Distant in Different Languages
Discover 'Distant' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'distant' holds a significant place in our vocabulary, often used to describe something that is far away in time, place, or relationship. Its cultural importance is evident in literature, where it paints vivid images of distant lands and unreachable ideals. But have you ever wondered how 'distant' translates in different languages?
Understanding the translation of 'distant' in various languages can open up a world of cultural insights. For instance, in Spanish, 'distant' translates to 'distante', reflecting the language's rich history and Latin roots. In Japanese, it's 'とおい' (tooi), a term that also denotes a sense of longing. Meanwhile, in Russian, 'distant' becomes 'далекий' (dalëkiy), a word that echoes the vastness of the Russian landscape.
So, why should you care about the translations of 'distant'? Knowing these terms can enrich your communication, travel experiences, and cultural understanding. Here are the translations of 'distant' in various languages, from English to Swahili, Dutch, and more.
Distant
Distant in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | ver | ||
| The Afrikaans word "ver" likely traces its etymological roots back to the Proto-Germanic term "fera", meaning "far away" or "distant". | |||
| Amharic | ሩቅ | ||
| The word "ሩቅ" can also mean "far apart" or "separate". | |||
| Hausa | mai nisa | ||
| "Nisa" in "mai nisa" is from the Proto-Afro-Asiatic root "*wṣ" meaning to go back. | |||
| Igbo | tere aka | ||
| 'Tere aka' also means 'to go far' in Igbo. | |||
| Malagasy | lavitra | ||
| The word "lavitra" is also used to describe something that is hidden or secret. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kutali | ||
| Nyanja "kutali" relates via Proto-Bantu to "ku" (to go) and so can also mean "out of reach". | |||
| Shona | kure | ||
| The word "kure" can also refer to the direction "west" or be used to refer to "later on" in time. | |||
| Somali | fog | ||
| The Somali word "fog" also means "to be silent or quiet". | |||
| Sesotho | hole | ||
| The word "hole" also means "to be out of the way" or "to be separated from others". | |||
| Swahili | mbali | ||
| "Mbali" is also used to describe a relative who is not closely related. | |||
| Xhosa | kude | ||
| Kude also refers to an "important" place or a place of "worship" "sanctuary". In most Nguni languages, "kude" refers to "a great distance" but also "the home of God". | |||
| Yoruba | jinna | ||
| "Jinna" in Yoruba may also refer to the state of being estranged or emotionally disconnected. | |||
| Zulu | kude | ||
| According to the University of Hawaii at Manoa, "kude" is one of the three cardinal directions for the Nguni languages, referring to the west. | |||
| Bambara | yɔrɔjan | ||
| Ewe | didiƒe ʋĩ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | kure | ||
| Lingala | mosika | ||
| Luganda | ewala | ||
| Sepedi | kgole | ||
| Twi (Akan) | akyirikyiri | ||
Distant in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | بعيد | ||
| The Arabic word "بعيد" can also refer to "something strange" or "unlikely." | |||
| Hebrew | רָחוֹק | ||
| The word "רָחוֹק" can also mean "wide" or "expansive". | |||
| Pashto | لرې | ||
| Pashto speakers also use "لرې" in the sense of "other than" or "without". | |||
| Arabic | بعيد | ||
| The Arabic word "بعيد" can also refer to "something strange" or "unlikely." | |||
Distant in Western European Languages
| Albanian | i largët | ||
| "I largët" means "distant" in Albanian, but it can also mean "far-reaching" or "comprehensive." | |||
| Basque | urrutikoa | ||
| The word "urrutikoa" can mean either "distant" or "foreign." | |||
| Catalan | distant | ||
| The Catalan word "distant" also means "distracted" or "absent-minded". | |||
| Croatian | daleka | ||
