Five in Different Languages
Discover 'Five' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The number five has held great significance across various cultures and time periods. In many ancient cultures, five was considered a sacred number due to its association with the five points of the human body (head, arms, and legs). In Chinese culture, five is one of the most important numbers, symbolizing the five elements of wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. Similarly, in Native American cultures, five represents the four cardinal directions plus the center of the earth.
Given its cultural importance, it's no surprise that the word
Five
Five in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | vyf | ||
| In the Afrikaans language, the word "vyf" for "five" ultimately derives from an Old French word for "four". | |||
| Amharic | አምስት | ||
| "አምስት" in Amharic can also mean "the five senses". | |||
| Hausa | biyar | ||
| Biyar is also used to refer to someone or something that is of good quality or high value, especially in Hausa culture. | |||
| Igbo | ise | ||
| The word "ise" in Igbo also signifies "being whole or complete" in addition to "five". | |||
| Malagasy | dimy | ||
| The Malagasy word DIMY has another meaning of "to count". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | zisanu | ||
| The word "zisanu" (five) in Nyanja (Chichewa) is derived from the Proto-Bantu numeral "*taanu" and is cognate with the words for "five" in other Bantu languages, such as "tano" in Swahili and "ntanu" in Zulu. | |||
| Shona | shanu | ||
| The word 'shanu' can also refer to a group of five, or to the five fingers on a hand. | |||
| Somali | shan | ||
| The word "shan" in Somali can also refer to "five fingers" or "hand" in the sense of "helping hand." | |||
| Sesotho | hlano | ||
| hlano is a homophone and can also mean "a large number of". | |||
| Swahili | tano | ||
| In some regions, 'tano' also means 'plenty', 'very', or 'exceedingly'. | |||
| Xhosa | ntlanu | ||
| Ntlanu' appears to be a loanword from Khoisan languages like Nama, where 'nt!anu' means 'five'. | |||
| Yoruba | marun | ||
| The word 'marun' in Yoruba can also refer to a group of five people or things. | |||
| Zulu | ezinhlanu | ||
| The word "ezinhlanu" in Zulu also refers to the thumb. | |||
| Bambara | duuru | ||
| Ewe | atɔ̃ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | bitanu | ||
| Lingala | mitano | ||
| Luganda | taano | ||
| Sepedi | hlano | ||
| Twi (Akan) | nnum | ||
Five in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | خمسة | ||
| 'خمسة' means 'five' in Arabic. However, it is also used to refer to the five pillars of Islam, the five senses, and the five major prayers in Islam. | |||
| Hebrew | חָמֵשׁ | ||
| "חָמֵשׁ" is also the name of a Jewish religious text containing the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, known in English as the Torah | |||
| Pashto | پنځه | ||
| The Pashto word "پنځه" can also mean "palm of the hand" or "fist". | |||
| Arabic | خمسة | ||
| 'خمسة' means 'five' in Arabic. However, it is also used to refer to the five pillars of Islam, the five senses, and the five major prayers in Islam. | |||
Five in Western European Languages
| Albanian | pesë | ||
| The word "pesë" comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *penkʷe, meaning "five", and is cognate with words for "five" in other Indo-European languages such as Latin "quinque" and English "five" | |||
| Basque | bost | ||
| The word "bost" in Basque is derived from an older Proto-Basque form "*borst", meaning "fist". | |||
| Catalan | cinc | ||
| The word "cinc" (five) in Catalan also means a fist | |||
| Croatian | pet | ||
| The word "pet" in Croatian also means "rooster" and is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*pěti" meaning "to crow". | |||
| Danish | fem | ||
