Good in different languages

Good in Different Languages

Discover 'Good' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.

Updated on March 6, 2024

The word 'good' is a small but powerful term, encompassing a wide range of positive concepts such as excellence, virtue, and generosity. Its significance extends far beyond mere semantics, as it forms the very foundation of many cultural values and ethical systems. To know the translation of 'good' in different languages is to gain a deeper appreciation for the richness and diversity of human experience.

For instance, the German word 'gut' not only means 'good' but also implies capability and skill. Meanwhile, the Chinese character for 'good' (好) is composed of two parts - 'woman' and 'child' - suggesting the nurturing and protective qualities associated with goodness. In the African nation of Ghana, the word 'bra' means 'good' in the Twi language, reflecting the culture's emphasis on community and harmony.

Below, you will find a comprehensive list of translations for the word 'good' in various languages. Explore them, and discover the unique perspectives and values that each language and culture brings to this universal concept.

Good


Good in Sub-Saharan African Languages

Afrikaansgoed
The Afrikaans word "goed" originates from the Dutch word "goed" meaning "property" and refers to one's possessions or assets.
Amharicጥሩ
"ጥሩ" can also mean "healthy" or "delicious" depending on context.
Hausamai kyau
Mai kyau shares its root with other Hausa words meaning "good" or "beautiful", such as "kyawo" (beautiful person) and "kyakkyawa" (beautiful thing).
Igboezi
In Igbo, the word "ezi" is often used in names referring to a person with good character or in proverbs.
Malagasytsara
The Malagasy word 'tsara', meaning "good", is also associated with concepts of beauty, well-being, and righteousness.
Nyanja (Chichewa)chabwino
"Chabwino" is cognate with "chabvuno" (knowledge or wisdom).
Shonakugona
The morpheme `-ku-` in `kugona` is a form of the morpheme `ku-` used in infinitive constructions, while the root `-gon-` means "to be sweet"}
Somaliwanaagsan
Somali "wanaagsan" comes from Arabic "n`ama" meaning "good" or "blessing" but also "wealth or prosperity" and thus "beautiful" in reference to women's adornments.
Sesothohantle
The word "hantle" can also mean "very" or "well".
Swahilinzuri
The Swahili word "nzuri" can also mean "beautiful" or "right".
Xhosakulungile
The word "Kulungile" in Xhosa also means "healthy."
Yorubadara
In Yoruba, 'dara' originally referred to a state of being 'healthy', highlighting the connection between physical well-being and goodness.
Zulukuhle
The word "kuhle" in Zulu also means "beautiful" or "attractive", and is related to the word "ukukha" (to shine).
Bambaraduman
Eweenyo
Kinyarwandabyiza
Lingalamalamu
Lugandakirungi
Sepedigabotse
Twi (Akan)papa

Good in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicحسن
حسن (good) in Arabic derives from the Semitic root ḥ-s-n, which also signifies beauty, approval, and excellence
Hebrewטוֹב
The Hebrew word "טוֹב" can also mean "pleasant" or "beneficial".
Pashtoښه
The word "ښه" ("good") in Pashto is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *wes-, meaning "to desire" or "to be well."
Arabicحسن
حسن (good) in Arabic derives from the Semitic root ḥ-s-n, which also signifies beauty, approval, and excellence

Good in Western European Languages

Albanianmirë
The word "mirë" is also used in Albanian to express "thank you," "very well," or "okay."
Basqueona
The term 'ona' also refers to a 'good' type of weather and to an 'auspicious' time or day.
Catalan
"Bé" also means "well" or something "OK" in Catalan, and it can be used as an adjective, an adverb, or a noun.
Croatiandobro
The word 'dobro' can also refer to property, wealth, or an estate in Croatian.
Danishgodt
'Godt' can also mean 'candy' or 'sweets' in Danish.
Dutchmooi zo
The Afrikaans phrase "mooi so" also means "pretty thing" or "good-looking."
Englishgood
The word "good" originates from the Proto-Germanic word "gōdaz," meaning "suitable, appropriate, fitting."
Frenchbien
In the Old French language, "bien" also meant "well," an adverb still in use today.
Frisiangoed
The Frisian word "goed" can also mean "property" or "estate", derived from the Old Frisian word "gōd" or "gōd
Galicianbo
The word bo in Galician is also used as an interjection to express approval or admiration, similar to the English "well done" or the Spanish "bien hecho."
Germangut
German "gut" may derive from the Proto-Germanic "gudaz," which also meant "battle" or "war."
Icelandicgóður
"Góður" shares a root with "gefa" meaning "to give". Hence, one of its meanings is "generous".
Irishmaith
The word "maith" can also mean "well" or "nicely", and is cognate with the Welsh word "mad" and the Breton word "mat".
Italianbene
“Bene” also means “well,” as in “well-being” (“benessere”).
Luxembourgishgutt
The word "gutt" comes from the Old High German word "guot" and is related to the words "god" and "good".
Maltesetajjeb
The Maltese word " tajjeb " ("good") is derived from Sicilian "tagghiari" ("to fix"), and can also mean: - to feel better - to agree
Norwegiangod
In Norwegian, “god” means “good” as in “godt” but without the
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil)boa
"Boa" in Portuguese is etymologically derived from the Latin "bonua", and also means "snake boa constrictor".
Scots Gaelicmath
In Scots Gaelic, the word "math" not only means "good" but also denotes prosperity, happiness, and success.
Spanishbueno
"Bueno" in Spanish means not only "good," but also "okay," "healthy," or "tasty."
Swedishbra
The word "bra" can also refer to a hilltop or a steep slope in Swedish, as well as the upper part of a mast.
Welshda
The Welsh word "da" has cognates in other Celtic languages, such as Irish "dea" and Breton "mat".

