Close in Different Languages
Discover 'Close' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'close' holds a significant place in our daily conversations and has been used in various cultural contexts throughout history. Its many meanings, ranging from proximity to a conclusion, make it a versatile term in any language. 'Close' also signifies a deep emotional connection, as seen in phrases like 'close friends' or 'close-knit community.'
Moreover, the word 'close' has been the subject of numerous idiomatic expressions, such as 'close but no cigar' or 'a close shave,' which add color and nuance to the English language. Its significance extends beyond English, as many languages have their own unique ways of expressing closeness.
Understanding the translation of 'close' in different languages can help break down cultural barriers and foster global understanding. For instance, in Spanish, 'close' is 'cerca', while in French, it's 'proche'. In Mandarin Chinese, the word for 'close' is '近' (jìn), and in Japanese, it's '近い' (chikai).
Explore the many translations of 'close' and discover the beauty of language and culture. Stay tuned for a comprehensive list of 'close' in different languages!
Close
Close in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | naby | ||
| The Afrikaans word "naby" originates from the Germanic root "naba/nebh", meaning "near/close" which also appears in the words "neighbor" and "navel." | |||
| Amharic | ገጠመ | ||
| The verb "ገጠመ" can also mean "to enclose something within a fence or boundary" or "to protect something from harm or danger". | |||
| Hausa | rufe | ||
| The Hausa word "rufe" also means "to finish, complete, accomplish, or fulfill". | |||
| Igbo | mechie | ||
| The Igbo word "mechie" also means "to join" or "to attach" in a physical sense. | |||
| Malagasy | akaiky | ||
| The word "AKAIKY" can also mean "to be near" or "to be a relative" in Malagasy. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kutseka | ||
| In Bemba, "kutseka" can mean "to block" as well. | |||
| Shona | pedyo | ||
| The word "pedyo" can also be used metaphorically to describe someone who is humble or modest. | |||
| Somali | xirid | ||
| The Somali word 'xirid' is derived from the Proto-Cushitic root *xir- 'to close, shut'. | |||
| Sesotho | haufi | ||
| "Haufi" has at least 3 meanings: 1. the opposite of "leso" (far), 2. the opposite of "sekhutlong" (spacious), 3. an adverb meaning "almost, nearly". | |||
| Swahili | funga | ||
| The word "funga" also refers to the action of closing something | |||
| Xhosa | vala | ||
| The Xhosa word “vala” can also mean “to cover,” “shut,” or “to block.” | |||
| Yoruba | sunmọ | ||
| "Sún mó" in Yoruba denotes proximity, intimacy, closeness, and connection, with "mọ" meaning "know" or "be known." | |||
| Zulu | vala | ||
| In Nguni languages, including Zulu, the word 'vala' can also mean 'to shut' or 'to cover' something up. | |||
| Bambara | ka datugu | ||
| Ewe | tu | ||
| Kinyarwanda | hafi | ||
| Lingala | kokanga | ||
| Luganda | okuggalawo | ||
| Sepedi | tswalela | ||
| Twi (Akan) | to mu | ||
Close in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | أغلق | ||
| In addition to meaning “to close,” أغلق can also mean “to lock” or “to shut.” | |||
| Hebrew | סגור | ||
| The Hebrew word "סגור" (close) originally meant "to block" or "to fence in". | |||
| Pashto | نږدې | ||
| The Pashto word "نږدې" can also mean "near" or "shortly." | |||
| Arabic | أغلق | ||
| In addition to meaning “to close,” أغلق can also mean “to lock” or “to shut.” | |||
Close in Western European Languages
| Albanian | afër | ||
| The word "afër" is related to the Proto-Indo-European root *h₂epi-, meaning "to obtain" or "to reach;" in Albanian it also means "to approach". | |||
| Basque | itxi | ||
| Itxi has another meaning in basque, that is "close" but not in a spatial way but in a temporal way: itxi is the end of something | |||
| Catalan | tanca | ||
| In the Pyrenees "tanca" can also refer to a type of traditional barn or a natural enclosure for animals. | |||
| Croatian | zatvoriti | ||
| "Zatvoriti" derives from Old Slavic *zatvoriti, from *za- ("behind") + *tvoriti ("to create"). | |||
| Danish | tæt | ||
| Tæt's historical meanings include 'thick', 'compact', 'dense', and 'narrow'. | |||
| Dutch | dichtbij | ||
| The Dutch word "dichtbij" (close) shares roots with the word "dicht" (compact, dense), likely a reference to the dense packing of atoms and molecules in close proximity. | |||
| English | close | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning of "near in space or time", "close" can also mean "to shut or fasten" or "to come to an end." | |||
| French | proche | ||
| The word "proche" in French originates from the Latin word "prope," which means near or at hand. | |||
| Frisian | slute | ||
| The word "slute" also means "to complete". | |||