| The singular form of Danish "fem" can also be used to mean "some" or "a few". | |||
| Dutch | vijf | ||
| The word "vijf" may have originated from the Proto-West Germanic term "*fünf" (five), possibly borrowed from the Pre-Germanic language spoken by the Lusatian culture in Central Europe around 2000 BC. | |||
| English | five | ||
| The word "five" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European word *penkwe, meaning "hand". | |||
| French | cinq | ||
| The word “cinq” comes from the Latin word | |||
| Frisian | fiif | ||
| The Frisian word "fiif" is cognate with the English word "five" and the German word "fünf." | |||
| Galician | cinco | ||
| Galician "cinco" shares its Latin root "quinque" with other Romance languages and also means "claw". | |||
| German | fünf | ||
| "Fünf" is a cognate of the English word "five" and the Old English word "fīf," which is related to the Latin word "quinque." | |||
| Icelandic | fimm | ||
| Fimm is cognate with the words for 'five' in the other North Germanic languages, and with 'fingers' in Slavic languages. | |||
| Irish | cúig | ||
| "Cúig" can also mean "five-pointed" or "five-part" in Irish, relating to its shape. | |||
| Italian | cinque | ||
| In Italian, "cinque" also refers to the fifth part of an hour or quarter, as in a clock's "quarter to" or "quarter past". | |||
| Luxembourgish | fënnef | ||
| "Fënnef" is probably of Celtic origin and comes from the word *penkwe, which also meant "five". | |||
| Maltese | ħamsa | ||
| The Maltese word "ħamsa" also means "open hand" and has a protective significance. | |||
| Norwegian | fem | ||
| The Norwegian word "fem" also means "pretty" in the sense of "beautiful" or "delicate". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | cinco | ||
| "Cinco" comes from the Latin "quinque", also meaning "five". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | còig | ||
| "Còig" is a Gaelic word also meaning "a hollow, a cavity, a hole, a nook" or "a cup, a goblet, a bowl". | |||
| Spanish | cinco | ||
| In Spanish, "cinco" originates from the Latin "quinque", meaning "five", and shares its root with "quintuplets" in English. | |||
| Swedish | fem | ||
| Fem is also used as a prefix in Swedish, as in | |||
| Welsh | pump | ||
| In Welsh, 'pump' means 'five' but it also refers to a person or object that is round in shape or has a hump | |||
Five in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | пяць | ||
| The word "пяць" derives from the Proto-Slavic "*pętь", also related to the English word "fist". | |||
| Bosnian | pet | ||
| Bosnian "pet" can also mean "Friday" or a "rooster" | |||
| Bulgarian | пет | ||
| "Пет" is the Slavic root for the number five, and is a cognate with the Latin "quinque" and Greek "pente". | |||
| Czech | pět | ||
| The word "Pět" in Czech is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*pętь", which also meant "fist". | |||
| Estonian | viis | ||
| The word "viis" in Estonian originates from the Proto-Finnic word "*wiite". | |||
| Finnish | viisi | ||
| Viisi's origins are in the Proto-Finnic word *wi:te which also meant 'little finger' | |||
| Hungarian | öt | ||
| The Hungarian word for "five" "öt" also refers to a group of five people, as well as the fifth day of a month. | |||
| Latvian | pieci | ||
| "Pieci" is also a Latvian archaic verb meaning "to endure," "to suffer," and "to tolerate," and is used in the phrase "paciest karu," meaning "to tolerate or endure war." | |||
| Lithuanian | penki | ||
| The word “penki” may be derived from the numeral “pi” (meaning “two”) and the diminutive suffix “-ki” (meaning “small”), implying the counting of five as “two-plus-three”. | |||
| Macedonian | пет | ||
| The word "пет" also refers to a Macedonian folk dance. | |||
| Polish | pięć | ||
| The word "pięć" is derived from the Proto-Slavic "pętь" and is cognate with the Lithuanian "penki" and the Russian "пять". | |||
