Fifth in Different Languages
Discover 'Fifth' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'fifth' holds a special significance in many cultures and languages around the world. As the ordinal form of the number five, it represents a specific quantity, but also much more. In music, the fifth note of the scale is often considered the most important, providing a sense of resolution and stability. In mathematics, the concept of 'fifth' has been fundamental to the development of various theories and systems. And in many languages, the word for 'fifth' is steeped in history and cultural significance.
For example, in Spanish, the word for 'fifth' is 'quinto', which is derived from the Latin word 'quintus'. In German, it's 'fünfter', which reflects the country's rich linguistic heritage. And in Japanese, the word for 'fifth' is 'go-zen', which is composed of two characters meaning 'five' and 'before'.
Understanding the translation of 'fifth' in different languages can provide valuable insights into the cultures and histories that have shaped them. Whether you're a language enthusiast, a world traveler, or simply curious, exploring the many meanings of 'fifth' is a fascinating journey.
Fifth
Fifth in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | vyfde | ||
| The Afrikaans word "vyfde" is derived from Middle Dutch "vifte" and Old High German "fimfto" and "finfto", which in turn comes from Proto-West Germanic "*fimfto". | |||
| Amharic | አምስተኛ | ||
| The word "አምስተኛ" can also mean "the fifth part of something" or "one fifth" in Amharic. | |||
| Hausa | na biyar | ||
| The name na biyar also means "to be five times greater than something" | |||
| Igbo | nke ise | ||
| Igbo word 'nke ise' ('fifth') also means '[the] youngest [child]' | |||
| Malagasy | fahadimy | ||
| The word "FAHADIMY" can also mean "fifth" or "fifth in line" in Malagasy. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | wachisanu | ||
| Wachisanu is originally an archaic verb in the Nyanja language that meant 'counting with the right fingers'. | |||
| Shona | cheshanu | ||
| The word 'cheshanu' comes from the Proto-Bantu form '*taanu', possibly with influence from the Cushitic language family. | |||
| Somali | shanaad | ||
| The Somali word 'shanaad' originates from the Cushitic root 'shan' meaning 'five' and may also refer to the fifth day of the Somali calendar. | |||
| Sesotho | ea bohlano | ||
| 'Ea bohlano' is a Sesotho word meaning 'fifth', possibly derived from counting hands, with 'bohlano' meaning 'hand'. | |||
| Swahili | tano | ||
| The Swahili word "tano" is related to the word "tanoa" which means "to pour out liquid in a stream". | |||
| Xhosa | isihlanu | ||
| Isihlanu is an old word meaning 'five' and is still used in some dialects, while isithoba, meaning 'ten', is used instead of inye, inya, or enye | |||
| Yoruba | karun | ||
| The Yoruba word "karun" (fifth) is also used as a numeral classifier for long, thin objects, such as sticks or ropes. | |||
| Zulu | okwesihlanu | ||
| In Zulu, "okwesihlanu" also means "the left hand". | |||
| Bambara | duurunan | ||
| Ewe | atɔ̃lia | ||
| Kinyarwanda | gatanu | ||
| Lingala | ya mitano | ||
| Luganda | eky’okutaano | ||
| Sepedi | ya bohlano | ||
| Twi (Akan) | nea ɛto so anum | ||
Fifth in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | الخامس | ||
| The Arabic word "الخامس" has its roots in the word for "five" or "hand", as in the Roman numeral system. | |||
| Hebrew | חמישי | ||
| In Hebrew, the word "חמישי" (khamishi) can also refer to Thursday, the fifth day of the week. | |||
| Pashto | پنځم | ||
| In Pashto, "پنځم" also means "the fifth day of the week" (Thursday). | |||
| Arabic | الخامس | ||
| The Arabic word "الخامس" has its roots in the word for "five" or "hand", as in the Roman numeral system. | |||
Fifth in Western European Languages
| Albanian | i pesti | ||
| "I pesti" is a cognate of the Latin word "quintus" and shares an etymological origin with the number "five" in other Indo-European languages such as English "fifth" and Sanskrit "pañca". | |||
