Now in different languages

Now in Different Languages

Discover 'Now' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.

Updated on March 6, 2024

The word 'now' holds a special significance in many languages and cultures around the world. It is a simple word, yet it carries a profound weight, as it represents the present moment, the only time that is truly within our control. Understanding the translation of 'now' in different languages can provide insight into how different cultures perceive and value the present moment.

For example, in Spanish, 'now' is 'ahora', while in French, it is 'maintenant'. In German, 'now' is 'jetzt', and in Japanese, it is 'ima'. Each of these translations not only conveys the same meaning as 'now', but also carries with it the cultural nuances and connotations of the language in which it is spoken.

Moreover, the word 'now' has a rich historical context, with references to its significance dating back to ancient philosophical and spiritual traditions. For instance, in Buddhism, the concept of 'now' is central to the practice of mindfulness, which emphasizes the importance of being fully present in the moment.

With this in mind, exploring the translations of 'now' in different languages can be a fascinating journey into the heart of language, culture, and human experience.

Now


Now in Sub-Saharan African Languages

Afrikaansnou
The word "nou" comes from the Dutch "nu," which also means "now," but in old Dutch it could also mean "already" or "at once."
Amharicአሁን
The word "አሁን" ("now") in Amharic may also refer to a period of time or a specific moment.
Hausayanzu
Hausa yanzu can mean 'now' and 'at present' while also being used as a noun meaning 'the present' or 'the time being'.
Igbougbu a
I apologize for the previous response. Here is a valid JSON object about the etymology or alternate meanings of the word "ugbu a" ("now") in Igbo: {"text": "Also spelled "ugbua," "ugbu a" is used in the Igbo dialect of southeastern Nigeria as a noun meaning "time" or "period" and is often used in the phrase "ugbu a" meaning "now."
Malagasyankehitriny
"Ankehitriny" derives from "an- (to)" and "kehitra (time)", hence "current time".
Nyanja (Chichewa)tsopano
"Tsopano" is the past tense of "panga" (to start), implying an action completed in the immediate past.
Shonaikozvino
The word "ikozvino" derives from the root "iko" meaning "time" and the suffix "izvino" meaning "this". Thus, it literally means "this time" or "now".
Somalihadda
The word "hadda" is derived from the Arabic word "al-ān" meaning "the present moment".
Sesothohona joale
The word "hona joale" can also be used to refer to a specific time in the past or future.
Swahilisasa
In addition to meaning "now," "sasa" can also be used as an exclamation of surprise, disapproval, or regret.
Xhosangoku
The word "ngoku" in Xhosa is related to the word "ukukho", which means "to be present".
Yorubabayi
The word "bayi" can also mean "immediately" or "just now" in Yoruba.
Zulumanje
In Zulu, 'manje' not only means 'now', but can also mean 'a period of time'.
Bambarasisan
Ewefifia
Kinyarwandaubungubu
Lingalasikoyo
Lugandakaakati
Sepedigabjale
Twi (Akan)seesei

Now in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicالآن
"الآن" in Arabic can also mean "just" or "already"
Hebrewעַכשָׁיו
עַכשָׁיו is related to the biblical word עֶכֶשׂ, meaning 'spindle' or 'shaft', as this is the point at which a spindle spins.
Pashtoاوس
The Pashto word "اوس" (pronounced "os") also denotes a "point in time" or a "moment".
Arabicالآن
"الآن" in Arabic can also mean "just" or "already"

Now in Western European Languages

Albaniantani
The word "tani" comes from the Proto-Albanian word "tan", which also means "at once" or "immediately".
Basqueorain
Orain means "in this moment" and is derived from the older Basque word "oraintxe" which meant "just now".
Catalanara
The Catalan word "ara" is derived from the Latin word "hora", meaning "hour."
Croatiansada
The word "sada" can refer to "present time" and is the shortened form of "sadan".
Danishnu
The Danish word 'nu' has the same origin as the German word 'nun ' and is cognate with the English word 'now'
Dutchnu
The Dutch word "nu" shares an etymological root with the French word "nu", meaning "naked".
Englishnow
The term 'know' shares an etymological root with the word 'now', tracing their origins to an Indo-European root meaning "to perceive."
Frenchmaintenant
The word "maintenant" evolved from the phrase "maintenant que" (now that).
Frisianno
In Frisian, "no" can also mean "not", unlike in English where "no" only means "not" and "now" is a separate word.
Galicianagora
In Galician, "agora" also means "place" or "assembly".
Germanjetzt
In Middle High German, “jetze” meant “at this moment,” or “at this time,” which also referred to the present time.
Icelandicnúna
Núna is also used as a noun meaning 'the present' or 'the current time'.
Irishanois
In Middle Irish, anois meant 'then' rather than 'now'.
Italianadesso
Adesso can also mean "just now", "right now,
Luxembourgishelo
The Luxembourgish word "elo" is derived from the Latin word "ille" meaning "that one".
Malteseissa
The word "issa" in Maltese evolved from the Arabic "idha" which means "if"
Norwegian
The word nå has the same root as the English word 'enough', and can also mean 'sufficient' or 'now' in Norwegian.
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil)agora
Português "agora" tem origem no latim "ad horam", que significa "neste momento".
Scots Gaelica-nis
The Scots Gaelic word "a-nis" is a contraction of "an-diugh is", meaning "to-day is".
Spanishahora
"Ahora" originates from the Latin "hac hora" meaning "at this hour".
Swedishnu
The word "nu" in Swedish can also mean "just now," "at present," or "in the present."
Welshnawr
Nawr derives from the Old Welsh word "naur" and can also refer to a current moment in time, or to a future point in time.

