Enough in Different Languages
Discover 'Enough' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'enough' is a small but mighty one, carrying a significant weight in our daily conversations and thoughts. It signifies satisfaction, limitation, and sufficiency, all at once. From a cultural perspective, 'enough' is a concept that transcends borders and languages, yet is often interpreted differently across various cultures.
For instance, in some cultures, 'enough' is seen as a sign of contentment and gratitude, while in others, it's viewed as a call to strive for more. Moreover, the word 'enough' holds historical significance, as it has been used in various literary and political contexts to convey messages of resistance, resilience, and revolution.
As a global citizen, understanding the translation of 'enough' in different languages can help bridge cultural gaps and foster cross-cultural communication. Here are a few sample translations to pique your interest:
- French: assez
- Spanish: suficiente
- German: genug
- Mandarin: 够 (gòu)
- Japanese: 十分 (jūbun)
Stay tuned for a comprehensive list of translations of 'enough' in various languages, along with their cultural nuances and significance.
Enough
Enough in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | genoeg | ||
| "Genoeg" also means "quite" in Afrikaans. | |||
| Amharic | ይበቃል | ||
| The word "ይበቃል" ("enough") can also refer to a place where people take refuge or a place of comfort, especially within a religious context, such as a sanctuary or asylum. | |||
| Hausa | isa | ||
| Hausa 'isa' is a variant of 'issa' with the same meaning, which is also used as a noun meaning "contentment"} | |||
| Igbo | ezu | ||
| Ezu can also mean 'a small amount of money' or 'a little bit' in Igbo. | |||
| Malagasy | ampy | ||
| The Malagasy word "ampy" also means "to be sufficient" or "to be enough". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | zokwanira | ||
| In its original sense, 'zokwanira' meant 'sufficient for a particular need' | |||
| Shona | zvakakwana | ||
| The word "zvakakwana" can also be used to convey feelings of contentment, sufficiency, and completeness. | |||
| Somali | ku filan | ||
| The Somali word "ku filan" not only means "enough" but can also refer to "contentment" or "satisfaction". | |||
| Sesotho | ho lekane | ||
| The word "ho lekane" can also mean "to suffice" or "to be satisfactory". | |||
| Swahili | ya kutosha | ||
| The Swahili word "ya kutosha" literally translates to "to suffice" or "to be sufficient". | |||
| Xhosa | konele | ||
| The Xhosa word "konele" is also used as a noun to mean "an end" or "a limit." | |||
| Yoruba | to | ||
| "To" can also mean "only" or "just" in Yoruba. | |||
| Zulu | kwanele | ||
| The word "kwanele" is derived from the Proto-Bantu root "-el-," which also means "to stop" or "to cease". | |||
| Bambara | fisa | ||
| Ewe | ede | ||
| Kinyarwanda | bihagije | ||
| Lingala | mingi | ||
| Luganda | -mala | ||
| Sepedi | lekanetše | ||
| Twi (Akan) | so | ||
Enough in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | كافية | ||
| The word "كافية" also means "coffee shop" in colloquial Arabic. | |||
| Hebrew | מספיק | ||
| "מספיק" is also used to indicate reaching a conclusion, as in "that's enough." | |||
| Pashto | کافي | ||
| The word "کافي" is derived from the Arabic word "كفاية" meaning "sufficiency". | |||
| Arabic | كافية | ||
| The word "كافية" also means "coffee shop" in colloquial Arabic. | |||
Enough in Western European Languages
| Albanian | mjaft | ||
| In addition to "enough," "mjaft" also means "sufficiency" in Albanian, derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*meh₂-," meaning "to measure," or "to divide." | |||
| Basque | nahikoa | ||
| Though etymologically unrelated, nahikoa rhymes with the word for 'satisfied'. | |||
| Catalan | suficient | ||
| In Catalan, the word "suficient" also means "capable", "competent", or "adequate." | |||
