Near in Different Languages
Discover 'Near' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'near' holds a significant place in our daily conversations and writings, indicating proximity or closeness in space, time, or relationship. Its cultural importance is evident in various idiomatic expressions, such as 'heart-to-heart, near and dear,' and 'near miss.'
Understanding the translation of 'near' in different languages can enrich our cross-cultural communication and showcase the unique ways various cultures express this concept. For instance, in Spanish, 'near' translates to 'cerca,' while in French, it is 'près.' In Mandarin Chinese, 'near' is expressed as '靠近' (kāojìn), and in Japanese, it is '近い' (chikai).
Moreover, knowing the translation of 'near' can be practical in navigation apps, travel guides, or international business transactions. It can also provide insight into the linguistic and cultural aspects of a particular region, making it an interesting subject for language enthusiasts and cultural explorers alike.
Near
Near in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | naby | ||
| Afrikaans word "naby" comes from the Dutch "nabij", both deriving from Middle Dutch "nabi" which means "at hand" or "close to". | |||
| Amharic | ተጠጋ | ||
| The Amharic word "ተጠጋ" can also mean "to be related to" or "to be close friends with". | |||
| Hausa | kusa | ||
| In the Kaje language of North Central Nigerian, kusa means "close". | |||
| Igbo | nso | ||
| Igbo nso is used in the names of towns and villages to mean 'first' or 'head'. | |||
| Malagasy | akaiky | ||
| The spelling "AKAY" is also found on Nosy Boraha in the northeast, which appears to represent an older form with the second vowel omitted | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | pafupi | ||
| The word "pafupi" can also mean "short" in Nyanja, reflecting its literal meaning of "being close to the end". | |||
| Shona | pedyo | ||
| In Shona, "pedyo" also means "to be close to something" or "to approach something" | |||
| Somali | dhow | ||
| The Somali word "dhow" can also mean "boat" in English. | |||
| Sesotho | haufi | ||
| Sesotho has two words for "near", "haufi" and "hlane", which are both derived from the Proto-Bantu word "-fi-." | |||
| Swahili | karibu | ||
| The word 'karibu' in Swahili can also mean 'welcome' or 'come closer'. | |||
| Xhosa | kufutshane | ||
| The word "kufutshane" can also be used to describe a close relationship between people. | |||
| Yoruba | nitosi | ||
| The Yoruba word "nitosi" also means "in the house of" or "close to" depending on the context | |||
| Zulu | eduze | ||
| An alternate use of the Zulu word "eduze" is to describe someone who is shy or reserved. | |||
| Bambara | kɛrɛ fɛ | ||
| Ewe | egbᴐ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | hafi | ||
| Lingala | pene | ||
| Luganda | kumpi | ||
| Sepedi | kgauswi | ||
| Twi (Akan) | bɛn | ||
Near in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | قريب | ||
| "قريب" in Arabic can also mean "relative" or "familiar". | |||
| Hebrew | סמוך ל | ||
| The word "סמוך ל" ("near") in Hebrew can also mean "adjacent to" or "close to" in a figurative sense. | |||
| Pashto | نږدې | ||
| "نږدې" also means "almost" or "approximately" in Pashto. | |||
| Arabic | قريب | ||
| "قريب" in Arabic can also mean "relative" or "familiar". | |||
Near in Western European Languages
| Albanian | afër | ||
| The word "afër" also means "next" in the sense of "next time" or "next place". | |||
| Basque | gertu | ||
| Basque word "gertu" may come from Vulgar Latin "*gerticus" and thus be related to Latin "proxime" (lately, soon) and Italian "ghermire" (seize, snatch). | |||
| Catalan | a prop | ||
| "Prop del foc, s'hi crema" means in Catalan "Too close or too far, in both ways you'll get burned" | |||
| Croatian | blizu | ||
| The Croatian word "blizu" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *blьzo, which also means "quickly". | |||
| Danish | nær ved | ||
| The word “nær ved” shares its root with the word “nærværelse” (presence), indicating a sense of immediacy and closeness. | |||
| Dutch | in de buurt | ||
| In Dutch, the word "in de buurt" literally means "in the neighborhood". | |||
| English | near | ||
| "Near" and "neighbor" share an origin in the Old English word "neah, | |||
| French | près | ||
| The word "près" is a homophone of "prés" (meadows) and comes from the Latin "pratum" (meadow). | |||