Good in Eastern European Languages

Belarusianдобра
"Добра" can also refer to "property" or "belongings".
Bosniandobro
The word "dobro" in Bosnian can also refer to the common good, well-being, or the abstract concept of virtue.
Bulgarianдобре
The word 'добре' can also mean 'well', 'okay', or 'all right' in Bulgarian.
Czechdobrý
Dobry, meaning "good" in Czech, is derived from the Proto-Slavic *dobrъ, which meant "useful" or "beneficial."
Estonianhea
The word "hea" in Estonian also refers to a "good" or "strong" beverage, similar to "heady" in English.
Finnishhyvä
The word "hyvä" is related to the word "hyvyys" (goodness) and can also convey a sense of health or well-being in Finnish.
Hungarian
The Hungarian "jó" can also mean "right" or "proper".
Latvianlabi
The word "labi" also means "well" or "right" in Latvian, like in the phrase "darīt labi" (to do well).
Lithuaniangerai
Cognate with “geras” in Latgalian, both derived from Proto-Indo-European root *ǵʰéros
Macedonianдобро
The word "добро" is cognate with the Slavic words "dobro" ("good"), "dobry" ("kind"), "dobrota" ("goodness"), and the Latin words "bonus" ("good") and "bene" ("well").
Polishdobry
"Dobry" in Polish can also refer to a person who is kind and helpful.
Romanianbun
"Bun" can also mean a bread roll in Romanian.
Russianхорошо
"Хорошо" can also mean "alright" or "okay" in Russian.
Serbianдобро
The Serbian word "Добро" (good) derives from the Proto-Slavic word "dobro" meaning "suitable, appropriate, worthy"
Slovakdobre
In Slovak, 'dobre' can also mean 'well' or 'okay', and is used to express agreement or understanding.
Sloveniandobro
The root 'dob' of 'dobro' relates to the Indo-European root 'dew', meaning 'to be suitable' or 'to be appropriate'.
Ukrainianдобре
In Ukrainian, "добре" has alternate meanings of "well" or "very".

Good in South Asian Languages

Bengaliভাল
The word "ভাল" can also mean "healthy" or "well-being" in Bengali.
Gujaratiસારું
The word "સારું" also means "complete" or "whole" in Gujarati.
Hindiअच्छा
The Hindi word "अच्छा" is derived from the Sanskrit word "अच्छ" which means "to desire" or "to wish".
Kannadaಒಳ್ಳೆಯದು
In Kannada, 'ಒಳ್ಳೆಯದು' (olleyadu) holds multiple connotations, encompassing virtuous conduct, well-being, and the state of being beneficial or favorable.
Malayalamനല്ലത്
"നല്ലത്" is derived from the Proto-Dravidian word "*naḷ" meaning "well-being, happiness, prosperity".
Marathiचांगले
The word "चांगले" also means "beautiful" or "handsome" in Marathi.
Nepaliराम्रो
The word "राम्रो" in Nepali means "good" but can also mean "handsome" or "beautiful".
Punjabiਚੰਗਾ
ਚੰਗਾ has alternate meanings like 'suitable' and is derived from the Indo-Aryan root 'chag-' meaning 'to fit'.
Sinhala (Sinhalese)හොඳ
"හොඳ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "सुन्दर" (sundara), meaning "beautiful" or "handsome".
Tamilநல்ல
The Tamil word 'நல்ல' (nalla) can also mean 'auspicious', 'suitable', or 'wholesome'.
Teluguమంచిది
మంచిది can also mean 'correct' and is used at the end of phrases to signify agreement or acceptance.
Urduاچھی
اچھی is the feminine form of the word "اچھا" which can also mean "all right" in Urdu.

