Okay in Different Languages
Discover 'Okay' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Okay, let's dive into the fascinating world of the word 'okay'! This simple word, often used as a confirmation or to express approval, holds great significance in our daily conversations. It's a word that has transcended borders and cultures, making it a universal language of sorts.
Did you know that 'okay' has its roots in the late 19th century? It was first used by Americans during the presidential campaign of Martin Van Buren, who was nicknamed 'Old Kinderhook' due to his birthplace in Kinderhook, New York. His supporters formed the 'OK Club', popularizing the term 'OK'.
Given its cultural importance and widespread use, you might be interested in knowing its translation in different languages. After all, communication is a bridge that connects us, and understanding local languages can help strengthen that connection.
So, without further ado, here are some translations of 'okay' in various languages:
Okay
Okay in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | okay | ||
| The word "okay" in Afrikaans also means "all right" or "very well." | |||
| Amharic | እሺ | ||
| The word "እሺ" ("okay") is derived from the Ge'ez verb "አካ" ("to be right") and has alternate meanings such as "correct" and "true". | |||
| Hausa | lafiya | ||
| "Lafiya" in Hausa also means "health, physical well-being". | |||
| Igbo | dịkwa mma | ||
| The word "dịkwa mma" in Igbo language can also mean "it is well" or "there is peace". | |||
| Malagasy | okay | ||
| The Malagasy word "okay" is a loanword from English and has the same meaning. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | chabwino | ||
| The word "Chabwino" in Nyanja is derived from the verb "chaba" (to be nice, good), and is also used to express agreement or assent. | |||
| Shona | zvakanaka | ||
| Zvakanaka can also mean "it is nice" or "it is good". | |||
| Somali | okay | ||
| OK is probably a back-formation or a blend of Old Kinderhook, which is often said to have been used by Martin Van Buren, the eighth US President from Kinderhook, New York. | |||
| Sesotho | ho lokile | ||
| The phrase "ho lokile" derives from the Sesotho word "loka", meaning "to be right" or "to be correct." | |||
| Swahili | sawa | ||
| The word "sawa" in Swahili can also mean "correct", "right", or "agree". | |||
| Xhosa | kulungile | ||
| Kulungile in Xhosa can also mean 'it is good' or 'it is right'. | |||
| Yoruba | dara | ||
| The Yoruba word "dara" also means "good" or "nice". | |||
| Zulu | kulungile | ||
| Kulungile also means 'proper' and has cognates in other Nguni languages. | |||
| Bambara | basi tɛ | ||
| Ewe | enyo | ||
| Kinyarwanda | sawa | ||
| Lingala | malamu | ||
| Luganda | kaale | ||
| Sepedi | go lokile | ||
| Twi (Akan) | yoo | ||
Okay in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | حسنا | ||
| In some Arab dialects, “حسنا” also means “very well” or “excellent.” | |||
| Hebrew | בסדר | ||
| The Hebrew word בסדר (b'seder) is an abbreviation of the Aramaic phrase 'bishlam u'vtuv', meaning 'peacefully and well'. | |||
| Pashto | سمه ده | ||
| The Pashto word "سمه ده" is also related to the Persian word "صحیح" and the Arabic word "صحيح" which mean "correct" or "right". | |||
| Arabic | حسنا | ||
| In some Arab dialects, “حسنا” also means “very well” or “excellent.” | |||
Okay in Western European Languages
| Albanian | mirë | ||
| "Mirë" can also mean "good" or "well" in Albanian. | |||
| Basque | ados | ||
| Also spelled “adoz,” comes from the French “à deux” or “two at a time,” and denotes that something should be done together. | |||
| Catalan | bé | ||
| The word "bé" in Catalan has a more literal meaning of "good" or "well" and can also be used as a noun to refer to goods or property. | |||
| Croatian | u redu | ||
| The phrase 'u redu' is thought to have originated from the German phrase 'in Ordnung', meaning 'in order' or 'correct'. | |||
| Danish | okay | ||
| In Danish, “okay” means “also”, can be used as an alternative “yes” or “alright” and is written “okay”. | |||
| Dutch | oke | ||
| The Dutch word "oke" is derived from the French word "aux quois" which means "to the what" and was used to express incomprehension. | |||
| English | okay | ||
| The word "okay" is thought to have originated from the Wolof phrase "waw kay", meaning "it is so". | |||
| French | d'accord | ||
| While 'd'accord' literally translates to 'in agreement' or 'in accordance', it is generally used in spoken French to mean 'okay'. | |||
| Frisian | okee | ||
| Okee is a Frisian word that can also mean 'uncle'. | |||
| Galician | vale | ||
| In Galician, "vale" can also refer to a low-lying area or valley, originating from the Latin word "vallis" | |||
| German | in ordnung | ||
| German "in Ordnung" derives from older "an Ordnung", meaning "in the right order". | |||
| Icelandic | allt í lagi | ||
| The Icelandic phrase "allt í lagi" has roots in the Old Norse language, where "allt" means "everything" and "í lagi" means "in order", conveying a sense of "everything is in its rightful place". | |||
