', meaning 'both' or 'two'. It can also refer to 'both parties' or 'both sides' of an issue. | |||
Both in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 都 | ||
| 都 (dū) can also mean "all" or "metropolis". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 都 | ||
| 都 often appears in the word order 都…都 (either...or), suggesting that the original meaning of 都 might be a bridge. | |||
| Japanese | 両方とも | ||
| Originally "両方とも" was written as "両も方" meaning "both". | |||
| Korean | 양자 모두 | ||
| Yangjae, the old Hanja of the word "양자 모두", originally meant "both sides of the river". | |||
| Mongolian | хоёулаа | ||
| The Mongolian word "хоёулаа" likely originated from the Turkic term "хоюу" meaning "together" or "jointly". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | နှစ်ခုလုံး | ||
Both in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | kedua | ||
| The word "kedua" derives from the Proto-Austronesian word "ka-duha" meaning "two" | |||
| Javanese | kalorone | ||
| The word "kalorone" can have either an inclusive or exclusive meaning, depending on its placement in a phrase | |||
| Khmer | ទាំងពីរ | ||
| The word ទាំងពីរ (both) can also be used to refer to a group of people or things. | |||
| Lao | ທັງສອງ | ||
| Malay | kedua-duanya | ||
| "Kedua" (second) has been added to "dua" to emphasize that there's nothing else in addition to these "dua" | |||
| Thai | ทั้งสองอย่าง | ||
| ในภาษาไทย คำว่า "ทั้งสองอย่าง" ไม่เพียงแต่หมายถึง "ทั้งสอง" เท่านั้น แต่ยังสามารถใช้ในเชิงปฏิเสธ หมายถึง "ไม่ทั้งสองอย่าง" ได้อีกด้วย | |||
| Vietnamese | cả hai | ||
| The word "cả hai" is derived from the Sino-Vietnamese word "cả" (all) and the native Vietnamese word "hai" (two). | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pareho | ||
Both in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | həm də | ||
| The word "həm də" can also mean "too" or "as well". | |||
| Kazakh | екеуі де | ||
| The word "екеуі де" can also refer to "both of them" or "both of those." | |||
| Kyrgyz | экөө тең | ||
| The word "экөө тең" can also mean "both of them" or "the two of them" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | ҳам | ||
| In colloquial speech, the word “ҳам” (with an emphasis on the final letter) is also used in the meaning of "the same". | |||
| Turkmen | ikisem | ||
| Uzbek | ikkalasi ham | ||
| "Ikki" in "ikkalasi ham" comes from the word "ikki," which means "two" and "lasi" comes from the Persian word "lassi" which means "half". | |||
| Uyghur | ھەر ئىككىلىسى | ||
Both in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | lāua ʻelua | ||
| 'Lāua ʻelua' is also used to refer to both a husband and wife (male/female couple). | |||
| Maori | rua | ||
| The Maori word 'rua' is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word 'duha' meaning 'two' or 'a pair'. | |||
| Samoan | uma | ||
| Samoan word "uma" (both) can also mean "together" or "as a whole". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | pareho | ||
| The word “pareho” also means “to compare” in Tagalog. | |||
Both in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | paypacha | ||
| Guarani | mokõivéva | ||
Both in International Languages
| Esperanto | ambaŭ | ||
| The word "ambaŭ" is derived from the Latin "ambo", meaning "both", and is related to the English word "ambidextrous". | |||
| Latin | tum | ||
| The Latin word "tum" can also mean "then" or "in that case." | |||
Both in Others Languages
| Greek | και τα δυο | ||
| The Greek word "και τα δυο" has a more literal translation of "and the two". | |||
| Hmong | ob qho tib si | ||
| The Hmong word 'ob qho tib si' is a compound word composed of several Hmong syllables, and can also mean 'in between'. | |||
| Kurdish | herdû | ||
| The Kurdish word "herdû" (both) derives from the Middle Persian word "hardow" (similar). | |||
| Turkish | her ikisi de | ||
| The word "her ikisi de" can also be divided into the words "her biri" (each), and "ikisi" (two). | |||
| Xhosa | zombini | ||
| Zombini also means "at the same time" or "meanwhile". | |||
| Yiddish | ביידע | ||
| Yiddish ביידע is descended from Slavic, and still has additional meanings like "moreover" or "also". | |||
| Zulu | kokubili | ||
| Kokubili is an isiZulu word meaning 'both', and is derived from the isiZulu words 'koko' and 'bili', which mean 'all' and 'two', respectively. | |||
| Assamese | উভয় | ||
| Aymara | paypacha | ||
| Bhojpuri | दूनो | ||
| Dhivehi | ދޭތި | ||
| Dogri | दोए | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pareho | ||
| Guarani | mokõivéva | ||
| Ilocano | dua | ||
| Krio | ɔltu | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | هەردووک | ||
| Maithili | दुनू | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯅꯤꯃꯛ | ||
| Mizo | pahnihin | ||
| Oromo | lachuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଉଭୟ | ||
| Quechua | iskaynin | ||
| Sanskrit | उभौ | ||
| Tatar | икесе дә | ||
| Tigrinya | ክልቲኡ | ||
| Tsonga | swimbirhi | ||