Dear in Different Languages
Discover 'Dear' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Dear
Afrikaans geagte | ||
Albanian i dashur | ||
Amharic ውድ | ||
Arabic العزيز | ||
Armenian սիրելի | ||
Assamese মৰমৰ | ||
Aymara munata | ||
Azerbaijani əziz | ||
Bambara n balima | ||
Basque maitea | ||
Belarusian дарагая | ||
Bengali প্রিয় | ||
Bhojpuri प्रिय | ||
Bosnian draga | ||
Bulgarian скъпа | ||
Catalan estimat | ||
Cebuano minahal | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 亲 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 親 | ||
Corsican caru | ||
Croatian draga | ||
Czech milý | ||
Danish kære | ||
Dhivehi ލޮބުވެތި | ||
Dogri जिगरी | ||
Dutch geachte | ||
English dear | ||
Esperanto kara | ||
Estonian kallis | ||
Ewe lɔlɔ̃tɔ | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) mahal | ||
Finnish rakas | ||
French chère | ||
Frisian leave | ||
Galician querido | ||
Georgian ძვირფასო | ||
German sehr geehrter | ||
Greek αγαπητός | ||
Guarani mi | ||
Gujarati પ્રિય | ||
Haitian Creole mezanmi | ||
Hausa masoyi | ||
Hawaiian aloha | ||
Hebrew יָקָר | ||
Hindi प्रिय | ||
Hmong nyob zoo | ||
Hungarian kedves | ||
Icelandic kæra | ||
Igbo ezigbo | ||
Ilocano patpatgen | ||
Indonesian terhormat | ||
Irish faraor | ||
Italian caro | ||
Japanese 親愛な | ||
Javanese sayang | ||
Kannada ಪ್ರೀತಿಯ | ||
Kazakh қымбаттым | ||
Khmer ជាទីស្រឡាញ់ | ||
Kinyarwanda nshuti | ||
Konkani मोगाळ | ||
Korean 소중한 | ||
Krio valyu | ||
Kurdish ezîz | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) بەڕێز | ||
Kyrgyz кымбаттуу | ||
Lao ທີ່ຮັກແພງ | ||
Latin cara | ||
Latvian dārgs | ||
Lingala molingami | ||
Lithuanian brangusis | ||
Luganda mwattu | ||
Luxembourgish léif | ||
Macedonian мил | ||
Maithili प्रिय | ||
Malagasy ry | ||
Malay sayang | ||
Malayalam പ്രിയ | ||
Maltese għażiż | ||
Maori aroha | ||
Marathi प्रिय | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯅꯨꯡꯁꯤꯔꯕ | ||
Mizo duhtak | ||
Mongolian хайрт минь | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) ချစ်သူ | ||
Nepali प्रिय | ||
Norwegian kjære | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) wokondedwa | ||
Odia (Oriya) ପ୍ରିୟ | ||
Oromo kabajamoo | ||
Pashto ګرانه | ||
Persian عزیز | ||
Polish drogi | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) querida | ||
Punjabi ਪਿਆਰੇ | ||
Quechua kuyasqa | ||
Romanian dragă | ||
Russian дорогой | ||
Samoan pele | ||
Sanskrit प्रियः | ||
Scots Gaelic ghràdhaich | ||
Sepedi rategago | ||
Serbian драга | ||
Sesotho moratuoa | ||
Shona mudiwa | ||
Sindhi پيارا | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) ආදරණීය | ||
Slovak drahá | ||
Slovenian dragi | ||
Somali gacaliye | ||
Spanish querido | ||
Sundanese sayang | ||
Swahili mpendwa | ||
Swedish kära | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) mahal | ||
Tajik азизам | ||
Tamil அன்பே | ||
Tatar кадерлем | ||
Telugu ప్రియమైన | ||
Thai ที่รัก | ||
Tigrinya ፍትውቲ | ||
Tsonga eka | ||
Turkish sayın | ||
Turkmen ezizim | ||
Twi (Akan) onua | ||
Ukrainian шановний | ||
Urdu پیارے | ||
Uyghur قەدىرلىك | ||
Uzbek azizim | ||
Vietnamese kính thưa | ||
Welsh annwyl | ||
Xhosa sithandwa | ||
Yiddish טייַער | ||
Yoruba ọwọn | ||
Zulu othandekayo |
Etymology & Notes
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | The word 'Geagte' can refer to a person or a thing, and is often used in formal letters or communication. |
| Albanian | The word "i dashur" has a second meaning, "the heart", like its counterpart in Italian, "il cuore". |
| Amharic | The word "ውድ" can also mean "expensive," "precious," or "beloved."} |
| Arabic | The word "العزيز" ("al-Aziz") in Arabic is also a title given to the Mamluk sultan. |
| Azerbaijani | The word 'Əziz' can also refer to a saint or a noble person in Azerbaijani. |
