Heel in Different Languages
Discover 'Heel' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'heel' carries significant meaning and cultural importance across the globe. Derived from Old English 'hēla', it refers to the back part of the human foot or an article attached to the bottom of a shoe for support. Historically, high heels were a symbol of high class and status in various cultures, including ancient Egypt and Persia.
Moreover, the word 'heel' has transcended language barriers and found its way into various languages and cultures. For instance, in Spanish, 'heel' is translated as 'talón', while in French, it's 'talon'. In German, the word is 'Fersen', and in Japanese, it's 'アーチ' (āchi).
Understanding the translation of 'heel' in different languages can provide valuable insights into cultural nuances and language evolution. It can also be a fun and interesting way to learn a new language and connect with people from different backgrounds.
Join us as we explore the various translations of 'heel' in different languages, shedding light on the rich cultural significance and historical contexts associated with this simple yet powerful word.
Heel
Heel in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | baie | ||
| Baie can also mean 'a lot' or 'many' in Afrikaans, a meaning not found in its Dutch cognate 'hiel' | |||
| Amharic | በጣም | ||
| In the 19th century, "በጣም" also meant "completely" or "thoroughly". | |||
| Hausa | sosai | ||
| sosai, as an alternative meaning, also means "an act of being careful" | |||
| Igbo | ukwu | ||
| In Mbaise dialect of Igbo, "ukwu" refers to the foot in general, but in Standard Igbo, it specifically means "heel". | |||
| Malagasy | tena | ||
| The word "tena" can also mean "to have" or "to possess" in Malagasy. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kwambiri | ||
| In Nyanja, Kwambiri is also used to refer to the bottom point of a hill. | |||
| Shona | chaizvo | ||
| The word "chaizvo" can also refer to the back of the shoe or the part of the foot that touches the ground when walking. | |||
| Somali | aad | ||
| The Somali word "aad" can also refer to a type of traditional dance, a footprint, or a base or foundation. | |||
| Sesotho | haholo | ||
| The word "haholo" also means "to tread or trample" in Sesotho. | |||
| Swahili | sana | ||
| The word "sana" also means "healthy" or "healed" in Swahili. | |||
| Xhosa | kakhulu | ||
| The word "kakhulu" can also refer to the end of a whip or other object. | |||
| Yoruba | pupọ | ||
| The word "pupọ" in Yoruba also means "backbone" or "backbone of the foot". | |||
| Zulu | kakhulu | ||
| The word "kakhulu" also means "back of the foot" and "the ankle joint". | |||
| Bambara | bɛɛ | ||
| Ewe | katã | ||
| Kinyarwanda | byose | ||
| Lingala | nyonso | ||
| Luganda | -onna | ||
| Sepedi | ka moka | ||
| Twi (Akan) | nyinaa | ||
Heel in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | للغاية | ||
| The word "للغاية" can also mean "for the purpose of" or "to the end that". | |||
| Hebrew | מאוד | ||
| The Hebrew word "מאוד" (heel) also means "very" or "greatly" and is related to the Aramaic word "עוד" (more). | |||
| Pashto | ډېر | ||
| The Pashto word "ډېر" also means "very" and "much". | |||
| Arabic | للغاية | ||
| The word "للغاية" can also mean "for the purpose of" or "to the end that". | |||
Heel in Western European Languages
| Albanian | shumë | ||
| In Albanian, "shumë" means "heel" but it also means "much" or "many." | |||
| Basque | oso | ||
| The origin of the Basque word for heel "oso" is disputed, as it could be either Proto-Basque or a borrowing from an unknown language | |||
| Catalan | molt | ||
| The word "molt" in Catalan also means "very" or "a lot". | |||
| Croatian | vrlo | ||
| In Croatian, "vrlo" can also refer to a very small amount of something, such as "a drop" or "a pinch." | |||
| Danish | meget | ||
| The Danish word "meget" can also mean "very, much". | |||
| Dutch | heel | ||
| The Dutch word "hiel" for heel comes from an Indo-European root meaning "joint", related to the English heel and Greek χεῖλος (kheîlos), "lip". | |||
| English | heel | ||
| In addition to its anatomical sense, "heel" can refer to the end of a loaf of bread, a person who behaves contemptibly, or a type of dance step. | |||
| French | très | ||
| "Très" in French can also refer to a rope used to tie up animals, or a chain or rope used to attach something. | |||
| Frisian | hiel | ||
| Hiel can also mean "ankle tendon" or "sole" in Frisian. | |||
| Galician | moi | ||
| The word "moi" can also refer to the wooden base on which a wine barrel rests. | |||
| German | sehr | ||
| "sehr" can also be used as a synonym for "nice" in the German language. | |||
| Icelandic | mjög | ||
| The word 'mjög' comes from the Proto-Germanic word 'magizô', which also meant 'strong' or 'powerful'. | |||
