First in Different Languages
Discover 'First' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
First
First in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | eerste | ||
| The Afrikaans word "eerste" also has the archaic meanings (rare today) of "chief" and "principal". | |||
| Amharic | አንደኛ | ||
| In early Semitic languages, ʾnḍ meant “lead, go before”. The name “India” derives, via Greek (Ἰνδία) and Persian (Hind) from Proto-Indo-Iranian (*Sindhu-), which in turn derives via Old Indo-Aryan (Sindhu-) from the same Semitic root. | |||
| Hausa | na farko | ||
| The Hausa word "na farko" is also used to describe something that is primary, main, or original. | |||
| Igbo | mbụ | ||
| The Igbo word 'mbụ' can also refer to a 'head of the family' in addition to meaning 'first'. | |||
| Malagasy | voalohany | ||
| The term "voalohany" also means "the right" or "the good". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | choyamba | ||
| The word "choyamba" can also refer to the beginning or head of something. | |||
| Shona | chekutanga | ||
| The word "chekutanga" has an archaic meaning of "at that moment" or "then". | |||
| Somali | marka hore | ||
| The word "marka hore" also translates as "at first glance" | |||
| Sesotho | pele | ||
| 'Pele' can also refer to a young girl | |||
| Swahili | kwanza | ||
| Kwanza, meaning 'first', is also used in Swahili numerals where all numbers ending with the word refer to a number multiplied by one million. | |||
| Xhosa | ekuqaleni | ||
| The word "Ekuqaleni" in Xhosa also refers to the beginning or origin of something. | |||
| Yoruba | akoko | ||
| Akoko is sometimes confused with Akoka, an area in Lagos State. | |||
| Zulu | kuqala | ||
| The word "kuqala" can also mean "to hold" or "to grip" in Zulu. | |||
| Bambara | fɔlɔ | ||
| Ewe | gbã | ||
| Kinyarwanda | mbere | ||
| Lingala | ya liboso | ||
| Luganda | okusooka | ||
| Sepedi | mathomo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | deɛ ɛdi kan | ||
First in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | أول | ||
| The word "أول" (awwal) can also mean "beginning" or "origin" in Arabic. | |||
| Hebrew | ראשון | ||
| The Hebrew word "ראשון" can also mean "chief, leader" or "beginning, foundation". | |||
| Pashto | لومړی | ||
| The word "لومړی" (lawmari) can also refer to the 'morning' in Pashto. | |||
| Arabic | أول | ||
| The word "أول" (awwal) can also mean "beginning" or "origin" in Arabic. | |||
First in Western European Languages
| Albanian | së pari | ||
| The word "së pari" in Albanian is derived from the Latin "separare" (to separate), meaning "to be the first to do something". | |||
| Basque | lehenengoa | ||
| The word "lehenengoa" in Basque also means "the first thing" or "the first time". | |||
| Catalan | primer | ||
| In Catalan, "primer" can also mean "main course" in a meal | |||
| Croatian | prvi | ||
| The word 'prvi' is derived from the Proto-Slavic word 'pьrvъ', meaning 'the one who takes the lead'. | |||
| Danish | først | ||
| "Første" can also mean "initially" or "at the top", in addition to "first in order". | |||
| Dutch | eerste | ||
| The word "eerste" in Dutch can also refer to the "best" or "most important" thing. | |||
| English | first | ||
| The word "first" derives from the Old English word "fyrst," which meant "front" or "beginning." | |||
| French | première | ||
| In French, "première" can also refer to a first performance, showing, or screening of a movie or play. | |||
| Frisian | earste | ||
| In Frisian, 'earste' also means 'the best' or 'the most prominent'. | |||
| Galician | primeira | ||
| Galician "primeira" also means "spring" (season), "the first thing" or "the first time of the year" | |||
| German | zuerst | ||
| "Zuerst" can also mean "at first" or "in the beginning." | |||
| Icelandic | fyrst | ||
| The word "fyrst" can also mean "prince" or "duke" in Icelandic, and originates from the same Proto-Germanic root as the English word "first". | |||
| Irish | ar dtús | ||
| Italian | primo | ||
| In Italian, the masculine form of the superlative "first" is spelled "primo", while the feminine is "prima". | |||
| Luxembourgish | éischten | ||
| The word "éischten" in Luxembourgish comes from the Old High German word "eist". It is cognate with the English word "first" and the German word "erster". The word has the same meaning in all three languages. | |||
| Maltese | l-ewwel | ||
| The Maltese word "l-ewwel" derives from the Arabic "awwal" ("first"), but has also acquired a secondary meaning of "the best" or "the most important". | |||
| Norwegian | først | ||
