How in Different Languages
Discover 'How' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'how' is a small but mighty one, holding great significance in many languages and cultures around the world. It is a versatile word that can function as an adverb, an interjection, and a pronoun, and is used to inquire about the manner, degree, or extent of something. For example, 'how are you?' or 'how did you do that?'
Throughout history, 'how' has been used in various contexts, from literature to science, to seek understanding and knowledge. It is a word that transcends cultural boundaries and is universally recognized as a means of gathering information.
Moreover, understanding the translation of 'how' in different languages can provide valuable insights into the culture and way of thinking of its people. For instance, in Spanish, 'how' is '¿cómo?', while in French, it is 'comment'. In Japanese, 'how' is 'いかが' (ikaga), and in Chinese, it is '怎樣' (zenme).
So, whether you're a language enthusiast, a world traveler, or simply curious, exploring the translations of 'how' in different languages can be an enriching and educational experience.
How
How in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | hoe | ||
| The Afrikaans word "hoe" can also mean "who" or "whose". | |||
| Amharic | እንዴት | ||
| "እንዴት" can also mean "of what kind" or "what is the nature of," especially in questions like "እንዴት ነው?" (What is it like?) | |||
| Hausa | yaya | ||
| In Hausa, the word 'yaya' can also be used in a manner of asking 'why?'. | |||
| Igbo | kedu | ||
| 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”. | |||
| Malagasy | ahoana | ||
| The Malagasy word "Ahoana" can also mean "manner", "condition", or "quality", depending on the context | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | bwanji | ||
| The word "Bwanji" in Nyanja (Chichewa) is also used as a greeting meaning "hello" or "how are you". | |||
| Shona | sei | ||
| The word "sei" can also mean "what" or "which" in Shona. | |||
| Somali | sidee | ||
| The word "sidee" can also be used as a question word in Somali, similar to "what" or "which" in English. | |||
| Sesotho | joang | ||
| The word 'joang' can also be used to express curiosity, surprise, or disbelief. | |||
| Swahili | vipi | ||
| The word "vipi" in Swahili can also mean "what's up" or "what's new," and is often used as a casual greeting. | |||
| Xhosa | njani | ||
| The word "njani" in Xhosa also means "how are you feeling?" and is used as a greeting. | |||
| Yoruba | bawo | ||
| In some dialects of Yoruba, "bawo" can also mean "which" or "where." | |||
| Zulu | kanjani | ||
| It is a borrowing from the Kongo language, where it means "in what way?". | |||
| Bambara | cogo di | ||
| Ewe | alekee | ||
| Kinyarwanda | gute | ||
| Lingala | ndenge nini | ||
| Luganda | -tya | ||
| Sepedi | bjang | ||
| Twi (Akan) | sɛn | ||
How in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | كيف | ||
| "كيف" is also used in Arabic to ask "what for" or "why". | |||
| Hebrew | אֵיך | ||
| The word אֵיך can also mean "why," "when," or "where." | |||
| Pashto | څه ډول | ||
| The Pashto word “څه ډول” can also mean “what kind” or “what type”. | |||
| Arabic | كيف | ||
| "كيف" is also used in Arabic to ask "what for" or "why". | |||
How in Western European Languages
| Albanian | si | ||
| The word "si" in Albanian can also mean "thus" or "so". | |||
| Basque | nola | ||
| "Nola" in Basque can also mean "what", "why", or "where" depending on the context. | |||
| Catalan | com | ||
| The Catalan word "com" also means "with" or "like". | |||
| Croatian | kako | ||
| The word "kako" in Croatian can also mean "bad" or "poorly". | |||
| Danish | hvordan | ||
| In Old Norse, "hvar" meant "where," and "dán" was an interrogative particle that meant "then." | |||
| Dutch | hoe | ||
| In Dutch, the word "hoe" can also mean "whore" or "hoe" (tool). | |||
| English | how | ||
| 'How' derives ultimately from an Indo-European root word meaning 'to cut, split, or pierce'. | |||
| French | comment | ||
| "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 | hoe | ||
| In Frisian, the word "hoe" can also mean "who" or "whom". | |||
| Galician | como | ||
| In Galician, "como" can also mean "as" or "when". | |||
| German | wie | ||
| The term "Wie" originated from the word "waja", which is related to "to move forward". | |||
| Icelandic | hvernig | ||
