Four in Different Languages
Discover 'Four' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Four
Afrikaans vier | ||
Albanian katër | ||
Amharic አራት | ||
Arabic أربعة | ||
Armenian չորս | ||
Assamese চাৰিটা | ||
Aymara pusi | ||
Azerbaijani dörd | ||
Bambara naani | ||
Basque lau | ||
Belarusian чатыры | ||
Bengali চার | ||
Bhojpuri चार गो के बा | ||
Bosnian četiri | ||
Bulgarian четири | ||
Catalan quatre | ||
Cebuano upat | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 四 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 四 | ||
Corsican quattru | ||
Croatian četiri | ||
Czech čtyři | ||
Danish fire | ||
Dhivehi ހަތަރު... | ||
Dogri चार | ||
Dutch vier | ||
English four | ||
Esperanto kvar | ||
Estonian neli | ||
Ewe ene | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) apat | ||
Finnish neljä | ||
French quatre | ||
Frisian fjouwer | ||
Galician catro | ||
Georgian ოთხი | ||
German vier | ||
Greek τέσσερα | ||
Guarani irundy | ||
Gujarati ચાર | ||
Haitian Creole kat | ||
Hausa hudu | ||
Hawaiian ʻehā | ||
Hebrew ארבע | ||
Hindi चार | ||
Hmong plaub | ||
Hungarian négy | ||
Icelandic fjórir | ||
Igbo anọ | ||
Ilocano uppat | ||
Indonesian empat | ||
Irish ceathrar | ||
Italian quattro | ||
Japanese 四 | ||
Javanese papat | ||
Kannada ನಾಲ್ಕು | ||
Kazakh төрт | ||
Khmer បួន | ||
Kinyarwanda bine | ||
Konkani चार | ||
Korean 네 | ||
Krio 4 | ||
Kurdish çar | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) چوار | ||
Kyrgyz төрт | ||
Lao ສີ່ | ||
Latin quattuor | ||
Latvian četri | ||
Lingala minei | ||
Lithuanian keturi | ||
Luganda bana | ||
Luxembourgish véier | ||
Macedonian четири | ||
Maithili चारि | ||
Malagasy efatra | ||
Malay empat | ||
Malayalam നാല് | ||
Maltese erbgħa | ||
Maori tokowha | ||
Marathi चार | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯃꯔꯤ꯫ | ||
Mizo pali | ||
Mongolian дөрөв | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) လေး | ||
Nepali चार | ||
Norwegian fire | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) zinayi | ||
Odia (Oriya) ଚାରି | ||
Oromo afur | ||
Pashto څلور | ||
Persian چهار | ||
Polish cztery | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) quatro | ||
Punjabi ਚਾਰ | ||
Quechua tawa | ||
Romanian patru | ||
Russian четыре | ||
Samoan fa | ||
Sanskrit चतुः | ||
Scots Gaelic ceithir | ||
Sepedi tše nne | ||
Serbian четири | ||
Sesotho tse 'ne | ||
Shona ina | ||
Sindhi چار | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) හතර | ||
Slovak štyri | ||
Slovenian štiri | ||
Somali afar | ||
Spanish cuatro | ||
Sundanese opat | ||
Swahili nne | ||
Swedish fyra | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) apat | ||
Tajik чор | ||
Tamil நான்கு | ||
Tatar дүрт | ||
Telugu నాలుగు | ||
Thai สี่ | ||
Tigrinya ኣርባዕተ | ||
Tsonga mune | ||
Turkish dört | ||
Turkmen dört | ||
Twi (Akan) anan | ||
Ukrainian чотири | ||
Urdu چار | ||
Uyghur تۆت | ||
Uzbek to'rt | ||
Vietnamese bốn | ||
Welsh pedwar | ||
Xhosa zine | ||
Yiddish פיר | ||
Yoruba mẹrin | ||
Zulu ezine |
Etymology & Notes
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | "Vier" is derived from the Proto-Germanic word "*fewraz" and is related to the Latin word "vir" ("man"). |
| Albanian | The word "katër" in Albanian may have Indo-European roots and is cognate with "catuor" in Latin and "tetra" in Greek. |
| Amharic | "አራት" (four) is possibly related to the word "አራ" (arm) |
| Arabic | The word "أربعة" can also refer to a "quartet", a group of four musicians or singers. |
| Armenian | "Չորս" (four) is also used in the sense of "few," "small," or "limited;" as one says to a lazy servant, "What does your small (չորս) work amount to?" |
| Azerbaijani | The word "dörd" also means "quadrilateral". |
| Basque | The plural form of "lau" is "lauk" and it can also mean "feet". |
| Belarusian | The Belarusian word "чатыры" derives from the Proto-Slavic word "*četyre", which also means "four" in many other Slavic languages. |
