Handful in Different Languages
Discover 'Handful' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Handful
Afrikaans handvol | ||
Albanian grusht | ||
Amharic እፍኝ | ||
Arabic حفنة | ||
Armenian բուռ | ||
Assamese মুষ্টিমেয় | ||
Aymara amparampi lurata | ||
Azerbaijani ovuc | ||
Bambara bololabaarakɛlaw | ||
Basque eskukada | ||
Belarusian жменька | ||
Bengali থাবা | ||
Bhojpuri मुट्ठी भर के बा | ||
Bosnian pregršt | ||
Bulgarian шепа | ||
Catalan grapat | ||
Cebuano kumot | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 少数 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 少數 | ||
Corsican manata | ||
Croatian pregršt | ||
Czech hrst | ||
Danish håndfuld | ||
Dhivehi އަތްތިލަބަޑިއެވެ | ||
Dogri मुट्ठी भर | ||
Dutch handvol | ||
English handful | ||
Esperanto manpleno | ||
Estonian käputäis | ||
Ewe asiʋlo ɖeka | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) dakot | ||
Finnish kourallinen | ||
French poignée | ||
Frisian hânfol | ||
Galician puñado | ||
Georgian მუჭა | ||
German hand voll | ||
Greek χούφτα | ||
Guarani po’a ryru | ||
Gujarati મુઠ્ઠીભર | ||
Haitian Creole ti ponyen | ||
Hausa hannu | ||
Hawaiian lima lima | ||
Hebrew קוֹמֶץ | ||
Hindi मुट्ठी | ||
Hmong puv tes | ||
Hungarian maréknyi | ||
Icelandic handfylli | ||
Igbo aka | ||
Ilocano dakulap ti dakulap | ||
Indonesian segenggam | ||
Irish dornán | ||
Italian manciata | ||
Japanese 一握り | ||
Javanese sakepel | ||
Kannada ಕೈತುಂಬ | ||
Kazakh уыс | ||
Khmer ដៃ | ||
Kinyarwanda intoki | ||
Konkani मुठीभर | ||
Korean 줌 | ||
Krio anful wan | ||
Kurdish kûlmik | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) مشتێک | ||
Kyrgyz ууч | ||
Lao ມື | ||
Latin handful | ||
Latvian sauja | ||
Lingala loboko moke | ||
Lithuanian sauja | ||
Luganda engalo entono | ||
Luxembourgish handvoll | ||
Macedonian грст | ||
Maithili मुट्ठी भरि | ||
Malagasy vitsivitsy | ||
Malay segelintir | ||
Malayalam കൈ നിറയ | ||
Maltese ftit | ||
Maori ringa | ||
Marathi मूठभर | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯈꯨꯠꯁꯥ ꯍꯩꯕꯥ꯫ | ||
Mizo kut zungtang khat | ||
Mongolian цөөхөн | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) လက်တဆုပ်စာ | ||
Nepali मुठ्ठी | ||
Norwegian håndfull | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) ochepa | ||
Odia (Oriya) ହାତଗଣତି | ||
Oromo harka muraasa | ||
Pashto ځیرک | ||
Persian تعداد انگشت شماری | ||
Polish garść | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) punhado | ||
Punjabi ਮੁੱਠੀ ਭਰ | ||
Quechua makilla | ||
Romanian mână | ||
Russian горсть | ||
Samoan lima lima | ||
Sanskrit मुष्टिभ्यां | ||
Scots Gaelic dòrlach | ||
Sepedi ka seatla se se tletšego | ||
Serbian прегршт | ||
Sesotho tse mmalwa | ||
Shona chitsama | ||
Sindhi مٺ | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) අතලොස්සක් | ||
Slovak hrsť | ||
Slovenian peščica | ||
Somali sacab | ||
Spanish puñado | ||
Sundanese sakeupeul | ||
Swahili wachache | ||
Swedish handfull | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) dakot | ||
Tajik даст | ||
Tamil கைப்பிடி | ||
Tatar усал | ||
Telugu కొన్ని | ||
Thai กำมือ | ||
Tigrinya ብኣጻብዕ ዝቑጸሩ | ||
Tsonga voko ra mavoko | ||
Turkish avuç | ||
Turkmen elli | ||
Twi (Akan) nsa kakraa bi | ||
Ukrainian жменька | ||
Urdu مٹھی بھر | ||
Uyghur قولدا | ||
Uzbek hovuch | ||
Vietnamese một nắm đầy tay | ||
Welsh llond llaw | ||
Xhosa zandla | ||
Yiddish האַנדפול | ||
Yoruba ọwọ | ||
Zulu idlanzana |
Etymology & Notes
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | In Afrikaans, "handvol" also refers to a small group of people or animals. |
| Albanian | The word "grusht" also means "fist" in Albanian. |
| Amharic | The word "እፍኝ" can also refer to "a small portion of something" or "a token of appreciation." |
| Arabic | حفنة is derived from the root حفـن, which can also mean 'to seize' or 'to clench'. |
| Armenian | The Armenian term |
| Azerbaijani | The word "ovuc" is also used as a counting noun for certain objects, such as fruits and sweets. |
| Basque | (In Basque) 'Eskukada' literally means 'a blow with the hand', but is also used to describe a small amount of something that can be held in one hand. |
