Else in Different Languages
Discover 'Else' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'else' is a small but powerful part of many languages, including English. It signifies 'additional' or 'different' possibilities, making it a crucial component in communication. Culturally, 'else' has been used in various expressions, proverbs, and idioms, reflecting its significance across different societies.
For instance, in English, we say 'anything else?' to ask if there are other needs or desires. In German, 'sonst' (pronounced 'zonst') is used similarly. Or consider the English saying 'the grass is always greener on the other side,' which has equivalents in many languages, such as 'l'herbe est toujours plus verte ailleurs' in French.
Understanding the translation of 'else' in different languages can enrich your cross-cultural conversations and broaden your perspective. Here are a few examples:
Else
Else in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | anders | ||
| "Anders" is Afrikaans for "else," but can also refer to an "ander man" or "different person." | |||
| Amharic | ሌላ | ||
| "ሌላ" may be derived from the Ge'ez word "ለሊት" (meaning "night"), or it may share common Proto-Semitic roots with the Arabic "ليلة" (meaning "night") or the Hebrew "לילה" (also meaning "night"). | |||
| Hausa | wani | ||
| Wani, Hausa for "else," also denotes "one more, other, and some more." | |||
| Igbo | ọzọ | ||
| The word "ọzọ" can also mean a society of titled men. | |||
| Malagasy | hafa | ||
| Hafa is also used as a particle to ask a question. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | china | ||
| The word "china" in Nyanja can also mean "except" or "other than". | |||
| Shona | zvimwe | ||
| The word "zvimwe" can also refer to "other things" or "some other things" in Shona. | |||
| Somali | kale | ||
| In Arabic, "kale" means "all" or "whole". In Somali, "kale" means "else", but it can also mean "other" or "more". | |||
| Sesotho | ho seng joalo | ||
| The word "ho seng joalo" can also mean "otherwise" or "in other words". | |||
| Swahili | mwingine | ||
| Mwingine, meaning 'else' or 'other', is derived from the Proto-Bantu root *g-nji, meaning 'another'. | |||
| Xhosa | enye into | ||
| In Xhosa, the word “enye into” (literally “another thing”) also means “otherwise” or “else.” | |||
| Yoruba | omiiran | ||
| The Yoruba word "omiiran" can also mean "another" or "other," and it is derived from the words "omi" (water) and "iran" (path or way). | |||
| Zulu | okunye | ||
| Okunye' can be used to denote other aspects like differences, distinctions, or separations between two or more things. | |||
| Bambara | dɔ wɛrɛ | ||
| Ewe | bubu | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ikindi | ||
| Lingala | mosusu | ||
| Luganda | -ala | ||
| Sepedi | sengwe | ||
| Twi (Akan) | anyɛ saa a | ||
Else in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | آخر | ||
| The Arabic word "آخر" can also refer to "the end" or "the last one". | |||
| Hebrew | אַחֵר | ||
| The Hebrew word "אַחֵר" (akher) can also mean "different" or "other". | |||
| Pashto | نور | ||
| The word "نور" in Pashto may also mean "again" or "in addition". | |||
| Arabic | آخر | ||
| The Arabic word "آخر" can also refer to "the end" or "the last one". | |||
Else in Western European Languages
| Albanian | tjeter | ||
| "Tjeter" (else) derives from the Proto-Indo-European root '*ketero-' (other), akin to Greek '*heteros-' (other) and Latin '*ceteri-' (the rest). | |||
| Basque | bestela | ||
| Basque word "bestela" is also used for "other". It comes from Latin "alter," meaning "the other one." | |||
| Catalan | en cas contrari | ||
| The Catalan phrase "en cas contrari" has its origins in the Latin phrase "in casu contrario," meaning "in the opposite case" or "otherwise." | |||
| Croatian | drugo | ||
| The word "drugo" can also refer to "the other one" or "the second one" in Croatian. | |||
| Danish | andet | ||
| The Danish word "andet" not only means "else", but can also be used in the sense of "another" (e.g. "en anden kop kaffe" = "another cup of coffee"). | |||
| Dutch | anders | ||
| "Anders" in some dialects can also mean "different, strange, peculiar, unusual, abnormal, odd, weird, funny, droll, comical, quirky, eccentric, unconventional, original, or creative." | |||
| English | else | ||
| The word 'else' is derived from the Old English word 'elles', meaning 'otherwise'. | |||
| French | autre | ||
| The word "autre" in French has several origins and alternate meanings, including "other" and "alternate". | |||
| Frisian | oars | ||
| The word "oars" in Frisian is derived from the Proto-Germanic word "*ailiz", which means "different" or "other". | |||
| Galician | senón | ||
| "Senón" is a Galician word that derives from the Latin "si non" meaning "if not", hence its use as "else." | |||
| German | sonst | ||
| Sonst is cognate with Sanskrit सनत् (sanat) "old". In some dialects of German, the word can mean "formerly" or "lately" in addition to "else". | |||
