Finger in Different Languages
Discover 'Finger' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The human body is a fascinating universe of its own, and the finger is a significant part of it. A finger is one of the digits on a hand, used for a variety of tasks such as touching, pointing, writing, and even gesturing. Beyond its anatomical significance, the finger holds cultural importance across the globe.
For instance, in many Western cultures, the middle finger is used as an offensive gesture, while in Japan, it's considered rude to point with a finger. In ancient Egypt, fingers were often depicted in art as a symbol of power and authority. Meanwhile, in Chinese culture, the number of fingers held up can have different meanings, from counting to expressing wishes.
Given the cultural significance of the finger, it's no wonder that people might want to know its translation in different languages. Here are a few examples: in Spanish, it's 'dedo'; in French, 'doigt'; in German, 'Finger'; in Italian, 'dito'; in Russian, 'палец' (palyets); in Japanese, '指' (yubi); in Chinese, '手指' (shǒu zhǐ).
Exploring the translations of the word 'finger' in different languages offers a glimpse into the unique cultural perspectives and traditions that shape our world.
Finger
Finger in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | vinger | ||
| "Vinger" in Afrikaans can also refer to "hand" or "toe" | |||
| Amharic | ጣት | ||
| The word "ጣት" also means "branch" or "offshoot" in Amharic, highlighting its connection to the idea of extension or growth that is also inherent in the concept of a finger. | |||
| Hausa | yatsa | ||
| The word "yatsa" (finger) in Hausa has alternative meanings like "limb", "leaf", or "branch". | |||
| Igbo | mkpịsị aka | ||
| The alternate meanings of the Igbo word "mkpịsị aka" include "skill, ability" and "the person who possesses such abilities." | |||
| Malagasy | rantsan- | ||
| In Merina folklore, "rantsan-dako" is a mythical creature having many thumbs as fingers. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | chala | ||
| In Nyanja (Chichewa), "chala" also means "branch" or "sprout" and is related to the verb "kubzala," meaning "to grow" or "to sprout." | |||
| Shona | chigunwe | ||
| The word "chigunwe" also means "a single part of something that is divided into several parts". | |||
| Somali | farta | ||
| The Somali word "farta" ultimately derives from Arabic "ifrat" and also means "branch" in Amharic. | |||
| Sesotho | monoana | ||
| The word "monoana" also means "a person who plays the drum". | |||
| Swahili | kidole | ||
| The word "kidole" is also used in Swahili to refer to a "child" or "infant". | |||
| Xhosa | umnwe | ||
| The Xhosa word 'umnwe' can also refer to other objects resembling human fingers, such as branches or sticks, and may be used to refer to the numbers ten, eleven, twelve and so on ('ishumi nanye' = 11, 'ishumi mbili' = 12). | |||
| Yoruba | ika | ||
| "Ika" literally means "something to eat with". | |||
| Zulu | umunwe | ||
| The Zulu word "umunwe" is cognate with the Proto-Nguni word "*umnwe" and means both "finger" and "the first joint of the finger next to the fingernail." | |||
| Bambara | bolokɔni | ||
| Ewe | asibidɛ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | urutoki | ||
| Lingala | mosapi | ||
| Luganda | engalo | ||
| Sepedi | monwana | ||
| Twi (Akan) | nsatea | ||
Finger in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | اصبع اليد | ||
| The word "finger" in Arabic, "اصبع اليد," refers to the digits of the hand and has a metaphorical meaning of indicating or pointing to something. | |||
| Hebrew | אֶצבַּע | ||
| "אֶצבַּע" is cognate with "עָצֵב", meaning "sorrow" or "pain", and also with "צֵבַע" and "צֶבַע", meaning "color" or "paint." | |||
| Pashto | ګوته | ||
| "ګوته" can also mean "the trigger of a gun" or "the index finger" | |||
| Arabic | اصبع اليد | ||
| The word "finger" in Arabic, "اصبع اليد," refers to the digits of the hand and has a metaphorical meaning of indicating or pointing to something. | |||
