Nowhere in Different Languages
Discover 'Nowhere' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'nowhere' holds a unique significance in our vocabulary, representing a place that doesn't exist or can't be found. It's a concept that transcends cultural boundaries, making its translation in different languages intriguing and enlightening. For instance, in Spanish, 'nowhere' is 'en ningún lugar', while in French, it becomes 'nulle part'. In German, the word is 'nirgendwo', and in Japanese, it is 'どこにもない' (toko ni mo nai).
Throughout history, 'nowhere' has been used in various contexts, from literature to philosophy. In Dante's 'Inferno', the word is used to describe the depths of hell. In philosophy, it's often used to discuss the concept of nothingness. Moreover, it's a word that sparks curiosity and invites exploration, encouraging us to question what lies beyond our known horizons.
Understanding the translation of 'nowhere' in different languages not only broadens our linguistic skills but also deepens our cultural understanding. It's a small step towards appreciating the richness of diverse cultures and the power of language to shape our perception of the world.
Nowhere
Nowhere in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | nêrens nie | ||
| "Nêrens nie" is a double negative in Afrikaans, meaning "not anywhere" or "not nowhere," effectively intensifying the negation. | |||
| Amharic | የትም የለም | ||
| The Amharic word "የትም የለም" (yet?m yälläm) literally means "it is not in any place". | |||
| Hausa | babu inda | ||
| The Hausa word "babu inda" is cognate to the Gwandara word "babbɔŋ" (forest), and means "hidden from sight". It is the origin of the city name "Babinda"} | |||
| Igbo | enweghị ebe | ||
| Malagasy | na aiza na aiza | ||
| The Malagasy word "na aiza na aiza" is also used to refer to an indefinite place or an imaginary place that doesn't exist | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | paliponse | ||
| In Nyanja (Chichewa), "paliponse" also means "the back of somebody's head." | |||
| Shona | hapana | ||
| In the Shona language, the word | |||
| Somali | meelna | ||
| Meelna is derived from the Somali verb "meel" (to disappear). | |||
| Sesotho | kae kapa kae | ||
| The word "kae kapa kae" is derived from the Sesotho words "kae" (where) and "kapa" (not), hence its meaning of "nowhere". | |||
| Swahili | mahali popote | ||
| The Swahili word "mahali popote" does not mean "nowhere" but rather "any place" or "everywhere." | |||
| Xhosa | naphi na | ||
| The Xhosa word "naphi na" also means "non-existence" and is used to describe something that is completely absent or does not exist. | |||
| Yoruba | nibikibi | ||
| Níbí-kíbí is often used to denote a 'faraway' place or a 'non-existent' place | |||
| Zulu | ndawo | ||
| The Zulu word 'ndawo' originally meant a 'settlement' or a place where one resides, but has acquired the alternate meaning of 'nowhere' in some dialects. | |||
| Bambara | yɔrɔ si tɛ yen | ||
| Ewe | afi aɖeke meli o | ||
| Kinyarwanda | nta na hamwe | ||
| Lingala | esika moko te | ||
| Luganda | tewali wonna | ||
| Sepedi | ga go na mo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | baabiara nni hɔ | ||
Nowhere in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | لا مكان | ||
| The Arabic word "لا مكان" literally means "no place", but it can also be used figuratively to mean "out of place" or "without a sense of belonging". | |||
| Hebrew | לְשׁוּם מָקוֹם | ||
| The word "לְשׁוּם מָקוֹם" (nowhere) in Hebrew literally means "to no place". | |||
| Pashto | هیڅ ځای نه | ||
| The Pashto word "هیڅ ځای نه" ("nowhere") also means "not at all" or "completely". | |||
| Arabic | لا مكان | ||
| The Arabic word "لا مكان" literally means "no place", but it can also be used figuratively to mean "out of place" or "without a sense of belonging". | |||
Nowhere in Western European Languages
| Albanian | askund | ||
