Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'everything' is a small but powerful term, encompassing the sum of all things in the universe. Its significance transcends language, making it a vital concept to understand in various cultures and tongues. From ancient philosophies to modern self-help guides, the idea of 'everything' has been explored and interpreted in countless ways.
For instance, in Ancient Greek, 'everything' translates to 'πάντα' (panta), which was used by philosophers like Plato and Aristotle to discuss metaphysics and ontology. Meanwhile, in Sanskrit, the ancient language of India, 'everything' is 'सर्व' (sarva), a term that plays a central role in Hindu and Buddhist philosophies.
Understanding the translations of 'everything' in different languages can offer fascinating insights into how different cultures perceive and interact with the world around them. In this list, you'll find translations of 'everything' from around the globe, shedding light on the diverse ways we express the idea of totality.
Afrikaans | alles | ||
Afrikaans and German have separate etymologies of the word "alles" which is confusing to native English speakers. | |||
Amharic | ሁሉም ነገር | ||
The word "everything" in Amharic, "ሁሉም ነገር" (hullum negger), literally translates to "all of the thing". | |||
Hausa | komai | ||
In Hausa, 'komai' also refers to a type of spice blend used for soups and stews, and can be derived from the word 'koma', meaning 'complete' or 'whole'. | |||
Igbo | ihe niile | ||
The word "ihe niile" can also mean "the whole world" or "the universe" in Igbo. | |||
Malagasy | ny zava-drehetra | ||
In Malagasy, the word "ny zava-drehetra" translates to "all things," implying wholeness, comprehensiveness, and totality. | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | chilichonse | ||
The word "Chilichonse" in Nyanja can also mean "every time" or "each time" | |||
Shona | zvese | ||
The word 'zvese' in Shona originated from the Proto-Bantu root '-vesa', meaning 'to spread out' or 'to scatter'. | |||
Somali | wax walba | ||
Wax walba is also used when asking questions in Somali; it means 'what' in such contexts. | |||
Sesotho | tsohle | ||
"Tsohle" is cognate with the word "izinto" from Nguni languages, and both probably derive from a Proto-Bantu term meaning "things". | |||
Swahili | kila kitu | ||
The Swahili word "kila kitu" is a compound word derived from the root "ki-", meaning "one", and the noun "kitu", meaning "thing". This word can also be used to refer to "the whole world", or "all that exists." | |||
Xhosa | yonke into | ||
Yonke into, or "everything," comes from yonke (all) and into (things) in Xhosa. | |||
Yoruba | ohun gbogbo | ||
"Ohun gbogbo" also means "everything" and is formed from "ohun" (which in isolation means "thing") and "gbogbo" (which independently means "all") | |||
Zulu | konke | ||
"Konke" is also used to form the absolute superlative degree of an adjective or adverb. | |||
Bambara | bɛɛ | ||
Ewe | nu sia nu | ||
Kinyarwanda | byose | ||
Lingala | biloko nyonso | ||
Luganda | buli kimu | ||
Sepedi | dilo ka moka | ||
Twi (Akan) | biribiara | ||
Arabic | كل شىء | ||
The word "كل شىء" is derived from the Arabic word "شيء" which means "thing". | |||
Hebrew | הכל | ||
The word "הכל" also means "the whole" or "the entire" in Hebrew. | |||
Pashto | هرڅه | ||
The word "هرڅه" is derived from the Persian "هر چیز" (har cheez) meaning "every single thing" or "each and every thing." | |||
Arabic | كل شىء | ||
The word "كل شىء" is derived from the Arabic word "شيء" which means "thing". |
Albanian | gjithçka | ||
"Gjithçka" has multiple possible etymologies within Albanian, deriving from either Proto-Albanian or Proto-Illyrian roots. | |||
