Odd in Different Languages
Discover 'Odd' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'odd' is a small but powerful part of many languages, carrying meanings of peculiarity, irregularity, and numerical incongruity. Its significance extends beyond mere definition, as it often serves as a cultural lingua franca, uniting us in our shared experience of life's quirks and curiosities.
Throughout history, the concept of 'oddity' has fascinated us, from ancient mathematicians' studies of prime numbers to modern literature's exploration of eccentric characters. This fascination transcends borders, making the exploration of 'odd' in different languages all the more intriguing.
Imagine traveling to a foreign land and encountering an 'odd' situation or object. Knowing the local term not only enhances your comprehension but also deepens your cultural immersion. You might discover that the French say 'étrange', the Germans 'seltsam', the Spanish 'extraño', and the Japanese '異常 (ijo)'.
Join us as we delve into the multifaceted world of 'odd' in different languages, celebrating the richness of linguistic diversity and the universal language of the peculiar.
Odd
Odd in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | vreemd | ||
| Afrikaans "vreemd" likely descends from Middle Dutch "vremet," which in turn descended from Old Frisian "fremeth," meaning "strange" or "foreign." | |||
| Amharic | ጎዶሎ | ||
| The Amharic word "ጎዶሎ" can also mean "uncertain" or "insecure". | |||
| Hausa | mara kyau | ||
| The Hausa word "mara kyau" is also an alternate form of "mara kwaya," which means "very good." | |||
| Igbo | iberibe | ||
| In Igbo, "iberibe", though it's synonymous with "odd" also implies the unusual, eccentric, extraordinary, etc | |||
| Malagasy | hafahafa | ||
| "Hafahafa" is a Malagasy word that describes something as "odd" or "unusual." | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | zosamvetseka | ||
| The word "zosamvetseka" in Nyanja (Chichewa) is also used to describe something that is extraordinary or unusual. | |||
| Shona | shamisa | ||
| The word 'shamisa' can also be translated as "different" in Shona. | |||
| Somali | aan caadi ahayn | ||
| Sesotho | makatsa | ||
| "Makatsa" can also refer to a type of herb used in traditional medicine. | |||
| Swahili | isiyo ya kawaida | ||
| The word "isiyo ya kawaida" in Swahili can also mean "unusual" or "uncommon" | |||
| Xhosa | engaqhelekanga | ||
| The Xhosa word 'engaqhelekanga' can also mean 'uncommon' or 'rare'. | |||
| Yoruba | ajeji | ||
| The word 'ajeji' in Yoruba can also refer to a 'foreigner', and derives from the phrase 'a jeji', meaning 'one who eats something different'. | |||
| Zulu | kuyinqaba | ||
| The Zulu word 'kuyinqaba' can also refer to an unusual person or event. | |||
| Bambara | dakɛnyɛbali | ||
| Ewe | mesᴐ o | ||
| Kinyarwanda | bidasanzwe | ||
| Lingala | kokamwa | ||
| Luganda | oddi | ||
| Sepedi | makatšago | ||
| Twi (Akan) | soronko | ||
Odd in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | غريب | ||
| In Arabic, غريب (gharib) also means 'foreign' or 'stranger,' reflecting its root meaning of 'separation from one's homeland.' | |||
| Hebrew | מוזר | ||
| The noun 'מוזר' is an archaic term for a 'stranger'; the verb 'לזרות' can mean both 'to fan' (like a fire) or 'to sprinkle'. | |||
| Pashto | عجيبه | ||
| Pashto word "عجيبه" not only means “odd”, but also implies “unique” and “rare”. | |||
| Arabic | غريب | ||
| In Arabic, غريب (gharib) also means 'foreign' or 'stranger,' reflecting its root meaning of 'separation from one's homeland.' | |||
Odd in Western European Languages
| Albanian | i çuditshëm | ||
| The etymology of “i çuditshëm” is unknown. In certain Albanian dialects, it also has the meaning “beautiful.” | |||
