Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'go' is simple, yet holds great significance in many languages and cultures around the world. It is a word that signifies action, movement, and progress, making it an essential part of our daily vocabulary. From the English 'go' to the Spanish 'ir' and the Mandarin 'qu', the word 'go' is a universal call to action that transcends linguistic and cultural boundaries.
Historically, the word 'go' has been used in various contexts, from ancient military commands to modern-day sports cheers. Its cultural importance cannot be overstated, as it represents the human desire to explore, discover, and move forward. Moreover, understanding the translation of 'go' in different languages can help facilitate communication and build connections with people from diverse backgrounds.
For instance, the German 'gehen' and the French 'aller' are just a few examples of how the word 'go' can take on new forms and sounds in different languages. By learning these translations, we not only expand our linguistic repertoire but also gain a deeper appreciation for the richness and diversity of human language and culture.
Afrikaans | gaan | ||
The Afrikaans word "gaan" originates from the Dutch word "gaan" and can also mean "to walk" or "to leave". | |||
Amharic | ሂድ | ||
The word ሂድ can also mean "pass by," such as someone passing by your house. | |||
Hausa | tafi | ||
The word 'tafi' also means 'to leave' or 'to travel' in Hausa. | |||
Igbo | gaba | ||
In the Igbo language, "gaba" also means "to move" or "to advance". | |||
Malagasy | mandehana | ||
Mandeha is an archaic word meaning 'to walk' and is used in some compound verbs like mandeha lava ('to run') or mandeha an-tongotra ('to walk on foot'). | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | pitani | ||
The word "pitani" can also mean "to pass by" or "to travel" in Nyanja (Chichewa). | |||
Shona | enda | ||
The word "enda" can also mean "to proceed" or "to continue" in Shona. | |||
Somali | soco | ||
Somali word "soco" also means "fly" in Italian and "shoe" in Spanish. | |||
Sesotho | tsamaea | ||
"Tsamaea" has a reciprocal form, "tsamaeana," meaning "to walk together". | |||
Swahili | nenda | ||
"Nenda" can also be translated to "enter" in some contexts, as it implies traveling to and passing through an opening. | |||
Xhosa | hamba | ||
The word 'hamba' is also used to indicate movement in different directions, such as 'hamba phambili' (go forward) or 'hamba emva' (go backward). | |||
Yoruba | lọ | ||
Lọ in Yoruba can also mean 'to die', 'to be lost', or 'to disappear'. | |||
Zulu | hamba | ||
In Zulu, "hamba" also means "walk" or "leave." | |||
Bambara | ka taa | ||
Ewe | yi | ||
Kinyarwanda | genda | ||
Lingala | kende | ||
Luganda | okugenda | ||
Sepedi | eya | ||
Twi (Akan) | kɔ | ||
Arabic | اذهب | ||
"اذهب" can also mean "leave" or "die" in Arabic. | |||
Hebrew | ללכת | ||
The word 'ללכת' ('go') in Hebrew can also mean 'to walk', 'to proceed', or 'to conduct oneself'. | |||
Pashto | ځه | ||
The Pashto word "ځه" can also be used to mean "to leave" or "to return." | |||
Arabic | اذهب | ||
"اذهب" can also mean "leave" or "die" in Arabic. |
Albanian | shko | ||
"Shko" is also used to express the idea of leaving, departing or setting out on a journey. | |||
Basque | joan | ||
The word "joan" can also mean "to come" or "to happen" in Basque. | |||
Catalan | vaja | ||
The Catalan word "vaja" derives from the Vulgar Latin word "vadere", which also gave rise to the French "aller" and the Castilian "ir". | |||
Croatian | ići | ||
The verb 'ići' has two different roots, one Proto-Slavic and one Proto-Indo-European, which are both retained in modern Croatian. | |||
Danish | gå | ||
The word "gå" in Danish can also mean "to walk" or "to function." | |||
Dutch | gaan | ||
The Dutch word "Gaan" can also mean "to be about to" or "to happen" in certain constructions. | |||
English | go | ||
The word "go" derives from the Old English "gan", meaning "to proceed" or "to advance", and also has other meanings such as "to function" or "to be in operation." | |||
French | aller | ||
The word "aller" also means "to go to" or "to be going to" in French. | |||
Frisian | gean | ||
The Frisian word "gean" can also mean "to become", "to turn into", or "to pass into". | |||
Galician | vaia | ||
The word `vaia` may also carry nuances or meanings of `movement or direction toward a destination` as well as `change of state`. | |||
German | gehen | ||
