Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'cut' is simple, yet versatile, with a rich tapestry of meanings and uses in different contexts. From its significance in everyday life, such as in tailoring and gardening, to its cultural importance in film and television (ever heard of 'cut' in filmmaking?), this word has made its mark in various ways.
Historically, 'cut' has been used in interesting ways. For instance, in the ancient art of flint knapping, 'cut' referred to the skillful process of chipping stone to create tools and weapons. Moreover, in the world of heraldry, 'cut' was used to describe the division of shields in various shapes.
Given its multifaceted nature, one might wonder, 'how is cut translated in different languages?' Well, let's explore some fascinating translations!
Afrikaans | sny | ||
The Afrikaans word "sny" originates from the Dutch word "snijden", which means "to cut" or "to sever". | |||
Amharic | መቁረጥ | ||
Its root word ቆረጠ means both to cut or to be cut, to be destroyed. | |||
Hausa | yanke | ||
In Hausa, 'yanke' can also refer to a type of traditional knife carried by men. | |||
Igbo | ebipụ | ||
The Igbo word 'ebipụ,' meaning 'to cut,' also implies separation or division. | |||
Malagasy | hetezo | ||
The verb "Hetezo" also means to "make a path or road" in Malagasy. | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | kudula | ||
"Kudzula" can also mean "to deduct" or "to remove" in Chichewa. | |||
Shona | cut | ||
In Shona, "kucheka" also has alternate meanings such as "to divide" or "to interrupt." | |||
Somali | jarid | ||
The word "jarid" can also refer to a type of Somali traditional dance. | |||
Sesotho | seha | ||
The word 'seha' in Sesotho can also mean 'to shave' or 'to trim'. | |||
Swahili | kata | ||
In the Swahili language, "kata" can also mean "to beat" or "to strike". | |||
Xhosa | sika | ||
In the Eastern Cape, "sika" can also mean "to shave" or "to pluck out feathers". | |||
Yoruba | ge | ||
"Ge" means 'cut,' but it also denotes 'circumcise,' as in 'ge ile' ('circumcision'). | |||
Zulu | ukusika | ||
In isiZulu, 'ukusika' can also mean 'to separate' or 'to detach'. | |||
Bambara | ka tigɛ | ||
Ewe | lã | ||
Kinyarwanda | gukata | ||
Lingala | kokata | ||
Luganda | okusala | ||
Sepedi | ripa | ||
Twi (Akan) | twa | ||
Arabic | يقطع | ||
The word "يقطع" (cut) in Arabic can also mean "to intersect", "to break", or "to interrupt". | |||
Hebrew | גזירה | ||
In Hebrew, "גזירה" also means "decree" or "fate", possibly stemming from its use in ancient legal documents. | |||
Pashto | کټ | ||
The Pashto word "کټ" also means "to deduct" or "to reduce" something. | |||
Arabic | يقطع | ||
The word "يقطع" (cut) in Arabic can also mean "to intersect", "to break", or "to interrupt". |
Albanian | prerje | ||
The Albanian word "prerje" can also refer to a cross-section or a section of a text. | |||
Basque | ebaki | ||
The verb ebaki comes from the Proto-Basque root "eba" which is related to other Indo-European roots that mean 'to cut' and "ki" which is a verbal suffix. | |||
Catalan | tallar | ||
The Catalan word "tallar" also means "to carve" or "to engrave". | |||
Croatian | izrezati | ||
In Croatian, the word "izrezati" can also mean "to choose" or "to select". | |||
Danish | skære | ||
It also means 'to cut the cake' or 'to cut the cards' | |||
Dutch | besnoeiing | ||
The word "besnoeiing" can also refer to pruning or trimming, such as of trees or hair. | |||
English | cut | ||
The word 'cut' originates from the Middle English 'cutten', which has various meanings including 'to divide', 'to wound', and 'to carve'. | |||
French | couper | ||
The French word "couper" is derived from the Latin word "colpus" meaning "blow" and can also refer to "interrupting" or "separating" something. | |||
Frisian | snije | ||
The Frisian word 'snije' can also mean 'to harvest' or 'to reap'. | |||
Galician | cortar | ||
Galician "cortar" also means "to shorten a garment by taking in the sides, especially a skirt".} | |||
German | schnitt | ||
"Schnitt" also refers to a type of sandwich. | |||
Icelandic | skera | ||
The Icelandic word "skera" also means "to sharpen" and is related to the Old Norse word "skerja" meaning "to cut" or "to shear". | |||
Irish | gearrtha | ||
In Old Irish, "gearrtha" meant "to hew" or "to cut down". | |||
Italian | taglio | ||
Taglio (cut) derives from Latin *(re)taliare* ("to cut in return") and is also used to indicate a type of pasta. | |||