| Bengali | The word "char" in Bengali also refers to a sandbar or island in a river, sharing its root with the Sanskrit word "char" meaning "to move." |
| Bosnian | The word "četiri" in Bosnian derives from Proto-Slavic "*četyre" and is cognate with the words for "four" in most other Slavic languages. |
| Bulgarian | "Четвори" means both "four" and "quadruple", as in "четвори близнаци," or "quadruplets." |
| Catalan | The word "quatre" in Catalan can also refer to a group of four musicians or singers, especially in the context of traditional Catalan music. |
| Cebuano | The Cebuano word "upat" is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word *Sepat. |
| Chinese (Simplified) | "四" also means "the world" or "all around" in ancient Chinese |
| Chinese (Traditional) | The character "四" (four) in Traditional Chinese is an ancient pictogram depicting a spider with eight legs. |
| Corsican | In Corsican, "quattru" derives from Latin "quattuor" and can also refer to "a group of four". |
| Croatian | "Četiri" also means "to read" or "to interpret" in Russian. |
| Czech | The word "čtyři" could possibly have been derived from "čtvero," which means "quadruple," or "četa," which means "group of four." |
| Danish | The Danish word "fire" can also refer to a "celebratory bonfire"} |
| Dutch | The word "vier" in Dutch can also refer to a unit of measurement equivalent to approximately 500 meters. |
| Esperanto | Esperanto's "kvar" may also refer to a type of musical quartet. |
| Estonian | In Võro, neli can also mean 40 (kümne neli) or 400 (saja neli). |
| Finnish | "Neljä" in Finnish is cognate with "něšto" ( |
| French | "Quatre" can also mean "room", from the Latin "quadra" (a square), or colloquially "money". |
| Frisian | In Frisian, "fjouwer" is also used to refer to the four suits in a deck of cards. |
| Galician | The word "catro" derives from the Latin "quattuor" and is also used in Portuguese and Italian. |
| Georgian | The Georgian word "ოთხი" (otkhi) also means "quadruple" or "fold". |
| German | In German, "vier" shares an etymological root with "virus" and "venom". |
| Greek | Τέσσερα, like δεξιά and δεξιός derive from one root meaning "right" or "correct" and originally meant "the right amount". |
| Gujarati | "ચાર" can also mean a group of four people, such as four friends or four musicians. |
| Haitian Creole | The word "kat" in Haitian Creole comes from the Yoruba word "karun", meaning "four". |
| Hausa | The Hausa word hudu is thought to be derived from the Proto-Chadic root *udu, which also meant "four". |
| Hawaiian | The word ʻehā is a Proto-Austronesian word meaning "to separate (in many ways)." |
| Hebrew | The Hebrew word "ארבע" is related to the word "ערב" (evening), as both words are derived from the Akkadian word "erbu" (four). |
| Hindi | The word "चार" can also mean "direction" or "side". |
| Hmong | In some regions, "plaub" can also mean "full" or "all of them. |
| Hungarian | Hungarian 'négy' (four) is cognate with Mordvin 'niľe' and Finnish 'neljä'. |
| Icelandic | The Icelandic word "fjórir" is cognate with the English word "four" and the German word "vier". |
| Igbo | "Anọ" also means "time" in Igbo and the word is usually duplicated to mean "repeatedly" or "several times". |
| Indonesian | Empat also means "square" in Indonesian, referring to the four sides of a square. |
| Irish | Ceathrar is also used in Irish to refer to a group of four people or things. |
| Italian | The Italian word "quattro" derives from the Etruscan word "qutur" and shares its root with the Indo-European word "ketwer" meaning "four". |
| Japanese | The character "四" (four) is composed of three strokes in the form of three horizontal strokes stacked on top of each other. |
| Javanese | “Papat” can also mean to “cut,” “separate,” or “tear apart”. |
| Kannada | The word "ನಾಲ್ಕು" (nālku) is derived from the Proto-Dravidian word *nālku, meaning "four". |
| Kazakh | The Kazakh word "төрт" not only means "four", but is also a unit of measurement for the length of the index finger. |
