Mail in Different Languages
Discover 'Mail' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Mail, a simple word that has revolutionized the way we communicate. From handwritten letters to electronic mails, its significance has only grown over time. The cultural importance of mail is immense, it has been a medium to express emotions, share knowledge, and conduct business across borders and generations.
Ever wondered how the word 'mail' is translated in different languages? Let's explore some fascinating translations! In Spanish, it's 'correo', in French, it's 'la poste', in German, it's 'die Post', in Italian, it's 'la posta', in Russian, it's 'почта' (pochta), in Japanese, it's '郵便' (yuubin), in Chinese, it's '邮件' (youjian), and in Arabic, it's 'البريد' (al-barid).
Did you know that the concept of mail can be traced back to the Persian Empire where they used horse-mounted couriers? Or that the first official mail service was established in 17th century France? Understanding the translation of 'mail' in different languages not only enriches your vocabulary but also offers a glimpse into the postal history and culture of different nations.
Mail in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | pos | ||
| Afrikaans "pos" comes from French "poste" via Dutch "post". It can also mean "post office", "postal service" or "postman". | |||
| Amharic | ደብዳቤ | ||
| In Amharic, "ደብዳቤ" can also mean "letter" or "message". | |||
| Hausa | wasiku | ||
| The etymology of "wasiku" in Hausa is unknown but is possibly related to the Arabic word "wasika" (document). | |||
| Igbo | ozi | ||
| "Ozi" can also refer to a piece of paper that is written on | |||
| Malagasy | namany sary | ||
| The term "namany Sary" has also been used historically to refer to a letter of introduction for a traveler. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | makalata | ||
| In Nyanja, "makalata" can also mean "envelope" or "correspondence". | |||
| Shona | tsamba | ||
| The Shona word 'tsamba' can also refer to an arm band made out of leather, or the leather of a rhino. | |||
| Somali | boostada | ||
| The word "boostada" also refers to a bundle or package tied with a rope. | |||
| Sesotho | mangolo | ||
| The word mangolo in Sesotho stems from the Zulu language, its root word imelo meaning both ‘name’ and ‘mail’, due to the notion of a name carrying a written message | |||
| Swahili | barua | ||
| The word "barua" in Swahili can also refer to a letter or a message written on paper. | |||
| Xhosa | imeyile | ||
| The Xhosa word “imeyile” (mail) is borrowed from English. | |||
| Yoruba | meeli | ||
| Also, the word 'meeli' can be used in the context of a traditional hairstyle or a small piece of wood that is used to strike fire. | |||
| Zulu | imeyili | ||
| The word 'imeyili' in Zulu also refers to 'letters' and 'messages' | |||
| Bambara | bataki cilenw | ||
| Ewe | posu dzi | ||
| Kinyarwanda | amabaruwa | ||
| Lingala | mail na posita | ||
| Luganda | |||
| Sepedi | poso ya | ||
| Twi (Akan) | mail a wɔde mena | ||
Mail in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | بريد | ||
| The word "بريد" (mail) in Arabic comes from the Persian word "پيک" (courier), which itself derives from the Old Persian word "پی" (foot). | |||
| Hebrew | דוֹאַר | ||
| Despite its spelling, דוֹאַר, meaning “mail”, is a cognate of the verb דָּבַר (dabar), meaning to speak or communicate. | |||
| Pashto | لیک | ||
| The word "لیک" in Pashto can also refer to a type of bread or a particular type of stone. | |||
| Arabic | بريد | ||
| The word "بريد" (mail) in Arabic comes from the Persian word "پيک" (courier), which itself derives from the Old Persian word "پی" (foot). | |||
Mail in Western European Languages
| Albanian | postës | ||
| The word "postës" in Albanian derives from the Latin word "posita" (placed), referring to the placement of letters in a mailbox. | |||
| Basque | posta | ||
| "Posta" comes from the Latin "posita" (thing placed or put down) and originally meant "messenger" or "thing sent", and also "place where letters or other things are put to be collected and sent on", hence its current meaning of "post office". | |||