| Irish | ceart go leor | ||
| "Ceart go leor" is the Irish translation of the English phrase "right enough," which is used to express agreement or acceptance. | |||
| Italian | va bene | ||
| Va bene is the Italian version of the French "ça va bien" or "it's going well" | |||
| Luxembourgish | okay | ||
| The phrase "ochkei" is often used colloquially in Luxembourgish to express agreement, similar to "okay" in English. | |||
| Maltese | okay | ||
| "Okay" is an exclamation meaning "good" in Maltese, and it can also mean "good" in other languages like French and English. | |||
| Norwegian | greit | ||
| Greit can also mean "ready" or "straight". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | ok | ||
| In Portuguese, "OK" can be written with the letter "K" instead of "C" (O.K.). | |||
| Scots Gaelic | ceart gu leor | ||
| The phrase 'Ceart gu leor' translates as 'fairly right', and is used in Scots Gaelic to indicate assent. | |||
| Spanish | bueno | ||
| The word "bueno" in Spanish can also mean "good" or "kind". | |||
| Swedish | okej | ||
| The Swedish word "okej" can also mean "a yoke for oxen" or "a yoke for pigs". | |||
| Welsh | iawn | ||
| The Welsh word "iawn" is derived from the Latin "ējamus", meaning "let us go". | |||
Okay in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | добра | ||
| The word "добра" (okay) in Belarusian is derived from the Old Belarusian word "добро" (good), and it can also mean "good" or "well" in a general sense. | |||
| Bosnian | u redu | ||
| Uredu originally means "in order" in Bosnian, and is only an affirmative response in certain contexts. | |||
| Bulgarian | добре | ||
| In Bulgaria, "добре" is also a common way to express "hello" or, more formally, "good afternoon". | |||
| Czech | dobře | ||
| The Czech word "dobře" also means "well" or "good" and can be used as an adverb, adjective, or interjection. | |||
| Estonian | okei | ||
| The Estonian word "okei" is a loanword from English "okay", which itself originates from US African American Vernacular English. | |||
| Finnish | okei | ||
| The Finnish word "Okei" does not have a specific etymology, nor does it have alternate meanings. | |||
| Hungarian | oké | ||
| In Hungarian, "oké" can also mean "that's fine" or "all right". | |||
| Latvian | labi | ||
| The word "Labi" is only ever used in certain regions of Latvia, and is said to have originated from Polish during the partition of Poland, while some claim it comes from French | |||
| Lithuanian | gerai | ||
| The word "Gerai" in Lithuanian is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *ǵʰer- meaning "to hold" or "to grasp". It has the same root as the English word "guarantee". | |||
| Macedonian | добро | ||
| The word "добро" in Macedonian can also mean "good" or "property." | |||
| Polish | w porządku | ||
| The phrase literally translates to ‘in order’ and has the same meaning in Czech and Slovak. | |||
| Romanian | bine | ||
| Bine is also an archaic term for "good". | |||
| Russian | хорошо | ||
| "Хорошо" in Russian is derived from "хороший" meaning "good" and was used in the past as a greeting. | |||
| Serbian | у реду | ||
| The word "у реду" is the Serbian equivalent of "okay," but can also be used to mean "in a row" or "in order". | |||
| Slovak | dobre | ||
| The Slovak word "dobre" is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *dobro, meaning "good" or "well". While it retains this meaning in many Slavic languages, in Slovak it has shifted to mean "okay" or "alright". | |||
| Slovenian | v redu | ||
| The phrase "v redu" can also mean "in order" or "in a row" in Slovenian. | |||
| Ukrainian | добре | ||
| The word "добре" can also mean "good" or "well" in Ukrainian, depending on the context. | |||
Okay in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ঠিক আছে | ||
| "ঠিক আছে" can mean "okay," "that's right," or "it's correct," and comes from the words "ঠিক," meaning "correct" or "right," and "আছে," meaning "is" or "exists." | |||
| Gujarati | બરાબર | ||
| The Gujarati word "બરાબર" comes from the Sanskrit root "vṛdha", meaning "to increase", and literally means "proper" or "equal". | |||
| Hindi | ठीक है | ||
| ठीक है is a corruption of the English phrase “all correct,” introduced during the British colonial era. | |||
| Kannada | ಸರಿ | ||
| ಸರಿ (sari) in Kannada can also mean 'straight', 'proper', or 'right' | |||
| Malayalam | ശരി | ||
| The word "ശരി" in Malayalam also means "correct" or "true". | |||
| Marathi | ठीक आहे | ||
| The word 'ठीक आहे' is derived from the Hindi phrase 'ठीक है', which means 'all right' or 'correct'. | |||
| Nepali | ल | ||
| The word 'ल' in Nepali is derived from the Sanskrit word 'लम्' or 'लभ', meaning 'to take' or 'to receive'. In this sense, the word is used to indicate agreement or acceptance. | |||
| Punjabi | ਠੀਕ ਹੈ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | හරි හරී | ||
| In Sinhalese, the word "හරි හරී" can also mean "all right" or "very well." | |||
| Tamil | சரி | ||
| The word "சரி" (okay) in Tamil can also mean "correct". | |||