| Albanian word "askund" originates from the Greek "askóund", meaning "dark, shadowy, gloomy place". | |||
| Basque | inon ez | ||
| "Inon ez" literally means "not there". | |||
| Catalan | enlloc | ||
| In Catalan, “enlloc” comes from “en” (“in”) and “lloc” (“place”); it can also mean “place” or “somewhere,” depending on the context | |||
| Croatian | nigdje | ||
| The Croatian word "nigdje" is derived from the Proto-Slavic *nikuje, which also means "at no time" or "never". | |||
| Danish | ingen steder | ||
| The Danish word "ingen steder" evolved from the Old Danish phrase "i engum stað" meaning "in no place". | |||
| Dutch | nergens | ||
| The word "nergens" is derived from the Middle Dutch "nierghine", meaning "not in any place". | |||
| English | nowhere | ||
| The term 'nowhere' derives from Middle English 'no-whare', meaning 'no where', i.e. in no place. | |||
| French | nulle part | ||
| The French word "nulle part" can also mean "no one" or "no thing". | |||
| Frisian | nearne | ||
| The word nearne in Frisian can also mean "not"} | |||
| Galician | en ningunha parte | ||
| The Galician word "en ningunha parte" (nowhere) literally translates to "in no part". | |||
| German | nirgends | ||
| "Nirgends" comes from Middle High German "niemenges" meaning "no man's" and was originally only used for places where nobody lived. | |||
| Icelandic | hvergi | ||
| The word "hvergi" is derived from Old Norse "hvargi", meaning "neither here nor there". | |||
| Irish | áit ar bith | ||
| "Áit ar bith" literally means "place on the world" in Irish, but it is used to express the concept of "nowhere". | |||
| Italian | da nessuna parte | ||
| The Italian word "Da nessuna parte" literally means "from no part" | |||
| Luxembourgish | néierens | ||
| Maltese | imkien | ||
| The word 'imkien' comes from the Arabic word 'makan', which means 'place', and the negative prefix 'im-', which means 'not'. | |||
| Norwegian | ingen steder | ||
| The word "ingen" means "no" or "not any" and "steder" means "places", so "ingen steder" literally translates to "no places". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | lugar algum | ||
| In Brazil, "lugar algum" (literally "some place") is a colloquial phrase used to mean "nowhere". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | àite sam bith | ||
| Spanish | en ninguna parte | ||
| "En ninguna parte" can be directly split in Spanish as "in any part" and is a pleonasm. | |||
| Swedish | ingenstans | ||
| The word "ingenstans" in Swedish means "nowhere" but also "no place", "no place at all", or "not anywhere". | |||
| Welsh | unman | ||
| The word "unman" in Welsh is derived from the same root as the English word "woman" and originally meant "lacking a woman". | |||
Nowhere in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | нідзе | ||
| The word "нідзе" (nowhere) in Belarusian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "nьidь" meaning "not a place". | |||
| Bosnian | nigdje | ||
| The word "nigdje" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *nikъde, which also means "nowhere" in other Slavic languages. | |||
| Bulgarian | никъде | ||
| It also serves as a negative pronoun meaning "no one". | |||
| Czech | nikde | ||
| The words "nikde" and "nic" are homonyms in Czech, meaning "nowhere" and "nothing", respectively. | |||
| Estonian | mitte kuskil | ||
| The word "mitte kuskil" can also mean "not anywhere" or "nowhere to be found" in the sense of not being present or having been lost, as well as "never" or "not at all" in the negative sense of never happening or existing. | |||
| Finnish | ei mihinkään | ||
| "Ei mihinkään" literally means "not to somewhere," which is in contrast to "joku mihin tahansa" (somewhere), "ei minnekään" (not anywhere) and "jonnekin" (somewhere). | |||
| Hungarian | most itt | ||
| "Most it" is the result of agglutination of the word "most", meaning "now", to an archaic possessive suffix that denotes absence: "itt". | |||
| Latvian | nekur | ||