| The word "hvernig" may initially derive from the Proto-Germanic word "hwer", meaning "where, whither, whether". | |||
| Irish | conas | ||
| The word "conas" in Irish can also mean "in what way" or "by what means". | |||
| Italian | come | ||
| The Italian word “come” can also mean “like” or “as” when used before a noun or pronoun. | |||
| Luxembourgish | wéi | ||
| Maltese | kif | ||
| The Maltese word "kif" (how) is derived from the Arabic word "kayf" (condition or state). | |||
| Norwegian | hvordan | ||
| "Hvor" is similar to "hvordan" but is used when referring to a specific location. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | quão | ||
| "Quão" can also mean "how much" in Portuguese. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | ciamar | ||
| The word "ciamar" has additional meanings including "as", "since", and "if". | |||
| Spanish | cómo | ||
| 'Cómo', meaning 'how,' derives from Latin 'quomodo,' combining 'quom,' meaning 'in what manner,' and 'modo,' meaning 'manner.' | |||
| Swedish | hur | ||
| "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"} | |||
| Welsh | sut | ||
| The Welsh word 'sut' ('how') can also mean 'why', 'what', 'which', or 'where'. | |||
How in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | як | ||
| In addition to 'how', the Belarusian word 'як' can also mean 'as', 'like', 'if', 'when', 'though', 'although', 'since', 'until', or 'while'. | |||
| Bosnian | kako | ||
| The word "kako" in Bosnian is borrowed from the Turkish word "kaç" (meaning "how much"). | |||
| Bulgarian | как | ||
| "Как" can be used to show surprise or frustration. | |||
| Czech | jak | ||
| The Czech word "jak" can also mean "in what way" or "in what manner". | |||
| Estonian | kuidas | ||
| The Estonian word "kuidas" can also mean "what kind of," "in what way," or "on what grounds." | |||
| Finnish | miten | ||
| "Miten" also means "as" or "how about" in older use and poetry. | |||
| Hungarian | hogyan | ||
| 'Hogy' can also mean 'what,' while 'mintha' may mean 'as if,' as well as 'how,' 'as' or 'like'. | |||
| Latvian | kā | ||
| The word "kā" in Latvian also means "approximately", "about", and "around". | |||
| Lithuanian | kaip | ||
| The word "kaip" is a cognate of "kwaya" which means "what" in the Proto-Indo-European language | |||
| Macedonian | како | ||
| Macedonian "како" (how) also means "as" or "like". | |||
| Polish | w jaki sposób | ||
| The Polish word "w jaki sposób" can also mean "in what manner" or "by what means." | |||
| Romanian | cum | ||
| Russian | как | ||
| "Как" can also mean "like", "as" or "for example". | |||
| Serbian | како | ||
| The word "како" is also an interrogative pronoun meaning "what" or "which." | |||
| Slovak | ako | ||
| In the Orava region of Slovakia, "ako" is used colloquially to mean "to say". | |||
| Slovenian | kako | ||
| Kako is a homograph, meaning it can have different spellings and different meanings depending on the context. | |||
| Ukrainian | як | ||
| The Ukrainian word 'як' ('how') has additional meanings, including 'like' and 'similar to'. As a result, it is also used in proverbs. | |||
How in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | কিভাবে | ||
| The word 'কিভাবে' ('how') in Bengali can also be used in the sense of 'in what way' or 'by what means'. | |||
| Gujarati | કેવી રીતે | ||
| 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. | |||
| Hindi | किस तरह | ||
| The word "किस तरह" also means "in what way" or "by what means". | |||
| Kannada | ಹೇಗೆ | ||
| The word "ಹೇಗೆ" can also mean "in what way" or "by what means" in Kannada. | |||
| Malayalam | എങ്ങനെ | ||
| "എങ്ങനെ" can also refer to a type of plant commonly called "howea". | |||
| Marathi | कसे | ||
| The word "कसे" is derived from the Sanskrit word "कथम्" meaning "in what manner". | |||
| Nepali | कसरी | ||
| "कसरी" is derived from the Sanskrit word " कथम्" (katham) which means "in what manner" | |||
| Punjabi | ਕਿਵੇਂ | ||
| The word "ਕਿਵੇਂ" can also mean "in what way" or "by what means". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | කොහොමද | ||
| The word "කොහොමද" can also refer to "in what way" or "by what means" in Sinhala. | |||
| Tamil | எப்படி | ||
| The word "எப்படி" (eppadi) in Tamil can also mean "in what way" or "by what means". | |||
| Telugu | ఎలా | ||
| ఎలా (elā) is often used as a polite way to ask for something or to request assistance. | |||
| Urdu | کیسے | ||