| The word "daleka" is also used in colloquial speech to mean "my dear one". | |||
| Danish | fjern | ||
| Fjern ultimately derives from Proto-Germanic *ferrana-, meaning "passable" or "capable of being travelled across." | |||
| Dutch | ver | ||
| The word "ver" can also mean "apart" or "separate" in Dutch, reflecting its root in the Proto-Germanic language. | |||
| English | distant | ||
| In Latin, "distant" means "to stand apart," while in Old French, it means "to separate" or "to remove." | |||
| French | loin | ||
| In French, the word "loin" has additional meanings such as "far away", "remote", or "distant in time or origin". | |||
| Frisian | fier | ||
| The word 'fier' also derives from the Old Frisian word 'fera', meaning 'afar' or 'at a distance'. | |||
| Galician | afastado | ||
| "Afastado" shares its root with "afastio" (disgust) due to being away from, in isolation, or out of reach | |||
| German | entfernt | ||
| The word "entfernt" can also mean "removed," "dismissed," or "alienated" in German. | |||
| Icelandic | fjarlægur | ||
| "Fjarlægur" in Icelandic can also mean "remote, alienated, or foreign." | |||
| Irish | i bhfad i gcéin | ||
| "Ifad" means "distant" and is a word related to "fáid" which means "prophet". "Fáid" derives from "weið- " "to see" or "to know". | |||
| Italian | distante | ||
| The word "distante" in Italian, besides meaning "distant," also means "distracted" or "detached." | |||
| Luxembourgish | wäit ewech | ||
| Maltese | imbiegħed | ||
| The Maltese word "imbiegħed" likely originates from the Arabic word "baʿīd" meaning "distant", or from the Italian word "lontano" with the same meaning. | |||
| Norwegian | fjern | ||
| The word "fjern" also means "remote" or "far away". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | distante | ||
| The word "distante" in Portuguese can also mean "distant in time" or "unrelated". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | fad às | ||
| The Scots Gaelic 'fad às' also means 'long ago' in Irish, and Welsh. | |||
| Spanish | distante | ||
| The Spanish word "distante" also means "reserved" or "uninvolved". | |||
| Swedish | avlägsen | ||
| The prefix 'av' means 'from' or 'off', and the root 'lägsen' is related to 'laying' or 'lying', suggesting something 'lying off from' or 'far away'. | |||
| Welsh | pell | ||
| In the Welsh language, "pell" can also mean "far away" or "distant land". | |||
Distant in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | далёкі | ||
| "Далёкі" means "distant", but is also used to say "distant relatives". | |||
| Bosnian | daleka | ||
| The word 'daleka' is also used in Serbian, Macedonian and Croatian with the same meaning. | |||
| Bulgarian | далечен | ||
| The word "далечен" comes from the Old Slavic word "dal" which means "far". The word also has a figurative meaning of "distant" in terms of time or emotions. | |||
| Czech | vzdálený | ||
| "Vzdálený" derives from the verb "vzdalovat se," meaning "to remove oneself," ultimately from "dal," meaning "far." | |||
| Estonian | kauge | ||
| In Estonian, the word "kauge" (distant) can also refer to a place or time that is not easily accessible. | |||
| Finnish | kaukainen | ||
| "Kaukainen" is etymologically related to "kauku" ("far") and also has the meanings "mysterious" or "vague." | |||
| Hungarian | távoli | ||
| The word "távoli" also means "external" or "remote" in Hungarian. | |||
| Latvian | tālu | ||
| The etymology of "tālu" is unclear, but it may be related to the root word "tal," meaning "to go." | |||
| Lithuanian | tolimas | ||
| The Lithuanian word "tolimas" (distant) is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *tel-, meaning "to bear, lift up," which is also the origin of English "toll" and "tolerate." | |||
| Macedonian | далечни | ||
