Clock in Different Languages
Discover 'Clock' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The clock is a device that measures and indicates time. It's an essential tool in our daily lives, helping us stay organized, meet deadlines, and keep track of important events. The cultural significance of the clock is evident in its widespread use and the various ways it has been incorporated into art, literature, and language.
For language enthusiasts and travelers, knowing the translation of the word 'clock' in different languages can be particularly interesting. For example, in Spanish, the word for clock is 'reloj'; in French, it's 'horloge'; in German, it's 'Uhr'; and in Japanese, it's '時計 (tokei)'. Each of these translations not only reflects the linguistic diversity of different cultures but also highlights the universal need to keep track of time.
Throughout history, the clock has evolved significantly, from ancient sundials and water clocks to the modern digital and atomic clocks. These advancements have not only improved our ability to measure time but also deepened our understanding of the fundamental laws of the universe. So, whether you're a history buff, a language lover, or simply someone who appreciates the importance of time, exploring the translations of the word 'clock' in different languages is a fascinating journey.
Clock
Clock in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | klok | ||
| Afrikaans "klok" is a cognate of English "clock", with a possible secondary meaning of "bell or gong". | |||
| Amharic | ሰዓት | ||
| Derived from Arabic "sa'ah" (hour), in Amharic "sə'at" can also refer to "time" or a "moment". | |||
| Hausa | agogo | ||
| "Agogo" is also an exclamation to get attention | |||
| Igbo | elekere | ||
| In Igbo tradition, 'elekere', which is translated to mean 'hour' or 'clock' also connotes the chime of bells. | |||
| Malagasy | famantaranandro | ||
| The Malagasy word "famantaranandro" literally means "what counts the hours". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | wotchi | ||
| In Nyanja, the word "wotchi" also means "timepiece" and can refer to any device that measures time. | |||
| Shona | wachi | ||
| Wachi can also mean 'time' or 'a period of time', and is thought to derive from the verb 'kuwacha', meaning 'to guard' or 'to watch'. | |||
| Somali | saacad | ||
| The Somali word "saacad" is derived from the Arabic word "sa'ah", which means "hour", and has the additional meaning of "timepiece" in some contexts. | |||
| Sesotho | tshupanako | ||
| The Sesotho word "tshupanako" originates from the Zulu word "isikupha", which means "alarm". | |||
| Swahili | saa | ||
| "Saa" also means "time" in Swahili, and can refer to a specific time of day or a period of time. | |||
| Xhosa | iwotshi | ||
| The Xhosa word "iwotshi" derives from the onomatopoeic sound of a clock ticking. | |||
| Yoruba | aago | ||
| The Yoruba word "àág" can also refer to a timepiece or a period of 12 hours. | |||
| Zulu | iwashi | ||
| In Zulu, "iwashi" also means "timepiece" or "sandglass." | |||
| Bambara | mɔnturu | ||
| Ewe | gaƒoɖokui | ||
| Kinyarwanda | isaha | ||
| Lingala | montre | ||
| Luganda | essaawa | ||
| Sepedi | nako | ||
| Twi (Akan) | wɔɔkye | ||
Clock in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | ساعة حائط | ||
| In the Arab world, a "ساعة حائط" (clock) can also refer to a "pocket watch" or "wristwatch". | |||
| Hebrew | שָׁעוֹן | ||
| The word 'sha'on' has ancient Egyptian roots, and means both 'clock' and 'hour' in Hebrew slang. | |||
| Pashto | ساعت | ||
| The Pashto word "ساعت" originally meant "an astrolabe" and is derived from the Arabic word "ساعة". | |||
| Arabic | ساعة حائط | ||
| In the Arab world, a "ساعة حائط" (clock) can also refer to a "pocket watch" or "wristwatch". | |||
Clock in Western European Languages
| Albanian | ora | ||
| The root of "ora" can be traced back to ancient Greek, where it originally meant "season" or "time of year".} | |||
| Basque | erlojua | ||
| The word "erlojua" can also refer to a "watch" in Basque. | |||
| Catalan | rellotge | ||
