Empty in Different Languages
Discover 'Empty' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'empty' holds a significant place in our vocabulary, signifying a lack of contents or substance. It's a term we use daily, yet its cultural importance extends far beyond our vernacular. From empty nests in birdwatching to the Buddhist concept of emptiness, this word has woven itself into the fabric of our global cultures.
Moreover, understanding the translation of 'empty' in different languages can provide fascinating insights into how various cultures perceive and express this concept. For instance, in Spanish, 'empty' translates to 'vacío,' which also means 'void' or 'hollow.' Meanwhile, in Japanese, 'empty' becomes '空' (suki), a character that also signifies 'sky' or 'air,' emphasizing the positive connotations of 'emptiness' in Eastern philosophies.
So, why should you learn the translations of 'empty' in various languages? Not only will it enrich your linguistic abilities, but it will also offer a window into the unique ways different cultures view and value this concept.
Empty
Empty in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | leeg | ||
| The word "leeg" in Afrikaans can also mean "vacant" or "unoccupied", analogous to the English word "vacant" deriving from Latin "vacans" (empty). | |||
| Amharic | ባዶ | ||
| The word "ባዶ" ("empty") in Amharic can also mean "void" or "in vain". | |||
| Hausa | fanko | ||
| The word "fanko" in Hausa also means "unoccupied" or "vacant". | |||
| Igbo | efu | ||
| The Igbo word 'efu' can also refer to a type of small antelope known as a bushbuck. | |||
| Malagasy | hanaisotra | ||
| The word "hanaisotra" in Malagasy has an alternate meaning of "to be vacant or unoccupied". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | chopanda kanthu | ||
| The compound word "chopanda kanthu" is derived from the verb "kuchopana" (to empty) and the noun "kanthu" (thing). | |||
| Shona | isina chinhu | ||
| Somali | faaruq | ||
| The word "faaruq" in Somali can also refer to a place that is barren or desolate. | |||
| Sesotho | lefeela | ||
| Swahili | tupu | ||
| The word "tupu" in Swahili derives from the Bantu root "*-tufu-*", meaning "to be hollow" or "to be empty inside". | |||
| Xhosa | akunanto | ||
| The word "akunanto" can also refer to something that is not useful or of value, or to a person who is not doing anything productive. | |||
| Yoruba | ṣofo | ||
| Ṣofo is a Yoruba word meaning "empty," and has alternate senses as "barren" or "vacant," and, more abstractly, as "unfulfilled." | |||
| Zulu | akunalutho | ||
| The word 'akunalutho' also refers to a hollow gourd that is used as a container. | |||
| Bambara | lankolon | ||
| Ewe | ƒuƒlu | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ubusa | ||
| Lingala | mpamba | ||
| Luganda | obukalu | ||
| Sepedi | se nago selo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | hunu | ||
Empty in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | فارغة | ||
| The word "فارغة" has similar roots as the word "فراغ" which means "vacuum", and it can be used to refer to a time when something is absent instead of just a physical space. | |||
| Hebrew | ריק | ||
| The word 'ריק' can also refer to 'futile' or 'vain' | |||
| Pashto | خالي | ||
| The word "خالي" in Pashto can also refer to a place that is uninhabited or deserted. | |||
| Arabic | فارغة | ||
| The word "فارغة" has similar roots as the word "فراغ" which means "vacuum", and it can be used to refer to a time when something is absent instead of just a physical space. | |||
Empty in Western European Languages
| Albanian | bosh | ||
| The Albanian word "bosh" likely originates from the Proto-Indo-European root *bʰoǵʰ-, meaning "to be empty, to gape," also found in English "bog" and "bag." | |||
| Basque | hutsik | ||
