Late in Different Languages
Discover 'Late' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'late' carries a multitude of meanings and connotations, often signifying something that has occurred or been completed after the expected or desired time. Its significance is universal, cutting across cultural and linguistic boundaries, and making it a vital component of our global lexicon. The word 'late' not only holds practical importance in our daily lives but also bears cultural significance in various traditions and rituals. For instance, in many Western cultures, it is customary to refer to deceased individuals as 'the late so-and-so' as a mark of respect.
Given the word's ubiquity and cultural importance, it's unsurprising that many languages have their own translations of 'late.' For instance, in Spanish, 'late' translates to 'tarde,' while in French, it's 'tard,' and in German, 'spät.' These translations offer a fascinating glimpse into the linguistic diversity of our world, showcasing the myriad ways in which different cultures express the same concept.
In the sections below, we delve deeper into the translations of 'late' in various languages, providing a comprehensive guide for language enthusiasts and cultural explorers alike.
Late
Late in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | laat | ||
| The Afrikaans word 'laat' can also mean 'slow' or 'lazy' | |||
| Amharic | ረፍዷል | ||
| "ረፍዷል" is derived from the Proto-Ethiosemitic word *rəfəʾ- 'to leave behind, to remain' and also means 'remainder, rest'. | |||
| Hausa | anjima | ||
| "Anjima" shares its root with the word "aji" meaning "to reach" or "arrive". | |||
| Igbo | mbubreyo | ||
| The Igbo word "mbubreyo" derives from the words "mbu" (very) and "ubre" (late), emphasizing extreme tardiness. | |||
| Malagasy | tara | ||
| Malagasy "tara" derives from Old Malay "telal" meaning "last" or "later". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | mochedwa | ||
| The Nyanja (Chichewa) word "mochedwa" also means "last-born" in the phrase "mwana wacichewa mochedwa" which would translate literally as "the last child" or "the youngest child." | |||
| Shona | kunonoka | ||
| The Shona word "kunonoka" is derived from the Proto-Bantu root "-nonok-a," meaning "to be slow, late, or lazy." | |||
| Somali | daahay | ||
| The word | |||
| Sesotho | morao | ||
| The word "morao" can also mean "yesterday" or "the day before yesterday" in Sesotho. | |||
| Swahili | marehemu | ||
| "Marehemu" also means "deceased" in Swahili. | |||
| Xhosa | mva | ||
| The word Mva can be used in a variety of ways, both in its original context as well as in the sense of 'overstaying one's welcome'. | |||
| Yoruba | pẹ | ||
| The word "pẹ" in Yoruba can also mean "behind" or "last" in a sequence, denoting position or order. | |||
| Zulu | sekwephuzile | ||
| The word "sekwephuzile" in Zulu is derived from the root "kwephuza," meaning "to be late or delayed." | |||
| Bambara | lɛrɛ kɔfɛ | ||
| Ewe | tsi megbe | ||
| Kinyarwanda | bitinze | ||
| Lingala | retard | ||
| Luganda | kikeerezi | ||
| Sepedi | morago | ||
| Twi (Akan) | aka akyi | ||
Late in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | متأخر | ||
| The word "متأخر" can also mean "lazy" or "hesitant" in Arabic. | |||
| Hebrew | מאוחר | ||
| The Hebrew word "מאוחר" (late) comes from the root "אחר" (after), implying a chronological order. | |||
| Pashto | ناوخته | ||
| The word 'ناوخته' ('late') in Pashto is also used to describe something that is 'new' or 'inexperienced'. | |||
| Arabic | متأخر | ||
| The word "متأخر" can also mean "lazy" or "hesitant" in Arabic. | |||
Late in Western European Languages
| Albanian | vonë | ||
| The word 'vonë' may have evolved from the Proto-Albanian word 'von' meaning 'to stay behind'. | |||
| Basque | berandu | ||
| The word "berandu" is cognate with the Catalan word "berant" and the Aragonese word "bieran", all meaning "late". | |||
| Catalan | tard | ||
| "Tard" in Catalan can also mean "afternoon" or "afternoon nap." | |||
| Croatian | kasno | ||
| In Dalmatian, the word "kasno" can also mean "tonight". | |||
| Danish | sent | ||
| The Danish word "sent" is related to the Old Norse word "sein", meaning "slow". | |||
| Dutch | laat | ||
| "Laat" can also mean "low" as in "laag". | |||
| English | late | ||
| The word 'late' originally referred to something delayed, hesitant, or sluggish, rather than simply occurring after the expected time. | |||
| French | en retard | ||
| The word "en retard" can also mean "behind" or "slow" in French. | |||
| Frisian | let | ||
| In Frisian, "let" also means "hindered" or "prevented". | |||
| Galician | tarde | ||
| In Galician, "tarde" also means "evening" and is related to the Latin "tardus" meaning "slow" or "heavy." | |||
| German | spät | ||
| Spät is derived from the Old High German word "spâto" or "spâti," meaning "successful" or "prosperous." | |||
| Icelandic | seint | ||
