Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'into' is a small but powerful preposition in the English language, signifying movement or immersion towards the interior of something or someone. Its significance extends beyond grammar, as it represents a concept deeply ingrained in various cultural contexts and human experiences.
For instance, the English idiom 'to fall in love with someone' uses 'into' to describe the emotional immersion that occurs when one becomes enamored with another person. This phrase is mirrored in many languages, such as the French 'tomber amoureux de quelqu'un' or the Spanish 'enamorarse de alguien', where 'en' and 'de' also convey a sense of movement towards something or someone.
Given the ubiquity of 'into' in English and its cultural importance, understanding its translations in different languages can be a valuable tool for cross-cultural communication and language learning. Here are some translations of 'into' in various languages:
Afrikaans | in | ||
The Afrikaans word "in" can also mean "inside". | |||
Amharic | ወደ | ||
"ወደ" can also mean "near" or "at". | |||
Hausa | cikin | ||
Hausa 'cikin' can also mean 'in' or 'inside' and is cognate with 'ciiki' (place). | |||
Igbo | n'ime | ||
The word "n'ime" is also used figuratively to describe the interior or substance of something. | |||
Malagasy | an- | ||
The prefix 'an-' is also found in many Malagasy words denoting possession or belonging. | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | kulowa | ||
The Nyanja (Chichewa) word "kulowa" also means "entering a room" or "entering a house". | |||
Shona | kupinda | ||
Kupinda also means "to acquire" or "to purchase" in Shona. | |||
Somali | galay | ||
The word "galay" is derived from the Proto-Somali word '*ghal', which meant "towards" or "by means of". | |||
Sesotho | kena | ||
In Zulu, Xhosa and Swati its cognate kina means 'where'. | |||
Swahili | ndani | ||
The word 'ndani' also means 'inside' in Swahili. | |||
Xhosa | ungene | ||
The Xhosa word "ungene" can also mean "to enter" or "to go in." | |||
Yoruba | sinu | ||
The word "sinu" can also mean "inside" or "within" in Yoruba. | |||
Zulu | ungene | ||
In Nguni languages like Zulu and Xhosa, the word 'unge' means 'into' and also implies direction, movement, or entrance. | |||
Bambara | kɔnɔna | ||
Ewe | ɖe eme | ||
Kinyarwanda | in | ||
Lingala | na kati | ||
Luganda | munda | ||
Sepedi | ka go | ||
Twi (Akan) | kɔ mu | ||
Arabic | إلى | ||
إلى ('into') is a preposition in Arabic that can also mean 'towards' or indicate a temporal relationship. | |||
Hebrew | לְתוֹך | ||
The word "**לְתוֹך**" is used in the Bible to denote "going inside" or "penetrating". | |||
Pashto | دننه | ||
The Pashto word "دننه" derives from the Proto-Indo-European word "*dntóh₁-," meaning "in, within." | |||
Arabic | إلى | ||
إلى ('into') is a preposition in Arabic that can also mean 'towards' or indicate a temporal relationship. |
Albanian | në | ||
The Albanian word "në" derives from Proto-Albanian *nē, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *en. | |||
Basque | sartu | ||
Sartu, meaning "into," is also used in Basque geography to denote a pass or gorge. | |||
Catalan | dins | ||
The 'e' ending in `dins` is not etymologically related to the Latin 'e' of `in` or to the Catalan `e` of `de`, which is why it's not subject to vowel harmony rules. | |||
Croatian | u | ||
In Croatian, the word "u" can also mean "at", "on", or "in the presence of". | |||
Danish | ind i | ||
'Ind i' is the formal version of 'i' (into), used after prepositions. | |||
Dutch | in | ||
The Dutch word "in" can also mean "inside" or "within". | |||
English | into | ||
The word "into" originated from the Old English word "in-to" meaning "in" and "to". | |||
French | dans | ||
The word 'dans' also means 'in, inside, within' and derives from Old French 'enz' and Latin 'de intus'. | |||
Frisian | yn | ||
The Frisian preposition "yn" ("in" in English) can also be interpreted as "towards", "on" and "at". | |||
Galician | dentro | ||
The word "dentro" can also mean "inside" in Galician. | |||
German | in | ||
The word "in" in German can also mean "inside" or "within". | |||
Icelandic | inn í | ||
The word "inn í" can also mean "in" or "inside" and is a combination of the words "inn" (in) and "í" (inside). | |||
Irish | isteach | ||
The word "isteach" can also mean "inside" or "within". | |||
