How in Different Languages
Discover 'How' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
How
Afrikaans hoe | ||
Albanian si | ||
Amharic እንዴት | ||
Arabic كيف | ||
Armenian ինչպես | ||
Assamese কেনেকৈ | ||
Aymara kunjama | ||
Azerbaijani necə | ||
Bambara cogo di | ||
Basque nola | ||
Belarusian як | ||
Bengali কিভাবে | ||
Bhojpuri कईसे | ||
Bosnian kako | ||
Bulgarian как | ||
Catalan com | ||
Cebuano unsaon | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 怎么样 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 怎麼樣 | ||
Corsican cumu | ||
Croatian kako | ||
Czech jak | ||
Danish hvordan | ||
Dhivehi ކިހިނެތް | ||
Dogri कि'यां | ||
Dutch hoe | ||
English how | ||
Esperanto kiel | ||
Estonian kuidas | ||
Ewe alekee | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) paano | ||
Finnish miten | ||
French comment | ||
Frisian hoe | ||
Galician como | ||
Georgian როგორ | ||
German wie | ||
Greek πως | ||
Guarani mba'éicha | ||
Gujarati કેવી રીતે | ||
Haitian Creole koman | ||
Hausa yaya | ||
Hawaiian pehea | ||
Hebrew אֵיך | ||
Hindi किस तरह | ||
Hmong li cas | ||
Hungarian hogyan | ||
Icelandic hvernig | ||
Igbo kedu | ||
Ilocano kasano | ||
Indonesian bagaimana | ||
Irish conas | ||
Italian come | ||
Japanese どうやって | ||
Javanese kepiye | ||
Kannada ಹೇಗೆ | ||
Kazakh қалай | ||
Khmer របៀប | ||
Kinyarwanda gute | ||
Konkani कशें | ||
Korean 어떻게 | ||
Krio aw | ||
Kurdish çawa | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) چۆن | ||
Kyrgyz кандайча | ||
Lao ແນວໃດ | ||
Latin quam | ||
Latvian kā | ||
Lingala ndenge nini | ||
Lithuanian kaip | ||
Luganda -tya | ||
Luxembourgish wéi | ||
Macedonian како | ||
Maithili कोना | ||
Malagasy ahoana | ||
Malay bagaimana | ||
Malayalam എങ്ങനെ | ||
Maltese kif | ||
Maori pehea | ||
Marathi कसे | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯀꯔꯝꯅ | ||
Mizo engtin | ||
Mongolian хэрхэн | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) ဘယ်လိုလဲ | ||
Nepali कसरी | ||
Norwegian hvordan | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) bwanji | ||
Odia (Oriya) କିପରି | ||
Oromo akkam | ||
Pashto څه ډول | ||
Persian چگونه | ||
Polish w jaki sposób | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) quão | ||
Punjabi ਕਿਵੇਂ | ||
Quechua imayna | ||
Romanian cum | ||
Russian как | ||
Samoan faʻafefea | ||
Sanskrit कथम् | ||
Scots Gaelic ciamar | ||
Sepedi bjang | ||
Serbian како | ||
Sesotho joang | ||
Shona sei | ||
Sindhi ڪيئن | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) කොහොමද | ||
Slovak ako | ||
Slovenian kako | ||
Somali sidee | ||
Spanish cómo | ||
Sundanese kumaha | ||
Swahili vipi | ||
Swedish hur | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) paano | ||
Tajik чӣ хел | ||
Tamil எப்படி | ||
Tatar ничек | ||
Telugu ఎలా | ||
Thai อย่างไร | ||
Tigrinya ከመይ | ||
Tsonga njhani | ||
Turkish nasıl | ||
Turkmen nädip | ||
Twi (Akan) sɛn | ||
Ukrainian як | ||
Urdu کیسے | ||
Uyghur قانداق | ||
Uzbek qanday | ||
Vietnamese làm sao | ||
Welsh sut | ||
Xhosa njani | ||
Yiddish ווי | ||
Yoruba bawo | ||
Zulu kanjani |
Etymology & Notes
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | The Afrikaans word "hoe" can also mean "who" or "whose". |
| Albanian | The word "si" in Albanian can also mean "thus" or "so". |
| Amharic | "እንዴት" can also mean "of what kind" or "what is the nature of," especially in questions like "እንዴት ነው?" (What is it like?) |
| Arabic | "كيف" is also used in Arabic to ask "what for" or "why". |
| Azerbaijani | The word "Necə" in Azerbaijani also refers to "some" or "a certain number" when placed before quantifiers like "bir" (one) or "az" (few). |
| Basque | "Nola" in Basque can also mean "what", "why", or "where" depending on the context. |
| Belarusian | In addition to 'how', the Belarusian word 'як' can also mean 'as', 'like', 'if', 'when', 'though', 'although', 'since', 'until', or 'while'. |
| Bengali | The word 'কিভাবে' ('how') in Bengali can also be used in the sense of 'in what way' or 'by what means'. |
| Bosnian | The word "kako" in Bosnian is borrowed from the Turkish word "kaç" (meaning "how much"). |
| Bulgarian | "Как" can be used to show surprise or frustration. |
| Catalan | The Catalan word "com" also means "with" or "like". |
| Cebuano | The word "unsaon" also means "what is the best way to" in Cebuano. |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 怎么样 can also be used to ask for someone’s opinion or health. |
