Lifetime in different languages

Lifetime in Different Languages

Discover 'Lifetime' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.

Updated on March 6, 2024

The word 'lifetime' carries great significance as it represents the entire duration of a person's existence. It's a cultural concept that varies across societies, often influencing traditions, beliefs, and customs. For instance, in many Eastern cultures, one's lifetime is seen as part of a larger cycle of reincarnation, while in Western cultures, it's typically viewed as a linear progression from birth to death.

Moreover, knowing the translation of 'lifetime' in different languages can provide unique insights into how various cultures perceive and value this concept. For example, in Spanish, 'lifetime' is 'vida entera', in French, it's 'durée de vie', and in German, it's 'Lebenszeit'. Each of these translations not only conveys the literal meaning but also subtly reflects the cultural perspective of the language.

So, whether you're a language enthusiast, a cultural researcher, or simply curious, exploring the translations of 'lifetime' can be a fascinating journey. Here's a list of 'lifetime' in various languages to get you started:

Lifetime


Lifetime in Sub-Saharan African Languages

Afrikaanslewensduur
" Lewensduur" literally means "duration of life" in Afrikaans and thus does not have any alternate meanings.
Amharicየሕይወት ዘመን
Hausarayuwa
The word 'rayuwa' in Hausa is derived from the Arabic word 'ar-rāyu', meaning 'life' or 'soul'.
Igbondụ niile
Ndụ niile literally means "all life" and refers to the entire duration of one's existence.
Malagasyandrom-piainana
The word "androm-piainana" is derived from the Malagasy words "androm" (person) and "piainana" (life), meaning "the life of a person".
Nyanja (Chichewa)moyo wonse
The word "moyo wonse" also means "spirit" or "soul" in Nyanja.
Shonahupenyu hwese
In Shona, the word hupenyu hwese can also refer to a person's life story and experiences.
Somaliwaqtiga nolosha
The Somali word "waqtiga nolosha" literally means "the time of life" and can also be used to refer to a person's life span or career.
Sesothobophelong
"Bophelong" literally translates to "head of the long" in Sesotho.
Swahilimaisha
The word "maisha" in Swahili also refers to "existence" and "wellbeing" and derives from the Proto-Bantu root "*isi" meaning "life".
Xhosaubomi bonke
The Xhosa word "ubomi bonke" literally means "life of all", emphasizing the interconnectedness of all living beings.
Yorubaigbesi aye
Igb'esi aye, in Yoruba, means "lifespan" as well as "world's path" or "life's journey".
Zuluimpilo yonke
The word 'impilo yonke' can also refer to 'a good life' or 'a long life'.
Bambaraɲɛnamaya kɔnɔ
Eweagbemeŋkekewo katã
Kinyarwandaubuzima bwose
Lingalabomoi mobimba
Lugandaobulamu bwonna
Sepedibophelo ka moka
Twi (Akan)nkwa nna nyinaa

Lifetime in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicأوقات الحياة
The Arabic word “أوقات الحياة” (aوقات الحياة) can also mean “good times”, “periods of enjoyment”, or “fun times”.
Hebrewלכל החיים
The Biblical Aramaic phrase 'l-kol ḥayyey means 'as long as he shall live', 'during the whole of one's life'. Its Hebrew equivalent is 'le-ḥal ḥayyav'.
Pashtoعمري
While "عمري" is usually translated as "lifetime," it can also mean "my age" or "my era."
Arabicأوقات الحياة
The Arabic word “أوقات الحياة” (aوقات الحياة) can also mean “good times”, “periods of enjoyment”, or “fun times”.

Lifetime in Western European Languages

Albaniangjatë gjithë jetës
Basquebizitza
Bizitza relates to the concepts of "light" and "brightness" in Proto-Basque, connecting it to the idea of life as a period of luminosity or enlightenment.
Catalantota una vida
The Catalan phrase "tota una vida" also means "a whole life", "a lifetime", "one's entire life", or "a very long time".
Croatiandoživotno
"Doživotno" is derived from the Old Slavic word "životъ", meaning "life".
Danishlivstid
Old Norse, 'lifstið': 'age, life' and 'time of life'
Dutchlevenslang
Levenslang in Dutch can also mean "life sentence" in English, and has the same meaning in the legal contexts of other Germanic languages.
Englishlifetime
The word "lifetime" can also refer to the duration of a bond, lease, or other similar agreement.
Frenchdurée de vie
"Durée de vie" also means a product's "service life," specifically "useful life." Specifically, in the case of machinery, this is equivalent to a "total operating time."
Frisianlifetime
In Frisian the word "lifetime" can also mean "period of time in a person's life" or "a person's existence."
Galiciantoda a vida
Galician "toda a vida" literally translates to "all the life", but it can also mean "forever".
Germanlebenszeit
In the 16th century, "Lebenszeit" only referred to the time after birth, not the entire span of life.
Icelandiclíftími
The word "líftími" in Icelandic can also refer to a person's conduct or behavior.
Irishfeadh an tsaoil
Italiantutta la vita
The words "tutta la" in Italian can mean "all of the" or "the whole," while "vita" means "life." In combination, they create the phrase "tutta la vita" which means "lifetime".
Luxembourgishliewenszäit
Malteseħajja
"Ħajja" can also mean "snake" in Maltese, derived from the Arabic "حية".
Norwegianlivstid
An alternate spelling of "livstid" is "livstid", a noun meaning "term of imprisonment" or "life sentence".
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil)tempo de vida
In Portuguese the word "tempo de vida" can refer to how long you've been alive and the pace at which you're living your life.
Scots Gaelicfad-beatha
The word "fad-beatha" also has a connotation of duration or lifespan.
Spanishtoda la vida
The Spanish phrase "toda la vida" does not only mean "lifetime," it is also an idiomatic expression referring to an unspecified period of time.
Swedishlivstid
The word "livstid" literally translates to "life time".
Welshoes
The word "oes" also refers to an "age", as in "The Iron Age", i.e. an era or chronological period in Welsh.