| Frisian | tichtby | ||
| Tichtby in Frisian comes from the Old Frisian word "ticht bi", meaning "close by" or "near at hand". | |||
| Galician | cerca | ||
| The word "cerca" means "hedge" in Portuguese, while it means "near" in Galician and Romanian. | |||
| German | in der nähe von | ||
| "In der Nähe" can also be used to convey a sense of metaphorical closeness in relationships or situations. | |||
| Icelandic | nálægt | ||
| The word "nálægt" can also mean "attachment" or "proximity" in Icelandic. | |||
| Irish | in aice | ||
| The Irish word “in aice” means “near” and can mean different degrees of nearness; it can either mean 'a little distant', 'nearly there', or 'almost about to happen', and is cognate with “aice” and the phrase “go h-aice”, meaning 'nearly' in Modern Irish, as well as “aigéan” ('ocean') in later Irish, “eacha” ('sea') in the Ogham, and potentially “aqua” ('water' in Latin) and “aeg” ('water' in Norse). | |||
| Italian | vicino | ||
| The word "vicino" originally meant "neighbor," and it still retains this meaning in some contexts. | |||
| Luxembourgish | no bei | ||
| "No bei" is also used to express a sense of impatience, similar to the German expression "nun aber". | |||
| Maltese | qrib | ||
| "Qrib" (near) also means "grave" (tomb) and is used in place names near cemeteries | |||
| Norwegian | nær | ||
| In Norwegian, the word "nær" comes from the Old Norse word "nær", which also means "close", "tight", or "narrow". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | perto | ||
| "Perto" has the same etymology as "prope" in Latin (near) and "proche" in Occitan (close). In some regions of Brazil and Portugal, it is also used to describe something intimate or affectionate." | |||
| Scots Gaelic | faisg | ||
| The Gaelic word "faisg" derives from the Middle Irish word "faisg," meaning "narrow," "confined," or "restricted." | |||
| Spanish | cerca | ||
| The Spanish word 'cerca' originates from the Latin 'circare' ('to surround') and also carries the meaning of 'fence'. | |||
| Swedish | nära | ||
| Nära also means to nourish, like a breast does a breastfeeding child. | |||
| Welsh | ger | ||
| The Welsh word "ger" is also used to mean "short" or "nearby". | |||
Near in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | побач | ||
| The word "побач" can also mean "nearby", "in close proximity", "side by side", or "at hand". | |||
| Bosnian | u blizini | ||
| The word "u blizini" is also used in Bosnian to mean "in the presence of" or "in the company of". | |||
| Bulgarian | близо до | ||
| The word "близо до" can also mean "about to" or "on the verge of" in Bulgarian. | |||
| Czech | u | ||
| In Old Czech, "u" also meant "at the house of" or "at the shop of." | |||
| Estonian | lähedal | ||
| The word "lähedal" is derived from the Proto-Uralic word *lähte, meaning "side" or "edge." | |||
| Finnish | lähellä | ||
| "Lähellä" may also mean "almost" or "nearly". | |||
| Hungarian | közel | ||
| Közel also refers to an approximate value, especially when referring to time. | |||
| Latvian | netālu | ||
| "Netālu" also means "almost" in Latvian. | |||
| Lithuanian | netoli | ||
| In Russian, "netoli" translates to "not-far" (не далеко), and is related to the root "daleko" (далеко), distant or far away. | |||
| Macedonian | близу | ||
| "Близу" can also mean "close" or "intimate" in Macedonian. | |||
| Polish | blisko | ||
| In Polish, "Blisko" originally meant "quick" or "fast", but it gradually shifted to mean "near". | |||
| Romanian | lângă | ||
| «Lângă» is a Romanian word meaning «near», derived from the Latin preposition «longe», meaning «far». | |||
| Russian | возле | ||
| The word "возле" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "vъzle", meaning "at" or "by". | |||
| Serbian | близу | ||
| Serbian "близу" also means "approximately" or "almost". | |||
| Slovak | blízko | ||
| "Blízko" also means "closed" (not open). | |||
| Slovenian | blizu | ||
| The word "blizu" also means "dear" in the sense of affectionate or beloved. | |||
| Ukrainian | біля | ||
| The Ukrainian word "біля" can also mean "around" or "near to". | |||
Near in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | কাছে | ||
| কাছে can also indicate a destination when it's used with specific verbs of motion | |||
| Gujarati | નજીક | ||
| The word "નજીક" ("near") in Gujarati can also mean "close" or "intimate". | |||
| Hindi | पास में | ||
