But in different languages

But in Different Languages

Discover 'But' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.

Updated on March 6, 2024

The word 'but' is a small, seemingly simple conjunction that carries a significant weight in the English language. It's used to introduce a contrasting point, creating a balance in sentences and discourse. This humble word plays a crucial role in our daily communication, enabling us to express complex ideas and nuanced thoughts.

Beyond its linguistic significance, 'but' also holds cultural importance. It's often used in popular idioms, proverbs, and phrases, reflecting our societal values and norms. For instance, the phrase 'Jack of all trades, master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one' showcases the word's ability to introduce a contrast and add depth to our language.

Given its importance, one might be interested in knowing the translations of 'but' in different languages. This knowledge not only aids in cross-cultural communication but also offers insights into how other cultures express contrasting ideas.

For instance, in Spanish, 'but' translates to 'pero'. In French, it's 'mais', and in German, it's 'aber'. These translations not only reflect linguistic differences but also cultural nuances, offering a fascinating glimpse into the way different cultures think and communicate.

But

But in Sub-Saharan African Languages

Afrikaansmaar
Maar can also be used as a substitute for the word 'maar' in Dutch, meaning 'only', 'just' or 'merely'
Amharicግን
The Amharic word "ግን" can also mean "however" or "yet."
Hausaamma
In Hausa, "amma" also means "or" and "rather."
Igbomana
The Igbo word 'mana' can also mean 'so that' or 'in order to'.
Malagasysaingy
SAINGY, in Malagasy, can also mean "except" or "however" depending on the context.
Nyanja (Chichewa)koma
Koma as a noun means “a comma".
Shonaasi
The Shona word 'asi' can also mean 'therefore' or 'so', and is often used as an adversative conjunction to join two contrasting ideas.
Somalilaakiin
"Laakiin" is a Somali word that also means 'except', 'unless' or 'however'.
Sesothoempa
The Sesotho word "empa" is derived from the verb "ho empa" meaning "to seize" or "to catch".
Swahililakini
Lakini is also used to mean 'however', 'on the other hand', 'nevertheless', and 'in spite of'.
Xhosakodwa
"Kodwa" can be used to express a concession, or as an interjection indicating annoyance.
Yorubaṣugbọn
The word ṣugbọn can also mean 'however' or 'on the other hand' in Yoruba.
Zulukodwa
In Zulu, 'kodwa' is also a noun that refers to a small antelope or duiker.
Bambaranka
Ewegake
Kinyarwandaariko
Lingalakasi
Lugandanaye
Sepedieupša
Twi (Akan)nanso

But in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicلكن
The word "لكن" can also mean "nevertheless" or "however" in Arabic.
Hebrewאבל
The Hebrew word "אבל" means "but" when it connects two phrases, and "however" when it connects two words.
Pashtoمګر
The Pashto word "مګر" can also mean "if".
Arabicلكن
The word "لكن" can also mean "nevertheless" or "however" in Arabic.

But in Western European Languages

Albanianpor
Albanian "por" also means "for" "although," "even," "however."
Basquebaina
The Basque word “baina” originated from the Latin word “verum,” meaning “true.”
Catalanperò
Catalan "però" and Italian "però" both derive from the Latin "per hoc," meaning "through this." However, unlike its Italian counterpart, "però" in Catalan also means "therefore" or "consequently."
Croatianali
The word "ali" can also mean "or" or "although" in Croatian.
Danishmen
The Danish word 'men' can also mean 'however' and 'still'
Dutchmaar
The word 'maar' can also be used to express surprise, disappointment, or annoyance.
Englishbut
The word 'but' can also be used to emphasize or contrast a thought, e.g., 'She is kind, but a bit shy'.
Frenchmais
Mais derives from the conjunction 'magis', which shares a root with the English 'more', and can be used in French to mean 'more' (amongst other meanings).
Frisianmar
The word "mar" in Frisian also means "lake".
Galicianpero
In Galician, "pero" can also mean "pear" or "dog" and is cognate with the Latin "pirum" and the Portuguese "péro".
Germanaber
In addition to its main meaning of "but", "aber" can also mean "however" or "although" in German.
Icelandicen
The word "en" can also mean "even" or "still" in Icelandic.
Irishach
In addition to its primary meaning of "but," the word "ach" in Irish can also mean "but now," "but rather," or "how else."
Italianma
The Italian word "ma" (but) derives from the Latin "magis" (more) and means "however" as an alternative meaning.
Luxembourgishawer
The word "awer" in Luxembourgish can also mean "however" or "on the other hand".
Malteseiżda
The Maltese word "iżda" ("but") is derived from the Arabic word " إذًا" (idhā), meaning "then" or "therefore".
Norwegianmen
The word 'men' in Norwegian can also mean 'one' or 'they' depending on context.
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil)mas
In Portuguese, "mas" can also mean "more" or "however".
Scots Gaelicach
Scots Gaelic "ach" also means "well now" and is semantically similar to English "actually".
Spanishpero
'Pero' is related to 'pair', meaning one more thing.
Swedishmen
Swedish "men" may also mean "many".
Welshond
In Middle Welsh, it was sometimes used as the equivalent of "ondod", an obsolete variant of "hydod", which means "maybe".

