Nice in Different Languages
Discover 'Nice' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'nice' is a small but powerful part of the English language. It's a versatile word that can be used to describe everything from a pleasant person to a beautiful view. But did you know that the word 'nice' originally meant 'foolish' or 'simple' in Old English? It wasn't until the 13th century that 'nice' began to take on its modern meaning of 'agreeable' or 'delightful'. Today, 'nice' is a word that is used all over the world, making it a universal language of sorts.
Understanding the translation of 'nice' in different languages can help you better connect with people from different cultures. For example, in Spanish, 'nice' translates to 'agradable'. In French, it's 'agréable'. And in German, 'nice' is 'nett'. By using the word 'nice' in different languages, you can show that you're interested in other cultures and that you value communication and connection.
In this list, you'll find the translations of 'nice' in over 50 different languages. From Afrikaans to Zulu, you'll learn how to say 'nice' in a variety of languages, and maybe even discover a few interesting facts about different cultures along the way.
Nice
Nice in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | lekker | ||
| The word "lekker" has cognates in other Germanic languages, such as " lecker " in German, " lækker " in Danish, and " lekker " in Dutch, all used to describe something as "tasty" or "delicious." | |||
| Amharic | ጥሩ | ||
| "ጥሩ" is related to the verb "ጣረ" meaning to be right or correct. | |||
| Hausa | yayi kyau | ||
| The Hausa word "yayi kyau" can also be used to describe something that is enjoyable, such as a meal or a piece of music. | |||
| Igbo | mma | ||
| The term "mma" comes from the Igbo word "mmadu," which means "person." The implication is that a person who is nice has qualities that make them a good person. | |||
| Malagasy | tsara | ||
| A homonym of this word is 'tsara' which means 'good' as in 'good morning' ('tsara maraina') or 'good evening' ('tsara hariva'). | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | zabwino | ||
| The word 'zabwino' can also be used to describe something that is beautiful or attractive. | |||
| Shona | zvakanaka | ||
| The word "zvakanaka" is also used to describe something that is good or pleasant. | |||
| Somali | fiican | ||
| The term 'fiican' can also denote 'good health'. | |||
| Sesotho | e ntle | ||
| The word "entle" in Sesotho also means "a nice person" or "a soft breeze." | |||
| Swahili | nzuri | ||
| The word 'nzuri' in Swahili additionally means 'beautiful', 'good', or 'fine'. | |||
| Xhosa | intle | ||
| While the noun 'intle' can be used to describe someone who is 'nice', the verb form 'kontulela' means to be naughty or misbehave. | |||
| Yoruba | wuyi | ||
| Wuyi (pronounced "woo-yee") is an informal term in the Yoruba language of southwestern Nigeria that implies not just niceness, but also kindness, politeness, and friendliness. | |||
| Zulu | kuhle | ||
| The Zulu word "kuhle" also means "to be beautiful" or "to be handsome" | |||
| Bambara | saraman | ||
| Ewe | enya kpɔ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | byiza | ||
| Lingala | kitoko | ||
| Luganda | kirungi | ||
| Sepedi | botse | ||
| Twi (Akan) | kama | ||
Nice in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | لطيف | ||
| The word "لطيف" ("nice") in Arabic also means "funny", "kind", and "pleasant". | |||
| Hebrew | נֶחְמָד | ||
| The etymological root of "נֶחְמָד" refers to being desirable or pleasant, encompassing qualities beyond superficial niceness. | |||
| Pashto | غوره | ||
| The word "غوره" can also refer to a "young grape" in Pashto. | |||
| Arabic | لطيف | ||
| The word "لطيف" ("nice") in Arabic also means "funny", "kind", and "pleasant". | |||
Nice in Western European Languages
| Albanian | bukur | ||
| The word "bukur" in Albanian can also mean "handsome" or "beautiful" and is related to the Latin word "pulcher" meaning "beautiful" or "fair", ultimately deriving from the Proto-Indo-European root *bheu- meaning "to grow" or "to become". | |||