| The Basque word "hutsik" shares its root with the word "huts," meaning "naked" or "bare." | |||
| Catalan | buit | ||
| The Catalan word "buit" can also refer to void, gap, cavity, hole, abyss, or chasm. | |||
| Croatian | prazan | ||
| The etymology of the Croatian word "prazan" is uncertain but could be related to the Slavic root *prah-*, meaning "dust". | |||
| Danish | tom | ||
| The word "tom" also refers to a measurement equal to 12 tønner, which is about 1,150 liters. | |||
| Dutch | leeg | ||
| The word "leeg" derives from Proto-Germanic *laigijaz, from the root *legh-, meaning "to lie". | |||
| English | empty | ||
| "Empty" derives from the Middle English word "emti," meaning "at leisure" or "without occupation." | |||
| French | vide | ||
| The French word "vide" is derived from the Latin word "vacuus" meaning "empty or devoid." | |||
| Frisian | leech | ||
| In Frisian, "leech" can also mean "to leak" or "to ooze out of an opening", reflecting its original meaning of "a hole or gap". | |||
| Galician | baleiro | ||
| Baleiro, the Galician word for empty, comes from the Latin vacivus, meaning vacant or unoccupied. | |||
| German | leer | ||
| The German word 'leer' can also mean 'vacant', 'unoccupied', or 'without contents'. | |||
| Icelandic | tómt | ||
| The word 'tómt' can also refer to an uncultivated field or a deserted place. | |||
| Irish | folamh | ||
| The Old Irish word folamh also had the meaning "ready" or "prepared." | |||
| Italian | vuoto | ||
| The Italian word "vuoto" was originally an adjective that meant "empty", but it also developed other meanings through time, such as "uninhabited" and "vacuous". | |||
| Luxembourgish | eidel | ||
| The word "eidel" in Luxembourgish originated from Old High German and also refers to "vacant" and "worthless" as well as "hollow". | |||
| Maltese | vojta | ||
| The word "vojta" can also refer to a void or absence of something | |||
| Norwegian | tømme | ||
| The verb "tømme" can also mean to "drain" or "to discharge". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | vazio | ||
| "Vazio" (empty) in Portuguese originates from the Vulgar Latin word "vacivus", meaning "empty" or "not full". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | falamh | ||
| Falamh in Scots Gaelic can also mean 'idle', 'inactive', or 'unoccupied'. | |||
| Spanish | vacío | ||
| The Spanish word "vacío" also means "leisure time" or "a void". | |||
| Swedish | tömma | ||
| The word 'tömma' in Swedish also means 'to empty' and 'to void'. | |||
| Welsh | gwag | ||
| In Middle Welsh, 'gwag' could describe a hollow or cavernous place, such as an empty house or a cave. | |||
Empty in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | пусты | ||
| "Пусты" also means "empty" in Ukrainian. | |||
| Bosnian | prazno | ||
| The word "prazno" can also mean "vain" or "futile" in Bosnian, highlighting its association with the absence of purpose or substance. | |||
| Bulgarian | празен | ||
| "Празен" also means "foolish" in Bulgarian. | |||
| Czech | prázdný | ||
| The word "prázdný" in Czech also means "hollow" or "vacuous." | |||
| Estonian | tühi | ||
| The Estonian word "tühi" is also used figuratively to mean "senseless" or "unimportant."} | |||
| Finnish | tyhjä | ||
| The word "tyhjä" originally referred to a space devoid of air, but its meaning has since expanded to include the absence of anything. | |||
| Hungarian | üres | ||
| The word 'üres' shares an etymology with 'űr', 'űrlény', 'üreg', 'ürügy' and 'üröm', all of which contain the archaic root 'űr-', meaning "hole" or "void." | |||
| Latvian | tukšs | ||
| The Latvian word "tukšs" can also mean "vain" or "worthless". | |||
| Lithuanian | tuščia | ||
| The word "tuščia" is a cognate with "puisto" (empty) in Finnish and "pustoy" (empty) in Russian, sharing a common Proto-Balto-Slavic root. | |||
| Macedonian | празни | ||
