Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'finally' is a small but powerful term that signifies the end of a wait or struggle. It carries a sense of relief, triumph, and closure that resonates across cultures. 'Finally' represents a pivotal moment in one's journey, marking the transition from uncertainty to resolution.
Throughout history, 'finally' has been used in various contexts, from literature to politics, to highlight significant achievements or turning points. For instance, Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous 'I Have a Dream' speech concludes with the word 'finally', emphasizing the long-awaited arrival of equality and justice.
Understanding the translation of 'finally' in different languages can provide valuable cultural insights and foster better communication among people from diverse backgrounds. For example, in Spanish, 'finally' is 'por fin', in French, it's 'enfin', and in German, it's 'endlich'.
Explore the various translations of 'finally' below and discover the unique ways different cultures express the joy and relief of reaching a much-anticipated milestone.
Afrikaans | uiteindelik | ||
In Afrikaans, "uiteindelik" can also refer to the final chapter of a book or the last act of a play. | |||
Amharic | በመጨረሻም | ||
The word "በመጨረሻም" is derived from the root "ጨረ" which is related to the concept of completeness or totality. | |||
Hausa | a ƙarshe | ||
The word "a ƙarshe" is a shortened form of "a ƙarshen karshe", which means "at the very end." | |||
Igbo | n'ikpeazụ | ||
The Igbo word "n'ikpeazụ" is an abstract noun derived from the verb "pea" (to end) and the suffix "-azụ" (at the back) | |||
Malagasy | farany | ||
The word "Farany" is derived from the French word "finir" (to finish) and was introduced to Madagascar during the French colonial period. | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | potsiriza | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) word 'potsiriza' also means 'by and by' or 'slowly' in English. | |||
Shona | pakupedzisira | ||
"Pakupedzisira" is a compound word composed of the prefix "pa-" (at), the stem "-kupedza" (to finish), and the suffix "-sira" (to wait). | |||
Somali | ugu dambeyntii | ||
The word "ugu dambeyntii" may have originated from the Arabic phrase "awwalan wa akhiran," which means "first and last." | |||
Sesotho | qetellong | ||
The noun qetellong means 'a short while' and the adjective means 'short, low, shallow, brief' | |||
Swahili | mwishowe | ||
The word "mwishowe" also means "the end" or "the last" in Swahili. | |||
Xhosa | ekugqibeleni | ||
"Ekugqibeleni" is an adverb in Xhosa that means "finally". It is derived from the verb "kuqabela", which means "to close" or "to end". | |||
Yoruba | nipari | ||
The Yoruba word "nipari" is a combination of the words "ni" and "pari"," which means "to finish" or "to bring to an end." | |||
Zulu | ekugcineni | ||
-ekugcineni: this stem also occurs in -gcina "to keep, protect or preserve." | |||
Bambara | a laban | ||
Ewe | mlᴐeba | ||
Kinyarwanda | amaherezo | ||
Lingala | nsukansuka | ||
Luganda | okukomenkereza | ||
Sepedi | mafelelong | ||
Twi (Akan) | ne korakora | ||
Arabic | أخيرا | ||
أخيرا is derived from 'آخر' ('last') and means both 'last' and 'eventually'. | |||
Hebrew | סוף סוף | ||
The word "סוף סוף" (sof sof) literally means "end of end" and is also used to emphasize the notion of "at long last". | |||
Pashto | په نهایت کې | ||
Arabic | أخيرا | ||
أخيرا is derived from 'آخر' ('last') and means both 'last' and 'eventually'. |
Albanian | me ne fund | ||
The word "me ne fund" derives from the Albanian words "me" (with) and "fund" (end), suggesting the idea of reaching the end of something. | |||
Basque | azkenean | ||