| Basque | In the Lapurdian and Zuberoan dialects, the word "maite" also means "to love". |
| Belarusian | While 'дарагая' in Belarusian is often translated to 'dear,' it can also mean 'expensive' or 'valuable.' |
| Bengali | The word "প্রিয়" can also mean "favorite" or "beloved" in various contexts. |
| Bosnian | The word "draga" in Bosnian is likely derived from the Proto-Slavic word for "darling." |
| Bulgarian | The Bulgarian word "скъпа" also means "precious" in the sense of not costly, but loved and highly valued. |
| Catalan | The word "estimat" in Catalan is derived from the Latin word "aestimatus", meaning "valued" or "esteemed." |
| Cebuano | The Cebuano word "mahal" can also mean "expensive" or "valuable" in some contexts, while in Old English, "minal" meant "remembrance" or "thing remembered." |
| Chinese (Simplified) | "亲" is also a shortened way to write the word for "kiss" or "relative" (亲戚 qīnqi) in Chinese. |
| Chinese (Traditional) | In its literal sense, 親 (dear) is split into 父母 (parents) and 子 (children), meaning a close familial relationship. |
| Corsican | The Corsican word "caru" not only means "dear" but also "sweet" or "honeyed". |
| Croatian | "Draga" comes from the Proto-Slavic word "dragu" meaning "precious, beloved" and has cognates in many other Slavic languages such as Russian and Polish. |
| Czech | In Czech, "milý" also has a historical meaning of "merciful" and is used in greetings or farewells, similar to "gracious" in English. |
| Danish | The word "Kære" has many different meanings, with some relating to the word "care". |
| Dutch | Geachte, a Dutch word for "dear," derives from the Middle Dutch "geacht" (esteemed) and "-e" (diminutive), suggesting a sense of familiarity and respect. |
| Esperanto | The Esperanto word "kara" is borrowed from the Russian word "дорога" (doroga), which means "road" or "pathway". |
| Estonian | The word "kallis" also refers to "expensive" in Estonian, similar to the French "cher". |
| Finnish | While the word "rakas" is most well-known for meaning "dearest" in English, it derives from the Proto-Finnic word meaning "lovely". |
| French | The word "chère" in French can also be used to refer to a female sweetheart, close female friend, or a beloved person. |
| Frisian | The Frisian word "leave" also has the meanings "allow", "let", and "leave alone". |
| Galician | Galician "querido" (dear) comes from the Latin "quaere" (to seek), implying the idea of someone who is sought or desired. |
| Georgian | In Georgian, "ძვირფასო" can refer to both "dear" as a term of endearment and to "expensive" as in high value |
| German | "Sehr" means "very" (akin to "sore" and "sermon"), whereas "geehrt" means "honoured", so it literally means "very honoured." |
| Greek | The word αγαπητός (agapētos) in Greek originally meant "beloved" or "esteemed," particularly in a religious context, and is still used in this sense today. |
| Gujarati | "પ્રિય" means "dear," but it also means "beloved," "favorite," or "special." |
| Haitian Creole | Of Twi origin, "mezanmi" initially meant "kinsman" and was used both to address strangers and to show affection for someone. |
| Hausa | "Masoyi" also means "my beloved" and is a term of endearment used between spouses and lovers. |
| Hawaiian | The word "aloha" in Hawaiian also means "love" and can be used as a farewell greeting. |
| Hebrew | The Hebrew word "יָקָר" can also mean "precious", "valuable", or "costly". |
| Hindi | The word "प्रिय" in Hindi originally meant "beloved", but in modern usage it can also refer to "expensive". |
| Hmong | The Hmong word "Nyob zoo" has several other meanings, including "to live well" and "to be in good health." |
| Hungarian | The Hungarian word "kedves" has a unique etymology, derived from "kedv", meaning "mood" or "feeling," and ultimately tracing back to the Proto-Uralic root *kewɜ- meaning "good." |