| The word 'далечни' also comes from 'далеч' which means 'far' and 'дали' which means 'whether'. | |||
| Polish | odległy | ||
| "Odległy" was formerly used about someone who sat "na odłogu", "not working on the field" | |||
| Romanian | îndepărtat | ||
| "Îndepărtat" comes from Latin "in" + "de" + "prope" ("far") | |||
| Russian | далекий | ||
| The word "далекий" can also mean "deep" or "unfamiliar" in Russian. | |||
| Serbian | далека | ||
| The word "далека" can also refer to a "distant relative" or "extended family member". | |||
| Slovak | vzdialený | ||
| The word "vzdialený" can also mean "remote" or "secluded" in Slovak. | |||
| Slovenian | oddaljena | ||
| The word 'oddaljena' in Slovenian also means 'alienated' or 'separated'. | |||
| Ukrainian | далекий | ||
| "Далекий" is cognate to the common Slavic word "долгий", which means both "distant" and "long". In some dialects, "далекий" can also have the sense of "long-lasting". | |||
Distant in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | দূর | ||
| Derived from a root meaning "across" or "beyond", "দূর" can also mean "separated" or "detached" in Bengali. | |||
| Gujarati | દૂરનું | ||
| The word "દૂરનું" in Gujarati can also refer to something that is "far-fetched" or "improbable". | |||
| Hindi | दूर | ||
| The word 'दूर' (distant) is derived from the Sanskrit root 'दुर्' (difficult), implying difficulty in reaching something due to its remoteness. | |||
| Kannada | ದೂರದ | ||
| ದೂರದ (distant) is derived from the Sanskrit word 'duur' meaning 'far' or 'remote'. | |||
| Malayalam | വിദൂര | ||
| The word "വിദൂര" ("distant") in Malayalam is derived from the Sanskrit word "दूर" ("far"), suggesting a shared etymological root with similar words in other Indo-Aryan languages. | |||
| Marathi | दूरचा | ||
| The word "दूरचा" may also mean "unrelated" or "foreign" in the Marathi language, indicating its broader range of meanings beyond simply denoting physical distance. | |||
| Nepali | टाढा | ||
| "टाढा"'s root form is "टहलना" (to walk afar), indicating distance. | |||
| Punjabi | ਦੂਰ | ||
| The word "ਦੂਰ" (distant) in Punjabi can also mean "far-sighted" or "remote (in time or place)". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | දුර .ත | ||
| The word "දුර .ත" (distant) is derived from the Sanskrit word "दूरे" (separation) and can also mean "far away" or "distant in time". | |||
| Tamil | தொலைதூர | ||
| Distant refers to something far away both physically and non-physically. | |||
| Telugu | దూరమైన | ||
| The word "దూరమైన" can also mean "remote" or "far away" in English. | |||
| Urdu | دور کی بات | ||
| The Urdu word "دور کی بات" (distant) literally translates to "a conversation about the moon". | |||
Distant in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 遥远 | ||
| 遥远' originally meant 'to fly high' or 'remote' | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 遙遠 | ||
| 遙遠" is formed of "遙" (far) and "遠" (distant), and so means "very distant." | |||
| Japanese | 遠い | ||
| 遠い (tooi) in Japanese also means "faint" or "unclear". | |||
| Korean | 먼 | ||
| 먼 can also mean "far away in time" or refer to a "distant relative". | |||
| Mongolian | хол | ||
| The word "хол" in Mongolian can also refer to the space between two objects or the empty space within something. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဝေးကွာသော | ||
Distant in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | jauh | ||
| The word "jauh" in Indonesian also has meanings of "rare" and "difficult to obtain or achieve." | |||
| Javanese | adoh | ||
| The Javanese word "adoh" also means "far apart in time or age". | |||
| Khmer | ឆ្ងាយ | ||
| The word "ឆ្ងាយ" can also mean "far away" or "remote". | |||
| Lao | ຫ່າງໄກ | ||
| The Lao word "ຫ່າງໄກ" also means "alien". The original meaning is related to physical distance, but it can also refer to conceptual distance. | |||
