Distant in different languages

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

Afrikaansver
The Afrikaans word "ver" likely traces its etymological roots back to the Proto-Germanic term "fera", meaning "far away" or "distant".
Amharicሩቅ
The word "ሩቅ" can also mean "far apart" or "separate".
Hausamai nisa
"Nisa" in "mai nisa" is from the Proto-Afro-Asiatic root "*wṣ" meaning to go back.
Igbotere aka
'Tere aka' also means 'to go far' in Igbo.
Malagasylavitra
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".
Shonakure
The word "kure" can also refer to the direction "west" or be used to refer to "later on" in time.
Somalifog
The Somali word "fog" also means "to be silent or quiet".
Sesothohole
The word "hole" also means "to be out of the way" or "to be separated from others".
Swahilimbali
"Mbali" is also used to describe a relative who is not closely related.
Xhosakude
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".
Yorubajinna
"Jinna" in Yoruba may also refer to the state of being estranged or emotionally disconnected.
Zulukude
According to the University of Hawaii at Manoa, "kude" is one of the three cardinal directions for the Nguni languages, referring to the west.
Bambarayɔrɔjan
Ewedidiƒe ʋĩ
Kinyarwandakure
Lingalamosika
Lugandaewala
Sepedikgole
Twi (Akan)akyirikyiri

Distant in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicبعيد
The Arabic word "بعيد" can also refer to "something strange" or "unlikely."
Hebrewרָחוֹק
The word "רָחוֹק" can also mean "wide" or "expansive".
Pashtoلرې
Pashto speakers also use "لرې" in the sense of "other than" or "without".
Arabicبعيد
The Arabic word "بعيد" can also refer to "something strange" or "unlikely."

Distant in Western European Languages

Albaniani largët
"I largët" means "distant" in Albanian, but it can also mean "far-reaching" or "comprehensive."
Basqueurrutikoa
The word "urrutikoa" can mean either "distant" or "foreign."
Catalandistant
The Catalan word "distant" also means "distracted" or "absent-minded".
Croatiandaleka
The word "daleka" is also used in colloquial speech to mean "my dear one".
Danishfjern
Fjern ultimately derives from Proto-Germanic *ferrana-, meaning "passable" or "capable of being travelled across."
Dutchver
The word "ver" can also mean "apart" or "separate" in Dutch, reflecting its root in the Proto-Germanic language.
Englishdistant
In Latin, "distant" means "to stand apart," while in Old French, it means "to separate" or "to remove."
Frenchloin
In French, the word "loin" has additional meanings such as "far away", "remote", or "distant in time or origin".
Frisianfier
The word 'fier' also derives from the Old Frisian word 'fera', meaning 'afar' or 'at a distance'.
Galicianafastado
"Afastado" shares its root with "afastio" (disgust) due to being away from, in isolation, or out of reach
Germanentfernt
The word "entfernt" can also mean "removed," "dismissed," or "alienated" in German.
Icelandicfjarlægur
"Fjarlægur" in Icelandic can also mean "remote, alienated, or foreign."
Irishi 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".
Italiandistante
The word "distante" in Italian, besides meaning "distant," also means "distracted" or "detached."
Luxembourgishwäit ewech
Malteseimbiegħed
The Maltese word "imbiegħed" likely originates from the Arabic word "baʿīd" meaning "distant", or from the Italian word "lontano" with the same meaning.
Norwegianfjern
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 Gaelicfad às
The Scots Gaelic 'fad às' also means 'long ago' in Irish, and Welsh.
Spanishdistante
The Spanish word "distante" also means "reserved" or "uninvolved".
Swedishavlägsen
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'.
Welshpell
In the Welsh language, "pell" can also mean "far away" or "distant land".

Distant in Eastern European Languages

Belarusianдалёкі
"Далёкі" means "distant", but is also used to say "distant relatives".
Bosniandaleka
The word 'daleka' is also used in Serbian, Macedonian and Croatian with the same meaning.
Bulgarianдалечен
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.
Czechvzdálený
"Vzdálený" derives from the verb "vzdalovat se," meaning "to remove oneself," ultimately from "dal," meaning "far."
Estoniankauge
In Estonian, the word "kauge" (distant) can also refer to a place or time that is not easily accessible.
Finnishkaukainen
"Kaukainen" is etymologically related to "kauku" ("far") and also has the meanings "mysterious" or "vague."
Hungariantávoli
The word "távoli" also means "external" or "remote" in Hungarian.
Latviantālu
The etymology of "tālu" is unclear, but it may be related to the root word "tal," meaning "to go."
Lithuaniantolimas
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."
Macedonianдалечни
The word 'далечни' also comes from 'далеч' which means 'far' and 'дали' which means 'whether'.
Polishodległy
"Odległy" was formerly used about someone who sat "na odłogu", "not working on the field"
Romanianîndepărtat
"Îndepărtat" comes from Latin "in" + "de" + "prope" ("far")
Russianдалекий
The word "далекий" can also mean "deep" or "unfamiliar" in Russian.
Serbianдалека
The word "далека" can also refer to a "distant relative" or "extended family member".
Slovakvzdialený
The word "vzdialený" can also mean "remote" or "secluded" in Slovak.
Slovenianoddaljena
The word 'oddaljena' in Slovenian also means 'alienated' or 'separated'.
Ukrainianдалекий
"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

