Once in Different Languages
Discover 'Once' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'once' is a small but mighty term, carrying with it a sense of time, change, and possibility. Once can refer to a single occurrence in the past, or it can indicate a hypothetical situation in the future. It's a word that has captured the imagination of writers, poets, and thinkers for centuries, and has been translated into countless languages around the world.
In English, 'once' can convey a sense of wonder or excitement, as in the phrase 'once upon a time.' But its significance goes far beyond the realm of fairy tales. In many cultures, the concept of 'once' is deeply intertwined with notions of fate, destiny, and the passage of time. For example, in Spanish, 'once' is 'una vez,' and in French, it's 'une fois' - both of which carry the same sense of singularity and finality.
Understanding the translation of 'once' in different languages can offer valuable insights into the cultures and worldviews of people around the globe. Whether you're a language enthusiast, a cultural explorer, or simply curious about the world around you, exploring the many meanings of 'once' is a fascinating journey.
Once
Once in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | een keer | ||
| "Een keer" in Afrikaans can mean a "single occasion" or an "occurrence". | |||
| Amharic | አንድ ጊዜ | ||
| The word "አንድ ጊዜ" can also mean "sometime" or "once upon a time". | |||
| Hausa | sau daya | ||
| The word "sau daya" also denotes "at a time." | |||
| Igbo | otu ugboro | ||
| In some Igbo dialects, the word "otu ugboro" can also mean "one time" or "one instance." | |||
| Malagasy | , indray mandeha | ||
| "Indray mandeha" in Malagasy literally means "one walk" and also conveys the meaning of "once". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kamodzi | ||
| The word "kamodzi" in Nyanja (Chichewa) also means "the first" and "the beginning" | |||
| Shona | kamwe | ||
| In Shona, the word "kamwe" also means "in the first place" or "initially". | |||
| Somali | mar | ||
| The word "mar" in Somali can also be used to mean "time" or "moment" in certain contexts. | |||
| Sesotho | hang | ||
| The Sesotho word "hang" also means "to stay for a time or purpose". | |||
| Swahili | mara moja | ||
| Mara moja can also mean 'someday' in Swahili. | |||
| Xhosa | kanye | ||
| In Xhosa, "Kanye" can also refer to a type of small or young goat. | |||
| Yoruba | lẹẹkan | ||
| The Yoruba word 'lẹẹkan' can also refer to 'an instance, occurrence, or time'. | |||
| Zulu | kanye | ||
| In Zulu, 'kanye' can also mean 'one' or 'a certain' when used in different contexts. | |||
| Bambara | siɲɛ kelen | ||
| Ewe | zi ɖeka | ||
| Kinyarwanda | rimwe | ||
| Lingala | mbala moko | ||
| Luganda | -umu | ||
| Sepedi | gatee | ||
| Twi (Akan) | prɛko | ||
Once in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | ذات مرة | ||
| ذات مرة is the accusative case of "ذى مرة" (that time), which is itself the combination of the preposition "ذى" (which means "of" or "about") and "مرة" (which means "time"). | |||
| Hebrew | פַּעַם | ||
| פַּעַם relates to the concept of a single, discrete event and also to a unit of time, particularly a short or indefinite period. | |||
| Pashto | یوځل | ||
| The Pashto word یوځل (yojal) is also translated as "time" or "instance" in English, and is related to the Persian word يک جل (yek jol) meaning "at once". | |||
| Arabic | ذات مرة | ||
| ذات مرة is the accusative case of "ذى مرة" (that time), which is itself the combination of the preposition "ذى" (which means "of" or "about") and "مرة" (which means "time"). | |||
Once in Western European Languages
| Albanian | një herë | ||
| Basque | behin | ||
| "Behin" is derived from the proto-Basque word "*behin(a)" which means "one time" or "once". | |||