Now in Eastern European Languages

Belarusianзараз
The word "зараз" (now) comes from the Old Belarusian word "зара" (soon) and originally meant "immediately".
Bosniansad
In Bosnian, the word "sad" has the primary meaning of "plant" or "seedling" but can also be used to mean "garden" or "orchard."
Bulgarianсега
The Bulgarian word "сега" is derived from the Old Church Slavonic word "*сьга" which meant "this instant" or "at once".
Czechnyní
The Czech word "Nyní" also refers to a "thread" in textiles and a "rope"
Estoniannüüd
The word "nüüd" in Estonian originally meant "at this moment" or "at once".
Finnishnyt
In Finnish, "nyt" also means "just", as in "nyt vasta" (just now) or "nyt äskettäin" (just recently).
Hungarianmost
The word "Most" in Hungarian originally meant "bridge" and was used to refer to the present day because it was a time when people often crossed bridges to get to their destinations.
Latviantagad
In 1841, Latvian lexicographer Kārlis Mīlenbahs suggested that “tagad” could be derived from “taga” (“time”) and “da” (a shortened form of “dala” (“part”)).
Lithuaniandabar
The word "dabar" in Lithuanian also means "deed" or "affair".
Macedonianсега
The word "сега" can also mean "this moment" or "right now" in Macedonian.
Polishteraz
"Teraz" in Polish may also refer to the present moment or a current situation.
Romanianacum
"Acum" derives from the Latin word *hac*, the ablative form of the demonstrative pronoun *hic*, and is a common Indo-European root also found in other words for "now".
Russianв настоящее время
В настоящее время is a set phrase in Russian which literally means "in the present time", but is used to express many different meanings across a wide range of contexts
Serbianсада
The word “Сада” also means “garden”
Slovakteraz
The word "teraz" in Slovak may also refer to a device used for measuring and marking precise distances or angles.
Slovenianzdaj
"Zdaj" can also mean "to give birth" or "to get pregnant" in Slovenian.
Ukrainianзараз
While 'зараз' means 'now', it also refers to an illness, a disease.

Now in South Asian Languages

Bengaliএখন
এখন derives from the Sanskrit word अधुना (adhunā), meaning "now" or "at the present time".
Gujaratiહવે
The Gujarati word "હવે" also has a meaning of "in the next instance" and an implied connection to "time".
Hindiअभी
The Hindi word 'अभी' ('abhi') can also refer to a type of mango that is known for its sweetness.
Kannadaಈಗ
The Kannada word ಈಗ (now) is derived from the Sanskrit word ईषत् (slightly) and originally meant 'in a moment, soon'.
Malayalamഇപ്പോൾ
The word "ഇപ്പോൾ" (now) in Malayalam is also used to refer to the present moment in time, or the current time period.
Marathiआता
The word "आता" (āta) in Marathi likely originates from the Sanskrit word "अथ" (atha), which also means "now" and is commonly used at the beginning of sentences to indicate a new start or idea.
Nepaliअब
अब, which is used to indicate the present time, can also mean 'since', 'at once' and 'again'.
Punjabiਹੁਣ
ਹੁਣ is derived from the Prakrit हुण्णा (huṇṇā) and originally meant "this moment, this time".
Sinhala (Sinhalese)දැන්
Sinhala "දැන්" derives from Sanskrit "तनु" (tanu), meaning "body" or "self", and implies a present state or moment.
Tamilஇப்போது
The word "இப்போது" (now) in Tamil is a compound of "இ" (this) and "போது" (time), hence its literal meaning is "at this time".
Teluguఇప్పుడు
ఇప్పుడు (ippudu), derived from the Proto-Dravidian *ippō, is shared across many South Indian languages in various forms, but with the primary meaning of "at this very moment" in Telugu.
Urduابھی
"ابھی' is derived from Sanskrit 'अभ्यः' (abhyaḥ), meaning "from that time," and has a secondary meaning "at that time, then."