| Catalan | correu electrònic | ||
| The Catalan word "correu electrònic" derives from the Latin "currere" (to run) and "electronicus" (electronic), reflecting the swiftness and electronic nature of the technology. | |||
| Croatian | pošta | ||
| The Croatian word "pošta" (mail) comes from the Latin word "posta" (post) referring to a relay of horses or messengers. | |||
| Danish | post | ||
| "Post" in Danish also refers to a specific position in a race or competition, where "post" in English relates to a position or employment in a company or organization. | |||
| Dutch | |||
| In Dutch, "mail" can also refer to a mesh suit worn by medieval knights or a type of chain armor. | |||
| English | |||
| The word "mail" originates from the Latin word "malleus," meaning "hammer," and it has been used to refer to both armor and correspondence. | |||
| French | courrier | ||
| "Courrier" is also used to refer to horse-drawn mail delivery carts, especially in historical contexts. | |||
| Frisian | post | ||
| The word "post" in Frisian can also refer to a "pillar" or "stake". | |||
| Galician | correo | ||
| The Galician word "correo" can also refer to a messenger, a postal service, or a newspaper delivery. | |||
| German | |||
| In German, "Mail" can also refer to a mesh fabric used to make shirts and dresses. | |||
| Icelandic | póstur | ||
| The Icelandic word "póstur" can also mean "column" or "post" in architecture. | |||
| Irish | phost | ||
| "Phost" in Irish likely derives from the Greek word "phostes" meaning "messenger". | |||
| Italian | posta | ||
| The word 'posta' derives from the Latin 'posita', meaning 'placed', and originally referred to a place where horses were stationed for relaying messages. | |||
| Luxembourgish | |||
| The Luxembourgish word "Mail" is derived from the French word "maille", which originally referred to a chain link or mesh. | |||
| Maltese | posta | ||
| The word 'posta' derives from the Italian 'posta' meaning 'post', or 'relay station', due to Malta's former rule under the Knights of Saint John. | |||
| Norwegian | post | ||
| The Norwegian word "post" derives from the Old Norse word "postr", meaning "something that carries" and also refers to horses and postal workers. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | enviar | ||
| "Enviar" comes from the Latin word "inviare" which means "to send something to a place". It can also refer to a person who carries a message or a package. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | post | ||
| The word "post" in Scots Gaelic can also refer to a horse or a racehorse. | |||
| Spanish | correo | ||
| In Spanish, "correo" can also mean "messenger" or "post office" and derives from the Latin "currere" (to run). | |||
| Swedish | post | ||
| In Swedish, "post" can also refer to a postal service employee or a post office. | |||
| Welsh | post | ||
| The Welsh word "post" derives from the Latin "posita" via Norman "poste", and it can also refer to a gatepost or fencepost. | |||
Mail in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | пошта | ||
| "Пошта" also refers to a postal organization or the location or building in which mail is handled. | |||
| Bosnian | pošta | ||
| The word 'pošta' is derived from the Old Slavic word 'poti' meaning path or road, which signifies the original function of the post as a communication system. | |||
| Bulgarian | поща | ||
| The word "поща" can also mean "mercy" or "forgiveness" in Bulgarian. | |||
| Czech | pošta | ||
| The word "pošta" originates from the Latin word "posita", meaning "placed". | |||
| Estonian | |||
| In Estonian, "mail" can also refer to the armor worn by soldiers in medieval times. | |||
| Finnish | posti | ||
| Posti also means 'place' in old Finnic languages; compare to the Estonian 'post' which means 'place' | |||
| Hungarian | posta | ||
| The word "posta" in Hungarian comes from the Italian word "posta" meaning "place". It originally referred to a place where horses were kept for relaying dispatches and people. | |||
| Latvian | pasts | ||
