Only in Different Languages
Discover 'Only' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'only' holds a significant place in the English language, often used to convey exclusivity or limitation. It's a word that can completely change the meaning of a sentence, emphasizing the importance of understanding its cultural impact and translations in different languages.
Historically, 'only' has been used in various contexts, from literature to legal documents, to express a single condition or exception. For instance, Shakespeare's Hamlet famously laments, 'To be, or not to be: that is the question.' Here, 'only' is used to introduce the single, crucial question that forms the basis of the soliloquy.
Given its significance, you might wonder, 'how is only translated in different languages?' Well, in Spanish, 'only' translates to 'solo,' while in French, it's 'seulement.' In German, you'd use 'nur,' and in Japanese, 'ただ' (tada).
Stay tuned as we delve deeper into the translations of 'only' in various languages, providing you with a richer understanding of this common yet powerful word.
Only
Only in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | enigste | ||
| The word "enigste" in Afrikaans derives from the Dutch "eenigste," which also means "unique." | |||
| Amharic | ብቻ | ||
| In Amharic, "ብቻ" can also mean "together" in some contexts. | |||
| Hausa | kawai | ||
| 'Kawai' can also mean 'to be sufficient' or 'to be small in quantity or amount' in Hausa. | |||
| Igbo | naanị | ||
| Naanị also means 'that which remains' in Igbo. | |||
| Malagasy | ihany | ||
| The word "ihany" in Malagasy derives from the root word "hany", meaning "to be alone or separate". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kokha | ||
| "Kokha" is a word in Nyanja (Chichewa) used as an exclamation to call upon an individual to come closer or pay attention. | |||
| Shona | chete | ||
| "Chete" also means "pure," "unadulterated," or "genuine" as in "chete chete chete" (extremely pure). | |||
| Somali | kaliya | ||
| The word "kaliya" in Somali can also refer to a type of sweet dessert, usually made with cassava and coconut. | |||
| Sesotho | feela | ||
| *Feela* can also refer to the 'one' of 'one of the' (equivalent to the Afrikaans 'die een van') or mean 'one of several'. | |||
| Swahili | tu | ||
| Swahili "tu" can also mean "just" or "only" in the sense of "that was all there was." | |||
| Xhosa | kuphela | ||
| Kuphela is a common word in Xhosa, used in various contexts to mean "alone," "the only one," or "apart from others." | |||
| Yoruba | nikan | ||
| The Yoruba word "nikan" can also mean "alone" or "private". | |||
| Zulu | kuphela | ||
| The Zulu word 'kuphela' can also mean 'solely' or 'merely'. | |||
| Bambara | dɔrɔn | ||
| Ewe | ko | ||
| Kinyarwanda | gusa | ||
| Lingala | kaka | ||
| Luganda | -okka | ||
| Sepedi | fela | ||
| Twi (Akan) | nko ara | ||
Only in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | فقط | ||
| The word "فقط" also means "immediately" or "quickly" in modern colloquial Arabic. | |||
| Hebrew | רק | ||
| Though it means "only," the Hebrew word "רק" also implies a concession, as if saying, "Even if..." | |||
| Pashto | یوازې | ||
| The Pashto word "یوازې" can also mean "alone" or "lonely". | |||
| Arabic | فقط | ||
| The word "فقط" also means "immediately" or "quickly" in modern colloquial Arabic. | |||
Only in Western European Languages
| Albanian | vetëm | ||
| In Gheg Albanian, “vetëm” means “alone” and is related to “vetë” meaning “self”. | |||
| Basque | bakarrik | ||
| The word "bakarrik" is also used in the sense of "solitude" or "aloneness". | |||
| Catalan | només | ||
| The word "només" in Catalan is derived from two Latin words: "non" ("not") and "mais" ("more"). | |||
| Croatian | samo | ||
| The Croatian word 'samo' can also mean 'one' or 'solely' in some contexts, and its etymological root is the same as the English word 'same'. | |||
| Danish | kun | ||
| "Kun" (only) can also be used to mean "skill" or "ability", as in the phrase "han har en stor kun på klaveret" (he has great skill at the piano). | |||
| Dutch | enkel en alleen | ||
| The Dutch word "enkel en alleen" can also mean "single and alone". | |||
| English | only | ||
| The word 'only' has roots in the Old English words 'an' and 'lic', meaning 'one' and 'like', respectively, and has evolved to imply singularity or exclusivity. | |||
| French | seulement | ||
| "Seulement" is derived from Latin "solamente," meaning "alone," and can also be used to express "except" or "merely" | |||
