Updated on March 6, 2024
E-mail, a term we're all familiar with, has revolutionized the way we communicate. It's more than just a word; it's a cultural phenomenon that has transformed our daily lives and the way we conduct business. But have you ever wondered how 'e-mail' is translated into different languages?
The word 'e-mail' itself is a contraction of 'electronic mail'. It was first coined in the 1970s, during the advent of the internet age. Today, it's used by billions of people worldwide, making it a true global language.
Understanding the translation of 'e-mail' in different languages can provide fascinating insights into local cultures and language nuances. For instance, in Spanish, 'e-mail' is translated as 'correo electrónico', while in French, it's 'courriel'. In Mandarin, it's '电子邮件' (diànzǐ yóujiàn), and in Japanese, it's '電子メール' (denshi mēru).
Exploring these translations can be a fun and enlightening journey, opening up a world of cultural discovery and language learning. So, let's delve into the world of 'e-mail' translations and see how this global language is interpreted across different cultures.
Afrikaans | e-pos | ||
The Afrikaans word "e-pos" is derived from the English "e-mail" and retains its meaning. | |||
Amharic | ኢሜል | ||
"ኢሜል" is the Amharic word for "e-mail", which derives from "electronic mail". | |||
Hausa | |||
The Hausa word for "email" is imel, meaning electronic message. | |||
Igbo | ozi-e | ||
Ọ̀zì-e (e-mail) translates to "the mouth of the letter" | |||
Malagasy | |||
In Malagasy, the word "e-mail" is also used to refer to a "letter" or "message". | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | imelo | ||
Nyanja's "imelo" originates from "melo," meaning "a message," and "i-" as a plural prefix. | |||
Shona | |||
In Shona, 'e-mail' can also refer to 'electronic communication' beyond just emails. | |||
Somali | emayl | ||
The Somali word "emayl" is derived from the English word "email" and has no alternate meanings in Somali. | |||
Sesotho | lengolo-tsoibila | ||
The etymology of "lengolo-tsoibila" suggests "letters that run". | |||
Swahili | barua pepe | ||
The Swahili word "barua pepe" can also refer to a physical letter or document | |||
Xhosa | imeyile | ||
"Imeyile" derives from "imeyi," meaning "letter," and "eli," meaning "electronic" | |||
Yoruba | imeeli | ||
Imeeli was derived from the Yoruba words 'Iwe' meaning letter and 'Imeli' meaning to send | |||
Zulu | i-imeyili | ||
I-imeyili is a Zulu word derived from the English word "e-mail" and also means "message" or "notification" in Zulu. | |||
Bambara | e-mail fɛ | ||
Ewe | e-mail dzi | ||
Kinyarwanda | imeri | ||
Lingala | e-mail na nzela ya e-mail | ||
Luganda | |||
Sepedi | imeile | ||
Twi (Akan) | e-mail a wɔde mena | ||
Arabic | البريد الإلكتروني | ||
البريد الإلكتروني is derived from the English word "electronic mail". | |||
Hebrew | אימייל | ||
The Hebrew word אימייל (e-mail) is a combination of the words אי (short for איגרת - “letter”) and מייל (short for מכתב יאל - “electronic mail”). | |||
Pashto | بریښنالیک | ||
Arabic | البريد الإلكتروني | ||
البريد الإلكتروني is derived from the English word "electronic mail". |
Albanian | postën elektronike | ||
The term "postën elektronike" is derived from the Latin words "posta" (post) and "electronicus" (electronic). | |||
Basque | posta elektronikoa | ||
"Posta elektronikoa" is translated as "electronic mail," but the literal meaning of the words is "electronic post." | |||
Catalan | correu electrònic | ||
"Correu electrònic" literally means "electronic post" in Catalan. "Post" is also used in English to refer to electronic mail. | |||