Basque | dena | ||
"Dena" is also the plural form for "thing", | |||
Catalan | tot | ||
The word "tot" also means "very" and is used to intensify adjectives or adverbs. | |||
Croatian | sve | ||
The Proto-Slavic root *su, meaning "one's own", is the likely root of "sve", as is "svoj" (meaning "one's own, personal"). | |||
Danish | alt | ||
Alt can also mean a generation, or to age or grow old in Danish. | |||
Dutch | alles | ||
Dutch "alles" can also mean "everybody" or be used as a term of endearment. | |||
English | everything | ||
The word "everything" is derived from the Old English words "eall" (all) and "thing" (thing) | |||
French | tout | ||
The French word "tout" comes from Latin *totus* which has the same meaning, but can also mean "the whole", | |||
Frisian | alles | ||
Frisian “alles” has Germanic cognates that mean “other” or “foreign”. | |||
Galician | todo | ||
The noun “todo” also means “each one” in Galician, as it derives from the Latin “totum”, which means “the whole” | |||
German | alles | ||
'Alles' originated from Middle Low German 'alles' and Proto-Germanic 'alaz' | |||
Icelandic | allt | ||
The word "allt" in Icelandic shares a common Proto-Germanic root with the German "alles". | |||
Irish | gach rud | ||
The word "gach rud" in Irish derives from the Old Irish expression "gach n-uid", meaning "every existence". | |||
Italian | qualunque cosa | ||
The word "qualunque cosa" can also mean "whatever" or "anything" in Italian. | |||
Luxembourgish | alles | ||
The word 'alles' in Luxembourgish is derived from the Old High German word 'alliu', which means 'all' or 'complete'. | |||
Maltese | kollox | ||
Kollox's origin is from the Arabic 'kul', meaning "all," but the word is used colloquially in a variety of contexts. | |||
Norwegian | alt | ||
In Norse, "alt" has additional meanings such as "age" and "world". | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | tudo | ||
The word "tudo" in Portuguese derives from the Latin "totum," meaning "all," "whole," or "complete." | |||
Scots Gaelic | a h-uile dad | ||
"A h-uile dad" is "every bit, each bit" or "all the better" in Irish Gaelic. | |||
Spanish | todo | ||
The word «todo» in Spanish is derived from the Latin word «totus», meaning «whole» or «entire» and is related to «together» in English, as in «put together». | |||
Swedish | allt | ||
The word 'allt' in Swedish comes from the Old Norse word 'allt' meaning 'completely' or 'entirely'. | |||
Welsh | popeth | ||
The word "popeth" in Welsh also refers to the universe or the totality of existence. |
Belarusian | усё | ||
"Усё" in the Belarusian language can refer to the whole universe, or even a single entity, depending on context and usage | |||
Bosnian | sve | ||
In some contexts, "sve" can also be used to mean "each other" or "together". | |||
Bulgarian | всичко | ||
"Всичко" is also occasionally used to mean "everyone" in Bulgarian. | |||
Czech | všechno | ||
"Všechno" is also a name for the whole number zero in some old Czech sources. | |||
Estonian | kõike | ||
Kõike shares the same etymological root as the Finnish word “kaikki” (everything) and the Hungarian word “keleti” (east), with all three sharing a Proto-Uralic origin | |||
Finnish | kaikki | ||
The word "kaikki" originates from the Proto-Finnic word "*kajkki", meaning "abundance, plenty". | |||
Hungarian | minden | ||
"Minden" also means "every" and is related to "mindegyik" (each), "mindenki" (everybody), and "mindenhol" (everywhere). | |||
Latvian | viss | ||
The Latvian word ''viss'' is cognate with Lithuanian ''vis'' and Slavic ''ves'', meaning "everywhere, all". | |||
Lithuanian | viskas | ||