Finger in Western European Languages
| Albanian | gishtin | ||
| The Albanian word "gishtin" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *gʰes-, meaning "to grasp". | |||
| Basque | hatz | ||
| The Basque term "hatz" can also mean "ten", as in the phrase "hamar hatz" ("ten fingers"). | |||
| Catalan | dit | ||
| The word "dit" in Catalan also refers to the digit of a number (as in English "two digits") or to a small amount of money. | |||
| Croatian | prst | ||
| The Croatian word "prst" derives from Proto-Slavic *pьrstъ, which also means "toe". | |||
| Danish | finger | ||
| The word 'finger' in Danish is derived from the Old Norse word 'fingr', which also means 'toe'. | |||
| Dutch | vinger | ||
| "Vinger" is a contraction of "vingher", meaning "seizer" or "grasper" in Dutch. | |||
| English | finger | ||
| The word 'finger' originates from the Proto-Germanic 'fingraz' meaning 'five', and also relates to the Latin 'quinque' meaning the same. | |||
| French | doigt | ||
| The word "doigt" comes from the Latin word "digitus", meaning "toe" or "finger". | |||
| Frisian | finger | ||
| The Frisian word for "finger" has also the meaning "toe." | |||
| Galician | dedo | ||
| The word "dedo" in Galician can also mean "toe". | |||
| German | finger | ||
| "Finger" (finger) is also used to indicate a unit of measure used to calculate beer foam. | |||
| Icelandic | fingur | ||
| The Icelandic word "fingur" has cognates in other Germanic languages and is also related to the Latin word "digitus" | |||
| Irish | méar | ||
| "Méar" comes from the Proto-Indo-European root "*mey-", meaning "to grasp". Its alternate meaning, "toe", derives from its use to refer to the smaller "fingers" of the foot. | |||
| Italian | dito | ||
| The word "dito" is also used as a synonym for "fingerprint" in Italian. | |||
| Luxembourgish | fanger | ||
| The Luxembourgish word "Fanger" can also refer to a thimble or a finger puppet. | |||
| Maltese | subgħajk | ||
| The word "subgħajk" comes from the Arabic word "suba`" meaning "finger" and is used in Maltese to refer specifically to the index finger. | |||
| Norwegian | finger | ||
| In Norwegian, "finger" can mean both a finger on your hand and a small, narrow branch on a tree. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | dedo | ||
| The word "dedo" can also refer to the "hand", a "person's foot" or the "toe". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | mheur | ||
| The Scots Gaelic mheur "finger" also refers to a finger-like object. | |||
| Spanish | dedo | ||
| The word "dedo" also means "toe" in Spanish and comes from the Latin word "digitus" meaning "digit". | |||
| Swedish | finger | ||
| In Swedish, the word "finger" is also used to refer to the hand, wrist, or forearm. | |||
| Welsh | bys | ||
| “Bys” also means “purpose” in Welsh, implying that our fingers serve a purpose beyond simply pointing. | |||
Finger in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | палец | ||
| The word "палец" (finger) in Belarusian derives from "paliti" (to burn) and originally referred to the burnt end of a stick used as a torch. | |||
| Bosnian | prst | ||
| The word "prst" also refers to the digit or number "one" in Bosnian. | |||
| Bulgarian | пръст на ръката | ||
| The word "пръст на ръката" has an alternate meaning of "a toe". | |||
| Czech | prst | ||
| Prst also refers to the toe or a digit in a phone number in Czech. | |||
| Estonian | sõrm | ||
| The Estonian word "sõrm" has cognates in other Finno-Ugric languages, such as Finnish "sormi" and Hungarian "ujj" | |||
| Finnish | sormi | ||
| The word "sormi" likely derives from the Proto-Finnic word "sormi*, which meant "object" or "thing". | |||
| Hungarian | ujj | ||
| The Hungarian word "ujj" (finger) is thought to derive from a Uralic root meaning "branch" or "shoot." | |||
| Latvian | pirkstu | ||
| In Latvian, the word "pirkstu" can also refer to a toe or a digit on a hand or foot. | |||
| Lithuanian | pirštu | ||
