Not in Different Languages
Discover 'Not' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'not' is a small but mighty powerhouse in the world of language and communication. As a negation word, it has the ability to completely change the meaning of a sentence, making it a crucial component in our daily conversations and writings. Its significance extends beyond grammar, as it often represents a difference in opinion, a rejection, or a contradiction.
Throughout history, 'not' has played a pivotal role in shaping cultural and societal norms. From philosophical debates to political discourse, this humble word has been at the forefront of some of the most influential conversations of all time. For instance, the famous line 'To be, or not to be' from Shakespeare's Hamlet explores the depths of human existence and the power of choice.
As globalization continues to bring people from different linguistic backgrounds together, understanding the translation of 'not' in various languages has become increasingly important. Not only does it facilitate cross-cultural communication, but it also sheds light on the unique ways in which different languages express negation.
Here are some translations of 'not' in various languages, highlighting the fascinating diversity of human language and culture:
Not
Not in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | nie | ||
| The word "nie" in Afrikaans ultimately derives from the same Proto-Germanic root as the English word "nay" | |||
| Amharic | አይደለም | ||
| The word "አይደለም" ("not") in Amharic is derived from the negative verb form "አይ" ("is not") and the verb "ደለ" ("to be"). | |||
| Hausa | ba | ||
| The word "ba" in Hausa is also an adjective which refers to something lacking something else. | |||
| Igbo | ọ bụghị | ||
| While ọ bụghị functions as a negator in modern Igbo, it derives from the verb stem gbụ (to deny, refuse) and originally meant "it is not so". | |||
| Malagasy | tsy | ||
| The word "tsy" in Malagasy is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word *sa, meaning "not," and can also be used as a prefix to form negative words. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | ayi | ||
| Ayi comes from the verb ņĩona "to refuse", which also gave rise to a negative marker ņŏ that merged with ayi as a result of phonetic assimilation. | |||
| Shona | kwete | ||
| The Shona word 'kwete' can also mean a lack of something or an absence | |||
| Somali | maahan | ||
| Maahan can also mean "not yet" or "never". | |||
| Sesotho | che | ||
| The word "che" in Sesotho means "not" and can also be used as a negative answer. | |||
| Swahili | la | ||
| In Swahili, "la" (not) also has an alternative meaning of "not yet". | |||
| Xhosa | hayi | ||
| *Hayi* can also mean 'not yet' or 'not so' depending on context. | |||
| Yoruba | kii ṣe | ||
| "Kii ṣe" is also used in the sense of "cannot" or "will not". | |||
| Zulu | hhayi | ||
| The word 'hhayi' can also be used to mean 'no', 'no worries' or 'never'. | |||
| Bambara | ayi | ||
| Ewe | o | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ntabwo | ||
| Lingala | te | ||
| Luganda | -li | ||
| Sepedi | ga se | ||
| Twi (Akan) | n | ||
Not in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | ليس | ||
| The Arabic word "ليس" ("not") can also refer to "the thing which is not" or "the non-existent." | |||
| Hebrew | לֹא | ||
| The Hebrew word "לא" can also mean "no" and "not yet". | |||
| Pashto | نه | ||
| نه (na) means 'no' or 'not' in Pashto, but can also be used as an exclamation of surprise or annoyance, or to express agreement or consent. | |||
| Arabic | ليس | ||
| The Arabic word "ليس" ("not") can also refer to "the thing which is not" or "the non-existent." | |||
Not in Western European Languages
| Albanian | jo | ||
| The Albanian word "jo" also means "no". | |||
| Basque | ez | ||
| In Basque, "ez" also means "no" and "lack of". | |||
| Catalan | no | ||
| In Catalan, 'no' primarily means 'not', but it can also signify 'no more', 'not yet' or express negation in questions. | |||
| Croatian | ne | ||
| In Croatian, “ne” can also be a prefix meaning “without,” as in “nepovoljan” (unfavorable). | |||
| Danish | ikke | ||
| The word "ikke" in Danish derives from Old Norse "ekki," meaning "forever," and "at ekki," meaning "not at all." | |||
| Dutch | niet | ||
| The Dutch word "niet" is derived from Old English "nawiht" meaning "nothing". | |||
| English | not | ||
| The word "not" derives from the Old English "nawiht", meaning "nothing". | |||
| French | ne pas | ||
| The French phrase "ne pas" originated from the Latin words "nec" (not) and "passus" (step). | |||
| Frisian | net | ||
| The word "net" can also mean "fishnet" in Frisian. | |||
| Galician | non | ||
| In Galician, "non" also means "no" and "none". | |||
| German | nicht | ||
| The word 'nicht' is a cognate to the English word 'night' as well the Dutch 'niet'. | |||
| Icelandic | ekki | ||
