Certainly in Different Languages
Discover 'Certainly' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'certainly' is a small but powerful term that holds great significance in many languages and cultures. It is often used to express agreement, assurance, or confirmation, and can be a crucial word in both casual and formal conversations. Certainly is also a key component in many idioms and expressions, highlighting its importance in the English language.
But did you know that the word 'certainly' can have vastly different translations depending on the language and culture? For example, in Spanish, 'certainly' can be translated to 'seguramente,' while in French, it becomes 'certainement.' In German, the word 'gewiss' is used, and in Japanese, 'yudanete' is the term of choice.
Understanding the translations of 'certainly' in different languages can not only improve your language skills but also provide insight into the unique cultural perspectives of various countries. Join us as we explore the fascinating world of language and culture through the lens of the word 'certainly.'
Certainly
Certainly in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | beslis | ||
| Beslis is a contraction of the phrase "besluit lis" (literally "end debate") in Afrikaans. | |||
| Amharic | በእርግጠኝነት | ||
| The word 'በእርግጠኝነት' ('certainly') in Amharic is used with certainty about something. | |||
| Hausa | lalle ne | ||
| The Hausa word 'lalle ne' is also used in the sentence 'lalle ne ba ka ga ba' to mean 'it is not possible to prevent it'. | |||
| Igbo | n'ezie | ||
| The word "n'ezie" does not have a literal root in Igbo, but is an abbreviation of "n'ezin'ezie," meaning "it is true." | |||
| Malagasy | tokoa | ||
| The word "tokoa" in Malagasy, meaning "certainly," is derived from the Proto-Austronesian root word "tuku," meaning "to confirm or agree." | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | ndithudi | ||
| The word "ndithudi" originates from the verb "kuditula" (to be sure, to make sure) in Nyanja. | |||
| Shona | zvirokwazvo | ||
| ''Zvirokwazvo'' derives from the word ''kweva'', meaning to cut something with precision. | |||
| Somali | hubaal | ||
| Hubaal is derived from the Arabic word "hubb","meaning love, but in Somali it took on the meaning of certainty | |||
| Sesotho | ka sebele | ||
| The word "ka sebele" in Sesotho can also mean "indeed" or "in truth." | |||
| Swahili | hakika | ||
| In Swahili, ‘hakika’ also means ‘real’ or ‘valid’.”} | |||
| Xhosa | ngokuqinisekileyo | ||
| The word "ngokuqinisekileyo" in Xhosa is derived from the verb "qinisekileyo" ("to make sure") and the locative suffix "-kileyo" ("at the place where"). | |||
| Yoruba | nit certainlytọ | ||
| Nit is commonly pronounced without ‘o” which is not a grammatical error (nì tó, ní torí) | |||
| Zulu | impela | ||
| The word "impela" in Zulu also means "surely" and "indeed". | |||
| Bambara | jaati | ||
| Ewe | godoo | ||
| Kinyarwanda | rwose | ||
| Lingala | ya solo | ||
| Luganda | butereevu | ||
| Sepedi | ka nnete | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ɛno ara | ||
Certainly in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | من المؤكد | ||
| Although "من المؤكد" usually means "certainly," it can also mean "that is for sure" or "indeed." | |||
| Hebrew | בְּהֶחלֵט | ||
| Hebrew word "בְּהֶחלֵט" (certainly) was formed from the root ח-ל-ט which means "to sharpen". | |||
| Pashto | خامخا | ||
| The Pashto term "خامخا" has an alternate meaning, "of itself", and may have originated in Persian. | |||
| Arabic | من المؤكد | ||
| Although "من المؤكد" usually means "certainly," it can also mean "that is for sure" or "indeed." | |||
Certainly in Western European Languages
| Albanian | sigurisht | ||
| Sigurisht is connected to the Greek word sigma (σ) which means "safety". | |||
| Basque | zalantzarik gabe | ||
| The Basque word "zalantzarik gabe" literally means "without doubt." | |||
| Catalan | certament | ||
| The word "certament" in Catalan also means "contest", as a noun, or "certainly", as an adverb. | |||
