Fewer in Different Languages
Discover 'Fewer' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Fewer is a versatile word that indicates a smaller quantity of something. It's a word we use daily, and its significance extends beyond basic English grammar. Understanding the cultural importance of 'fewer' can enhance our appreciation for language and its evolution. For instance, did you know that in Old English, 'fewer' was spelled 'feawa'? Or that it was once considered acceptable to use 'fewer' with mass nouns, such as 'fewer money' or 'fewer information'?
Knowing the translation of 'fewer' in different languages can be beneficial for a variety of reasons. For one, it can help you better understand and communicate with people from other cultures. Additionally, it can provide insight into the unique linguistic and cultural aspects of different languages. For example, in German, 'fewer' translates to 'weniger,' which also means 'less.' In Spanish, 'fewer' is 'menos,' which can also mean 'less' or 'few.'
Here are some translations of 'fewer' in different languages:
Fewer
Fewer in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | minder | ||
| In addition to “fewer,” “minder” can mean “less” in Afrikaans. | |||
| Amharic | ያነሱ | ||
| The word "ያነሱ" can also mean "to be inferior" or "to be scarce". | |||
| Hausa | kaɗan | ||
| The word "kaɗan" can also mean "little" or "a few" in Hausa. | |||
| Igbo | dị ole na ole | ||
| The Igbo word "dị ole na ole" contains the root "ole" which also means "scarce". | |||
| Malagasy | vitsy | ||
| The word "vitsy" in Malagasy is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word *qicay, meaning "small" or "less." | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | zochepa | ||
| The word "zochepa" in Nyanja is related to the root "chepa" which means "small" or "insignificant". | |||
| Shona | zvishoma | ||
| Zvishoma is also a prefix in the Chizezuru and Karanga dialects, meaning "very". | |||
| Somali | ka yar | ||
| "Ka yar" is also used as slang and as a prefix for a name indicating small size | |||
| Sesotho | tlase | ||
| The etymology of "tlase" in Sesotho is unclear but it shares a common root with the word for "small". | |||
| Swahili | chache | ||
| The word "chache" in Swahili can also mean "small in number" or "few." | |||
| Xhosa | zimbalwa | ||
| The word "zimbalwa" in Xhosa also implies a sense of inadequacy or scarcity. | |||
| Yoruba | diẹ | ||
| The word "diẹ" is also used to express the idea of "smallness" or "insignificance" in Yoruba, implying a limited quantity or degree. | |||
| Zulu | okumbalwa | ||
| The word 'okumbalwa' also means 'to take a lot' or 'to gather' in Zulu. | |||
| Bambara | dama dɔɔnin | ||
| Ewe | ʋɛ aɖe | ||
| Kinyarwanda | bike | ||
| Lingala | moke | ||
| Luganda | -tono | ||
| Sepedi | sego kae | ||
| Twi (Akan) | kakra bi | ||
Fewer in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | أقل | ||
| ''أقل'' also refers to the minimum amount of something required, and ''قلل'' (its verb) can mean ''to decrease'' | |||
| Hebrew | פחות | ||
| The Hebrew word "פחות" can also mean "minus" or "less than" in mathematics. | |||
| Pashto | لږ | ||
| The word "λږ" has multiple meanings in Pashto, such as "less," "lacking," or "deprived," depending on how it is used in a sentence. | |||
| Arabic | أقل | ||
| ''أقل'' also refers to the minimum amount of something required, and ''قلل'' (its verb) can mean ''to decrease'' | |||
Fewer in Western European Languages
| Albanian | me pak | ||
| The word "me pak" can also mean "not many" or "a small number" in Albanian. | |||
| Basque | gutxiago | ||
| Gutxiago derives from guti "few" and the suffix -ago, a way of forming comparative or superlative forms. | |||
| Catalan | menys | ||
| The word "menys" is a variant of the Latin "minus" through Occitan and Catalan "mens", meaning less. | |||
| Croatian | manje | ||
| Manje is a word primarily used in the Croatian language to convey the concept of a smaller quantity or number. | |||
| Danish | færre | ||
| "Færre" is a Danish word that comes from the Old Norse word "færi", which means "number". | |||
| Dutch | minder | ||
| The word "minder" is derived from the Old Dutch word "min"," which means "less". | |||
| English | fewer | ||
| The word 'fewer' is used with countable nouns, while 'less' is used with uncountable nouns or amounts. | |||
| French | moins | ||
| The French word "moins" is derived from the Latin word "minus" and can also mean "less" in the context of quantity or intensity. | |||
| Frisian | minder | ||
| The word “minder” in Frisian is derived from the Old Frisian word “minder”, which means “less” or “fewer”. | |||
| Galician | menos | ||
| "Menos" comes from the Latin "minus" (less), which also gives us "minoría" (minority). | |||
| German | weniger | ||
| The word "weniger" can also mean "less", "not as much", or "not as many". | |||