| The Catalan word «rellotge» originates from the Latin word «horologium», meaning «timepiece». However, in some areas of Catalonia, it is also used to refer to a «watch». | |||
| Croatian | sat | ||
| The word "sat" also means "hour" or "o'clock" in Croatian, derived from the Latin "hora". | |||
| Danish | ur | ||
| The Danish word "ur" is derived from the Germanic word "ura", meaning "timepiece". | |||
| Dutch | klok | ||
| The origin of the Dutch word "klok" may also be onomatopoeic, referring to the ticking of a clock | |||
| English | clock | ||
| The word "clock" derives from the Middle Dutch "klocke", meaning "bell", as early clocks used bells to chime the hour. | |||
| French | l'horloge | ||
| The word “l’horloge” derives from Latin's "horologium", the Greek word for "hour" being "hora". | |||
| Frisian | klok | ||
| In Frisian the word "klok" not only means "clock" it also refers to a bell tower. | |||
| Galician | reloxo | ||
| The Galician word "reloxo" originates from the Latin "horologium", meaning "time-telling instrument". | |||
| German | uhr | ||
| The German word "Uhr" derives from the Latin word "hora" (hour) and the Germanic word "uz-werkā" (work during day). | |||
| Icelandic | klukka | ||
| Icelandic "klukka" derives from Old Norse "klukkr", meaning "bell", or the later "klucka", meaning "to cluck". | |||
| Irish | clog | ||
| Irish "clog" derives from Proto-Celtic "klekwos" meaning "bell" or "noisemaker". | |||
| Italian | orologio | ||
| The Italian word "orologio" originally referred to an hourglass, from the Latin "horologium," meaning "device for measuring time." | |||
| Luxembourgish | auer | ||
| The word "Auer" is derived from the Latin word "hora" which also means "time." | |||
| Maltese | arloġġ | ||
| The Maltese word “arloġġ” comes from the Italian word “orologio”, which in turn comes from the Latin word “horologium”, meaning “timepiece”. | |||
| Norwegian | klokke | ||
| In Norwegian, the word "klokke" can also refer to a bell, a church bell in particular. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | relógio | ||
| In Portuguese, the word "relógio" has its origin in the Latin word "horologium", meaning "time measurer". In everyday speech, it also refers to a wristwatch or a person's watch. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | gleoc | ||
| The Scots Gaelic word "gleoc" derives from the Old Irish "clog", which initially meant "bell" in the context of the early Celtic Church. | |||
| Spanish | reloj | ||
| The word "reloj" comes from the Latin word "horologium," which means "timepiece" or "instrument for measuring time." | |||
| Swedish | klocka | ||
| "Klocka" means "bell" in Old Norse, its original function being a bell that calls to assembly. | |||
| Welsh | cloc | ||
| The Welsh word 'cloc' can also refer to a bell or a gong. | |||
Clock in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | гадзіннік | ||
| The word "гадзіннік" comes from the Greek word "horologion", meaning "time measurer". | |||
| Bosnian | sat | ||
| The word "sat" also has the alternate meaning of "hour" in Bosnian. | |||
| Bulgarian | часовник | ||
| The word "часовник" can also refer to a prayer book or a watch. | |||
| Czech | hodiny | ||
| The Czech word hodiny not only means 'clock', but is also used in a plural sense to mean 'watch' | |||
| Estonian | kell | ||
| The Estonian word "kell" is derived from the Old Norse "klocka" meaning "bell", which is also the origin of the English word "clock". | |||
| Finnish | kello | ||
| The word 'kello' has cognates in most other Uralic languages, such as 'kell' in Estonian, and it may originate from an Indo-European root *gʰel- ('to sound'). | |||
| Hungarian | óra | ||
| In Hungarian, the word "óra" can also refer to a "period" (as in "time period"). | |||
| Latvian | pulksteni | ||
| “Pulkstenis” derives from an alternate form of “pulk” (“a beat”), suggesting its early connection with percussion. | |||
| Lithuanian | laikrodis | ||
| " laikrodis" is a derivative of the Greek word horologion, meaning "time measurer". | |||
| Macedonian | часовник | ||