| Ekki is a diminutive of the Old Norse eigi and is cognate with the English word "nay". | |||
| Irish | ní | ||
| In Irish, the word 'ní' is not only used in negative sentences, it can also be found in interrogative sentences with the meaning of 'is it not?' | |||
| Italian | non | ||
| The word “non” in Italian can also mean "not yet" or "never" | |||
| Luxembourgish | net | ||
| In Luxembourgish, "net" (net) can also mean "still" or "yet". | |||
| Maltese | mhux | ||
| The word "mhux" in Maltese can also mean "unless". | |||
| Norwegian | ikke | ||
| "Ikke" in Norwegian can also mean "never before." | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | não | ||
| Its etymology points to the Medieval Latin 'naon', which means 'now,' and it may also be an archaism of 'non,' which also means 'now,' with the addition of the negating suffix '-on'. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | chan eil | ||
| "Chan eil" (not), like the negated verb "cha" (not-be), derives its origin from the Irish language, and is not, therefore, of Celtic origin. | |||
| Spanish | no | ||
| The Spanish word "no" has Indo-European roots, descending from the Proto-Indo-European negative particle *ne-. | |||
| Swedish | inte | ||
| The word "inte" in Swedish was originally two words, "in the" (meaning "not the"), which later developed into a single word. | |||
| Welsh | ddim | ||
| The word 'ddim' can also mean 'no', 'not at all', or 'certainly not' in Welsh. | |||
Not in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | не | ||
| The word "не" can also mean "no" or "there is not" in Belarusian. | |||
| Bosnian | nije | ||
| The word "nije" in Bosnian originates from the Proto-Slavic word *nь, which also meant "no". | |||
| Bulgarian | не | ||
| "Не" is also used to form negative pronouns (e.g. "никой" - nobody) and negative adverbs (e.g. "никога" - never). | |||
| Czech | ne | ||
| In Czech, "ne" is an emphatic form of negation and is used in place of "ne" (not) for clarity. | |||
| Estonian | mitte | ||
| The Estonian word "mitte" has Proto-Uralic, Proto-Baltic, Sanskrit, Armenian, and Latin cognates. | |||
| Finnish | ei | ||
| The word "ei" is also used in the conditional "jos...niin" instead of the standard "jos...ni". | |||
| Hungarian | nem | ||
| Nem can also be used in Hungarian as the name day or birthday of a female relative or close friend. | |||
| Latvian | nē | ||
| "Nē" also means "not this" or "no, this is not it". | |||
| Lithuanian | ne | ||
| The word "ne" can also mean "no" or "no one" in Lithuanian. | |||
| Macedonian | не | ||
| The word "не" also functions as a conjunction meaning "but". | |||
| Polish | nie | ||
| The word 'nie' used as a negation in Polish is derived from the Proto-Slavic 'ne-iti', meaning 'to go without', and is not directly related to the words for 'no' in other Slavic languages. | |||
| Romanian | nu | ||
| The word "nu" can also mean "only" or "just" in Romanian. | |||
| Russian | не | ||
| The word "не" in Russian can also be used to emphasize the meaning of another word in the sentence, similar to "даже" ("even"). | |||
| Serbian | не | ||
| In Serbian, the word "не" (not) can be used as a negative particle and also as a prefix to indicate the opposite of an adjective. | |||
| Slovak | nie | ||
| The word "nie" in Slovak also means "never" or "no way". | |||
| Slovenian | ne | ||
| Ne, besides meaning “not”, can emphasize negation through repetition (“nem, nem! — no, no!”) or be an affirmative interjection with the value “yes.” | |||
| Ukrainian | ні | ||
| The word "ні" can also be used as a noun meaning "nothingness" or "emptiness". | |||
Not in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | না | ||
| The term "না" is also a short form of the name for the Hindu goddess Durga. | |||
| Gujarati | નથી | ||
| The Gujarati word "નથી" is derived from the Sanskrit word "नास्ति", which means "does not exist". It can also express negation in the present tense as well as the future tense. | |||
| Hindi | नहीं | ||
| The word "नहीं" is derived from the Sanskrit particle "ना", which also means "not". | |||
| Kannada | ಅಲ್ಲ | ||
| 'ಅಲ್ಲ' (not) in Kannada can also mean a place to reside or a home. | |||
| Malayalam | അല്ല | ||
| The Malayalam word | |||
| Marathi | नाही | ||
| The word "नाही" in Marathi has cognates in several other Indo-Aryan languages, including Hindi and Gujarati, and may share an etymological origin with the Persian word "نه" (na). | |||
| Nepali | हैन | ||
| The word "हैन" in Nepali can also mean "to exist" or "to be present". | |||
| Punjabi | ਨਹੀਂ | ||
| ਨਹੀਂ is also used in Punjabi to indicate the past tense of a verb or to make a sentence negative. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | නැත | ||
| The Sinhala word "නැත" (not) has several alternative meanings, including "no" and "not yet". | |||
| Tamil | இல்லை | ||
| "இல்லை" also means 'empty', 'there is not', and 'it is not there' | |||
| Telugu | కాదు | ||
| "కాదు" originally meant "something that does not produce" and was later used as a negative particle. | |||