| Croatian | sigurno | ||
| The word "sigurno" in Croatian also means "secure" or "safe". | |||
| Danish | sikkert | ||
| The word "sikkert" is derived from "sikker", meaning "sure" or "safe", and is also the root of "sikringssikring", meaning "insurance against theft". The word has been in use since the early 19th century. | |||
| Dutch | zeker | ||
| The Dutch word "zeker" can also mean "safe" or "sure". | |||
| English | certainly | ||
| The term 'certainly' originated from 'certane', which means 'to separate'. Hence, 'certainly' can mean 'to make or become sure', 'without doubt'. | |||
| French | certainement | ||
| In French, the word "certainement" can also mean "of course" or "sure thing". | |||
| Frisian | wis | ||
| The word "wis" (certainly) is the same as "geweten" in Dutch and has a double meaning of "knowledge" and "certainty". | |||
| Galician | certamente | ||
| The word "certamente" comes from Latin word "certus", meaning "fixed, sure". | |||
| German | bestimmt | ||
| The word 'bestimmt' can also mean 'determined', 'specific' or 'appointed'. | |||
| Icelandic | vissulega | ||
| Vissulega is thought to derive from the Old Norse word 'visulega', meaning 'in a way that is obvious or clear'. | |||
| Irish | cinnte | ||
| In Irish mythology, “cinnte” also refers to a woman who could change her shape at will. | |||
| Italian | certamente | ||
| The word 'certamente' in Italian derives from the Latin 'certus' meaning 'sure' or 'certain'. | |||
| Luxembourgish | sécherlech | ||
| "Sécherlech" derives from the Frankish "sihhirlich" meaning "secure", "real" or "reliable" and was adopted into Luxembourgish with a semantic shift. | |||
| Maltese | żgur | ||
| The Maltese word "żgur" derives from the Arabic word "zajr", meaning "limit" or "restraint". It can also be used to express firmness or conviction. | |||
| Norwegian | sikkert | ||
| The word "sikkert" likely evolved from the Old Norse word "sikr" meaning "safe" or "secure". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | certamente | ||
| In Portuguese, "Certamente" means "surely" too. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | gu cinnteach | ||
| Spanish | ciertamente | ||
| The word "ciertamente" derives from the Latin word "certus", meaning "sure", and also shares etymological roots with the word "cierto" (certain). | |||
| Swedish | säkert | ||
| The Swedish word "säkert" comes from "säker", meaning "safe" in Old Norse. | |||
| Welsh | yn sicr | ||
| The Welsh phrase "yn sicr" can also mean "in truth", "indeed", or "for sure". | |||
Certainly in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | безумоўна | ||
| The word "безумоўна" in Belarusian is an adverb that means "without a doubt" or "definitely" and comes from the adjective "безумоўны" which means "unconditional" or "absolute". | |||
| Bosnian | svakako | ||
| The word "svakako" is composed of "sva" (all) and "kako" (how) thus meaning "in every way". | |||
| Bulgarian | със сигурност | ||
| The word "със сигурност" literally translates to "with safety". | |||
| Czech | rozhodně | ||
| Rozhodně is derived from rozhodnout (decide), suggesting a meaning of 'firmly' or 'decidedly'. | |||
| Estonian | kindlasti | ||
| The word "kindlasti" also means "with certainty" or "indubitably" in Estonian. | |||
| Finnish | varmasti | ||
| "Varmasti" is derived from the word "varma," which means "sure," and the suffix "-sti," which denotes an adverb. | |||
| Hungarian | biztosan | ||
| "Biztosan" (certain) originally meant "insecurity", but its meaning shifted through historical sound changes. | |||
| Latvian | noteikti | ||
| The word "noteikti" derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *neut- "to push" and is related to the Russian word "наверняка" (navernjaka) "certainly, definitely". | |||
| Lithuanian | tikrai | ||
| The word "tikrai" is derived from the word "tikras", meaning "real" or "genuine". | |||
| Macedonian | секако | ||
| "Секако" likely derives from the Ottoman Turkish phrase "sahi aynen öyle", meaning "indeed, it is exactly so." | |||
