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
| Afrikaans | nou | ||
| The word "nou" comes from the Dutch "nu," which also means "now," but in old Dutch it could also mean "already" or "at once." | |||
| Amharic | አሁን | ||
| The word "አሁን" ("now") in Amharic may also refer to a period of time or a specific moment. | |||
| Hausa | yanzu | ||
| Hausa yanzu can mean 'now' and 'at present' while also being used as a noun meaning 'the present' or 'the time being'. | |||
| Igbo | ugbu 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." | |||
| Malagasy | ankehitriny | ||
| "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. | |||
| Shona | ikozvino | ||
| The word "ikozvino" derives from the root "iko" meaning "time" and the suffix "izvino" meaning "this". Thus, it literally means "this time" or "now". | |||
| Somali | hadda | ||
| The word "hadda" is derived from the Arabic word "al-ān" meaning "the present moment". | |||
| Sesotho | hona joale | ||
| The word "hona joale" can also be used to refer to a specific time in the past or future. | |||
| Swahili | sasa | ||
| In addition to meaning "now," "sasa" can also be used as an exclamation of surprise, disapproval, or regret. | |||
| Xhosa | ngoku | ||
| The word "ngoku" in Xhosa is related to the word "ukukho", which means "to be present". | |||
| Yoruba | bayi | ||
| The word "bayi" can also mean "immediately" or "just now" in Yoruba. | |||
| Zulu | manje | ||
| In Zulu, 'manje' not only means 'now', but can also mean 'a period of time'. | |||
| Bambara | sisan | ||
| Ewe | fifia | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ubungubu | ||
| Lingala | sikoyo | ||
| Luganda | kaakati | ||
| Sepedi | gabjale | ||
| Twi (Akan) | seesei | ||
Now in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | الآن | ||
| "الآن" in Arabic can also mean "just" or "already" | |||
| Hebrew | עַכשָׁיו | ||
| עַכשָׁיו is related to the biblical word עֶכֶשׂ, meaning 'spindle' or 'shaft', as this is the point at which a spindle spins. | |||
| Pashto | اوس | ||
| The Pashto word "اوس" (pronounced "os") also denotes a "point in time" or a "moment". | |||
| Arabic | الآن | ||
| "الآن" in Arabic can also mean "just" or "already" | |||
Now in Western European Languages
| Albanian | tani | ||
| The word "tani" comes from the Proto-Albanian word "tan", which also means "at once" or "immediately". | |||
| Basque | orain | ||
| Orain means "in this moment" and is derived from the older Basque word "oraintxe" which meant "just now". | |||
| Catalan | ara | ||
| The Catalan word "ara" is derived from the Latin word "hora", meaning "hour." | |||
| Croatian | sada | ||
| The word "sada" can refer to "present time" and is the shortened form of "sadan". | |||
| Danish | nu | ||
| The Danish word 'nu' has the same origin as the German word 'nun ' and is cognate with the English word 'now' | |||
| Dutch | nu | ||
| The Dutch word "nu" shares an etymological root with the French word "nu", meaning "naked". | |||
| English | now | ||
| The term 'know' shares an etymological root with the word 'now', tracing their origins to an Indo-European root meaning "to perceive." | |||
| French | maintenant | ||
| The word "maintenant" evolved from the phrase "maintenant que" (now that). | |||
| Frisian | no | ||
| In Frisian, "no" can also mean "not", unlike in English where "no" only means "not" and "now" is a separate word. | |||
| Galician | agora | ||
| In Galician, "agora" also means "place" or "assembly". | |||
| German | jetzt | ||
| In Middle High German, “jetze” meant “at this moment,” or “at this time,” which also referred to the present time. | |||
| Icelandic | núna | ||
| Núna is also used as a noun meaning 'the present' or 'the current time'. | |||
| Irish | anois | ||
| In Middle Irish, anois meant 'then' rather than 'now'. | |||
| Italian | adesso | ||
| Adesso can also mean "just now", "right now, | |||
| Luxembourgish | elo | ||
