Nine in Different Languages
Discover 'Nine' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The number nine has long held significance across various cultures and histories. In Norse mythology, the nine worlds are supported by the world tree, Yggdrasil. In Chinese culture, the number nine is associated with the emperor and eternal life. It's no wonder then, that someone might want to know the translation of 'nine' in different languages.
In Spanish, 'nine' is 'nueve'. In French, it's 'neuf'. In German, 'nine' is 'neun'. In Japanese, 'nine' is 'ku'. In Russian, 'nine' is 'devyat'. These translations offer a glimpse into the rich linguistic and cultural diversity of the world.
But the significance of nine doesn't stop at linguistic and cultural translations. In mathematics, nine is the only number that remains unchanged when its digits are rearranged. In astrology, there are nine planets. In literature, there are nine muses in Greek mythology.
Clearly, the number nine is a number of great significance and cultural importance. Here are some translations of 'nine' in various languages, to further explore its global reach and relevance.
Nine
Nine in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | nege | ||
| The word "nege" is derived from the Old High German "neun" and the Old Dutch "neghen." | |||
| Amharic | ዘጠኝ | ||
| In Geez, ዘጠኝ "zəṭeñ" means both "nine" and "the ninth hour." | |||
| Hausa | tara | ||
| In Hausa, the word “tara” (nine) also refers to a “load” or “burden.” | |||
| Igbo | iteghete | ||
| "Ite ghete" also means "what is it doing" in Igbo. | |||
| Malagasy | sivy | ||
| The word "sivy" in Malagasy originates from the Proto-Austronesian word "siwa" meaning "nine". It is cognate with the Malay word "sembilan", the Javanese word "songo", and the Tagalog word "siyam". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | zisanu ndi zinayi | ||
| 'Zisanu ndi zinayi' can also be used colloquially to signify something being a lot or in abundance. | |||
| Shona | pfumbamwe | ||
| "Pfumbamwe" can also mean "a group of nine people" or "a group of nine things". | |||
| Somali | sagaal | ||
| Sagaal is also used to refer to the ninth day of the month or to the last day of a period of time. | |||
| Sesotho | robong | ||
| The Sesotho word "robong" can also refer to a group of nine objects or a period of nine days. | |||
| Swahili | tisa | ||
| In Tanzanian Swahili, "tisa" also refers to an "extremely large amount" of something. | |||
| Xhosa | thoba | ||
| The word 'Thoba' also means 'to gather' or 'to collect' in Xhosa. | |||
| Yoruba | mẹsan | ||
| "Mẹsan," meaning "nine" in Yoruba, also signifies "abundance," reflecting its bountiful nature. | |||
| Zulu | eziyisishiyagalolunye | ||
| The term "eziyisishiyagalolunye" also represents a traditional Zulu system of counting by groups of 5 rather than ten. | |||
| Bambara | kɔnɔntɔn | ||
| Ewe | asiɛkɛ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | icyenda | ||
| Lingala | libwa | ||
| Luganda | mwenda | ||
| Sepedi | senyane | ||
| Twi (Akan) | nkron | ||
Nine in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | تسع | ||
| The Arabic word "تسع" also refers to a female gazelle. | |||
| Hebrew | תֵשַׁע | ||
| The word "תֵשַׁע" can also mean "ninth" or "the ninth part of something" in Hebrew. | |||
| Pashto | نهه | ||
| In Pashto, "نهه" (nine) is cognate to "nava" in Sanskrit and "no" in Persian, indicating a common Indo-European origin. | |||
| Arabic | تسع | ||
| The Arabic word "تسع" also refers to a female gazelle. | |||
Nine in Western European Languages
| Albanian | nëntë | ||
| The word "nëntë" also has a figurative meaning in Albanian, referring to a "lot" or "many" | |||
| Basque | bederatzi | ||
| The word "bederatzi" is derived from the Proto-Basque "*bedera" meaning "four" and "*atz" meaning "on top of", suggesting a counting system based on fours. | |||
| Catalan | nou | ||