| Basque | bosgarrena | ||
| The Basque word "bosgarrena" (fifth) also means "best" or "most important" in certain contexts. | |||
| Catalan | cinquè | ||
| In Catalan, "cinquè" can also refer to the fifth musical interval or the fifth hour after noon. | |||
| Croatian | peti | ||
| Peti, which means "fifth" in Croatian, can also refer to a part or section of something. | |||
| Danish | femte | ||
| The word 'femte' (fifth) in Danish originally meant 'the time of the afternoon meal' (around 5 pm). | |||
| Dutch | vijfde | ||
| "Vijfde" shares its root with the word "vijand" (enemy), both originating from the Middle Dutch word "viant" (foe). | |||
| English | fifth | ||
| The word "fifth" originates from the Old English word "fift," which means "five." | |||
| French | cinquième | ||
| Cinquième is derived from Latin "quintus", and can also refer to a type of chord or interval in music. | |||
| Frisian | fyfde | ||
| The Frisian word "fyfde" comes from the Old Frisian word "fifte" which, like the English "fifth", is ultimately derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*penkʷe". | |||
| Galician | quinto | ||
| In Galician, "quinto" can also refer to fractions of a liquid's volume, to the tax formerly paid on every fifth harvest or animal product, or to a Spanish dance resembling waltzing. | |||
| German | fünfte | ||
| The word "fünfte" also means "fifth gear" in the context of vehicles. | |||
| Icelandic | fimmti | ||
| The word "fimmti" in Icelandic stems from the Proto-Germanic word "fimfta" and also means "five". | |||
| Irish | cúigiú | ||
| In Irish, "cúigiú" (fifth) also connotes the "fifth part" of something or the "fifth in a sequence". | |||
| Italian | quinto | ||
| The word "quinto" can also refer to a fifth part of something, or a group of five people. | |||
| Luxembourgish | fënneften | ||
| The word "fënneften" comes from the Latin word "quinque", meaning "five", and is related to the English word "quintessence".} | |||
| Maltese | il-ħames | ||
| The Maltese word "il-ħames" derives from Arabic "الخميس" (al-khamis), meaning both "Thursday" and "fifth". | |||
| Norwegian | femte | ||
| Femte, the Norwegian word for "fifth," also means "cow dung" in Swedish. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | quinto | ||
| The Portuguese word "quinto" also means "small farm" or "country estate". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | an còigeamh | ||
| The word “an còigeamh” also has an alternate meaning of "the end of something" | |||
| Spanish | quinto | ||
| "Quinto" also means "estate" or "the fifth part of something". | |||
| Swedish | femte | ||
| "Femte" in Swedish is cognate with "fifth" in English and ultimately derives from the Proto-Indo-European root "penkwe." | |||
| Welsh | pumed | ||
| The Welsh word "pumed" is also a form of "pump" in the sense of "five-fingered", and also used in counting to represent the number "five". | |||
Fifth in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | пятае | ||
| The word "пятае" (fifth) in Belarusian is a cognate of the Russian "пятый" (fifth), and its stem "пят- ("pjat-") is derived from the Proto-Slavic root "*petъ" (five). | |||
| Bosnian | peto | ||
| Bosnian "peto" also refers to a high-pitched tone or whistle. | |||
| Bulgarian | пети | ||
| The word "пети" (fifth) in Bulgarian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "pętь", meaning "five". | |||
| Czech | pátý | ||
| The Czech word "pátý" comes from "pět", a word for "five". | |||
| Estonian | viies | ||
| The word "viies" also means "last" in Estonian, as in "viies voor" (last year). | |||
| Finnish | viides | ||
| The word "viides" in Finnish shares the same Proto-Indo-European root "kʷinke" with words meaning "five" in other Indo-European languages, such as "five" in English | |||
| Hungarian | ötödik | ||
| "Ötödik" can also refer to a person who plays the fifth chair in a string quartet. | |||
| Latvian | piektais | ||
