Literally in Different Languages
Discover 'Literally' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Literally is a word that, in English, is used to emphasize that a statement is not figurative or metaphorical, but instead is meant to be taken in a very precise and accurate sense. However, the word has taken on a life of its own in recent years, often being used to add emphasis to a statement, even when the statement is figurative. This shift in usage has been a topic of much debate and discussion in linguistic circles.
Despite this controversy, there is no denying the significance and cultural importance of the word literally. Its use can be traced back to the 14th century, and it has been a part of the English language for over 600 years. In that time, it has been translated into countless other languages, each with its own unique cultural and linguistic context.
For those interested in language and culture, understanding the translations of literally in different languages can be a fascinating and enlightening experience. From the French 'littéralement' to the Spanish 'literalmente', the word takes on new forms and meanings, reflecting the rich diversity of the world's languages and cultures.
Literally
Literally in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | letterlik | ||
| The word "letterlik" in Afrikaans can also mean "precisely" or "exactly". | |||
| Amharic | በጥሬው | ||
| The word "በጥሬ" (literally) is derived from the verb "ለጠረ", which means to peel, strip or scrape. Hence it alludes the state something has when its outer layer has been removed. | |||
| Hausa | a zahiri | ||
| In Hausa, 'a zahiri' can also mean 'without reason' or 'without cause'. | |||
| Igbo | n'ụzọ nkịtị | ||
| N'ụzọ nkịtị is an Igbo phrase that also means "in the usual way" or "as is customary" | |||
| Malagasy | ara-bakiteny | ||
| The Malagasy word 'ara-bakiteny' not only means 'literally,' but also 'face-to-face, clearly, and directly'. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kwenikweni | ||
| "Kwenikweni" can also refer to "the truth or an honest person." | |||
| Shona | sezvazviri | ||
| Sezvaviri (literally) can also mean 'exactly', 'properly', 'precisely', 'strictly', 'accordingly' or 'indeed' depending on the context. | |||
| Somali | macno ahaan | ||
| The word "macno ahaan" can also mean "exactly" or "indeed". | |||
| Sesotho | ka ho toba | ||
| The Sesotho phrase "ka ho toba" originated from a proverb that literally translates to "it is by falling that you learn to walk". | |||
| Swahili | halisi | ||
| Halisi is also used figuratively to mean 'genuine' or 'authentic'. | |||
| Xhosa | ngokoqobo | ||
| The Xhosa word "ngokoqobo" is derived from the word "iqobo," which means "word." | |||
| Yoruba | gangan | ||
| "Gangan" can also mean a double-faced drum that is played with two sticks. | |||
| Zulu | ngokoqobo | ||
| Ngogoqobo also means "without a doubt" or "in fact". | |||
| Bambara | a kɔrɔ yɛrɛ | ||
| Ewe | le nyagbᴐgblᴐa nu | ||
| Kinyarwanda | uko bisanzwe | ||
| Lingala | ndenge ezali | ||
| Luganda | kiringa | ||
| Sepedi | ntšukantšu | ||
| Twi (Akan) | traa | ||
Literally in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | حرفيا | ||
| حرفيًا (literally) comes from the Arabic root ح ر ف (harf), meaning "letter" or "character", and can also refer to the first letter of a word or the first word of a sentence. | |||
| Hebrew | פשוטו כמשמעו | ||
| The phrase 'פשוטו כמשמעו' has alternative meanings that refer to the obvious, straightforward, or plain sense of something. | |||
| Pashto | په لفظي ډول | ||
| In Pashto, the word "په لفظي ډول" can also mean "in name only" or "for the sake of it." | |||
| Arabic | حرفيا | ||
| حرفيًا (literally) comes from the Arabic root ح ر ف (harf), meaning "letter" or "character", and can also refer to the first letter of a word or the first word of a sentence. | |||
Literally in Western European Languages