| Croatian | dovoljno | ||
| The word "dovoljno" in Croatian also means "sufficient" and comes from the Old Church Slavonic "dovolьno". | |||
| Danish | nok | ||
| The word "nok" in Danish can also refer to a small hill or mound, or to a small, sharp-pointed object. | |||
| Dutch | genoeg | ||
| "Genoeg" in Dutch is also used to mean "too much". | |||
| English | enough | ||
| The word "enough" can also mean "sufficiently" or "adequately". | |||
| French | assez | ||
| The word "assez" derives from the Latin "ad satis", meaning "to satisfy". | |||
| Frisian | genôch | ||
| "Genôch is cognate to English "enough" and Dutch "genoeg" and derives from Proto-Germanic "ganauho" meaning "sufficient, plenty". | |||
| Galician | suficiente | ||
| The Galician word "suficiente" comes from the Latin "sufficientia", meaning "adequacy" or "competence". | |||
| German | genug | ||
| The word "genug" ultimately derives from the Old Germanic word "ganuh, | |||
| Icelandic | nóg | ||
| The word "nóg" can also mean "exactly" or "just" in Icelandic, emphasizing the precise or minimal adequacy of something. | |||
| Irish | go leor | ||
| The noun "Go Leor" also means "abundance", while the noun "Leor" means "sufficiency" or "plenty" | |||
| Italian | abbastanza | ||
| The Italian word "abbastanza" originally meant "well-stocked" and is related to the word "basta" (which means "enough"). | |||
| Luxembourgish | genuch | ||
| The word "genuch" is derived from the Proto-Germanic word "*genuχ" and is related to the English word "enough." | |||
| Maltese | biżżejjed | ||
| The word 'biżżejjed' is derived from the Arabic word 'bas' ('sufficient') and has the alternate meaning of 'enough' or 'adequate'. | |||
| Norwegian | nok | ||
| The word "nok" in Norwegian also has the alternate meaning of "accurate" or "precise". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | o suficiente | ||
| The Portuguese word "o suficiente", besides meaning "sufficient" or "enough," can also mean "the right amount" or "that which is necessary." | |||
| Scots Gaelic | gu leòr | ||
| "Gu leòr!" This phrase literally means "to sufficiency," where "gu" is the Gaelic preposition "to" and "leòr" means "sufficiency," "plenty," or "enough." | |||
| Spanish | suficiente | ||
| In Spanish, the word "suficiente" is derived from the Latin word "sufficiens", which means "adequate" or "satisfactory." | |||
| Swedish | tillräckligt | ||
| The word 'tillräckligt' comes from the Old Norse word 'tilla', meaning 'to', and 'räcka', meaning 'to reach'. | |||
| Welsh | digon | ||
| The word 'digon' also means 'two portions', with 'di' meaning 'two' and 'gon' meaning 'portion'. | |||
Enough in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | дастаткова | ||
| "Дастаткова" is derived from Proto-Slavic "dostatъ", meaning "to reach", and also means "sufficient", "adequate", and "satisfactory" in Belarusian. | |||
| Bosnian | dosta | ||
| The word "dosta" in Bosnian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *dositi, meaning "to reach" or "to attain". | |||
| Bulgarian | достатъчно | ||
| The word "достатъчно" (enough) is also used to mean "adequate" or "satisfactory" in Bulgarian. | |||
| Czech | dost | ||
| The word "dost" in Czech also means "plenty" or "adequately". | |||
| Estonian | piisav | ||
| The word “piisav” in Estonian originated from the Middle High German word “bi swaz,” which means “to the extent that.” | |||
| Finnish | tarpeeksi | ||
| The word "tarpeeksi" is derived from the Proto-Finnic word "tarppa", meaning "full" or "complete". | |||
| Hungarian | elég | ||
| The word "elég" is derived from the Turkish word "yeter" and originally meant "adequate" or "satisfactory". | |||
| Latvian | pietiekami | ||
| "Pietiekami" comes from the root "pie-tek" meaning "to begin" and the suffix "-ami" indicating "abundance". | |||
| Lithuanian | pakanka | ||
| The word "pakanka" in Lithuanian may have originated from the word "kanka", meaning "measure" or "amount". | |||
