Knock in Different Languages
Discover 'Knock' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'knock' is simple, yet holds great significance in our daily lives. It's a common action, but have you ever thought about its cultural importance or how it's translated in different languages?
From a friendly 'knock, knock' joke to a concerned neighbor checking in, this action transcends language barriers and brings people together. Moreover, it's used metaphorically in phrases like 'knock it off' or 'knock on wood' that add color to our language.
Did you know that in Japanese, 'knock' is translated as 'kabuton'? Or that in Hebrew, it's 'tipul'? These translations not only help us communicate across cultures, but also offer insight into the unique sounds and rhythms of foreign languages.
Whether you're a traveler looking to navigate new places or a language enthusiast exploring the world through words, understanding the translations of 'knock' is a fun and fascinating journey.
Knock
Knock in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | klop | ||
| The word "klop" in Afrikaans can also refer to a type of bird. | |||
| Amharic | አንኳኳ | ||
| The word "አንኳኳ" is also used to refer to a type of small, round bell used in traditional Ethiopian music. | |||
| Hausa | buga | ||
| The word "buga" in Hausa can also mean "to break" or "to defeat". | |||
| Igbo | kụọ aka | ||
| The Igbo word "kụọ aka" can also mean "to beg" or "to greet someone by shaking their hand. | |||
| Malagasy | dondony | ||
| The word "dondony" also means "to knock" or "to hit" in Malagasy. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kugogoda | ||
| The word "kugogoda" in Nyanja can also mean "to strike" or "to hit". | |||
| Shona | gogodza | ||
| The word "gogodza" also means "to push" or "to shove" in Shona. | |||
| Somali | garaacid | ||
| In certain variations of Somali, a verb form of "garaacid" can mean "to be hard or firm". | |||
| Sesotho | kokota | ||
| In Sesotho, the word "kokota" can also refer to a persistent pest or to a disturbance caused by someone continually making noise. | |||
| Swahili | kubisha | ||
| In Tanzanian Swahili kubisha means to knock, but it can also mean to defecate. | |||
| Xhosa | unkqonkqoze | ||
| The word "unkqonkqoze" in Xhosa can also mean "to beat" or "to pound". | |||
| Yoruba | kànkun | ||
| In addition to meaning "to knock", "kànkun" can also mean "to knock down, destroy, or kill". | |||
| Zulu | ungqongqoze | ||
| The word 'ungqongqoze' also means a 'very small child' in Zulu. | |||
| Bambara | ka gosi | ||
| Ewe | ƒo ʋɔa | ||
| Kinyarwanda | gukomanga | ||
| Lingala | kobɛtabɛta | ||
| Luganda | okukonkona | ||
| Sepedi | kokota | ||
| Twi (Akan) | bɔ pon mu | ||
Knock in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | طرق | ||
| The verb 'طرق' ('taraka'), besides having meanings relating to knocking, can also denote 'knocking' on someone's heart in the metaphorical sense of 'seducing' or 'alluring' them, or knocking or pounding at one's mind. | |||
| Hebrew | נְקִישָׁה | ||
| The Hebrew word for “knock,” נְקִישָׁה, also refers to a musical beat. | |||
| Pashto | ټکول | ||
| The word "ټکول" in Pashto also refers to expressing gratitude or appreciation, or to an act of giving or receiving something. | |||
| Arabic | طرق | ||
| The verb 'طرق' ('taraka'), besides having meanings relating to knocking, can also denote 'knocking' on someone's heart in the metaphorical sense of 'seducing' or 'alluring' them, or knocking or pounding at one's mind. | |||
Knock in Western European Languages
| Albanian | trokas | ||
| "Trokas" also means "to rap" in Albanian slang, possibly derived from the English word "track". | |||
| Basque | kolpatu | ||
| The term “kolpatu” is also used to express “to give birth” in the sense of breaking the amniotic sac or “to release,” as the baby leaves the uterine cavity. | |||
| Catalan | colpejar | ||
| In Catalan "colpejar" can also mean to hit, to strike or to beat as a punishment. | |||
| Croatian | kucanje | ||
| The Croatian word "kucanje" can also refer to the act of playing a musical instrument with strings, like a guitar or violin. | |||
| Danish | banke | ||
| The word "banke" also means "to beat" or "to strike" in Danish. | |||
| Dutch | klop | ||
| The word "klop" in Dutch also refers to lace or a type of beetle. | |||
| English | knock | ||
| The word "knock" can also mean to criticize or to make a request. | |||
| French | frappe | ||
| In French, "frappe" can also mean "iced coffee" or "iced tea". | |||
| Frisian | klopje | ||
| The word "klopje" in Frisian also refers to a small wooden hammer used for knocking. | |||
| Galician | chamar | ||
| "Chamar" is also used in the sense of "to ask for" or "to invite" | |||
| German | klopfen | ||
| The verb "klopfen" is also used figuratively in German, meaning "to beat" or "to defeat" someone. | |||
| Icelandic | banka | ||
