By in Different Languages
Discover 'By' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'by' is a small but mighty part of the English language, with a significance that extends far beyond its two letters. It can indicate proximity, as in 'the store by my house,' or serve as a preposition to describe agency, as in 'the book by the famous author.' Beyond its grammatical functions, 'by' also carries cultural importance, particularly in expressions such as 'by heart' or 'by hand,' which convey a sense of personal connection and care.
Given its versatility and ubiquity, it's no wonder that someone might want to know the translation of 'by' in different languages. After all, language is more than just a means of communication - it's a window into a culture's history, values, and way of thinking.
For example, in Spanish, 'by' can be translated as 'por' or 'junto a,' depending on the context. In French, 'by' is 'par' or 'près de,' while in German, it's 'bei' or 'durch.' These translations not only help us navigate foreign languages, but also deepen our appreciation for the richness and diversity of human expression.
By
By in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | deur | ||
| The word "deur" in Afrikaans comes from the Dutch "door" and can also mean "through" or "across". | |||
| Amharic | በ | ||
| The word በ also means 'instrument' or 'agent', as in በቀለም כתב 'he wrote with a pen'. | |||
| Hausa | by | ||
| The Hausa word "by" can also mean "because of" or "for the sake of." | |||
| Igbo | site na | ||
| The phrase 'site na' can also be used to denote proximity, as in 'site na ụlọ' ('near the house'). | |||
| Malagasy | ny | ||
| The word "ny" in Malagasy can also refer to a person's possession or a state of being. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | by | ||
| Nyanja's "by" can also mean "at," "in," "with," or "from." | |||
| Shona | by | ||
| In Shona, the word "by" can also mean "near" or "close to". | |||
| Somali | by | ||
| Somali "ba" is derived from the Proto-Cushitic root */ba/ meaning "by, with, next to", and is used in various contexts. | |||
| Sesotho | by | ||
| The word 'by' in Sesotho shares its root with the word 'bya' which means 'make'} | |||
| Swahili | na | ||
| The word "na" also means "and", "with" or "at" depending on context. | |||
| Xhosa | by | ||
| The Xhosa word “nga,” which can also mean “by,” is used as an auxiliary that follows a noun, pronoun or infinitive to signify the agent of the verb’s action or the instrument used. | |||
| Yoruba | nipasẹ | ||
| "Nipasẹ" can also mean "through" or "along". | |||
| Zulu | by | ||
| In Zulu, "by" (ngokwe) can also mean "according to" or "in accordance with." | |||
| Bambara | ni a ye | ||
| Ewe | to | ||
| Kinyarwanda | na | ||
| Lingala | pene | ||
| Luganda | okujjako | ||
| Sepedi | ka | ||
| Twi (Akan) | mu | ||
By in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | بواسطة | ||
| In Arabic, "بواسطة" can also refer to an "instrument" or a "means". | |||
| Hebrew | על ידי | ||
| In Biblical Hebrew, על ידי can also mean "on the side of"} | |||
| Pashto | د | ||
| The Pashto word "د" ("by") also means "of" or "belonging to" when used in conjunction with a noun. | |||
| Arabic | بواسطة | ||
| In Arabic, "بواسطة" can also refer to an "instrument" or a "means". | |||
By in Western European Languages
| Albanian | nga | ||
| The Albanian word "nga" can also mean "from", "out of", or "since", depending on the context. | |||
| Basque | arabera | ||
| "Arabere" also means "to take" when used with the verb root "heldu". | |||
| Catalan | per | ||
| The word "per" in Catalan can also mean "through" or "during". | |||
| Croatian | po | ||
| In nautical jargon, "po" (meaning "by") is used to indicate a destination, and in some expressions it is similar to the English preposition "at" | |||
| Danish | ved | ||
| In Danish, the word "ved" not only means "by" but can also signify "near" or "in the vicinity of" a place. | |||
| Dutch | door | ||
| In Dutch, the word "deur" can also mean "doorway", "gate", or "entrance" | |||
| English | by | ||
| The word "by" can also mean "near" or "past". | |||
| French | par | ||
| The word "par" can also mean "through" or "via" in certain contexts. | |||
| Frisian | troch | ||
| Frisian's "troch" can also mean "through" or "by way of". | |||
| Galician | por | ||
| The word "por" is also used to introduce the agent of a passive verb. | |||
| German | durch | ||
| The word "durch" is derived from the Proto-Germanic word "*þurh", meaning "through", and is related to the English word "thorough". | |||
| Icelandic | eftir | ||
| The word "eftir" can also mean "after" or "according to". | |||
| Irish | le | ||
| The Irish word "le" can also mean "with", "near", or "along with". | |||
| Italian | di | ||
| The word "di" in Italian also means "of" and can be used as part of a possessive construction. | |||