| Macedonian | доволно | ||
| "Доволно" comes from the Old Slavic "dovolьno", which also means "satisfactory" or "appropriate". | |||
| Polish | wystarczająco | ||
| "Wystarczająco" derives from the verb "stać", meaning "to stand" or "to be enough". | |||
| Romanian | destul | ||
| The Romanian word "destul" derives from an Old Slavic root originally meaning "abundance". | |||
| Russian | довольно | ||
| "Довольно" (''davól'no'') derives from ''div'' ('two'), meaning 'that which is divided into two', i.e. 'half', 'enough'. | |||
| Serbian | довољно | ||
| The Serbian word 'довољно' is derived from the Proto-Slavic word 'dovolьnь', which means 'sufficient' or 'satisfactory'. | |||
| Slovak | dosť | ||
| The word "dostať" in Slovak also means "to get" or "to reach" and is related to the word "dosť" meaning "enough". | |||
| Slovenian | dovolj | ||
| In its archaic usage, "dovolj" can denote "sufficiently good" or a "satisfactory amount." | |||
| Ukrainian | достатньо | ||
| The Ukrainian word 'достатньо' ('enough') is derived from the Proto-Slavic root '*do-stati' ('to become'). | |||
Enough in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | যথেষ্ট | ||
| The word "যথেষ্ট" (enough) in Bengali is derived from the Sanskrit word "यथाशस्त" (yathāśasta), which means "as much as is proper or necessary". | |||
| Gujarati | પૂરતૂ | ||
| The word "પૂરતૂ" (enough) is derived from the Sanskrit word "पर्याप्त" (paryapta), which means "sufficient" or "adequate". | |||
| Hindi | बस | ||
| "बस" also means "just" or "merely". | |||
| Kannada | ಸಾಕು | ||
| The word "ಸಾಕು" can also mean "pet" or "animal companion" in Kannada. | |||
| Malayalam | മതി | ||
| "മതി" derives from "മതി" meaning 'mind' and also means 'sufficient' | |||
| Marathi | पुरेसा | ||
| The word "पुरेसा" also means "sufficient" or "adequate". | |||
| Nepali | पर्याप्त | ||
| The Nepali word "पर्याप्त" derives from "परि" (around) and "याप्त" (joined), meaning "fully joined" or "complete." | |||
| Punjabi | ਕਾਫ਼ੀ | ||
| The word "ਕਾਫ਼ੀ" is derived from the Persian word "kâfi", meaning "sufficient" or "able". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ඇති | ||
| ඇති can also mean 'there is' or 'there are' which is the third person singular of the verb 'to be', but it can also indicate plurality. | |||
| Tamil | போதும் | ||
| The word 'போதும்' in Tamil literally translates to 'it is sufficient', and is sometimes used in the sense of 'it is satisfactory', or 'it is adequate'. | |||
| Telugu | చాలు | ||
| The word 'చాలు' derives from the Proto-Dravidian root *cal-, meaning 'to be sufficient' or 'to be at an end'. | |||
| Urdu | کافی | ||
| "کافی" means both "sufficient, ample" as well as "skilled, experienced"} | |||
Enough in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 足够 | ||
| In Mandarin, the word "足够" can also mean "to be sufficient" or "to be adequate". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 足夠 | ||
| "足" means foot and "夠" means reach, which is a vivid expression of "can step up" or "can stand" in ancient Chinese. | |||
| Japanese | 足りる | ||
| "足りる" is derived from the verb "足りる" meaning "to be sufficient" and the suffix "-る" meaning "to become". | |||
| Korean | 충분히 | ||
| "충분히" is a compound word that consists of "충", which means "plenty" or "abundance," and "분", which means "part" or "share." | |||
| Mongolian | хангалттай | ||
| The word хангалттай in Mongolian is the translation of the Chinese word 足够 which literally means “as much as needed”. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | လုံလောက်သော | ||
Enough in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | cukup | ||
| "Cukup" is also an abbreviation of "cara upaya khusus", meaning "special effort method". | |||
| Javanese | cukup | ||
| "Cukup" in Javanese can also mean "satisfied", "done", "completed", or "finished". | |||
| Khmer | គ្រប់គ្រាន់ | ||
| Lao | ພຽງພໍ | ||