"Gehen" is the German word for "to go," but it also has the connotation of "to happen," "to occur," or "to take place." | |||
Icelandic | farðu | ||
Farðu means "go" but it also means "act of putting or placing something", also "journey". | |||
Irish | téigh | ||
The word 'téigh' means 'go' and is related to the Proto-Indo-European root *steigh-, meaning 'to step' or 'to ascend'. | |||
Italian | partire | ||
The Italian word "partire" is derived from the Latin "partiri," which can also mean "to divide" or "to share." | |||
Luxembourgish | goen | ||
"Goen" in Luxembourgish also means "to move" or "to go towards". | |||
Maltese | mur | ||
The word 'mur' is derived from the Arabic word 'mar', meaning 'to pass' or 'to travel'. | |||
Norwegian | gå | ||
"Gå" also means "to walk" or "to be operating" (e.g. a car). | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | vai | ||
"Vai" can also mean "leave" or "travel". In Brazilian Portuguese, it can be used as an informal second-person singular present indicative form of the verb "ir" (to go). | |||
Scots Gaelic | ir | ||
In Scots Gaelic, "ir" not only means "go" but can also indicate motion toward a place or a state of being, as in "a' dol a dh'fhaicinn an cù" (I'm going to see the dog). | |||
Spanish | vamos | ||
"Vámos" can also be used to invite or encourage people to do or join a particular action, similar to "let"s" in English. | |||
Swedish | gå | ||
"Gå" in Swedish can also mean "to walk" or "to move". | |||
Welsh | ewch | ||
The word "ewch" also means "get out!" as in "ewch allan!" (get out, you!) |
Belarusian | ідзі | ||
The etymology of the Belarusian word "ідзі" is uncertain and may be related to the Proto-Slavic word "*iti" or the Old Prussian word "īti". | |||
Bosnian | idi | ||
The word "idi" in Bosnian can also mean "move" or "come". | |||
Bulgarian | отивам | ||
The Bulgarian word "отивам" can also mean "to suit" or "to become". | |||
Czech | jít | ||
The Czech word "jít" also means "to leave" or "to travel." | |||
Estonian | mine | ||
Alternately, the word can refer to an activity that is carried out; for example, a mine worker is doing the mining. | |||
Finnish | mennä | ||
Etymology of the Finnish word 'mennä': possibly from the Indo-European root *mei-, 'to cut, to change' | |||
Hungarian | megy | ||
The Hungarian word "megy" is cognate with the Finnish word "mennä" and the Estonian word "minema". It may also be related to the Indo-European root *ey-, which means "to go". | |||
Latvian | aiziet | ||
"Aiziet" also means "to leave" or "to depart". | |||
Lithuanian | eik | ||
The word 'eik' derives from the Proto-Baltic root *ei-, meaning 'to go'. | |||
Macedonian | оди | ||
The word "оди" is an imperative form of the verb "одев" which means "go" in English but it can also means "walk" or "move". | |||
Polish | udać się | ||
The word "udać się" in Polish also means "to succeed" or "to happen." | |||
Romanian | merge | ||
In Romanian, "merge" can also mean "to disappear" or "to die". | |||
Russian | идти | ||
The Russian verb "идти" (go) has a Proto-Slavic root meaning "to move". | |||
Serbian | иди | ||
The word "иди" comes from Proto-Slavic *idi, meaning "set out to go". | |||
Slovak | choď | ||
The word "choď" can also mean "come" or "walk" in Slovak. | |||
Slovenian | pojdi | ||
The word 'pojdi' also means 'step on it' or 'go for it' in colloquial Slovenian. | |||
Ukrainian | піти | ||
The Ukrainian "піти" ("go") has an alternate meaning "to walk" and also appears in the phrase "піти в світ" ("to go (into) the world"), meaning 'to die'. |
Bengali | যাওয়া | ||
"যাওয়া" also means "to go to someone's house." | |||
Gujarati | જાઓ | ||
The Gujarati word "જાઓ" can also be used to express "let us go" or "shall we go?"} | |||
Hindi | जाओ | ||
The word "जाओ" can also mean "go away" or "leave" in Hindi. | |||
Kannada | ಹೋಗಿ | ||
The word "ಹೋಗಿ" (hogi) in Kannada can also mean "to become" or "to pass away." | |||
Malayalam | പോകൂ | ||
പോകൂ can also mean 'to pass by' or 'to escape'. | |||
Marathi | जा | ||
The word "जा" can also be used to indicate "leave" or "quit". | |||
Nepali | जाऊ | ||
The word "जाऊ" in Nepali can also mean "to leave" or "to let go". | |||
Punjabi | ਜਾਣਾ | ||
The Punjabi word "ਜਾਣਾ" (jāṇā) also has the meanings of "to go away" and "to depart." | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | යන්න | ||
The root word of the word | |||
Tamil | போ | ||
When pronounced with a different tone, 'போ' means 'battle' in Tamil. | |||
Telugu | వెళ్ళండి | ||