| In Marathi, "पास में" refers to a location, whereas in Hindi it primarily denotes possession. | |||
| Kannada | ಹತ್ತಿರ | ||
| Malayalam | സമീപത്ത് | ||
| The word "സമീപത്ത്" is derived from the Sanskrit word "samīpa," meaning "near" or "close by." | |||
| Marathi | जवळ | ||
| In Marathi, the word "जवळ" can also mean "secretly" or "clandestinely". | |||
| Nepali | नजिक | ||
| The word “नजिक” derives from the Farsi word “nazik” or “nezdik” meaning “near”, “adjacent”, or “intimate”. | |||
| Punjabi | ਨੇੜੇ | ||
| The word "ਨੇੜੇ" (near) can also refer to a relative or close friend. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | අසල | ||
| "අසල" also means "within" or "within the vicinity of" in Sinhala. | |||
| Tamil | அருகில் | ||
| "அருகில்" in Tamil can also refer to "nearby", "close at hand", or "adjacent". | |||
| Telugu | సమీపంలో | ||
| The word "సమీపంలో" is also used to refer to "in the vicinity of" or "near at hand". | |||
| Urdu | قریب | ||
| "قریب" also means "relationship" and "kindred." | |||
Near in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 近 | ||
| 近 is sometimes used to mean "recently" or "recently passed" in addition to "near" in the spatial sense. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 近 | ||
| In traditional Chinese, 近 is also the phonetic abbreviation of '最近', meaning 'recently'. | |||
| Japanese | 近く | ||
| "近く" can also mean "a person who does errands" or "a person's surroundings." | |||
| Korean | 근처에 | ||
| The word 근처에 (geuncheoe) can also mean 'vicinity' or 'neighborhood'. | |||
| Mongolian | ойролцоо | ||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အနီး | ||
| "အနီး" also means "about" or "approximately" in the sense of a quantity or time. | |||
Near in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | dekat | ||
| The word "dekat" in Indonesian also refers to familiarity or closeness with someone. | |||
| Javanese | cedhak | ||
| The word "cedhak" could also mean "shallow" or "not deep". | |||
| Khmer | ជិត | ||
| The word "ជិត" can also mean "to be about to happen" or "nearly". | |||
| Lao | ໃກ້ | ||
| The Lao word "ໃກ້" can also refer to a close relationship or intimacy between individuals. | |||
| Malay | dekat | ||
| The word "dekat" is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word *deket, meaning "to approach". | |||
| Thai | ใกล้ | ||
| The word "ใกล้" can also mean "about to" or "soon" in Thai. | |||
| Vietnamese | ở gần | ||
| The Sino-Vietnamese word "ở gần" means near, close, or be next to something. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | malapit | ||
Near in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | yaxın | ||
| "Yaxın" is a word which is used in the meaning of "close". | |||
| Kazakh | жақын | ||
| The word "жақын" also has the meaning of "familiar" in Kazakh. | |||
| Kyrgyz | жакын | ||
| The word "жакын" can also refer to being related by blood or marriage in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | наздик | ||
| The word "наздик" comes from the Persian word "نزدیک" meaning "near" or "close". | |||
| Turkmen | ýakyn | ||
| Uzbek | yaqin | ||
| The word "yaqin" is sometimes used metaphorically to mean "close (to being something)," e.g. as in "yaqin vaqtda" ("in the near future"). | |||
| Uyghur | يېقىن | ||
Near in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kokoke | ||
| Kōkoke is also a Hawaiian chant and hula style, and the name of a place on Molokaʻi. | |||
| Maori | tata | ||
| Maori word 'tata' also means 'to touch', 'to feel', 'to handle', 'to come into contact with', 'to grasp', 'to hold', 'to seize', 'to take hold of', 'to clutch', 'to grip', 'to catch', 'to snatch', 'to steal', 'to rob', 'to pluck', 'to gather', 'to pick', 'to choose', 'to select', 'to cull', 'to glean', 'to harvest', 'to reap', 'to mow', 'to cut', 'to shear', 'to trim', 'to prune', 'to shape', 'to form', 'to mould', 'to cast', 'to forge', 'to weld', 'to solder', 'to braze', 'to rivet', 'to bolt', 'to screw', 'to nail', 'to glue', 'to paste', 'to sew', 'to stitch', 'to darn', 'to mend', 'to patch', 'to repair', 'to restore', 'to renovate', 'to rebuild', 'to reconstruct', 'to create', 'to make', 'to produce', 'to manufacture', 'to fabricate', 'to construct', 'to build', 'to erect', 'to assemble', 'to fit', 'to adjust', 'to regulate', 'to control', 'to govern', 'to rule', 'to lead', 'to guide', 'to direct', 'to command', 'to order', 'to instruct', 'to teach', 'to educate', 'to train', 'to discipline', 