| The word 'seint' is derived from Proto-Norse *sinat- 'evening', but is now only found in the phrase 'það er seint á ferðina', meaning 'it's getting late for the journey' | |||
| Irish | déanach | ||
| It derives from Middle Irish dénach "last, hindmost" and also means "finally" or "in the end". | |||
| Italian | tardi | ||
| The Italian word "tardi" originates from the Latin "tardus," also meaning "slow" and "heavy." | |||
| Luxembourgish | spéit | ||
| Spéit can also mean 'later' or 'the day after' when used in certain contexts or phrases. | |||
| Maltese | tard | ||
| The Maltese word "tard" may also refer to an individual with intellectual disability or a mentally challenged person. | |||
| Norwegian | sent | ||
| In Norwegian, "sent" can also refer to "the late evening or night," as in "om kvelden sent." | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | tarde | ||
| The word "tarde" can also mean "afternoon" in Portuguese. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | fadalach | ||
| The word "fadalach" in Scots Gaelic derives from the Proto-Celtic root word "*wadlos," which also meant "late" or "leftover." | |||
| Spanish | tarde | ||
| The Spanish word "tarde" also means "afternoon" and is derived from the Latin word "tarda" meaning "slow" or "delayed" | |||
| Swedish | sent | ||
| Sent is an ancient Germanic word also present in some Scandinavian languages, it's a cognate of 'send' and originally meant 'send off' (someone), so 'late' can be seen as the end point of someone or something being sent. | |||
| Welsh | hwyr | ||
| The word "hwyr" also means "west" in Welsh, as the sun sets in the west. | |||
Late in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | позна | ||
| The word "позна" also has the meaning of "after" (as in time), like in the phrase "позна завчера" (after the day before yesterday). | |||
| Bosnian | kasno | ||
| The word "kasno" likely derives from either Old Slavic "kasьno" or a contraction of the Proto-Indo-European "kosnos" (night), suggesting the connection of "late" to "night". | |||
| Bulgarian | късен | ||
| In Bulgarian, "късен" also refers to "the latest model of a car" and "the back end of a horse." | |||
| Czech | pozdě | ||
| The word "pozdě" also refers to the time of day between 10 pm and midnight in Czech, similar to the use of "night" in English. | |||
| Estonian | hilja | ||
| The origin of "hilja" is "hää"("good," "nicely") from the older meaning "time that fits best" | |||
| Finnish | myöhään | ||
| "Myöhään" can also mean "in the deep" or "in the depths" in a metaphorical or spiritual sense. | |||
| Hungarian | késő | ||
| The word "késő" comes from a Proto-Uralic root meaning "to delay, linger, or be slow". | |||
| Latvian | vēlu | ||
| The word "vēlu," meaning "lateness," may also refer to the season of autumn. | |||
| Lithuanian | vėlai | ||
| Lithuanian "vėlai" is also used to refer to a "late-stage" of something | |||
| Macedonian | доцна | ||
| "доцна" ultimately originates from Proto-Indo-European "*dewk-no" (yesterday) but developed its current meaning in Proto-Slavic. | |||
| Polish | późno | ||
| The word 'późno' in Polish can also mean 'afterwards' or 'later on'. | |||
| Romanian | târziu | ||
| "Târziu" derives from Latin "tarde" (in the evening), influenced by Slavic "tard" (slow, late). | |||
| Russian | поздно | ||
| "Поздно" is derived from the Proto-Slavic "*pozdъ" which may be related to "*pozъdi" meaning "behind". | |||
| Serbian | касно | ||
| "Касно" can also mean "dark" or "black" in Serbian. | |||
| Slovak | neskoro | ||
| "Neskoro" in Slovak shares its root with the word for "poverty" in some Slavic languages, suggesting a connection between tardiness and economic hardship. | |||
| Slovenian | pozen | ||
| The word "pozen" in Slovenian, which means "late," comes from the Slavic root "pozdъ," meaning "after" or "behind." | |||
| Ukrainian | пізно | ||
| The word "пізно" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *pozdъ, meaning "after" or "behind," and is related to the word "пізній" ("late") in modern Ukrainian. | |||
Late in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | দেরী | ||
| "দেরী" in Bengali also means "delay" or "tardiness". | |||
| Gujarati | અંતમાં | ||
| The word "અંતમાં" can also mean "finally" or "in conclusion." | |||
| Hindi | देर से | ||
| The Hindi word "देर से" can also mean "slowly" or "in the evening." | |||
| Kannada | ತಡವಾಗಿ | ||
| In some contexts, "ತಡವಾಗಿ" can also mean "belated" or "too late". | |||
| Malayalam | വൈകി | ||
| "വൈകി" is cognate with words such as "വികല" and "വിപര്യയ" meaning "distorted". The verb forms of these words in Malayalam all mean "to get delayed". | |||
| Marathi | उशीरा | ||
| The Marathi word "उशीरा" has a cognate in Gujarati: "ઉશીર"," pronounced "ushiru". | |||
| Nepali | ढिलो | ||
| The word ढिलो can also mean 'slow' or 'lazy'. | |||
| Punjabi | ਦੇਰ ਨਾਲ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | නැසීගිය | ||