| Catalan | un cop | ||
| "Un cop" in Catalan can also mean "once upon a time" or "a while ago". | |||
| Croatian | jednom | ||
| Jednom can also mean 'for a moment' or 'at one point', with 'nekoć' or 'jedanput' being more typical words for 'once'. | |||
| Danish | enkelt gang | ||
| Enkelt gang, meaning 'once', is a corruption of the older Danish en gang, meaning 'one time'. | |||
| Dutch | een keer | ||
| "Eens" is een vervoeging van het werkwoord "zijn" in de aanvoegende wijs, en kan in sommige gevallen "misschien" of "eventueel" betekenen. | |||
| English | once | ||
| "Once" can mean "one time" or, in the context of a conditional clause, "if". | |||
| French | une fois que | ||
| "Une fois que" can also be an interjection expressing doubt; its verb-like usage (with "que") is archaic. | |||
| Frisian | ienris | ||
| The Frisian word "ienris" is derived from Old Frisian "aneris" and is cognate with English "once" and German "einmal". | |||
| Galician | unha vez | ||
| In Galician, "unha vez" can also refer to an unspecified or approximate amount. | |||
| German | einmal | ||
| Einmal can also mean 'at some point' or 'in one go' | |||
| Icelandic | einu sinni | ||
| The words "einn sinn" literally mean "one time" in Icelandic, but have come to mean "once" in English. | |||
| Irish | uair amháin | ||
| Italian | una volta | ||
| Una volta is Italian for "once" but is also used to refer to a "time" or "occasion." | |||
| Luxembourgish | eemol | ||
| The word "eemol" is derived from the Proto-West Germanic word "ainamāl", meaning "at once". | |||
| Maltese | darba | ||
| The word 'darba' is also used to mean a 'time' (as in 'a long time') but also in the context of a 'hit' ('daqqa' means 'hit'; 'żewġ daqqiet', 'two hits', can also imply 'twice'). | |||
| Norwegian | en gang | ||
| In Norwegian, the word "en gang" can also mean "every now and then" or "once in a while". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | uma vez | ||
| In Brazil, "uma vez" can also mean "once upon a time". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | aon uair | ||
| In traditional Gaelic, "aon uair" meant every three hours. | |||
| Spanish | una vez | ||
| The Spanish word "una vez" originated from the Latin phrase "ad unam vicem," meaning "for one turn" | |||
| Swedish | en gång | ||
| In Scandinavian languages, "en gång" can also mean "once upon a time" or refer to "a time" in the past, but its meaning in Swedish is generally limited to the concept of singularity. | |||
| Welsh | unwaith | ||
| Welsh 'unwaith' also means 'once', possibly from 'yn waith' meaning 'in one time'. | |||
Once in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | адзін раз | ||
| Belarusian "адзін раз" is a calque of Russian "один раз" and derives from the word for "one". | |||
| Bosnian | jednom | ||
| The word 'jednom' can also mean 'one time', 'some time', or 'at one time' in Bosnian. | |||
| Bulgarian | веднъж | ||
| The Bulgarian word "веднъж" is related to the word "вече" ("already") and shares a common etymology with the word "всегда" ("always") in Russian. | |||
| Czech | jednou | ||
| The word "jednou" in Czech also means "one day" or "at some point in the future". | |||
| Estonian | üks kord | ||
| The Estonian word "üks kord" can also mean "one time", "once upon a time", or "sometimes" in English. | |||
| Finnish | yhden kerran | ||
| "Yhden kerran" can also mean "of one piece". | |||
| Hungarian | egyszer | ||
| "Egyszer" also refers to the mathematical constant "e", in which case the word derives from Latin, not the Hungarian numeral. | |||
| Latvian | vienreiz | ||
| Latvian word “vienreiz” has different meanings: one by one, only once, and once in a lifetime. | |||
| Lithuanian | kartą | ||