| The Catalan word "nou" derives from the Latin word "novem" and shares an etymology with the English word "new". | |||
| Croatian | devet | ||
| The Croatian word 'devet' ('nine') shares its root with the Proto-Indo-European word '*deḱm̥tós', meaning 'tenth'. | |||
| Danish | ni | ||
| Ni ('nine') can also mean 'new' or 'next', reflecting its relation to the Latin 'novus' ('new'). | |||
| Dutch | negen | ||
| "Negen" also refers to the first letter in Dutch spelling alphabet (NATO alphabet). | |||
| English | nine | ||
| "Nine", in addition to being a number, is also a "collective word" for nine musicians playing together. | |||
| French | neuf | ||
| The word "neuf" in French also means "new", likely derived from the Latin "novus" meaning "new". | |||
| Frisian | njoggen | ||
| The Frisian words for the numbers 11-19 include "njoggen" but are not constructed using it as they are in Dutch (such as English: eleven and Dutch: elf) | |||
| Galician | nove | ||
| The Galician word "nove" derives from the Latin "novem" and is also used in Portuguese, Spanish, Catalan, and French. | |||
| German | neun | ||
| The word "neun" is likely derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *neun-, meaning "new," and is cognate with the English word "new." | |||
| Icelandic | níu | ||
| The word "níu" in Icelandic is cognate with the word "new" in English, and can also mean "renewed" or "fresh". | |||
| Irish | naoi | ||
| The Irish word "naoi" is derived from the Proto-Celtic *nawan, meaning "holy" or "special". | |||
| Italian | nove | ||
| The Italian word "nove" shares many cognates with words for "new" in other Romance languages, such as the words "nuevo" in Spanish, "nouveau" in French, and "novo" in Portuguese. | |||
| Luxembourgish | néng | ||
| The word “néng” is cognate with “nine” in English, “neuf” in French, “nove” in Portuguese, and with “novem” in Latin, meaning nine. | |||
| Maltese | disgħa | ||
| The Maltese word "disgħa" is derived from the Arabic word "تسعة" (tisa’), which means "nine". | |||
| Norwegian | ni | ||
| "Ni" is an archaic word for "new" and is cognate with the English "new" and German "neu." | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | nove | ||
| In Portuguese, "nove" can also mean "new". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | naoi | ||
| In Gaelic "naoi" can mean both "nine" and "holy". | |||
| Spanish | nueve | ||
| La palabra "nueve" en español proviene del latín "novem" y también puede referirse a un conjunto de nueve elementos. | |||
| Swedish | nio | ||
| The word 'nio' in Swedish also means 'new'. | |||
| Welsh | naw | ||
| Naw is the number "9" in Welsh and is also used in Irish, Scottish, Manx, and some dialects of English | |||
Nine in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | дзевяць | ||
| The word "дзевяць" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *devętь, which is cognate with the Latin word "novem" and the Greek word "ennéa". In Belarusian, the word "дзевяць" can also be used colloquially to mean "a lot" or "a great deal". | |||
| Bosnian | devet | ||
| The word 'devet' is also an archaic Bosnian unit of measurement for length or area. | |||
| Bulgarian | девет | ||
| The word "девет" is derived from the Proto-Slavic *devętь, and has reflexes in other Slavic languages, like Czech "devět", Russian "девять", and Polish "dziewięć". | |||
| Czech | devět | ||
| The Czech word "devět" also has metaphorical meanings, e.g. "devět křížků" = "old age", "být v sedmém nebi" = "to be very happy". | |||
| Estonian | üheksa | ||
| "Üheksa" is cognate with "ühe" ("one") and "ksa" ("ten"). | |||
| Finnish | yhdeksän | ||
| "Yhdeksän" is an alteration of "kahdeksän" ("eight"), an "ys-formation" with "ys" as the suffix for adverbs. | |||
| Hungarian | kilenc | ||
| The word "kilenc" comes from the Proto-Uralic word *kɨləmə "eight" and the suffix *-c "plus one". | |||
| Latvian | deviņi | ||
| The word "deviņi" is related to the ancient Indo-European root "*dekm" meaning "ten". | |||