But in Eastern European Languages

Belarusianале
In Belarusian, the word "але" (ale) has cognates across Slavic languages and is thought to have come from the Proto-Slavic word "*olь" meaning "indeed".
Bosnianali
"Ali" also means "indeed" or "however" in some Bosnian dialects.
Bulgarianно
The Bulgarian word "но" is a borrowing from the Proto-Slavic "nъ", which means "and". The meaning of "but" in Bulgarian is a later development.
Czechale
Czech “ale” is etymologically related to English “else” and German “aller” and means “something different, another thing”.
Estonianaga
"Aga" can also mean "at least" and "however".
Finnishmutta
The word "mutta" in Finnish can also mean "but again" or "however".
Hungariande
The Hungarian word "de" also means "and", "so" or "because", depending on the context.
Latvianbet
The word "bet" in Latvian can also mean "indeed" or "surely".
Lithuanianbet
The word bet can also mean to flood or dam in Lithuanian
Macedonianно
Although its most common meaning is that of conjunction 'but', 'но' can also be used as an interjection to express surprise, disappointment or anger.
Polishale
The word "ale" in Polish can also mean "alas" or "unfortunately".
Romaniandar
The Romanian word "dar" has Indo-European origins and is related to the English word "door" and the Iranian word "darvazah".
Russianно
The word "но" (but) in Russian can also mean "however" or "nevertheless".
Serbianали
The word "али" in Serbian also means "anyway" or "however" in the sense of "in spite of".
Slovakale
"Ale" in Slovak is borrowed from Czech and can also mean "however" or "yet".
Slovenianampak
The word 'ampak' is derived from the Proto-Slavic word '*ampā?', meaning 'but, however'
Ukrainianале
The Ukrainian word "але" derives from the Proto-Slavic conjunction "ali", meaning "or, if not".

But in South Asian Languages

Bengaliকিন্তু
"কিন্তু" is the Bengali equivalent of the English word "but," but can also mean "rather," "on the other hand," or "notwithstanding."
Gujaratiપરંતુ
The Gujarati word “પરંતુ” can also mean “moreover,” “therefore,” “however,” or “on the other hand.”
Hindiपरंतु
The word 'परंतु' is derived from 'पर' ('beyond') and 'अन्त' ('end'), thus meaning 'beyond the limit' or 'except'.
Kannadaಆದರೆ
The Kannada word "ಆದರೆ" can also be used to represent addition, emphasis, response, objection, conclusion, doubt, wonder, contradiction, or concession
Malayalamപക്ഷേ
The word "പക്ഷേ" can also mean "however" or "on the other hand" in Malayalam.
Marathiपरंतु
परंतु can also mean in Marathi "in order to" or "with the condition".
Nepaliतर
Nepali: तर "tar" is derived from Sanskrit "tara" meaning a "but" or an "if".
Punjabiਪਰ
The word "ਪਰ" (par) in Punjabi can also mean "and" or "however".
Sinhala (Sinhalese)එහෙත්
The word එහෙත් is derived from the Sanskrit word 'atha', meaning 'now', 'then', or 'further'.
Tamilஆனால்
Etymology is unclear, but one theory suggests a derivation from the Tamil word "ānai"
Teluguకానీ
"కానీ" can also mean "however, yet, nevertheless".
Urduلیکن
The archaic root of the word “lekin” is the Sanskrit verb “riñchati” (