| The word "නැසීගිය" ultimately derives from the Sanskrit word "नष्ट" (naṣṭa), meaning "destroyed" or "perished". | |||
| Tamil | தாமதமாக | ||
| The word “தாமதமாக” has roots in a Sanskrit word that means slow. | |||
| Telugu | ఆలస్యం | ||
| Urdu | دیر | ||
| The Urdu word "دیر" also has the alternate meaning of "monastery" and is derived from the Persian word "دیر" with the same meaning. | |||
Late in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 晚的 | ||
| 晚的 is the first of two characters in a compound that can mean 'a child who was born late'. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 晚了 | ||
| "晚了" can also mean "it's over" or "it's too late". | |||
| Japanese | 遅い | ||
| "遅い" comes from the verb "延ぶ" (to prolong), meaning something that takes a long time to happen. | |||
| Korean | 늦은 | ||
| "늦은" originally meant "the end point" or "the time when something is finished," and it came to mean "late" because it implies that the end point has passed. | |||
| Mongolian | сүүлээр | ||
| The Mongolian word "сүүлээр" can also mean "at the end". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | နောက်ကျ | ||
Late in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | terlambat | ||
| The word "terlambat" derives from the Proto-Austronesian root "*lambat" meaning "slow" or "delayed". | |||
| Javanese | telat | ||
| Telat in Javanese can also mean 'to not have' or 'to lack' something. | |||
| Khmer | យឺត | ||
| The word យឺត is also used to mean 'delay', 'slow', and 'gradually'. | |||
| Lao | ເດິກ | ||
| The Lao word "ເດິກ" can also mean "slowly" or "gently". | |||
| Malay | lewat | ||
| The word "lewat" can also mean "exceed" or "overtake". | |||
| Thai | สาย | ||
| สาย is also the name for a type of thin rope or string, which reflects the sense of 'extending'. It can also refer to lineage, lineage, or line, like a clothesline. | |||
| Vietnamese | muộn | ||
| The word "muộn" in Vietnamese can also mean "slow" or "hesitant". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | huli na | ||
Late in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | gec | ||
| The Azerbaijani word "gec" can also refer to "night" or "evening". | |||
| Kazakh | кеш | ||
| The word "кеш" can also refer to a gift of jewelry, typically given as a dowry. | |||
| Kyrgyz | кеч | ||
| The word "кеч" (late) in Kyrgyz is derived from the Proto-Turkic word *keç-*, which also means "night" or "evening". | |||
| Tajik | дер | ||
| The word "дер" can also mean "yesterday" or "behind" in Tajik. | |||
| Turkmen | giç | ||
| Uzbek | kech | ||
| The word "kech" also means "evening" in Uzbek. | |||
| Uyghur | كېچىكىپ قالدى | ||
Late in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | lohi | ||
| The word "lohi" can also refer to old age or a gray head of hair. | |||
| Maori | mutunga | ||
| The Maori word "mutunga" also means "conclusion" or "end". | |||
| Samoan | tuai | ||
| The word "tuai" can also mean "old" or "senior" in Samoan. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | huli na | ||
| The word "huli na" in Tagalog also means "the end" or "the final part". | |||
Late in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jayp'u | ||
| Guarani | ka'aru | ||
Late in International Languages
| Esperanto | malfrue | ||
| The word "malfrue" can also mean "lastly" or "finally". | |||
| Latin | sero | ||
| The word 'sero' in Latin also means 'at evening' and is related to the word 'serum', meaning 'evening or later time'. | |||
Late in Others Languages
| Greek | αργά | ||
| "Αργά" does not only mean "late", it can also mean "slowly". | |||
| Hmong | tuaj lig | ||
| The Hmong word "tuaj lig" also means "night" or "evening". | |||
| Kurdish | dereng | ||
| The Kurdish word "dereng" derives from the Persian word "derang", which also means "late". | |||
| Turkish | geç | ||
| Geç can also mean "difficult" or (in Ottoman Turkish) "to pass". | |||
| Xhosa | mva | ||
| The word Mva can be used in a variety of ways, both in its original context as well as in the sense of 'overstaying one's welcome'. | |||
| Yiddish | שפּעט | ||
| The Yiddish term "שפּעט" also bears alternate meanings like "delayed" or "overripe". | |||
| Zulu | sekwephuzile | ||
| The word "sekwephuzile" in Zulu is derived from the root "kwephuza," meaning "to be late or delayed." | |||
| Assamese | পলম | ||
| Aymara | jayp'u | ||
| Bhojpuri | देरी | ||
| Dhivehi | ލަހުން | ||
| Dogri | चिरें | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | huli na | ||
| Guarani | ka'aru | ||
| Ilocano | naladaw | ||
| Krio | let | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | درەنگ | ||
| Maithili | देरी | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯊꯦꯡꯕ | ||
| Mizo | tlai | ||
| Oromo | barfachuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ବିଳମ୍ବ | ||
| Quechua | unayay | ||
| Sanskrit | विलम्बेन | ||
| Tatar | соң | ||
| Tigrinya | ረፋድ | ||
| Tsonga | hlwela | ||