| Nekur originates from ancient Indo-European word "*nekʷo-", cognate with English "now". | |||
| Lithuanian | niekur | ||
| "Niekur" in Lithuanian also means "not anywhere". | |||
| Macedonian | никаде | ||
| The word "никаде" in Macedonian is of Proto-Slavic origin and is related to the words "ник" (no) and "каде" (where). | |||
| Polish | nigdzie | ||
| In Polish, the word "nigdzie" comes from the Proto-Slavic phrase *ni* "not" and *kъde* "where" | |||
| Romanian | nicăieri | ||
| The word "nicăieri" is also used to idiomatically refer to a faraway or obscure location, akin to "in the middle of nowhere". | |||
| Russian | нигде | ||
| "Нигде" derives from the Old Russian preposition "ни" (not) and the adverb "где" (where), hence its meaning "not anywhere". In modern Russian, it often has the connotation of "no place in particular" or "in no place at all". | |||
| Serbian | нигде | ||
| The word "нигде" is borrowed from Church Slavonic and originally meant "not anywhere." | |||
| Slovak | nikde | ||
| The word "nikde" is derived from the old Slavic word "nikuda", meaning "in no direction". | |||
| Slovenian | nikjer | ||
| This word has a double meaning in Slovenian, it can also mean "at no time". | |||
| Ukrainian | нікуди | ||
| The word "нікуди" in Ukrainian can also mean "to no purpose" or "in vain". | |||
Nowhere in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | কোথাও | ||
| In archaic Bengali, "কোথাও" also meant "at home." | |||
| Gujarati | ક્યાય પણ નહિ | ||
| Hindi | कहीं भी नहीं | ||
| "कहीं भी नहीं " derives from the Sanskrit word 'na kva' meaning 'not where'. | |||
| Kannada | ಎಲ್ಲಿಯೂ | ||
| Malayalam | ഒരിടത്തുമില്ല | ||
| The Malayalam word ‘ഒരിടത്തുമില്ല’ (‘nowhere’) shares the meaning of ‘in the other world’ and also refers to being without assets. | |||
| Marathi | कोठेही नाही | ||
| The phrase 'कोठेही नाही' is a compound word that literally means 'not anywhere' or 'in no place'. | |||
| Nepali | कतै पनि छैन | ||
| The Nepali word "कतै पनि छैन" (katai pani chhaina) is a compound word consisting of "कतै" (katai, meaning "anywhere"), "पनि" (pani, meaning "even"), and "छैन" (chhaina, meaning "is not"). This compound word literally translates to "is not even anywhere", implying that something does not exist in any place. | |||
| Punjabi | ਕਿਤੇ ਵੀ ਨਹੀਂ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | කොතැනකවත් නැත | ||
| The word can also mean "at some place". | |||
| Tamil | எங்கும் இல்லை | ||
| Telugu | ఎక్కడా లేదు | ||
| The word "ఎక్కడా లేదు" is derived from the Proto-Dravidian root *ek- "one" and the suffix *-a "not", meaning "not one place". | |||
| Urdu | کہیں نہیں | ||
Nowhere in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 无处 | ||
| "无处" (wúchù; "nowhere") is also a Buddhist term meaning "not arising", describing the state where all phenomena are devoid of substance or essence. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 無處 | ||
| The first character of 無處 (無) means "not," and the second character (處) refers to "place" or "location," so together they mean "not a place," or "nowhere." | |||
| Japanese | どこにも | ||
| The word どこにも literally means "to anywhere," but has come to mean "nowhere" in modern Japanese. | |||
| Korean | 아무데도 | ||
| The word 아무데도 can also mean "in no way" or "not at all" in Korean. | |||
| Mongolian | хаана ч байхгүй | ||
| "Хаана ч байхгүй" means nowhere, but it can also be interpreted as "not being in any place". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဘယ်နေရာမှာ | ||
Nowhere in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | tidak ada tempat | ||
| In Indonesian, "tidak ada tempat" literally means "no place" or "no space" and is used to describe a non-existent location. | |||
| Javanese | ora ono | ||
| Ora ono can also mean "nothing" or "nonexistent." | |||
| Khmer | កន្លែងណា | ||
| In ancient Khmer, the term was used to refer to a sacred and forbidden place, akin to the | |||
| Lao | ບໍ່ມີບ່ອນໃດ | ||
| Malay | entah ke mana | ||
