Call in Different Languages
Discover 'Call' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'call' holds a significant place in our daily lives and across various cultures. It's a simple term that carries a powerful meaning - to summon, to request, or to communicate with someone. Historically, the sound of a 'call' has been used to gather people or signal important events. For instance, the call of a loon is a hauntingly beautiful sound in the wilderness, while the call to prayer in Islamic cultures is a daily reminder of faith and community.
Given its importance, you might wonder how 'call' translates into different languages. In Spanish, 'call' is 'llamada', while in French, it's 'appel'. In Mandarin Chinese, it's '电话' (diànhuà), which specifically refers to a phone call. In Japanese, 'call' is 'コール' (kōru), reflecting the influence of English in Japanese culture.
Explore the many translations of 'call' and learn about the cultural significance of this word in different languages. Keep reading to discover more!
Call
Call in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | bel | ||
| The word "bel" in Afrikaans also means "beautiful" and is related to the Dutch word "bel" meaning "bell". | |||
| Amharic | ይደውሉ | ||
| The word "ይደውሉ" in Amharic can also mean "to address" or "to refer to". | |||
| Hausa | kira | ||
| The word "kira" in Hausa also denotes a "call to action" or a "summons". | |||
| Igbo | kpọọ | ||
| The Igbo word "kpọọ" can also mean "to invite" or "to summon". | |||
| Malagasy | antso | ||
| The word "antso" can also refer to the action of inviting someone to an event or a meeting. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kuyitana | ||
| The word "kuyitana" also means "to shout". | |||
| Shona | kudana | ||
| The word kudana can also mean 'to summon' or 'to invite' in Shona. | |||
| Somali | soo wac | ||
| The word "soo wac" in Somali, which means "call," can also mean "to ask" or "to invite." | |||
| Sesotho | letsetsa | ||
| The word "letsetsa" can also mean "to invite" or "to summon". | |||
| Swahili | wito | ||
| The word 'wito' can also mean 'to summon' or 'to invite'. | |||
| Xhosa | umnxeba | ||
| 'Umnxeba' can also mean 'conversation' or 'message'. | |||
| Yoruba | pe | ||
| The word "pe" in Yoruba can also refer to the act of naming or addressing someone. | |||
| Zulu | ucingo | ||
| The Zulu word 'ucingo' also means 'an announcement' or 'a proclamation'. | |||
| Bambara | weleli | ||
| Ewe | yᴐ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | hamagara | ||
| Lingala | kobenga | ||
| Luganda | okuyita | ||
| Sepedi | bitša | ||
| Twi (Akan) | frɛ | ||
Call in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | مكالمة | ||
| مكالمة can refer to either a phone call or a conversation, and it derives from a root meaning "to speak or talk" | |||
| Hebrew | שִׂיחָה | ||
| The Hebrew word "שִׂיחָה" (call) also means "prayer" or "conversation". | |||
| Pashto | زنګ ووهه | ||
| The word "زنګ ووهه" in Pashto also means "to ring" or "to make a sound." | |||
| Arabic | مكالمة | ||
| مكالمة can refer to either a phone call or a conversation, and it derives from a root meaning "to speak or talk" | |||
Call in Western European Languages
| Albanian | thirrje | ||
| "Thirrje" derives from Proto-Indo-European "*gʰer- " (to call, to cry out), cognate with ancient Greek "βοάω" (boáo, “to cry out”)" | |||
| Basque | deitu | ||
| The word “deitu” can also mean "to bet" in a card game. | |||
| Catalan | anomenada | ||
| The word "anomenada" in Catalan also means "famous" or "renowned". | |||
| Croatian | poziv | ||
| Poziv could mean a call, a summons, an invitation, an invitation to tender, or a military call-up depending on the context in which it is used. | |||
| Danish | opkald | ||
