Down in Different Languages
Discover 'Down' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Down
Down in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | af | ||
| 'Af' can also mean 'off' or 'away' in Afrikaans, as in 'afgaan' (depart) or 'afdraai' (turn away). | |||
| Amharic | ታች | ||
| "ታች" (down) also means "below" or "underneath". | |||
| Hausa | ƙasa | ||
| In some Hausa dialects it can also refer to the nape of the neck or the lower part of the body (below the abdomen). | |||
| Igbo | ala | ||
| Aside from its primary meaning of "down," "ala" can also mean "under" or "beneath" in Igbo. | |||
| Malagasy | midina | ||
| The word "midina" in Malagasy also refers to the lower part of a plant, or the bottom of a river or lake. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | pansi | ||
| In Nyanja, "pansi" translates to "down" or "below", | |||
| Shona | pasi | ||
| The word "pasi" in Shona can also refer to the act of descending or the state of being low. | |||
| Somali | hoos | ||
| The Somali word "hoos" is cognate with the Proto-Somali word "*ʔóós" and the Proto-Cushitic word "*hóːsú", both meaning "down". | |||
| Sesotho | tlase | ||
| "Tlase" can also mean "to give birth" or "lower something". | |||
| Swahili | chini | ||
| Chini also means 'to the ground' or 'on the ground' and can sometimes be used in place of 'chini' in a song | |||
| Xhosa | phantsi | ||
| Phantsi may also be used to refer to a person of low status or a subordinate. | |||
| Yoruba | isalẹ | ||
| The noun "isalẹ" can also refer to "the back of the body," or "the bottom of something." | |||
| Zulu | phansi | ||
| The Zulu word "phansi" not only means "down" but also denotes a lower or subordinate position in a hierarchy. | |||
| Bambara | duguma | ||
| Ewe | anyi | ||
| Kinyarwanda | hasi | ||
| Lingala | na nse | ||
| Luganda | wansi | ||
| Sepedi | fase | ||
| Twi (Akan) | fam | ||
Down in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | أسفل | ||
| The Arabic word "أسفل" comes from the root "سفل" meaning "base" or "foot". | |||
| Hebrew | מטה | ||
| The Hebrew word מטה ("down") comes from the root מ.ט.ה, indicating a movement from a higher to a lower position or state. | |||
| Pashto | ښکته | ||
| Its other meaning, “beautiful,” comes from Pashto’s close linguistic relative, Persian. | |||
| Arabic | أسفل | ||
| The Arabic word "أسفل" comes from the root "سفل" meaning "base" or "foot". | |||
Down in Western European Languages
| Albanian | poshtë | ||
| "Poshtë" also means "beneath" or "under" in Albanian and is cognate with the Greek word "hypó" with a similar meaning. | |||
| Basque | behera | ||
| The word "behera" can also refer to coastal areas or the lowlands. | |||
| Catalan | avall | ||
| The Catalan term "avall" can also refer to a slope, a lower part, or a support. | |||
| Croatian | dolje | ||
| The Croatian word "dolje" also means "bottom", "basement", or "floor". | |||
| Danish | ned | ||
| The word 'ned' can also mean 'below' or 'underneath' in Danish. | |||
| Dutch | naar beneden | ||
| "Naar beneden" also means "to go to hell". | |||
| English | down | ||
| The word "down" can also mean towards the south, on the ground, or in a lower position. | |||
| French | vers le bas | ||
| "Vers le bas" in French can also mean "towards the lower end" or "towards the south". | |||
| Frisian | omleech | ||
| The word "omleech" also means "below" in Frisian. | |||
| Galician | abaixo | ||
| Abaixo derives from the Latin "deorsum", but its most common meaning isn't "down" but rather "below". | |||
| German | nieder | ||
| Nieder can also mean "low" or "base", and is related to the Old High German word "nidar", meaning "downward". | |||
| Icelandic | niður | ||
| In Icelandic, "niður" also means "downward" or "underneath." | |||
| Irish | síos | ||
| The word "síos" in Irish primarily means "down" but can also mean "underneath" or "below". | |||
| Italian | giù | ||
| "Giù" is derived from the Latin "deorsum" and also means "away" or "downwards". | |||
| Luxembourgish | erof | ||
| While "erof" can mean "down," it can also mean "dead" in the context of trees. | |||
| Maltese | isfel | ||
| In Maltese, "isfel" derives from Semitic "ʾisfal" (lower), distinct from the Indo-European source of the other cardinal directions. | |||
| Norwegian | ned | ||
| The word 'ned' can also mean 'beneath', 'lower', or 'below' in Norwegian. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | baixa | ||
