Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'each' is a small but powerful term, often used to emphasize the individuality and significance of every item or person in a group. It's a word that transcends cultural boundaries and is universally understood, making it a crucial part of our global language lexicon.
Historically, 'each' has been used in various contexts to denote separate entities or ideas. From ancient literature to modern-day conversations, this term has remained a constant, reminding us of the importance of individuality in a collective world.
Understanding the translation of 'each' in different languages can provide valuable insights into how other cultures view and express this concept. For instance, in Spanish, 'each' translates to 'cada' while in French, it's 'chaque'. In German, 'each' is translated to 'jeder', and in Japanese, 'each' is expressed as 'それぞれ' (sorezore).
Exploring these translations can open up a world of cultural understanding and appreciation. So, let's delve into the fascinating world of language and discover how 'each' is expressed in different tongues.
Afrikaans | elkeen | ||
Elkeen has evolved from two Dutch words, elk and een, which in turn relate to Old German ali and ains. | |||
Amharic | እያንዳንዳቸው | ||
In Amharic, "እያንዳንዳቸው" is occasionally used to refer to a group instead of individuals. | |||
Hausa | kowane | ||
"Kowane" in Hausa also means "half" when used with numerals. | |||
Igbo | onye obula | ||
Onye obula is also a term of respect and solidarity among the Igbo. | |||
Malagasy | tsirairay | ||
The Malagasy word "tsirairay" also means "separately, individually, one by one". | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | aliyense | ||
The word "aliyense" also means "everyone" or "all of them" in Nyanja (Chichewa). | |||
Shona | imwe neimwe | ||
The word "imwe neimwe" can also be used to mean "every one of them" or "the whole group or set". | |||
Somali | mid kasta | ||
Mid kasta is also a loanword from Italian 'cada' and the original meaning was 'every, each; everyone, everybody; (after negative) no one'. | |||
Sesotho | ka 'ngoe | ||
In Sesotho, "ka 'ngoe" also refers to a type of tree used to make traditional medicine, and when combined with "ba," it becomes "baka 'ngoe," meaning "people who own trees." | |||
Swahili | kila mmoja | ||
Kila mmoja can also mean every or anyone and is commonly used in greetings. | |||
Xhosa | nganye | ||
In Xhosa, "nganye" also means "one" and is derived from the root word "nye," meaning "thing." | |||
Yoruba | ọkọọkan | ||
The word "ọkọọkan" in Yoruba can also refer to a single unit or an individual item. | |||
Zulu | ngamunye | ||
Ngamunye is also sometimes used to refer to an individual member of a group, as in 'uNgamunye wabo' ('one of them'). | |||
Bambara | bɛɛ kelen kelen | ||
Ewe | ɖe sia ɖe | ||
Kinyarwanda | buri umwe | ||
Lingala | mokomoko | ||
Luganda | buli -mu | ||
Sepedi | nngwe le e nngwe | ||
Twi (Akan) | ebiara | ||
Arabic | كل | ||
The name of the Muslim month "Muharram" (the first month of the Islamic Calendar) is derived from this same root "كل" meaning "to prohibit" because war and fighting was prohibited in this holy month. | |||
Hebrew | כל אחד | ||
כל אחד literally translates to "all one", possibly referring to a unified whole from which parts are distributed. | |||
Pashto | هر یو | ||
هر یو (each) is etymologically related to the Sanskrit word एक (eka), meaning "one," and has other meanings such as "any" and "per". | |||
Arabic | كل | ||
The name of the Muslim month "Muharram" (the first month of the Islamic Calendar) is derived from this same root "كل" meaning "to prohibit" because war and fighting was prohibited in this holy month. |
Albanian | secili | ||
In Turkish the word “seçili” means “selected” while in Azerbaijani it has the same meaning as in Albanian. | |||
Basque | bakoitza | ||
Bakarrak is a compound form of bakoitza (each), and its use is common in the language, especially in the context of counting. | |||
Catalan | cadascun | ||
The word "cadascun" is a compound of the words "cada" (each) and "u" (one), which means "each one". | |||
Croatian | svaki | ||
The word 'svaki' comes from the Proto-Slavic word 'sъvьkъ', which originally meant 'one' or 'all'. | |||
Danish | hver | ||
In Old Norse, "hver" refers to any group of two or more, especially a group of fighters. | |||
Dutch | elk | ||
In Dutch, "elk" can also refer to a large mammal similar to a deer. | |||
English | each | ||
The word "each" derives from the Old English "ælc," which means "all" or "every," and is related to the German "jeder" and the Dutch "ieder." | |||
French | chaque | ||
"Chaque" derives from the Latin word "quisque", meaning "everyone". | |||
Frisian | elk | ||
In the Frisian language, "elk" can also mean "everyone". | |||