| The word "opkald" in Danish also means "telephone call" and "appeal". | |||
| Dutch | bellen | ||
| In Dutch, "bellen" can also refer to ringing a bell or barking of a dog. | |||
| English | call | ||
| Call can also mean a group of birds or an unexpected port of a ship, originating from the Middle English word "calle," meaning "flock." | |||
| French | appel | ||
| "Appel" is ultimately derived from the Latin word "appellare," meaning "to address" or "to speak to." | |||
| Frisian | belje | ||
| The word "belje" in Frisian has a dual etymology, meaning both "call" and "bark (of a dog)". | |||
| Galician | chamar | ||
| Galician word 'chamar' also means 'to call out', 'to cry', 'to name' and 'to ask for'. | |||
| German | anruf | ||
| The word "Anruf" can also refer to a telephone exchange or a person's telephone number. | |||
| Icelandic | hringja | ||
| In Old Norse, 'hringja' could also refer to the 'summoning of spirits,' 'enchanting,' or 'ringing of bells'. | |||
| Irish | glaoigh | ||
| "Glaoigh" in Irish derives from the Old Irish verb "gluaid," meaning "to make a sound, shout, or call." | |||
| Italian | chiamata | ||
| The word "chiamata" can also mean "summons" or "roll call". | |||
| Luxembourgish | uruffen | ||
| The verb "uruffen" originates from the Proto-West Germanic word "*ur-hropjaną" meaning "to cry out, to call, to proclaim". | |||
| Maltese | sejħa | ||
| The verb "sejħa" ("to call") also relates to an "urgent need for doing something", and is used to indicate an "action"} | |||
| Norwegian | anrop | ||
| The word "anrop" in Norwegian can also mean "appeal" or "invocation." | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | ligar | ||
| In Portuguese, the verb "ligar" (in both Portugal and Brazil) can also mean "to link" or "to connect", likely due to its origin in the Latin word "ligare", which means "to bind" or "to tie up." | |||
| Scots Gaelic | gairm | ||
| The Scots Gaelic word "gairm," meaning "call," also referred to a religious assembly or convocation. | |||
| Spanish | llamada | ||
| In some regions of the Spanish speaking world, the word `llamada` also refers to an unexpected visit. | |||
| Swedish | ring upp | ||
| The word ringa upp (to call) derives from the earlier term ringa på (to phone), which comes from the German word anrufen (to call up). | |||
| Welsh | galw | ||
| The Welsh word "galw" can also refer to a person who is invited or summoned, and has its origins in the Proto-Celtic word "*gʷʰelh₂-/" | |||
Call in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | тэлефанаваць | ||
| The Belarusian word "тэлефанаваць" is derived from the Greek "tele" (far) and "phone" (sound), and its alternate meaning is "to phone". | |||
| Bosnian | poziv | ||
| The word "poziv" in Bosnian can also mean "invitation" or "summons". | |||
| Bulgarian | обадете се | ||
| "Обадете се" also means "to apply". | |||
| Czech | volání | ||
| Czech "volání" means a call, a desire or an urge but also "waving" in a beckoning sense. | |||
| Estonian | helistama | ||
| Helistama's alternate meaning "to make noise while falling or breaking" suggests an onomatopoeic origin. | |||
| Finnish | soittaa puhelimella | ||
| "Soittaa puhelimella" originally meant "to whistle". During the 1880s, the first telephones were demonstrated in Finland and in the following years "soittaa" began to be used for calling with a telephone as well. | |||
| Hungarian | hívás | ||
| The verb "hívni" in Hungarian also means "to summon" and "to invite". | |||
| Latvian | zvanu | ||
| The Latvian "zvanu" derives from the Indo-European root "*gʰwen-“, also found in words like "call" in English and "zvuk" in Russian. | |||
| Lithuanian | skambutis | ||