| In some contexts "først" can also mean "first course of a meal". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | primeiro | ||
| The term "primeiro" (first) is also used to indicate a beginner level in some contexts, such as "primeiro ano" (first year) in education. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | a 'chiad | ||
| The Scots Gaelic word 'a 'chiad' ('first') is also used to refer to the first of a group or series. | |||
| Spanish | primero | ||
| The word 'primero' also means 'primer' in Spanish, referring to a small book containing basic information on a particular subject. | |||
| Swedish | först | ||
| The word "först" is derived from the Old Norse word "fyrst", which means "prince" or "leader". | |||
| Welsh | yn gyntaf | ||
First in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | першы | ||
| The word “першы” (pronounced pyarshy) can also mean “first class”, “prime” or “chief”. | |||
| Bosnian | prvo | ||
| In Bosnian, 'prvo' can also mean 'the main' or 'the most important'. | |||
| Bulgarian | първо | ||
| The word "първо" originates from the Proto-Slavic word "*pьrvъ", meaning "foremost" or "leading". | |||
| Czech | první | ||
| První can also mean 'original' or 'pristine', and is related to the word 'pravda' (truth). | |||
| Estonian | kõigepealt | ||
| The word 'kõigepealt' derives from 'kõige', meaning 'the most', and 'pealt', meaning 'from the top' or 'from the beginning'. | |||
| Finnish | ensimmäinen | ||
| Ensimmäinen shares an origin with the words | |||
| Hungarian | első | ||
| The word "első" in Hungarian can also mean "best" or "main". | |||
| Latvian | vispirms | ||
| The word "vispirms" can also refer to the beginning or commencement of something. | |||
| Lithuanian | pirmas | ||
| Despite meaning "first," "pirmas" is the final element in Lithuanian number series, e.g. trečias "third," ketvirtas "fourth." | |||
| Macedonian | прво | ||
| It etymologically derives from Proto-Indo-European word *per-wo- 'first', which is probably cognate with the Albanian parë 'first'. | |||
| Polish | pierwszy | ||
| "Pierwszy" originates from the Proto-Slavic "pьrvyjь", derived from the same root as "pierze" (feather) and "pierś" (breast). Alternatively, it can refer to a wharf or a pier. | |||
| Romanian | primul | ||
| Primul is also an informal Romanian word for boyfriend or girlfriend. | |||
| Russian | первый | ||
| The word "первый" can also mean "primary", "main", or "foremost" in Russian. | |||
| Serbian | први | ||
| The word "први" also means "foremost" or "principal" in Serbian. | |||
| Slovak | najprv | ||
| The word "najprv" can also mean "at first" or "initially". | |||
| Slovenian | najprej | ||
| Najprej is also used in Slovenian to mean 'first of all', 'at first', or 'in the first place'. | |||
| Ukrainian | спочатку | ||
| The word "спочатку" also means "at first" or "initially". | |||
First in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | প্রথম | ||
| প্রথম (prathom) is also a synonym for 'first-rate', 'best', or 'foremost'. | |||
| Gujarati | પ્રથમ | ||
| "પ્રથમ" also refers to "chief" which comes to it via Middle Persian and ultimately from Old Persian."paurvatama- " (foreman). | |||
| Hindi | प्रथम | ||
| In Sanskrit, "प्रथम" also means "most important" or "chief", and is derived from the root "प्रथ" meaning "to spread out" or "to prevail". | |||
| Kannada | ಪ್ರಥಮ | ||
| The word "ಪ್ರಥಮ" in Kannada is also used to refer to the beginning of a new era or a new cycle of time. | |||
| Malayalam | ആദ്യം | ||
| The word "ആദ്യം" also means "beginning" or "primary" in Malayalam. | |||
| Marathi | पहिला | ||
| The word "पहिला" is also used in Marathi to mean "the eldest" or "the most important". | |||
| Nepali | पहिलो | ||
| "पहिलो" comes from the Sanskrit word "prathama", which means "first" or "chief." | |||
| Punjabi | ਪਹਿਲਾਂ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | පළමුවන | ||
| The word 'පළමුවන' ('first') in Sinhala is derived from the Sanskrit word 'prathama', which also means 'foremost' or 'chief'. | |||
| Tamil | முதல் | ||
| The word 'முதல்' can also refer to 'the beginning,' 'the first of a series,' or 'the origin' in Tamil. | |||
| Telugu | ప్రధమ | ||
| ప్రధమ also means 'main' or 'chief' and is often used as a prefix in compound words. | |||
| Urdu | پہلا | ||
| The initial meaning of "پہلا" is "first born". | |||
First in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 第一 | ||
| "第一" can also mean "principle" or "main". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 第一 | ||
| 第一 is also used in phrases like 「第一线」 (frontline) and 「第一把手」 (top leader). | |||
| Japanese | 最初 | ||