Galician | cada un | ||
The Galician "cada un" is ultimately derived from the Latin "quattuor" (four). | |||
German | jeder | ||
The word "jeder" in German is derived from the Old High German "iegideh", meaning "any, each, or every". | |||
Icelandic | hver | ||
Hver is also used in Icelandic to refer to a person who is especially skilled or knowledgeable in a particular area. | |||
Irish | an ceann | ||
The Gaelic word 'an ceann' can also refer to the head of a person or animal or to one's turn to play. | |||
Italian | ogni | ||
In the Umbrian dialect, "ogni" also means "one", with the same pronunciation as the standard Italian "ogni". | |||
Luxembourgish | all | ||
The word "all" in Luxembourgish also means "each" in English. | |||
Maltese | kull wieħed | ||
The word "kull wieħed" in Maltese is also used to refer to a person or thing that is unique or special. | |||
Norwegian | hver | ||
The word "hver" is also used in the sense of "every other" or "every second". | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | cada | ||
In Portuguese, "cada" can also mean "any" or "every", as in "cada dia" (every day) or "cada um" (every one). | |||
Scots Gaelic | gach fear | ||
The Gaelic word "gach" can also be used to mean "every" or "all," and can be combined with a noun in the plural form to indicate that all members of the group are included. | |||
Spanish | cada | ||
"Cada" is related to the Latin "cadaver" and means "each" or "everyone", and its plural form is "cadas". | |||
Swedish | varje | ||
The etymology of 'varje' is unknown, but some theories suggest it may be a derivative of the Old Swedish 'hvarge' ('every'). | |||
Welsh | yr un | ||
Yr un derives from the Brittonic word "einos", also meaning "one" and "self". |
Belarusian | кожны | ||
The Belarusian word "кожны" also means "skin" and is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "koža" with the same meaning. | |||
Bosnian | svaki | ||
"Svaki" also means "every" and is cognate with the word "svaki" in other Slavic languages. | |||
Bulgarian | всеки | ||
The word "всеки" can also mean "any" or "everyone" in Bulgarian. | |||
Czech | každý | ||
In old Czech, "každý" also meant "whoever" or "whomever." | |||
Estonian | iga | ||
"Iga" is also used in Estonian to refer to a berry or the berry-producing plant. | |||
Finnish | kukin | ||
The word 'kukin' is derived from the Proto-Finnic word 'kūki', meaning 'someone'. It is cognate with the Estonian word 'kõik', meaning 'all'. | |||
Hungarian | minden egyes | ||
"Minden egyes" (each) is derived from a combination of "minden" (all) and "egyszer" (single), and its original meaning was "every time; at every turn; without exception." | |||
Latvian | katrs | ||
"Katrs" is the Latvian word for "each" and is related to the Lithuanian word "kiekvienas." | |||
Lithuanian | kiekvienas | ||
The etymology of “kiekvienas” is related to the word “kiek” (how much) but can also be used as a replacement for “visi” (everyone). | |||
Macedonian | секој | ||
The Macedonian word "секој" is derived from the Proto-Slavic *vьsьkъ, meaning "all, every". | |||
Polish | każdy | ||
In Polish, "każdy" can also mean "everyone" or "any (person)", depending on the context. | |||
Romanian | fiecare | ||
"Fiecare" (each) is related to "fiu" (son) and "fiică" (daughter), and also means "everyone" or "any". | |||
Russian | каждый | ||
The word "каждый" in Russian can also mean "every other" or "at regular intervals". | |||
Serbian | сваки | ||
The word "сваки" also serves as a plural possessive adjective in Serbian, meaning "every single one of" someone's family members. | |||
Slovak | každý | ||
The word "každý" derives from the Old Church Slavonic word "kъžъdyj", meaning "every" or "all". | |||
Slovenian | vsak | ||
The word "vsak" in Slovenian originates from the Proto-Slavic word *vьsь, meaning "everyone" or "all". | |||
Ukrainian | кожен | ||
The word "кожен" is a cognate of the word "skin" in English and shares its root meaning of "covering" or "outside layer". |
Bengali | প্রতিটি | ||
In the context of measurement, "প্রতিটি" also denotes per item rather than per unit of area, volume, or time. | |||
Gujarati | દરેક | ||
The word "દરેક" is an adjective that is used to refer to every member of a group or set in Gujarati | |||
Hindi | से प्रत्येक | ||
The word "से प्रत्येक" ("each") in Hindi is derived from the Sanskrit word "एकैकः" ("ekaeka"), meaning "one by one" or "individually". | |||
Kannada | ಪ್ರತಿಯೊಂದೂ | ||
Malayalam | ഓരോന്നും | ||
The word 'ഓരോന്നും' in Malayalam is derived from the root 'ഓരോ' which means 'one by one' or 'every'. | |||
Marathi | प्रत्येक | ||
"प्रत्येक" derives from Sanskrit, where it meant "per" or "according to". | |||
Nepali | प्रत्येक | ||
प्रत्येक can mean either 'each' or 'every' depending on the context in which it is used. | |||