| Luxembourgish | vun | ||
| In English, the word "vun" is an alternate spelling for " von". | |||
| Maltese | minn | ||
| The Maltese word "minn" can also mean "from", making it an ambiguous term that may be interpreted differently in various contexts. | |||
| Norwegian | av | ||
| The word "av" can also mean "out of" or "from", and is often used in conjunction with verbs to indicate the origin or source of something. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | de | ||
| In Portuguese, the preposition "de" can also mean "from," "of," or "about." | |||
| Scots Gaelic | le | ||
| In Scots Gaelic, “le” not only means “by” (instrument or means), but also refers to “with” (in company with), and the dative case, meaning “to” or “for” someone or something. | |||
| Spanish | por | ||
| "Por" is derived from the Vulgar Latin "pro" meaning "in behalf of". | |||
| Swedish | förbi | ||
| Swedish "förbi" comes from Middle Low German "verbi" and "voorbij" in Dutch. | |||
| Welsh | gan | ||
| Some alternate definitions are 'towards', 'until', and, when preceeding an ordinal, 'in' (e.g. 'y gannol' means 'on Monday'). | |||
By in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | па | ||
| The word “па” also means “then,” “now,” and “well” in Belarusian. | |||
| Bosnian | by | ||
| In the Bosnian language, the word "by" is derived from the Slavic word "byti", which means "to be". | |||
| Bulgarian | от | ||
| The word "от" (ot) in Bulgarian can also mean "from" or "out of". | |||
| Czech | podle | ||
| The word "podle" is a preposition and noun meaning "according to" or "underneath", it is also a verb meaning "to submit" or "to subject" | |||
| Estonian | kõrval | ||
| The word "kõrval" also means "beside", "next to", or "at the side of" in Estonian. | |||
| Finnish | mennessä | ||
| The Finnish word "mennessä" can also refer to "when arriving", "when reaching", or "when passing by". | |||
| Hungarian | által | ||
| The word "által" can also mean "through" or "via" in Hungarian | |||
| Latvian | pēc | ||
| "Pēc" can also mean "after" or "according to" in Latvian. | |||
| Lithuanian | pateikė | ||
| Pateikė may also mean 'to submit' or 'to offer'. | |||
| Macedonian | од страна на | ||
| The Macedonian word "од страна на" also means "on the side of" and "in favor of". | |||
| Polish | przez | ||
| "Przez" can also mean "across" or "through" and, in the context of time, can mean "after" or "during". | |||
| Romanian | de | ||
| In Romanian, the preposition "de" can also mean "of," "from," or "about," as in "carte de vizită" ("business card") or "oraşul de Cluj-Napoca" ("the city of Cluj-Napoca"). | |||
| Russian | по | ||
| In Old Church Slavonic, "по- " also means "to approach", thus the Russian words for train "поезд" and travel "перемещение" literally mean "approach" and "to move across", respectively. | |||
| Serbian | од стране | ||
| The Serbian word "од стране" can also mean "from the side" or "near." | |||
| Slovak | od | ||
| The word "od" in Slovak also means "from", "since", or "out of". | |||
| Slovenian | avtor | ||
| The Russian-derived 'avtor' is not to be confused with the Slavic 'avtoritet' ('authority, expertise'). | |||
| Ukrainian | від | ||
| From the Proto-Slavic word *otъ, meaning 'from' or 'away'. | |||
By in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | দ্বারা | ||
| The Bengali word "দ্বারা" (by) originates from Sanskrit and carries additional meanings like "through" and "via". | |||
| Gujarati | દ્વારા | ||
| The word 'દ્વારા' (by) in Gujarati also means 'through', 'via', or 'along'. | |||
| Hindi | द्वारा | ||
| In addition to its common meaning, "द्वारा" can also indicate "through" or "on behalf of" in Hindi. | |||
| Kannada | ಇವರಿಂದ | ||
| The word "ಇವರಿಂದ" in Kannada also means "from" or "after". | |||
| Malayalam | എഴുതിയത് | ||
| In the 19th century, the word "എഴുതിയത്" was also used to refer to a type of official document. | |||
| Marathi | द्वारा | ||
| "द्वारा" can also refer to the "way" or "means" through which something is accomplished. | |||
| Nepali | द्वारा | ||
| The word "द्वारा" can also mean "through" or "via". | |||
| Punjabi | ਨਾਲ | ||
| The word "ਨਾਲ" also means "together with" or "in the company of" in Punjabi. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | විසින් | ||
| The word "විසින්" (visin) in Sinhala also means "by reason of" or "because of". | |||
| Tamil | வழங்கியவர் | ||
| The Tamil word "வழங்கியவர்" means "giver", but it can also be used to refer to the author or source of a text or piece of information. | |||
| Telugu | ద్వారా | ||
| The word "ద్వారా" can also mean "by means of" or "through the agency of". | |||
| Urdu | بذریعہ | ||
| 'بذریعہ' also means 'with the help of' or 'through the agency of' in Urdu. | |||
By in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 通过 | ||