Bengaliদূর
Derived from a root meaning "across" or "beyond", "দূর" can also mean "separated" or "detached" in Bengali.
Gujaratiદૂરનું
The word "દૂરનું" in Gujarati can also refer to something that is "far-fetched" or "improbable".
Hindiदूर
The word 'दूर' (distant) is derived from the Sanskrit root 'दुर्' (difficult), implying difficulty in reaching something due to its remoteness.
Kannadaದೂರದ
ದೂರದ (distant) is derived from the Sanskrit word 'duur' meaning 'far' or 'remote'.
Malayalamവിദൂര
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.
Marathiदूरचा
The word "दूरचा" may also mean "unrelated" or "foreign" in the Marathi language, indicating its broader range of meanings beyond simply denoting physical distance.
Nepaliटाढा
"टाढा"'s root form is "टहलना" (to walk afar), indicating distance.
Punjabiਦੂਰ
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".
Tamilதொலைதூர
Distant refers to something far away both physically and non-physically.
Teluguదూరమైన
The word "దూరమైన" can also mean "remote" or "far away" in English.
Urduدور 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".
Korean먼
먼 can also mean "far away in time" or refer to a "distant relative".
Mongolianхол
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

Indonesianjauh
The word "jauh" in Indonesian also has meanings of "rare" and "difficult to obtain or achieve."
Javaneseadoh
The Javanese word "adoh" also means "far apart in time or age".
Khmerឆ្ងាយ
The word "ឆ្ងាយ" can also mean "far away" or "remote".
Laoຫ່າງໄກ
The Lao word "ຫ່າງໄກ" also means "alien". The original meaning is related to physical distance, but it can also refer to conceptual distance.
Malayjauh
The word "jauh" in Malay can also mean "long" or "far away" in a metaphorical sense, referring to time, distance, or relationships.
Thaiห่างไกล
The Thai word "ห่างไกล" can also refer to a lack of intimacy or connection between people.
Vietnamesexa 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

Azerbaijaniuzaq
The word "uzaq" may also refer to a feeling of alienation or a lack of attachment to others.
Kazakhалыс
The word "алыс" in Kazakh can also mean "remote" or "far-fetched".
Kyrgyzалыс
The word "алыс" in Kyrgyz can also mean "alien" or "foreigner".
Tajikдур
The word "дур" can also mean "difficult" or "bad" in Tajik.
Turkmenuzakda
Uzbekuzoq
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."
Uyghurيىراق

Distant in Pacific Languages

Hawaiianmamao loa
Mamao loa is also the Hawaiian name for the papaya fruit, possibly reflecting the fruit's long shelf-life.
Maoritawhiti
Tawhiti is related to the word 'tahua,' meaning 'ancestor' (of a place, a person, a mountain, the sea, the heavens).
Samoanmamao
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

Aymarajayarst’ata
Guaranimombyry

Distant in International Languages

Esperantomalproksima
"Malproksima" is derived from "proksima" (close), with the negative prefix "mal-" (bad). It can also mean "approximately" or "roughly".
Latindistant
The Latin word "distans" means not only "distant" but also "different" or "unlike."

Distant in Others Languages

Greekμακρινός
The word 'μακρινός' is derived from the ancient Greek word 'μακρός' which means 'long' or 'far'.
Hmongnyob deb
The term 'nyob deb' can refer to both physical and emotional distance in Hmong culture.
Kurdishdûr
The Kurdish word "dûr" also means "far from the truth, erroneous, false, or incorrect".
Turkishuzak
The word "uzak" originated from the Proto-Turkic word "usaq" meaning "other" or "foreign".
Xhosakude
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".
Yiddishווייט
Like the German word 'weit', the Yiddish word 'ווייט' can also mean 'spacious'
Zulukude
According to the University of Hawaii at Manoa, "kude" is one of the three cardinal directions for the Nguni languages, referring to the west.
Assameseদূৰৈৰ
Aymarajayarst’ata
Bhojpuriदूर के बा
Dhivehiދުރުގައެވެ
Dogriदूर दी
Filipino (Tagalog)malayo
Guaranimombyry
Ilocanoadayo
Kriowe de fa fawe
Kurdish (Sorani)دوور
Maithiliदूर के
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯂꯥꯞꯅꯥ ꯂꯩꯕꯥ꯫
Mizohla tak a ni
Oromofagoo jiru
Odia (Oriya)ଦୂର
Quechuakaru
Sanskritदूरम्
Tatarерак
Tigrinyaርሑቕ
Tsongakule kule

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