None in different languages

None in Different Languages

Discover 'None' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.

Updated on March 6, 2024

The word 'none' holds a significant place in English language and culture, often used to signify the absence or lack of something. It's a simple term, yet its implications are far-reaching. None can represent the absence of people, things, or ideas, making it a versatile word in our daily conversations.

Historically, none has been used in literature and poetry to create emphasis or rhythm. For instance, Shakespeare often used 'none' to add weight to his negative constructions. Culturally, none is significant as it reflects our human experience - we often define ourselves by what we are not, rather than what we are.

Given the globalized world we live in, understanding the translation of none in different languages can be beneficial. It not only helps in cross-cultural communication but also provides insight into how various cultures perceive and express the concept of nothingness.

Here are some translations of 'none' in different languages:

None


None in Sub-Saharan African Languages

Afrikaansgeen
Afrikaans 'geen' traces its origin to Old High German 'dehein' (no any, not one), from the Proto-Germanic *ni-ainaz (not one), a negation of Proto-Germanic *ainaz (one).
Amharicየለም
In Amharic, "የለም" also means "there is not" or "does not exist."
Hausababu
"Babu" can also mean "without" or "except" in Hausa.
Igboọ dịghị
"Ọ dịghị" also means something is "worthless" or "not worth thinking about" in Igbo.
Malagasytsy misy
The word "tsy misy" in Malagasy is the compound form of the negative prefix "tsy" and the verb "misy" meaning "to exist."
Nyanja (Chichewa)palibe
In Chichewa, "palibe" and its cognates in other Bantu languages also mean "there is not" as well as "there is no".
Shonahapana
In Shona, 'hapana' can also refer to a state of nothingness, emptiness, or absence.
Somalimidna
Midna is also the Somali word for the Arabic letter "mim," which represents the sound "m."
Sesothohaho lea mong
In Sesotho, "haho lea mong" is the negative form of "ho lea mong," which means "one," making it a negation of existence or quantity.
Swahilihakuna
Although 'hakuna' means 'none' in Swahili, it can also mean 'nothing' or 'there is not'
Xhosananye
In Xhosa, the word "nanye" is sometimes used as a general-purpose pronoun or demonstrative to refer to inanimate objects or abstract concepts.
Yorubako si
The Yoruba word “ko si” translates to “nonexistence,” and implies an absence of quantity as opposed to an absence of quality.
Zuluakekho
"Akekho" is a Zulu word meaning "nobody", also used to convey the absence of any person, object, or thing.
Bambarafoɲisi
Eweɖeke o
Kinyarwandanta na kimwe
Lingalamoko te
Lugandatewali
Sepediga go selo
Twi (Akan)ɛnyɛ ebiara

None in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicلا شيء
The word "لا شيء" (none) in Arabic literally means "not anything".
Hebrewאף אחד
The word "אף אחד" is a contraction of "לא אף אחד", meaning "not one", as opposed to "לא כלום", meaning "nothing".
Pashtoهیڅ نه
The word "هیڅ نه" in Pashto also has the connotation of "useless" or "worthless."
Arabicلا شيء
The word "لا شيء" (none) in Arabic literally means "not anything".

None in Western European Languages

Albanianasnje
The word "asnje" can also mean "any"
Basquebat ere ez
The second half of the term “baterozez,” which literally translates in the present-day Basque language into something akin to “at this hour,” was first used during the Middle Ages to describe events which had not transpired by a particular time of day
Catalancap
The Catalan word "cap" also means "head" and is derived from the Latin "caput" meaning "head" or "top".
Croatiannijedna
The word "nijedna" is cognate with the Serbian "nijedna" and the Bulgarian "nijedna" and shares an etymological root with the Old Church Slavonic word "ni" and the Proto-Indo-European word "ne" meaning "not".
Danishingen
In Danish, "ingen" can also mean "no one" or "not anyone".
Dutchgeen
The word "geen" in Dutch is derived from the Old Saxon word "gein", meaning "contrary" or "opposite".
Englishnone
The word 'none' originates from the Old English word 'nān', which means 'not one'.
Frenchaucun
"Aucun" originally originates from the Latin term "alcunus", meaning "some" or "any".
Frisiangjin
"Gjin" is cognate with the English "none" and the German "kein".
Galicianningunha
The Galician word "ningunha" is derived from the Latin word "nec ulla," meaning "not one."
Germankeiner
Keiner is cognate with the English word "no one" and derives from the Middle High German word "dekeiner," a combination of "de" (meaning "the") and "ein" (meaning "one").
Icelandicenginn
Enginn originates from the Proto-Germanic word "ainaz," and also means "only one" or "one and the same" in Icelandic.
Irishaon cheann
In Gaelic, the word "aon cheann" originally meant "the only head" and was used to describe the first-born of twins, but it later came to mean "not any" or "not one".
Italiannessuna
Nessuna also means 'female' or 'virgin' in Italian, like the Lady of the Lake in the Arthurian legend
Luxembourgishkee
The word "kee" is derived from the Proto-Germanic word "*kani", also meaning "no" or "not".
Maltesexejn
The word "xejn" in Maltese is derived from the Arabic word "šay'" meaning "thing".
Norwegianingen
The word "ingen" can also mean "not any", "no one", or "nobody" in Norwegian.
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil)nenhum
The word "Nenhum" in Portuguese comes from the Latin "Nec Unus", meaning "not one".
Scots Gaelicgin
The Scots Gaelic word 'gin', meaning 'none' or 'not any', is unrelated to the English word 'gin', meaning 'a distilled alcoholic beverage'.
Spanishninguna
In Spanish, "ninguna" is the feminine form of "ninguno" ("no one, none") and can also mean "not even one."
Swedishingen
The Swedish word "ingen" can also mean "any" or "someone" in certain contexts.
Welshdim
The Welsh word “dim” is a versatile negative term that can indicate the absence of anything, including light, sound, or even an idea.