| Irish | an- | ||
| The word "an" can also mean "a" in Irish, as in "an fear" (the man). | |||
| Italian | molto | ||
| The word "molto" can also mean "a lot" or "very" in Italian, derived from the Latin word "multus" meaning "much". | |||
| Luxembourgish | ganz | ||
| The word "ganz" can also refer to the "leg" or the "bottom end" of something in Luxembourgish. | |||
| Maltese | ħafna | ||
| The Maltese word "ħafna" is cognate to the Arabic word "كعب" and the Hebrew word "עקב" meaning "heel" and figuratively "follow". | |||
| Norwegian | veldig | ||
| The Norwegian word 'veldig' also means 'very', originating from the Proto-Germanic word 'valdiz' meaning 'strong' or 'dominating'. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | muito | ||
| In Brazil "muito" is also an informal way to say "very". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | glè | ||
| Scots Gaelic "glè" is cognate with Irish "gleo", meaning "shining, radiant" and is likely derived from the Proto-Celtic *glei-, meaning "glow, shine". | |||
| Spanish | muy | ||
| The Spanish word "muy" (very), comes from the Latin word "multum", which also means "much". This is why in some contexts "muy" can also mean "much" (in the sense of quantity) or "very much". | |||
| Swedish | mycket | ||
| The word "mycket" also means "very, much" in Swedish. | |||
| Welsh | iawn | ||
| The word "iawn" in Welsh also refers to the ankle or lower leg. | |||
Heel in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | вельмі | ||
| "Вельмі" also means "extremely" or "greatly" in Belarusian. | |||
| Bosnian | vrlo | ||
| In Serbian and Croatian, "vrlo" (heel) also means "very" in the sense of "to a great degree". | |||
| Bulgarian | много | ||
| The word "много" can also mean "much" or "many" in Bulgarian. | |||
| Czech | velmi | ||
| The Czech word "velmi" can also mean "very" or "extremely", derived from the Proto-Slavic word *velimi, meaning "great". | |||
| Estonian | väga | ||
| The Estonian word "väga" also signifies movement, specifically "a slow, deliberate motion", "a slight shaking", or a "hesitant swaying", like of a bird that cannot yet fly. | |||
| Finnish | erittäin | ||
| "Erittäin" (heel) comes from the Proto-Finnic word "*eretä" meaning "to separate" | |||
| Hungarian | nagyon | ||
| In Hungarian, "nagyon" means "heel" but is also used figuratively to mean "very" or "extremely". | |||
| Latvian | ļoti | ||
| In Latvian, "ļoti" also means "very" or "much". | |||
| Lithuanian | labai | ||
| The word "labai" originates from Proto-Slavic "lobъ", and in other West Slavic languages, the same word (e.g. Polish "łeb") means "head" or "skull". | |||
| Macedonian | многу | ||
| The word "многу" also means "much" or "many" in Macedonian. | |||
| Polish | bardzo | ||
| The word "bardzo" also means "strongly" in Polish. | |||
| Romanian | foarte | ||
| The Romanian word "foarte" comes from the Latin word "forte", which means "strong" or "powerful." | |||
| Russian | очень | ||
| The word "очень" has the alternate meaning of "very" in Russian. | |||
| Serbian | врло | ||
| The Serbian word "врло" (heel) is also used to describe a person who is clumsy or slow. | |||
| Slovak | veľmi | ||
| The word "veľmi" can also be an adjective meaning "great" or "very". | |||
| Slovenian | zelo | ||
| In Latin, "zelo" means "with zeal". | |||
| Ukrainian | дуже | ||
| "Дуже" (heel) can also refer to the part of a shoe covering the heel or the part of a stocking or sock that fits around the heel. | |||
Heel in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | খুব | ||
| The Bengali word "খুব" (khuv) also means "very" or "greatly" in the sense of intensity or quantity, similar to the English "very" or "much". | |||
| Gujarati | ખૂબ | ||
| The word 'khub' is also used in Gujarati to refer to the end part of a stick or a rod. | |||
| Hindi | बहुत | ||
| The Hindi word 'बहुत' also means 'much' and is related to the Sanskrit word 'bahu' (meaning many). | |||
| Kannada | ತುಂಬಾ | ||
| Malayalam | വളരെ | ||
| "വളരെ" also means "increase" or "grow" in Malayalam. | |||
| Marathi | खूप | ||
| In Marathi, "खूप" can mean "abundant" or "sufficient" in addition to "heel". | |||
| Nepali | धेरै | ||
| "धेरै" also means "much" or "many" in Nepali. | |||
| Punjabi | ਬਹੁਤ | ||
| "ਬਹੁਤ" also means 'very' or 'too much' when used as an adjective, and 'more' or 'too' when used as an adverb. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ඉතාම | ||
| 'ඉතාම' can also be used to refer to the back of a book, or to the end of a stick. | |||
| Tamil | மிகவும் | ||
| In addition to "heel," "மிகவும்" can also mean "exceedingly" or "very much". | |||
| Telugu | చాలా | ||
| In Telugu, 'చాలా' also means 'enough' or 'much'. | |||
| Urdu | بہت | ||
| The Urdu word 'bahut' may also refer to a unit of measure, 'a lot' or 'very much'. | |||
Heel in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 非常 | ||