| Basque | bitxia | ||
| Bitxia derives from the verb hitz 'to speak' and the suffix -keria 'action or result of' and means 'peculiarity of speech, way of speaking, accent'. | |||
| Catalan | estrany | ||
| The word "estrany" originates from the Latin word "extraneus", meaning "foreign" or "outside." | |||
| Croatian | neparan | ||
| The word "neparan" in Croatian also means "unpaired" or "uneven". | |||
| Danish | ulige | ||
| The word "ulige" in Danish can also mean "difficult" or "unpleasant". | |||
| Dutch | vreemd | ||
| The Dutch word "vreemd" can also mean "foreigner" or "strange to the senses" | |||
| English | odd | ||
| The word "odd" originally meant "pointed" or "angular" and was associated with the number three. | |||
| French | impair | ||
| Impar also means "not paired," "not even," or "not divisible by two." | |||
| Frisian | ûneven | ||
| The Frisian word "ûneven" can also mean "unexpected" or "unfortunate". | |||
| Galician | raro | ||
| Galician's "raro" can also mean "seldom" in literary contexts, deriving from the Latin "rarus" meaning "thin." | |||
| German | seltsam | ||
| The word "seltsam" originates from the Old High German word "selsên", meaning "rare" or "uncommon". | |||
| Icelandic | furðulegur | ||
| The word 'furðulegur' derives from the Old Norse word 'furðu,' which could mean 'odd' or 'wonderful,' reflecting the dual nature of the concept of oddity in Icelandic culture. | |||
| Irish | corr | ||
| Corr can also refer to a pointed summit, a weir or dam, or a cauldron. | |||
| Italian | dispari | ||
| The Italian word "dispari" is derived from the Latin word "impar", meaning "unequal" or "not even". | |||
| Luxembourgish | komesch | ||
| In the Trier area of Germany, "komesch" also means "funny" or "comical." | |||
| Maltese | stramb | ||
| "Stramb" can also mean "strange", "queer" or "unusual". | |||
| Norwegian | merkelig | ||
| The Norwegian word "merkelig" comes from the Old Norse word "merkiligr," meaning "noticeable" or "remarkable." | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | ímpar | ||
| The word "ímpar" is derived from the Latin word "impar", meaning "unequal" or "not paired." | |||
| Scots Gaelic | neònach | ||
| Neònach ultimately derives from the same root as English 'newborn', so it originally meant 'new', or 'fresh' | |||
| Spanish | impar | ||
| The Spanish word "impar" evolved from the Latin word "impar" and also means "unequal" in Spanish. | |||
| Swedish | udda | ||
| The word 'udda' derives from the Old Norse word 'oddr', meaning 'point' or 'projection'. | |||
| Welsh | rhyfedd | ||
| The word "rhyfedd" is cognate with the Latin "ridiculus" and the Greek "γέλιος" (gelos), meaning "laughter". | |||
Odd in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | няцотны | ||
| "Няцотны" is the Belarusian equivalent of "odd" in English, and can also mean "imperfect" or "unsightly". | |||
| Bosnian | neparno | ||
| Neparno is borrowed from Russian непа́рный (nepárnyj) 'uneven, odd, unpaired'. In Slavic languages, the root *ne- ('not') combines with parъ ('pair') to mean 'not pair' or 'odd'. | |||
| Bulgarian | странно | ||
| "Странно" may also refer to "distant" in Bulgarian. | |||
| Czech | zvláštní | ||
| 'Zvláštní' comes from the word 'zvláště', meaning 'in particular'. It originally meant 'special' or 'specific', but over time its meaning shifted to include 'odd' or 'unusual'. | |||
| Estonian | kummaline | ||
| The word originates from an archaic word "kummaline", which means "a crooked object", "a strange or foreign object", "something uncanny and mysterious". | |||
| Finnish | outo | ||
| "Outo" comes from the root "out-" meaning "outside", indicating something out of the ordinary. | |||
| Hungarian | páratlan | ||