| Malay | jauh | ||
| The word "jauh" in Malay can also mean "long" or "far away" in a metaphorical sense, referring to time, distance, or relationships. | |||
| Thai | ห่างไกล | ||
| The Thai word "ห่างไกล" can also refer to a lack of intimacy or connection between people. | |||
| Vietnamese | xa xôi | ||
| The word "xa xôi" can also refer to a type of sticky rice dish in Vietnamese cuisine. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | malayo | ||
Distant in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | uzaq | ||
| The word "uzaq" may also refer to a feeling of alienation or a lack of attachment to others. | |||
| Kazakh | алыс | ||
| The word "алыс" in Kazakh can also mean "remote" or "far-fetched". | |||
| Kyrgyz | алыс | ||
| The word "алыс" in Kyrgyz can also mean "alien" or "foreigner". | |||
| Tajik | дур | ||
| The word "дур" can also mean "difficult" or "bad" in Tajik. | |||
| Turkmen | uzakda | ||
| Uzbek | uzoq | ||
| The Turkic root word *uz* means "long" or "far," and *oq* is an Uzbek suffix meaning "end". Thus, *uzoq* means "the end of something long," connoting its meaning as "distant." | |||
| Uyghur | يىراق | ||
Distant in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | mamao loa | ||
| Mamao loa is also the Hawaiian name for the papaya fruit, possibly reflecting the fruit's long shelf-life. | |||
| Maori | tawhiti | ||
| Tawhiti is related to the word 'tahua,' meaning 'ancestor' (of a place, a person, a mountain, the sea, the heavens). | |||
| Samoan | mamao | ||
| The Samoan word "mamao" can also mean "great", "enormous", or "mighty". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | malayo | ||
| The word "malayo" in Tagalog can also mean "far-off" or "remote." | |||
Distant in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jayarst’ata | ||
| Guarani | mombyry | ||
Distant in International Languages
| Esperanto | malproksima | ||
| "Malproksima" is derived from "proksima" (close), with the negative prefix "mal-" (bad). It can also mean "approximately" or "roughly". | |||
| Latin | distant | ||
| The Latin word "distans" means not only "distant" but also "different" or "unlike." | |||
Distant in Others Languages
| Greek | μακρινός | ||
| The word 'μακρινός' is derived from the ancient Greek word 'μακρός' which means 'long' or 'far'. | |||
| Hmong | nyob deb | ||
| The term 'nyob deb' can refer to both physical and emotional distance in Hmong culture. | |||
| Kurdish | dûr | ||
| The Kurdish word "dûr" also means "far from the truth, erroneous, false, or incorrect". | |||
| Turkish | uzak | ||
| The word "uzak" originated from the Proto-Turkic word "usaq" meaning "other" or "foreign". | |||
| Xhosa | kude | ||
| Kude also refers to an "important" place or a place of "worship" "sanctuary". In most Nguni languages, "kude" refers to "a great distance" but also "the home of God". | |||
| Yiddish | ווייט | ||
| Like the German word 'weit', the Yiddish word 'ווייט' can also mean 'spacious' | |||
| Zulu | kude | ||
| According to the University of Hawaii at Manoa, "kude" is one of the three cardinal directions for the Nguni languages, referring to the west. | |||
| Assamese | দূৰৈৰ | ||
| Aymara | jayarst’ata | ||
| Bhojpuri | दूर के बा | ||
| Dhivehi | ދުރުގައެވެ | ||
| Dogri | दूर दी | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | malayo | ||
| Guarani | mombyry | ||
| Ilocano | adayo | ||
| Krio | we de fa fawe | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | دوور | ||
| Maithili | दूर के | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯂꯥꯞꯅꯥ ꯂꯩꯕꯥ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | hla tak a ni | ||
| Oromo | fagoo jiru | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଦୂର | ||
| Quechua | karu | ||
| Sanskrit | दूरम् | ||
| Tatar | ерак | ||
| Tigrinya | ርሑቕ | ||
| Tsonga | kule kule | ||