Off in Different Languages
Discover 'Off' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'off' is a small but powerful part of many languages, often used to describe separation or disconnection. It's a word that transcends cultural boundaries and is widely recognized, making it a valuable addition to any linguistic repertoire. But have you ever wondered how 'off' is translated in other languages?
In English, 'off' can signify the act of turning something off, like a light switch, or it can refer to being away from a place or person, such as in 'he is off to college.' It can also indicate a state of being, as in 'the alarm went off' or 'she is offended.'
Delving into the translations of 'off' in different languages reveals fascinating insights into cultural nuances. For instance, in Spanish, 'off' is 'apagado,' which also means 'extinguished.' In German, 'off' is 'aus,' which can mean 'out' or 'off' depending on the context. In French, 'off' is 'éteint,' which means 'extinguished' or 'turned off.'
Join us as we explore the many translations of 'off' in different languages, shedding light on the unique linguistic and cultural aspects of various countries around the world.
Off
Off in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | af | ||
| The word "af" in Afrikaans is cognate with the word "of" in English, and both words derive from the Old English word "of". | |||
| Amharic | ጠፍቷል | ||
| The term ጠፍቷል can also be the informal equivalent of "it's over". | |||
| Hausa | a kashe | ||
| The word "a kashe" is related to the verb "kashe", meaning to cut or break something | |||
| Igbo | gbanyụọ | ||
| "Gbanyụọ," meaning "off" in Igbo, originates from the root word "gbà," meaning "to break," and can also mean "to interrupt" or "to sever." | |||
| Malagasy | eny | ||
| The word "eny" also means "to go", "to leave", or "to depart". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kuchoka | ||
| "Kuchoka" in Nyanja has an alternate meaning of "to cut". | |||
| Shona | kure | ||
| The word "kure" can also mean "west" or "sunset" in Shona. | |||
| Somali | ka baxsan | ||
| In older usage, | |||
| Sesotho | theoha | ||
| Theoha is a relative of the word 'teha' - 'to throw', and is used to describe a position away from the body. | |||
| Swahili | imezimwa | ||
| The word "imezimwa" also means "calm" or "quiet" in Swahili. | |||
| Xhosa | icimile | ||
| In addition to denoting 'off' when used in the context of a switch or light, the word 'icimile' also means 'extinguished' when used in the context of a fire. | |||
| Yoruba | kuro | ||
| The word "kuro" also means "to die" and "to be finished" in Yoruba. | |||
| Zulu | kuvaliwe | ||
| The Zulu word 'kuvaliwe', meaning 'off,' also denotes a state of being removed or taken away. | |||
| Bambara | k'a bɔ a la | ||
| Ewe | tsi | ||
| Kinyarwanda | kuzimya | ||
| Lingala | likolo ya | ||
| Luganda | tekuli | ||
| Sepedi | tima | ||
| Twi (Akan) | adum | ||
Off in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | إيقاف | ||
| The term can have multiple meanings, such as 'to stop', 'to hinder', 'to pause', 'to block' | |||
| Hebrew | כבוי | ||
| The Hebrew word "כבוי" also means "extinguished", "subdued" or "muted". | |||
| Pashto | بند | ||
| The word "بند" in Pashto is also used to refer to a dam or a weir. | |||
| Arabic | إيقاف | ||
| The term can have multiple meanings, such as 'to stop', 'to hinder', 'to pause', 'to block' | |||
Off in Western European Languages
| Albanian | i fikur | ||
| Albanian 'i fikur' likely derives from the Latin 'figura' ('shape, form') via Italian or Dalmatian 'figura' ('figure, face') or from Proto-Albanian '*fika' ('form, shape'). | |||
| Basque | itzali | ||
| The Basque word "itzali" also means "to die" or "to extinguish." | |||
| Catalan | apagat | ||
| The Catalan word "apagat" comes from the Latin verb "extinguere," meaning "to extinguish" or "to put out." | |||
| Croatian | isključiti | ||
| The Croatian verb 'isključiti' is derived from the Proto-Slavic word '*isklučiti', meaning 'to exclude'. | |||
| Danish | af | ||
| The Danish word "af" can also mean "about" or "by". | |||
| Dutch | uit | ||
| The Dutch word "uit" can also mean "out of" or "from". | |||
| English | off | ||
| "Off" can also mean "away from" or "not on" as in "turn the lights off" or "go off on a trip." | |||
| French | de | ||
| The French preposition "de" also means "from" and "of". | |||
| Frisian | út | ||
| The word "út" can also mean "way" or "road" in Frisian. | |||
| Galician | apagado | ||
| In Galician, "apagado" can also mean "faded", "extinguished", or "weak". | |||
| German | aus | ||
| The German word "aus" can also mean "out of" or "finished". | |||
| Icelandic | af | ||
| "Af" also means "from" and "because of" in Icelandic. | |||
| Irish | as | ||
| Irish "as" is also used to form the negative of verbs | |||
| Italian | spento | ||
| The Italian word "spento" comes from the Latin verb "spengere," which means "to extinguish" or "to quench." | |||