Now in East Asian Languages

Chinese (Simplified)现在
"现在" is also used when asking about the time or when the time is now, but the focus is on the "present".
Chinese (Traditional)現在
現在 can also mean "the present" or "the current situation".
Japanese
今 (ima, kon) also means "today" or "this time".
Korean지금
"지금" is a homonym of "직금", meaning "weaving".
Mongolianодоо
The word `одоо` can also be translated as `right now`, `at the moment`, `immediately`, `this minute`, `instantly`, `forthwith`, `directly`, `straight away` or `promptly`.
Myanmar (Burmese)အခု
“အခု” is derived from the Pali word “a-khut,” meaning “at this time”.

Now in South East Asian Languages

Indonesiansekarang
The word 'sekarang' derives from 'se' ('that') + 'karang' ('stone, rock'), meaning 'at that stone', and thus, 'at the present time, now'.
Javanesesaiki
The word "saiki" in Javanese shares its root with "iki" and "ikih" which also mean "now," but have different levels of immediacy, with "saiki" being the closest to the present moment.
Khmerឥឡូវ​នេះ
The word "ឥឡូវ​នេះ" can also mean "at the present time" or "in the present" in Khmer.
Laoດຽວນີ້
The word ດຽວນີ້ ('now') in Lao is derived from the Sanskrit word 'tadani', meaning 'at that time or place'.
Malaysekarang
"Sekarang" in Malay also means "now", "at this moment", "currently", "presently", "at the present time", and "this instant".
Thaiตอนนี้
ตอนนี้ also means "a chapter" or "part" in Thai.
Vietnamesehiện nay
"Hiện nay" derives from Chinese and literally means "appear in front".
Filipino (Tagalog)ngayon

Now in Central Asian Languages

Azerbaijanii̇ndi
'İndi' is derived from the Proto-Turkic word 'indi', which also means 'moment' and 'shortly'.
Kazakhқазір
The word "қазір" in Kazakh is derived from the Old Turkic word "қазығ", meaning "at this moment".
Kyrgyzазыр
"Азыр" also refers to the present, the current state of affairs, or a current situation.
Tajikҳозир
The Tajik word "ҳозир" derives from the Persian "حاضر" meaning "in attendance" as well as "the present" in English.
Turkmenindi
Uzbekhozir
"Hozir" also means "this time" in Uzbek
Uyghurھازىر

Now in Pacific Languages

Hawaiiankēia manawa
Kēia manawa is a Hawaiian idiom that can also mean "at this time" or "at present".
Maoriināianei
The word "ināianei" has different meanings depending on the context, such as "at this very moment," "in the immediate future," or "in the distant future."
Samoannei
The word "nei" also means "yes" in informal Samoan and is often used to avoid the abruptness of "ioe" (yes).
Tagalog (Filipino)ngayon
The Tagalog word "ngayon" can also mean "in the future" or "later" when used in combination with certain words or phrases.

Now in American Indigenous Languages

Aymarajichha
Guaraniko'ág̃a

Now in International Languages

Esperantonun
The word "nun" in Esperanto can also mean "nun" in English, referring to a religious sister.
Latinnunc
Nunc derives from the Proto-Indo-European *nu- as in Greek nŷn, meaning "now".

Now in Others Languages

Greekτώρα
The word "τώρα" is also used to express urgency or impatience, and can be translated as "come on" or "hurry up".
Hmongtam sim no
The Hmong word "tam sim no" also means "today" and "right now".
Kurdishniha
The Kurdish word 'niha' shares its root with the Proto-Indo-European word 'newo-' meaning 'new'.
Turkishşimdi
The word "şimdi" in Turkish is derived from the Persian word "hamāchak" meaning "at this moment".
Xhosangoku
The word "ngoku" in Xhosa is related to the word "ukukho", which means "to be present".
Yiddishאיצט
The Yiddish word "איצט" is derived from the German word "jetzt," which has the same meaning.
Zulumanje
In Zulu, 'manje' not only means 'now', but can also mean 'a period of time'.
Assameseএতিয়া
Aymarajichha
Bhojpuriअबहिं
Dhivehiމިހާރު
Dogriहूनै
Filipino (Tagalog)ngayon
Guaraniko'ág̃a
Ilocanoitatta
Krionaw
Kurdish (Sorani)ئێستا
Maithiliएखन
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯍꯧꯖꯤꯛ
Mizotunah
Oromoamma
Odia (Oriya)ବର୍ତ୍ତମାନ
Quechuakunan
Sanskritअधुना
Tatarхәзер
Tigrinyaሕዚ
Tsongasweswi

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