| The Lithuanian word "skambutis" is cognate with the English word "skimp" and originally referred to a bell or a gong, but later acquired the additional meaning of a telephone call. | |||
| Macedonian | повик | ||
| The word "повик" can also refer to "an invitation" or "the act of summoning someone or something" | |||
| Polish | połączenie | ||
| Połączenie can also be used to refer to a connection or junction in Polish. | |||
| Romanian | apel | ||
| In Old Romanian, "apel" also meant "watercourse" and "flood". | |||
| Russian | вызов | ||
| "Вызов" in Russian comes from the verb "звать" (to call, to summon). It can also mean a challenge or a provocation. | |||
| Serbian | позива | ||
| In the military, "позива" denotes a draft notice. | |||
| Slovak | hovor | ||
| The Slovak word "hovor" comes from the Proto-Slavic root *govori-ti, which also meant "to speak". | |||
| Slovenian | pokličite | ||
| The word 'pokličite' can also mean to 'summon' or 'invite', and derives from the Proto-Slavic word 'poklъčati', meaning 'to summon' or 'to knock'. | |||
| Ukrainian | дзвінок | ||
| In Ukrainian, the word "дзвінок" can also mean "doorbell" or "school bell." | |||
Call in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | কল | ||
| The word "কল" (call) in Bengali can also refer to a pen or a factory. | |||
| Gujarati | ક callલ કરો | ||
| The Gujarati word ક callલ કરો originates from the Sanskrit word 'kal', which means 'to speak or proclaim'. | |||
| Hindi | कॉल | ||
| "कॉल" शब्द संस्कृत शब्द "कुहू" से आया है, जिसका अर्थ "पुकारना" या "एकत्र करना" है। यह अंग्रेजी शब्द "कॉल" से भी जुड़ा है, जिसका अर्थ "मदद के लिए या ध्यान आकर्षित करने के लिए पुकारना" है। | |||
| Kannada | ಕರೆ ಮಾಡಿ | ||
| The verb 'ಕರೆ ಮಾಡಿ' also means 'to invite', in the sense of inviting someone to an event or to join a group of people. | |||
| Malayalam | വിളി | ||
| The word "விளி" (call) in Malayalam is derived from the Proto-Dravidian word "*vil", meaning "to summon or call out." | |||
| Marathi | कॉल करा | ||
| As a verb, "कॉल करा" can also mean "to summon" or "to invite" in Marathi. | |||
| Nepali | कल | ||
| The Nepali word "कल" also means "yesterday" or the day before today. | |||
| Punjabi | ਕਾਲ ਕਰੋ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | අමතන්න | ||
| අමතන්න ('call') is derived from the Sanskrit word 'āmantrana', which also means 'invitation' or 'request'. In Sinhala, it is often used to invite or request someone to do something. | |||
| Tamil | அழைப்பு | ||
| The Tamil word "அழைப்பு" (call) can also refer to a challenge or an invitation. | |||
| Telugu | కాల్ | ||
| The word "కాల్" ("call") also means "a call of nature" (i.e., "going to the toilet") in Telugu. | |||
| Urdu | کال کریں | ||
| The Urdu word "کال کریں" is also used to refer to a "call of nature" (the need to urinate or defecate). | |||
Call in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 呼叫 | ||
| The word 呼叫 also means "to scream for help" or "to beckon to someone". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 呼叫 | ||
| The character “呼” in “呼叫” represents shouting and the character “叫” represents making a loud noise. | |||
| Japanese | コール | ||
| The word "call" in Japanese can also mean "to shout" or "to gather". | |||
| Korean | 요구 | ||
| '요구' is a Korean native word meaning 'demand' and 'request'. The verb '요구하다' corresponds to 'call for' in English. | |||
| Mongolian | дуудлага | ||
| It is possible that the word "дуудлага" is derived from the verb "дуудах" (to call, to shout), which in turn may be related to the verb "дуулгах" (to sing). | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ခေါ်ပါ | ||
Call in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | panggilan | ||
| The word "panggilan" can also refer to a nickname or a term of endearment. | |||
| Javanese | nelpon | ||