"Azken" in "azkenean" derives from the Basque word for "final" (that is, "last") and is cognate with the French word "fin". | |||
Catalan | finalment | ||
The word "finalment" in Catalan is derived from the Latin word "finis," meaning "end," and also means "ultimately" or "in the end." | |||
Croatian | konačno | ||
The word "konačno" can mean "at some point" in addition to "finally" in Croatian. | |||
Danish | endelig | ||
In Old Norse the word ultimately means "to bring to purpose". | |||
Dutch | tenslotte | ||
Tenslotte is een samenstelling van het voorzetsel 'ten' en het substantief 'slotte', dat 'slot' betekent. | |||
English | finally | ||
"Finally" originally meant "definitive" or "of the utmost importance", not necessarily "at the end." | |||
French | enfin | ||
The French word "enfin" can also mean "after all", "in short" or "in a word". | |||
Frisian | úteinlik | ||
The Frisian word "úteinlik" derives from the Old Frisian word "úte-en-lik", meaning "at the end". It can also mean "at last" or "after all". | |||
Galician | finalmente | ||
Galician 'finalmente' comes from Latin 'finaliter' meaning 'at the end', but also means 'in order to', 'so that'. | |||
German | schließlich | ||
The word "schließlich" originally meant "in the end" or "at last", but it has since come to mean "finally" or "after all". | |||
Icelandic | loksins | ||
The Icelandic word "loksins" originally meant "at the end" and has only recently acquired the meaning "finally" | |||
Irish | faoi dheireadh | ||
Italian | finalmente | ||
"Finalmente" can mean "definitely", "ultimately", "in the end", or "as a result" in Italian. | |||
Luxembourgish | endlech | ||
The word "endlech" is derived from "endelich" in German and "enfin" in French, both meaning "finally". | |||
Maltese | finalment | ||
In Maltese, "finalment" can also mean "in the end" or "lastly". | |||
Norwegian | endelig | ||
The word "endelig" in Norwegian can also mean "ultimately" or "eventually." | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | finalmente | ||
The Portuguese word "finalmente" derives from the Latin "finalis" ( "last, conclusive") and can also mean "in the end", "in conclusion", or "ultimately". | |||
Scots Gaelic | mu dheireadh | ||
It is also used in the sense of "at length" or "in the end". | |||
Spanish | finalmente | ||
The word "finalmente" in Spanish comes from the Latin word "finalis", meaning "final", and is also used to mean "at last" or "in the end". | |||
Swedish | till sist | ||
It is a contraction of the phrase "till sist och slutligen", meaning "to the last and finally". | |||
Welsh | o'r diwedd | ||
The Welsh word "o'r diwedd" literally translates to "from the end" or "of the end". |
Belarusian | нарэшце | ||
The word "нарэшце" in Belarusian is also used to express the idea of "at least" or "in the end". | |||
Bosnian | napokon | ||
The word 'napokon' in Bosnian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word 'napakъ', meaning 'at the end', and is also related to the modern Polish word 'na koniec', meaning 'at the end'. | |||
Bulgarian | накрая | ||
The word "накрая" can also mean "on the edge" or "at the end", and is derived from the word "край" (edge). | |||
Czech | konečně | ||
The word "Konečně" also means "at the ends", "at least" and is a form of the Czech word "konec", which means "end". | |||
Estonian | lõpuks | ||
The etymology of “lõpuks” (“finally”) in Estonian goes back to the Proto-Uralic base word **loppu** meaning “end” or “conclusion”. | |||
Finnish | lopulta | ||
The word "lopulta" in Finnish is derived from the word "loppu", meaning "end, conclusion". | |||
Hungarian | végül | ||
The word "végül" also means "after all" or "in the end" in Hungarian. | |||
Latvian | beidzot | ||