| Basque | polita | ||
| The word "polita" can also mean "beautiful" or "good-looking" in Basque. | |||
| Catalan | bonic | ||
| The word "bonic" likely derives from the Latin "bonus" (good), and also has connotations of beauty and attractiveness. | |||
| Croatian | lijepo | ||
| The word "Lijepo" in Croatian comes from the Proto-Slavic word "lepoti" meaning "beauty" and is related to the word "lijek" meaning "medicine". | |||
| Danish | pæn | ||
| "Pæn" in Danish derives from the Old Norse word "fagr," meaning "bright," "beautiful," or "splendid." | |||
| Dutch | mooi hoor | ||
| The Dutch word "mooi hoor" directly translates to "beautiful listen", but in practice, it's more like an ironic way to say "indeed it's beautiful", and is frequently used in a sarcastic or teasing way. | |||
| English | nice | ||
| French | agréable | ||
| The etymology of "agréable" is Latin "gratabilis", "acceptable" or "pleasing". | |||
| Frisian | aardich | ||
| "Aardich" may originate from West Frisian "aardich" meaning "earthly". There also is an alternate form "eerlik" in West Frisian which means "honest". | |||
| Galician | bonito | ||
| Curiously, bonito means "tuna" in Spanish, but in Galician it's used to say "nice" or "pretty." | |||
| German | nett | ||
| The word "nett" can also mean "wet" or "clean" in German. | |||
| Icelandic | fínt | ||
| The Icelandic word "fínt" is related to the English word "fine" and the German word "fein", all of which ultimately derive from the Proto-Indo-European root *pey- "to purify, cleanse". | |||
| Irish | deas | ||
| Deas can also mean 'south' in Irish, referring to the direction of the sun. | |||
| Italian | simpatico | ||
| The word "simpatico" in Italian doesn't literally mean "nice", but rather "in tune", referring to harmony between people. | |||
| Luxembourgish | léif | ||
| Léif is cognate with German "lieb" (dear, beloved) and English "lief" (beloved) | |||
| Maltese | sabiħ | ||
| The word "sabiħ" also has the connotation of "beautiful" or "handsome" in Maltese, similar to its Arabic root. | |||
| Norwegian | hyggelig | ||
| The word 'hyggelig' can also mean 'cozy', 'comfortable', 'pleasant', or 'inviting' in Norwegian. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | bom | ||
| Bom is derived from Latin "bonus" meaning 'good, kind, excellent'. In Brazil it can also be a masculine given name. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | snog | ||
| In Scots Gaelic, "snog" means "to kiss", and is possibly derived from the Old English "snucge" or "snuccle". | |||
| Spanish | bonito | ||
| Spanish 'bonito' meaning 'beautiful', has an origin shared with 'bonus', meaning 'good' | |||
| Swedish | trevlig | ||
| The word "trevlig" (nice) is derived from the Old Swedish word "treva", meaning "to gather" or "to meet". | |||
| Welsh | braf | ||
| Braf also means 'sprout' or 'shoot' in Welsh, and comes from the same root as the English word 'broccoli'. | |||
Nice in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | прыемна | ||
| The word “прыемна” (pryiemna) derives from the Proto-Slavic “*prijęti,” meaning “to receive,” and can also mean “pleasant” or “agreeable” in Belarusian. | |||
| Bosnian | lepo | ||
| The word "lepo" in Bosnian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *lěpъ, which also means "beautiful" or "handsome." | |||
| Bulgarian | хубаво | ||
| In some dialects, "хубаво" can also mean "beautiful" or "lovely". | |||
| Czech | pěkný | ||
| Some believe the word "pěkný" originally meant "well-baked", but most linguists now believe this is apocryphal. | |||
| Estonian | tore | ||
| The word "tore" can also mean "healthy" or "whole" in Estonian, suggesting a connection between physical and emotional well-being. | |||
| Finnish | kiva | ||
| The word "kiva" in Finnish, meaning "nice," also has a historical origin in the Proto-Uralic term for "stone." | |||
| Hungarian | szép | ||
| The word "szép" can also mean beautiful, pretty, handsome, gorgeous, lovely, fair, fine, splendid, or delightful in the Hungarian language. | |||
| Latvian | jauki | ||