| In Polish and Czech, the cognate word means 'punishment. | |||
| Macedonian | еднаш | ||
| The word "еднаш" comes from Proto-Slavic "jednъ", meaning "one" or "once", and is related to the words "единица" (unit) and "едно" (one). | |||
| Polish | pewnego razu | ||
| Pewnego razu' is one of the many ways to say 'once' in Polish, but it is a bit more emphatic and is often used in fairytales or fables. | |||
| Romanian | o singura data | ||
| "O singură dată" can also mean "at some point" or "for a certain period of time" in Romanian. | |||
| Russian | один раз | ||
| The word "один раз" literally translates to "one time" in English | |||
| Serbian | једном | ||
| The word "једном" in Serbian can also mean "occasionally" or "sometime". | |||
| Slovak | raz | ||
| The word "raz" comes from Proto-Slavic "ordь," meaning "turn" or "time." | |||
| Slovenian | enkrat | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning of "once," "enkrat" can also mean "immediately," "suddenly," or "right away." | |||
| Ukrainian | один раз | ||
| The Ukrainian word 'один раз' ('once') may also mean 'one time' or 'at the same time'. | |||
Once in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | একদা | ||
| একদা'র অর্থ শুধু 'অতীতে একবার' নয়, এটি 'কিছুকালের জন্য' অর্থেও ব্যবহৃত হয়। | |||
| Gujarati | એકવાર | ||
| The Gujarati word "એકવાર" can also mean "at some point" or "on one occasion" in English. | |||
| Hindi | एक बार | ||
| In addition to meaning "once," "एक बार" (ek baar) also means "at once" and "for a moment" in Hindi. | |||
| Kannada | ಒಮ್ಮೆ | ||
| ಒಮ್ಮೆ means 'once,' 'sometimes,' or 'previously.' | |||
| Malayalam | ഒരിക്കല് | ||
| The word "ഒരിക്കല്" (once) in Malayalam also means "sometime" or "at some point of time". | |||
| Marathi | एकदा | ||
| Marathi word "एकदा" derives from Sanskrit "एकदत" which also means "one-time"} | |||
| Nepali | एक पटक | ||
| "एक पटक" is derived from Sanskrit and also means "one time" or "once upon a time." | |||
| Punjabi | ਇਕ ਵਾਰ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | වරක් | ||
| The Sinhala word "වරක්" has other meanings such as "at one time" and "in a while". | |||
| Tamil | ஒரு முறை | ||
| In Tamil, "ஒரு முறை" can also refer to "one way" or "one direction." | |||
| Telugu | ఒకసారి | ||
| ఒకసారి (okasari) literally means 'one time', but can also be used to mean 'once upon a time' or 'a long time ago'. | |||
| Urdu | ایک بار | ||
| ایک بار can also mean one-time, at first, or just one. | |||
Once in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 一旦 | ||
| 一旦 is composed of two Chinese characters: 一 (yī) meaning "one" and 但 (dàn) meaning "however, but". It was originally used to emphasize suddenness or unexpectedness. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 一旦 | ||
| Traditionally written as 一旦 in Classical Chinese, '一旦' implies the meaning of 'all of a sudden'. | |||
| Japanese | 一度 | ||
| 一度 can also mean "once in a lifetime" or "never again." | |||
| Korean | 한번 | ||
| "한번" can mean once, one time, one opportunity, one occasion, one trial, one round, one instance, one portion, one dose, one unit, one time, one instance, one instance, one time, etc. | |||
| Mongolian | нэг удаа | ||
| The Mongolian word "нэг удаа" can also mean "for the first time" or "on one occasion". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | တခါ | ||
| တခါ (taga) can also be used in Myanmar (Burmese) to denote "each other" or "each time". | |||
Once in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | sekali | ||
| The word "sekali" in Indonesian can also mean "immediately" or "at the same time" | |||
| Javanese | sapisan | ||
| The Javanese word "sapisan" can also mean "alone" | |||
| Khmer | ម្តង | ||
| The word “ម្តង” can also mean “once” in the context of a past occurrence or a habitual event. | |||