| Urdu | نہیں | ||
| The word "نہیں" can also mean "no" in Urdu when used in a negative context. | |||
Not in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 不 | ||
| The word '不' can also mean 'no' or 'disapproval' in Chinese. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 不 | ||
| '不' is an ancient Chinese character that originally represented a snake or worm that can't be straightened out. | |||
| Japanese | ない | ||
| The word "nai" can also mean "none" or "there is not," and it is often used in negative constructions. | |||
| Korean | 아니 | ||
| "아니" can also be used to express surprise or disbelief. | |||
| Mongolian | үгүй | ||
| 'Үгүй' can also mean 'without' or 'that which does not exist'. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | မဟုတ်ဘူး | ||
Not in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | tidak | ||
| The word "tidak" in Indonesian also has the alternate meaning of "nothing" or "none". | |||
| Javanese | ora | ||
| In Javanese, "ora" can also be used to form negation words, such as "ora ana" (there is none), "ora duwe" (do not have), or "ora iso" (not able). | |||
| Khmer | មិនមែនទេ | ||
| Lao | ບໍ່ | ||
| In Lao, "ບໍ່" can have an additional meaning of "don't" or "no" when used as part of a negative imperative. | |||
| Malay | tidak | ||
| The Malay word 'tidak' (not) is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word '*tidaka', which originally meant 'there isn't', suggesting an underlying negative existential meaning. | |||
| Thai | ไม่ | ||
| 'ไม่' (not) shares an etymology with 'ม่าย' (widow), but has come to have multiple other meanings. | |||
| Vietnamese | không phải | ||
| The Vietnamese word "không phải" has Chinese origin meaning "should not" or "must not" | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | hindi | ||
Not in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | yox | ||
| The word "yox" in Azerbaijani is derived from the Old Persian word "na" meaning "no" or "none" and is cognate with the word "no" in English. | |||
| Kazakh | емес | ||
| The Kazakh word "емес" has historically also been used to express the sense of "different" or "other". | |||
| Kyrgyz | эмес | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning as "not," the Kyrgyz word "эмес" can also be used to indicate a negative response or to emphasize the impossibility or undesirability of something. | |||
| Tajik | не | ||
| The morpheme "не" may also appear in the forms "ни" and "нет" | |||
| Turkmen | däl | ||
| Uzbek | emas | ||
| Emas may also be used to emphasize a negative verb, turning it into an imperative. For example, “Kelma” means “come,” while “Kelma emas” means “don't come.” | |||
| Uyghur | ئەمەس | ||
Not in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ʻaʻole | ||
| 'Aʻoleʻ could also mean "very little," referring to quantity or existence. | |||
| Maori | kaore | ||
| The word "kaore" can also be used to express the concepts of absence or lack. | |||
| Samoan | leai | ||
| In Samoan, leai also means 'without' | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | hindi | ||
| In some regional dialects it is synonymous with 'no' or 'none'. | |||
Not in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | janiwa | ||
| Guarani | nahániri | ||
Not in International Languages
| Esperanto | ne | ||
| The word "ne" is derived from the Latin "non" and also means "no" in Esperanto. | |||
| Latin | non | ||
| The Latin word "non" can also be used as a noun to mean "none" or "nonentity". | |||
Not in Others Languages
| Greek | δεν | ||
| The word "δεν" can also be used as an alternative to "δε", another form of "not" in Greek. | |||
| Hmong | tsis tau | ||
| The Hmong word "tsis tau" (not) is derived from the Chinese word "bu dao" (not reach). | |||
| Kurdish | ne | ||
| In Kurdish, "ne" can have both a negative and an interrogative meaning, similar to the English "nay" and "isn't it". | |||
| Turkish | değil | ||
| The word "değil" can also mean "rather" or "other than" in Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | hayi | ||
| *Hayi* can also mean 'not yet' or 'not so' depending on context. | |||
| Yiddish | נישט | ||
| "נישט" can also mean "nothing" or "no one" in Yiddish, depending on the context. | |||
| Zulu | hhayi | ||
| The word 'hhayi' can also be used to mean 'no', 'no worries' or 'never'. | |||
| Assamese | নহয় | ||
| Aymara | janiwa | ||
| Bhojpuri | नाहीं | ||
| Dhivehi | ނޫން | ||
| Dogri | नेईं | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | hindi | ||
| Guarani | nahániri | ||
| Ilocano | saan | ||
| Krio | nɔto | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | نەخێر | ||
| Maithili | नहि | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯅꯠꯇꯕ | ||
| Mizo | lo | ||
| Oromo | miti | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ନୁହେଁ | ||
| Quechua | mana | ||
| Sanskrit | नहि | ||
| Tatar | түгел | ||
| Tigrinya | ዘይኮነ | ||
| Tsonga | ngavi | ||