| Chinese (Traditional) | In addition to "how," "怎麼樣" also means "what kind of" or "how about." |
| Corsican | The word "cumu" in Corsican derives from the Latin "quomodo" and also means "when" and "why". |
| Croatian | The word "kako" in Croatian can also mean "bad" or "poorly". |
| Czech | The Czech word "jak" can also mean "in what way" or "in what manner". |
| Danish | In Old Norse, "hvar" meant "where," and "dán" was an interrogative particle that meant "then." |
| Dutch | In Dutch, the word "hoe" can also mean "whore" or "hoe" (tool). |
| Esperanto | "Kiel" derives from an Old Germanic word meaning "manner" (e.g. the English word "skill") which in turn derives from a Proto-Indo-European word meaning "to separate". |
| Estonian | The Estonian word "kuidas" can also mean "what kind of," "in what way," or "on what grounds." |
| Finnish | "Miten" also means "as" or "how about" in older use and poetry. |
| French | "Comment" in French is an adverb meaning "how", but it also derives from the Latin word "commentare" which means "to ponder, to reflect upon." |
| Frisian | In Frisian, the word "hoe" can also mean "who" or "whom". |
| Galician | In Galician, "como" can also mean "as" or "when". |
| German | The term "Wie" originated from the word "waja", which is related to "to move forward". |
| Greek | "Πως" can also mean "in what manner" or "by what means". |
| Gujarati | The Gujarati word "કેવી રીતે" (kevi rite) literally translates to "what way" or "what kind of way," hinting at its original purpose of asking about specific methods or approaches. |
| Haitian Creole | The word "koman" also means "manner" and is thought to derive from the African language Bambara. |
| Hausa | In Hausa, the word 'yaya' can also be used in a manner of asking 'why?'. |
| Hawaiian | The Hawaiian word 'pehea' can also mean 'in what way,' 'by what means,' or 'by what method.' |
| Hebrew | The word אֵיך can also mean "why," "when," or "where." |
| Hindi | The word "किस तरह" also means "in what way" or "by what means". |
| Hmong | Li cas as a Hmong measure word is also used to quantify the size of flat, thin objects, such as paper. |
| Hungarian | 'Hogy' can also mean 'what,' while 'mintha' may mean 'as if,' as well as 'how,' 'as' or 'like'. |
| Icelandic | The word "hvernig" may initially derive from the Proto-Germanic word "hwer", meaning "where, whither, whether". |
| Igbo | The Igbo word “Kedu” can also mean “which” or “what type of,” and is often used in the same way as the English word “what”. |
| Indonesian | The word "bagaimana" can also mean "what" in Indonesian and is derived from the Proto-Austronesian root word "*ba-gimana" meaning "kind, manner, way." |
| Irish | The word "conas" in Irish can also mean "in what way" or "by what means". |
| Italian | The Italian word “come” can also mean “like” or “as” when used before a noun or pronoun. |
| Japanese | In olden Japanese, the word どうやって (douyatte) literally meant 「どのようにして」(douyounishite), "in what way/manner". |
| Javanese | The word "kepiye" in Javanese is derived from the Old Javanese word "kepi" meaning "condition" or "state". It can also be used as an interrogative adverb meaning "in what way" or "by what means". |
| Kannada | The word "ಹೇಗೆ" can also mean "in what way" or "by what means" in Kannada. |
| Kazakh | Қалай can also mean "what" or "where" in Kazakh, depending on the context. |
| Khmer | "របៀប" can also be used to give instructions or commands. |
| Korean | 어떻게 ('how') is derived from the Middle Korean word 어떠히 ('in what manner') and is also used as a polite form of address. |
| Kurdish | The Kurdish word "çawa" also means "like" in some dialects of the language. |
| Kyrgyz | The word "кандайча" can also be used as an adverb, meaning "in what way". |
| Latin | Quam can also mean "to what extent" or "as much as" in Latin. |
| Latvian | The word "kā" in Latvian also means "approximately", "about", and "around". |
| Lithuanian | The word "kaip" is a cognate of "kwaya" which means "what" in the Proto-Indo-European language |
| Macedonian | Macedonian "како" (how) also means "as" or "like". |
| Malagasy | The Malagasy word "Ahoana" can also mean "manner", "condition", or "quality", depending on the context |
| Malay | In some contexts, "bagaimana" can also translate to "what if" or "how about" in English. |
| Malayalam | "എങ്ങനെ" can also refer to a type of plant commonly called "howea". |
| Maltese | The Maltese word "kif" (how) is derived from the Arabic word "kayf" (condition or state). |