| Galician | preto | ||
| "Preto" can also mean "almost" in Galician, as in "preto do mar" (almost at the sea). | |||
| German | schließen | ||
| German "schließen" derives from Middle High German "sließen" and Old High German "sliozan": "to lock" or "to fasten with a key; to conclude a treaty with a handshake." | |||
| Icelandic | loka | ||
| Loka, meaning "close" or "nearby" in Icelandic, can also refer to a physical location, such as a house or a room. | |||
| Irish | dhúnadh | ||
| In some areas dhúnadh can also mean to 'fold' a garment. | |||
| Italian | vicino | ||
| "Vicino" originally meant "neighbor" in Latin and could refer to a relative as well as someone living nearby | |||
| Luxembourgish | zoumaachen | ||
| Maltese | qrib | ||
| The Maltese word "qrib" also means "relative" or "neighbour". | |||
| Norwegian | lukk | ||
| The word "lukk" in Norwegian also means "shelter", indicating its use in providing protection from the elements. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | fechar | ||
| "Fechar" also means to "make a fist" | |||
| Scots Gaelic | dlùth | ||
| The word 'dlùth' also has the meanings of 'dear', 'narrow' and 'tight'. | |||
| Spanish | cerca | ||
| In Spanish, "cerca" can also refer to a fence, hedge, or enclosure. | |||
| Swedish | stänga | ||
| The word "stänga" in Swedish originally meant "to place a fence around something." | |||
| Welsh | cau | ||
| The Welsh word “cau” means “close” or “near,” and likely derives from the Proto-Celtic word “kāwo-” meaning “hollow. “ | |||
Close in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | блізка | ||
| The word "блізка" in Belarusian is also related to the word "блізкі" (close, as in relatives) and has the alternate meaning of "beloved" or "dear." | |||
| Bosnian | blizu | ||
| Blizu is also the root of the words 'blizanac' (twin), 'blizna' (scar), and 'blizina' (proximity). | |||
| Bulgarian | близо | ||
| In Bulgarian, "близо" can also mean "near" or "almost". | |||
| Czech | zavřít | ||
| "Zavřít" (close) can also mean to lock, shut, or close down. | |||
| Estonian | sulge | ||
| The word "sulge" also means "to lock" and derives from an Indo-European root meaning "to hold together". | |||
| Finnish | kiinni | ||
| Kiinni can also mean 'tight', 'firm' or 'attached'. | |||
| Hungarian | bezárás | ||
| In Hungarian, "bezárás" can also refer to a shop or restaurant closing down permanently. | |||
| Latvian | tuvu | ||
| "Tuvu" can also mean "nearby" or "familiar" | |||
| Lithuanian | uždaryti | ||
| In Lithuanian, the word "Uždaryti" also means "to arrest" or "to imprison". | |||
| Macedonian | блиски | ||
| The word "блиски" can also mean "related" or "similar" in Macedonian. | |||
| Polish | blisko | ||
| `bliski` also means 'dear' in Polish, likely deriving from the phrase 'to be near' in the Old Slavic language. | |||
| Romanian | închide | ||
| The word "închide" in Romanian originates from the Latin "incidere", meaning "to cut off" or "to sever"} | |||
| Russian | близко | ||
| The word "близко" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *близь, meaning "near" or "close". | |||
| Serbian | близу | ||
| The word "Близу" can also refer to proximity or closeness in a general sense, or to a person's presence or accessibility. | |||
| Slovak | zavrieť | ||
| Zavrieť is also the name of a village in Slovakia. | |||
| Slovenian | blizu | ||
| The word "blizu" in Slovenian is cognate with the Russian word "близко" and ultimately derives from the Proto-Slavic word *blizъ "near". | |||
| Ukrainian | закрити | ||
| The word "закрити" (close) in Ukrainian evolved from "закрыти" (close) in Russian, which in turn stems from the Old Church Slavonic "съкрити" (hide). | |||
Close in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | বন্ধ | ||
| The word "বন্ধ" in Bengali can also mean "tied" or "bound". | |||
| Gujarati | બંધ | ||
| The Gujarati word "બંધ" (bandh) can also mean "shut down" or "strike" in the context of a protest or labor dispute. | |||
| Hindi | बंद करे | ||
| The word "बंद करे" can also mean "to forbid" or "to stop". | |||
| Kannada | ಮುಚ್ಚಿ | ||
| The word "ಮುಚ್ಚಿ" also means "to cover", "to conceal", and "to shut". | |||
| Malayalam | അടയ്ക്കുക | ||
| The term 'അടയ്ക്കുക' also refers to the act of stopping or halting something, such as a stream of water or a flowing river. | |||
| Marathi | बंद | ||
| "बंद" is also an antiquated term for "confined space." | |||
| Nepali | नजिक | ||
| "नजिक" (close) comes from the Sanskrit word "naji" meaning "related to" or "near." | |||
| Punjabi | ਨੇੜੇ | ||
| The Punjabi word "ਨੇੜੇ" can also mean "in the neighbourhood". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | වසන්න | ||
| The Sinhala word | |||
| Tamil | நெருக்கமான | ||
| The word "நெருக்கமான" ("close") in Tamil has an alternate meaning of "tight" or "narrow". | |||
| Telugu | దగ్గరగా | ||
| Urdu | بند کریں | ||