| The verb form (празнити) may also include connotations of "cleaning": not just eliminating the contents of a space, but also removing waste material from it — i.e. leaving it pure, whole, renewed: in a sense, full. | |||
| Polish | pusty | ||
| "Pusty" derives from Proto-Slavic "pъstъ", meaning "wasteland", and is also a synonym for "idle" and "vacuous". | |||
| Romanian | gol | ||
| In the Balkan region, the word "gol" has also been used to refer to a type of open woodland or meadow. | |||
| Russian | пустой | ||
| Пустой comes from the verb пустить, meaning “to let loose,” “to release,” and hence “to make empty”. | |||
| Serbian | празна | ||
| 'Празна' comes from the Proto-Slavic word 'prazdьnъ', meaning 'vacant' or 'free'. It is related to the English word 'free' and the German word 'frei'. | |||
| Slovak | prázdny | ||
| The Slovak word "prázdny" comes from the Proto-Slavic word *prázdinъ, which means "void" or "unfilled". | |||
| Slovenian | prazno | ||
| The word 'prazno' might also mean 'hollow', 'idle', 'futile', 'vain', or 'unoccupied' depending on the context. | |||
| Ukrainian | порожній | ||
| The Ukrainian word "порожній" originates from the Proto-Slavic word *porъgъ, which means "empty" or "hollow". | |||
Empty in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | খালি | ||
| In 10th century Sanskrit, "Khali" meant "space" or "wide-open area," a meaning preserved in the word "akhali" in Magadhi, Maithili and Bengali. | |||
| Gujarati | ખાલી | ||
| The word "ખાલી" can also mean "only" or "simply" in Gujarati. | |||
| Hindi | खाली | ||
| In some contexts, 'खाली' can also refer to a person with little to no social connections or influence. | |||
| Kannada | ಖಾಲಿ | ||
| The Kannada word "ಖಾಲಿ" has been borrowed into Marathi and Tulu. | |||
| Malayalam | ശൂന്യമാണ് | ||
| The word "ശൂന്യമാണ്" in Malayalam can also refer to a sense of emptiness or lack of fulfilment, despite physical fullness. | |||
| Marathi | रिक्त | ||
| रिक्त (rikta) is a Sanskrit word that also means 'void' or 'zero' in mathematics. | |||
| Nepali | खाली | ||
| The Nepali word "खाली" can also mean "vacant" or "available". | |||
| Punjabi | ਖਾਲੀ | ||
| The Punjabi word "ਖਾਲੀ" is also used to refer to a space or area that is devoid of anything, or a person who is inactive or without purpose. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | හිස් | ||
| 'හිස්' can be used to describe the absence of something or the lack of substance. | |||
| Tamil | காலியாக | ||
| The word 'காலியாக' can also mean 'to be free' or 'to be available' in Tamil. | |||
| Telugu | ఖాళీ | ||
| The word "ఖాళీ" can also refer to a space or interval between two objects. | |||
| Urdu | خالی | ||
| The word "خالی" in Urdu is ultimately derived from the Persian word "خالی" meaning "free, vacant", which in turn comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *kelh₂- meaning "to cover, to hide". | |||
Empty in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 空的 | ||
| "空的" also means "in vain" or "to no effect". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 空的 | ||
| 空的 (kōng de) is also used to describe a person with a hollow or emotionless heart | |||
| Japanese | 空の | ||
| 空の (kara no) can also mean 'of the sky' or 'sky-'. | |||
| Korean | 빈 | ||
| The word "빈" also has the alternate meaning of "poor" or "needy" in Korean. | |||
| Mongolian | хоосон | ||
| The word "хоосон" can also mean "vacant" or "void". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဗလာ | ||
| In the context of a room, "ဗလာ" (bala) can also mean "quiet". | |||
Empty in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | kosong | ||
| The word 'kosong' also means 'free', as in 'ruang kosong' ('free space'). | |||
| Javanese | kosong | ||
| "Kosong" could also mean "blank" or "unoccupied" in Javanese. | |||
| Khmer | ទទេ | ||