| Lithuanian | devyni | ||
| The Lithuanian word "devyni" also shares the same Proto-Indo-European root *deḱm as its Latin cognate "decem" and modern English "ten". | |||
| Macedonian | девет | ||
| The word "девет" in Macedonian is a cognate of the word "nine" in English, and also means "great" or "mighty". | |||
| Polish | dziewięć | ||
| "Dziewięć" is related to the Proto-Slavic word "devętь", which also means "nine", and is cognate with the Latin word "novem". | |||
| Romanian | nouă | ||
| "Nouă" also means "to swim" and "a bride" in Romanian. | |||
| Russian | девять | ||
| The Russian word “девять” (“nine”) derives from the Proto-Indo-European root “*newṇ” meaning “new”. | |||
| Serbian | девет | ||
| "Devet" in Serbian can also mean "many" and was originally a collective noun for "a group of nine." | |||
| Slovak | deväť | ||
| The word "deväť" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *devętь, which also means "much" or "a lot". | |||
| Slovenian | devet | ||
| In Slovene, the number nine is also known as "devetica," originating from the Proto-Slavic "devęti," meaning "to get one more time." | |||
| Ukrainian | дев'ять | ||
| The word "дев'ять" in Ukrainian is cognate with the word "девять" in Russian and "dziewięć" in Polish, all meaning "nine" and sharing the same Indo-European root *new̆(e)n̥-. | |||
Nine in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | নয়টি | ||
| "নয়টি" refers to the number nine, and also to the ninth day of the month, which is an important day according to Bengali culture. | |||
| Gujarati | નવ | ||
| "નવ" also means "new" and "strange". | |||
| Hindi | नौ | ||
| The word "नौ" (nau) comes from the Sanskrit word "nava" which means "new" and can also refer to a "boat" or "ship". | |||
| Kannada | ಒಂಬತ್ತು | ||
| "ಒಂಬತ್ತು" means "nine" and can also be used to mean "a lot" or "many". | |||
| Malayalam | ഒമ്പത് | ||
| The word "ഒമ്പത്" ("nine") in Malayalam is derived from the Proto-Dravidian root ‘*omb-u’, meaning "nine". | |||
| Marathi | नऊ | ||
| The Marathi word "नऊ" (nauu) is derived from the Sanskrit word "नव" (nava), meaning "new" or "fresh". | |||
| Nepali | नौ | ||
| The word "नौ" means "boat" in the Nepali language, and "nine" in Sanskrit. | |||
| Punjabi | ਨੌ | ||
| The word 'ਨੌ' has alternate meanings in Punjabi, including 'a cry of admiration' and 'a low moaning sound'. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | නවය | ||
| The Sinhala word "නවය" also means "new" or "fresh". | |||
| Tamil | ஒன்பது | ||
| "ஒன்பது" (literally, "one-with-eight") refers to the nine parts of the human body that are considered vital: the two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, mouth, and the two hands. | |||
| Telugu | తొమ్మిది | ||
| "తొమ్మిది" is derived from the Sanskrit word "navmi", which means "ninth", but it also means "nine" in Telugu. | |||
| Urdu | نو | ||
| The Urdu word "نو" (nau) also means "new" and is cognate with the English word "new" and the Latin word "novus". | |||
Nine in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 九 | ||
| In Daoist tradition, 九 (jiǔ) also represents completion and the end of a cycle. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 九 | ||
| 九 is also the ninth month of the Chinese calendar. | |||
| Japanese | ナイン | ||
| The first character of "ナイン" is also used to write "なむ", an archaic word for "eight". | |||
| Korean | 아홉 | ||
| The word "아홉" also means "a few" or "several" in Korean. | |||
| Mongolian | ес | ||
| Alternate meaning of "ес" is "nine" in Mongolian. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ကိုး | ||
| The word "ကိုး" can also mean "above," "upwards," or "to rise." | |||
Nine in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | sembilan | ||
| "Sembilan" can also refer to the Sultanate of Selangor or the state of Negeri Sembilan in Malaysia. | |||
| Javanese | sangang | ||
| In Javanese, 'sangang' not only means 'nine' but also 'many', 'various', or 'different'. | |||