| Icelandic | The word "kæra" can also mean "to complain" in Icelandic. |
| Igbo | The Igbo word "ezigbo" can also mean "very good" or "excellent." |
| Indonesian | The word "terhormat" also means "esteemed" or "honorable" in Indonesian. |
| Irish | The word 'faraor' originates from the French 'faraud' or 'faorair' meaning 'to brag' or 'to show off'. |
| Italian | The word "caro" in Italian comes from the Latin word "carus", meaning "loved or precious". In Italian, it commonly refers to someone or something that one is attached to. |
| Japanese | The kanji characters that make up the word 親愛な (shinaide) have several meanings, including 'parent' (親), 'love' (愛), and 'dear' (な). |
| Javanese | In Javanese, the term "sayang" not only means "dear," but can also refer to a sweetheart, a person who is loved and cherished. |
| Kannada | "ಪ್ರೀತಿಯ" is also used as a term of endearment towards children, as it has a sense of affection and love embedded in its meaning. |
| Kazakh | The word "қымбаттым" can also be used as a term of endearment or respect. |
| Korean | "소중한" is the Korean adjective form of the word "소중" which means precious, valuable, important or worthy." |
| Kurdish | The Kurdish word "ezîz" is cognate with the Persian word "aziz" and the Arabic word "ʿazīz", all of which mean "precious" or "honored". |
| Kyrgyz | The word "кымбаттуу" in Kyrgyz is derived from the Persian word "qimatbədə" meaning "valuable" or "precious". |
| Latin | The Latin word "cara" can also mean "face". |
| Latvian | The Latvian word "dārgs" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *derg-, meaning "to hold dear". |
| Lithuanian | The word "brangusis" can also refer to a "valuable" or "precious" object. |
| Luxembourgish | The word "léif" is related to "live" or "dear life" and signifies the bond between the speaker and listener. |
| Macedonian | The Slavic root of "мил" ("mil") also means "kind" and "nice" in Russian, Polish, and Czech. |
| Malagasy | Ry can also mean 'love' in Malagasy, or 'dear' when used in a romantic context. |
| Malay | "Sayang" can also mean "pity" or "too bad" in Malay, expressing a sense of sympathy or regret. |
| Malayalam | The word "പ്രിയ" (priya) can also mean 'beloved' in Vedic Sanskrit, and it is related to the Latin word "carus". |
| Maori | 'Aroha' in Māori can also mean mercy, pity, compassion, love, kindness, sympathy, empathy, or affection. |
| Marathi | The Marathi word "प्रिय" (priya) is derived from the Sanskrit word "प्रिय" (priya), which means "beloved," "darling," or "favorite." |
| Mongolian | In the Seljuk Turkic language, 'hayir' means 'good' and 'min' is a possessive suffix, so 'hayir min' can also mean 'my good' or 'my dear'. |
| Myanmar (Burmese) | The term “ချစ်သူ” in Myanmar language is often used as a term for a romantic partner, but can also refer to a beloved friend or family member. |
| Nepali | The word “प्रिय” (prya) in Nepali can also mean “beloved,” “favorite,” or “agreeable.” |
| Norwegian | In Norwegian, "kjære" can also mean "sweet" or "beloved." |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | The word 'wokondedwa' also means 'precious' and 'beloved' in Nyanja. |
| Pashto | The word ګرانه in Pashto can also mean 'expensive' or 'costly'. |
| Persian | The Arabic word "ʿazīz" came to Persian as "ʿazīz" (عزیز) and means both "dear" and "mighty". |
| Polish | Drogi (доро́ги) is a Polish word meaning “dear” that derives from the Proto-Slavic word *dorъgъ, meaning “costly, valuable, expensive, precious”. |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | The word "querida" derives from the Latin word "carus" meaning "beloved" and can also be used to address a female lover. |