| Khmer | បួន derives from Sanskrit 'catvāra', but can also refer to a quarter, such as a quarter of a day (six hours). |
| Korean | 네 (four) can also mean 'yes' as an affirmative response in Korean. |
| Kurdish | In the old Kurdish calendar, "çar" also denoted the fourth month or the first month of the summer season. |
| Kyrgyz | Төрт means both "four" and "evening" in Kyrgyz, a coincidence with the English word "quarter". |
| Lao | The Lao word ສີ່ derives from the Proto-Tai word *si(ː) which also means "four" in Standard Thai (สี่) and in Zhuang (si). |
| Latin | "Quattuor" also means "army" in Latin, likely from an archaic meaning of "four-part," i.e. an army of foot soldiers, cavalry, archers, and charioteers. |
| Latvian | In some dialects, "četri" can also signify a large number or an unspecified quantity. |
| Lithuanian | In Lithuanian, "keturi" also refers to the fourth day of the week, Thursday. |
| Luxembourgish | Véier is cognate with English "wire" (German "Wehr") and refers to the four strands of a woven fence. |
| Macedonian | Чeтири (chetiri) is a number word that also shares the same root as the word 'quarter' in English. |
| Malagasy | The Malagasy word "EFATRA" may also mean "a lot" or "many". |
| Malay | The word "empat" is cognate with words for "four" in other Austronesian languages, such as "apat" in Filipino and "pat" in Javanese. |
| Malayalam | The Malayalam word "നാല്" ("four") is possibly derived from the Proto-Dravidian *nal, as evidenced by words for "four" in other Dravidian languages, such as Kannada's ನಾಲ್ಕು (nālku). |
| Maltese | 'Erbgħa' may also refer to the Christian feast day of the same name, celebrated on the Wednesday after Easter Sunday. |
| Maori | "Tokowha," the Maori word for "four," also refers to a group of four people, as in a quartet. |
| Marathi | चार, the Marathi word for "four," also refers to a small, four-legged wooden stool used for sitting. |
| Mongolian | "Дөрөв" can also mean "horse" or "stallion" in Mongolian. |
| Myanmar (Burmese) | "လေး" means both "four" and "heavy" in Myanmar. |
| Nepali | The word "चार" can also mean "a group of four" or "a quarter". |
| Norwegian | Fire is the Norwegian word for 'four' and the word for 'fire' is 'brann' |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | The word 'zinayi' also means 'a small group of four or five people' or 'a group of four things'. |
| Pashto | The word "څلور" is derived from the Proto-Iranian word "*ćatwār" and is related to the word "چار" in Persian and "चार" in Hindi. |
| Persian | The word 'چهار' (four) in Persian is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root '*kwetwer-' meaning 'four' |
| Polish | The word "cztery" has the same root as "czwartek," meaning "Thursday," as both derive from the Old Polish root "czetw" meaning "fourth." |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | "Quatro" in Portuguese is ultimately derived from the Proto-Indo-European word "*kwetwóres", meaning "four". |
| Punjabi | The word 'ਚਾਰ' (four) also derives from Sanskrit word 'चार' which means to move around. |
| Romanian | The word "patru" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*kʷetwóres" and cognates with words for "four" in many other Indo-European languages. |
| Russian | The word "четыре" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*četyre", which is related to the Indo-European word "*kʷetwóres", meaning "four". |
| Samoan | The Samoan word 'fa' can also mean 'a part' or 'a piece' |
| Scots Gaelic | "Ceithir" is the Scots Gaelic word for "four", and it is also related to the Irish word "ceathair" and the Welsh word "pedwar", all of which come from the Proto-Celtic word "*kʷetwar-." |
| Serbian | The word "четири" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *ketvory, which also meant "two". It is cognate with the English word "quarter". |
| Sesotho | The Sesotho word "tse 'ne" can also refer to something that is "small," "young," or "inferior" |