| Pirštu is also used in Lithuanian to describe the | |||
| Macedonian | прст | ||
| The word "прст" (finger) in Macedonian also refers to a unit of measurement equal to about 1.9 centimeters. | |||
| Polish | palec | ||
| The word "palec" may also refer to the little toe or a similar digit on an animal's foot. | |||
| Romanian | deget | ||
| Deget also refers to the number 10, from the Latin 'digitus', which means 'finger' or 'number 10'. | |||
| Russian | палец | ||
| "Палец" can also refer to a finger-like projectile, such as an artillery shell. | |||
| Serbian | прст | ||
| The Serbian word "prst" is cognate with the English word "first", both deriving from the Proto-Indo-European root *per- "forward". | |||
| Slovak | prstom | ||
| The Slovak word "prstom" also means "with a finger" or "by finger". | |||
| Slovenian | prst | ||
| The word "prst" in Slovenian is cognate with the Latin word "primus," meaning "first," indicating the thumb's position as the outermost finger. | |||
| Ukrainian | палець | ||
| "Палець" - the fifth (little) finger (from Ancient Slavic - "thumb", Latin - "pollex", from "palm" - "palma") | |||
Finger in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | আঙুল | ||
| The word "আঙুল" literally means "something to measure" in Bengali. | |||
| Gujarati | આંગળી | ||
| Hindi | उंगली | ||
| The word "उंगली" likely derives from the Prakrit word "अंगुलि" (anguli), meaning "a part" or "a limb", and is cognate with the Latin word "unguis" (nail). | |||
| Kannada | ಬೆರಳು | ||
| "ಬೆರಳು" also means "toe" in Kannada, and also has a connotation of measuring with a thumb-sized unit. | |||
| Malayalam | വിരല് | ||
| The word 'വിരല്' (finger) in Malayalam is derived from the Proto-Dravidian word '*viru' and is related to the Tamil word 'விரல்' (finger) and the Kannada word 'ಬೆರಳು' (finger). | |||
| Marathi | बोट | ||
| बोट ('finger' in Marathi) is also a unit of measurement approximately equal to 1.85 centimeters. | |||
| Nepali | औंला | ||
| In Nepali, "औंला" not only refers to the digit on a hand, but it can also mean a measurement of length, approximately equal to one finger-width (~1.8-2 cm). | |||
| Punjabi | ਉਂਗਲ | ||
| The word "ਉਂਗਲ" is also used to refer to the lines or markings on the palm of the hand. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ඇඟිල්ල | ||
| The Sinhala word 'ඇඟිල්ල' is also used to refer to the digits on the hands of other primates and the toes on the feet of humans or other animals. | |||
| Tamil | விரல் | ||
| In Tamil, "விரல்" can also refer to a "branch" or a "spoke on a wheel". | |||
| Telugu | వేలు | ||
| వేలు (finger) may also refer to the number 100,000 in Telugu. | |||
| Urdu | انگلی | ||
| "انگلی" is also used to refer to a "digit" in mathematics or a "key" on a musical instrument | |||
Finger in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 手指 | ||
| "手指" (finger) literally means "pointing to hands" and is used as slang in China referring to someone being manipulated by another, typically by a higher power. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 手指 | ||
| 手指, can also mean a person's influence or power, as in "伸手指" (to exert influence) | |||
| Japanese | 指 | ||
| 指 is also a unit of length, equivalent to about 1.8cm. | |||
| Korean | 손가락 | ||
| "손가락" literally means "hand branch" in Korean. | |||
| Mongolian | хуруу | ||
| хуруу has a double meaning, meaning either 'finger' or 'stringed instrument' | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | လက်ချောင်း | ||
Finger in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | jari | ||
| In Javanese vocabulary "jari" refers also to a line of descent in a genealogy. | |||
| Javanese | driji | ||
| Driji can also mean one's own child, and is sometimes used in that sense as an endearment. | |||
| Khmer | ម្រាមដៃ | ||
| The word "ម្រាមដៃ" also metaphorically refers to a person's skill or expertise, particularly in the context of a particular activity or craft. | |||
| Lao | ນິ້ວມື | ||
| The Lao word ນິ້ວມື (finger) shares some etymological roots with the Thai word นิ้วมือ (finger), both deriving from the Proto-Tai word *timɔːŋ | |||