"Viskas" comes from the Proto-Baltic root "wes-," meaning "all, whole," and is related to the Old Prussian "wisan" and the Latvian "viss." | |||
Macedonian | сè | ||
"Сè" is used in the Macedonian language as an indefinite pronoun which means anyone, anything or anywhere. | |||
Polish | wszystko | ||
"Wszystko" derives from "istnienie", meaning "existence". | |||
Romanian | tot | ||
Tot is derived from a Latin word meaning "entirely", and it can also mean "everything", "all", or "the whole" in Romanian. | |||
Russian | все | ||
The Russian word "все" also has the meaning "all of us," akin to the "us" in "let's go." | |||
Serbian | све | ||
The Serbian word "све" (everything) is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *vьsь, which also means "all" or "entire". | |||
Slovak | všetko | ||
The Slovak word "všetko" is derived from the Old Slavonic word "vьsь", meaning "whole" or "entire." | |||
Slovenian | vse | ||
"Vse" derives from the Proto-Slavic "vьsь" meaning "all, entire". | |||
Ukrainian | все | ||
“Все” (everything) is a shortened form of “всех” (of all), which originates from the Proto-Slavic “vьsьkh” (of all). |
Bengali | সব | ||
সব ('sob') in Bengali also means 'all' or 'whole' as in 'সবদিকে' ('shobdikey', 'on all sides'). | |||
Gujarati | બધું | ||
Hindi | सब कुछ | ||
The word "सब कुछ" is derived from the Sanskrit words "सर्व" (all) and "कुछ" (something), meaning "all things" or "the whole thing". | |||
Kannada | ಎಲ್ಲವೂ | ||
ಎಲ್ಲವೂ can also mean "all the time" or "always" in Kannada. | |||
Malayalam | എല്ലാം | ||
The word "എല്ലാം" is derived from the Tamil word "எல்லாம்", which also means "everything". | |||
Marathi | सर्वकाही | ||
The word "सर्वकाही" in Marathi, meaning "everything," also has alternate meanings such as "the whole thing" or "the all-encompassing whole." | |||
Nepali | सबै | ||
The word "सबै" ultimately derives from the Sanskrit "सर्व" (sarva), meaning "all" or "entire," and is cognate with the English word "superlative." | |||
Punjabi | ਸਭ ਕੁਝ | ||
The word "ਸਭ ਕੁਝ" can also refer to "all things" or "the totality of something" in Punjabi. | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | සියල්ල | ||
The word "සියල්ල" (siyalla) in Sinhala is derived from the Sanskrit word "सर्व" (sarva), meaning "all" or "entire." | |||
Tamil | எல்லாம் | ||
எல்லாம் means 'completely', 'in all respects', or 'altogether', also 'every', as the subject and is sometimes a reflexive pronoun. | |||
Telugu | ప్రతిదీ | ||
In Telugu, the word "ప్రతిదీ" ("everything") also has the connotation of "each and every thing," emphasizing the totality and inclusiveness of its scope. | |||
Urdu | سب کچھ | ||
In Sanskrit, the word सब कुछ (sab kuch) translates to "all of that" or "the totality." |
Chinese (Simplified) | 一切 | ||
The Chinese word for "everything" ("一切") originated from the Buddhist term "sarvastitva," which means "everything exists." | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 一切 | ||
"一" means 'one' in Chinese, while "切" refers to 'every part' or a 'slice' | |||
Japanese | すべて | ||
"すべて" originated from "総べて", or "all", which gradually changed throughout history. | |||
Korean | 모두 | ||
The word "모두" can also mean "all" or "everyone" in Korean. | |||
Mongolian | бүх зүйл | ||
The word "бүх зүйл" can also refer to the universe, the totality of all things. | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | အရာအားလုံး | ||
Indonesian | segala sesuatu | ||
The word "segala sesuatu" in Indonesian is derived from the Sanskrit word "sarva-sattva", meaning "all beings". | |||
Javanese | kabeh | ||
"Kabeh" also means "entirely" or "completely" in Javanese. | |||
Khmer | អ្វីគ្រប់យ៉ាង | ||