| ພຽງພໍ (piang phɔː) is also used figuratively to mean "enough, that's all" or "that's sufficient". | |||
| Malay | cukup | ||
| "Cukup" also means "to be sufficient" and is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word *tuku, meaning "to reach". | |||
| Thai | พอ | ||
| The Thai word "พอ" can also mean "sufficient", "adequate", or "satisfactory". | |||
| Vietnamese | đủ | ||
| "Đủ" in Vietnamese also means "full" or "whole," as in "the cup is full" or "he is a whole person." | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | tama na | ||
Enough in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | yetər | ||
| "Yetər" is derived from the Persian word "yetürmek," meaning "to reach" and can also mean "satisfaction" or "sufficiency" in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | жеткілікті | ||
| The Kazakh word «жеткілікті», also means «self-sufficiency» and it can be translated from the Arabic word «كاfi» (sufficient). | |||
| Kyrgyz | жетишет | ||
| "Жетишет" also means "sufficient" and comes from the root "жети" meaning "enough" or "full." | |||
| Tajik | кофӣ | ||
| The word "кофӣ" also means "enough" in Uzbek and "coffee" in Kazakh. | |||
| Turkmen | ýeterlik | ||
| Uzbek | yetarli | ||
| The word "yetarli" in Uzbek is derived from the Arabic word "yeter" meaning "to be sufficient" and is also used in the Turkish language. | |||
| Uyghur | يېتەرلىك | ||
Enough in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | lawa | ||
| The Hawaiian word for "enough" also means "abundance" and "a large group of people or things". | |||
| Maori | nui | ||
| In Maori, "nui" can also mean "great" or "important" as in "te maunga nui" (the great mountain). | |||
| Samoan | ua lava | ||
| In Samoan, "ua lava" is a term used to indicate that something is complete, sufficient, or adequate. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | tama na | ||
| In addition to meaning 'enough', the Tagalog word 'tama na' can also mean 'that's all', 'stop', or 'it's finished'. | |||
Enough in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | ukhakiwa | ||
| Guarani | hetáma | ||
Enough in International Languages
| Esperanto | sufiĉe | ||
| The Esperanto word 'sufiĉe' is derived from the Latin word 'sufficit', which means 'it is enough'. | |||
| Latin | satis | ||
| In Latin, "satis" also means "sufficiently," "adequately," or "well enough." | |||
Enough in Others Languages
| Greek | αρκετά | ||
| The word 'αρκετά' is derived from the ancient Greek word 'άρκω', which means 'to ward off' or 'to suffice'. | |||
| Hmong | txaus | ||
| In Hmong, "txaus" has cognates in other Tai languages that refer to "a large amount" or "a lot". | |||
| Kurdish | bes | ||
| Kurmanji Kurdish 'bes' (literally meaning 'five') is thought to derive from Proto-Indo-European 'penkwe'} | |||
| Turkish | yeter | ||
| "Yeter" can also mean "a small amount of something", "a bit", or "a little bit" in Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | konele | ||
| The Xhosa word "konele" is also used as a noun to mean "an end" or "a limit." | |||
| Yiddish | גענוג | ||
| The word "גענוג" derives from the Hebrew word "גנוג" meaning "abundance". | |||
| Zulu | kwanele | ||
| The word "kwanele" is derived from the Proto-Bantu root "-el-," which also means "to stop" or "to cease". | |||
| Assamese | পৰ্যাপ্ত | ||
| Aymara | ukhakiwa | ||
| Bhojpuri | बहुते | ||
| Dhivehi | ފުދިއްޖެ | ||
| Dogri | बत्हेरा | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | tama na | ||
| Guarani | hetáma | ||
| Ilocano | naan-anay | ||
| Krio | du | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | بەس | ||
| Maithili | बहुत छै | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯔꯥꯡ ꯀꯥꯏꯅ | ||
| Mizo | tawk | ||
| Oromo | gahaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଯଥେଷ୍ଟ | ||
| Quechua | achka | ||
| Sanskrit | पर्याप्तम् | ||
| Tatar | булды | ||
| Tigrinya | እኹል | ||
| Tsonga | enerile | ||