| "Páratlan" is a Hungarian word with many meanings, including "matchless," "unique," or "prime number." | |||
| Latvian | nepāra | ||
| Nepāra is a cognate of the Lithuanian word nepora ("misfortune"), which is thought to derive from the Proto-Indo-European root *neh- ("not") in a similar way to the Latvian word nepatikšana ("misfortune"). | |||
| Lithuanian | nelyginis | ||
| The Lithuanian word "nelyginis" comes from a Proto-Indo-European word that also means "left-hand" or "crooked" | |||
| Macedonian | непарен | ||
| The word "непарен" in Macedonian can also mean "unjust". | |||
| Polish | dziwny | ||
| In Slavic languages, the root "div-" refers to the concept of "wild" or "untamed," hence "dziwny" in Polish means "odd" or "strange." | |||
| Romanian | ciudat | ||
| The word "ciudat" in Romanian can be traced back to the Latin word "curiosus," meaning "eager to learn" | |||
| Russian | странный | ||
| Странный derives from the Old Church Slavonic word „страньнъ“ - "foreigner" | |||
| Serbian | непаран | ||
| The word 'непаран' (odd) in Serbian comes from Proto-Slavic and means 'single' or 'unpaired'. | |||
| Slovak | zvláštny | ||
| The word "zvláštny" can also mean "special" or "peculiar" in Slovak. | |||
| Slovenian | čuden | ||
| "Cudno" means a miracle, hence the word "čuden" also has the connotation of "extraordinary" | |||
| Ukrainian | непарний | ||
| "Непарний" originated from "пара" (pair) denoting a standalone item not forming a pair. | |||
Odd in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | অস্বাভাবিক | ||
| "অস্বাভাবিক" has another meaning, i.e. "extraordinary" | |||
| Gujarati | એકી | ||
| "એકી" in Gujarati can also refer to a measurement of land equal to around 40,000 square meters (50 acres). | |||
| Hindi | अजीब | ||
| The word 'अजीब' is derived from the Arabic word 'ajīb', meaning 'wonderful' or 'strange'. | |||
| Kannada | ಬೆಸ | ||
| The word "ಬೆಸ" can also mean crooked or bent in Kannada. | |||
| Malayalam | വിചിത്രമായത് | ||
| Marathi | विचित्र | ||
| The word विचित्र (vi-chi-tra) originates from the Sanskrit root 'citra', meaning 'variegated' or 'diverse,' suggesting something out of the ordinary. | |||
| Nepali | अनौंठो | ||
| The word "अनौंठो" can also mean "unique" or "extraordinary" in Nepali. | |||
| Punjabi | ਅਜੀਬ | ||
| The word "ਅਜੀਬ" can also mean "disgusting" or "strange" in Punjabi. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | අමුතුයි | ||
| "අමුතුයි" can also mean "new" or "strange" in Sinhala, depending on the context. | |||
| Tamil | ஒற்றைப்படை | ||
| Telugu | బేసి | ||
| The word "బేసి" can also mean "a little bit" or "slightly". | |||
| Urdu | طاق | ||
| The word "طاق" (odd) in Urdu is derived from the Arabic word "طاقة" (capacity), and it also means "a portion of something." | |||
Odd in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 奇 | ||
| 奇 can also refer to strange, peculiar, outstanding or excellent. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 奇 | ||
| "奇" used in the expression "奇闻" (literally "strange hearing") often means a "strange or rare story" | |||
| Japanese | 奇数 | ||
| The kanji used to write "奇数" also means "auspicious" or "lucky". | |||
| Korean | 이상한 | ||
| The word "이상한" can also mean "unusual" or "strange" in Korean. | |||
| Mongolian | сондгой | ||
| The word сондгой, meaning "odd", is derived from the Mongolian word сондуул, which means "to separate". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ထူးဆန်း | ||
Odd in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | aneh | ||
| The word 'aneh' can also refer to something that is 'strange', 'peculiar', or 'unusual'. | |||
| Javanese | ganjil | ||
| The word "ganjil" in Javanese also means "unlucky" or "forbidden". | |||
| Khmer | សេស | ||