| Belarusian | In other Slavic languages жменя can mean something that you can grab in one hand (like a горсть), a skein of thread, or a small object. |
| Bengali | The word "থাবা" is derived from the Sanskrit word "stabdha", meaning "held firmly". |
| Bosnian | The word "pregršt" in Bosnian, meaning "handful," is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "pьr̥stь" meaning "finger." |
| Bulgarian | The word "шепа" in Bulgarian also has the colloquial meaning of a small amount of something, such as a "pinch" of salt. |
| Catalan | The Catalan word "grapat" comes from the verb "agafar" (to take) and ultimately derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *kap- (to seize). |
| Cebuano | The Cebuano word "kumot" comes from the Malay word "kumut" and Proto-Austronesian term "*kumut" meaning "to wrap or cover." |
| Chinese (Simplified) | "少数" means "a small number" in Chinese but can also refer to "an ethnic minority". |
| Chinese (Traditional) | In Chinese literature, 少數 has also been used metaphorically to mean "a select group" or "a few distinguished individuals". |
| Corsican | Corsican "manata" comes from "mata", another word for "hand". In Sardinia, the word is "manada" and has a plural "manadas". |
| Croatian | The word "pregršt" in Croatian is cognate with the Polish word "garść" and the Old Church Slavonic word "gьrstь", all meaning "handful". It can also refer to a small amount of something, such as a pinch of salt or a handful of flour. |
| Czech | "Hrst" can also describe a small group of people or something in a small quantity that can fit in your hand. |
| Danish | The word "håndfuld" is literally "mouthful" in Danish and is often used figuratively to mean "a lot". |
| Dutch | In Dutch, "handvol" originally meant "fistful" and could have referred to anything from a small amount to a large handful. |
| Esperanto | "Manpleno" literally means "man-full" in Esperanto. |
| Estonian | The word "käputäis" can also refer to a small amount of something, or to a group of people who are close-knit. |
| Finnish | The word "kourallinen" can also mean "a small amount" or "a few". Its etymology is uncertain but it may be derived from the word "kouru" ("trough"). |
| French | In French, "poignée" also means "handle" or "grip". |
| Frisian | The Frisian word "hânfol" is cognates with the English "handful" from Middle English "handeful". |
| Galician | Puñado can also mean "a small amount of something" or "a group of people" in Galician. |
| Georgian | "მუჭა" is an Old Georgian word for "a handful," as well as the palm of the hand, or a fist. |
| German | The German word "Handvoll" not only means "handful" but is also a measure of volume for bulk goods, roughly equivalent to a US pint. |
| Greek | The word "χούφτα" in Greek also means "a small amount" or "a little bit". |
| Gujarati | મુઠ્ઠીભર (pronounced muthi-bhar) means 'a small amount' or 'a few' in Gujarati, and is an alternate meaning of the word 'handful'. |
| Haitian Creole | Ti ponyen (pronounced "ti pon-yayn") is the Haitian Creole word for "handful," and also means "a small amount." |
| Hausa | The Hausa word "hannu" for "a handful" is also the word for a type of soup. |
| Hawaiian | "Lima lima" is also an idiomatic expression in Hawaiian, used to figuratively describe "a very small quantity". |
| Hebrew | From the same root as קְמָץ (kamatz) – the vowel pronounced like “ah” in English |
| Hindi | The word "मुट्ठी" also refers to a clenched fist or a small group of people. |
| Hmong | The original meaning of puv tes was 'a quantity that would fit in the curved space between the first three toes and the palm of the hand'. |
| Hungarian | "maréknyi" also means "a few, several" in Hungarian, like "maréknyi ember" = "a few people" |
| Icelandic | A "handful" is also an old measurement in Iceland, equivalent to 1200 fathoms or 1800 meters. |
| Igbo | The word "aka" also means "claw" or "hoof" in Igbo. |