Lifetime in Eastern European Languages

Belarusianпрацягласць жыцця
Bosnianživotni vijek
In addition to its primary meaning of "lifetime", the word "životni vijek" can also refer to the lifespan of an object or product.
Bulgarianживот
The Bulgarian word "живот" not only means "lifetime," but also refers to the stomach or abdomen in many Slavic languages.
Czechživot
"Život" also means "stomach" in Czech.
Estonianeluaeg
The word "eluaeg" is derived from the Estonian words "elu" (life) and "aeg" (time).
Finnishelinikä
"Elini" means "hand" or "arm" and "ikä" means "age", so "elinikä" literally refers to the "age of a limb".
Hungarianélettartam
The word "élettartam" is derived from the Hungarian words "élet" (life) and "tartam" (duration).
Latvianmūžs
The word "mūžs" is a homophone with "mūza" (inspiration, muse) in Latvian, sharing the same Proto-Baltic root.
Lithuaniangyvenimas
In addition to its primary meaning of "lifetime," "gyvenimas" can also refer to "life" as a concept or to "living beings"
Macedonianживотен век
The word "животен век" is derived from the Slavic root "жив" (alive) and was previously used to signify a period of 70 years in the Bible or the time between birth and death.
Polishdożywotni
The word "dożywotni" derives from the Old Polish word "dożywocie" which meant "an allowance for someone's lifetime".
Romaniandurata de viață
"Durată de viață" has the same etymology of "duration" and "durable" and derives from the root *dura-, meaning strong, stable.
Russianпродолжительность жизни
Russian word "продолжительность жизни" derives from Latin "longus", meaning "long" or "lasting".
Serbianживотни век
The Serbian word "животни век" can also mean "lifetime of an animal".
Slovakživot
The Slovak word "život" also signifies a "style" or "way" of living.
Slovenianživljenska doba
The Slovenian word "življenska doba" not only means "lifetime", but also "age" and "life expectancy".
Ukrainianчас життя
The Ukrainian word "час життя" literally translates to "hour of life" and can also refer to a specific period of time, such as the span of someone's life or the duration of an event.

Lifetime in South Asian Languages

Bengaliআজীবন
আজীবন's literal meaning is 'all days' which makes sense as it means 'lifetime'.
Gujaratiઆજીવન
Hindiजीवन काल
The word "जीवन काल" (lifetime) is derived from the Sanskrit words "जीव" (life) and "काल" (time), and it can also refer to a person's lifespan or the duration of a particular event or period.
Kannadaಜೀವಮಾನ
The word 'ಜೀವಮಾನ' in Kannada also means 'duration of an existence' or 'period of existence'.
Malayalamആജീവനാന്തം
Marathiआजीवन
The word "आजीवन" can also mean "indefinitely" or "for as long as the living being exists."
Nepaliजीवन भरि
जीवन भरि is a compound word made up of "जीवन," meaning "life," and "भरि," meaning "full."
Punjabiਉਮਰ
In Farsi, the word "umr" can also mean "age" or "era" when it comes to an entire civilization (like "the Ummayad Era").
Sinhala (Sinhalese)ජීවිත කාලය
ජීවිත කාලය (jīvita kālaya) is also used in reference to the period during which a particular species or entity existed on Earth.
Tamilவாழ்நாள்
வாழ்நாள் ('lifetime') also means the length of someone's life.
Teluguజీవితకాలం
జీవితకాలం (jeevithakaalam) is a Telugu word meaning "period of existence or activity." It has various other meanings such as "lifetime of a body," "duration of an epoch," or "a person's lifetime."
Urduزندگی بھر
The literal meaning of "زندگی بھر" is "for the span of life" but it is also used figuratively to mean "forever"