| The word "کیسے" also means "how many" and "how much" in Urdu. | |||
How in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 怎么样 | ||
| 怎么样 can also be used to ask for someone’s opinion or health. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 怎麼樣 | ||
| In addition to "how," "怎麼樣" also means "what kind of" or "how about." | |||
| Japanese | どうやって | ||
| 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". | |||
| Korean | 어떻게 | ||
| 어떻게 ('how') is derived from the Middle Korean word 어떠히 ('in what manner') and is also used as a polite form of address. | |||
| Mongolian | хэрхэн | ||
| In Mongolian, the word 'хэрхэн' ('how') can also refer to 'manner' or 'method'. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဘယ်လိုလဲ | ||
How in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | bagaimana | ||
| The word "bagaimana" can also mean "what" in Indonesian and is derived from the Proto-Austronesian root word "*ba-gimana" meaning "kind, manner, way." | |||
| Javanese | kepiye | ||
| 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". | |||
| Khmer | របៀប | ||
| "របៀប" can also be used to give instructions or commands. | |||
| Lao | ແນວໃດ | ||
| Malay | bagaimana | ||
| In some contexts, "bagaimana" can also translate to "what if" or "how about" in English. | |||
| Thai | อย่างไร | ||
| The Thai word "อย่างไร" can also mean "what", "why", or "how come" | |||
| Vietnamese | làm sao | ||
| The word "làm sao" can also mean "why" or "how come". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | paano | ||
How in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | necə | ||
| The word "Necə" in Azerbaijani also refers to "some" or "a certain number" when placed before quantifiers like "bir" (one) or "az" (few). | |||
| Kazakh | қалай | ||
| Қалай can also mean "what" or "where" in Kazakh, depending on the context. | |||
| Kyrgyz | кандайча | ||
| The word "кандайча" can also be used as an adverb, meaning "in what way". | |||
| Tajik | чӣ хел | ||
| The word "Чӣ хел" in Tajik can also mean "what kind," "what sort," or "what type." | |||
| Turkmen | nädip | ||
| Uzbek | qanday | ||
| Qanday is a question word, but is also a particle denoting a question in Uzbek. | |||
| Uyghur | قانداق | ||
How in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | pehea | ||
| The Hawaiian word 'pehea' can also mean 'in what way,' 'by what means,' or 'by what method.' | |||
| Maori | pehea | ||
| The word 'pehea' can also be used to refer to a condition or state of being. | |||
| Samoan | faʻafefea | ||
| The Samoan word "faʻafefea" can also be used to mean "manner" or "in what way". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | paano | ||
| "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. | |||
How in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | kunjama | ||
| Guarani | mba'éicha | ||
How in International Languages
| Esperanto | kiel | ||
| "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". | |||
| Latin | quam | ||
| Quam can also mean "to what extent" or "as much as" in Latin. | |||
How in Others Languages
| Greek | πως | ||
| "Πως" can also mean "in what manner" or "by what means". | |||
| Hmong | li cas | ||
| Li cas as a Hmong measure word is also used to quantify the size of flat, thin objects, such as paper. | |||
| Kurdish | çawa | ||
| The Kurdish word "çawa" also means "like" in some dialects of the language. | |||
| Turkish | nasıl | ||
| 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". | |||
| Xhosa | njani | ||
| The word "njani" in Xhosa also means "how are you feeling?" and is used as a greeting. | |||
| Yiddish | ווי | ||
| The Yiddish word "ווי" could also mean "where" or "why" in English. | |||
| Zulu | kanjani | ||
| It is a borrowing from the Kongo language, where it means "in what way?". | |||
| Assamese | কেনেকৈ | ||
| Aymara | kunjama | ||
| Bhojpuri | कईसे | ||
| Dhivehi | ކިހިނެތް | ||
| Dogri | कि'यां | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | paano | ||
| Guarani | mba'éicha | ||
| Ilocano | kasano | ||
| Krio | aw | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | چۆن | ||
| Maithili | कोना | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯀꯔꯝꯅ | ||
| Mizo | engtin | ||
| Oromo | akkam | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | କିପରି | ||
| Quechua | imayna | ||
| Sanskrit | कथम् | ||
| Tatar | ничек | ||
| Tigrinya | ከመይ | ||
| Tsonga | njhani | ||