| Albanian | fjalë për fjalë | ||
| Basque | hitzez hitz | ||
| The Basque phrase "hitzez hitz" has several meanings, including "in detail" and "literally" | |||
| Catalan | literalment | ||
| "Literalment" in Catalan comes from the Latin word "literaliter", meaning "letter by letter". | |||
| Croatian | doslovno | ||
| The word "doslovno" can also mean "verbatim" or "word for word". | |||
| Danish | bogstaveligt talt | ||
| The word "bogstaveligt talt" (literally) literally means "letter by letter" in Danish. | |||
| Dutch | letterlijk | ||
| In Dutch, "letterlijk" can also mean "word-for-word" or "exactly". | |||
| English | literally | ||
| "Literally" originally meant "conforming to the letter of a document" and only later came to mean "without exaggeration or metaphor." | |||
| French | au sens propre | ||
| In medieval law, "au sens propre" meant "the meaning intended by the speaker". | |||
| Frisian | letterlik | ||
| In Frisian, letterlik can also mean 'literally' or 'in the true sense of the word' | |||
| Galician | literalmente | ||
| In Galician, "literalmente" can mean "literally" but also "exactly" or "completely". | |||
| German | buchstäblich | ||
| The German word "buchstäblich" can also mean "exactly" or "specifically". | |||
| Icelandic | bókstaflega | ||
| The word bókstaflega comes from the Old Norse word bókstafr, meaning 'letter'. | |||
| Irish | go litriúil | ||
| The word 'go litriúil' also means 'by the letter' and is used to refer to a strict or literal interpretation of something. | |||
| Italian | letteralmente | ||
| In Italian, 'letteralmente' can also mean 'strictly speaking' or 'figuratively', depending on the context. | |||
| Luxembourgish | wuertwiertlech | ||
| The word "wuertwiertlech" can also be used to emphasize a statement, similar to "really" or "truly" in English. | |||
| Maltese | litteralment | ||
| In Maltese, "litteralment" also means "exactly" or "precisely". | |||
| Norwegian | bokstavelig | ||
| "Bokstavelig" kommer fra norrønt "bókstafligr," som betyr "bokstav for bokstav." | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | literalmente | ||
| Literalmente originally meant "according to the letter" but over time it came to mean "precisely or exactly" | |||
| Scots Gaelic | gu litearra | ||
| The Gaelic "gu litearra" means literally, but can also mean "according to the letter," "in the narrowest sense," "exactly," or "in a narrow sense." | |||
| Spanish | literalmente | ||
| In Spanish, the word 'literalmente' can also mean 'strictly' or 'exactly' | |||
| Swedish | bokstavligen | ||
| The word "bokstavligen" comes from the Swedish word "bokstav" meaning "letter," and is related to the German word "Buchstabe" with the same meaning. | |||
| Welsh | yn llythrennol | ||
| The word 'yn llythrennol' can also be translated as 'in the lettering' or 'in the characters'. | |||
Literally in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | літаральна | ||
| У слове "літаральна" можна виділити два кореня: "літар" ("буквений") і "на" ("на"), що разом утворюють значення "буквально; у прямому сенсі слова". | |||
| Bosnian | bukvalno | ||
| "Bukvalno" in Bosnian can also mean "for real" or "really" in an informal context. | |||
| Bulgarian | буквално | ||
| "Буквално" освен в смисъла на „буквално“, се използва и в смисъла на „наистина“ или „съвсем“. | |||
| Czech | doslova | ||
| "Doslova" means accurately or word for word, from an original German loan of "das Wort" ("the word"). | |||
| Estonian | sõna otseses mõttes | ||
| The word "sõna otseses mõttes" can also mean "in the dictionary sense" or "in the strict sense". | |||
| Finnish | kirjaimellisesti | ||
| The word 'kirjaimellisesti' also means 'according to the letter of the law' or 'formally'. | |||
| Hungarian | szó szerint | ||
| Besides its literal meaning, "szó szerint" in Hungarian can also mean "exactly" or "precisely". | |||
| Latvian | burtiski | ||