| Indonesian | The word "segenggam" can also mean "a small amount" or "a few". |
| Irish | The word "dornán" also refers to a small bird, and is related to the Irish word for "fist", "dorn". |
| Italian | In the 14th century, "manciata" meant "a sum of money that could be held in one hand". |
| Japanese | "一握り" also means "a small group of people" or "a few". |
| Javanese | The word |
| Kannada | The word "ಕೈತುಂಬ" can also mean "a small amount or quantity" or "a large number or crowd" in Kannada. |
| Kazakh | The word "уыс" comes from the Kazakh word "уысқақ", meaning "little handful". |
| Khmer | ដៃ can also refer to handful (small quantity) or to a cluster or group of people, animals or things. |
| Korean | The word 줌 can also refer to a unit of measurement similar to a handful, but specifically for grains or other small particles. |
| Kurdish | The Kurdish word "kûlmik" is a cognate to the Persian word "kaland" or "kalend", referring to a measurement related to a handful, typically of walnuts. |
| Kyrgyz | In Kyrgyz, "ууч" (handful) can also refer to the amount that can be held between the thumb and index finger. |
| Lao | The Lao word "ມື" can also refer to a small group of people, such as a family or a group of friends. |
| Latin | The Latin word “manipulus” (a handful) has also been used to name a Roman military unit of 120 to 160 men, who trained in groups of 30 to 40, each under the command of a centurion. |
| Latvian | The word "sauja" originated from an old Indo-European word meaning "to grab" and is closely related to the Latin "manus" - hand. |
| Lithuanian | In Latvian, the cognate 'sauja' denotes 'a fist' with the derived verb 'saut' meaning 'to grasp'. |
| Luxembourgish | The word "handvoll" in Luxembourgish can also mean "a lot" or "a large amount". |
| Macedonian | The word "грст" in Macedonian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *gъrstь, meaning "handful", and is related to the Russian word "горсть" (gorst), meaning "a handful". |
| Malagasy | There is no alternative meaning for this word. |
| Malay | The word "segelintir" also means "a small, scattered amount" and is derived from the words "segenggam" (a handful) and "lintir" (to twist or wring). |
| Malayalam | The Malayalam word കൈ നിറയ also means 'a handful of something' or 'a fair amount of something', akin to the English phrase 'a handful'. |
| Maltese | The word 'ftit', originating from the Semitic root 'FTT', conveys not only 'handful' but also 'bit', 'piece', and 'fragment'. |
| Maori | "Ringa" also translates to "digit," "finger," or "toe" |
| Marathi | The term 'मुठभर' can also refer to a small quantity or group of something. |
| Mongolian | The Mongolian word "цөөхөн" also means "few", or "a small number". |
| Nepali | The word 'मुठ्ठी' has an alternate meaning of 'fist' in the Nepali language. |
| Norwegian | The word "håndfull" also means "amount" or "group" in Norwegian, as in "en håndfull mennesker" (a group of people). |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | The word "ochepa" can also be used figuratively to refer to a small amount or quantity of something. |
| Pashto | The Pashto word ځیرک "handful" can also refer to a small amount, or a little bit of something. |
| Persian | The Persian word "تعداد انگشت شماری" (literally "a number of fingers") is also used to mean "a few" or "a small number". |
| Polish | The word "garść" in Polish also shares the same Indo-European root with words meaning "hand" in German, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Dutch, Irish, Welsh, Breton, Latin, Greek, Albanian and Armenian. |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | In Portuguese, "punhado" can also refer to something small or meager or to a small group or number. |
| Punjabi | The Punjabi word "ਮੁੱਠੀ ਭਰ" (a handful) literally means "a fist full" and can also refer to a small or insignificant amount of something. |
| Romanian | Mână also refers (archaic and poetic, mostly plural - mâini) to the whole quantity, the total sum, and also (poetic and figurative) to an unspecified amount or to an indefinite number. |