| The word "jauki" also has a connotation of "cosy" or "pleasant" and is related to the word "jauka" meaning "nice" in other Balto-Slavic languages. | |||
| Lithuanian | malonu | ||
| Alternate meanings of “malonu” include “sweet,” “pretty,” and “pleasant.” | |||
| Macedonian | убаво | ||
| The word "убаво" derives from the Proto-Slavic adjective *ǫbavъ, meaning "pleasant" or "graceful." | |||
| Polish | miły | ||
| The word "miły" in Polish can also mean "pleasant" or "charming". | |||
| Romanian | grozav | ||
| The word "Grozav" in Romanian, meaning "nice", is derived from the Latin "gratiāri," meaning "to please" or "to be favorable." | |||
| Russian | отлично | ||
| The word "отлично" in Russian can also mean "perfect" or "distinguished". | |||
| Serbian | леп | ||
| The word "леп" (nice) in Serbian also means "pleasant" or "beautiful" and is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *lěpъ, which means "good" or "beautiful." | |||
| Slovak | pekný | ||
| The word 'pekný' derives from the Proto-Slavic word 'pěkъ', which also meant 'good' and 'handsome'. | |||
| Slovenian | lepo | ||
| In its original sense, "lepo" referred to leaves and branches and, in particular, to the way they were arranged harmoniously in a crown. | |||
| Ukrainian | приємно | ||
| The word "приємно" in Ukrainian can also mean "pleasant", "nice to meet you", or "it's my pleasure". | |||
Nice in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | সুন্দর | ||
| "সুন্দর" is also used in Bengali as a synonym of "beautiful" or "handsome". | |||
| Gujarati | સરસ | ||
| The word “સરસ” also has alternate meanings, including 'good', 'pleasant', or 'agreeable'. | |||
| Hindi | अच्छा | ||
| The word "अच्छा" in Hindi, aside from meaning "nice", also denotes "well-being," "approval," and "consent." | |||
| Kannada | sundara | ||
| The word 'Sundara' has its roots in Sanskrit and has alternate meanings like 'beautiful' or 'pleasing' in Kannada. | |||
| Malayalam | കൊള്ളാം | ||
| In the past, the word "കൊള്ളാം" was primarily used in the context of warfare and meant "to plunder" or "to loot". | |||
| Marathi | छान | ||
| The word "छान" (chhaan) in Marathi is derived from the Sanskrit word "च्छन्न" (chhanna), meaning "covered" or "hidden", and is also used to describe something that is "good" or "pleasing". | |||
| Nepali | राम्रो | ||
| The word "राम्रो" in Nepali derives from the Sanskrit word "रमणीय" (ramaṇīya), meaning "delightful" or "pleasing to the eye." | |||
| Punjabi | ਵਧੀਆ | ||
| The word "ਵਧੀਆ" (vaḍhīʼā) is derived from the Sanskrit word "वृद्धि" (vr̥ddhi) meaning "growth", and is also cognate with the Hindi word "वृद्धि" (vṛddhi). The word can also mean "increase", "advancement", "progress", or "improvement" in Punjabi. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | හොඳයි | ||
| "හොඳයි" can also mean "OK" or "alright" in Sinhala, similar to "nice" in English. | |||
| Tamil | அருமை | ||
| The word "அருமை" in Tamil can also mean "rare" or "precious". | |||
| Telugu | బాగుంది | ||
| The Telugu word "బాగుంది" can also mean "good" or "well" in English. | |||
| Urdu | اچھا | ||
| The word 'اچھا' in Urdu is an alternate spelling of its Hindi counterpart, 'अच्छा', meaning 'good' or 'well'. | |||
Nice in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 不错 | ||
| The word "不错" (bùcuò) literally means "not bad" in Chinese. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 不錯 | ||
| The word "不錯" does not only mean "nice" as it may also mean "no fault" or "accurate". | |||
| Japanese | いい | ||
| The word "いい" can also mean "good" or "okay" in Japanese. | |||
| Korean | 좋은 | ||
| "좋은" is also used as a noun referring to a superior person; it is often used as an expression of endearment for a lover or as a synonym for "master" | |||
| Mongolian | сайхан байна | ||
| The word "сайхан байна" in Mongolian can also mean "beautiful" or "good-looking". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ကောင်းတယ် | ||
Nice in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | bagus | ||
| The Indonesian word "bagus" originates from the Sanskrit word "bhagavati", which means "holy" or "auspicious". | |||
| Javanese | apik | ||
