Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'last' carries a significant weight in our vocabulary, denoting finality, closure, and the ultimate instance of something. Its cultural importance is evident in various customs and traditions around the world, where the 'last' often symbolizes something of great value or meaning. For instance, the 'last' slice of pizza among friends or the 'last' bite of a birthday cake holds a special place in our hearts and memories.
Moreover, understanding the translations of 'last' in different languages can offer fascinating insights into how different cultures perceive and express finality. For example, the German word for 'last' is 'letzter', while in Spanish, it is 'último'. In French, 'last' is translated as 'dernier', and in Japanese, it is '最後{saigo}'.
Delving into the translations of 'last' in various languages can open up a world of cultural nuances and linguistic intricacies. Not only is it a valuable exercise for language enthusiasts, but it can also foster a deeper appreciation for the richness and diversity of human cultures.
Afrikaans | laaste | ||
In 18th century Afrikaans "laaste" also meant "least" and was the opposite of "meeste" ("most"). | |||
Amharic | የመጨረሻ | ||
የመጨረሻ (yämäčärǝša) is also used to indicate 'that which is done for the last time'. | |||
Hausa | karshe | ||
The word "karshe" might be related to the word "kashe"(death) in Hausa, implying the finality of the end. | |||
Igbo | ikpeazụ | ||
Igbo word "ikpeazụ", meaning "last," derives from the phrase "kpè azụ," meaning "push to the back." | |||
Malagasy | farany | ||
The Malagasy word FARANY is cognate with the Malayan FARANG and Arabic FARANGI, all ultimately stemming from a Persian word for 'Frank', the medieval term for Europeans. | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | wotsiriza | ||
The word is related to the verb `wotsiriza` (to finish), and it can also mean 'the end' or 'the finale'. | |||
Shona | yekupedzisira | ||
Somali | ugu dambeeyay | ||
The word "ugu dambeeyay" is derived from the Arabic word "akhīr" meaning "final" or "last" and Somali word "dambe" meaning "the end". | |||
Sesotho | qetela | ||
The root '-tela' also appears in 'ho tela,' meaning to 'stop, cease or end.' | |||
Swahili | mwisho | ||
In Swahili, "mwisho" also means "end, conclusion, or the final part of something." | |||
Xhosa | okokugqibela | ||
In Xhosa, "okokugqibela" shares an etymological root with the verb "ukugqiba," meaning "to finish" or "to complete." | |||
Yoruba | kẹhin | ||
"Kẹhin" is also the name of a Yoruba deity who is said to determine the fate of the last-born in a family. | |||
Zulu | okokugcina | ||
The Zulu word "okokugcina" can also refer to the end of a time period or event. | |||
Bambara | laban | ||
Ewe | nᴐ anyi didi | ||
Kinyarwanda | iheruka | ||
Lingala | nsuka | ||
Luganda | okusembayo | ||
Sepedi | mafelelo | ||
Twi (Akan) | twa toɔ | ||
Arabic | الاخير | ||
The Arabic word "الاخير" can also refer to the "best" or "most superior" in some contexts. | |||
Hebrew | אחרון | ||
In some cases, אחרון can also refer to the 'lowest' or 'worst' of something. | |||
Pashto | اخري | ||
In compound words "اخري" can mean first, such as in "اخري ورځ" or "first day". | |||
Arabic | الاخير | ||
The Arabic word "الاخير" can also refer to the "best" or "most superior" in some contexts. |
Albanian | e fundit | ||
The Albanian word "e fundit" derives from the Latin infinitive "fundere" (to pour) and shares a root with the English word "foundation". | |||
Basque | azkena | ||
The term 'azkena' has also been used to refer to the youngest child of a family. | |||
Catalan | últim | ||