| '最初' in Japanese can also mean 'origin' or 'beginning'. | |||
| Korean | 먼저 | ||
| "먼저" can be split into "먼" and "저" which mean "far" and "that", respectively, to describe something that is the most distant or furthest. | |||
| Mongolian | эхнийх | ||
| The word "эхнийх" can also refer to the "first time" or the "beginning" of something. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ပထမ | ||
| The word "ပထမ" (pathama) in Myanmar (Burmese) is derived from the Sanskrit word "प्रथम" (prathama), meaning "first or primary." | |||
First in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | pertama | ||
| The word "pertama" in Indonesian is derived from the Sanskrit word "prathamam" which also means "first". | |||
| Javanese | dhisik | ||
| The Javanese word for "first", dhisik, can also refer to an event that happens earlier in order of preference, importance, or in time | |||
| Khmer | ដំបូង | ||
| The word "ដំបូង" could also mean "beginning" or "origin" in Khmer. | |||
| Lao | ກ່ອນ | ||
| "ກ່ອນ" is also used to refer to the elder or senior sibling of the family. | |||
| Malay | pertama | ||
| "Pertama" in Malay, besides meaning "first", also refers to the first time something is done or experienced. | |||
| Thai | อันดับแรก | ||
| The Thai word "อันดับแรก" can also be used to mean "the most important thing." | |||
| Vietnamese | đầu tiên | ||
| The word "Đầu tiên" in Vietnamese has its roots in the word "đầu" (head) and "tiên" (beginning), implying the idea of being at the forefront or the start of something. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | una | ||
First in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | əvvəlcə | ||
| The word "əvvəlcə" also means "initially" or "primarily". | |||
| Kazakh | бірінші | ||
| The word "бірінші" can also mean "excellent" or "outstanding". | |||
| Kyrgyz | алгачкы | ||
| "Алгачкы" word is derived from the Old Turkic "alğać" word, which means "in front" or "ahead". | |||
| Tajik | аввал | ||
| The word "аввал" is also used in the sense of "the beginning" or "the origin". | |||
| Turkmen | ilki bilen | ||
| Uzbek | birinchi | ||
| The word "birinchi" also has a secondary meaning of "primary" or "main" in Uzbek. | |||
| Uyghur | بىرىنچى | ||
First in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ka mua | ||
| "Ka mua" can also mean "before, ahead, in front of." | |||
| Maori | tuatahi | ||
| Tuatahi also relates to the first gathering to prepare and cook something | |||
| Samoan | tulaga tasi | ||
| "Tulaga Tasi" in Samoan is an ancient term for "first"} | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | una | ||
| The word 'una' also means 'head' and can be used in expressions like 'head of the class'. | |||
First in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | nayraqata | ||
| Guarani | peteĩha | ||
First in International Languages
| Esperanto | unue | ||
| The Esperanto word "unue" can also mean "singular" or "only". | |||
| Latin | primis | ||
| "Primis" is a Latin adverb meaning "at first" or "in the beginning." | |||
First in Others Languages
| Greek | πρώτα | ||
| πρώτα (first) may derive from the verb πείρω (to pierce, to pass through), implying the idea of coming first in time or space. | |||
| Hmong | thawj zaug | ||
| The word "thawj zaug" can also mean "top" or "the beginning". | |||
| Kurdish | yekem | ||
| The Kurdish word 'yekem' not only means 'first' but also refers to the top of something or the beginning of an action. | |||
| Turkish | ilk | ||
| The Turkish word 'ilk' originally meant 'thread' but later came to be used as a synonym for 'first' due to its association with the beginning of a thread. | |||
| Xhosa | ekuqaleni | ||
| The word "Ekuqaleni" in Xhosa also refers to the beginning or origin of something. | |||
| Yiddish | ערשטער | ||
| In Yiddish, the word "ערשטער" not only means "first" but also carries a connotation of "just now" or a recent occurrence. | |||
| Zulu | kuqala | ||
| The word "kuqala" can also mean "to hold" or "to grip" in Zulu. | |||
| Assamese | প্ৰথম | ||
| Aymara | nayraqata | ||
| Bhojpuri | पहिला | ||
| Dhivehi | ފުރަތަމަ | ||
| Dogri | पैहला | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | una | ||
| Guarani | peteĩha | ||
| Ilocano | umuna | ||
| Krio | fɔs | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | یەکەم | ||
| Maithili | पहिल | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯍꯥꯟꯕ | ||
| Mizo | hmasa ber | ||
| Oromo | jalqaba | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ପ୍ରଥମେ | ||
| Quechua | ñawpaq | ||
| Sanskrit | प्रथमः | ||
| Tatar | башта | ||
| Tigrinya | መጀመርታ | ||
| Tsonga | sungula | ||