Punjabi | ਹਰ ਇਕ | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | සෑම | ||
The word "සෑම" also means "always" or "continuously" in Sinhala. | |||
Tamil | ஒவ்வொன்றும் | ||
Telugu | ప్రతి | ||
"ప్రతి" (prati) could mean each, all, the whole, or opposite. | |||
Urdu | ہر ایک | ||
The Urdu word "ہر ایک" has its roots in the Persian word "har yak" which means "every one" or "each". |
Chinese (Simplified) | 每 | ||
The character "每" in Chinese is also used as the 2nd part the idiom "每一", which has 2 common meanings, namely "every" or "in any case". | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 每 | ||
In addition to meaning "each," "每" can also mean "always" or "constantly." | |||
Japanese | 各 | ||
The character "各" (kaku) is also used as a prefix for words related to "various" or "each," such as "各自" (kakaji) meaning "each person" or "individually." | |||
Korean | 마다 | ||
"마다" can also mean "every time". | |||
Mongolian | тус бүр | ||
The Mongolian word "тус бүр" can also mean "every" or "all". | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | တစ်ခုချင်းစီကို | ||
Indonesian | setiap | ||
The Indonesian word "setiap" has other meanings besides "each", such as "any" and "all". | |||
Javanese | saben | ||
"Saben" in Javanese can also refer to "one" or "some" depending on the context. | |||
Khmer | គ្នា | ||
The word គ្នា also means "each other" in Khmer, and is often used with a plural subject. | |||
Lao | ແຕ່ລະຄົນ | ||
The word ແຕ່ລະຄົນ can also be used when inviting someone from a group to perform a task for a reward that is divisible. | |||
Malay | masing-masing | ||
The word "masing-masing" originates from the Malay word "masing" and the Old Javanese word "masing-masing", both meaning "each". | |||
Thai | แต่ละ | ||
แต่ละ has a similar word "ตะละ" which has the same meaning with "แต่ละ" but more formal and used in writing language. | |||
Vietnamese | mỗi | ||
The word "mỗi" in Vietnamese can also mean "any" or "every". | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | bawat isa | ||
Azerbaijani | hər biri | ||
In some contexts "hər biri" means "one by one". | |||
Kazakh | әрқайсысы | ||
The word "әрқайсысы" in Kazakh can also mean "everyone" or "everybody". | |||
Kyrgyz | ар бири | ||
The root "ар" also signifies "side" as in "right" and "left" as well as "way" as in "back" and "forth" | |||
Tajik | ҳар як | ||
The word "ҳар як" in Tajik can also mean "every", "all", or "any". | |||
Turkmen | hersi | ||
Uzbek | har biri | ||
The word "har biri" also means "everyone" or "one by one" in Uzbek. | |||
Uyghur | ھەر بىرى | ||
Hawaiian | pakahi | ||
Pakahi is also a term used in traditional Hawaiian hula to refer to a type of basic hand gesture, similar to a clap. | |||
Maori | ia | ||
The word "ia" in Māori has a dual meaning, referring to both the singular "each" and collectively "all." | |||
Samoan | taʻitasi | ||
"Taʻitasi" comes from the Proto-Polynesian word for "one" and can also mean "person by person". | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | bawat isa | ||
Bawat isa, a Tagalog term for "each", also refers to the act of counting or enumerating items. |
Aymara | sapa | ||
Guarani | peteĩteĩ | ||
Esperanto | ĉiu | ||
"Ĉiu" is a contraction of the words "ĉu" (whether) and "iu" (some). | |||
Latin | quisque | ||
Quisque is sometimes used in Latin to mean "everyone". |
Greek | καθε | ||
The word ''καθε'' originally meant 'any or either' but can also mean 'some' or 'certain'. | |||
Hmong | txhua | ||
The Hmong word "txhua" also means "all" or "completely." | |||
Kurdish | herkes | ||
"Herkes" in Kurdish can also mean "everyone" or "all". | |||
Turkish | her biri | ||
Although "her biri" literally means "his/her each", it is generally used in Turkish to refer to "each" in English. | |||
Xhosa | nganye | ||
In Xhosa, "nganye" also means "one" and is derived from the root word "nye," meaning "thing." | |||
Yiddish | יעדער | ||
The Yiddish word "יעדער" has the same root as "other" in English, as both words come from the Proto-Indo-European word "*alios" | |||
Zulu | ngamunye | ||
Ngamunye is also sometimes used to refer to an individual member of a group, as in 'uNgamunye wabo' ('one of them'). | |||
Assamese | প্ৰতিটো | ||
Aymara | sapa | ||
Bhojpuri | एकएक गो | ||
Dhivehi | ކޮންމެ | ||
Dogri | हर | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | bawat isa | ||
Guarani | peteĩteĩ | ||
Ilocano | kada | ||
Krio | ɛni | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | هەر | ||
Maithili | प्रत्येक | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯃꯃꯝ | ||
Mizo | vek | ||
Oromo | tokkoon tokkoon | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ପ୍ରତ୍ୟେକ | ||
Quechua | sapakama | ||
Sanskrit | एकैकम् | ||
Tatar | һәрберсе | ||
Tigrinya | ሕድሕድ | ||
Tsonga | ha xin'we | ||