| The Khmer word "សេស" (ses) can also refer to a remainder or residue. | |||
| Lao | ຄີກ | ||
| The word ຄີກ (“odd”) in Lao is related to the word ຈີ້ກ (“to cut into small pieces”), suggesting the idea of something “out of the ordinary”. | |||
| Malay | ganjil | ||
| In Malay, 'ganjil' does not only mean odd but also incomplete or unmarried. | |||
| Thai | แปลก | ||
| The Thai word แปลก (“odd”) is also used to refer to the sensation of being a stranger in a foreign land. | |||
| Vietnamese | kỳ quặc | ||
| The term "kỳ quặc" in Vietnamese originally derives from the Chinese characters 奇怪 (qíguài) meaning strange, unusual, or bizarre. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kakaiba | ||
Odd in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | qəribə | ||
| "Qəribə" is also used to describe unexpected things and events. | |||
| Kazakh | тақ | ||
| The Kazakh word "тақ" also refers to a male horse that was never ridden. | |||
| Kyrgyz | так | ||
| The word "так" also has a literal meaning "that" and is commonly found in expressions of approval "так да", "так точно". | |||
| Tajik | тоқ | ||
| In Mongolian, тоқ also means "empty," "open area" or "space". | |||
| Turkmen | geň | ||
| Uzbek | g'alati | ||
| In Uzbek, the word "g'alati" can also be used to describe something unusual or unexpected. | |||
| Uyghur | غەلىتە | ||
Odd in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ʻano ʻē | ||
| The word ʻano ʻē, meaning "odd," comes from the Proto-Polynesian word *fano, meaning "different" or "strange." | |||
| Maori | rerekē | ||
| Samoan | ese | ||
| In Samoan, 'ese' also means 'strange' or 'unusual' and can be used to describe people or situations. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | kakaiba | ||
| The Tagalog word "kakaiba" is derived from the word "iba" ("different"), and can also mean "strange" or "peculiar". | |||
Odd in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | mayxtasiña | ||
| Guarani | joja'ỹva | ||
Odd in International Languages
| Esperanto | stranga | ||
| "Stranga" derives from the Latin "extraneus" (foreign, outer) and may refer to something uncommon or unfamiliar. | |||
| Latin | impar | ||
| Latin "impar" can also mean "not having a match"; "unequal" or "unlike" | |||
Odd in Others Languages
| Greek | περιττός | ||
| Περιττός can also mean 'superfluous' or 'unnecessary', and is cognate with περί 'around', referring to something that is 'outside' or 'in addition to'. | |||
| Hmong | khib | ||
| The word “khib” has a homonym that refers to “a part of a plant that has no seeds.” | |||
| Kurdish | ecêb | ||
| The Kurdish word 'ecêb' can also mean 'unique' or 'exceptional'. | |||
| Turkish | garip | ||
| The word "garip" originally meant "foreign" or "unfamiliar" in Arabic, but it later took on the meaning of "odd" in Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | engaqhelekanga | ||
| The Xhosa word 'engaqhelekanga' can also mean 'uncommon' or 'rare'. | |||
| Yiddish | מאָדנע | ||
| מאָדנע shares a common ancestor with modern ( | |||
| Zulu | kuyinqaba | ||
| The Zulu word 'kuyinqaba' can also refer to an unusual person or event. | |||
| Assamese | অস্বাভাৱিক | ||
| Aymara | mayxtasiña | ||
| Bhojpuri | बिचित्र | ||
| Dhivehi | އާދަޔާ ޚިލާފު | ||
| Dogri | अजीब | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kakaiba | ||
| Guarani | joja'ỹva | ||
| Ilocano | pangis | ||
| Krio | strenj | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | نامۆ | ||
| Maithili | विषम | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯇꯣꯉꯥꯟꯅ ꯇꯥꯕ | ||
| Mizo | danglam | ||
| Oromo | adda | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଅଦ୍ଭୁତ | ||
| Quechua | chulla | ||
| Sanskrit | विषमः | ||
| Tatar | сәер | ||
| Tigrinya | ጎደሎ | ||
| Tsonga | tolovelekangi | ||