| The word "apik" in Javanese can also mean "fine" or "detailed" in Indonesian. | |||
| Khmer | ល្អ | ||
| The word 'ល្អ' can also be used to describe something that is 'good,' 'beautiful,' or 'correct'. | |||
| Lao | ງາມ | ||
| The word "ງາມ" in Lao also means "good looking" or "beautiful." | |||
| Malay | bagus | ||
| The word 'bagus' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'bhagas', meaning 'fortunate' | |||
| Thai | ดี | ||
| In Thai, ดี (dee) literally translates to "good", but it can also convey a sense of appropriateness, correctness, or excellence. | |||
| Vietnamese | đẹp | ||
| "Đẹp" is a Vietnamese word that means "beautiful" or "nice," and it is derived from the Chinese word "tiě," which means "beautiful" or "good." | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | maganda | ||
Nice in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | gözəl | ||
| The word "gözəl" in Azerbaijani is derived from the Persian word "guzel" and is cognate with the Turkish word "güzel." | |||
| Kazakh | жақсы | ||
| The word "жақсы" in Kazakh has an additional meaning of "good luck" or "well-being" in addition to its primary meaning of "nice". | |||
| Kyrgyz | жакшы | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "жакшы" derives from the Turkic root "yaq-", meaning "good" or "favorable." | |||
| Tajik | хуб | ||
| The word "хуб" in Tajik can also mean "good" or "beautiful". | |||
| Turkmen | gowy | ||
| Uzbek | yaxshi | ||
| The word "yaxshi" is also used in Uzbek to refer to good health or well-being. | |||
| Uyghur | ياخشى | ||
Nice in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | oluʻolu | ||
| Olu is a common Hawaiian word meaning "content," which may have been a part of an early meaning associated with "pleasant" or "favorable." | |||
| Maori | pai | ||
| The word "pai" in Māori can also mean "good", "correct", or "proper". | |||
| Samoan | manaia | ||
| The term 'manaia' in Samoan originally meant 'to go astray' or 'to be lost' and was used to describe a person who did not conform to societal norms or expectations. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | ang ganda | ||
| In Tagalog, "ang ganda" can also be used to express admiration or surprise. | |||
Nice in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jiwaki | ||
| Guarani | iporãiterei | ||
Nice in International Languages
| Esperanto | bela | ||
| Although the word "bela" is most commonly translated as "nice", it can also translate to "pleasant" or "beautiful". | |||
| Latin | nice quod | ||
| Nice quod, also known as Nica Quot, is the name of a card game played in 16th-century France which is the origin of the word "nice" in English. | |||
Nice in Others Languages
| Greek | όμορφη | ||
| The Greek word "όμορφη" originally meant "beautiful" or "lovely", and also referred to the beauty of nature. | |||
| Hmong | zoo | ||
| Zoo is a term of endearment used to refer to one's significant other, often used by Hmong men. | |||
| Kurdish | xweşik | ||
| The word "xweşik" comes from the Old Iranian word "huxši", which means "beautiful". | |||
| Turkish | güzel | ||
| The Turkish word "Güzel" derives from the Proto-Turkic word "*köz-," meaning "to shine, glitter". | |||
| Xhosa | intle | ||
| While the noun 'intle' can be used to describe someone who is 'nice', the verb form 'kontulela' means to be naughty or misbehave. | |||
| Yiddish | שיין | ||
| In Yiddish, "שיין" (shein) also means "beautiful," "handsome," or "good-looking." | |||
| Zulu | kuhle | ||
| The Zulu word "kuhle" also means "to be beautiful" or "to be handsome" | |||
| Assamese | বঢ়িয়া | ||
| Aymara | jiwaki | ||
| Bhojpuri | सुंदर | ||
| Dhivehi | ރީތި | ||
| Dogri | चंगा | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | maganda | ||
| Guarani | iporãiterei | ||
| Ilocano | napintas | ||
| Krio | fayn | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | جوان | ||
| Maithili | नीक | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯐꯖꯩ | ||
| Mizo | tha | ||
| Oromo | gaarii | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଭଲ | ||
| Quechua | sumaq | ||
| Sanskrit | शोभनम् | ||
| Tatar | әйбәт | ||
| Tigrinya | ሓሪፍ | ||
| Tsonga | kahle | ||