| Lao | ຄັ້ງດຽວ | ||
| "ຄັ້ງດຽວ" also means only once, just once, just for once, one time, the only one time, the first time ever, the last time ever, only this one time | |||
| Malay | sekali | ||
| "Sekali" means "once", but can also mean "again" or "at once" when used with "lagi". | |||
| Thai | ครั้งเดียว | ||
| The word "ครั้งเดียว" in Thai literally means "one time" but it can also be used to refer to an event or instance. | |||
| Vietnamese | một lần | ||
| Một lần can also mean "any time" or "every time" | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | minsan | ||
Once in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | bir dəfə | ||
| The word "bir dəfə" in Azerbaijani is cognate with "bir" and "dəfə" in Turkish, meaning "one" and "time", respectively. | |||
| Kazakh | бір рет | ||
| The Kazakh word "бір рет" (once) has alternate meanings of "once in a blue moon" and "rarely." | |||
| Kyrgyz | бир жолу | ||
| The term "бир жолу" also refers to an instance, a single occasion, or a specific event. | |||
| Tajik | як бор | ||
| Yak bor is also used to mean "once upon a time" in Tajik. | |||
| Turkmen | bir gezek | ||
| Uzbek | bir marta | ||
| The word "bir marta" in Uzbek also means "a long time ago". | |||
| Uyghur | بىر قېتىم | ||
Once in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | pākahi | ||
| Pākahi can also mean 'alone', 'single', 'solitary', or 'just once'. | |||
| Maori | kotahi | ||
| In Maori myths, Kotahi was the original name for the island we call Aotearoa-New Zealand. | |||
| Samoan | faʻatasi | ||
| The Samoan word "faʻatasi" has many additional meanings, including "suddenly", "at once", and "just". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | sabay | ||
Once in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | maya kuti | ||
| Guarani | peteĩ jey | ||
Once in International Languages
| Esperanto | unufoje | ||
| In Esperanto, "unufoje" literally means "one time," but it is also used idiomatically to mean "sometime" or "at some point." | |||
| Latin | iterum | ||
| The word "iterum" is also used in the sense of "again" or "a second time". | |||
Once in Others Languages
| Greek | μια φορά | ||
| The Greek phrase "μια φορά" can also mean "once upon a time" or "a long time ago". | |||
| Hmong | ib zaug | ||
| 'Ib zaug' can also mean 'one time' or 'on one occasion' in Hmong, highlighting its versatile usage beyond just expressing the concept of 'once'. | |||
| Kurdish | carek | ||
| In Kurdish, "carek" (pronounced ja-rek) carries both the primary meaning of "one time" and a less-common secondary meaning of "at all" | |||
| Turkish | bir zamanlar | ||
| The word "bir Zamanlar" ("once") literally translates to "there was once" in Turkish, implying that it is a narrative about an event that has since come and gone. | |||
| Xhosa | kanye | ||
| In Xhosa, "Kanye" can also refer to a type of small or young goat. | |||
| Yiddish | אַמאָל | ||
| The Yiddish word "אַמאָל" can also mean "once, once upon a time, in the past, at one time, formerly." | |||
| Zulu | kanye | ||
| In Zulu, 'kanye' can also mean 'one' or 'a certain' when used in different contexts. | |||
| Assamese | এবাৰ | ||
| Aymara | maya kuti | ||
| Bhojpuri | एक बार | ||
| Dhivehi | އެއްފަހަރު | ||
| Dogri | इक बारी | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | minsan | ||
| Guarani | peteĩ jey | ||
| Ilocano | maminsan | ||
| Krio | wan tɛm | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | کاتێک | ||
| Maithili | एक बेर | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯃꯨꯛꯈꯛ | ||
| Mizo | vawikhat | ||
| Oromo | al tokko | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଥରେ | | ||
| Quechua | huk kutilla | ||
| Sanskrit | एकदा | ||
| Tatar | бер тапкыр | ||
| Tigrinya | ሓንሳዕ | ||
| Tsonga | xikan'we | ||