| In Icelandic, "banka" can also refer to the first time a sheep knocks over a fence with its horns to escape from a pasture. | |||
| Irish | cnag | ||
| The term 'cnag' or 'cnoc' also means 'hill' and is found in many Irish place names. | |||
| Italian | bussare | ||
| "Bussare" comes from the Late Latin word "pulsare," which ultimately derives from the Proto-Indo-European root "*plew-" meaning "to strike, to beat." | |||
| Luxembourgish | klappen | ||
| In Luxembourgish, "klappen" can also mean "to talk excitedly" or "to chat", derived from the verb "klaffen" meaning "to chatter" or "to gossip". | |||
| Maltese | ħabbat | ||
| The Maltese word "ħabbat" is derived from the Arabic word "habata" which means "to beat or strike", as well as "to flutter". | |||
| Norwegian | slå | ||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | batida | ||
| Portuguese word "batida" also means "milkshake" (Brazil) and "beat" (music). | |||
| Scots Gaelic | cnag | ||
| Cnag is also an archaic form of the word cnoc, meaning 'hill'. | |||
| Spanish | golpe | ||
| Golpe is also used in Spanish to refer to a coup d'état or a sudden, violent action. | |||
| Swedish | slå | ||
| In Swedish, "slå" can also mean "mow", "fight", or "type" depending on the context. | |||
| Welsh | curo | ||
| The word "curo" can also refer to a "call" or "cry". | |||
Knock in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | стукаць | ||
| The word "стукаць" can also mean "to tap" or "to rap" in Belarusian. | |||
| Bosnian | kucati | ||
| The verb 'kucati' can also mean 'to cry' in slang, deriving from the sound of sobbing. | |||
| Bulgarian | чукам | ||
| The verb "чукам" comes from the Old Slavic word "čukъti", meaning 'to strike'. | |||
| Czech | klepání | ||
| The word "klepání" can also refer to the process of hammering or tapping, or to the sound produced by these actions. | |||
| Estonian | koputama | ||
| Koputama is a loanword from German "klopfen" meaning "to knock" and "to pound". | |||
| Finnish | koputtaa | ||
| "Koputtaa" in the imperative can also mean "check out", e.g. "koputa se kirja" = "check out the book" | |||
| Hungarian | kopogás | ||
| The word "kopogás" also means "pounding" or "knocking on a door". | |||
| Latvian | klauvēt | ||
| Latvian "klauvēt" derives from the Proto-Indo-European *kleu-, meaning "to strike" or "to tap". | |||
| Lithuanian | belsti | ||
| The word "belsti" is also used to describe the action of hitting a door or window with a fist or other object. | |||
| Macedonian | тропа | ||
| Macedonian "тропа" is a cognate of English “thump" and Russian "топать" (to stamp), and also shares a root with "trope" (a literary device) | |||
| Polish | pukanie | ||
| In Polish, "pukanie" can also refer to the sound of a heartbeat or the act of defecating. | |||
| Romanian | bate | ||
| The Romanian word "bate" has a similar meaning to the English verb "to beat", referring to the act of striking or pounding something. | |||
| Russian | стучать | ||
| "Стучать" in Russian can also refer to informing on someone to the authorities. | |||
| Serbian | куцати | ||
| In Ukrainian, "куцати" also means "to limp" | |||
| Slovak | zaklopať | ||
| "Zaklopať" comes from the Proto-Slavic verb "*klopati", meaning "to beat" or "to strike", and is related to the Czech word "klepat", the Polish word "klepać", and the Russian word "klapat'". | |||
| Slovenian | potrkajte | ||
| The word "potrkajte" can also mean "to tap" or "to knock on" something. | |||
| Ukrainian | стукати | ||
| Ukrainian "стукати" can also mean "to inform on someone secretly". | |||
Knock in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ঠক্ঠক্ | ||
| "ঠক্ঠক্" is also the onomatopoeia for the sound a clock makes. | |||
| Gujarati | કઠણ | ||
| "કઠણ" (knock) also means "hard" or "difficult" in Gujarati, implying a forceful impact. | |||
| Hindi | दस्तक | ||
| The word "दस्तक" (knock) in Hindi also means "a summons" or "an official order". | |||
| Kannada | ನಾಕ್ | ||
| The word "knock" can also mean "to rap" or "to hit" in Kannada. | |||
| Malayalam | മുട്ടുക | ||
| "മുട്ടുക" is the Malayalam equivalent of the English word "knee" and shares the same root with the Indo-European word denoting "joint" or "bend". | |||
| Marathi | ठोका | ||
| The word "ठोका" also means "contract" or "bid" in Marathi. | |||
| Nepali | दस्तक | ||
| "दस्तक" can also be translated into English as "signature", "document" and "order". In the context of music, it refers to a "tabla composition." | |||
| Punjabi | ਦਸਤਕ | ||
| The word “ਦਸਤਕ” in Punjabi, apart from denoting “a knock on the door”, also refers to a “permission to visit”. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | තට්ටු කරන්න | ||
| In Tamil, the word 'tadu' also carries the meaning 'knock'. | |||
| Tamil | தட்டுங்கள் | ||
| The Tamil word "தட்டுங்கள்" also means "call". This is because in the olden days, people used to knock on doors to call someone. | |||
| Telugu | కొట్టు | ||