None in Eastern European Languages

Belarusianняма
“Няма” in Belarusian shares a common Indo-European root *ne- with “no” in English or “Nein” in German, all meaning “not”
Bosniannijedan
The word 'nijedan' is a Slavic word, used in various Slavic languages, e.g. Serbian, Bulgarian, Russian, etc.
Bulgarianнито един
In Bulgarian, "нито един" can also mean "not a single one" or "not even one"
Czechžádný
The word "žádný" can also mean "not a single one" or "not even one".
Estonianmitte ühtegi
The word "mitte ühtegi" (none) is literally translated as "not one" in Estonian.
Finnishei mitään
Ei mitään literally means "it is not anything" in Finnish.
Hungarianegyik sem
'Egyik sem' is an expression composed of the indefinite numeral 'egyik' ('one', 'some') and the negative indefinite pronoun 'sem' ('none', 'not any'), respectively.
Latvianneviena
The word "neviena" in Latvian is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *ne- "not" and is related to the words "ne" (no) and "nieks" (nothing).
Lithuaniannė vienas
The word "nė vienas" is literally translated as "not one" in Lithuanian and it can also be used to express a lack of something or a denial of something
Macedonianникој
It can also mean 'person', and is used in an archaic expression to describe a man of no importance.
Polishżaden
The Polish word "żaden" derives from the Proto-Slavic "jedьnъ", which meant "alone"
Romaniannici unul
In Romanian, "nici unul" also means "not a single one" and is used to emphasize the absence or lack of something.
Russianникто
"никто" (none) can also mean "no one" in Russian.
Serbianниједан
The Serbian "ниједан" derives from the Proto-Slavic *ni jedinъ, meaning "not a single one."
Slovakžiadny
"Žiadny" can also mean "no problem, alright".
Sloveniannobenega
The word "nobenega" comes from the Proto-Slavic word "nebyti", meaning "to not be". Variant forms include "nič" and "niš", also meaning "none".
Ukrainianжоден
The Ukrainian word "жоден" (none) originates from the Proto-Slavic word "*jedinъ" (one), and is related to the words "один" (one) and "одинокий" (lonely).

None in South Asian Languages

Bengaliকিছুই না
কিছুই না can also mean "nothing at all" or "not anything."
Gujaratiકંઈ નહીં
The word "કંઈ નહીં" can also mean "nothing", "nothingness", or "non-existence" in Gujarati.
Hindiकोई नहीं
Hindi "कोई नहीं" derives from "कोई" (any/someone) and "नहीं" (not/no) and thus literally means "not anyone".
Kannadaಯಾವುದೂ
The word "ಯಾವುದೂ" can also mean "nothing" or "not any" in Kannada.
Malayalamഒന്നുമില്ല
The Malayalam word "ഒന്നുമില്ല" (onnumilla) can also mean "nothing doing" or "there's nothing to do".
Marathiकाहीही नाही
The word "काहीही नाही" can also mean "whatever" or "anything" in Marathi.
Nepaliकुनै हैन
The word "कुनै हैन" can also be used as a negative response to a question in Nepali, similar to the English "no".
Punjabiਕੋਈ ਨਹੀਂ
Sinhala (Sinhalese)කිසිවක් නැත
Tamilஎதுவும் இல்லை
Teluguఏదీ లేదు
The word "ఏదీ లేదు" in Telugu can also be used to express emptiness, absence, or lack of anything in a particular context.
Urduکوئی نہیں