Lifetime in East Asian Languages

Chinese (Simplified)一生
一, meaning "one" or "all," is combined with 生, meaning "birth" or "life," to denote the entirety of one's life.
Chinese (Traditional)一生
In Chinese, the word "一生" (lifetime) can also refer to a "long, drawn-out period of time".
Japanese一生
While it sounds like "one life", "一生" actually means "a whole life". The "一" here means "all" or "whole", rather than "one".
Korean일생
The word "일생" in Korean also refers to a "lifetime" in the sense of a person's entire career or life's work.
Mongolianнасан туршдаа
The word "насан туршдаа" literally means "for the length of a breath", highlighting the ephemeral nature of life.
Myanmar (Burmese)တစ်သက်တာ

Lifetime in South East Asian Languages

Indonesianseumur hidup
"Seumur hidup" derives from the words "seumur" ("of the same age") and "hidup" ("life"), thus literally meaning "of the same age as life".
Javaneseumur
"Umur" in Javanese also means "generation" when referring to a family or dynasty.
Khmerឆាកជីវិត
Laoຕະຫຼອດຊີວິດ
Malayseumur hidup
In Indonesian, "seumur hidup" can also mean "sentenced to life in prison".
Thaiอายุการใช้งาน
The word "อายุการใช้งาน" in Thai can also refer to the duration of a contract or the shelf life of a product.
Vietnamesecả đời
The word "cả đời" can also refer to "a lifetime" or "one's entire life."
Filipino (Tagalog)habang buhay

Lifetime in Central Asian Languages

Azerbaijaniömür boyu
The word "ömür boyu" in Azerbaijani can also refer to life insurance or longevity.
Kazakhөмір кезеңі
The word "өмір кезеңі" can also refer to a person's life journey or their era.
Kyrgyzөмүр бою
The word "өмүр бою" can also refer to a "long time" or "a long period of time" in Kyrgyz.
Tajikумр
The word "умр" comes from the Arabic word "عمر" which means "age" or "life span."
Turkmenömri
Uzbekhayot paytida
The word "hayot paytida" in Uzbek can also mean "during one's life" or "throughout one's life."
Uyghurئۆمۈر

Lifetime in Pacific Languages

Hawaiianola holoʻokoʻa
"Ola holoʻokoʻa" can also mean "the whole of life," and "the eternal hereafter" in Hawaiian.
Maorioranga
The Maori word 'oranga' can also refer to well-being or prosperity.
Samoanolaga atoa
The Samoan word "olaga atoa" can also refer to eternal life or everlasting existence.
Tagalog (Filipino)habang buhay

Lifetime in American Indigenous Languages

Aymarajakäwi pachana
Guaranitekove pukukue javeve

Lifetime in International Languages

Esperantodumviva
The word "dumviva" can also mean "for life" or "for one's whole life".
Latinvita
The word "vita" also denotes "lifestyle" or "way of living" in Latin, akin to "bios" in Ancient Greek.

Lifetime in Others Languages

Greekδιάρκεια ζωής
Διάρκεια Ζωής (from Greek διαρκής, "lasting" and ζωή, "life") also means "duration" or "term of office".
Hmonglub neej
'Lub Neej,' which literally translates to ‘time of breath,’ is synonymous with life or lifetime.
Kurdishjiyîn
The word "jiyîn" (lifetime) in Kurdish shares a common root with the term "jîyan" (life), emphasizing the interconnectedness of life's duration and the essence of living.
Turkishömür
"Ömür" derives from the Old Turkish "ömür", meaning "age" and can also refer to "duration" or "period."
Xhosaubomi bonke
The Xhosa word "ubomi bonke" literally means "life of all", emphasizing the interconnectedness of all living beings.
Yiddishלעבנסצייט
In Yiddish, "לעבנסצייט" can also refer to a lifelong partner or spouse.
Zuluimpilo yonke
The word 'impilo yonke' can also refer to 'a good life' or 'a long life'.
Assameseআজীৱন
Aymarajakäwi pachana
Bhojpuriजीवन भर के बा
Dhivehiއުމުރު ދުވަހުގެ މުއްދަތެވެ
Dogriजिंदगी भर
Filipino (Tagalog)habang buhay
Guaranitekove pukukue javeve
Ilocanotungpal biag
Kriolayf tɛm
Kurdish (Sorani)کاتی ژیان
Maithiliआजीवन
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯄꯨꯟꯁꯤ ꯆꯨꯞꯄꯥ꯫
Mizodam chhung zawng
Oromoumurii guutuu
Odia (Oriya)ଆଜୀବନ
Quechuakawsay pacha
Sanskritआयुः
Tatarсрок
Tigrinyaዕድመ ምሉእ
Tsongavutomi hinkwabyo

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