| In informal speech, "burtiski" can also refer to the strict and literal interpretation or translation of something. | |||
| Lithuanian | pažodžiui | ||
| "Pažodžiui" is related to the word "žodis", which means "word" in Lithuanian. | |||
| Macedonian | буквално | ||
| In Macedonian, "буквално" also means "word-for-word", "exactly as written", or "in the most literal sense". | |||
| Polish | dosłownie | ||
| In Polish, "dosłownie" can also mean "really" or "truly." | |||
| Romanian | literalmente | ||
| The Romanian word "literalmente" can have a humorous or ironic sense, implying that something is exaggerated or not quite literal. | |||
| Russian | буквально | ||
| Буквально means not only "literally" but also "very" or "in fact" | |||
| Serbian | буквално | ||
| In Serbian, "буквално" can also mean "in the true sense of the word" or "in the fullest sense of the word." | |||
| Slovak | doslova | ||
| In Slovak, "doslova" also has the archaic meaning "in letters", which may not have been common usage in its etymology. | |||
| Slovenian | dobesedno | ||
| 'Dobesedno', which means literally in English, can also mean 'in the true sense of the word' in Slovenian. | |||
| Ukrainian | буквально | ||
| "Буквально" may also mean "letter by letter" or "as it is written" in Ukrainian. | |||
Literally in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | আক্ষরিক অর্থে | ||
| আক্ষরিক অর্থে can be used with a figurative sense to indicate that something is true in a metaphorical sense. | |||
| Gujarati | શાબ્દિક | ||
| The Sanskrit cognate **शब्दिक** also refers to a person who works with words, like a lexicographer or a grammarian. | |||
| Hindi | वस्तुतः | ||
| "वस्तुतः" can also mean "in fact, actually, really, clearly". | |||
| Kannada | ಅಕ್ಷರಶಃ | ||
| ಅಕ್ಷರಶಃ ('literally') derives from 'ಅಕ್ಷರ' ('letter') + 'ಶಃ' (a nominal suffix often indicating 'of the nature of, in the form of'). | |||
| Malayalam | അക്ഷരാർത്ഥത്തിൽ | ||
| Marathi | अक्षरशः | ||
| The Marathi word "अक्षरशः" has multiple meanings, one being "according to the rules of grammar" and another being "exactly". | |||
| Nepali | शाब्दिक | ||
| In Nepali, Shabdhik refers to meanings that are expressed explicitly or directly, but can also describe meanings understood through gestures or actions. | |||
| Punjabi | ਸ਼ਾਬਦਿਕ | ||
| In Punjabi, the word "literally" can refer to both the literal meaning and the figurative meaning of words, depending on the context. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | වචනාර්ථයෙන් | ||
| It can also be used to express the idea of 'in the true sense of the word' or 'in the strictest sense'. | |||
| Tamil | உண்மையாகவே | ||
| Telugu | అక్షరాలా | ||
| In Telugu, "అక్షరాలా" can also mean "without missing a word" or "according to the text". | |||
| Urdu | لفظی | ||
| لفظی can also mean 'verbal' or 'oral', referring to communication through speech. | |||
Literally in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 从字面上看 | ||
| 字面上看可以表示字面的意思，也可以表示表面上的意思或一般意义上来说的意思。 | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 從字面上看 | ||
| 從字面上看, the Chinese word for "literally" has two meanings: (1) according to the original meaning of the word; (2) in fact; actually | |||
| Japanese | 文字通り | ||
| The Japanese word "文字通り" can also refer to the exact wording or text of something | |||
| Korean | 말 그대로 | ||
| 말 그대로 (literally) is a Korean adverb that can also mean "exactly" or "as is." | |||
| Mongolian | шууд утгаараа | ||
| The word 'шууд утгаараа' ('literally') is often used in Mongolian to indicate the original or primary meaning of a word, as opposed to its figurative or metaphorical meaning. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | စာသား | ||
Literally in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | secara harfiah | ||
| The phrase literally in Indonesian can mean 'in a literal sense' or 'in a figurative sense'. | |||
| Javanese | secara harfiah | ||