| Romanian | cinci | ||
| "Cinci" in Romanian has connections to the Latin "quinque" as well as the Sanskrit "panca". | |||
| Russian | 5 | ||
| The Russian word "пять" (pyat) is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "pętь", which also meant "fist". | |||
| Serbian | пет | ||
| The word "пет" also means "rooster" in Serbian, and is cognate with the Russian word "петух" (rooster). | |||
| Slovak | päť | ||
| The word "päť" in Slovak is cognate with the word "five" in English and also means "fist". | |||
| Slovenian | pet | ||
| The Slovenian word "pet" can also refer to a span of five days, or a five-day work week. | |||
| Ukrainian | п'ять | ||
| The word "п'ять" (five) is derived from the Proto-Slavic form *pętь, which also means "fist". | |||
Five in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | পাঁচ | ||
| Five is sometimes used in the context of a group of five (not necessarily ordered) like 'ganguli panchak' ('a group of five') | |||
| Gujarati | પાંચ | ||
| The Gujarati word "પાંચ" (five) can also mean "hand" or "fist", as it is related to the Sanskrit word "pañca" meaning "five" or "hand". | |||
| Hindi | पांच | ||
| In Sanskrit, "पांच" can also mean "hand" or "palm." | |||
| Kannada | ಐದು | ||
| "ಐದು" is derived from the proto-Dravidian word "*caytu" meaning "hand" as humans once used their hands to count. | |||
| Malayalam | അഞ്ച് | ||
| The word "അഞ്ച്" is etymologically related to "finger," suggesting counting using fingers as the original basis for the number system. | |||
| Marathi | पाच | ||
| पाच (paac) is derived from the Sanskrit word पंच (panch) and also means 'five' in Konkani and Gujarati. | |||
| Nepali | पाँच | ||
| The word 'पाँच' may be derived from the Proto-Indo-European word '*penkʷe', meaning 'five'. | |||
| Punjabi | ਪੰਜ | ||
| In Punjabi, "ਪੰਜ" (panj) can also mean "a group of five" or "a hand (of cards)". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | පහ | ||
| Sinhala 'පහ' ('five') is derived from Proto-Indo-Aryan root *panca ('five'). | |||
| Tamil | ஐந்து | ||
| "ஐந்து" is also used as a suffix to denote a group of five, as in "விலங்கு": a group of five animals. | |||
| Telugu | ఐదు | ||
| The Telugu word "ఐదు" can also mean "group of five" or "the five senses." | |||
| Urdu | پانچ | ||
| "پنچ" (/pãtʃ/) is derived from Sanskrit "pañca" (/pãtɕɐ/) meaning "five" and is also a nickname for "the fifth". | |||
Five in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 五 | ||
| "五" means 'five', but it can also be used to represent the five elements (金, 木, 水, 火, 土), or the five cardinal directions (东, 西, 南, 北, 中). | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 五 | ||
| Traditional Chinese character "五" can also mean "all" or "every" in certain contexts. | |||
| Japanese | 五 | ||
| The character "五" is also used to represent the 5 elements (metal, wood, water, fire and earth). | |||
| Korean | 다섯 | ||
| 다섯 "5" is a sino-korean word, but it was originally an old Korean word meaning "much," "many," or "plenty." | |||
| Mongolian | тав | ||
| The Mongolian word "тав" also means "a group of five" or "a set of five". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ငါး | ||
| The word "ငါး" derives from the Proto-Tibeto-Burman word *ŋa, meaning "fish" or "animal". | |||
Five in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | lima | ||
| The word "lima" also has other meanings in Indonesian, such as "hand" and the name of a type of citrus fruit. | |||
| Javanese | lima | ||
| "Lima" also means "to pass by" in Javanese, such as in the phrase "lima ngarep" meaning "to pass by the front". | |||
| Khmer | ប្រាំ | ||
| The word "ប្រាំ" ("five") in Khmer originates from the Mon language and has a cognate in Sanskrit, "pañca," meaning "five" | |||
| Lao | ຫ້າ | ||