| In English, the word "pasts" has different meanings depending on the context, such as the past tense of the verb "pass" or a type of food made from dried fruit. | |||
| Lithuanian | paštas | ||
| The term 'Paštas' in Lithuanian is cognate with the Sanskrit word 'पत्र' (patra), meaning 'leaf', and historically referred to birch bark letters. | |||
| Macedonian | пошта | ||
| The word "пошта" is derived from the Latin word "posita", meaning "place" or "station", and originally referred to a place where horses were stationed for the purpose of carrying messages. | |||
| Polish | poczta | ||
| In medieval Poland, « poczta » meant a tax in kind, and was paid as a horse, rider, and fodder for two weeks. | |||
| Romanian | poștă | ||
| "Poștă" is also the former name for a Romanian monetary unit (1 Poștă = 1 leu), and for a military unit (1 Poștă = 150 men). | |||
| Russian | почта | ||
| "Почта" (mail) derives from "почи́ть" (pochít') - "to rest", as messengers used to take breaks at post stations set up along roads. | |||
| Serbian | пошта | ||
| The word "Пошта" (mail) can also refer to a postal code, a post office, or a postal service. | |||
| Slovak | poštou | ||
| The word "poštou" can also mean "by post" in Slovak. | |||
| Slovenian | pošti | ||
| The word 'pošti' can also refer to a postage stamp or a postal worker. | |||
| Ukrainian | поштою | ||
| In Russian, the word "почта" (pochta) used to mean "horse station", as the old postal system was based on horses. | |||
Mail in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | মেইল | ||
| In Bengali, 'মেইল' can also refer to a type of clay used for pottery and construction. | |||
| Gujarati | મેઇલ | ||
| The word "મેઇલ" can also refer to a type of armor worn in ancient times. | |||
| Hindi | मेल | ||
| "मेल" also means "union" or "friendship" in archaic Hindi. | |||
| Kannada | ಮೇಲ್ | ||
| The word 'ಮೇಲ್' ('mail') in Kannada can also refer to the act of throwing or delivering something. | |||
| Malayalam | മെയിൽ | ||
| മെയിൽ (mail) in Malayalam can also refer to armor or chain mail. | |||
| Marathi | मेल | ||
| In Marathi, the word "मेल" (mail) can also refer to a gathering or meeting for social or religious purposes. | |||
| Nepali | मेल | ||
| The Nepali word 'मेल' originally referred to a gathering of witches, and is still occasionally used to describe a meeting of elderly women | |||
| Punjabi | ਮੇਲ | ||
| "ਮੇਲ" (mail) in Punjabi can also refer to a gathering or assembly of people. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | තැපෑල | ||
| தபால் (tapal) refers to 'post' in Tamil and comes from the Portuguese word 'correio' meaning 'mail' | |||
| Tamil | அஞ்சல் | ||
| The Tamil word "அஞ்சல்" (mail) originally meant "post marked with a five-pointed star" or "post marked with the symbol of a hand". | |||
| Telugu | మెయిల్ | ||
| మెయిల్ (mail) also means 'a small cloth bag', 'a sack', and 'the male child of a female buffalo'. | |||
| Urdu | میل | ||
| The Urdu word "میل" is derived from Sanskrit "maila", which means "dirt, stain, impurity, soiled". | |||
Mail in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 邮件 | ||
| 邮件 in Chinese, despite its English equivalent, is also slang for a user's email address. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 郵件 | ||
| The character "郵" originally represented a long bamboo stick used for divination, and was later extended to mean "sending messages". | |||
| Japanese | 郵便物 | ||
| "郵便物" refers to all physical mail and letters, including postcards, but excludes digital communication such as e-mail. | |||
| Korean | 우편 | ||
| '우편' can mean 'postal service', 'mail', or the 'place of delivery for letters' in Korean. | |||
| Mongolian | шуудан | ||
| In addition, "шуудан" also has a different meaning, such as a "sleeve". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | စာပို့ | ||
Mail in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | surat | ||
| "Surat" also means "letter" in Indonesian, coming from the Arabic word "sūrah" meaning "chapter" or "scroll". | |||
| Javanese | surat | ||
| "Surat" in Javanese can also mean a letter, document, or writing. | |||
| Khmer | អ៊ីមែល | ||