Close in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 关 | ||
| The word 关 (close) can also mean | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 關 | ||
| 關 also means checkpoint or customs in Chinese. | |||
| Japanese | 閉じる | ||
| The verb 閉じる (tojiru) is composed of the noun 戸 (to) meaning "door" and the verb 閉める (shimeru) meaning "to shut". | |||
| Korean | 닫기 | ||
| The term '닫기' can also refer to the closing of a bank account or the end of a sales period. | |||
| Mongolian | ойрхон | ||
| The word “oirhon” can also mean to be in close vicinity or to be nearby in Mongolian. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ပိတ် | ||
| The word ပိတ် (peik) in Burmese does not have an etymology as it is a native word, but it does have a homonym which shares the same spelling but means 'to press' | |||
Close in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | menutup | ||
| Menutup in Indonesian derives from a root word meaning 'to cover' and can thus also refer to 'to shut' or 'to end' a discussion. | |||
| Javanese | cedhak | ||
| "Cedhak" also means "short" or "near" in Javanese. | |||
| Khmer | បិទ | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning of "close," បិទ can also mean "to terminate," "to finish," or "to seal." | |||
| Lao | ປິດ | ||
| The Lao word "ປິດ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "pid", which also means "to close". | |||
| Malay | tutup | ||
| In Malay, 'tutup' can also refer to covering or shutting something, or to stopping an activity or ending a conversation. | |||
| Thai | ปิด | ||
| "ปิด" in Thai can also mean "to stop" or "to shut down". | |||
| Vietnamese | đóng | ||
| "Đóng" can mean to close something or to contribute money or resources to a project. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | malapit na | ||
Close in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | yaxın | ||
| The word "yaxın" can also mean "family relation" or "relative" in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | жабық | ||
| The word "жабық" in Kazakh also means "secret" or "private". | |||
| Kyrgyz | жакын | ||
| In Turkic languages, the word “jakyn” means “a side.” Therefore, in Kyrgyz, the expression “jakyn tura” (“stand closer”) can literally be translated as “stand sideways.” | |||
| Tajik | наздик | ||
| The word "наздик" is derived from the Persian word "nazdīk" and also means "intimate" or "familiar". | |||
| Turkmen | ýakyn | ||
| Uzbek | yaqin | ||
| The word 'yaqin' has two meanings in Uzbek: 1) 'close', 2) 'relative' | |||
| Uyghur | close | ||
Close in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | pani | ||
| The word "pani" can also refer to a fence, wall, or enclosure in Hawaiian. | |||
| Maori | kati | ||
| The Maori word kati originally meant “almost” or “nearly” and has expanded to include the meaning of “close” and other meanings such as “perhaps” or “it might be.” | |||
| Samoan | latalata | ||
| Latata, which means 'close' in Samoan, is also a term used to describe something that is 'not far away' or 'nearby'. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | malapit na | ||
| The word `malapit na` also means `soon` or `nearly`. | |||
Close in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jist'antaña | ||
| Guarani | mboty | ||
Close in International Languages
| Esperanto | proksime | ||
| "Proksime" also means "nearly" and is related to "proksim" meaning "neighbor." | |||
| Latin | prope | ||
| The Latin "prope" also means "near" and is the origin of words like "proximity" and "approach" | |||
Close in Others Languages
| Greek | κλείσε | ||
| The term 'Κλείσε', derived from the Greek verb 'κλείω', also signifies a 'narrow pass' or a 'gate'. | |||
| Hmong | kaw | ||
| The word "kaw" in Hmong can also mean "shut" or "lock". | |||
| Kurdish | nêzîkî | ||
| Turkish | kapat | ||
| "Kapat" derives from the Old Turkic word "kap-," meaning "to seize, to grab." | |||
| Xhosa | vala | ||
| The Xhosa word “vala” can also mean “to cover,” “shut,” or “to block.” | |||
| Yiddish | נאָענט | ||
| The Yiddish word "נאָענט" can also refer to "related" or "similar." | |||
| Zulu | vala | ||
| In Nguni languages, including Zulu, the word 'vala' can also mean 'to shut' or 'to cover' something up. | |||
| Assamese | বন্ধ | ||
| Aymara | jist'antaña | ||
| Bhojpuri | बंद करीं | ||
| Dhivehi | ލެއްޕުން | ||
| Dogri | बंद | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | malapit na | ||
| Guarani | mboty | ||
| Ilocano | iserra | ||
| Krio | tayt | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | داخستن | ||
| Maithili | बंद | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯈꯨꯝꯖꯤꯟꯕ | ||
| Mizo | khar | ||
| Oromo | cufuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ବନ୍ଦ | ||
| Quechua | wichqay | ||
| Sanskrit | पिधानं करोतु | ||
| Tatar | ябык | ||
| Tigrinya | ዕፁው | ||
| Tsonga | pfala | ||