| Secara harfiah means 'literally' in Javanese, but it can also mean 'in a real sense' or 'without exaggeration'. | |||
| Khmer | ព្យញ្ជនៈ | ||
| The Khmer word "ព្យញ្ជនៈ" can also mean "consonant" in the context of linguistics. | |||
| Lao | ຮູ້ຫນັງສື | ||
| Malay | secara harfiah | ||
| Literally, "secara harfiah" means "according to the letters", emphasizing that something has been conveyed verbatim. | |||
| Thai | แท้จริง | ||
| แท้จริง means "genuinely" or "in reality", and it is derived from the Pali word "saccaṃ", meaning "truth". | |||
| Vietnamese | theo nghĩa đen | ||
| "Theo nghĩa đen" means "literally" but can also mean "in the biblical sense" or "in the literal sense". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | literal | ||
Literally in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | eynən | ||
| The word "eynən" can also mean "exactly" or "precisely". | |||
| Kazakh | сөзбе-сөз | ||
| The literal meaning of сөзбе-сөз is "word-by-word", implying the exact correspondence between the source and target text. | |||
| Kyrgyz | түзмө-түз | ||
| The word "түзмө-түз" in Kyrgyz can also refer to something that is flat, level, or even-keeled. | |||
| Tajik | айнан | ||
| The word "айнан" can also mean "truth" or "indeed" in Tajik. | |||
| Turkmen | sözme-söz | ||
| Uzbek | so'zma-so'z | ||
| The Uzbek word "so'zma-so'z" can also mean "word for word" or "verbatim". | |||
| Uyghur | مەنىسى | ||
Literally in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | maoli | ||
| The word "maoli" in Hawaiian also means "native" or "indigenous." | |||
| Maori | mooni | ||
| In the Maori language, the word "mooni" can also refer to "a small amount" of something. | |||
| Samoan | moni lava | ||
| The word "moni lava" comes from a Tongan word for 'money' that refers to the coins brought by European traders and a Proto-Austronesian word for 'clean' | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | literal | ||
| "Literal" in Tagalog also means "actual, real, true". | |||
Literally in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | litiraljama | ||
| Guarani | he'ihaichaite | ||
Literally in International Languages
| Esperanto | laŭvorte | ||
| Esperanto's "laŭvorte" is literally "according to the word"} | |||
| Latin | ad litteram | ||
| "Ad litteram" comes from the Latin phrase "ad litteram scriptam," meaning "according to the written letter." | |||
Literally in Others Languages
| Greek | κυριολεκτικά | ||
| Κυριολεκτικά is derived from the Greek words κύριος (lord) and λέγω (to say), and can also mean "in the proper sense" or "strictly speaking." | |||
| Hmong | cia | ||
| In Hmong, "cia" can also mean "only" or "just." | |||
| Kurdish | bi rastî | ||
| Bi rastî means "with truth" and can also mean "for real" or "in fact". | |||
| Turkish | kelimenin tam anlamıyla | ||
| In Turkish, the word "kelimenin tam anlamıyla" can also mean "figuratively" or "symbolically". | |||
| Xhosa | ngokoqobo | ||
| The Xhosa word "ngokoqobo" is derived from the word "iqobo," which means "word." | |||
| Yiddish | ממש | ||
| In Yiddish, "ממש" can also mean "very" or "exactly". | |||
| Zulu | ngokoqobo | ||
| Ngogoqobo also means "without a doubt" or "in fact". | |||
| Assamese | আক্ষৰিকভাৱে | ||
| Aymara | litiraljama | ||
| Bhojpuri | पूरा तरह से | ||
| Dhivehi | ޙަޤީޤަތުގައި | ||
| Dogri | सच्चे | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | literal | ||
| Guarani | he'ihaichaite | ||
| Ilocano | literal | ||
| Krio | tru tru | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | واتایی | ||
| Maithili | अक्षरसः | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯋꯥꯍꯩꯒꯤ ꯑꯣꯏꯕ | ||
| Mizo | a ngial a ngan chuan | ||
| Oromo | kallattiidhumaan | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ବସ୍ତୁତଃ | ||
| Quechua | hinapuni | ||
| Sanskrit | अक्षरशः | ||
| Tatar | туры мәгънәдә | ||
| Tigrinya | ቃል ብቃል | ||
| Tsonga | entiyisweni | ||