| Russian | Originally the word meant "to collect" and is related to the word "harvest"} |
| Samoan | "Lima lima" can also refer to the fingers, the space between the thumb and forefinger, or a pair of tweezers. |
| Scots Gaelic | The word dòrlach can also mean "gathering" or "group of people" |
| Serbian | The word "прегршт" in Serbian can also refer to a measure of volume equal to the amount that can be held in a cupped hand. |
| Sesotho | The word 'tse mmalwa' can also refer to a small group or a small amount of something. |
| Shona | The word chit(sa)ma can also mean "bundle" or "parcel" and is related to the word chik(um)bu "to hold or carry something in an outstretched hand or other support". |
| Sindhi | The word "مٺ" in Sindhi can also refer to a group of people or a small quantity of something. |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | The term 'athalossak' (Sinhala: අතලොස්සක්), meaning 'a handful', originates from the Sanskrit word 'mushti' (मुष्टि), which also means 'a fist' or 'a handful'. |
| Slovak | "Hrsť" also means hour in Slovak (from the Proto-Slavic word *godъ, *godъ, the first originally meaning a time of the day, then an hour, and the second meaning a year). |
| Slovenian | The word "peščica" derives from the Slovene word "pestiti", meaning "to pestle" and originally denoting a pestle used for grinding grain into flour. |
| Somali | The word 'sacab' is derived from the Arabic word 'saqaba', meaning to grasp or take hold of, and can also refer to a measure of weight or the space between the thumb and forefinger. |
| Spanish | The word "puñado" can also mean "a small group or quantity" or "a difficult or unpleasant situation."} |
| Sundanese | The Sundanese word “sakeupeul” (“handful”) comes from the Proto-Malayo-Polynesian root *qañkup which also produced cognates found in Javanese and Balinese (“segenggam”). |
| Swahili | The Swahili word "wachache" also alludes to a small or limited quantity, like "a few" |
| Swedish | "Handfull" can also refer to a small group of people ("en handfull människor") or a small amount of something abstract (e.g. "en handfull förhoppningar"). |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | "Dakot" in Tagalog, meaning "handful," is also used to count small bundles of bills or cigarettes. |
| Tajik | The word “даст” in Tajik, which means “full palm”, is borrowed from the Persian language, in which it means “handle.” |
| Tamil | The Tamil word 'கைப்பிடி' ('handful') originally referred to the hilt or grip of a sword, and its literal meaning is 'that which is held in the hand'. |
| Telugu | In ancient Telugu literature, 'kొన్ని' is often used as an adjective to mean 'small', 'tiny', or 'limited'. |
| Thai | In Thai, "กำมือ" also means "to make a fist" and is related to the word "กำ" (to hold, grasp). |
| Turkish | "Avuç" kelimesi Farsça "avuş" (el ayası) sözcüğünden gelir ve aynı zamanda |
| Ukrainian | The alternative meaning of "жменька" is "a small amount". |
| Urdu | The idiom 'مٹھی بھر' (a handful) is also used to figuratively convey 'a few or some' of a group of people |
| Uzbek | "Hovuch" also means "bundle, bunch, heap, load, mass, quantity, roll, sheaf, stack, stock, wad" in Uzbek. |
| Vietnamese | The word "một nắm đầy tay" can also mean "a few". |
| Welsh | The Welsh word "llond llaw" literally means "full hand" and can also refer to a generous portion or a group of people. |
| Xhosa | The word "zandla" in Xhosa can also refer to a "hand" or a "paw." |
| Yiddish | "האַנדפול" (handful) in Yiddish also means "a small group of people who work closely together". |
| Yoruba | The Yoruba word "ọwọ" primarily means "handful" but can also refer to a "grip", "handle", or "authority." |
| Zulu | "Idlanzana" (handful) also refers to a portion of a person's body (e.g. arm, leg) or a specified unit of measurement. |
| English | The etymology of "handful" is obscure, but it may derive from the Old English "handfull", meaning a quantity that can be held in one hand. |