| The word 'entah ke mana' is literally translated as 'to an unknown place' or 'who knows where'. | |||
| Thai | ไม่มีที่ไหนเลย | ||
| "ไม่มีที่ไหนเลย" in Thai literally means "there is no place anywhere". | |||
| Vietnamese | hư không | ||
| "Hư không" shares the same root with "hư vô" (nonexistence) and "hư ảo" (illusory), reflecting its intangible and immaterial nature. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | wala kahit saan | ||
Nowhere in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | heç bir yerdə | ||
| The word "heç bir yerdə" is composed of the particle "heç" (indicating absence) and the noun phrase "bir yer" (meaning "any place"), hence implying the absence of any place. | |||
| Kazakh | еш жерде | ||
| The Kazakh word "еш жерде" literally means "nothing place", emphasizing a complete lack of location. | |||
| Kyrgyz | эч жерде | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "эч жерде" may also refer to a state of non-existence or absence. | |||
| Tajik | дар ҳеҷ куҷо | ||
| Turkmen | hiç ýerde | ||
| Uzbek | hech qaerda | ||
| The Uzbek word "hech qaerda" is derived from the Persian idiom "hekhe khodā" which means "before God" | |||
| Uyghur | ھېچ يەردە | ||
Nowhere in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ma hea lā | ||
| The Hawaiian word “ma hea lā” can also mean “no way” or an emphatic “not at all”. | |||
| Maori | kare ki hea | ||
| The word "kare ki hea" can also mean "not yet, still to come". | |||
| Samoan | leai se mea | ||
| The word 'leai se mea' in Samoan literally translates to 'no thing'. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | kahit saan | ||
| The word "kahit saan" in Tagalog can also mean "whenever" or "anytime". | |||
Nowhere in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | janiw kawkhans utjkiti | ||
| Guarani | moõve | ||
Nowhere in International Languages
| Esperanto | nenie | ||
| The word "nenie" also means "lament" or "dirge" in Polish. | |||
| Latin | nusquam | ||
| The word "nusquam" derives from the Latin root "nus," meaning "no, not," and "quam," meaning "how, at all." | |||
Nowhere in Others Languages
| Greek | πουθενά | ||
| The word "πουθενά" derives from the ancient Greek word "ποῦ", meaning "where," and the suffix "-θεν," meaning "from." | |||
| Hmong | tsis pom qhov twg | ||
| Kurdish | ne litûder | ||
| The word "ne litûder" in Kurdish is derived from the negative particle "ne" and the verb root "lît" meaning "to find" or "to be present", implying a state of non-existence or absence. | |||
| Turkish | hiçbir yerde | ||
| The word "Hiçbir yerde" is a compound of the negative marker "hiç" and the noun "yer" meaning "place". | |||
| Xhosa | naphi na | ||
| The Xhosa word "naphi na" also means "non-existence" and is used to describe something that is completely absent or does not exist. | |||
| Yiddish | ינ ערגעצ ניט | ||
| The phrase 'ינ ערגעצ ניט' can be used to indicate a lack of physical, emotional, or intellectual presence. | |||
| Zulu | ndawo | ||
| The Zulu word 'ndawo' originally meant a 'settlement' or a place where one resides, but has acquired the alternate meaning of 'nowhere' in some dialects. | |||
| Assamese | ক'তো নাই | ||
| Aymara | janiw kawkhans utjkiti | ||
| Bhojpuri | कतहीं ना | ||
| Dhivehi | އެއްވެސް ތަނެއްގައި ނެތެވެ | ||
| Dogri | कहीं नहीं | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | wala kahit saan | ||
| Guarani | moõve | ||
| Ilocano | awan sadinoman | ||
| Krio | nɔsay nɔ de | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | لە هیچ شوێنێکدا | ||
| Maithili | कतहु नहि | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯐꯝ ꯑꯃꯠꯇꯗꯥ ꯂꯩꯇꯦ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | khawiah mah a awm lo | ||
| Oromo | eessayyuu hin jiru | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | କେଉଁଠି ନାହିଁ | ||
| Quechua | mana maypipas | ||
| Sanskrit | न कुत्रापि | ||
| Tatar | беркайда да | ||
| Tigrinya | ኣብ ዝኾነ ቦታ የለን | ||
| Tsonga | a ku na kun’wana | ||