| Polish | na pewno | ||
| Na pewno in Polish is an affirmation that literally translates to "on purpose," "with certainty," "purposely." | |||
| Romanian | cu siguranță | ||
| The word "cu siguranță" comes from the Latin "securus", meaning "free from anxiety or fear". | |||
| Russian | конечно | ||
| The word "конечно" (certainly) in Russian can also mean "of course" or "sure thing". | |||
| Serbian | сигурно | ||
| The word "сигурно" can also mean "safely" or "for sure" in Serbian. | |||
| Slovak | určite | ||
| "Určite" in Slovak comes from the Proto-Slavic "*vьtrь" meaning "firm" or "strong". | |||
| Slovenian | vsekakor | ||
| "Vsekakor" originally meant "completely", and later adopted the meaning of "certainly". | |||
| Ukrainian | звичайно | ||
| In Ukrainian, "звичайно" not only means "certainly", but also "usually" or "ordinarily". | |||
Certainly in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | নিশ্চয়ই | ||
| The word নিশ্চয়ই originally meant "without hesitation" and still carries that connotation. | |||
| Gujarati | ચોક્કસપણે | ||
| The word “чокккспонне” (“certainly”) is a loanword from the Sanskrit word “chokṣyaṃ” meaning “manifest, clear”. | |||
| Hindi | निश्चित रूप से | ||
| The word 'निश्चित रूप से' (certainly) is derived from the Sanskrit word 'निश्चित' (certain), which means 'fixed' or 'determined'. | |||
| Kannada | ಖಂಡಿತವಾಗಿಯೂ | ||
| ಖಂಡಿತವಾಗಿಯೂ (Khaṇḍitavāgiyū) was originally used in the sense of ‘unquestionably,’ ‘without doubt’. | |||
| Malayalam | തീർച്ചയായും | ||
| Marathi | नक्कीच | ||
| The word "नक्कीच" (nakki-ch) in Marathi originates from the Sanskrit word "नियत" (niyat), meaning "certain" or "fixed." | |||
| Nepali | पक्कै पनि | ||
| The word "पक्कै पनि" is derived from the root "पक्का", meaning "firm" or "secure". | |||
| Punjabi | ਜ਼ਰੂਰ | ||
| The word "ਜ਼ਰੂਰ" in Punjabi can also mean "necessarily" or "without fail". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | නිසැකවම | ||
| The word "නිසැකවම" is originally derived from the Pali word "निसंकोचं" (nisankocam), which means "without hesitation" or "confidently". | |||
| Tamil | நிச்சயமாக | ||
| Telugu | ఖచ్చితంగా | ||
| ఖచ్చితంగా is also used as a suffix to emphasize the certainty of a statement.} | |||
| Urdu | یقینا | ||
| The word "يقينا" (yaqeenan) in Urdu comes from the Arabic word "يَقِينٌ" (yaqee'n), which means "certainty" or "firm belief." | |||
Certainly in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 当然 | ||
| "当然" also means 'naturally' or 'of course', indicating something is self-evident or expected. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 當然 | ||
| The word “當然” (dāngrán) in Chinese is a combination of “當” (dāng), meaning “appropriate” or “fitting,” and “然” (rán), meaning “thus” or “so.” It can also mean “naturally” or “obviously.” | |||
| Japanese | もちろん | ||
| The word "もちろん" (mochiron) in Japanese is a compound of "持つ" (motsu, to hold) and "論" (ron, argument), and it originally meant "holding a reasonable argument". | |||
| Korean | 확실히 | ||
| The word "확실히" comes from the Chinese phrase "確實", originally meaning "accurate and true". | |||
| Mongolian | мэдээжийн хэрэг | ||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | သေချာတယ် | ||
Certainly in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | pasti | ||
| Pasti comes from the Sanskrit word 'pasti' which means 'firm' or 'solid'. | |||
| Javanese | mesthi | ||
| The word "mesthi" in Javanese can also be used to refer to a type of traditional puppet performance. | |||
| Khmer | ពិតជា | ||
| The word 'ពិតជា' ('certainly') in Khmer comes from the Sanskrit word 'पृथक्' ('separate'). | |||
| Lao | ແນ່ນອນ | ||
| ແນ່ນອນ (nên-on) likely comes from the Sanskrit word "niścaya" meaning "certainty, confidence, resolve, conviction, sureness, assurance," "necessary, certain, sure, inevitable, fixed, settled, established." | |||
| Malay | semestinya | ||
| Semestinya derives from the Arabic word 'mustahaq' (حق), meaning 'worthy' or 'deserving', and was used as a legal term to indicate an entitlement or obligation. | |||