Good in East Asian Languages

Chinese (Simplified)
好 may also signify that someone is beautiful, delicious, or a skilled performer.
Chinese (Traditional)
In some contexts, 好 can also mean 'to love' or 'to like'.
Japanese良い
The word 良い (yoi) evolved from the Late Middle Japanese expression
Korean좋은
"좋은" in Korean has cognates in Japanese ("よい") and Mongolian ("сайн") meaning "good"
Mongolianсайн
In Khalkha Mongolian, "сайн" can also mean "healthy" or "correct".
Myanmar (Burmese)ကောင်းတယ်

Good in South East Asian Languages

Indonesianbaik
Ba[i]k also means 'repair' in Indonesian which can be seen from the word 'perbaikan' (repair).
Javaneseapik
The word "apik" in Javanese can also refer to something that is complete or whole.
Khmerល្អ
The Khmer word "ល្អ" (good), likely derived from the Sanskrit word "लवण" (salt), also means "salty" or "tasty".
Laoດີ
The word "ດີ" also means "yes" in Lao, as in "yes, I agree with you."
Malaybaik
"Baik" in Malay also means "correct" or "right".
Thaiดี
It may derive from Old Khmer ឝី (/tiː/, 'appropriate') and is cognate to Vietnamese 'đúng' (/ɗuŋ/, 'correct').
Vietnamesetốt
"Tốt" also means "perfect" or "intact", as in "một gia đình tốt" (an intact family) or "một sức khỏe tốt" (good health).
Filipino (Tagalog)mabuti

Good in Central Asian Languages

Azerbaijaniyaxşı
The word "yaxşı" is derived from Proto-Turkic *yaχşı, which also means "right" or "correct".
Kazakhжақсы
The Kazakh word "жақсы" comes from the Old Turkic word "yaqşı". In addition to "good", it can also mean "right". In colloquial speech, it can also be used as an intensifier, similar to the English word "very".
Kyrgyzжакшы
"Жакшы" also means "better" and was originally related to "жакында" ("near, close"), implying that something is "better" because it is "closer".
Tajikхуб
The word "хуб" in Tajik, derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₁su-, is also used to express beauty and moral excellence.
Turkmengowy
Uzbekyaxshi
The word "yaxshi" is also used to refer to a person who is kind, generous, or hospitable.
Uyghurياخشى

Good in Pacific Languages

Hawaiianmaikaʻi loa
The word 'maikaʻi loa' can also mean 'very good', 'excellent', or 'beautiful'.
Maoripai
Pai translates to good in Maori, while the full saying "Ka pai" translates to "very good".
Samoanlelei
The word 'lelei' is also a noun referring to a good friend or companion.
Tagalog (Filipino)mabuti
The Tagalog word "mabuti" is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word "ma-buti" meaning "real" or "true."

Good in American Indigenous Languages

Aymarawaliki
Guaraniiporã

Good in International Languages

Esperantobone
Bone is also used to form adjectives meaning "very" or "really" (e.g. "bone malbela" = "really nasty").
Latinbonum
In Latin, "bonum" also refers to the philosophical concept of an intrinsic value that guides actions.

Good in Others Languages

Greekκαλός
In ancient Greek, καλός was used for physical beauty or moral virtue, as well as for nobility or high birth.
Hmongzoo
The Hmong word "zoo" has cognates in other tonal languages, where it means "right, correct," and "proper," suggesting a link between goodness and correctness.
Kurdishbaş
"Baş" is a word with multiple meanings in Kurdish, including "head" and "good."
Turkishiyi
In Turkish, the word 'iyi' can also mean 'well', 'nice', 'okay', or 'all right'.
Xhosakulungile
The word "Kulungile" in Xhosa also means "healthy."
Yiddishגוט
The Yiddish word 'גוט' can also mean 'property' or 'wealth', deriving from the German word 'Gut'.
Zulukuhle
The word "kuhle" in Zulu also means "beautiful" or "attractive", and is related to the word "ukukha" (to shine).
Assameseভাল
Aymarawaliki
Bhojpuriनीमन
Dhivehiރަނގަޅު
Dogriचंगा
Filipino (Tagalog)mabuti
Guaraniiporã
Ilocanonasayaat
Kriogud
Kurdish (Sorani)باش
Maithiliनीक
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯑꯐꯕ
Mizotha
Oromogaarii
Odia (Oriya)ଭଲ
Quechuaallin
Sanskritशोभन
Tatarяхшы
Tigrinyaፅቡቅ
Tsongakahle

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