This word is derived from the word "អ្វី" (what) and "គ្រប់" (all), so it literally means "what all". | |||
Lao | ທຸກສິ່ງທຸກຢ່າງ | ||
Malay | semuanya | ||
In Javanese, 'semuanya' is the word for 'all together'. | |||
Thai | ทุกอย่าง | ||
The word "thuk yang" could be interpreted as "each thing" due to being a compound of "thuk" and "yang" | |||
Vietnamese | mọi điều | ||
Mọi điều (literally "all matters") originates from the Chinese idiom 万事 (Wàn shì), meaning "everything" | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | lahat | ||
Azerbaijani | hər şey | ||
In Azerbaijani, "hər şey" is cognate with the Persian word "har cheez" meaning "whole thing" and was most likely derived from the older Persian word "har si" meaning "every" or "all". | |||
Kazakh | бәрі | ||
The Kazakh word "бәрі" also has the meaning of "all," "everyone," or "the whole." The word originated in Proto-Turkic, from which it spread into various modern Turkic languages. | |||
Kyrgyz | баары | ||
The word "баары" also means "all of them" or "the whole of them" in Kyrgyz. | |||
Tajik | ҳама чиз | ||
The Tajik word "ҳама чиз" can also mean "totality" or "entirely". | |||
Turkmen | hemme zat | ||
Uzbek | hamma narsa | ||
The word "hamma narsa" is a compound of "hamma" (all) and "narsa" (thing), and can also mean "every kind of thing" or "all sorts of things". | |||
Uyghur | ھەممە نەرسە | ||
Hawaiian | nā mea āpau | ||
The Hawaiian word "nā mea āpau" is literally translated as "the things that are everywhere". | |||
Maori | nga mea katoa | ||
In Maori, "nga mea katoa" means "everything," but it literally translates to "the things all." | |||
Samoan | mea uma | ||
In Samoan, 'mea uma' can also mean 'a thing' or 'a matter'. | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | lahat ng bagay | ||
Aymara | taqi | ||
Guarani | opaite | ||
Esperanto | ĉio | ||
The Esperanto word "ĉio" is also used in the sense of "all things" in the phrase "la vero, la tuto, kaj nenio sed la tuta ĉio" ("the truth, the whole, and nothing but the whole truth"). | |||
Latin | omnia | ||
In the feminine plural form (omnium), "omnia" also means "everything" as a noun. |
Greek | τα παντα | ||
The phrase 'τα παντα' is often used in Greek to refer to the universe or the totality of things. | |||
Hmong | txhua yam | ||
Txhua yam means "all things" in the Hmong language and is composed of "txhua" meaning "all or every" and "yam" meaning "thing." | |||
Kurdish | hemû | ||
"Hemû" in Kurdish can refer to a place of gathering or an assembly. | |||
Turkish | herşey | ||
"Herşey" is a Turkish word that is often used to mean 'everything', but it can also be used to refer more specifically to one's possessions or property. | |||
Xhosa | yonke into | ||
Yonke into, or "everything," comes from yonke (all) and into (things) in Xhosa. | |||
Yiddish | אַלץ | ||
The word "אַלץ" in Yiddish is cognate with the German "alles" and dates back to the Middle High German "alliz". | |||
Zulu | konke | ||
"Konke" is also used to form the absolute superlative degree of an adjective or adverb. | |||
Assamese | সকলো | ||
Aymara | taqi | ||
Bhojpuri | हर चीजु | ||
Dhivehi | ހުރިހާ އެއްޗެއް | ||
Dogri | सब किश | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | lahat | ||
Guarani | opaite | ||
Ilocano | amin a banag | ||
Krio | ɔl wetin | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | هەموو شتێک | ||
Maithili | सब किछु | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯄꯨꯝꯅꯃꯛ | ||
Mizo | engpawh | ||
Oromo | waa hunda | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ସବୁକିଛି | ||
Quechua | llapan | ||
Sanskrit | सर्वम् | ||
Tatar | барысы да | ||
Tigrinya | ኩሉ ነገር | ||
Tsonga | hinkwaswo | ||