| Telugu | సరే | ||
| The word "సరే" also means "good" or "alright" in Telugu. | |||
| Urdu | ٹھیک ہے | ||
Okay in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 好的 | ||
| 好的 means "okay" in Chinese but it is also used as a verb to indicate agreement or acceptance. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 好的 | ||
| "好的" means "okay" in Chinese, but the word literally means "it is good" or "it is well". | |||
| Japanese | はい | ||
| "Hai" is often used in Japanese to mean "yes", but it can also mean "here" or "present". | |||
| Korean | 괜찮아 | ||
| The word "괜찮아" has its roots in the Middle Korean word "괜스시오", which was made up of "괜스" (well-being or ease) and the honorific suffix "-시오". The word's meaning can extend to encompass "it's all right" or "I'm fine." | |||
| Mongolian | за | ||
| The word 'за' is also used to express agreement, understanding, or permission. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အိုကေ | ||
| အိုကေ is derived from the English phrase "all correct", and can also mean "very well" or "agreeable". | |||
Okay in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | baik | ||
| Baik can also mean 'nice' or 'kind' in Indonesian, and can be used in place of 'yes' when agreeing to something. | |||
| Javanese | nggih | ||
| "Nggih" is also used as an acknowledgment or affirmation, and can be roughly translated as "I understand" or "I will do it." | |||
| Khmer | យល់ព្រម | ||
| Lao | ບໍ່ເປັນຫຍັງ | ||
| Malay | baik | ||
| The word "baik" in Malay is cognate with the word "baik" in Javanese, meaning "good" or "well". | |||
| Thai | ตกลง | ||
| The word "ตกลง" is derived from the Sanskrit word "तर्क" (tarka), which means "argument" or "logical reasoning." | |||
| Vietnamese | được chứ | ||
| In the Northern variety of Vietnamese or colloquial contexts, "Được chứ" can also imply a reluctant, noncommittal or conditional consent. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sige | ||
Okay in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | tamam | ||
| The word "tamam" in Azerbaijani comes from the Turkish word "tamam", meaning "complete" or "perfect", and is used to express agreement or completion of a task. | |||
| Kazakh | жақсы | ||
| The word "Жақсы" can also mean "good", "well", "nice", or "beautiful" in Kazakh. | |||
| Kyrgyz | болуптур | ||
| "Болуптур" also means "It will be" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | хуб | ||
| "Хуб" also has other meanings such as "like" and "very". | |||
| Turkmen | bolýar | ||
| Uzbek | xop | ||
| The Uzbek word "xop" is derived from the Persian word "khob," which also means "good" or "well." | |||
| Uyghur | ماقۇل | ||
Okay in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | maikaʻi | ||
| "Maikaʻi" also means "good" and is commonly used as a compliment to express approval or satisfaction. | |||
| Maori | pai | ||
| The word "pai" in Māori also means "good" or "correct". | |||
| Samoan | ua lelei | ||
| Ua lelei, meaning "it is good", can also be used to express assent or approval. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | sige | ||
| The word "sige" in Tagalog can also mean "to continue" or "to go on". | |||
Okay in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | waliki | ||
| Guarani | néi | ||
Okay in International Languages
| Esperanto | bone | ||
| Esperanto's "bone" is derived from the Latin "bono" (good) and has various meanings including "well-being" and "excellence." | |||
| Latin | bene | ||
| Derived from Latin "benus," meaning "good" or "well," "bene" has been used since the Renaissance as an adverbial expression indicating assent or approval, particularly in academic discussions. | |||
Okay in Others Languages
| Greek | εντάξει | ||
| The Greek word | |||
| Hmong | xyua | ||
| "Xyua" is also the name of a musical instrument played by Hmong people. | |||
| Kurdish | baş e | ||
| The Kurdish word "baş e" originates from the Persian phrase of the same pronunciation ("bāš", "bash"), meaning "it would be". | |||
| Turkish | tamam | ||
| "Tamam" can also mean "complete" or "finished" in Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | kulungile | ||
| Kulungile in Xhosa can also mean 'it is good' or 'it is right'. | |||
| Yiddish | אקעי | ||
| The word "אקעי" ("okay") in Yiddish is likely derived from the English phrase "O.K." | |||
| Zulu | kulungile | ||
| Kulungile also means 'proper' and has cognates in other Nguni languages. | |||
| Assamese | ঠিক আছে | ||
| Aymara | waliki | ||
| Bhojpuri | ठीक बा | ||
| Dhivehi | އެންމެ ރަނގަޅު | ||
| Dogri | ठीक ऐ | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sige | ||
| Guarani | néi | ||
| Ilocano | mayat | ||
| Krio | ok | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | باشە | ||
| Maithili | ठीक छै | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯣꯀꯦ | ||
| Mizo | a tha e | ||
| Oromo | tole | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଠିକ ଅଛି | ||
| Quechua | kusa | ||
| Sanskrit | अस्तु | ||
| Tatar | ярар | ||
| Tigrinya | እሺ | ||
| Tsonga | swi lulamile | ||