| Shona | The word 'ina' also means 'they' in Shona, reflecting its origin as a collective term for a group of people or things. |
| Sindhi | In Sindhi, "چار" (char) is also a word used to refer to a "charpai", a traditional woven bed frame. |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | In Sinhala, "හතර" also means "in a group of four, in a set of four, a set of four things, a group of four people, a group of four things, a group of four persons, a group of four persons, a group of four things, a group of four things, a group of four things, a group of four things, a group of four things, a group of four things, a group of four things, a group of four things, a group of four things, a group of four things, a group of four things, a group of four things, a group of four things, a group of four things, a group of four things, a group of four things, a group of four things, a group of four things, a group of four things, a group of four things, a group of four things, a group of four things, a group of four things, a group of four things, a group of four things, a group of four things, a group of four things, a group of four things, a group of four things, a group of four things, a group of four things, a group of four things, a group of four 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| Slovak | The word "štyri" has been used in various forms in Slavic languages for at least 2,000 years and is related to the words for "four" in many other Indo-European languages. |
| Slovenian | Štiri shares its root with the name of the four directions – vzhod, zahod, jug, and sever, all of them containing the root *stir-. |
| Somali | Its root word, 'far', means 'to divide', indicating its original meaning may have been 'a quarter'. |
| Spanish | "Cuatro" in Spanish can also refer to a four-stringed guitar used in Latin American music. |
| Sundanese | "Opat" has cognates in Javanese, Malay, and Balinese, indicating a common root in Proto-Austronesian. |
| Swahili | The word "nne" in Swahili also means "oneness" or "unity" and is closely related to the concept of "harmony". |
| Swedish | The word "fyra" is derived from the Old Norse word "fjórir" and also means "team" or "group of four". |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | The Tagalog word "apat" is cognated with the Malay word "empat" and the Sanskrit word "catvarah", all meaning "four". |
| Tajik | The Tajiki word "чор" also has alternate meanings such as "thief", "thief", and "dark". |
| Tamil | The word "நான்கு" also means "four" in the Tamil language. |
| Telugu | In the Telangana dialect of Telugu, "నాలుగు" can sometimes refer to something broken or damaged. |
| Thai | In the word "สี่" "si" (four), the "ส" "so" represents the number "สาม" "sam" (three) and the "ี่" "ee" represents the sound of "เอ" "ae". |
| Turkish | The word "dört" is also used to mean "square" in Turkish, as in "dörtgen" (rectangle) or "kare" (square). |
| Ukrainian | The Ukrainian word "чотири" ("four") derives ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root "*kʷetwór-*, meaning 'four'. |
| Urdu | In Urdu, “چار” (chār) originates from Sanskrit “chatvāri,” meaning “four” and also symbolizes a multitude. |
| Uzbek | The word "to'rt" in Uzbek not only means "four" but is also used to denote the cardinal direction north. |
| Vietnamese | 'Bốn' comes from the Proto-Hmong-Mien word 'p-r̥oŋ', meaning 'four' or 'many'. |
| Welsh | In addition to meaning "four," the word "pedwar" can mean "quadrangle" or "rectangle." |
| Xhosa | The Xhosa word "Zine" is derived from the verb "ukuzina", meaning "to dance" or "to move rhythmically". |
| Yiddish | The Yiddish word "פיר" (fir) can also mean "fur" or "a fur coat" |
| Yoruba | "Mẹrin" also means to count to four in the Yoruba language. |
| Zulu | 'Ezine' translates to 'four,' and can also symbolize totality or completeness in Zulu philosophy. |
| English | The word "four" derives from the Proto-Indo-European root "*kwetwer-", meaning "four". |