Long in Different Languages
Discover 'Long' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'long' holds a significant place in our vocabulary, denoting not just physical length but also duration, distance, and even patience. Its cultural importance is evident in idioms and phrases like 'long time no see' and 'the long and short of it.' Understanding the translation of 'long' in different languages can provide fascinating insights into how cultures conceptualize and express this concept.
For instance, in Spanish, 'long' translates to 'largo,' while in French, it's 'long.' In Mandarin, the translation is '长(cháng),' and in Japanese, '長(naga)).' Each language offers a unique perspective on the word's meaning, reflecting cultural nuances and historical contexts.
So, why should you care about translating 'long' into different languages? For starters, it can enhance your cross-cultural communication skills, making you a more effective global citizen or businessperson. Moreover, it's a fun and enlightening way to explore the richness and diversity of the world's languages and cultures.
Long
Long in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | lank | ||
| The Afrikaans word "lank" comes from the Old Saxon "hlank" and is also used figuratively to describe time, as in "a long time ago." | |||
| Amharic | ረዥም | ||
| In Amharic, the word "ረዥም" ('long') can denote either a physical dimension or an extended period of time. | |||
| Hausa | tsawo | ||
| Tsawo can also refer to "tall, high" in Hausa | |||
| Igbo | ogologo | ||
| Igbo word "ogologo" also means "tall" and originates from the word "ogo" (height). | |||
| Malagasy | ela | ||
| The word "ela" in Malagasy can also refer to height, distance, or duration. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kutalika | ||
| The word "Kutalika" can also mean "to extend," "to stretch," or "to lengthen." | |||
| Shona | refu | ||
| The word "refu" can also mean "length" or "distance" in Shona. | |||
| Somali | dheer | ||
| In Somali, "dheer" also signifies "tall" or "of great stature". | |||
| Sesotho | telele | ||
| In the Bantu language family, the word '-tele' also means 'many' | |||
| Swahili | ndefu | ||
| The word "ndefu" derives from the Proto-Bantu root "-lefu-," meaning "tall" or "long." | |||
| Xhosa | nde | ||
| Xhosa has multiple forms of the word "nde", meaning both "long" and "tall" depending on context. | |||
| Yoruba | gun | ||
| "Igún" refers to a long piece of cloth worn by Yoruba men or a type of yam that is very long. | |||
| Zulu | yinde | ||
| Yinde in Zulu also refers to a state of being tall and slender. | |||
| Bambara | jan | ||
| Ewe | didi | ||
| Kinyarwanda | kirekire | ||
| Lingala | molai | ||
| Luganda | obuwanvu | ||
| Sepedi | telele | ||
| Twi (Akan) | tenten | ||
Long in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | طويل | ||
| "طويل" also means "tall" and comes from the same Semitic root as the English word "طول" ("to be high"). | |||
| Hebrew | ארוך | ||
| The word "ארוך" can also refer to a person who is tall and slender. | |||
| Pashto | اوږد | ||
| The word "اوږد" in Pashto also means "tall" and comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₂eǵʰ- meaning "to grow". | |||
| Arabic | طويل | ||
| "طويل" also means "tall" and comes from the same Semitic root as the English word "طول" ("to be high"). | |||
Long in Western European Languages
| Albanian | e gjate | ||
| Albanian's "e gjate" (long) is a holdover from Classical Latin's "ē," as in Caesar's name. | |||
| Basque | luzea | ||
| The word "luzea" can also refer to someone who is tall, and is related to the word "luze" (length). | |||
| Catalan | llarg | ||
| "Llarg" is also a Catalan synonym for a "thief" or "swindler." | |||
| Croatian | dugo | ||
| The word "dugo" can also mean "much" or "a long time" in Croatian. | |||
| Danish | lang | ||
| The Danish word 'lang' (meaning 'long') derives from Old Norse and is related to the English word 'long' and the German word 'lang'. | |||
| Dutch | lang | ||
| The Dutch word "lang" is derived from the Proto-Germanic “langa”, which also meant "slender" or "thin" | |||
| English | long | ||
| The Old English origin of 'long' is 'lang', which can also mean 'tall' or 'high'. | |||
| French | longue | ||
| The French word "longue" can also mean a type of musical note or the string of a racket. | |||
| Frisian | lang | ||
| The word 'lang' in Frisian can also refer to a person's tongue. | |||
| Galician | longo | ||
| "Longo" also means "foolish" in Galician, deriving from the Latin "longus" | |||
| German | lange | ||
| "Langeweile" (boredom) originally just meant "long time". That is why it is called "Langeweile" (long time) when something takes a long time. | |||
| Icelandic | langt | ||
| "Langt" in Icelandic can have several meanings, including "tall", "far", or "time-consuming." | |||
| Irish | fada | ||