| The Luxembourgish word "elo" is derived from the Latin word "ille" meaning "that one". | |||
| Maltese | issa | ||
| The word "issa" in Maltese evolved from the Arabic "idha" which means "if" | |||
| Norwegian | nå | ||
| 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 Gaelic | a-nis | ||
| The Scots Gaelic word "a-nis" is a contraction of "an-diugh is", meaning "to-day is". | |||
| Spanish | ahora | ||
| "Ahora" originates from the Latin "hac hora" meaning "at this hour". | |||
| Swedish | nu | ||
| The word "nu" in Swedish can also mean "just now," "at present," or "in the present." | |||
| Welsh | nawr | ||
| 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
| Belarusian | зараз | ||
| The word "зараз" (now) comes from the Old Belarusian word "зара" (soon) and originally meant "immediately". | |||
| Bosnian | sad | ||
| In Bosnian, the word "sad" has the primary meaning of "plant" or "seedling" but can also be used to mean "garden" or "orchard." | |||
| Bulgarian | сега | ||
| The Bulgarian word "сега" is derived from the Old Church Slavonic word "*сьга" which meant "this instant" or "at once". | |||
| Czech | nyní | ||
| The Czech word "Nyní" also refers to a "thread" in textiles and a "rope" | |||
| Estonian | nüüd | ||
| The word "nüüd" in Estonian originally meant "at this moment" or "at once". | |||
| Finnish | nyt | ||
| In Finnish, "nyt" also means "just", as in "nyt vasta" (just now) or "nyt äskettäin" (just recently). | |||
| Hungarian | most | ||
| 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. | |||
| Latvian | tagad | ||
| In 1841, Latvian lexicographer Kārlis Mīlenbahs suggested that “tagad” could be derived from “taga” (“time”) and “da” (a shortened form of “dala” (“part”)). | |||
| Lithuanian | dabar | ||
| The word "dabar" in Lithuanian also means "deed" or "affair". | |||
| Macedonian | сега | ||
| The word "сега" can also mean "this moment" or "right now" in Macedonian. | |||
| Polish | teraz | ||
| "Teraz" in Polish may also refer to the present moment or a current situation. | |||
| Romanian | acum | ||
| "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". | |||
| Russian | в 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 | |||
| Serbian | сада | ||
| The word “Сада” also means “garden” | |||
| Slovak | teraz | ||
| The word "teraz" in Slovak may also refer to a device used for measuring and marking precise distances or angles. | |||
| Slovenian | zdaj | ||
| "Zdaj" can also mean "to give birth" or "to get pregnant" in Slovenian. | |||
| Ukrainian | зараз | ||
| While 'зараз' means 'now', it also refers to an illness, a disease. | |||
Now in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | এখন | ||
| এখন derives from the Sanskrit word अधुना (adhunā), meaning "now" or "at the present time". | |||
| Gujarati | હવે | ||
| The Gujarati word "હવે" also has a meaning of "in the next instance" and an implied connection to "time". | |||
| Hindi | अभी | ||
| The Hindi word 'अभी' ('abhi') can also refer to a type of mango that is known for its sweetness. | |||
| Kannada | ಈಗ | ||
| The Kannada word ಈಗ (now) is derived from the Sanskrit word ईषत् (slightly) and originally meant 'in a moment, soon'. | |||
| Malayalam | ഇപ്പോൾ | ||
| The word "ഇപ്പോൾ" (now) in Malayalam is also used to refer to the present moment in time, or the current time period. | |||
| Marathi | आता | ||
| 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. | |||
| Nepali | अब | ||
| अब, which is used to indicate the present time, can also mean 'since', 'at once' and 'again'. | |||
| Punjabi | ਹੁਣ | ||
| 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. | |||
| Tamil | இப்போது | ||
| The word "இப்போது" (now) in Tamil is a compound of "இ" (this) and "போது" (time), hence its literal meaning is "at this time". | |||
| Telugu | ఇప్పుడు | ||
| 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. | |||
| Urdu | ابھی | ||
| "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 | ||