| Luxembourgish | ausgeschalt | ||
| Ausgeschalt, in Luxembourgish, is a compound word composed of the prefix "aus" which means "out" and the verb "schalten" which means "to switch", and is used to describe the state of having been turned off. | |||
| Maltese | mitfi | ||
| The word "mitfi" derives from the Arabic word "mitfaa", meaning "extinguished" or "not alight". | |||
| Norwegian | av | ||
| The word "av" also means "of" or "from" in Norwegian, as in "en kopp av kaffe" (a cup of coffee). | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | fora | ||
| The word "fora" in Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) derives from the Latin "foras", meaning "outside" or "beyond". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | dheth | ||
| Dheth has various uses as a preposition, such as "away from," "off of," and "at the end of a period of time such as the end of life." | |||
| Spanish | apagado | ||
| "Apagado" literally means "extinguished" in Spanish, but it can also refer to the state of a device that is not turned on. | |||
| Swedish | av | ||
| AV is a Scandinavian spelling of the Germanic preposition and adverb *af, meaning 'off', 'from' or 'by'. | |||
| Welsh | i ffwrdd | ||
| The Welsh word "i ffwrdd" (off) can also refer to a path or a direction. | |||
Off in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | выкл | ||
| The word "выкл" is a loanword from Russian and is short for "выключать" (to turn off). | |||
| Bosnian | isključeno | ||
| "Isključeno" can also mean "without exception" or "impossible". | |||
| Bulgarian | изключен | ||
| The word "изключен" in Bulgarian has multiple meanings, including "disabled" or "disconnected". | |||
| Czech | vypnuto | ||
| Vypnuto is the past participle of the verb vypnout, meaning 'to disconnect' or 'to turn off'. | |||
| Estonian | väljas | ||
| "Väljas" in Estonian can also mean "outside" or "outdoors." | |||
| Finnish | vinossa | ||
| The word "vinossa" is also used to describe something that is excessive or extreme. | |||
| Hungarian | ki | ||
| Ki can also mean "out" (like in "to put out a fire"), "away" (like in "to go away"), "forth" (like in "to come forth"), or "up" (like in "to stand up"). | |||
| Latvian | izslēgts | ||
| The word “izslēgts” can also mean “disconnected” or “turned off” in a figurative sense, such as “His mind was izslēgts” or “Her feelings were izslēgti”. | |||
| Lithuanian | išjungtas | ||
| The Lithuanian word "išjungtas" originates from the verb "jungti" (to connect), implying that something has been disconnected. | |||
| Macedonian | исклучен | ||
| When the Macedonian word "исклучен" is used in the context of a switch or toggle, it means "on" instead of "off". | |||
| Polish | poza | ||
| The Polish word "poza" additionally means a posture, a pose. | |||
| Romanian | oprit | ||
| The word "oprit" is derived from the Slavic word "opresti", meaning "to stop". It can also mean "to finish" or "to end". | |||
| Russian | выключен | ||
| The word "выключен" is also used to mean "switched off" or "turned off". | |||
| Serbian | ван | ||
| The Serbian word "ван" ("off") can also mean "away" or "absent". | |||
| Slovak | vypnutý | ||
| The Slovak word "vypnutý" (off) also means "switched off", "turned off", or "deactivated". | |||
| Slovenian | izključeno | ||
| The word 'izključeno' is derived from the verb 'izključiti', which means to exclude or turn off. | |||
| Ukrainian | вимкнено | ||
| Vimkнено also means 'disabled' in Ukrainian technical language. | |||
Off in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | বন্ধ | ||
| "বন্ধ" in Bengali can mean 'closed,' 'confined,' or 'bound,' and is related to the Sanskrit root "bandh," meaning 'to bind' or 'to tie.' | |||
| Gujarati | બંધ | ||
| The Gujarati word "બંધ" also means "closed" or "bound". | |||
| Hindi | बंद | ||
| "बंद" can also mean 'closed,' 'shut,' or 'confined,' and derives from the Sanskrit word 'baddha,' meaning 'bound' or 'tied.' | |||
| Kannada | ಆರಿಸಿ | ||
| ಆರಿಸಿ is derived from the Sanskrit word 'अरिसि', meaning 'far away' or 'apart'. | |||
| Malayalam | ഓഫ് | ||
| The Malayalam word 'ഓഫ്' ('off') has Sanskrit roots, meaning 'away' or 'apart'. | |||
| Marathi | बंद | ||
| The word "बंद" (off) in Marathi also means "closed" or "locked". | |||
| Nepali | बन्द | ||
| In Nepali, बन्द also means "closed" as in shops or other establishments being closed. | |||
| Punjabi | ਬੰਦ | ||
| The Punjabi word "ਬੰਦ" also has the alternate meaning of "closed" or "stopped" in English, further indicating its status as an "opposite". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | අක්රියයි | ||
| Tamil | ஆஃப் | ||
| The Tamil word "ஆஃப்" is a loanword from English, and it has the same meaning in both languages. | |||
| Telugu | ఆఫ్ | ||
| The word "ఆఫ్" can also mean "from" or "away". | |||
| Urdu | بند | ||
| The Urdu word "بند" derives from the Persian word "بند", which also means "tying, fastening, dam, or levee." | |||