| In medieval Portuguese, baixa meant 'river bank' and referred to the lower parts of cities and towns that were on flatter land next to rivers. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | sìos | ||
| The word "sìos" also means "peace" or "quiet" in Scots Gaelic. | |||
| Spanish | abajo | ||
| The origin of "abajo" is "de bas" which means low or far from the top in Latin. | |||
| Swedish | ner | ||
| The word "ner" can mean both "down" and "to", such as in "ner till torget" which means "down to the market square." | |||
| Welsh | i lawr | ||
| The word 'i lawr' can also mean 'to the ground' or 'to the bottom'. | |||
Down in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | ўніз | ||
| "Ўніз" comes from the Proto-Slavic "*nizъ", meaning "low", and is related to the Russian word "низ" and the Czech word "níz." | |||
| Bosnian | dole | ||
| Bosnian word "dole" can also refer to the river valleys or lowlands. | |||
| Bulgarian | надолу | ||
| In addition to meaning "down," "надолу" can also mean "toward," "along," or "onto." | |||
| Czech | dolů | ||
| The word 'dolů' is related to the word 'dole' (on the bottom) and means 'downwards'. | |||
| Estonian | alla | ||
| "Alla" can also mean "under" or "below" depending on the context. | |||
| Finnish | alas | ||
| In Finnish, the word "alas" also means "downward" or "towards the bottom". | |||
| Hungarian | le- | ||
| In compounds, "le-" can mean "away; down; along; towards; off; out; apart; asunder;" or indicate a "lack of" or the "opposite of" something | |||
| Latvian | uz leju | ||
| The Latvian word “uz leju” is a combination of the preposition “uz” (on, onto) and the noun “leja” (lowland, depression) and means "down" in the sense of a downward motion. | |||
| Lithuanian | žemyn | ||
| The word "žemyn" in Lithuanian can also refer to the feminine gender in grammar. | |||
| Macedonian | долу | ||
| The word "долу" can also mean "on the floor" or "on the ground". | |||
| Polish | na dół | ||
| The expression "iść na dół" (go down) literally means "go to the bottom". | |||
| Romanian | jos | ||
| The Romanian word "jos" also means "low" and can refer to the bottom of something. | |||
| Russian | вниз | ||
| The word “вниз” also means “into” as in "погрузили вниз" (lowered into the water). | |||
| Serbian | доле | ||
| The word "доле" can also mean "in the grave" or "underground" in Serbian. | |||
| Slovak | dole | ||
| The word "dole" in Slovak also means "valley" or "meadow" | |||
| Slovenian | dol | ||
| The word "dol" has two meanings in Slovenian: "down" and "a valley" | |||
| Ukrainian | вниз | ||
| The Ukrainian word "вниз" is also used to mean "to go down", "to descend", and "to fall". | |||
Down in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | নিচে | ||
| "নিচে" can also mean "below" or "at the bottom". | |||
| Gujarati | નીચે | ||
| The Gujarati word "नीचे" can also be used to mean "below", "underneath", or "out of reach". | |||
| Hindi | नीचे | ||
| The word "नीचे" can also mean "lower" or "subordinate" in Hindi. | |||
| Kannada | ಕೆಳಗೆ | ||
| ಕೆಳಗೆ (keLage) is also derived from the Proto-Dravidian root *keḷ-, meaning 'to descend' or 'to be low'. | |||
| Malayalam | താഴേക്ക് | ||
| The word 'താഴേക്ക്' ('down') is derived from the Proto-Dravidian root '*tal-', meaning 'to be low'. | |||
| Marathi | खाली | ||
| In Marathi, "खाली" also means "underneath" or "below" spatially and metaphorically, referring to lower social status or value. | |||
| Nepali | तल | ||
| Nepali "তল" comes from Sanskrit "तल", meaning "bottom," "sole of a foot," or "floor of a house." | |||
| Punjabi | ਥੱਲੇ, ਹੇਠਾਂ, ਨੀਂਵਾ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | පහළ | ||
| "පහළ" is used as a noun meaning "lower portion or part" and as a verb meaning "to humiliate or disgrace." | |||
| Tamil | கீழ் | ||
| "கீழ்" in Tamil can also mean subordinate, beneath, or underneath. | |||
| Telugu | డౌన్ | ||
| In Telugu, "డౌన్" (down) can also mean "to decrease" or "to be deficient" | |||
| Urdu | نیچے | ||
| The Urdu word "نیچے" can also mean "below" or "beneath" | |||
Down in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 下 | ||
| 下 (xià) is also used in words like “下棋” (xià qí, play chess), “下课” (xià kè, class is over), and as a surname. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 下 | ||
| "下" (xià) can also mean "second in order," or "inferior," reflecting its usage in Chinese philosophy to describe the "lower" of two parts. | |||
| Japanese | ダウン | ||