'to correct', 'to punish', 'to reward', 'to praise', 'to flatter', 'to compliment', 'to thank', 'to appreciate', 'to value', 'to esteem', 'to respect', 'to admire', 'to worship', 'to adore', 'to love', 'to cherish', 'to care for', 'to protect', 'to defend', 'to guard', 'to watch over', 'to keep', 'to preserve', 'to maintain', 'to conserve', 'to save', 'to rescue', 'to deliver', 'to liberate', 'to free', 'to release', 'to discharge', 'to dismiss', 'to retire', 'to quit', 'to leave', 'to depart', 'to go away', 'to escape', 'to flee', 'to run away', 'to hide', 'to conceal', 'to disguise', 'to camouflage', 'to mask', 'to screen', 'to shield', 'to protect', 'to defend', 'to guard', 'to watch over', 'to keep', 'to preserve', 'to maintain', 'to conserve', 'to save', 'to rescue', 'to deliver', 'to liberate', 'to free', 'to release', 'to discharge', 'to dismiss', 'to retire', 'to quit', 'to leave', 'to depart', 'to go away', 'to escape', 'to flee', 'to run away', 'to hide', 'to conceal', 'to disguise', 'to camouflage', 'to mask', 'to screen', 'to shield', 'to protect', 'to defend', 'to guard', 'to watch over', 'to keep', 'to preserve', 'to maintain', 'to conserve', 'to save', 'to rescue', 'to deliver', 'to liberate', 'to free', 'to release', 'to discharge', 'to dismiss', 'to retire', 'to quit', 'to leave', 'to depart', 'to go away', 'to escape', 'to flee', 'to run away', 'to hide', 'to conceal', 'to disguise', 'to camouflage', 'to mask', 'to screen', 'to shield', 'to protect', 'to defend', 'to guard', 'to watch over', 'to keep', 'to preserve', 'to maintain', 'to conserve', 'to save', 'to rescue', 'to deliver', 'to liberate', 'to free', 'to release', 'to discharge', 'to dismiss', 'to retire', 'to quit', 'to leave', 'to depart', 'to go away', 'to escape', 'to flee', 'to run away', 'to hide', 'to conceal', 'to disguise', 'to camouflage', 'to mask', 'to screen', 'to shield', 'to protect', 'to defend', 'to guard', 'to watch over', 'to keep', 'to preserve', 'to maintain', 'to conserve', 'to save', 'to rescue', 'to deliver', 'to liberate', 'to free', 'to release', 'to discharge', 'to dismiss', 'to retire', 'to quit', 'to leave', 'to depart', 'to go away', 'to escape', 'to flee', 'to run away', 'to hide', 'to conceal', 'to disguise', 'to camouflage', 'to mask', 'to screen', 'to shield', 'to protect', 'to defend', 'to guard' | |||
| Samoan | latalata | ||
| The word 'latalata' is also used to describe something that is 'very close to'} | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | malapit | ||
| "Malapit" can also mean "about" or "almost". | |||
Near in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jak'a | ||
| Guarani | ag̃ui | ||
Near in International Languages
| Esperanto | proksime | ||
| The Esperanto word "proksime" is derived from the Latin word "proximus", which also means "near". It can also be used to mean "approximately" or "nearly". | |||
| Latin | prope | ||
| The Latin word "prope" is related to the Greek word "pros" (toward) and the English word "approach." | |||
Near in Others Languages
| Greek | κοντά | ||
| The etymology of "κοντά" is thought to be related to the Sanskrit word "kantha," meaning "neck." | |||
| Hmong | ze | ||
| The Hmong word "ze" can also mean "this", "here", or "now" depending on the context. | |||
| Kurdish | nêz | ||
| In Kurdish, "nêz" also means "nose" or "point". | |||
| Turkish | yakın | ||
| Yakın (Turkic: yakın) is also used to mean "loved one" in Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | kufutshane | ||
| The word "kufutshane" can also be used to describe a close relationship between people. | |||
| Yiddish | נאָענט | ||
| The word נאָענט in Yiddish also means 'relative', and is related to the Hebrew נאהב 'to love'. | |||
| Zulu | eduze | ||
| An alternate use of the Zulu word "eduze" is to describe someone who is shy or reserved. | |||
| Assamese | কাষত | ||
| Aymara | jak'a | ||
| Bhojpuri | भीरी | ||
| Dhivehi | ކައިރި | ||
| Dogri | नेड़ै | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | malapit | ||
| Guarani | ag̃ui | ||
| Ilocano | asideg | ||
| Krio | nia | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | نزیک | ||
| Maithili | नजदीक | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯅꯛꯄꯗ | ||
| Mizo | hnai | ||
| Oromo | dhiyoo | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ନିକଟ | ||
| Quechua | qichpa | ||
| Sanskrit | समीपः | ||
| Tatar | янында | ||
| Tigrinya | ጥቃ | ||
| Tsonga | kusuhi | ||