| The Latvian word "piektais" shares some etymological roots with the Slavic "pyat" (five) and the Indo-European "penkwe" (five). | |||
| Lithuanian | penkta | ||
| The Lithuanian word "penkta" (fifth) relates to Sanskrit "pancha" (five) and Greek "pente" (five), reflecting the shared Indo-European root. | |||
| Macedonian | петти | ||
| The word "петти" derives from Proto-Slavic *pętь, "five" which is related to Proto-Indo-European *penkʷe, "five". | |||
| Polish | piąty | ||
| "Piąty" is a derivative of the Proto-Slavic word "pętъ", meaning "to stretch, pull, or spin". | |||
| Romanian | a cincea | ||
| “The cincea” means a “hook” due to its shape like the number 5. | |||
| Russian | пятый | ||
| The Slavic word *pętyj* "fifth" is an inherited cognate of Sanskrit *pañcatas* "fifth; fifty", related to the Indo-European root *penkʷe "five". | |||
| Serbian | пето | ||
| "Пето" is also a term for the fifth string on a violin. | |||
| Slovak | piaty | ||
| The word "piaty" can also mean "drunk" in Slovak slang. | |||
| Slovenian | peti | ||
| The word 'peti' in Slovenian originated from the Proto-Indo-European word 'penkwe', which also gave rise to the English word 'five'. | |||
| Ukrainian | п'ятий | ||
| "П'ятий" (пя́та) — пятая часть чего-либо, след, запястье | |||
Fifth in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | পঞ্চম | ||
| "পঞ্চম" also refers to the fifth note of the Indian classical music scale. | |||
| Gujarati | પાંચમો | ||
| પાંચમો is also an abbreviation for the Gujarati term 'પંચાસ' (fifty) that refers to the 50th night after Holi. | |||
| Hindi | पांचवां | ||
| The word "पांचवां" also means "the last one" or "the one who comes after the fourth one". | |||
| Kannada | ಐದನೇ | ||
| ಐದನೇ may colloquially refer to the "little finger" (pinky) in Kannada, similar to its usage in Hindi. | |||
| Malayalam | അഞ്ചാമത് | ||
| The term "അഞ്ചാമത്" in Malayalam is derived from the Sanskrit word "pañcathama," which also means "fifth part". | |||
| Marathi | पाचवा | ||
| Derived from Sanskrit word 'panchama' which means fifth and also a musical note. | |||
| Nepali | पाँचौं | ||
| पांचौं is derived from पंच ('panch', meaning 'five') and means 'fifth' in Nepali. | |||
| Punjabi | ਪੰਜਵਾਂ | ||
| The word "ਪੰਜਵਾਂ" (fifth) in Punjabi also refers to the number five in the context of playing cards or gambling. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | පස්වන | ||
| පස්වන is also used in Sinhala to mean 'the fifth day of a lunar fortnight' | |||
| Tamil | ஐந்தாவது | ||
| The word "ஐந்தாவது" is also used to refer to the fifth day of the week, Thursday. | |||
| Telugu | ఐదవ | ||
| The word "ఐదవ" also means "the fifth part of something" in Telugu. | |||
| Urdu | پانچواں | ||
| The word "پانچواں" (fifth) in Urdu is derived from the Sanskrit word "pañcama" (fifth), which is related to the number "five" (паञ्च). | |||
Fifth in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 第五 | ||
| 第五 is used to denote "the day after tomorrow" or "the night before last" in colloquial speech. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 第五 | ||
| The word "第五" ("fifth") in Traditional Chinese can also mean "next" or "coming". | |||
| Japanese | 5番目 | ||
| The term 5番目 can also refer to the fifth month, May, or to a group of five people. | |||
| Korean | 다섯 번째 | ||
| In Korean, "다섯 번째" (fifth) can also refer to the order or sequence of something, such as the fifth place in a race. | |||
| Mongolian | тав дахь | ||
| The Mongolian word "тав дахь" ("fifth") is derived from the Middle Mongolian word "тавун" ("five") and the suffix "-дах," which indicates ordinal numbers. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ပဉ္စမအချက် | ||
Fifth in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | kelima | ||
| In Malay, "kelima" also means "all together". | |||
| Javanese | kaping lima | ||
| "Kaping lima" can also mean 'times' like in "kaping lima belas" which means "fifteen times". | |||
| Khmer | ទីប្រាំ | ||
| The word "ទីប្រាំ" also refers to the fifth month of the Khmer calendar (April). | |||