But in East Asian Languages

Chinese (Simplified)但
但 in the beginning of a sentence can mean 'only', 'just', or 'merely'
Chinese (Traditional)但
In addition to its common usage as "but," the Chinese character 但 (dàn) can also mean "only" or "merely."
Japaneseだが
"だが" can also be read as "dakara" which is more commonly used in informal speech, and means "so" or "therefore"
Korean그러나
The word "그러나" in Korean can also mean "however" or "although" in some contexts.
Mongolianгэхдээ
The word "гэхдээ" in Mongolian can also mean "however" or "nevertheless."
Myanmar (Burmese)ဒါပေမယ့်

But in South East Asian Languages

Indonesiantapi
The word "tapi" is also used as an adverb meaning "yet"
Javanesenanging
The word "nanging" can also mean "yet" or "however" in Javanese.
Khmerប៉ុន្តែ
The word "ប៉ុន្តែ" also means "however" and can be used as an adversative to signal a different perspective or opinion.
Laoແຕ່ວ່າ
The Lao word ແຕ່ວ່າ "but" comes from the Sanskrit word "api", meaning "and". This is similar to the English use of "but" with the meaning "and yet".
Malaytetapi
In Old Malay, "tetapi" originally meant "however" or "although" and was not commonly used as a conjunction.
Thaiแต่
"แต่" can be used as an alternative to "หรือ" (or).
Vietnamesenhưng
"Nhưng" is used in pairs with other words to mean "both... and..."
Filipino (Tagalog)ngunit

But in Central Asian Languages

Azerbaijaniamma
In Turkish, the word “amma” means “yet”.
Kazakhбірақ
The Kazakh word “бірақ” is cognate with the Mongolian word “бираа” which means “gap”
Kyrgyzбирок
The word "бирок" in Kyrgyz can also mean "however" or "although".
Tajikаммо
The word "аммо" also means "oh" or "wow" in Tajik.
Turkmenemma
Uzbeklekin
The word “lekin” is also used to denote contradiction and contrast and in the sense of “however” or “although” in formal speech and writing.
Uyghurئەمما

But in Pacific Languages

Hawaiianakā
The word "akā" in Hawaiian can also mean "yet" or "in spite of".
Maoriengari
Engari has other meanings: nevertheless, moreover, further, besides, indeed, also, well.
Samoanae
The word "ae" in Samoan has no direct cognates in English; it is used to introduce a counterargument or contrast.
Tagalog (Filipino)pero
The word "pero" in Tagalog can also mean "however" or "although".

But in American Indigenous Languages

Aymaraukampinsa
Guaranihakatu

But in International Languages

Esperantosed
The Esperanto word "sed" is derived from the Latin word "sed", but it also has other meanings, such as "however" and "instead".
Latinautem
Autem is the Latin word for "but," but it may also appear without an explicit conjunction, as a parenthetical aside, or in the sense of "now," "again" or "however," with the implication that "but" may be understood.

But in Others Languages

Greekαλλά
The Greek word "αλλά" does not just mean "but", it can also mean "on the contrary" or "however."
Hmongtab sis
The Hmong word "tab sis" can also refer to "because", "if", or "therefore" depending on context
Kurdishlebê
The word "lebê" is derived from the Persian word "labēh" meaning "however"
Turkishfakat
The word "fakat" in Turkish, derived from Arabic "fa-qat"," means "only" or "just" and is often used to introduce a contrast or clarification.
Xhosakodwa
"Kodwa" can be used to express a concession, or as an interjection indicating annoyance.
Yiddishאָבער
The Yiddish word "אָבער" also functions as a discourse particle to signal a new idea or shift in topic.
Zulukodwa
In Zulu, 'kodwa' is also a noun that refers to a small antelope or duiker.
Assameseকিন্তু
Aymaraukampinsa
Bhojpuriलेकिन
Dhivehiއެކަމަކު
Dogriपर
Filipino (Tagalog)ngunit
Guaranihakatu
Ilocanongem
Kriobɔt
Kurdish (Sorani)بەڵام
Maithiliमुदा
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯑꯗꯨꯕꯨ
Mizomahse
Oromogaruu
Odia (Oriya)କିନ୍ତୁ
Quechuaichaqa
Sanskritकिन्तु
Tatarләкин
Tigrinyaግን
Tsongakambe

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