| The word "часовник" in Macedonian also means "watchmaker" and can refer to a person who makes or repairs clocks. | |||
| Polish | zegar | ||
| The word "zegar" originally referred to an hourglass or sandglass, and only later came to mean a mechanical clock. | |||
| Romanian | ceas | ||
| The Romanian word "ceas" also means "hour" as a measure of time, similar to its counterparts in other Romance languages like French "heure" and Italian "ora." | |||
| Russian | часы | ||
| The word "Часы" can also refer to "hours" and "hours of work." | |||
| Serbian | сат | ||
| The word "сат" in Serbian is derived from Turkish "saat" which means "time" or "hour". | |||
| Slovak | hodiny | ||
| In Slovak, "hodiny" also means "hours" which is a measurement of time in a day, typically 24. | |||
| Slovenian | ura | ||
| Ura may also mean 'an hour', 'time,' 'lesson' or 'appointment'. | |||
| Ukrainian | годинник | ||
| The word "годинник" is derived from the Old Church Slavonic word "godina", meaning "hour". It can also refer to a watch or other device for measuring time. | |||
Clock in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ঘড়ি | ||
| The Bengali word "ঘড়ি" can also refer to an hourglass or a sundial, instruments that were used to tell time before modern clocks. | |||
| Gujarati | ઘડિયાળ | ||
| The word "ઘડિયાળ" (clock) is derived from the Sanskrit word "घटी" (ghati), meaning "hour". It can also mean a "watch" or a "timepiece". | |||
| Hindi | घड़ी | ||
| The Hindi word "घड़ी" can also refer to a "watch" or the "hour" of the day. | |||
| Kannada | ಗಡಿಯಾರ | ||
| Alternate meanings for "ಗಡಿಯಾರ" include a "boundary" or "limit". | |||
| Malayalam | ക്ലോക്ക് | ||
| The word "ക്ലോക്ക്" is derived from the Middle English word "clokke", meaning a bell or gong. | |||
| Marathi | घड्याळ | ||
| "घड्याळ" in Marathi, derived from the Sanskrit word "घटी," also refers to an hourglass or any device that measures time. | |||
| Nepali | घडी | ||
| In Nepali, घडी (ghari) originally referred to an hourglass but now also means any time-keeping device. | |||
| Punjabi | ਘੜੀ | ||
| "ਘੜੀ" is cognate with the words "घड़ी" in Hindi, "غڑی" in Urdu, and " घडी " in Gujarati originating from Sanskrit "घटिका" meaning "pitcher; pot; bowl containing water with a hole letting the water drop slowly; water clock" possibly used to measure short intervals of time. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ඔරලෝසුව | ||
| "ඔරලෝසුව" is a Sinhalese word for "clock", which is derived from the Portuguese "relogio", meaning "small wheel." | |||
| Tamil | கடிகாரம் | ||
| "கடிகாரம்" means both "hand" and "clock" in Tamil, due to the rotating hand pointing to hours. | |||
| Telugu | గడియారం | ||
| The word "గడియారం" is derived from the Sanskrit word "घटिका" (ghaṭikā), which means "a part of time" | |||
| Urdu | گھڑی | ||
| گھڑی can also refer to a machine which measures time and strikes at every hour. | |||
Clock in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 时钟 | ||
| "时钟"的汉字分解为"时"（时间）和"钟"（敲击），指通过有规律地敲击来报时的装置。 | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 時鐘 | ||
| In Traditional Chinese, 時鐘 (clock) is also pronounced "shizhong". 時 corresponds to the English word "time", and 鐘 means "bell" or "gong". | |||
| Japanese | 時計 | ||
| "時計" (clock) comes from the kanji 時 (time) and 計 (measure), suggesting its function as a time-measuring device. | |||
| Korean | 시계 | ||
| 시계 can also refer to 'a time' in idiomatic usages such as 저녁시계 (lit: in the time of the evening; during evening), or 밥시계 (lit: in the time of eating; at meal time). | |||
| Mongolian | цаг | ||
| "Цаг" can also refer to time in general, period, era or epoch. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | နာရီ | ||
| The Burmese word "နာရီ" is derived from the Pali word "nālikā", which originally referred to a water clock. | |||
Clock in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | jam | ||
| "Jam" can also refer to any substance that has a jelly-like consistency, such as food preserves or traffic congestion. | |||
| Javanese | jam | ||
| In Javanese, "jam" can also refer to a type of traditional dance or to a time period. | |||