Luxembourgish | geschnidden | ||
The Luxembourgish word "geschnidden" is derived from the Middle High German word "sniden" and originally meant "to split wood" or "to shape wood with an axe or knife." | |||
Maltese | maqtugħa | ||
"Maqtugħa" is also an idiom in Maltese, meaning "to be disappointed, dismayed". | |||
Norwegian | skjære | ||
In some contexts, the word "skjære" can mean a specific type of sea bird or a chess piece. | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | cortar | ||
In European Portuguese, "cortar" can also mean to interrupt or break a connection. | |||
Scots Gaelic | gearradh | ||
An alternative spelling of "gearradh" is "gear," and it can also mean "a notch" or "a nick." | |||
Spanish | cortar | ||
The word "cortar" can also mean "to interrupt" or "to break off" in Spanish. | |||
Swedish | skära | ||
The word "skära" is also used in Swedish to describe the act of sharpening a knife. | |||
Welsh | torri | ||
Welsh "torri" derives from the Proto-Celtic root "*ter-/*tṛ-", meaning "to cut, divide, break, or pierce". |
Belarusian | выразаць | ||
In Belarusian, the verb "выразаць" can also mean "to express, to speak". | |||
Bosnian | izrezati | ||
The word "izrezati" in Bosnian can also mean "to carve" or "to engrave". | |||
Bulgarian | разрез | ||
The word "разрез" also means "section" in anatomy, geology, and mathematics. | |||
Czech | střih | ||
The word "střih" can also mean "haircut" or "film editing" in Czech. | |||
Estonian | lõigatud | ||
The word "lõigatud" also means "section" or "passage" in Estonian, derived from the verb "lõigata" meaning "to cut". | |||
Finnish | leikata | ||
"Leikata" is connected to many words in Finnish, such as "leikkaus" (surgical operation) and "leikkuri" (cutter) | |||
Hungarian | vágott | ||
The word "vágott" can also mean "to answer" or "to reply" in Hungarian. | |||
Latvian | griezt | ||
The word "griezt" also has the meaning "to cut off". | |||
Lithuanian | supjaustyti | ||
The word "supjaustyti" in Lithuanian means "to cut" or "to make a cut", and is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*keu-," which means "to cut" or "to split". | |||
Macedonian | сече | ||
The word "сече" (cut) in Macedonian also has the meaning of "to harvest" when referring to crops or timber. | |||
Polish | skaleczenie | ||
"Skaleczony" means not only someone or something with cuts but also someone or something imperfect or defective. | |||
Romanian | a tăia | ||
The verb "a tăia" also means "to interrupt" in Romanian. | |||
Russian | порез | ||
The Russian word "порез" can also refer to a tax or a toll. | |||
Serbian | исећи | ||
“исећи” can also mean “to choose” or “to select.” | |||
Slovak | strihať | ||
The Slovak word "strihať" is derived from the Proto-Slavic "*strihati" and cognate with Polish "strzyc" and Russian "стричь". | |||
Slovenian | rez | ||
"Rez" also means "slice" or "piece" in a loaf of bread | |||
Ukrainian | вирізати | ||
In addition to its primary meaning, “вирізати” (“cut”) can also refer to “to excise” or “to carve” (e.g., a sculpture) in Ukrainian. |
Bengali | কাটা | ||
The word "কাটা" (pronounced "kata") can also refer to a wooden bowl used for eating or storing food. | |||
Gujarati | કાપવું | ||
The Gujarati word "કાપવું" also means "to shorten" or "to reduce". | |||
Hindi | कट गया | ||
"कट गया" can also mean "switched off" or "stopped working" in Hindi. | |||
Kannada | ಕತ್ತರಿಸಿ | ||
There is another verb form meaning 'to be bitten', as used during snake and animal bites. | |||
Malayalam | മുറിക്കുക | ||
Marathi | कट | ||
The word "कट" in Marathi may also refer to a measurement unit equal to 160 kilograms. | |||
Nepali | काट्नु | ||
The word "काट्नु" can also mean "to determine" or "to decide". | |||
Punjabi | ਕੱਟੋ | ||
In Punjabi, "ਕੱਟੋ" can also refer to a sharp or biting tone of voice or a forceful manner of speech. | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | කපන්න | ||
The word “කපන්න” (“cut”) in Sinhala is derived from the Sanskrit word “कृपण” (“cut, mince, chop”) and can also mean “to carve” or “to trim”. | |||
Tamil | வெட்டு | ||
The Tamil word 'வெட்டு' can also refer to a section or division, a type of cloth, a cut made in wood or a musical note. | |||
Telugu | కట్ | ||
The word "కట్" in Telugu can also mean to divide, distribute, or break down something. | |||
Urdu | کٹ | ||
In Urdu, "کٹ" also means a deduction or discount. |