| The term “通过” can be interpreted both as “by” and “to pass through”. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 通過 | ||
| "通過" originally meant "to connect with each other," hence also the meaning of "to pass." This usage can still be seen in certain idioms. | |||
| Japanese | 沿って | ||
| 沿って (sotte) comes from the verb 沿う (sou) meaning "to follow" or "to go along." | |||
| Korean | 으로 | ||
| In Middle Korean, the word could mean both 'to' and 'by', with the former now expressed by the verb '에' ('to'). | |||
| Mongolian | гэхэд | ||
| The Mongolian word гэхэд ('by') also means 'in the case of' and 'in connection with' | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | က | ||
| "က" was also used as a prefix to verbs in the past. | |||
By in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | oleh | ||
| The Indonesian word "oleh" can also mean "due to" or "as a result of". | |||
| Javanese | dening | ||
| The word "dening" in Javanese can also mean "because of" or "due to". | |||
| Khmer | ដោយ | ||
| In some contexts, ដោយ can mean 'instead of', 'except for', or 'but for'. | |||
| Lao | ໂດຍ | ||
| The Lao word ໂດຍ can also mean "with the help of" or "through the agency of." | |||
| Malay | oleh | ||
| "Oleh" can also mean "because of" | |||
| Thai | โดย | ||
| The Thai word "โดย" can originate from several different root words in Sanskrit, such as "du" or "dha", which mean "moving" or "carrying". | |||
| Vietnamese | bởi | ||
| "Bởi" in Vietnamese can also mean "because," "since," or "due to." | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sa pamamagitan ng | ||
By in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | tərəfindən | ||
| The word "tərəfindən" can also mean "on behalf of" or "by means of" in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | арқылы | ||
| "Арқылы" (by) in Kazakh also means "through" or "by means of". | |||
| Kyrgyz | тарабынан | ||
| The word "тарабынан" can also mean "on the side of" or "in the direction of". | |||
| Tajik | аз ҷониби | ||
| In Tajik, "аз ҷониби" is often used to convey agency (e.g., "the book was written by me") as well as association (e.g., "the book is from my collection"). | |||
| Turkmen | tarapyndan | ||
| Uzbek | tomonidan | ||
| The word "tomonidan" is derived from the Persian word "tavan" meaning "power" or "ability". It also has the alternate meaning of "through" or "via". | |||
| Uyghur | by | ||
By in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | e | ||
| The Hawaiian word "e" also means "with" and can be used to form compound words like "eha" (with four) and "ekolu" (with three). | |||
| Maori | e | ||
| Maori also has another word for "by" meaning "via" that is pronounced as "i". | |||
| Samoan | e | ||
| The Samoan word "e" can also mean "in", "at", "on", or "to". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | ni | ||
| The word "ni" can also refer to the possessive form of a noun or pronoun. | |||
By in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | ukata | ||
| Guarani | rupi | ||
By in International Languages
| Esperanto | de | ||
| De (by) is also used to indicate the maker of something or someone. | |||
| Latin | per | ||
| "Per" can also mean "completely, very" (e.g. "perplexed"). | |||
By in Others Languages
| Greek | με | ||
| The Greek word με (by) can also mean "through", "in", or "with". | |||
| Hmong | los ntawm | ||
| "Los ntawm" is also a term used to describe something as "derived" or "originated from". | |||
| Kurdish | ji | ||
| In Sorani Kurdish, "ji" can also be used as a possessive particle indicating "of" or "belonging to" and is commonly used in compound words. | |||
| Turkish | tarafından | ||
| In Turkish, "tarafından" can also mean "on behalf of" or "in the name of." | |||
| Xhosa | by | ||
| The Xhosa word “nga,” which can also mean “by,” is used as an auxiliary that follows a noun, pronoun or infinitive to signify the agent of the verb’s action or the instrument used. | |||
| Yiddish | דורך | ||
| The Yiddish word "דורך" can also mean "through" or "across" | |||
| Zulu | by | ||
| In Zulu, "by" (ngokwe) can also mean "according to" or "in accordance with." | |||
| Assamese | দ্বাৰা | ||
| Aymara | ukata | ||
| Bhojpuri | द्वारा | ||
| Dhivehi | ބައި | ||
| Dogri | राहें | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sa pamamagitan ng | ||
| Guarani | rupi | ||
| Ilocano | babaen | ||
| Krio | bay we | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | تا | ||
| Maithili | द्वारा | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯒꯤ ꯃꯇꯨꯡ ꯏꯟꯅꯥ ꯑꯦꯟ.ꯗꯤ.ꯑꯦ | ||
| Mizo | tu | ||
| Oromo | -n | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଦ୍ .ାରା | ||
| Quechua | by | ||
| Sanskrit | इत्यनेन | ||
| Tatar | тарафыннан | ||
| Tigrinya | ብ | ||
| Tsonga | hi | ||
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