| 今 (ima, kon) also means "today" or "this time". | |||
| Korean | 지금 | ||
| "지금" is a homonym of "직금", meaning "weaving". | |||
| Mongolian | одоо | ||
| 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
| Indonesian | sekarang | ||
| The word 'sekarang' derives from 'se' ('that') + 'karang' ('stone, rock'), meaning 'at that stone', and thus, 'at the present time, now'. | |||
| Javanese | saiki | ||
| 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. | |||
| Khmer | ឥឡូវនេះ | ||
| The word "ឥឡូវនេះ" can also mean "at the present time" or "in the present" in Khmer. | |||
| Lao | ດຽວນີ້ | ||
| The word ດຽວນີ້ ('now') in Lao is derived from the Sanskrit word 'tadani', meaning 'at that time or place'. | |||
| Malay | sekarang | ||
| "Sekarang" in Malay also means "now", "at this moment", "currently", "presently", "at the present time", and "this instant". | |||
| Thai | ตอนนี้ | ||
| ตอนนี้ also means "a chapter" or "part" in Thai. | |||
| Vietnamese | hiện nay | ||
| "Hiện nay" derives from Chinese and literally means "appear in front". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | ngayon | ||
Now in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | i̇ndi | ||
| 'İndi' is derived from the Proto-Turkic word 'indi', which also means 'moment' and 'shortly'. | |||
| Kazakh | қазір | ||
| The word "қазір" in Kazakh is derived from the Old Turkic word "қазығ", meaning "at this moment". | |||
| Kyrgyz | азыр | ||
| "Азыр" also refers to the present, the current state of affairs, or a current situation. | |||
| Tajik | ҳозир | ||
| The Tajik word "ҳозир" derives from the Persian "حاضر" meaning "in attendance" as well as "the present" in English. | |||
| Turkmen | indi | ||
| Uzbek | hozir | ||
| "Hozir" also means "this time" in Uzbek | |||
| Uyghur | ھازىر | ||
Now in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kēia manawa | ||
| Kēia manawa is a Hawaiian idiom that can also mean "at this time" or "at present". | |||
| Maori | ināianei | ||
| 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." | |||
| Samoan | nei | ||
| 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
| Aymara | jichha | ||
| Guarani | ko'ág̃a | ||
Now in International Languages
| Esperanto | nun | ||
| The word "nun" in Esperanto can also mean "nun" in English, referring to a religious sister. | |||
| Latin | nunc | ||
| Nunc derives from the Proto-Indo-European *nu- as in Greek nŷn, meaning "now". | |||
Now in Others Languages
| Greek | τώρα | ||
| The word "τώρα" is also used to express urgency or impatience, and can be translated as "come on" or "hurry up". | |||
| Hmong | tam sim no | ||
| The Hmong word "tam sim no" also means "today" and "right now". | |||
| Kurdish | niha | ||
| The Kurdish word 'niha' shares its root with the Proto-Indo-European word 'newo-' meaning 'new'. | |||
| Turkish | şimdi | ||
| The word "şimdi" in Turkish is derived from the Persian word "hamāchak" meaning "at this moment". | |||
| Xhosa | ngoku | ||
| The word "ngoku" in Xhosa is related to the word "ukukho", which means "to be present". | |||
| Yiddish | איצט | ||
| The Yiddish word "איצט" is derived from the German word "jetzt," which has the same meaning. | |||
| Zulu | manje | ||
| In Zulu, 'manje' not only means 'now', but can also mean 'a period of time'. | |||
| Assamese | এতিয়া | ||
| Aymara | jichha | ||
| Bhojpuri | अबहिं | ||
| Dhivehi | މިހާރު | ||
| Dogri | हूनै | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | ngayon | ||
| Guarani | ko'ág̃a | ||
| Ilocano | itatta | ||
| Krio | naw | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ئێستا | ||
| Maithili | एखन | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯍꯧꯖꯤꯛ | ||
| Mizo | tunah | ||
| Oromo | amma | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ବର୍ତ୍ତମାନ | ||
| Quechua | kunan | ||
| Sanskrit | अधुना | ||
| Tatar | хәзер | ||
| Tigrinya | ሕዚ | ||
| Tsonga | sweswi | ||