Chinese (Simplified) | 切 | ||
"切" can also mean "to cheat" or "to tease". | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 切 | ||
In some Chinese dialects, "切" can also mean "to be familiar with" or "to know well". | |||
Japanese | 切る | ||
"切る" literally means "to separate" and can also mean "to decide" or "to disconnect". | |||
Korean | 절단 | ||
절단 originally meant "to cut off an enemy's head in battle" and was later extended to mean "to cut off" in general. | |||
Mongolian | тайрах | ||
In Mongolian, the word "тайрах" not only means "to cut", but also "to decide" and "to cross". | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | ဖြတ် | ||
In Burmese, ဖြတ် (pronounced "Pyat") can also mean to separate, divide, or sever something. |
Indonesian | memotong | ||
The word 'memotong' also means 'interrupt' or 'abbreviate'. | |||
Javanese | ngethok | ||
The word "ngethok" comes from the Proto-Austronesian word "*tuq-an" meaning "to slice" and is related to the Malay word "tetak". It refers to the act of cutting something into small pieces. | |||
Khmer | កាត់ | ||
The word "កាត់" can also mean "to subtract" or "to reduce" in Khmer. | |||
Lao | ຕັດ | ||
The word “ຕັດ” (“cut”) in Lao can also mean to deduct, subtract, or interrupt. | |||
Malay | potong | ||
"Potong" also refers to dividing something such as money into different parts or cutting off a relationship. | |||
Thai | ตัด | ||
The word ตัด (cut) comes from the Sanskrit root कृत् (krt), which also gives rise to the English word 'create', highlighting the duality of cutting as both a destructive and generative act. | |||
Vietnamese | cắt | ||
Although "cắt" means "cut" in Vietnamese, it can also refer to the act of crossing a road or river. | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | gupitin | ||
Azerbaijani | kəsmək | ||
The word "kəsmək" in Azerbaijani also means "to decide" or "to solve". | |||
Kazakh | кесу | ||
The word "кесу" can also mean "to divide" or "to cut off" in Kazakh. | |||
Kyrgyz | кесүү | ||
The word "кесүү" in Kyrgyz can also mean "to harvest" or "to reap". | |||
Tajik | буридан | ||
Буридан also means to cut something into small pieces, such as cutting an onion or a carrot. | |||
Turkmen | kes | ||
Uzbek | kesilgan | ||
The word "kesilgan" in Uzbek can also mean "interrupted" or "determined". | |||
Uyghur | cut | ||
Hawaiian | ʻoki | ||
'Ōki' can also mean to prune, pick, or select. | |||
Maori | tapahi | ||
Tapahi can refer to cutting and severing, or to carving, slicing, or hewing | |||
Samoan | tipi | ||
The Samoan word "tipi" can also mean "divide".} | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | putol | ||
"Putol" is derived from Old Tagalog "pulot," meaning "to break" or "to divide." |
Aymara | khuchhuña | ||
Guarani | kytĩ | ||
Esperanto | tranĉi | ||
The Esperanto word "tranĉi" derives from the Slavic word "tranka", meaning "to cleave". It can also refer to cutting or severing in a metaphorical sense. | |||
Latin | secare | ||
The Latin word "secare" has other meanings, such as "to divide" or "to distinguish." |
Greek | τομή | ||
The word "Τομή" can also mean a "section" in a book or a "dissection" in medicine. | |||
Hmong | txiav | ||
The word txiav in the Hmong language can also mean to break or separate something into pieces. | |||
Kurdish | birrîn | ||
The word 'birrîn' in Kurdish also means 'severe', 'cruel', or 'ruthless'. | |||
Turkish | kesmek | ||
"Kesmek" is also used metaphorically in Turkish to mean "to stop" or "to prevent". | |||
Xhosa | sika | ||
In the Eastern Cape, "sika" can also mean "to shave" or "to pluck out feathers". | |||
Yiddish | שנייַדן | ||
The Yiddish word "שנייַדן" ("shneydn") likely originates from the Old High German word "snīdan" and is related to the modern German word "schneiden," both meaning "to cut." | |||
Zulu | ukusika | ||
In isiZulu, 'ukusika' can also mean 'to separate' or 'to detach'. | |||
Assamese | কটা | ||
Aymara | khuchhuña | ||
Bhojpuri | काट दियाइल | ||
Dhivehi | ކެފުން | ||
Dogri | चीर | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | gupitin | ||
Guarani | kytĩ | ||
Ilocano | puteden | ||
Krio | kɔt | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | بڕین | ||
Maithili | काटनाइ | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯀꯛꯄ | ||
Mizo | zai | ||
Oromo | kutuu | ||
Odia (Oriya) | କାଟ | ||
Quechua | kuchuy | ||
Sanskrit | छिन्न | ||
Tatar | кисү | ||
Tigrinya | ቁረፅ | ||
Tsonga | tsema | ||