"Últim" can also mean "utmost, very", as in "És d'última moda" (It is of the utmost fashion). | |||
Croatian | posljednji | ||
The Croatian word 'posljednji' comes from the Proto-Slavic word 'poslědьni' | |||
Danish | sidst | ||
"Sidst" is not only Danish for "last," but also for "recently" and "in the last instance". | |||
Dutch | laatste | ||
"Laatste" in Dutch comes from the Indo-European root "leikw-", meaning "to leave" or "to abandon", also found in the Old English word "læstan", meaning "to follow" or "to track". | |||
English | last | ||
The word 'last' can also mean 'to endure' or 'to continue for a long time', as in the phrase 'the last of the Mohicans'. | |||
French | dernier | ||
The French word "dernier" comes from the Latin word "posteriori", meaning "after" or "behind." | |||
Frisian | lêst | ||
The Frisian word "lêst" can also mean "least" or "end". | |||
Galician | último | ||
In Galician, "último" not only means "last" but also "recently deceased." | |||
German | zuletzt | ||
In older usage, "zuletzt" also meant "at the same time" or "in addition". | |||
Icelandic | síðast | ||
The word "síðast" can also mean "most recently" or "latest". | |||
Irish | seo caite | ||
It's often used in the idiomatic expression "go seo caite" (ie. "until last") meaning "until death"} | |||
Italian | ultimo | ||
"Ultimo" comes from Latin and means "the farthest" or "the most distant." | |||
Luxembourgish | lescht | ||
Lescht is derived from the Old High German word "lezzist" and also means "least". | |||
Maltese | l-aħħar | ||
"L-aħħar" is derived from the Arabic word "akhir", meaning "last", and can also be used to mean "finally" or "at length". | |||
Norwegian | siste | ||
The word 'siste' also means 'the end' in Norwegian. | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | último | ||
In Portuguese, 'último' can also refer to 'deceased' or 'final, ultimate'. | |||
Scots Gaelic | mu dheireadh | ||
The Gaelic word "mu dheireadh" literally translates to "my end". | |||
Spanish | último | ||
"Último" also means "final, extreme, furthest" or even "the most", and derives from "ultra", "beyond" in Latin. | |||
Swedish | sista | ||
Sista also means "sister" in Swedish | |||
Welsh | olaf | ||
Welsh word "olaf" has the alternate meaning of "foot" or "hoof" in the context of "foot" or "hoof disease". |
Belarusian | апошні | ||
In an archaic sense, "апошні" also means "youngest" in Belarusian. | |||
Bosnian | zadnji | ||
The word 'zadnji' in Bosnian has an Indo-European origin and is related to the words 'back', 'hinder', and 'tail' in other languages. | |||
Bulgarian | последен | ||
The word “последен' in Bulgarian could mean “final' or “most recent' and comes from the Old Bulgarian word “послЂдъ' or “последний' which meant “the following' or “the one that follows' and was derived from the verb “послѣдовати' (“to follow') and ultimately the Proto-Indo-European root “*seqʷ-' (“to follow') from which also come English “sequel' and “sequence' and French “suite' and “suivre' (“to follow') and German “folgen' (“to follow') and “Gefolge' (“suite') and Russian “следующий' (“next') and “последний' (“last'). | |||
Czech | poslední | ||
The word "poslední" also has the meaning of "final" or "ultimate". | |||
Estonian | viimane | ||
The Estonian word "viimane" is derived from the Proto-Uralic word "*wiime" meaning "end" or "edge". | |||
Finnish | kestää | ||
"Kestää" can also mean to be durable or to withstand. | |||
Hungarian | utolsó | ||
The word 'utolsó' is a derivative of an Old Hungarian word meaning either 'the following one' or 'one that is closed'. | |||
Latvian | pēdējais | ||
Pēdējais can also mean "worst" or "most recent" in Latvian. | |||
Lithuanian | paskutinis | ||