Off in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 关 | ||
| 关 originally meant “to lock” but its meaning was extended to “to stop” during the Han dynasty. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 關 | ||
| 關 can also mean 'to close' or 'to lock'. | |||
| Japanese | オフ | ||
| In addition to meaning "off," the Japanese word "オフ" can also mean "away," "out," or "not working." | |||
| Korean | 떨어져서 | ||
| The word "떨어져서" can also mean "separately" or "apart". | |||
| Mongolian | унтраах | ||
| The word "унтраах" can also mean "to turn off" or "to switch off" in Mongolian. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ပိတ်ထားသည် | ||
Off in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | mati | ||
| The Indonesian word "mati" also means "dead" or "extinct". | |||
| Javanese | mati | ||
| "Mati" can also mean "dead", "extinct", "extinguished", and "over". | |||
| Khmer | បិទ | ||
| "បិទ" (off) is also a contraction of the word "បិទបាំង" (to cover or hide) and can be used in many contexts beyond just turning something off. | |||
| Lao | ປິດ | ||
| ປິດ can also mean 'to seal' something, such as sealing a container or sealing an envelope. | |||
| Malay | mati | ||
| The word "mati" also means "dead" in Malay, which can lead to confusion in some contexts. | |||
| Thai | ปิด | ||
| ปิด "off" also means closed or to close in Thai (as in a shop being closed or something being closed by an action). | |||
| Vietnamese | tắt | ||
| "Tắt" can also mean "extinguish" as in "tắt đèn" (extinguish the light). | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | off | ||
Off in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | off | ||
| The Azerbaijani word "off" has additional meanings such as "down," "away," and "separate." | |||
| Kazakh | өшірулі | ||
| The Kazakh word "өшірулі" can also mean "extinguished" or "turned out," referring to a light or fire. | |||
| Kyrgyz | өчүрүү | ||
| The word "өчүрүү" also means "extinguish" or "turn off", referring to actions like putting out a fire or turning off a light switch. | |||
| Tajik | хомӯш | ||
| The word "хомӯш" in Tajik has its origins in the Persian word "خاموش" (silent), which means "to be quiet" or "to turn off". | |||
| Turkmen | öçürildi | ||
| Uzbek | yopiq | ||
| "Yopiq" not only means "off" in Uzbek, but also refers to a closed space or a shut door. | |||
| Uyghur | off | ||
Off in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | aku | ||
| The Hawaiian word "aku" also refers to a type of tuna fish or to a sharp pain. | |||
| Maori | whakaweto | ||
| Whakaweto can also mean 'extinguish, end, cease'. | |||
| Samoan | alu | ||
| The word "alu" can also mean "to come" or "to get" in Samoan, depending on the context. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | off | ||
| In Tagalog, "off" can also mean "away from" or "not present" | |||
Off in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jiwata | ||
| Guarani | oguehápe | ||
Off in International Languages
| Esperanto | ekstere | ||
| Esperanto "ekstere" (off) shares its root with "ek" (out) and "sterni" (to spread), akin to English "ex-" and "sterile". | |||
| Latin | off | ||
| In Latin, "off" also means "away from" or "not on". | |||
Off in Others Languages
| Greek | μακριά από | ||
| The word "μακριά από" in Greek translates to "off" in English, but it can also mean "away from" or "far from". | |||
| Hmong | tawm | ||
| The word "tawm" can also mean "to release" or "to give up". | |||
| Kurdish | ji | ||
| The Kurdish word "ji" can also refer to a place or direction, similar to the English word "off" | |||
| Turkish | kapalı | ||
| The root of the Turkish word "kapalı" is "kapa-," meaning "to close," and it also means "closed" in Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | icimile | ||
| In addition to denoting 'off' when used in the context of a switch or light, the word 'icimile' also means 'extinguished' when used in the context of a fire. | |||
| Yiddish | אַוועק | ||
| "אַוועק" in Yiddish has a similar etymology as "away" in English, both ultimately stemming from a Proto-Indo-European root "*h₂wes" meaning "to leave, depart, remove, destroy" | |||
| Zulu | kuvaliwe | ||
| The Zulu word 'kuvaliwe', meaning 'off,' also denotes a state of being removed or taken away. | |||
| Assamese | বন্ধ কৰা | ||
| Aymara | jiwata | ||
| Bhojpuri | बंद | ||
| Dhivehi | އޮފް | ||
| Dogri | बंद | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | off | ||
| Guarani | oguehápe | ||
| Ilocano | naisina | ||
| Krio | ɔf | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | کوژاوە | ||
| Maithili | बंद | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯣꯐ ꯇꯧꯕꯥ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | titawp | ||
| Oromo | dhaamsuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ବନ୍ଦ | ||
| Quechua | wañuchisqa | ||
| Sanskrit | दूरे | ||
| Tatar | сүндерелгән | ||
| Tigrinya | ምጥፋእ | ||
| Tsonga | timile | ||