Italian | in | ||
"In" (into) in Italian also means "there" and is used in expressions like "there is" or "there are" | |||
Luxembourgish | an | ||
In Luxembourgish, "an" can also mean "at" or "from" indicating location or origin. | |||
Maltese | ġo | ||
"Ġo" also means "in" and "at" in some contexts, and is related to the French word "chez" (at someone's place or home). | |||
Norwegian | inn i | ||
"Inn i" can also mean "along" or "inside". | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | para dentro | ||
"Para dentro" can also mean "in private" or "secretly" | |||
Scots Gaelic | steach | ||
The word "steach" is also used in the sense of "towards" or "in the direction of". | |||
Spanish | dentro | ||
The Spanish word "dentro" comes from the Latin "dentrom" which means "within". | |||
Swedish | in i | ||
Swedish preposition “i” can also mean “in” or “on” depending on context. | |||
Welsh | i mewn | ||
The noun 'mewn' can also mean 'entrance', the verb form 'mynd i mewn' means 'to enter' and the adverb 'i mewn' can mean 'inward(s)' or 'within' |
Belarusian | у | ||
The Belarusian preposition "у" (into) also means "at" and can be used to indicate location or time | |||
Bosnian | u | ||
The word "u" can also mean "to" or "towards" in Bosnian. | |||
Bulgarian | в | ||
"В" can mean "into" or "in" depending on the context. | |||
Czech | do | ||
The Czech word "do" also means "until" or "up to". | |||
Estonian | sisse | ||
The word "sisse" is a compound of "si" meaning "in" and "se" meaning "the". | |||
Finnish | osaksi | ||
The word “osaksi” derives from “osa” ("part"), and can also mean the English “partly” or “partly because”. | |||
Hungarian | -ba | ||
In Hungarian, "-ba" can also signify "to" or "onto" destinations instead of "into". | |||
Latvian | vērā | ||
"Vērā" can also mean "notice" or "attention" in Latvian. | |||
Lithuanian | į | ||
Lithuanian "į" and Prussian "in" may continue Proto-Baltic *ī (< PIE *en) and *in (< PIE *enī), respectively. | |||
Macedonian | во | ||
The word "во" in Macedonian can also mean "in" or "on", and it is derived from the Proto-Slavic preposition *vъ, meaning "in" or "into". | |||
Polish | w | ||
The letter "w" in Polish can also be an abbreviation for "wewnątrz" which means "inside". | |||
Romanian | în | ||
The word "în" can also mean "in", indicating a location within something. | |||
Russian | в | ||
The Russian word "в" can also mean "in" or "at", depending on the context. | |||
Serbian | у | ||
The preposition 'у' can also mean 'at the home of,' 'in the presence of,' or 'in charge of.' | |||
Slovak | do | ||
In the Slovak language, "do" also means "to" and "about" and is often used in compound words and phrases. | |||
Slovenian | v | ||
The letter "v" in Slovene can also mean "in" and has many other meanings (on, at, from) depending on the declension of a noun and preposition. | |||
Ukrainian | в | ||
"В" in Ukrainian can also mean "on", "at", or "nearby." |
Bengali | মধ্যে | ||
The word "মধ্যে" (into) can also mean "among" or "within" in Bengali. | |||
Gujarati | માં | ||
The word "માં" also means "in" or "at" in Gujarati and is derived from the Sanskrit word "मान" (māna), meaning "measurement" or "extent." | |||
Hindi | जांच | ||
In Hindi, "जांच" can also mean investigation, examination, or scrutiny. | |||
Kannada | ಒಳಗೆ | ||
"ಒಳಗೆ" is also used to mean "within" or "inside". | |||
Malayalam | എന്നതിലേക്ക് | ||
"என்னதிलेக்கு" is etymologically connected to "இன்" meaning "to" and can also mean "towards, with". | |||
Marathi | मध्ये | ||
मध्ये (madhye) in Marathi, meaning 'into', originates from the Sanskrit word 'madhya' (middle), implying 'within' or 'among'. | |||
Nepali | मा | ||
"मा" is both a postposition in Nepali and an expression of surprise originating from Nepal Bhasa. | |||
Punjabi | ਵਿੱਚ | ||
The word "ਵਿੱਚ" can also mean "because of" or "due to" in Punjabi. | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | වෙත | ||
වෙත "into" can also mean "towards" or "at." | |||
Tamil | க்குள் | ||
The word "க்குள்" also means "within" or "inside" in Tamil, and is cognate with the Sanskrit word "गुहा" (guha), meaning "cave" or "hollow." | |||
Telugu | లోకి | ||
The word "లోకి" ("into") in Telugu can also refer to a doorway or entrance to a building. | |||
Urdu | میں | ||
The word "میں" in Urdu can also mean "me, my, or mine" in English. |