Croatian | |||
The Croatian word "e-pošta" is a calque of the English word "e-mail" and is also used to refer to the internet and web pages. | |||
Danish | |||
The Danish word "e-mail" derives from the American spelling of the phrase "electronic mail". | |||
Dutch | |||
In Dutch, "e-mail" can also refer to a type of snail mail sent electronically. | |||
English | |||
'Email' is derived from 'electronic mail', and can also refer to 'enamel' or 'electromagnetic radiation' | |||
French | |||
Email ( courriel in French) is a short form of "electronic mail" (French: courrier électronique). | |||
Frisian | e-post | ||
In Frisian, "e-post" literally translates to "electronic post", hence the English word "e-mail". | |||
Galician | correo electrónico | ||
The term "correo electrónico" in Galician not only means "e-mail", but also refers to the physical mail system. | |||
German | |||
The German word "E-Mail" was originally used to describe the electronic transmission of physical mail, not digital messages. | |||
Icelandic | tölvupóstur | ||
The word "tölvupóstur" is a compound word combining "tölva" (computer) and "póstur" (mail). It was coined by the Icelandic Language Committee in 1995. | |||
Irish | r-phost | ||
It's the Anglicised form of the Irish word "ríomhphost" (pronounced "reev-of"), meaning "computer message". | |||
Italian | |||
In Italian, the word "e-mail" is also used to refer to the act of sending an email. | |||
Luxembourgish | |||
In Luxembourgish, "E-Mail" can also mean "electronic mail". | |||
Maltese | |||
In Maltese, the word "posta elettronika" is used to refer to "e-mail". | |||
Norwegian | e-post | ||
In Norwegian, "e-post" also means "snail mail". | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | o email | ||
Em Portugal, "o email" pode alternativamente significar um verniz para sapatos ou uma panela esmaltada. | |||
Scots Gaelic | post-d | ||
The word "post-d" in Scots Gaelic can also mean "snail mail" or "a physical letter sent through the postal service." | |||
Spanish | correo electrónico | ||
El término correo electrónico proviene del francés "courrier électronique". En español, la palabra "correo" también puede referirse a la correspondencia postal. | |||
Swedish | e-post | ||
The word "e-post" in Swedish is a compound word made up of "e-" and "post". "Post" means "mail" in Swedish, and "e-" is a prefix that means "electronic". So, "e-post" literally means "electronic mail". | |||
Welsh | e-bost | ||
E-bost (Welsh for "e-mail") is derived from "electronic" and "post (mail)". |
Belarusian | электронная пошта | ||
Электронная пошта is a compound word made up of электронная (“electronic”) and пошта (“mail”). | |||
Bosnian | |||
U bosanskom jeziku, riječ e-mail je skraćenica od engleskog termina electronic mail, što znači elektronska pošta. | |||
Bulgarian | електронна поща | ||
The Bulgarian word "електронна поща" is derived from the Russian word for "electronic mail." | |||
Czech | e-mailem | ||
In Czech, "e-mailem" can also refer to a personal folder for incoming and outgoing emails. | |||
Estonian | e-post | ||
The word "e-post" is derived from the English word "electronic post", which refers to the electronic transmission of mail. | |||
Finnish | sähköposti | ||
The word "sähköposti" literally translates to "electrical post" or "electric mail", with the prefix "sähkö" meaning "electricity" and "posti" meaning "post" or "mail". | |||
Hungarian | |||
In Hungarian, the word "email" can also refer to "enamel" or "electron mail". | |||
Latvian | e-pastu | ||
"E-pastu" is in fact a derivative of two words, "elektroniskais" (electronic) and "pasts" (mail). | |||