| Maori | The word 'pehea' can also be used to refer to a condition or state of being. |
| Marathi | The word "कसे" is derived from the Sanskrit word "कथम्" meaning "in what manner". |
| Mongolian | In Mongolian, the word 'хэрхэн' ('how') can also refer to 'manner' or 'method'. |
| Nepali | "कसरी" is derived from the Sanskrit word " कथम्" (katham) which means "in what manner" |
| Norwegian | "Hvor" is similar to "hvordan" but is used when referring to a specific location. |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | The word "Bwanji" in Nyanja (Chichewa) is also used as a greeting meaning "hello" or "how are you". |
| Pashto | The Pashto word “څه ډول” can also mean “what kind” or “what type”. |
| Persian | In Persian, "چگونه" also has a meaning similar to "what" or "which". |
| Polish | The Polish word "w jaki sposób" can also mean "in what manner" or "by what means." |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | "Quão" can also mean "how much" in Portuguese. |
| Punjabi | The word "ਕਿਵੇਂ" can also mean "in what way" or "by what means". |
| Russian | "Как" can also mean "like", "as" or "for example". |
| Samoan | The Samoan word "faʻafefea" can also be used to mean "manner" or "in what way". |
| Scots Gaelic | The word "ciamar" has additional meanings including "as", "since", and "if". |
| Serbian | The word "како" is also an interrogative pronoun meaning "what" or "which." |
| Sesotho | The word 'joang' can also be used to express curiosity, surprise, or disbelief. |
| Shona | The word "sei" can also mean "what" or "which" in Shona. |
| Sindhi | The Sindhi word "ڪيئن" can also mean "why" or "for what reason". |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | The word "කොහොමද" can also refer to "in what way" or "by what means" in Sinhala. |
| Slovak | In the Orava region of Slovakia, "ako" is used colloquially to mean "to say". |
| Slovenian | Kako is a homograph, meaning it can have different spellings and different meanings depending on the context. |
| Somali | The word "sidee" can also be used as a question word in Somali, similar to "what" or "which" in English. |
| Spanish | 'Cómo', meaning 'how,' derives from Latin 'quomodo,' combining 'quom,' meaning 'in what manner,' and 'modo,' meaning 'manner.' |
| Sundanese | The word "Kumaha" is also used as a form of politeness in Sundanese, expressing deference to the person being addressed. |
| Swahili | The word "vipi" in Swahili can also mean "what's up" or "what's new," and is often used as a casual greeting. |
| Swedish | "Hur" is related to the Old Swedish word "huru" which means "how," "in what manner," or "in what way," and shares a common root with the German word "wie"} |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | "Paano" derives from the Proto-Austronesian word "*pa-anu", meaning "in what way" or "how to". It also means "by what means" or "in what manner" in Old Javanese. |
| Tajik | The word "Чӣ хел" in Tajik can also mean "what kind," "what sort," or "what type." |
| Tamil | The word "எப்படி" (eppadi) in Tamil can also mean "in what way" or "by what means". |
| Telugu | ఎలా (elā) is often used as a polite way to ask for something or to request assistance. |
| Thai | The Thai word "อย่างไร" can also mean "what", "why", or "how come" |
| Turkish | The word "nasıl" is derived from the Proto-Turkic word "nesi" meaning "what" or "how". It can also be used as an adverb to mean "in what way" or "by what means". |
| Ukrainian | The Ukrainian word 'як' ('how') has additional meanings, including 'like' and 'similar to'. As a result, it is also used in proverbs. |
| Urdu | The word "کیسے" also means "how many" and "how much" in Urdu. |
| Uzbek | Qanday is a question word, but is also a particle denoting a question in Uzbek. |
| Vietnamese | The word "làm sao" can also mean "why" or "how come". |
| Welsh | The Welsh word 'sut' ('how') can also mean 'why', 'what', 'which', or 'where'. |
| Xhosa | The word "njani" in Xhosa also means "how are you feeling?" and is used as a greeting. |
| Yiddish | The Yiddish word "ווי" could also mean "where" or "why" in English. |
| Yoruba | In some dialects of Yoruba, "bawo" can also mean "which" or "where." |
| Zulu | It is a borrowing from the Kongo language, where it means "in what way?". |
| English | 'How' derives ultimately from an Indo-European root word meaning 'to cut, split, or pierce'. |