| In Irish mythology, the Fada were a supernatural race of beings associated with the Otherworld and the realm of the dead. | |||
| Italian | lungo | ||
| Italian word 'lungo', meaning 'long', also refers to a type of strong coffee prepared by letting hot water pass slowly through finely-ground coffee beans. | |||
| Luxembourgish | laang | ||
| The Luxembourgish word "laang" derives from the Old High German word "lang" which means "tall" or "extended." | |||
| Maltese | twil | ||
| The word 'twil' also has a poetic connotation, referring to something that is 'protracted' or 'extended' in time or space. | |||
| Norwegian | lang | ||
| In some parts of Norway, "lang" also means "tall" or "slow". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | grandes | ||
| In Portuguese, "grandes" (long) can also refer to "great" or "big". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | fada | ||
| "Fada" derives from Proto-Indo-European root "*h₂pent-," related to "extend, stretch" and the English word "pent". It's also connected to "*h₂wens-," the origin of Latin "venus" (beauty, grace) and ultimately English "win". The word has a secondary meaning of "distant, remote, alien" in the Gaelic poetic tradition. | |||
| Spanish | largo | ||
| "Largo" also means "generous": "es muy larga dando consejos". | |||
| Swedish | lång | ||
| "Lång" also means "narrow" or "stingy" in Swedish, and is related to the English word "long". | |||
| Welsh | hir | ||
| The Welsh word "hir" can also mean "tall", "great", or "senior". | |||
Long in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | доўга | ||
| "Доўга" in Belarusian also translates as "eternity" and can be used in the metaphorical sense of a long period of time in the future. | |||
| Bosnian | dugo | ||
| The word "dugo" can also refer to a period of time, especially a long one. | |||
| Bulgarian | дълго | ||
| The Bulgarian word "дълго" also means "debt", and is cognate with the Proto-Slavic word "*dъlgъ" which had the same meaning. | |||
| Czech | dlouho | ||
| The word "dlouho" is sometimes used in the sense of "for a long time" in Czech, similar to the English idiom "a long time coming". | |||
| Estonian | pikk | ||
| The Estonian word "pikk" also has meanings "far", "distant" and "long time ago". | |||
| Finnish | pitkä | ||
| "Pitkä" shares etymological roots with the word "pitko", meaning "to protrude" or "to stand out". | |||
| Hungarian | hosszú | ||
| The word "hosszú" can also mean "tall" or "large" in Hungarian. | |||
| Latvian | ilgi | ||
| The word "ilgi" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*h₂elǵʰ-," meaning "to stretch or extend." | |||
| Lithuanian | ilgas | ||
| "Ilgas" can also mean "yearning" or "desire" in Lithuanian. | |||
| Macedonian | долг | ||
| "Долг" is a loanword from Bulgarian, which derives from Proto-Slavic *dьlgu, meaning "debt", "duty" or "owing". | |||
| Polish | długo | ||
| Długo, meaning "long" in Polish, is also an obsolete word for "time" that was inherited from Proto-Slavic. | |||
| Romanian | lung | ||
| In Romanian, the word "lung" (long) has the alternate meaning of "near" or "close to". | |||
| Russian | долго | ||
| "Долго" also means "debt" in Russian, deriving from the Proto-Slavic word *dolgъ, meaning "debt, obligation, duty, guilt, sin". | |||
| Serbian | дуго | ||
| The word "дуго" can also mean "a long time" or "long ago". | |||
| Slovak | dlho | ||
| "Dlhy" in Slovak doesn't only mean "long" but also "debtor." | |||
| Slovenian | dolga | ||
| In Slovenian, "dolga" also means "debt" | |||
| Ukrainian | довгота | ||
| "Довгота" in Ukrainian also refers to the geographical measure of longitude. | |||
Long in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | দীর্ঘ | ||
| The word "দীর্ঘ" in Bengali can also mean 'chronic' or 'prolonged' in the context of a disease or illness. | |||
| Gujarati | લાંબી | ||
| "લાંબી" also means "lazy" when referring to a person's actions or habits. | |||
| Hindi | लंबा | ||
| 'लंबा' के अन्य अर्थ है 'ऊँचा' और 'विस्तृत'। | |||
| Kannada | ಉದ್ದವಾಗಿದೆ | ||
| The Kannada word "ಉದ್ದವಾಗಿದೆ" can also refer to something excessive or in abundance. | |||
| Malayalam | നീളമുള്ള | ||
| The word "നീളമുള്ള" in Malayalam can also mean "extensive" or "wide-ranging". | |||
| Marathi | लांब | ||
| The Marathi word "लांब" (long) is derived from the Proto-Indo-Aryan word "*lamba", which also means "hanging down". | |||
| Nepali | लामो | ||
| Nepali 'लामो' is derived from the Proto-Tibeto-Burman word *rwaŋ4, which also gave rise to 'long' in English | |||
| Punjabi | ਲੰਮਾ | ||
| "ਲੰਮਾ" can also mean "tall" in Punjabi, a sense not found in the Hindi word "लम्बा". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | දිගු | ||
| "දිගු" means "deep" in Sinhala, not just "long". | |||
| Tamil | நீண்டது | ||
| "நீண்டது" also refers to a particular musical note in Carnatic music and a particular posture in Bharatanatyam dance. | |||