| The Lao word ຫ້າ (five) is pronounced "ha" and shares the same Proto-Tai etymology as the Vietnamese word "năm" (five). | |||
| Malay | lima | ||
| "Lima" also means 'sharpen' and 'to forge' due to its relation to the word "lemang" (to forge). | |||
| Thai | ห้า | ||
| Thai word "ห้า" may also refer to a type of tree or a measure used in some areas to measure length of cloth. | |||
| Vietnamese | số năm | ||
| "Số năm" is a number in Vietnamese with several meanings, referring not only to the number five but also to the hand, a fist, or a group of five. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | lima | ||
Five in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | beş | ||
| "Beş" also means "cradle" in Azerbaijani, similar to its etymology in various Turkic languages. | |||
| Kazakh | бес | ||
| The word "бес" (five) in Kazakh also means "very much" or "too much". | |||
| Kyrgyz | беш | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "беш" ("five") also appears in the names of various Kyrgyz tribes and clans, such as the "Беш-багыш" ("Five-Blessings") and "Беш-тамир" ("Five-Roots"). | |||
| Tajik | панҷ | ||
| The word "панҷ" in Tajik also has a homophonous meaning of "cotton". It is a loanword from Persian پنج "five". | |||
| Turkmen | bäş | ||
| Uzbek | besh | ||
| The Uzbek word 'besh' shares a root with the Persian word 'panj', both of which are derived from the Proto-Indo-European root '*penkʷe' meaning 'five'. | |||
| Uyghur | بەش | ||
Five in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | elima | ||
| The word 'elima' also refers to the five fingers of the hand and is sometimes used to describe a group of five. | |||
| Maori | tokorima | ||
| Tokorima is derived from the Proto-Austronesian numeral *lima, from which also originated the Māori word for 'hand'. | |||
| Samoan | lima | ||
| Lima in Samoan can mean either "five" or "hand". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | lima | ||
| In Tagalog, 'lima' also refers to the open hand, which has five fingers. | |||
Five in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | phisqha | ||
| Guarani | po | ||
Five in International Languages
| Esperanto | kvin | ||
| The word "kvin" in Esperanto is derived from the Latin "quinque", and also means "a period of five days". | |||
| Latin | quinque | ||
| The Latin word "quinque" (meaning "five") is related to the English word "quintet" (a group of five musicians). | |||
Five in Others Languages
| Greek | πέντε | ||
| πέντε is related to words meaning "bend" or "angle" in several Indo-European languages. | |||
| Hmong | tsib | ||
| The word "tsib" is also used as an adverb meaning "five times" or "by fives". | |||
| Kurdish | pênc | ||
| The Kurdish word "pênc" is thought to derive from the Proto-Indo-European word "penkwe" or "pe". | |||
| Turkish | beş | ||
| The word "beş" ("five" in Turkish) is also used colloquially to mean "a lot" or "a bunch". | |||
| Xhosa | ntlanu | ||
| Ntlanu' appears to be a loanword from Khoisan languages like Nama, where 'nt!anu' means 'five'. | |||
| Yiddish | פינף | ||
| The Yiddish word "פינף" ("finf") is derived from the Proto-Germanic "*fimf" and has cognates in German, Dutch, and English, among other languages. | |||
| Zulu | ezinhlanu | ||
| The word "ezinhlanu" in Zulu also refers to the thumb. | |||
| Assamese | পাঁচ | ||
| Aymara | phisqha | ||
| Bhojpuri | पाँच | ||
| Dhivehi | ފަހެއް | ||
| Dogri | पंज | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | lima | ||
| Guarani | po | ||
| Ilocano | lima | ||
| Krio | fayv | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | پێنج | ||
| Maithili | पांच | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯉꯥ | ||
| Mizo | panga | ||
| Oromo | shan | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ପାଞ୍ଚ | ||
| Quechua | pichqa | ||
| Sanskrit | पंचं | ||
| Tatar | биш | ||
| Tigrinya | ሓሙሽተ | ||
| Tsonga | ntlhanu | ||