Lithuanian | el | ||
"El" is the short form for "elektroninis laškas", meaning "electronic mail". | |||
Macedonian | е-пошта | ||
The word "е-пошта" (e-mail) is derived from the English word "electronic mail" and also means "electronic post" in Macedonian. | |||
Polish | |||
In Polish, "e-mail" can also be an abbreviation of "elektroniczna maszyna licząca", meaning "electronic calculator". | |||
Romanian | |||
The Romanian word email (e-mail) refers to the electronic appliance used to send and receive e-mails, not the service itself. | |||
Russian | эл. почта | ||
The word "Эл. почта" is short for "электронная почта" (electronic mail) in Russian. | |||
Serbian | е-маил | ||
The word 'e-maил' in Serbian is borrowed from the English 'e-mail', but is used in a broader sense, encompassing all types of electronic mail, including email, SMS, and instant messages. | |||
Slovak | |||
Email is a short way of spelling the word electronic mail. | |||
Slovenian | e-naslov | ||
In Slovenian, the word "E-naslov" is an abbreviation of "elektronski naslov," which means "electronic address." | |||
Ukrainian | електронною поштою | ||
The word "електронною поштою" in Ukrainian is derived from the English phrase "electronic mail" and literally means "electronic mail sent by post". |
Bengali | ই-মেইল | ||
"ই-মেইল" শব্দটি ইংরেজি শব্দ "electronic mail"-এর সংক্ষিপ্ত রূপ। | |||
Gujarati | ઈ-મેલ | ||
Hindi | ईमेल | ||
The word 'ईमेल' (e-mail) in Hindi directly translates to 'letter' or 'mail' and is also used to refer to traditional paper mail. | |||
Kannada | ಇ-ಮೇಲ್ | ||
Malayalam | ഇ-മെയിൽ | ||
The word "ഇ-മെയിൽ" is derived from the English word "e-mail", which is a short form of "electronic mail". | |||
Marathi | ई-मेल | ||
In Marathi, ई-मेल can also be interpreted as 'coming letter' or 'sent letter' due to the Marathi words ई (ईश्वर) meaning 'he' and मेल (मेल) meaning 'letter'. | |||
Nepali | ई-मेल | ||
ई-मेल is derived from English 'electronic mail'. It also means "aim to the eyes" in Sanskrit. | |||
Punjabi | ਈ - ਮੇਲ | ||
ਈ - ਮੇਲ (e-mail) is a term used in Punjabi to refer to electronic mail, which is the transmission of messages and files over computer networks. | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | විද්යුත් තැපෑල | ||
Tamil | மின்னஞ்சல் | ||
Telugu | ఇ-మెయిల్ | ||
The word "ఇ-మెయిల్" is a loanword from English that refers to electronic mail, a method of transmitting messages digitally. | |||
Urdu | ای میل | ||
In Urdu the word 'ای میل' is used to mean both 'e-mail' as well as 'the act or process of sending or receiving e-mail'. |
Chinese (Simplified) | 电子邮件 | ||
电子邮件在英语中也可以指电子邮件列表或邮件程序。 | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 電子郵件 | ||
"電郵"一詞在日文中本來的意思是"電報", 後來借來翻譯"電子郵件" | |||
Japanese | eメール | ||
The alternate Japanese reading of the word “Eメール”, “ime-ru”, is a pun on the word for “entering” or “inserting”, as in the case of a syringe or computer data entry. | |||
Korean | 이메일 | ||
"이메일" is derived from Korean "전자우편" (electronic mail). | |||
Mongolian | имэйл | ||
In Mongolian, имэйл (imeil) is a loanword from the English word "email" and can also refer to an "inbox" or "sent folder" in an email application. | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | အီးမေးလ် | ||
Indonesian | surel | ||
The word "surel" is derived from the Dutch word "email," which is a portmanteau of "electronic" and "mail." | |||
Javanese | |||
In Javanese, "e-mail" can also refer to a traditional letter or handwritten message. | |||
Khmer | អ៊ីមែល | ||
The word "អ៊ីមែល" is derived from the English word "e-mail", which is a portmanteau of "electronic" and "mail". | |||