| Thai | แน่นอน | ||
| In Thai, the word “แน่นอน” (pronounced naenon) derives from the Sanskrit words “निश्चित” (niścita) or “निश्चित्य” (niścitya), meaning 'certain' or 'fixed'. | |||
| Vietnamese | chắc chắn | ||
| The word "chắc chắn" in Vietnamese can also mean "tightly" or "firmly". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | tiyak | ||
Certainly in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | əlbəttə | ||
| In Old Azerbaijani Turkish, the word "əlbəttə" also meant "surely, without a doubt, undoubtedly"} | |||
| Kazakh | әрине | ||
| The word "әрине" in Kazakh can also mean "of course" or "obviously". | |||
| Kyrgyz | албетте | ||
| The word "албетте" came from the Arabic word "البته" meaning "of course". | |||
| Tajik | албатта | ||
| The word "албатта" derives from Persian "آلبتّه" and means "absolutely", "of course" or "indeed". | |||
| Turkmen | elbetde | ||
| Uzbek | albatta | ||
| The word "albatta" in Uzbek also means "of course" or "obviously". | |||
| Uyghur | ئەلۋەتتە | ||
Certainly in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ʻoiaʻiʻo | ||
| ʻOiaʻiʻo, which means 'precisely' in Hawaiian, can mean 'truly' or 'indeed' in English. | |||
| Maori | pono | ||
| Maori 'pono' also connotes correctness or accuracy and can be used as a verb meaning 'to make right'. | |||
| Samoan | e mautinoa lava | ||
| The word "e mautinoa lava" can also mean "very sure" or "without a doubt" in Samoan. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | tiyak | ||
| The word "tiyak" is ultimately derived from the Sanskrit word "satyaki", meaning "truthful" or "true". | |||
Certainly in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | ukhampuni | ||
| Guarani | oje'ehaichaite | ||
Certainly in International Languages
| Esperanto | certe | ||
| The German equivalent of Esperanto "certe" is "gewiss", "certainly" in English, that derives from Middle Dutch "gewisse", "secure". | |||
| Latin | certe | ||
| Certe, an adverb meaning "certainly" in Latin, derives from the Proto-Indo-European word "*kʷer-", meaning "to turn" or "to twist". | |||
Certainly in Others Languages
| Greek | σίγουρα | ||
| The word "σίγουρα" ("certainly") comes from the Turkish word "sağır" ("deaf, hard of hearing"), which was used to describe someone who was unable to hear or understand, and therefore was unable to doubt or question something, hence the meaning of "certain" or "sure" evolved. | |||
| Hmong | yeej | ||
| The Hmong word "yeej" (which means "certainly") can also mean "sure". | |||
| Kurdish | bicî | ||
| The word 'bicî' is said to originally stem from the verb 'biciyan' (to weave), due to the idea that something definite is as firmly secured as threads in a fabric that will not become undone. | |||
| Turkish | kesinlikle | ||
| "Kesinlikle" in Turkish can also mean "exactly", "exactly so", or "precisely". | |||
| Xhosa | ngokuqinisekileyo | ||
| The word "ngokuqinisekileyo" in Xhosa is derived from the verb "qinisekileyo" ("to make sure") and the locative suffix "-kileyo" ("at the place where"). | |||
| Yiddish | אַוואַדע | ||
| אַוואַדע derives from the medieval Aramaic expression “או ודאי,” meaning “or surely,” a phrase that served as an emphatic affirmative. | |||
| Zulu | impela | ||
| The word "impela" in Zulu also means "surely" and "indeed". | |||
| Assamese | নিশ্চিতভাৱে | ||
| Aymara | ukhampuni | ||
| Bhojpuri | निश्चित रूप से | ||
| Dhivehi | ޔަޤީނުންވެސް | ||
| Dogri | जकीनी | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | tiyak | ||
| Guarani | oje'ehaichaite | ||
| Ilocano | sigurado | ||
| Krio | na dat | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | بە دڵناییەوە | ||
| Maithili | निश्चित रूप सं | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯁꯣꯏꯗꯅ | ||
| Mizo | ngei ngei | ||
| Oromo | shakkii malee | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ନିଶ୍ଚିତ ଭାବରେ | ||
| Quechua | chiqaqpuni | ||
| Sanskrit | निश्चयेन | ||
| Tatar | әлбәттә | ||
| Tigrinya | ብርግፀኝነት | ||
| Tsonga | hakunene | ||