| The word "nelpon" has the same etymology as the Indonesian word "telepon", both derived from ancient Greek "tele" (far) and "phone" (voice). | |||
| Khmer | ហៅ | ||
| "ហៅ" can also mean "ask for help". | |||
| Lao | ໂທຫາ | ||
| The Lao word "ໂທຫາ" can also mean to "make a phone call". | |||
| Malay | panggil | ||
| The Malay word "panggil" has Proto-Austronesian cognates in Formosan, Chamic, Malayic, and Greater Barito languages, implying a long history of usage in the Austronesian language family. | |||
| Thai | โทร | ||
| In addition to the meaning of 'call',โทร (โทรศัพท์) also means 'telephone' in Thai. | |||
| Vietnamese | gọi | ||
| The word "gọi" can also mean "to invite" or "to name" | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | tawag | ||
Call in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | zəng edin | ||
| The word "zəng" in Azerbaijani has an alternate meaning of "bell", which is also reflected in its etymology from the Persian word "zang" meaning "bell". | |||
| Kazakh | қоңырау | ||
| "Қоңырау" is derived from the Proto-Turkic word "*qongur-aq" meaning | |||
| Kyrgyz | чалуу | ||
| The word "чалуу" (call) in Kyrgyz also means "to send" or "to invite". | |||
| Tajik | занг занед | ||
| The word "занг занед" in Tajik can also refer to a formal announcement, invitation, or summoning. | |||
| Turkmen | jaň ediň | ||
| Uzbek | qo'ng'iroq qiling | ||
| The Uzbek word "qo'ng'iroq qiling" also means "ring a bell" or "give a shout". | |||
| Uyghur | call | ||
Call in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kāhea | ||
| "Kāhea" means "call" but also "invitation". | |||
| Maori | karanga | ||
| The word "karanga" also refers to a formal Maori welcome chant. | |||
| Samoan | valaʻau | ||
| In Samoan, the word "valaʻau" is also a term used to refer to a formal invitation to an event. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | tawagan | ||
| Tawagan' is derived from 'tawag,' meaning 'to call' or 'to summon,' and is related to 'tag,' meaning 'to follow. | |||
Call in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jawsaña | ||
| Guarani | henói | ||
Call in International Languages
| Esperanto | voki | ||
| "Voki" might be related to "voko," which would mean "sound of a bird," and "vok," meaning "a crow." | |||
| Latin | voca | ||
| The Latin word "voca" also refers to a goddess of woods and forests, associated with Diana. | |||
Call in Others Languages
| Greek | κλήση | ||
| The word "κλήση" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *klew-, meaning "to hear". | |||
| Hmong | hu | ||
| The word "hu" can also mean "to ask" or "to talk". | |||
| Kurdish | bang | ||
| In Kurdish, "bang" also means "to shout" or "to make a loud noise". | |||
| Turkish | aramak | ||
| The word "aramak" is also used to mean "to search" or "to look for" in Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | umnxeba | ||
| 'Umnxeba' can also mean 'conversation' or 'message'. | |||
| Yiddish | רופן | ||
| In Yiddish, "רופן" can also refer to a person who summons others. | |||
| Zulu | ucingo | ||
| The Zulu word 'ucingo' also means 'an announcement' or 'a proclamation'. | |||
| Assamese | কল কৰা | ||
| Aymara | jawsaña | ||
| Bhojpuri | पुकारल | ||
| Dhivehi | ގުޅުން | ||
| Dogri | सद्दो | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | tawag | ||
| Guarani | henói | ||
| Ilocano | awagan | ||
| Krio | kɔl | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | پەیوەندی | ||
| Maithili | बुलाहट | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯀꯧꯕ | ||
| Mizo | ko | ||
| Oromo | waamuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | କଲ୍ କରନ୍ତୁ | | ||
| Quechua | qayay | ||
| Sanskrit | आह्वानम् | ||
| Tatar | шалтырату | ||
| Tigrinya | ደውል | ||
| Tsonga | vitana | ||