| "ទទេ" originates from "ទទ" meaning "to give a little of rice" from Sanskrit "datti" and is also related to the term "ទទូ" (to feed). | |||
| Lao | ຫວ່າງເປົ່າ | ||
| Malay | kosong | ||
| The word "kosong" in Malay is also used to describe a sense of loneliness or emptiness. | |||
| Thai | ว่างเปล่า | ||
| "ว่างเปล่า" can mean both "empty" and "available". | |||
| Vietnamese | trống | ||
| "Trống" can also mean a drum, a musical instrument that is hollow and often made of wood or metal. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | walang laman | ||
Empty in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | boş | ||
| The Azerbaijani word "boş" also means "in vain" and "free". | |||
| Kazakh | бос | ||
| Бос is a verb in the imperative form of the verb босау meaning to empty | |||
| Kyrgyz | бош | ||
| In Kyrgyz, "бош" also means "free" or "idle". | |||
| Tajik | холӣ | ||
| The Tajik word "холӣ" (empty) is derived from the Persian word "khālī" (empty). | |||
| Turkmen | boş | ||
| Uzbek | bo'sh | ||
| The word "bo'sh" can also mean "vain" or "absurd" in Uzbek. | |||
| Uyghur | قۇرۇق | ||
Empty in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hakahaka | ||
| In the 1836 dictionary, “hakahaka” is translated as “empty,” with the alternate meaning of “clear, open, free, or unoccupied.” | |||
| Maori | putua | ||
| In Maori, "putua" also signifies a void or gap, or the absence of something expected. | |||
| Samoan | gaogao | ||
| In addition to mean "empty," "gaogao" can also describe a state similar to "numb" or "dispirited." | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | walang laman | ||
| "Walang laman" can also refer to someone who is shallow or has no substance. | |||
Empty in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | ch'usa | ||
| Guarani | nandi | ||
Empty in International Languages
| Esperanto | malplena | ||
| The Esperanto word "malplena" originates from "mal" (bad) and "plena" (full), implying a state of incompleteness or deficiency. | |||
| Latin | effundensque | ||
| Effundensque is often used to describe the pouring out of liquids, particularly in religious or ritual contexts, where it conveys the sense of abundance, generosity, and divine favor. | |||
Empty in Others Languages
| Greek | αδειάζω | ||
| "Αδειάζω" is derived from the ancient Greek verb "αδάω" which means "to be thirsty" and can be used to describe the feeling of emptiness or deprivation. | |||
| Hmong | khoob | ||
| In addition to meaning 'empty', 'khoob' also means 'lacking' or 'missing' in Hmong. | |||
| Kurdish | vala | ||
| The word "vala" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *wel-, meaning "to turn, roll, or revolve". | |||
| Turkish | boş | ||
| The word "boş" also means "worthless" or "useless" in Turkish, and is related to the word "boşluk", meaning "emptiness" or "vacuum". | |||
| Xhosa | akunanto | ||
| The word "akunanto" can also refer to something that is not useful or of value, or to a person who is not doing anything productive. | |||
| Yiddish | ליידיק | ||
| The Yiddish word "ליידיק" (leydik) can also mean "free" or "idle", and is related to the German word "ledig", which has the same meanings. | |||
| Zulu | akunalutho | ||
| The word 'akunalutho' also refers to a hollow gourd that is used as a container. | |||
| Assamese | খালী | ||
| Aymara | ch'usa | ||
| Bhojpuri | खाली | ||
| Dhivehi | ހުސްވެފަ | ||
| Dogri | खा'ल्ली | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | walang laman | ||
| Guarani | nandi | ||
| Ilocano | ubbaw | ||
| Krio | ɛmti | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | بەتاڵ | ||
| Maithili | खाली | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯍꯥꯡꯕ | ||
| Mizo | ruak | ||
| Oromo | duwwaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଖାଲି | ||
| Quechua | mana imayuq | ||
| Sanskrit | रिक्तम् | ||
| Tatar | буш | ||
| Tigrinya | ባዶ | ||
| Tsonga | halata | ||