| Icelandic | annar | ||
| "Annar" is derived from Proto-Germanic, and is related to "other", "another", and "any" in English. | |||
| Irish | eile | ||
| The word "eile" (else) is also used as a noun meaning "other" or "another" or as a preposition meaning "besides" or "apart from." | |||
| Italian | altro | ||
| The Italian word 'altro' originates from the Latin 'alter', meaning 'other', and is cognate with the English 'alter' and 'other'. | |||
| Luxembourgish | anescht | ||
| The Luxembourgish word "anescht" (else) comes from the Old High German word "anast," meaning "on the other side." | |||
| Maltese | inkella | ||
| The word "inkella" is possibly derived from the Arabic word "inkalla" or the Italian word "in quella". | |||
| Norwegian | ellers | ||
| In Norwegian, the word "ellers" can also mean "otherwise" or "in other respects." | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | outro | ||
| "Outra" is a Portuguese word with several meanings, including "another," "different," and "elsewhere." | |||
| Scots Gaelic | eile | ||
| The Gaelic word "eile" can also be an adjective in the nominative plural which describes "other" things | |||
| Spanish | más | ||
| The Spanish word "más" ("else") also comes from Latin "magis" in which the letter "g" became silent over time. | |||
| Swedish | annan | ||
| Swedish "annan" derives from Proto-Germanic *anþara "other", related to Proto-Indo-European *án-tero "other, opposite, before". | |||
| Welsh | arall | ||
| The word "arall" can also refer to points on a compass or to the corners of a piece of land. | |||
Else in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | яшчэ | ||
| Originally from старобеларускае «инощ» («иное время»), but can also mean «также» («also») | |||
| Bosnian | inače | ||
| The word 'inače' can also mean 'in other words' or 'by the way' in Bosnian. | |||
| Bulgarian | друго | ||
| The word "друго" can also mean "other", "different", or "another" in Bulgarian. | |||
| Czech | jiný | ||
| Czech "jiný" is cognate to Lithuanian "kitas", which also means "else". In Slovak and Polish "iný" and "inny" can also be used to describe a "foreign", "other" individual. | |||
| Estonian | muud | ||
| The word "muud" can also refer to "other things" or "anything different" in Estonian. | |||
| Finnish | muu | ||
| The word "muu" is also related to the words "muuta" (other), "muukalainen" (stranger), and "muutos" (change). | |||
| Hungarian | más | ||
| "Más" can also mean "another" or "other", and is often used in compound words such as "máshogy" (otherwise) or "másképp" (differently). | |||
| Latvian | cits | ||
| "Cits" (else) comes from the Proto-Baltic form *kitas, related to Lithuanian "kitas", Prussian "kīts", and Russian "другой" (druгой). | |||
| Lithuanian | kitas | ||
| The word "Kitas" may derive from the Proto-Baltic root *kitas, meaning "other," or from the Proto-Indo-European root *kʷe, meaning "who, what." | |||
| Macedonian | друго | ||
| The word "друго" can also mean "another" or "different" in Macedonian. | |||
| Polish | jeszcze | ||
| Etymologically derived from the Proto-Slavic word *jьšьte, meaning "in addition, besides". | |||
| Romanian | altceva | ||
| "Altceva" in Romanian is also an archaic term meaning "the other world", derived from the Latin "alter", meaning "other", and the Slavic suffix "-ceva", roughly translating to "something". | |||
| Russian | еще | ||
| "Еще" can also mean "more", "again", "in addition", and "yet." | |||
| Serbian | иначе | ||
| Иначе originally meant "differently" instead of "or else" | |||
| Slovak | inak | ||
| In Slovak, the word "inak" also means "otherwise" and "differently". | |||
| Slovenian | drugače | ||
| The word 'drugače' is derived from the Proto-Slavic word 'drugu', meaning 'another' or 'different'. | |||
| Ukrainian | ще | ||
| "Ще" also means "more" or "again" in the Ukrainian language. | |||
Else in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | অন্য | ||
| The word 'অন্য' in Bengali can also mean 'different', 'other', or 'remaining'. | |||
| Gujarati | બીજું | ||
| The Gujarati word "બીજું" also means "other" or "different". | |||
| Hindi | अन्य | ||
| The word "अन्य" (anya) in Hindi is derived from the Sanskrit word "अन्यः" (anyaḥ), which means "another" or "different." | |||
| Kannada | ಬೇರೆ | ||
| The Kannada word "ಬೇರೆ" can also mean "different" or "other", and is related to the Sanskrit word "विरल" (virala), meaning "rare" or "scattered". | |||
| Malayalam | അല്ലെങ്കിൽ | ||
| Marathi | अन्यथा | ||
| The Marathi word "अन्यथा" can also mean "otherwise" or "elsewise". | |||
| Nepali | अर्को | ||
| अर्को (else) literally means 'other' and is related to the word 'अर्क' (extract). | |||
| Punjabi | ਹੋਰ | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning, "ਹੋਰ" can also indicate "additionally" or "other (types)." | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | නැතිනම් | ||
| Tamil | வேறு | ||