Cognate with Pali and Sanskrit 'gacchati', also related to Gothic 'gangan' ('to go'). | |||
Urdu | جاؤ | ||
The Urdu verb “جاؤ” can also be used to mean “come” or even “bring” depending on the context and sentence structure used with it. |
Chinese (Simplified) | 走 | ||
In the Chinese character 走 (zǒu), the upper part (辶) represents feet, and the lower part (止) represents stopping, together meaning 'to go'. | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 走 | ||
"走" can also mean "to die", and its radical is "Chou" which means "to walk". | |||
Japanese | 行く | ||
"行く" originally meant "come" from a perspective of someone welcoming an approaching person. | |||
Korean | 가다 | ||
In Old Korean, '가다' meant 'to come', whereas '오다' meant 'to go' | |||
Mongolian | явах | ||
The Mongolian word "явах" (go) derives from the Proto-Mongolic root *yaq-, meaning "to move, advance, or travel". | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | သွား | ||
The word "သွား" can also mean "to take" or "to get" in Myanmar (Burmese). |
Indonesian | pergilah | ||
"Pergi" in Indonesian can be used for both literal physical departure as well as metaphorical leaving of situations and concepts. | |||
Javanese | lunga | ||
The word 'lunga' in Javanese can also mean 'run' or 'walk' depending on context. | |||
Khmer | ទៅ | ||
"ទៅ" means "to go" in Khmer. It can also mean "away". | |||
Lao | ໄປ | ||
Lao "ໄປ" also means "let's go" or "to continue doing something." | |||
Malay | pergi | ||
Pergi (to go) is also used as a farewell greeting. | |||
Thai | ไป | ||
The word "ไป" in Thai can also mean "to leave" or "to disappear". | |||
Vietnamese | đi | ||
The word "đi" also has meanings related to departure, progress, and passing through a place or state. | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | pumunta ka | ||
Azerbaijani | get | ||
"Getmək" fiilinin kökeni "gitmek" fiiline dayanır ve "bir şeyi almak için gitmek" anlamına gelir. | |||
Kazakh | жүр | ||
The word "жүр" ("go") in Kazakh comes from the Persian word "رفتن" ("to go"). It can also mean "to walk" or "to move". | |||
Kyrgyz | кет | ||
The Kyrgyz word "кет" not only means "to go" but also refers to a person's departure from their home or homeland. | |||
Tajik | рафтан | ||
The word "рафтан" also means "to flee" in Tajik. | |||
Turkmen | git | ||
Uzbek | boring | ||
В узбекском языке от слова boring также образовано слово boringlik, имеющее значение "ходьба, передвижение". | |||
Uyghur | كەت | ||
Hawaiian | e hele | ||
"E hele" comes from the proto-Austronesian term *pa-jale, which also meant "go". | |||
Maori | haere | ||
The word "haere" in Maori can also mean "to depart" or "to travel". | |||
Samoan | alu | ||
The word 'alu' in Samoan can also mean 'to walk' or 'to travel' and is derived from the Proto-Polynesian root *alu 'to go'. | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | punta ka na | ||
"Punta ka na" in Tagalog directly refers to the act of going somewhere. |
Aymara | saraña | ||
Guarani | ho | ||
Esperanto | iru | ||
The Esperanto word for “go” also means “eat” in the Ido language and is related to the word “err” in English. | |||
Latin | ire | ||
Ire in Latin also means 'anger' |
Greek | πηγαίνω | ||
The word πηγαίνω is related to the ancient Greek verb πήγνυμι, meaning “to fix, fasten, or make firm.” | |||
Hmong | mus | ||
In Vietnamese, "mus" is also a unit of measurement for distance: "mus" = 1/60 kilometer. | |||
Kurdish | çûyin | ||
The Kurdish word 'çûyin' can also refer to a path, road or journey, highlighting the interconnected nature of movement and place. | |||
Turkish | git | ||
Git can also mean 'leave' or 'depart'. | |||
Xhosa | hamba | ||
The word 'hamba' is also used to indicate movement in different directions, such as 'hamba phambili' (go forward) or 'hamba emva' (go backward). | |||
Yiddish | גיין | ||
In Yiddish, "גיין" (geyn) can also mean "to come" or "to get". | |||
Zulu | hamba | ||
In Zulu, "hamba" also means "walk" or "leave." | |||
Assamese | যাওক | ||
Aymara | saraña | ||
Bhojpuri | जाईं | ||
Dhivehi | ދޭ | ||
Dogri | जाओ | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | pumunta ka | ||
Guarani | ho | ||
Ilocano | mapan | ||
Krio | go | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | بڕۆ | ||
Maithili | जाउ | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯆꯠꯂꯨ | ||
Mizo | kal | ||
Oromo | deemi | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ଯାଅ | ||
Quechua | riy | ||
Sanskrit | गच्छ | ||
Tatar | бар | ||
Tigrinya | ኪድ | ||
Tsonga | famba | ||