| The Telugu word “కొట్టు” can also refer to a traditional Indian shop or a type of musical instrument. | |||
| Urdu | دستک | ||
| The word دستک "knock" in Urdu also means a "tip" (of a walking stick), a "handle" (of a sword), or a "crank" (of a machine) | |||
Knock in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 敲 | ||
| 敲 (qiaō) also means to strike, tap, or beat. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 敲 | ||
| In traditional Chinese medicine, "敲" can also refer to the practice of tapping or percussing certain body parts for diagnostic purposes. | |||
| Japanese | ノック | ||
| In Japanese, the word "ノック" can also mean "a wooden clapper used to keep time or make announcements". | |||
| Korean | 노크 | ||
| The word "knock" in Korean (노크) is a loanword from the English.} | |||
| Mongolian | тогших | ||
| The word "тогших" can also refer to the physical act of knocking on a door. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ခေါက်တယ် | ||
Knock in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | ketukan | ||
| The word 'ketukan' can also refer to a musical beat or rhythm in Indonesian. | |||
| Javanese | sambel | ||
| The word "sambel" in Javanese originally meant "to touch" or "to rub", before evolving to mean "to knock". | |||
| Khmer | គោះ | ||
| It is also homophonous with គោះ meaning a type of fish. | |||
| Lao | ເຄາະ | ||
| The Lao word "ເຄາะ" can also mean to "tap" or "hit" something lightly. | |||
| Malay | ketukan | ||
| The word "ketukan" in Malay can also refer to a type of traditional dance or a musical genre. | |||
| Thai | เคาะ | ||
| Thai word "เคาะ" has additional meaning of "to tap" or "to hammer" | |||
| Vietnamese | gõ cửa | ||
| "Gõ cửa" (knock) in Vietnamese literally means "to hit the door," and is cognate with the Chinese word "gōumén" (叩门). | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kumatok | ||
Knock in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | döymək | ||
| The word "döymək" in Azerbaijani can also mean "to beat" or "to strike". | |||
| Kazakh | қағу | ||
| The word "қағу" can also mean "to hammer" or "to pound" in Kazakh. | |||
| Kyrgyz | кагуу | ||
| "Кагуу" (knock) is related to the word "кагу", which means "to beat" or "to strike." | |||
| Tajik | кӯфтан | ||
| The word "куфтан" also means "to forge" in some contexts. | |||
| Turkmen | kakmak | ||
| Uzbek | taqillatish | ||
| The word "taqillatish" in Uzbek also means "to make a noise" or "to cause to vibrate". | |||
| Uyghur | knock | ||
Knock in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kikeke | ||
| The Hawaiian word "kikeke" is also used to refer to the sound of a heartbeat. | |||
| Maori | patoto | ||
| In Māori, 'patoto' can also refer to the sound of a bell or a drum, or the act of striking something rhythmically. | |||
| Samoan | tuʻituʻi atu | ||
| The term "tuʻituʻi atu" can also refer to the act of pounding or striking something repeatedly. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | kumatok | ||
| The word "kumatok" is also used figuratively to mean "to visit" or "to call on someone". | |||
Knock in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | thuqhuña | ||
| Guarani | ombota | ||
Knock in International Languages
| Esperanto | frapi | ||
| The Esperanto word “frapi” comes from French, where it also means “to knock” among several other related meanings. | |||
| Latin | pulsate | ||
| Pulsate comes from a Latin word which literally means "to pound or beat", as does the word "pulse" | |||
Knock in Others Languages
| Greek | χτύπημα | ||
| Χτύπημα (knock) and κτύπος (thump) in Greek have the same common root that originates from the word τύπτω (strike). | |||
| Hmong | khob | ||
| In Hmong, "khob" can also mean "to hit," "to pound," or "to chop." | |||
| Kurdish | lêdan | ||
| It is also figuratively used as "to enter" in Kurdish. | |||
| Turkish | vurmak | ||
| The word "vurmak" also means "to hit" or "to strike" in Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | unkqonkqoze | ||
| The word "unkqonkqoze" in Xhosa can also mean "to beat" or "to pound". | |||
| Yiddish | קלאַפּן | ||
| Yiddish "קלאַפּן" comes from the Proto-Slavic root *klepati, meaning "to strike." | |||
| Zulu | ungqongqoze | ||
| The word 'ungqongqoze' also means a 'very small child' in Zulu. | |||
| Assamese | টোকৰ মাৰিব | ||
| Aymara | thuqhuña | ||
| Bhojpuri | खटखटावे के बा | ||
| Dhivehi | ޓަކި ޖަހާށެވެ | ||
| Dogri | खटखटाओ | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kumatok | ||
| Guarani | ombota | ||
| Ilocano | agtuktok | ||
| Krio | nak nak | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | لە لێدان | ||
| Maithili | खटखटाउ | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯅꯣꯀꯄꯥ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | knock a ni | ||
| Oromo | rukutaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ନକ୍ | ||
| Quechua | takay | ||
| Sanskrit | ठोकति | ||
| Tatar | шакыгыз | ||
| Tigrinya | ኳሕኳሕ | ||
| Tsonga | ku gongondza | ||