| Icelandic | færri | ||
| The word "færri" comes from the Old Norse word "færi", meaning "able" or "capable". | |||
| Irish | níos lú | ||
| Níos lú can also mean "less" in a comparative sense, but its primary meaning is "fewer." | |||
| Italian | meno | ||
| The Italian word "meno" comes from the Latin word "minus" and can also mean "less" or "minus" in a mathematical sense. | |||
| Luxembourgish | manner | ||
| Luxembourgish "manner" is derived from Old French "menre" and can also mean "less" | |||
| Maltese | inqas | ||
| The word "inqas" comes from the Arabic word "naqīṣ", meaning "deficient". | |||
| Norwegian | færre | ||
| The Norwegian word "færre" is used only with countable nouns, while "mindre" is used with uncountable nouns. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | menos | ||
| The Portuguese word "menos" also means "minus," as in mathematics. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | nas lugha | ||
| The Gaelic word "nas lugha" is a contraction of the phrase "nach eil cho lugha," meaning "there is not so much less." | |||
| Spanish | menos | ||
| .menos' ('less', 'fewer') comes from the Latin 'minus', hence the French 'moins', and hence our word 'minus'. | |||
| Swedish | färre | ||
| "Färre" only applies to countable nouns in Swedish, whereas "mindre" applies to uncountable nouns. | |||
| Welsh | llai | ||
| The word "llai" also refers to the opposite of "more" in a context unrelated to counting. | |||
Fewer in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | менш | ||
| Менш in Belarusian is the comparative form of the adjective 'малы' (little) and can also mean 'less' or 'smaller'. | |||
| Bosnian | manje | ||
| "Manje" also means "at least" or "more". | |||
| Bulgarian | по-малко | ||
| The word "по-малко" derives from the Proto-Slavic "*malъ" meaning "small". | |||
| Czech | méně | ||
| The Czech word 'méně' also means 'less', as in 'amount' or 'quantity'. | |||
| Estonian | vähem | ||
| The word "vähem" in Estonian can also mean "to decrease" or "to become less". | |||
| Finnish | vähemmän | ||
| Vähemmän is the partitive form of vähä, meaning 'small', 'little'. | |||
| Hungarian | kevesebb | ||
| Kevesebb is also used in Hungarian to mean "less" and "not as much as" | |||
| Latvian | mazāk | ||
| The Latvian word "mazāk" (less) is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "meǵʰ-os" (small). | |||
| Lithuanian | mažiau | ||
| The word "mažiau" in Lithuanian has the additional meaning of "less" when used to compare the amount of something. | |||
| Macedonian | помалку | ||
| The word помалку (fewer) in Macedonian may also mean "rarely," "not often," or "occasionally." | |||
| Polish | mniej | ||
| "Mniej" is also used figuratively to mean "not so much," "less," or "only." | |||
| Romanian | mai putine | ||
| "Mai putine" is the plural form of "mai putin" (less), used for feminine nouns. | |||
| Russian | меньше | ||
| "Меньше" can also mean "smaller," "younger," or "less important" in Russian. | |||
| Serbian | мање | ||
| The Serbian word "мање" can also mean "less", "a smaller amount", or "a smaller number". | |||
| Slovak | menej | ||
| In Slovak, "menej" has the alternative meaning of "less" in a non-countable context. | |||
| Slovenian | manj | ||
| The word 'manj' originated from the Proto-Indo-European root 'men-' ('small') and is related to the Latin 'minus' ('less'). | |||
| Ukrainian | менше | ||
| The Ukrainian word 'менше' can also refer to 'less' in the context of quantity or degree. | |||
Fewer in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | কম | ||
| 'কম' is cognate to 'কিম' in Sanskrit, which means 'what'. It also means 'lack' and is used to form comparative adjectives such as 'কম বয়সি' (younger). | |||
| Gujarati | ઓછા | ||
| The Gujarati word "ઓછા" can also be translated to "lacking" or "inferior" in English. | |||
| Hindi | कम | ||
| The word "कम" can also mean "less" or "low" in Hindi. | |||
| Kannada | ಕಡಿಮೆ | ||
| ಕಡಿಮೆ refers to a smaller quantity or number, particularly in countable contexts. | |||
| Malayalam | എണ്ണം കുറച്ച് | ||
| Marathi | कमी | ||
| The word "कमी" also means "minus" or "deficit" in Marathi. | |||
| Nepali | थोरै | ||
| The Nepali word "थोरै" (thorai) also means "a small amount or quantity" in addition to "fewer". | |||
| Punjabi | ਘੱਟ | ||
| The word ਘੱਟ is also used to describe 'lesser in value, amount, or degree'. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | අඩුවෙන් | ||
| The word "අඩුවෙන්" can also mean "less often" or "less frequently" in Sinhala. | |||
| Tamil | குறைவாக | ||
| குறைவாக is also used to describe a lack or deficiency of something. | |||
| Telugu | తక్కువ | ||
| The word "తక్కువ" in Telugu can also mean "less", "deficient", or "scarce." | |||
| Urdu | کم | ||
| کم in Urdu is derived from کمتَر (kam-tar) 'less' in Persian, which originated from Old Persian *kam-tara- (comparative form of kam 'few'). | |||