The term is also used in an extended sense to designate finality or a culmination. | |||
Macedonian | последен | ||
The word "последен" can also mean "final" or "ultimate". | |||
Polish | ostatni, ubiegły, zeszły | ||
The words "ostatni", "ubiegły", and "zeszły" in Polish all have the meaning of "last", but they differ in their etymology and usage. | |||
Romanian | ultimul | ||
The word "ultimul" derives from the Latin "ultimus" and also means "extreme" or "farthest" in Romanian. | |||
Russian | прошлой | ||
The Russian word "прошлой" can also mean "previous" or "past". | |||
Serbian | последњи | ||
In Slavic languages like Serbian, the "last judgment" is called the "terrible judgment," from which the Serbian word for "last" is derived. | |||
Slovak | posledný | ||
"Posledný" comes from the Proto-Slavic word "poslědn'ij", which meant "the day after tomorrow". | |||
Slovenian | zadnji | ||
Zadnji may also refer to "the behind" or "the backside" in Slovenian. | |||
Ukrainian | останній | ||
The word "останній" in Ukrainian not only means "last", but also "lonely" or "alone". |
Bengali | শেষ | ||
In Bengali, the word “শেষ” not only means “last” but also refers to the “end” or “conclusion” of something, conveying a sense of finality or completion. | |||
Gujarati | છેલ્લા | ||
The etymology of "છેલ્લા" is believed to have roots in the Sanskrit word "chhar", meaning "to go". The initial meaning of the word "છેલ્લા" was "to end", and over time, it came to mean "last". | |||
Hindi | पिछले | ||
The word "पिछले" can also refer to a previous year or event, similar to the English "last year" or "last month". | |||
Kannada | ಕೊನೆಯದು | ||
The word 'ಕೊನೆಯದು' is also used to mean the end of a line or row, or the final stage of a process. | |||
Malayalam | അവസാനത്തെ | ||
The word "അവസാനത്തെ" (last) in Malayalam is derived from the Sanskrit word "अवसान" (end or conclusion), which also means "the final moment or act" or "the culmination of a series". | |||
Marathi | शेवटचा | ||
The word "शेवटचा" may also refer to the youngest member of a household or to the end of a specific time period. | |||
Nepali | अन्तिम | ||
The word "अन्तिम" is derived from Sanskrit and has the alternate meaning of "destruction". | |||
Punjabi | ਆਖਰੀ | ||
The word "ਆਖਰੀ" can also mean "the most" or "the best" in Punjabi. | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | අවසන් | ||
In ancient Sinhala, 'අවසන්' was originally used to mean 'not yet' or 'not yet finished', but its meaning evolved over time to mean 'last' or 'final'. | |||
Tamil | கடந்த | ||
In Tamil, "கடந்த" can also mean "passed away" or "expired". | |||
Telugu | చివరిది | ||
The word "చివరిది" is also used in Telugu to denote the "end" or "conclusion" of something. | |||
Urdu | آخری | ||
The word "آخری" can also mean "remaining" or "left over". |
Chinese (Simplified) | 持续 | ||
持续 in Chinese refers to something that persists, endures, exists, is ongoing, or remains unchanged. | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 持續 | ||
持續 can also mean to continue or persist, and is often used in the context of time or events. | |||
Japanese | 最終 | ||
The word "最終" has the same etymology as "終極" meaning "the ultimate, the end". | |||
Korean | 마지막 | ||
The word "마지막" (last) in Korean has alternate meanings such as "the end" and "the finish". | |||
Mongolian | сүүлчийн | ||
The word "сүүлчийн" can also mean "the one who comes after" or "the one who follows". | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | နောက်ဆုံး | ||
နောက်ဆုံး is not only used to refer to a position in time or a series, but can also be used to indicate the extreme or lowest degree of something. |
Indonesian | terakhir | ||