| Punjabi | "ਪਿਆਰੇ" can also refer to someone who is close or intimate in a non-romantic way. |
| Romanian | The Romanian word "dragă" is most likely derived from the Slavic word "dragъ", meaning "beloved" or "precious". |
| Russian | "Дорогой" (adjective) can also mean "expensive" and "valuable" and is derived from the Old Slavic word "dorog" |
| Samoan | The word 'pele' also means 'to peel' in Samoan, so be careful when asking someone to remove a banana skin. |
| Serbian | The word "драга" is also used in Serbia as an informal and affectionate term for one's significant other, particularly a woman. |
| Sesotho | The Sesotho word "moratuoa" also means "beloved" or "my dear one." |
| Shona | "Mudiwa" can also refer to a type of porridge made from finger millet. |
| Sindhi | پيارا is a Sindhi word for "dear" that is derived from Pali and Sanskrit and also means "beautiful" or "lovely." |
| Slovak | The word "drahá" in Slovak comes from the Proto-Slavic word "dorga", meaning "road" or "path". |
| Slovenian | Did you know that "draga" is not only the name of a river? In fact, "draga" and "dragi" both come from Slavic times when a valley that provided safe drinking water and was good soil for farming or raising cattle (i.e., was good land) became "drage" (dragi - good, dear). |
| Somali | The word "gacaliye" in Somali can also mean "beloved" or "lover". |
| Spanish | "Querido" in Spanish evolved from the Latin word "carum", meaning love or affection. |
| Sundanese | "Sayang" (dear) in Sundanese can also refer to a person's belongings or someone they love. |
| Swahili | The term comes from the verb "kupenda" (to love) and has a deeper emotional connotation compared to the English "dear". |
| Swedish | "Kära" is related to "care" or "cherish", but it can also mean "strong-minded" in old Swedish contexts. |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | "Mahal" can also mean "cost" or "price" in Tagalog. |
| Tajik | The term “азизам” is also employed to describe the beloved one or a close person, as in “азизи мо” (“my dear”). |
| Tamil | "அன்பே" can also be used to address a person one loves or cares about, like a spouse or a close family member. |
| Telugu | The word "ప్రియమైన" can also refer to a loved one or a close friend. |
| Thai | Thai "ที่รัก" (dear) can also refer to a lover, a close friend, or a child. |
| Turkish | The word "Sayın" is derived from the Arabic word "sayyid" which means "master" or "lord" and it can also be used as a term of respect for people of high status. |
| Ukrainian | Шановний comes from Old Church Slavonic 'čьstьnъ', meaning 'honorable' or 'glorious'. |
| Urdu | The Urdu word "پیارے" can also refer to a type of traditional South Asian sweet made with milk and sugar. |
| Uzbek | The word "azizim" is derived from the Arabic word "aziz," meaning "precious," and denotes endearment and respect in Uzbek. |
| Vietnamese | The word "kính thưa" can also be used to express respect or gratitude, and is often used in formal settings or when addressing people who are older or in positions of authority. |
| Welsh | The Welsh word "annwyl" is also used to describe a beloved person, a sweetheart, or a lover. |
| Xhosa | "Sithandwa" is the Xhosa word for "dear one". It's related to the word "thanda", "to love", and implies a feeling of deep affection. |
| Yiddish | טייַער can also mean "expensive" or "valuable" in Yiddish. |
| Yoruba | Ọwọn is also a euphemism for money derived from a metaphor referring to precious beads. |
| Zulu | The word "othandekayo" comes from the Zulu words "othanda" (lover) and "kayo" (small), suggesting a beloved or cherished person. |
| English | The word 'dear' derives from Old English 'deore' meaning 'precious' and is related to words meaning 'harm' and 'wild animal' in other ancient Indo-European languages. |