| Khmer | ប្រាំបួន | ||
| "ប្រាំបួន" (nine) is also a Khmer homonym for "the 14th day of the waning moon". | |||
| Lao | ເກົ້າ | ||
| The Lao word "ເກົ້າ" "nine" also means "old" or "ancient" and is used to count people or things that are considered valuable or important. | |||
| Malay | sembilan | ||
| The name for this number, which derives from an Austroasiatic root *sa(m)-bĕlu, is shared between Malay, Javanese, and Balinese. | |||
| Thai | เก้า | ||
| The word "เก้า" (nine) can also refer to the period of nine days and nights leading up to a cremation ceremony in Thailand. | |||
| Vietnamese | chín | ||
| The word "chín" can also mean "ripe" in Vietnamese. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | siyam | ||
Nine in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | doqquz | ||
| The etymology of the Azerbaijani word "doqquz" for nine can be found in Turkic languages where "tokuz" refers to "a gathering" and "a group", referring either to the nine months of pregnancy or a group of nine stars. | |||
| Kazakh | тоғыз | ||
| The word "тоғыз" (nine) in Kazakh is derived from the Proto-Turkic word "toquz", which also means "nine". | |||
| Kyrgyz | тогуз | ||
| The word "тогуз" also means "complete" or "perfect" in Kyrgyz, as it is often associated with the concept of "the nine perfections" (тогуз сапат). | |||
| Tajik | нӯҳ | ||
| The word "нӯҳ" also means "new" in Tajik. | |||
| Turkmen | dokuz | ||
| Uzbek | to'qqiz | ||
| The Uzbek word "to'qqiz" is of Persian origin and also means "strong" or "firm" | |||
| Uyghur | توققۇز | ||
Nine in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | eiwa | ||
| In Japanese, 'eiwa' means 'eternal peace' and in Spanish, it means 'of the egg'. | |||
| Maori | iwa | ||
| *Iwa* also refers to a type of bird and the numeral 'one' in the traditional number system. | |||
| Samoan | iva | ||
| Iva can also mean a group of nine or an entire group. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | siyam | ||
| Siyam may also mean abstinence or refraining from something, as in the case of "siyam sa karne" (abstinence from meat). | |||
Nine in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | llätunka | ||
| Guarani | porundy | ||
Nine in International Languages
| Esperanto | naŭ | ||
| "Naŭ" is derived from the Latin "novem", and also shares a root with "nova" ("new"). | |||
| Latin | novem | ||
| Novem, in Latin, is derived from "novem," and can also refer to the ninth day of the Roman calendar. | |||
Nine in Others Languages
| Greek | εννέα | ||
| The word "εννέα" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*newn" meaning "new" or "fresh". | |||
| Hmong | cuaj | ||
| The Hmong word "cuaj" can also mean "group of three" or refer to three different items of the same type. | |||
| Kurdish | neh | ||
| 'Neh' also means 'new' or 'fresh' in Kurdish. | |||
| Turkish | dokuz | ||
| "Dokuz" is also the term for a card with an image of nine stars that is the highest-ranking card in Turkish "King" card games | |||
| Xhosa | thoba | ||
| The word 'Thoba' also means 'to gather' or 'to collect' in Xhosa. | |||
| Yiddish | נײַן | ||
| The word "נײַן" in Yiddish also means "no" and is a cognate of the German "nein". | |||
| Zulu | eziyisishiyagalolunye | ||
| The term "eziyisishiyagalolunye" also represents a traditional Zulu system of counting by groups of 5 rather than ten. | |||
| Assamese | ন | ||
| Aymara | llätunka | ||
| Bhojpuri | नौ | ||
| Dhivehi | ނުވައެއް | ||
| Dogri | नौ | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | siyam | ||
| Guarani | porundy | ||
| Ilocano | siam | ||
| Krio | nayn | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | نۆ | ||
| Maithili | नव | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯥꯄꯜ | ||
| Mizo | pakua | ||
| Oromo | sagal | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ନଅ | ||
| Quechua | isqun | ||
| Sanskrit | नवं | ||
| Tatar | тугыз | ||
| Tigrinya | ትሸዓተ | ||
| Tsonga | nkaye | ||