| "ダウン" means "soft feathers of waterfowl" or "the soft, fine undercoat of certain animals". | |||
| Korean | 하위 | ||
| The word "하위" can also refer to "lower" in terms of rank or status. | |||
| Mongolian | доош | ||
| The Mongolian word "доош" can also describe a place on the downwind side of a building or mountain. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ချ | ||
| The word "ချ" in Burmese can also mean "to let go", "to put down", or "to release". | |||
Down in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | turun | ||
| Turun is derived from the Proto-Austronesian root *tu:run, meaning 'to descend' or 'to drop'. | |||
| Javanese | mudhun | ||
| The Javanese word "mudhun" can also mean "to return" or "to go back to one's home". | |||
| Khmer | ចុះ | ||
| The word "ចុះ" also means "to leave" or "to go out" in Khmer. | |||
| Lao | ລົງ | ||
| The word "ລົງ" (long) can also mean "to go" or "to enter" in Lao. | |||
| Malay | turun | ||
| In formal Malay, "turun" also means "to give birth". | |||
| Thai | ลง | ||
| "ลง" can also mean "cancel" or "dismount" in Thai. | |||
| Vietnamese | xuống | ||
| The word "xuống" can be used as a verb (to go down) or a preposition (below, under). | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pababa | ||
Down in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | aşağı | ||
| "Aşağı" means "down" in Azerbaijani, but it also has the alternate meaning of "below". | |||
| Kazakh | төмен | ||
| The Kazakh word "төмен" ("down") derives from the Proto-Turkic word "tümen" meaning "ten thousand" or "myriad". | |||
| Kyrgyz | ылдый | ||
| The word "ылдый" can also mean "south" in Kyrgyz, as the south is generally considered to be "down" from the north. | |||
| Tajik | поён | ||
| The Tajik word "поён" also means "slope", "descent", and "lower". | |||
| Turkmen | aşak | ||
| Uzbek | pastga | ||
| Uzbek "pastga" may originate in Sogdian or Khotanese, and also refers to the north or lower parts of a river. | |||
| Uyghur | down | ||
Down in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | lalo | ||
| In Hawaiian, "lalo" also translates to "underneath" or "inferior". | |||
| Maori | iho | ||
| In the Māori language, the word “iho” refers not only to the direction “down” but also to the navel, a bodily feature that is considered to be a sacred connection to one's ancestry. | |||
| Samoan | lalo | ||
| Can be used informally as a noun for a valley or ravine. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | pababa | ||
| 'Pababa' also refers to the lower or downstream course of a river. | |||
Down in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | manqha | ||
| Guarani | iguýpe | ||
Down in International Languages
| Esperanto | malsupren | ||
| The word "malsupren" is derived from the Latin word "supremus" (highest) with the prefix "mal-" (bad), meaning "the worst" or "the lowest". | |||
| Latin | descendit | ||
| The word "descendit" is the third-person singular form of the verb "descendo," meaning "to come down." | |||
Down in Others Languages
| Greek | κάτω | ||
| "Κάτω" can also be used to mean "lower" or "inferior" in Greek. | |||
| Hmong | lawm os | ||
| Lawm os also means 'on the south side of' | |||
| Kurdish | jêr | ||
| The Kurdish word "jêr" (down) shares roots with the Persian word "zēr" | |||
| Turkish | aşağı | ||
| "Aşağı" in Turkish is derived from the word "aşağ", meaning "lower part of the water", and thus referring to the direction opposite to "yukarı" (up), which is derived from the word "yuka", meaning "upper part of the water." | |||
| Xhosa | phantsi | ||
| Phantsi may also be used to refer to a person of low status or a subordinate. | |||
| Yiddish | אַראָפּ | ||
| The Yiddish word "אַראָפּ" can also mean "off" or "away". | |||
| Zulu | phansi | ||
| The Zulu word "phansi" not only means "down" but also denotes a lower or subordinate position in a hierarchy. | |||
| Assamese | তললৈ | ||
| Aymara | manqha | ||
| Bhojpuri | नीचे | ||
| Dhivehi | ތިރި | ||
| Dogri | ख'ल्ल | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pababa | ||
| Guarani | iguýpe | ||
| Ilocano | baba | ||
| Krio | dɔŋ | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | خوارەوە | ||
| Maithili | नीचा | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯈꯥꯗ | ||
| Mizo | hnuailam | ||
| Oromo | gadi | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ତଳକୁ | ||
| Quechua | uray | ||
| Sanskrit | अधः | ||
| Tatar | аста | ||
| Tigrinya | ታሕቲ | ||
| Tsonga | ehansi | ||