| Khmer | នាឡិកា | ||
| The word "នាឡិកា" derives from the Sanskrit word "nālikā" meaning "tube" or "pipe," possibly referring to the water-clocks used in ancient times. | |||
| Lao | ໂມງ | ||
| The Lao word for clock, ໂມງ, may also refer to a gong, the time the gong is struck, or a type of bird. | |||
| Malay | jam | ||
| The word "jam" in Malay can also mean "hour" or "time". | |||
| Thai | นาฬิกา | ||
| The Thai word for "clock", "นาฬิกา", is derived from the Sanskrit word "nālikā", meaning "tube" or "stalk", referring to the tube of water used in ancient water clocks. | |||
| Vietnamese | đồng hồ | ||
| "Đồng hồ" can also mean "measure" or "meter", denoting something that measures time, distance, or volume | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | orasan | ||
Clock in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | saat | ||
| The word "saat" in Azerbaijani derives from the Persian word "sā'at" and can also refer to a period of time (e.g., an hour). | |||
| Kazakh | сағат | ||
| The word "сағат" is derived from the Arabic word "sa'ah" which can also mean "time" or "hour". | |||
| Kyrgyz | саат | ||
| In Kyrgyz, "саат" can also mean "hour" or "time", derived from the Persian word "saat" with the same meanings. | |||
| Tajik | соат | ||
| The word "соат" is derived from the Persian word "sā'at", which ultimately comes from the Arabic word "sā'a", meaning "time", "hour", or "watch". | |||
| Turkmen | sagat | ||
| Uzbek | soat | ||
| In Uzbek, the word "soat" also carries the meaning of "a short break". | |||
| Uyghur | سائەت | ||
Clock in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | uaki | ||
| The Hawaiian word "uaki" can also refer to a type of bird or a specific period of time | |||
| Maori | karaka | ||
| The word "karaka" can also refer to the New Zealand native tree Corynocarpus laevigatus, whose fruit is known for its high nutritional qualities. | |||
| Samoan | uati | ||
| The term 'uati' in Samoan is derived from the Māori word 'wati', which in turn is derived from the English word 'watch' | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | orasan | ||
| The Tagalog word "orasan" also refers to the time indicated by the clock. | |||
Clock in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | riluju | ||
| Guarani | aravopapaha | ||
Clock in International Languages
| Esperanto | horloĝo | ||
| The word "horloĝo" is derived from the Latin word "horologium", meaning "timepiece". It can also refer to a sundial or an hourglass. | |||
| Latin | horologium | ||
| The word "horologium" originally referred to any instrument for measuring time, such as a sundial or water clock. | |||
Clock in Others Languages
| Greek | ρολόι | ||
| The word "ρολόι" (clock) comes from the Italian word "orologio", which itself comes from the Latin word "horologium", meaning "timepiece". | |||
| Hmong | moos | ||
| The Hmong word "moos" can also refer to the sound made by a cow. | |||
| Kurdish | seet | ||
| The Kurdish word "seet" can also refer to a type of traditional Kurdish water wheel. | |||
| Turkish | saat | ||
| The word "saat" is derived from the Arabic word "sa'ah", meaning "hour", and is used in Turkish to refer to both clocks and watches. | |||
| Xhosa | iwotshi | ||
| The Xhosa word "iwotshi" derives from the onomatopoeic sound of a clock ticking. | |||
| Yiddish | זייגער | ||
| The Yiddish word "זייגער" also means "watch" or "hourglass". | |||
| Zulu | iwashi | ||
| In Zulu, "iwashi" also means "timepiece" or "sandglass." | |||
| Assamese | ঘড়ী | ||
| Aymara | riluju | ||
| Bhojpuri | घड़ी | ||
| Dhivehi | ގަޑި | ||
| Dogri | घड़ी | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | orasan | ||
| Guarani | aravopapaha | ||
| Ilocano | orasan | ||
| Krio | klok | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | کاتژمێر | ||
| Maithili | घड़ी | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯘꯔꯤ | ||
| Mizo | sona | ||
| Oromo | sa'atii | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଘଣ୍ଟା | ||
| Quechua | reloj | ||
| Sanskrit | घटिका | ||
| Tatar | сәгать | ||
| Tigrinya | ሰዓት | ||
| Tsonga | tliloko | ||