None in East Asian Languages

Chinese (Simplified)没有
The Simplified Chinese character "没有" derives from the oracle bone script depicting a person pointing at a tree without fruit: 木 (tree) and 非 (not), hence the meaning "none".
Chinese (Traditional)沒有
沒有 is also an important keyword in Taoism and Buddhism, which is often used to imply emptiness or nothingness.
Japaneseなし
梨 (なし) means pear and could derive from "not-there" (ナシ) in the sense that the tree shed all its leaves in autumn.
Korean없음
"없음" literally means "there is no" and is a shortened form of "없는" ("non-existing") and is also used in "없어요" ("not there").
Mongolianүгүй
The Mongolian word "үгүй" (none) is derived from the word "үг" (word), and thus means literally "without a word" or "unsaid".
Myanmar (Burmese)မရှိ

None in South East Asian Languages

Indonesiantidak ada
"Tidak ada" in Indonesian, literally meaning "not there", is the cognate of "tidakada" in Tagalog, meaning "nowhere".
Javaneseora ana
The word "ora ana" can also refer to "not present" or "not existing" in Javanese.
Khmerគ្មាន
The Khmer word គ្មាន, pronounced 'kam-neun', is likely derived from the Sanskrit word kshana, meaning 'perish'.
Laoບໍ່ມີ
"ບໍ່ມີ" (bɔː.míː) is a Lao negative word meaning "none", "there is no", or "nothing" and is used in both formal and informal settings.
Malaytiada
The word tiada in Malay is derived from Sanskrit and has the literal meaning of 'not-being'.
Thaiไม่มี
The word "ไม่มี" (none) in Thai is derived from the Sanskrit word "นิร-" (without) and is also used as a prefix to negate adjectives and verbs.
Vietnamesekhông ai
In Vietnamese, "không ai" translates to "no one," but it can also mean "never" or "not at all."
Filipino (Tagalog)wala

None in Central Asian Languages

Azerbaijaniyox
The word "yox" in Azerbaijani originated from the Old Turkic word "yok" meaning "to be absent" and is also used in Turkish, Kazakh, and Kyrgyz.
Kazakhжоқ
The word "жоқ" in Kazakh can also mean "no" or "not".
Kyrgyzэч ким
The word "эч ким" in Kyrgyz derives from the Proto-Turkic word "*eč ki" meaning "not who".
Tajikҳеҷ
The word "ҳеҷ" also means "any" in Persian and "zero" in Arabic.
Turkmenhiç
Uzbekyo'q
In the Uzbek language, "yo'q" means both "none" and "disappearance."
Uyghurnone

None in Pacific Languages

Hawaiianʻaʻole kekahi
'Aʻole kekahi' can also be translated as 'not any', 'not one', or 'no one'.
Maorikāo
Maori word "kāo" can mean a void, a place, or a state of being, and its original meaning "to hold" is now a subordinate meaning.
Samoanleai se mea
The Samoan word "leai se mea" can also mean "there is nothing".
Tagalog (Filipino)wala
"Wala" may be a contraction of "walang" ("without") or can mean "no one" or "nothing" as an independent word.

None in American Indigenous Languages

Aymarajaniwkhitisa
Guaraniavave

None in International Languages

Esperantoneniu
The word 'neniu' may also refer to a mythical sea monster in Esperanto folklore, a usage inspired by the word's original root in Proto-Indo-European.
Latinnemo
The Latin word "nemo" also means "nobody" and is the origin of the famous quote "nemo me impune lacessit," which means "no one provokes me with impunity."

None in Others Languages

Greekκανένας
The word "κανένας" can also mean "nobody" or "not one" in Greek.
Hmongtsis muaj leej twg
The word "tsis muaj leej twg" comes from the Hmong word "tsis muaj", which means "there is not", and the word "leej twg", which means "anything". Therefore, the phrase literally means "there is nothing".
Kurdishnetû
In the Kurdish language, the word "netû" has additional meanings beyond "none," including "not present" and "in vain."
Turkishyok
"Yok" means "there is not" in Turkish but also it is one of the ways to say "no".
Xhosananye
In Xhosa, the word "nanye" is sometimes used as a general-purpose pronoun or demonstrative to refer to inanimate objects or abstract concepts.
Yiddishגאָרניט
'Gor' is borrowed from 'gar nicht',' not at all'' in Bavarian German, and 'Nit' originates in the Old Middle German verb ''niuten'' meaning ''using nothing''.
Zuluakekho
"Akekho" is a Zulu word meaning "nobody", also used to convey the absence of any person, object, or thing.
Assameseএকো নাই
Aymarajaniwkhitisa
Bhojpuriकवनो ना
Dhivehiއެއްޗެއްނޫން
Dogriकोई नेईं
Filipino (Tagalog)wala
Guaraniavave
Ilocanoawan
Krionɔn
Kurdish (Sorani)هیچ
Maithiliकोनो नहि
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯑꯃꯠꯇ ꯅꯠꯇꯦ
Mizopakhatmah
Oromohomaa
Odia (Oriya)କିଛି ନୁହେଁ |
Quechuamana mayqinpas
Sanskritन कश्चित्
Tatarюк
Tigrinyaዋላ ሓደ
Tsongahava

Click on a letter to browse words starting with that letter