Lao | ອີເມລ | ||
The word "ອີເມລ" can also refer to a message, a letter, or a document. | |||
Malay | e-mel | ||
The Malay word "e-mel" is a contraction of the English words "electronic mail". | |||
Thai | อีเมล์ | ||
The Thai word “อีเมล์” can also be used to describe a sweet and sour traditional Thai dish made with pork and coconut milk. | |||
Vietnamese | |||
Thuật ngữ "email" trong tiếng Việt có nguồn gốc từ cụm từ tiếng Anh "electronic mail" (thư điện tử) và thường được viết tắt là "email". | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | |||
Azerbaijani | e-poçt | ||
The word "e-poçt" is derived from the English word "e-mail" and has no alternate meanings in Azerbaijani. | |||
Kazakh | электрондық пошта | ||
Слова «электрондық» (elektronduq) и «пошта» (posta) в совокупности означают «электронная почта». | |||
Kyrgyz | электрондук почта | ||
Tajik | почтаи электронӣ | ||
Turkmen | e-poçta | ||
Uzbek | elektron pochta | ||
In Uzbek, "elektron pochta" can also literally mean "electrical mail". | |||
Uyghur | ئېلېكترونلۇق خەت | ||
Hawaiian | leka uila | ||
The term "leka uila" literally means "electric message" in Hawaiian. | |||
Maori | imeera | ||
The word "imeera" has the secondary meaning of "informant" due to the connotation of "to be made known" in the verb "kī". | |||
Samoan | imeli | ||
'Imeil' is the result of combining 'i-meil', a transliteration of 'e-mail', with the Samoan definite article 'le'. | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | |||
The word 'e-mail' is derived from the English words 'electronic mail', with the Tagalog word 'elektroniko' also able to be used. |
Aymara | correo electrónico tuqi | ||
Guarani | correo electrónico rupive | ||
Esperanto | retpoŝto | ||
The Esperanto word "retpoŝto" literally means "net post", referring to the transmission of messages over a network. | |||
Latin | |||
E-mail originated as a term for electronic mail in the 1960s, but its Latin roots mean "out of" or "from of" and "mail." |
Greek | ηλεκτρονικη διευθυνση | ||
Η λέξη «e-mail» είναι ένας αγγλικός δανεισμός που προέρχεται από την έκφραση “electronic mail”, δηλ. “ηλεκτρονικό ταχυδρομείο”. | |||
Hmong | |||
"E-mail" in Hmong is "imeel," is also a common slang word for "to forget". | |||
Kurdish | e-name | ||
The Kurdish word "e-name" has other meanings such as "name of the email address" or "internet nickname." | |||
Turkish | e-posta | ||
"E-posta" kelimesi, Türkçe'de "elektronik posta" anlamına gelmektedir ve "posta" kelimesinin "e" ile birleştirilmesiyle oluşturulmuştur. | |||
Xhosa | imeyile | ||
"Imeyile" derives from "imeyi," meaning "letter," and "eli," meaning "electronic" | |||
Yiddish | e- בריוו | ||
E- בריוו in Yiddish is also a reference to an anonymous letter sent to a newspaper or other publication. | |||
Zulu | i-imeyili | ||
I-imeyili is a Zulu word derived from the English word "e-mail" and also means "message" or "notification" in Zulu. | |||
Assamese | ই-মেইল | ||
Aymara | correo electrónico tuqi | ||
Bhojpuri | ई-मेल पर भेजल जा सकेला | ||
Dhivehi | އީމެއިލް | ||
Dogri | ई-मेल करो | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | |||
Guarani | correo electrónico rupive | ||
Ilocano | |||
Krio | imel fɔ sɛn imel | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | ئیمەیڵ | ||
Maithili | ई-मेल | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯏ-ꯃꯦꯜ ꯇꯧꯕꯥ꯫ | ||
Mizo | e-mail hmangin a rawn thawn a | ||
Oromo | iimeeliidhaan ergaa | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ଇ-ମେଲ୍ | | ||
Quechua | correo electrónico nisqawan | ||
Sanskrit | ई-मेल | ||
Tatar | электрон почта | ||
Tigrinya | ኢ-መይል | ||
Tsonga | |||