Terakhir is also used as an adjective meaning 'final' or 'latest'. | |||
Javanese | pungkasan | ||
The words "pungkasan" and "pungkas" share the same root and both mean "last" or "the end" in Javanese. | |||
Khmer | ចុងក្រោយ | ||
“ចុងក្រោយ” is also used to express the final or last in a series of events or actions | |||
Lao | ສຸດທ້າຍ | ||
Malay | terakhir | ||
The word "terakhir" is derived from the Arabic word "ahir" meaning "the end" or "the last". | |||
Thai | ล่าสุด | ||
'ล่าสุด' derives from Proto-Mon-Khmer *cuːŋ 'to come after, behind' (cf. Khmer ចូង choung "last" and Vietnamese cuối "end"). In Thai usage, the word also has the alternate meanings of "recently" and "the most recent." | |||
Vietnamese | cuối cùng | ||
Cuối cùng is derived from the Sino-Vietnamese word "cuối" (end) and "cùng" (together), meaning "the end of something done together or in a group." | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | huli | ||
Azerbaijani | sonuncu | ||
"Sonuncu" may also mean the youngest or the smallest child in the family. | |||
Kazakh | соңғы | ||
"Соңғы" also means "rear" and "end". | |||
Kyrgyz | акыркы | ||
"Акыркы" also means "the end of the year" in Kyrgyz. | |||
Tajik | охирин | ||
"Охирин" in Tajik is cognate with "akhir" (آخر) in Arabic, sharing the same meaning of "last". | |||
Turkmen | iň soňky | ||
Uzbek | oxirgi | ||
The word "oxirgi" in Uzbek can also mean "worst" or "inferior". | |||
Uyghur | ئاخىرقى | ||
Hawaiian | hope loa | ||
The Hawaiian word "hope loa" can also describe a long period of time or a great distance. | |||
Maori | whakamutunga | ||
The word "whakamutunga" can also mean "the end" or "the conclusion" in Maori. | |||
Samoan | mulimuli | ||
In a traditional chiefly context of Samoa's hierarchical structure, "mulimuli" refers to one's lineage or genealogy. | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | huling | ||
The Tagalog word "huling" (last) originates from the Proto-Austronesian word "quliŋ" (behind). |
Aymara | qhipa | ||
Guarani | paha | ||
Esperanto | laste | ||
Esperanto derives its word 'laste' from the Indo-European root *les-, meaning 'to endure', but it can also mean 'to be delayed' or 'to remain'. | |||
Latin | tandem | ||
The Latin word 'tandem' can also mean 'at length' or 'finally' and is often used at the end of an enumeration or series. |
Greek | τελευταίος | ||
The Greek word "τελευταίος" can also mean "final" or "decisive". | |||
Hmong | kawg | ||
The Hmong word "kawg" also means "after" or "in the end." | |||
Kurdish | dawîn | ||
The word "dawîn" in Kurdish originates from the Persian word "davān" meaning "to run" or "a course." | |||
Turkish | son | ||
Despite its usual meaning of "last", "son" is also used in Turkish to mean "end" or "extreme". | |||
Xhosa | okokugqibela | ||
In Xhosa, "okokugqibela" shares an etymological root with the verb "ukugqiba," meaning "to finish" or "to complete." | |||
Yiddish | לעצטע | ||
The word לעצטע comes from the German word "Letzte" which can also mean the "end" of a period of time. | |||
Zulu | okokugcina | ||
The Zulu word "okokugcina" can also refer to the end of a time period or event. | |||
Assamese | অন্তিম | ||
Aymara | qhipa | ||
Bhojpuri | अंतिम | ||
Dhivehi | އެންމެ ފަހު | ||
Dogri | अंतम | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | huli | ||
Guarani | paha | ||
Ilocano | napalabas | ||
Krio | las | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | دوایین | ||
Maithili | अंतिम | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯔꯣꯏꯕ | ||
Mizo | hnuhnung ber | ||
Oromo | isa dhumaa | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ଶେଷ | ||
Quechua | qipa | ||
Sanskrit | अन्तिमः | ||
Tatar | соңгы | ||
Tigrinya | መጨረሻ | ||
Tsonga | hetelela | ||