| Malay | jari | ||
| The word "jari" is also used in Malay to refer to the toe. | |||
| Thai | นิ้ว | ||
| The Thai word 'นิ้ว' is also used to mean 'toe'. | |||
| Vietnamese | ngón tay | ||
| "Ngón tay" is an Old Sino-Vietnamese term formed from Cantonese "ang1 ji3" meaning "hand finger". In modern Cantonese, the word for "finger" (手指) has the same pronunciation but a different etymology, "shou3 ji1" (hand finger). | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | daliri | ||
Finger in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | barmaq | ||
| The word "barmaq" also signifies a measurement unit equal to 1/24 of the Azerbaijani arshin | |||
| Kazakh | саусақ | ||
| The Kazakh word "саусақ" also refers to a type of traditional Kazakh sausage. | |||
| Kyrgyz | манжа | ||
| The word 'манжа' ('finger') in Kyrgyz language also has the alternate meaning of 'branch' in the context of a tree. | |||
| Tajik | ангушт | ||
| The word "ангушт" can also refer to the thumb or toe. | |||
| Turkmen | barmak | ||
| Uzbek | barmoq | ||
| The word "barmoq" is also used to refer to the branches of a tree or the spokes of a wheel in Uzbek. | |||
| Uyghur | بارماق | ||
Finger in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | manamana lima | ||
| The Hawaiian word 'manamana lima' also means 'to pick one's nose'. | |||
| Maori | matimati | ||
| In Maori, the word "matimati" can also mean "end" or "tip", referring to the outermost part of a finger. | |||
| Samoan | tamailima | ||
| The Samoan word 'tamailima', meaning 'finger', literally translates to 'child of the hand'. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | daliri | ||
| In the Philippine language Tagalog, the word "daliri" is a homonym that also refers to a measurement unit of length equivalent to a finger's width. | |||
Finger in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | luk'ana | ||
| Guarani | kuã | ||
Finger in International Languages
| Esperanto | fingro | ||
| “Fingro” means both “finger” and the Roman numeral “V” (five). | |||
| Latin | digitus | ||
| "Digitus" also refers to a unit of measure roughly equivalent to a finger's width, known as "digital" in English. | |||
Finger in Others Languages
| Greek | δάχτυλο | ||
| "Δάχτυλο" (finger) comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *dʰek-, meaning "to point" or "to show". | |||
| Hmong | tus ntiv tes | ||
| The word "tus ntiv tes" can also be used as a term of endearment for a child or a sibling. | |||
| Kurdish | tilî | ||
| The word "tilî" in Kurdish is also used to refer to the big toe, and may be related to the word "til" meaning "thread". | |||
| Turkish | parmak | ||
| Parmak, meaning 'finger' in Turkish, is also used as a verb to describe the act of pointing or touching something with one's finger. | |||
| Xhosa | umnwe | ||
| The Xhosa word 'umnwe' can also refer to other objects resembling human fingers, such as branches or sticks, and may be used to refer to the numbers ten, eleven, twelve and so on ('ishumi nanye' = 11, 'ishumi mbili' = 12). | |||
| Yiddish | פינגער | ||
| The Yiddish word "פינגער" is also used to refer to a person's index finger. | |||
| Zulu | umunwe | ||
| The Zulu word "umunwe" is cognate with the Proto-Nguni word "*umnwe" and means both "finger" and "the first joint of the finger next to the fingernail." | |||
| Assamese | আঙুলি | ||
| Aymara | luk'ana | ||
| Bhojpuri | अंगुरी | ||
| Dhivehi | އިނގިލި | ||
| Dogri | उंगली | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | daliri | ||
| Guarani | kuã | ||
| Ilocano | ramay | ||
| Krio | finga | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | پەنجە | ||
| Maithili | उंगली | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯈꯨꯠꯁꯥ | ||
| Mizo | kutzungtang | ||
| Oromo | quba | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଆଙ୍ଗୁଠି | ||
| Quechua | rukana | ||
| Sanskrit | अङ्गुली | ||
| Tatar | бармак | ||
| Tigrinya | ኣፃብዕቲ | ||
| Tsonga | ritiho | ||