| "非常" can also mean "exceptional" in Chinese, reflecting its original meaning of "something that goes beyond the ordinary." | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 非常 | ||
| "非常" has another meaning of "extraordinary" or "very." | |||
| Japanese | 非常に | ||
| 非常に is often translated as "very", but it can also mean "exactly" or "exceptionally". | |||
| Korean | 대단히 | ||
| 대단히' in Korean can also mean 'very' or 'great', a possible remnant of the honorific connotation the character 大 originally bore during Middle Chinese. | |||
| Mongolian | маш их | ||
| The word "маш их" can also refer to the back, the rear end, or the hindquarters of animals. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အရမ်း | ||
Heel in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | sangat | ||
| The word "sangat" also refers to the rear part of a ship or aircraft. | |||
| Javanese | banget | ||
| Javanese word "banget" also means "very", "really", or "extremely" in Indonesian. | |||
| Khmer | ខ្លាំងណាស់ | ||
| “ខ្លាំងណាស់” (heel) originally referred to the “hard and calloused part of the sole of the foot” before it was used to describe “strong” or “severe”. | |||
| Lao | ຫຼາຍ | ||
| The word "ຫຼາຍ" can also mean "many" or "much" in Lao. | |||
| Malay | sangat | ||
| The Malay word 'sangat' can also mean 'very', and shares its etymology with the Javanese word 'sanget'. | |||
| Thai | มาก | ||
| In Thai, "มาก" (mák) can mean either "heel" or "much, many" depending on the context. | |||
| Vietnamese | rất | ||
| The word "rất" in Vietnamese also means "very" or "much". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | lahat | ||
Heel in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | çox | ||
| The word "çox" can also mean "very" or "much" in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | өте | ||
| "Өте" can also refer to the end or result of something. | |||
| Kyrgyz | абдан | ||
| The origin of "абдан" is likely Persian, with the word "abdân" meaning "foot or leg". There also appears to be a word "abd" in Mongolian, Kalm, and Uzbek, meaning a "horse's hoof", so an etymological link is possible. | |||
| Tajik | хеле | ||
| The word «хеле» can also refer to the sole of shoes or the back heel of a horse's shoe. | |||
| Turkmen | hemmesi | ||
| Uzbek | juda | ||
| The word "juda" in Uzbek can also mean "very" or "extremely". | |||
| Uyghur | ھەممىسى | ||
Heel in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | loa | ||
| The Hawaiian word "loa" can also refer to the bottom of the foot, a base or foundation, or a long period of time. | |||
| Maori | rawa | ||
| The word "rawa" also means "to stand firmly" or "to be steady" in Maori. | |||
| Samoan | lava | ||
| The Samoan word also means "to step", or "to walk". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | napaka | ||
| The word "napaka" can also refer to a mistake or error, highlighting the connection between physical and abstract missteps in Tagalog. | |||
Heel in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | taqini | ||
| Guarani | opavave | ||
Heel in International Languages
| Esperanto | tre | ||
| The word "tre" in Esperanto is derived from the Latin "tres" (three), as the heel is the third part of the foot. It can also refer to the number three, a group of three, or a triad. | |||
| Latin | ipsum | ||
| The word "ipsum" in Latin also means "the same" or "itself". | |||
Heel in Others Languages
| Greek | πολύ | ||
| "Πολύς" in Greek can also mean "a lot" or "much", and is related to the Latin "plus" (more) and the English "plenitude" (abundance). | |||
| Hmong | heev | ||
| In Hmong, "heev" can also refer to the bottom or foundation of a mountain. | |||
| Kurdish | gellek | ||
| The Kurdish word "gellek" also refers to a small, round-shaped stone used in traditional games. | |||
| Turkish | çok | ||
| The word 'çok' in Turkish can also be used to refer to a 'leg' or a 'thigh'. | |||
| Xhosa | kakhulu | ||
| The word "kakhulu" can also refer to the end of a whip or other object. | |||
| Yiddish | זייער | ||
| 'זייער' also refers to the part of a garment closest to someone's body. | |||
| Zulu | kakhulu | ||
| The word "kakhulu" also means "back of the foot" and "the ankle joint". | |||
| Assamese | আটাইবোৰ | ||
| Aymara | taqini | ||
| Bhojpuri | कुल्हि | ||
| Dhivehi | ހުރިހާ | ||
| Dogri | सब्भै | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | lahat | ||
| Guarani | opavave | ||
| Ilocano | amin | ||
| Krio | ɔl | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | گشت | ||
| Maithili | सभटा | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯄꯨꯝꯅꯃꯛ | ||
| Mizo | zavai | ||
| Oromo | hunda | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ସମସ୍ତ | ||
| Quechua | llapan | ||
| Sanskrit | सर्वे | ||
| Tatar | барысы да | ||
| Tigrinya | ኩሎም | ||
| Tsonga | hinkwaswo | ||