| Lao | ທີຫ້າ | ||
| "ທີຫ້າ" or "fifth" in English can also refer to the fifth lunar month, May. | |||
| Malay | kelima | ||
| Kelima in Indonesian also refers to an archaic unit of area equal to about 1.5 acres. | |||
| Thai | ประการที่ห้า | ||
| The word can also be used as a classifier for groups of five things or as an ordinal number for fifth place. | |||
| Vietnamese | thứ năm | ||
| "Thứ năm" (literally "fifth") is also used to refer to Thursday in the Vietnamese language. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | panglima | ||
Fifth in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | beşinci | ||
| The word 'beşinci' in Azerbaijani can also refer to a 'small finger', 'little finger' or 'pinky' in English. | |||
| Kazakh | бесінші | ||
| The word "бесінші" is derived from the Kazakh word "бес" (meaning "five") and the suffix "-інші" (meaning "th"). | |||
| Kyrgyz | бешинчи | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "бешинчи" also means "fifth grade" or "junior class". | |||
| Tajik | панҷум | ||
| The term "панҷум" also appears in various compound words, e.g., "панҷшанбе" (Thursday) which literally means "fifth day" from the start of the week | |||
| Turkmen | bäşinji | ||
| Uzbek | beshinchi | ||
| The word "beshinchi" in Uzbek is derived from the Persian word "panj" meaning "five" and the suffix "-inchi" meaning "th". It can also be used to refer to the fifth day of the week, Friday. | |||
| Uyghur | بەشىنچى | ||
Fifth in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ka lima | ||
| The Hawaiian word 'ka lima' also means 'the hand' or 'the five fingers' and is a symbol of respect. | |||
| Maori | tuarima | ||
| The word "tuarima" is thought to originate from the Proto-Polynesian word "*lima" meaning "hand". | |||
| Samoan | tulaga lima | ||
| Tulaga lima, meaning "fifth" in Samoan, can also refer to a five-day period of rest after significant events or the fifth day of the Samoan menstrual cycle. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | pang-lima | ||
| "Pang-lima" derives from "lima" (five) but can also refer to any fifth-placed item, body part, or person, similar to the Japanese "go" (five). | |||
Fifth in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | phisqhïri | ||
| Guarani | poteĩha | ||
Fifth in International Languages
| Esperanto | kvina | ||
| The word "kvina" in Esperanto originates from the Latin word "quintus", meaning "fifth". | |||
| Latin | quintus | ||
| The name "Quintus" is also a common surname, particularly in Portugal and Brazil. | |||
Fifth in Others Languages
| Greek | πέμπτος | ||
| πέμπτος shares its root with πέντε (five) and πήχυς (forearm), and thus can refer to a measurement of 5 forearms. | |||
| Hmong | thib tsib | ||
| The Hmong word "thib tsib" also refers to the "little toe". | |||
| Kurdish | pêncem | ||
| "Pêncem" has alternate meanings of "one-fifth" and "a small coin equal to one-fifth of a lira". | |||
| Turkish | beşinci | ||
| In Turkish, "beşinci" can also mean "main", "the real thing" or "the best". | |||
| Xhosa | isihlanu | ||
| Isihlanu is an old word meaning 'five' and is still used in some dialects, while isithoba, meaning 'ten', is used instead of inye, inya, or enye | |||
| Yiddish | פינפט | ||
| Zulu | okwesihlanu | ||
| In Zulu, "okwesihlanu" also means "the left hand". | |||
| Assamese | পঞ্চম স্থান | ||
| Aymara | phisqhïri | ||
| Bhojpuri | पांचवा स्थान पर बा | ||
| Dhivehi | ފަސް ވަނަ އެވެ | ||
| Dogri | पंजवां | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | panglima | ||
| Guarani | poteĩha | ||
| Ilocano | maikalima | ||
| Krio | di nɔmba fayv | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | پێنجەم | ||
| Maithili | पाँचम | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯉꯥꯁꯨꯕꯥ ꯑꯣꯏꯅꯥ ꯑꯦꯟ.ꯗꯤ.ꯑꯦ | ||
| Mizo | pangana a ni | ||
| Oromo | shanaffaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ପଞ୍ଚମ | ||
| Quechua | pichqa kaq | ||
| Sanskrit | पञ्चमी | ||
| Tatar | бишенче | ||
| Tigrinya | ሓሙሻይ | ||
| Tsonga | xa vuntlhanu | ||