The word "beidzot" in Latvian also means "a final agreement" or "a final settlement". | |||
Lithuanian | pagaliau | ||
"Pagaliau" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *pag-, meaning "to fasten, bind, fix", and is related to the Lithuanian word "pagas", meaning "rope, cord, tether". | |||
Macedonian | конечно | ||
The word "конечно" also means "of course" in Macedonian | |||
Polish | wreszcie | ||
The word "wreszcie" comes from the Proto-Slavic word *vьrtěti, meaning "to turn" or "to twist". | |||
Romanian | in cele din urma | ||
In Romanian, "in cele din urma" also means "in the last instance" or "in the end." | |||
Russian | наконец-то | ||
"Наконец-то" is also used to introduce a long-awaited action or event. | |||
Serbian | коначно | ||
Serbian "коначно" derives from "кон" (end) and "ац" (action towards something) and it can mean "in the end" too. | |||
Slovak | konečne | ||
"Konečne" comes from "kôn", the Slovak word for "horse" from Proto-Slavic "*konь" (horse), originally from an archaic Indo-European root meaning"to be quick". | |||
Slovenian | končno | ||
"Končno" can also mean "thoroughly" or "completely" in Slovenian | |||
Ukrainian | нарешті | ||
In some contexts, the Ukrainian word "нарешті" can mean "at last" or "after a long time". |
Bengali | অবশেষে | ||
Derived from Sanskrit "avasishta" (remaining), the word "অবশেষে" also refers to "what is left" or "residue". | |||
Gujarati | છેવટે | ||
The word "છેવટે" can also mean "after all" or "at last" in certain contexts, beyond its primary meaning of "finally." | |||
Hindi | आखिरकार | ||
The word "आखिरकार" can also mean "after all" in the sense of "in spite of everything" or "on the whole". | |||
Kannada | ಅಂತಿಮವಾಗಿ | ||
The word "ಅಂತಿಮವಾಗಿ" (antimavagi) has roots in Sanskrit and also means "the end, outcome, or consequence." | |||
Malayalam | ഒടുവിൽ | ||
The word "ഒടുവിൽ" can also mean "the end" or "the conclusion". | |||
Marathi | शेवटी | ||
"Shevati" is a Sanskrit word that means "at the end" or "eventually". It is often used in Marathi literature. | |||
Nepali | अन्तमा | ||
"अन्तमा" is cognate with Sanskrit "अंतम" (end) and Hindi "अंत में" (in the end). | |||
Punjabi | ਅੰਤ ਵਿੱਚ | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | අවසාන | ||
Sinhala word "අවසාන" means "ultimately" or "on the final occasion" in English. | |||
Tamil | இறுதியாக | ||
இறுதியாக also means "definitely," "for good" and "firmly" in Tamil. | |||
Telugu | చివరకు | ||
Urdu | آخر میں | ||
The word "آخر میں" also means "in the end" or "at the last moment". |
Chinese (Simplified) | 最后 | ||
最后 (zuìhòu) can also mean the end point or conclusion of something, denoting a final result or outcome. | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 最後 | ||
最後, 'final', can also mean 'eventually', 'the end', or 'at the end'. | |||
Japanese | 最終的に | ||
最終的に (saishuteki ni) also means "in the end" or "ultimately" in Japanese. | |||
Korean | 드디어 | ||
"드디어" means "at last" or "after a long time", and is derived from the Chinese characters "到頭" (dàotóu) meaning "to reach the end". | |||
Mongolian | эцэст нь | ||
The Mongolian word "эцэст нь" can also mean "in the end" or "at last". | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | နောက်ဆုံးတော့ | ||
Indonesian | akhirnya | ||
The word "akhirnya" in Indonesian is derived from the Arabic word "akhir" which means "end" or "last". | |||
Javanese | pungkasane | ||
The word "pungkasane" can also mean "the end" or "the last part" of something. | |||
Khmer | ទីបំផុត | ||
Some theories suggest that the Khmer word "ទីបំផុត" originated from the Sanskrit word "अपरिमित" (aparamita), meaning "unlimited" or "infinite". | |||
Lao | ສຸດທ້າຍ | ||
Malay | akhirnya | ||