| Telugu | పొడవు | ||
| The word "పొడవు" is also used to describe the duration of something. | |||
| Urdu | لمبا | ||
| "لمبا" also refers to a garment that hangs loosely. | |||
Long in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 长 | ||
| The character "长" can also mean "to grow up" or "to lead." | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 長 | ||
| "長" can also mean "elder" or "superior" in Chinese. | |||
| Japanese | 長いです | ||
| "長い" (long) also means "difficult or troublesome." | |||
| Korean | 긴 | ||
| The word "긴" (long) shares its root with "길" (road) and "길다" (to be long), suggesting a connection between length and the path one takes in life. | |||
| Mongolian | урт | ||
| The Mongolian word “урт” ('long') may have evolved from the Middle Mongolian word 'oirt', which shares the same meaning but also refers to a ‘stringed musical instrument’. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ကြာရှည် | ||
Long in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | panjang | ||
| The Indonesian word "panjang" can also be used to mean "high" or "tall" when referring to buildings. | |||
| Javanese | dawa | ||
| The Javanese word 'dawa' can also mean 'far', 'distant', or 'lengthy'. | |||
| Khmer | វែង | ||
| The term "វែង" can also be used to denote a person's wealth, status, or influence. | |||
| Lao | ຍາວ | ||
| When used as a verb, "ຍາວ" carries the meaning of "to postpone" or "to delay". | |||
| Malay | lama | ||
| The word "lama" in Malay can also mean "slow" or "late". | |||
| Thai | ยาว | ||
| The word "ยาว" can also refer to the length of time or distance, and can be used as a noun or an adjective. | |||
| Vietnamese | dài | ||
| In Sino-Vietnamese, "dài" also means "generation", as in family "dòng dài". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | mahaba | ||
Long in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | uzun | ||
| The Azerbaijani word "uzun" can also mean "distant in time or space" or "extended in quantity or amount". | |||
| Kazakh | ұзақ | ||
| The word "ұзақ" in Kazakh also means "a period of time", "a distance", and "continuously for a long time". | |||
| Kyrgyz | узак | ||
| "Узак" is also used to refer to the long and slow mourning ceremony held at the end of the forty-day mourning period | |||
| Tajik | дароз | ||
| In some regional dialects of Tajik, "дароз" can also mean "far" or "distant". | |||
| Turkmen | uzyn | ||
| Uzbek | uzoq | ||
| In Uzbek, "uzoq" can also be used to describe a person who is physically tall. | |||
| Uyghur | ئۇزۇن | ||
Long in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | lōʻihi | ||
| The Hawaiian word lōʻihi also means "the lowest" or "the last" in a series of things. | |||
| Maori | roa | ||
| Roa can also be a noun for 'the length of something' and a verb for 'to lengthen something'. | |||
| Samoan | umi | ||
| The Samoan word 'umi' ('long') has additional meanings including 'abundant' and 'numerous'. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | mahaba | ||
| "Mahaba" can also be used to describe a person who is tall and/or has a long lifespan. | |||
Long in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jach'a | ||
| Guarani | puku | ||
Long in International Languages
| Esperanto | longa | ||
| "Longa" is also the name of a dance style with slow movements. | |||
| Latin | longus | ||
| The origin of the Latin word "longus" is disputed, but may relate to "lukos" from Proto-Indo-European (PIE), meaning "curve" or "bend". | |||
Long in Others Languages
| Greek | μακρύς | ||
| The word "μακρύς" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*meg-h-", meaning "great" or "large". | |||
| Hmong | ntev | ||
| The word "ntev" in Hmong can also refer to a type of bamboo used for construction. | |||
| Kurdish | dirêj | ||
| The word "dirêj" is also used to describe something that is difficult or arduous. | |||
| Turkish | uzun | ||
| Uzun, 'long' in Turkish, comes from the Proto-Turkic word *uzun, meaning 'stretch, extend'. | |||
| Xhosa | nde | ||
| Xhosa has multiple forms of the word "nde", meaning both "long" and "tall" depending on context. | |||
| Yiddish | לאַנג | ||
| The Yiddish word "לאַנג" can also mean "tall" or "large". | |||
| Zulu | yinde | ||
| Yinde in Zulu also refers to a state of being tall and slender. | |||
| Assamese | দীঘল | ||
| Aymara | jach'a | ||
| Bhojpuri | लाम | ||
| Dhivehi | ދިގު | ||
| Dogri | लम्मां | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | mahaba | ||
| Guarani | puku | ||
| Ilocano | atiddog | ||
| Krio | lɔng | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | درێژ | ||
| Maithili | लंबा | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯁꯥꯡꯕ | ||
| Mizo | sei | ||
| Oromo | dheeraa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଲମ୍ବା | ||
| Quechua | chutarisqa | ||
| Sanskrit | दीर्घम् | ||
| Tatar | озын | ||
| Tigrinya | ነዊሕ | ||
| Tsonga | leha | ||