| "வேறு" (else) also means "other" or "different" in Tamil. | |||
| Telugu | లేకపోతే | ||
| The word "else" can also mean "otherwise" or "if not" in English. | |||
| Urdu | اور | ||
| The word "اور" is an interrogative article, used to ask questions or introduce alternatives in Urdu. | |||
Else in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 其他 | ||
| "其他" 的词源可以追溯到古代汉语中的 "佗", 意为 "另一个地方" 或 "他物"。 | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 其他 | ||
| The character "他" in "其他" means "other", while "其" means "that" or "it". | |||
| Japanese | そうしないと | ||
| そうしないと is also used idiomatically to mean “if one did not do something”. | |||
| Korean | 그밖에 | ||
| '그밖에' literally means 'other places.' | |||
| Mongolian | өөр | ||
| "Өөр" is also a verb meaning "to change". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အခြား | ||
Else in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | lain | ||
| The Indonesian word "lain" is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word for "different" and can also refer to "others". | |||
| Javanese | liya | ||
| The term 'liya' can also signify 'extra' or 'in addition'. | |||
| Khmer | ផ្សេងទៀត | ||
| The Khmer word ផ្សេងទៀត ('else') is derived from the Sanskrit word 'anya', meaning 'different', and can also mean 'other' or 'remaining'. | |||
| Lao | ອື່ນ | ||
| The word | |||
| Malay | yang lain | ||
| In Malay, "lain" means not only "else" but also "other," "different," or "unusual." | |||
| Thai | อื่น | ||
| The word "อื่น" derives from the Sanskrit word "anya", which means "other" or "different". | |||
| Vietnamese | khác | ||
| "Khác" (else) in Vietnamese also means "different" or "other" and is derived from the Sanskrit word "anyah". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | iba pa | ||
Else in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | başqa | ||
| The word "başqa" in Azerbaijani can also mean "different" or "other". | |||
| Kazakh | басқа | ||
| The Kazakh word "басқа" originally meant "another one" and could be used in place of the numeral "бір" (one). | |||
| Kyrgyz | башка | ||
| The word "башка" in Kyrgyz can also mean "head" or "top". | |||
| Tajik | дигар | ||
| The word "дигар" in Tajik can also mean "different" or "other". | |||
| Turkmen | başga | ||
| Uzbek | boshqa | ||
| The Uzbek word "boshqa" can also mean "another" or "different". | |||
| Uyghur | else | ||
Else in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ʻē aʻe | ||
| 'ʻĒ aʻe' is also used in certain idiomatic expressions to mean to remain, to be left over | |||
| Maori | atu | ||
| "Atu" is etymologically related to "hau" ("wind") and can also mean "to be turned" or "to be changed". | |||
| Samoan | a leai | ||
| The word "a leai" in Samoan also refers to the rest of the group not present. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | iba pa | ||
| "Iba Pa" originally means "not just that" and is also a common phrase used when a speaker gives up trying to enumerate something due to many reasons, including frustration, weariness or lack of time. | |||
Else in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | juk'ampi | ||
| Guarani | hetave | ||
Else in International Languages
| Esperanto | alie | ||
| "Alien" in English shares its root with "alien" in Esperanto, which literally means "elsewise one" | |||
| Latin | alium | ||
| "Alius" also means "other" or "another" | |||
Else in Others Languages
| Greek | αλλού | ||
| The word "αλλού" (else) derives from the Ancient Greek word "άλλος" (other) and is related to the words "αλλοδαπός" (foreigner) and "αλλαγή" (change). | |||
| Hmong | lwm tus | ||
| The word "lwm tus" can also mean "apart" or "except". | |||
| Kurdish | wekîdi | ||
| Wekîdi is also used in Kurdish as "again", "once more". | |||
| Turkish | başka | ||
| The word "başka" in Turkish is a shortened form of "başkalaşka", which means "different" or "other". | |||
| Xhosa | enye into | ||
| In Xhosa, the word “enye into” (literally “another thing”) also means “otherwise” or “else.” | |||
| Yiddish | אַנדערש | ||
| The Yiddish word "אַנדערש" (andersh) is derived from the German word "anders," meaning different, and can also mean "other" or "otherwise." | |||
| Zulu | okunye | ||
| Okunye' can be used to denote other aspects like differences, distinctions, or separations between two or more things. | |||
| Assamese | ইয়াৰ বাহিৰে | ||
| Aymara | juk'ampi | ||
| Bhojpuri | नाहीं त | ||
| Dhivehi | އެހެން | ||
| Dogri | होर | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | iba pa | ||
| Guarani | hetave | ||
| Ilocano | wenno sabali pay | ||
| Krio | bak | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ئی تر | ||
| Maithili | अन्य | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯇꯣꯞꯄ | ||
| Mizo | bakah | ||
| Oromo | biraa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଅନ୍ୟ | ||
| Quechua | manachayqa | ||
| Sanskrit | उत | ||
| Tatar | бүтән | ||
| Tigrinya | ካልእ | ||
| Tsonga | xin'wana | ||