| Also refers to electronic mail like English, and is pronounced "i-maayl". | |||
| Lao | |||
| The Lao term "mail" (ម៉ែល) can also refer to an older sibling or the eldest child in a family. | |||
| Malay | mel | ||
| The Malay word "mel" also means "to engrave". | |||
| Thai | จดหมาย | ||
| The Thai word "จดหมาย" comes from the Sanskrit word "patram", meaning "letter" or "document". | |||
| Vietnamese | thư | ||
| The word "thư" in Vietnamese can also mean "letter" or "correspondence". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | |||
Mail in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | poçt | ||
| In Azeri, the word "poçt" has its roots in French and means "post" or "mail", also referring to the institution that delivers letters and parcels. | |||
| Kazakh | пошта | ||
| "Пошта" originally meant "horse-drawn carriage" in Kazakh. | |||
| Kyrgyz | почта | ||
| 'Почта' is also used to refer to the Central Post Office in Kyrgyzstan | |||
| Tajik | почта | ||
| The word "почта" can also mean "post office" or "postal service" in Tajik. | |||
| Turkmen | poçta | ||
| Uzbek | pochta | ||
| The word "pochta" in Uzbek derives from the Persian word "paigaam", meaning "message". It can also refer to the postal service or the post office. | |||
| Uyghur | خەت | ||
Mail in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | leka uila | ||
| The word 'leka uila' derives from two Hawaiian words: leka (messenger, ambassador) and uila (star). It was also used to refer to the constellations, the navigators' 'heavenly messengers' that guided them across the sea to distant lands. | |||
| Maori | mēra | ||
| **Alternate meanings of the word "mēra" in Māori include "a small basket" and "a small quantity of food". | |||
| Samoan | meli | ||
| In Samoan, "meli" also refers to a type of traditional dance or to a sweet-scented oil used in ceremonies. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | |||
| In Tagalog, 'mail' can also refer to a 'net bag' or 'mesh fabric'. | |||
Mail in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | correo tuqi | ||
| Guarani | correo rehegua | ||
Mail in International Languages
| Esperanto | poŝto | ||
| Esperanto "poŝto" comes from the French "poste", which originally meant "a place where horses are kept". Thus "poŝto" can also mean "post office". | |||
| Latin | |||
| In Latin, "mail" can also mean "a wound" or "a bag or sack," possibly deriving from the Proto-Indo-European root "*mei-," meaning "to cut" or "to reap." | |||
Mail in Others Languages
| Greek | ταχυδρομείο | ||
| The term ταχυδρομείο comes from two Greek words: 'ταχύς' (meaning fast) and 'δρομος' (meaning course, running), thus it refers to the fast delivering of messages. | |||
| Hmong | xa ntawv | ||
| The word "xa ntawv" can also refer to other types of correspondence, such as letters or parcels. | |||
| Kurdish | poste | ||
| The word "poste" is derived from the Italian word "posta", meaning "post" or "station". | |||
| Turkish | posta | ||
| The Turkish word "posta" originally meant "resting place for horses or riders on a journey" and was derived from the Persian word "pāyad" meaning "station". | |||
| Xhosa | imeyile | ||
| The Xhosa word “imeyile” (mail) is borrowed from English. | |||
| Yiddish | פּאָסט | ||
| The Yiddish word "פּאָסט" (post) shares its root with the Latin "posita", meaning, "that which is placed." | |||
| Zulu | imeyili | ||
| The word 'imeyili' in Zulu also refers to 'letters' and 'messages' | |||
| Assamese | মেইল | ||
| Aymara | correo tuqi | ||
| Bhojpuri | मेल से भेजल जाला | ||
| Dhivehi | މެއިލް | ||
| Dogri | मेल | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | |||
| Guarani | correo rehegua | ||
| Ilocano | koreo | ||
| Krio | mail we dɛn kin sɛn | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | پۆست | ||
| Maithili | मेल | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯦꯜ ꯇꯧꯕꯥ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | mail hmanga thawn a ni | ||
| Oromo | poostaadhaan ergaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ମେଲ୍ | ||
| Quechua | correo | ||
| Sanskrit | मेल | ||
| Tatar | почта | ||
| Tigrinya | ፖስታ ምልኣኽ | ||
| Tsonga | poso | ||