Fewer in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 更少 | ||
| 更少 comes from 再减去 and 再减少，which means 'further reduced'. It can also mean 'lesser'. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 更少 | ||
| "更少"在中文里也是"更少"的意思，但它在某些情况下也可以表示"更加"。 | |||
| Japanese | 少ない | ||
| "少ない" also means "scarce" or "limited". | |||
| Korean | 적음 | ||
| 적음 derives from Chinese "的" (적) and "少" (음) and also means "precisely" or "certainly." | |||
| Mongolian | цөөн | ||
| "цөөн" is the Mongolian word for "few", "little", and "rare". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ပိုနည်း | ||
| The word "ပိုနည်း" in Myanmar (Burmese), meaning "fewer" also carries the alternate meaning of "insufficient" or "not enough". | |||
Fewer in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | lebih sedikit | ||
| The word "lebih sedikit" can also mean "less" in English, depending on the context. | |||
| Javanese | luwih sithik | ||
| In Middle Javanese the word "sithik" originally meant "some", and "luwih" meant "more". | |||
| Khmer | តិចជាង | ||
| The word "តិចជាង" (fewer) in Khmer can also be used to mean "less than" or "not as much as". | |||
| Lao | ຫນ້ອຍກວ່າ | ||
| Malay | lebih sedikit | ||
| The word "lebih sedikit" literally means "more little" in Malay, indicating a smaller quantity or number. | |||
| Thai | น้อยลง | ||
| The word "น้อยลง" is derived from the Proto-Thai word "ŋɔjŋaj", meaning "small" or "little". | |||
| Vietnamese | ít hơn | ||
| The word "ít hơn" can also mean "less" or "smaller" in Vietnamese. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | mas kaunti | ||
Fewer in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | az | ||
| The word | |||
| Kazakh | азырақ | ||
| The same root can mean "empty, deserted" | |||
| Kyrgyz | азыраак | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "азыраак" can also mean "smaller", "shorter", or "less important". | |||
| Tajik | камтар | ||
| The word "камтар" also means "rare" or "unusual" in Tajik. | |||
| Turkmen | az | ||
| Uzbek | kamroq | ||
| Kamroq comes from the Arabic word "kam" meaning "how much" and can also mean "quantity". | |||
| Uyghur | ئاز | ||
Fewer in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ʻuʻuku | ||
| ʻUʻuku can also mean "small" or "short" in Hawaiian, reflecting its Proto-Polynesian origin, *kuku, meaning "short, small; deficient; few". | |||
| Maori | iti ake | ||
| In Old Maori, 'iti ake' also meant 'few moments ago'. | |||
| Samoan | toʻaitiiti | ||
| Toʻaitiiti, meaning "few or small in numbers", is related to the word toʻatele ("many") via the suffix -iti "less, small." | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | mas kaunti | ||
| The Tagalog word "mas kaunti" can also be used to mean reduce or lessen. | |||
Fewer in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | juk'a | ||
| Guarani | michĩve | ||
Fewer in International Languages
| Esperanto | malpli | ||
| The word "malpli" is derived from "mal" meaning "bad" and "pli" meaning "more", hence "fewer". | |||
| Latin | paucioribus | ||
| Paucioribus, which means "fewer," originates from the Latin word "paucus." Paucus also means "small" or "few" and has cognates in other Indo-European languages like Greek, Sanskrit, and Old Irish. | |||
Fewer in Others Languages
| Greek | λιγότερα | ||
| The word λιγότερα, meaning fewer, is ultimately derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *leǵʰ- (“to gather”). | |||
| Hmong | tsawg dua | ||
| "Tsawg dua" is a dual-purpose word in Hmong that implies not only "fewer" or "less," but also "lower" or "down." | |||
| Kurdish | kêmtir | ||
| The word "kêmtir" in Kurdish also means "less" or "smaller". | |||
| Turkish | daha az | ||
| "Daha az" is a Turkish word that shares a common root with "daha" meaning "more" and "az" meaning "little". Hence, it can also be interpreted as "a little more" which is the opposite of its actual meaning. | |||
| Xhosa | zimbalwa | ||
| The word "zimbalwa" in Xhosa also implies a sense of inadequacy or scarcity. | |||
| Yiddish | ווייניקערע | ||
| "ווייניקערע" is the Yiddish word for "fewer", but it can also mean "less" or "smaller". | |||
| Zulu | okumbalwa | ||
| The word 'okumbalwa' also means 'to take a lot' or 'to gather' in Zulu. | |||
| Assamese | আগতকৈ কম | ||
| Aymara | juk'a | ||
| Bhojpuri | कम | ||
| Dhivehi | ހުން | ||
| Dogri | घट्ट | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | mas kaunti | ||
| Guarani | michĩve | ||
| Ilocano | basbassit | ||
| Krio | nɔ bɔku | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | کەمتر | ||
| Maithili | कम | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯌꯥꯝꯁꯤꯜꯂꯛꯇꯕ | ||
| Mizo | tlem zawk | ||
| Oromo | muraasa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | କମ୍ | ||
| Quechua | pisi | ||
| Sanskrit | ऊन | ||
| Tatar | азрак | ||
| Tigrinya | ዝወሓደ | ||
| Tsonga | switsongo | ||