The term 'akhirnya' has different interpretations beyond a sense of accomplishment; it may also refer to an end, be it favorable or unfavorable. | |||
Thai | ในที่สุด | ||
ในที่สุด can also be used to refer to the final person or item in a series or group. | |||
Vietnamese | cuối cùng | ||
The word "cuối cùng" in Vietnamese originally meant "at the root" but evolved to mean "in the end". | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | sa wakas | ||
Azerbaijani | nəhayət | ||
Nəhayət comes from the Arabic origin نهایت and can also mean "boundary", "limit" or "end" in Azerbaijani. | |||
Kazakh | ақыры | ||
"Ақыры" (finally) is also used to express the concept of a "result", as in "Ақыры қандай болды?" ("What was the end result?") and has additional nuances depending on context, such as expressing satisfaction with an outcome. | |||
Kyrgyz | акыры | ||
The word "акыры" can also refer to the end of something, such as a period of time or a journey. | |||
Tajik | дар охир | ||
The word "дар охир" is a Persian phrase that literally means "in the end" or "at the end". | |||
Turkmen | ahyrynda | ||
Uzbek | nihoyat | ||
The word "nihoyat" is related to the Arabic word "nihāya" meaning "end" or "goal" and is also used in Persian and Urdu with the same meaning. | |||
Uyghur | ئاخىرى | ||
Hawaiian | hope loa | ||
In Hawaiian, “hope loa” can also mean an eternal state of happiness, often used when referring to heaven after death | |||
Maori | hopea | ||
Hopea can also mean 'certainly' or 'without doubt'. | |||
Samoan | mulimuli ane | ||
Samoan 'mulimuli ane' ('finally') derives from 'muli' ('back, rear, or end') and 'ane' ('time, period, or occasion'). | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | sa wakas | ||
The prefix 'sa' can also indicate 'with the cause of', resulting in a meaning closer to 'because', as in 'sa wakas ay naging maayos na ang lahat', or 'because finally, everything became well'. |
Aymara | tukuyawi | ||
Guarani | ipahápe | ||
Esperanto | fine | ||
The Esperanto word "fine" also means "well" or "good", just like the English "fine." | |||
Latin | tandem | ||
In Latin, "tandem" also refers to a two-wheeled chariot with one rider in front and one behind. |
Greek | τελικά | ||
Derived from the Greek word for "end" or "goal," τελικά (finally) can also mean "purposely," "deliberately," or "after all." | |||
Hmong | kawg li | ||
The Hmong word "kawg li" can also mean "so that; in order to; to cause". | |||
Kurdish | paşan | ||
The word "paşan" can also mean "at last" or "in the end" in Kurdish. | |||
Turkish | en sonunda | ||
The word "en sonunda" is a compound word consisting of the adverb "en" (most) and the noun "son" (end), meaning "at the very end" or "in the end". | |||
Xhosa | ekugqibeleni | ||
"Ekugqibeleni" is an adverb in Xhosa that means "finally". It is derived from the verb "kuqabela", which means "to close" or "to end". | |||
Yiddish | לעסאָף | ||
The Yiddish word "לעסאָף" is derived from the Hebrew word "סוף," meaning "end," and ultimately from the Akkadian word "supu," meaning "to depart". | |||
Zulu | ekugcineni | ||
-ekugcineni: this stem also occurs in -gcina "to keep, protect or preserve." | |||
Assamese | অৱশেষত | ||
Aymara | tukuyawi | ||
Bhojpuri | अंत में | ||
Dhivehi | އެންމެފަހުން | ||
Dogri | आखरकार | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | sa wakas | ||
Guarani | ipahápe | ||
Ilocano | kamaudiananna | ||
Krio | dɔn | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | لەکۆتاییدا | ||
Maithili | अंततः | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯀꯣꯟꯕꯗ | ||
Mizo | a tawpah chuan | ||
Oromo | dhumarratti | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ଶେଷରେ | ||
Quechua | tukukuy | ||
Sanskrit | अन्ते | ||
Tatar | ниһаять | ||
Tigrinya | ኣብ መወዳእታ | ||
Tsonga | heteleleni | ||