Chinese (Simplified) | 进入 | ||
进入's meaning in English is 'go inside', while 'enter' shares the same pronunciation and is often used in more formal cases. | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 進入 | ||
In some contexts, "進入" can also mean "to enter Buddhism" or "to become a monk or nun" | |||
Japanese | に | ||
The kanji character for に is also used to indicate the direction “to” or a place “at”. | |||
Korean | 으로 | ||
The word "으로" also means "towards", "in the direction of", and "as". | |||
Mongolian | руу | ||
In Mongolian, "руу" not only means "into" but also "towards" or "to the place of." | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | သို့ | ||
သို့ can also mean "to", "towards", or "to the extent that". |
Indonesian | ke | ||
The word "ke" also means "to" or "towards" and is derived from the Old Javanese word "ha". | |||
Javanese | dadi | ||
Dadi may also refer to a gambling game, a person affected by magic, a debt, a period of time, or an agreement. | |||
Khmer | ចូលទៅក្នុង | ||
"ចូលទៅក្នុង" (into) is also used to indicate entrance into an elevated place, such as a building or vehicle. | |||
Lao | ເຂົ້າໄປໃນ | ||
Malay | ke dalam | ||
The word "ke dalam" can also mean "inside" or "within" in Malay, and is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word *ka-daləm*. | |||
Thai | เป็น | ||
The word "เป็น" can also mean "to be" or "to become" in Thai. | |||
Vietnamese | thành | ||
The word "thành" derives from Middle Chinese 成, meaning to become or to achieve, and has connotations of completeness or accomplishment. | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | sa | ||
Azerbaijani | içərisinə | ||
The word "içərisinə" can also mean "inside" or "within" depending on the context. | |||
Kazakh | ішіне | ||
In the Kazakh word "ішіне" (into) the first part "іш" also means "internal organs" or "inside". | |||
Kyrgyz | ичине | ||
The word "ичине" in Kyrgyz can also refer to a specific part of a house or structure. | |||
Tajik | ба | ||
The Tajik word "ба" has multiple meanings, including "in," "on," or "at." | |||
Turkmen | içine girdi | ||
Uzbek | ichiga | ||
Uzbek "ichiga" derives from Persian "ichiga" (also "ichig") and refers to a kind of soft knee-high boots made from untanned leather. | |||
Uyghur | into | ||
Hawaiian | i loko o | ||
'I loko o' also means 'within' and is used figuratively to refer to being surrounded by something. | |||
Maori | ki roto | ||
Ki roto (into) can also mean inside, within, among, during, at the time of, or while. | |||
Samoan | i totonu | ||
The word “i totonu” can also mean “amongst, between, inside, within, center, middle”. | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | sa | ||
The Tagalog word "sa" also means "with" or "through," depending on the context of the sentence. |
Aymara | ukana | ||
Guarani | pype | ||
Esperanto | en | ||
"En" derives from Latin "in", "into"} | |||
Latin | in | ||
In Latin, "in" can also mean "during" or "on". |
Greek | σε | ||
The word "σε" also means "you" in the accusative case, which is used to indicate the direct object of a verb. | |||
Hmong | mus rau hauv | ||
The phrase "mus rau hauv" can also mean "to put something away" or "to put something on or in something else." | |||
Kurdish | li | ||
The Kurdish word "lî" is closely related to the Persian word "dar" and the Armenian word "der", meaning "inside" or "within". | |||
Turkish | içine | ||
"İçine" also means "insides", "core", "within", or "inner part". | |||
Xhosa | ungene | ||
The Xhosa word "ungene" can also mean "to enter" or "to go in." | |||
Yiddish | אין | ||
Etymology unknown; may be a borrowing from German "hinein" | |||
Zulu | ungene | ||
In Nguni languages like Zulu and Xhosa, the word 'unge' means 'into' and also implies direction, movement, or entrance. | |||
Assamese | into | ||
Aymara | ukana | ||
Bhojpuri | में | ||
Dhivehi | ތެރެއަށް | ||
Dogri | च | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | sa | ||
Guarani | pype | ||
Ilocano | apan ti | ||
Krio | to | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | بۆ ناو | ||
Maithili | में | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | into | ||
Mizo | chhungah | ||
Oromo | gara keessaatti | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ଭିତରକୁ | ||
Quechua | into | ||
Sanskrit | इत्यस्मिन् | ||
Tatar | .әр сүзнең | ||
Tigrinya | ናብ ውሽጢ | ||
Tsonga | eka | ||