| Frisian | allinnich | ||
| The Frisian word "allinnich" means "only" and is related to the English word "lonely" and the Dutch word "alleen". | |||
| Galician | só | ||
| "Só" shares its etymology with the English "sole" and Spanish "solo", coming from Latin "solus" meaning "by oneself or alone." | |||
| German | nur | ||
| The word "nur" is cognate with the English "now," and was originally used to indicate time but over time came to take on a sense of exclusivity. | |||
| Icelandic | aðeins | ||
| The term "aðeins" originally meant "still further" or "yet" in Old Norse, and the "-eins" suffix carries an emphatic meaning. | |||
| Irish | amháin | ||
| In Irish, 'amháin' is a descendant of the Old Irish word 'am', meaning 'time' or 'occasion', and has cognates in Welsh and Breton. | |||
| Italian | solo | ||
| The Italian word "solo" also means "alone" in the sense of a single, isolated individual. | |||
| Luxembourgish | nëmmen | ||
| The word "nëmmen" can also mean "hardly" or "scarcely". | |||
| Maltese | biss | ||
| The word "biss" derives from the Arabic "بس" (bass), meaning "enough" or "sufficient". | |||
| Norwegian | kun | ||
| The Norwegian word "kun" can also mean "barely" or "merely". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | só | ||
| The word "só" can also mean alone, lonely, just, and recently. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | a-mhàin | ||
| The Gaelic word 'a-mhàin' derives from the Old Gaelic 'omain', which means 'peculiarity' or 'exclusiveness'. | |||
| Spanish | solamente | ||
| "Solamente" can also mean "merely", "barely", or "simply". | |||
| Swedish | endast | ||
| The word 'endast' in Swedish is derived from the Old Norse word 'einnstöðr,' meaning 'standing alone' or 'solitary'. | |||
| Welsh | yn unig | ||
| "Yn unig" also means "only" in the sense of "unique." | |||
Only in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | толькі | ||
| The word "толькі" can also mean "simply", "just", or "merely". | |||
| Bosnian | samo | ||
| In the context of 'to be', 'samo' can also mean 'mere' and is frequently used together with 'jeste' (is) to express that something is of a basic or fundamental nature. | |||
| Bulgarian | само | ||
| "Само" can also mean "just" or "barely." | |||
| Czech | pouze | ||
| "Pouze" can also mean "a deserted place" in certain contexts. | |||
| Estonian | ainult | ||
| The Estonian word "ainult" (only) shares a root with the Finnish "ainoa" (the only one). | |||
| Finnish | vain | ||
| The word "vain" in Finnish can also mean "only". | |||
| Hungarian | csak | ||
| The word "csak" can also mean "just" or "merely" in Hungarian. | |||
| Latvian | tikai | ||
| The Latvian word "tikai" ultimately derives from the Proto-Indo-European root "*tik-," meaning "to touch" or "to reach out to." | |||
| Lithuanian | tik | ||
| The word "tik" in Lithuanian can also mean "just", "merely", or "simply". | |||
| Macedonian | само | ||
| The word "само" in Macedonian can also mean "alone" or "only oneself". | |||
| Polish | tylko | ||
| The word "tylko" in Polish can also mean "barely" or "just". | |||
| Romanian | numai | ||
| The word "numai" can also mean "except" or "but" in Romanian. | |||
| Russian | только | ||
| The word "только" (tol'ko) has an additional meaning as a conjunction meaning "if only" or "as soon as". | |||
| Serbian | само | ||
| The word "само" comes from Proto-Slavic "*samo" meaning "alone" and can also be used to emphasize an adjective or adverb. | |||
| Slovak | iba | ||
| The word "iba" can also mean "just" or "merely". | |||
| Slovenian | samo | ||
| In Old Church Slavonic, the etymon has a more general meaning 'alone, solitary'. | |||
| Ukrainian | лише | ||
| In Ukrainian, "лише" can also mean "just" or "barely". | |||
Only in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | কেবল | ||
| The word 'কেবল' may have originated from the Sanskrit word 'केवल' (keval), meaning 'single' or 'separate'. | |||
| Gujarati | માત્ર | ||
| The word "માત્ર" also means "just", "merely", or "simply" in Gujarati. | |||
| Hindi | केवल | ||
| केवल (Keval) is also a Jain terminology used to describe the state of a liberated soul. | |||
| Kannada | ಮಾತ್ರ | ||
| ಮಾತ್ರ (mātra) can also mean "alone," "solely," or "exclusively." | |||
| Malayalam | മാത്രം | ||
| The word 'മാത്രം' ('mātram') in Malayalam also means 'verse' or 'measure' in the context of music. | |||
| Marathi | फक्त | ||
| The Marathi word "फक्त" ("only") is derived from the Sanskrit word 'prakarta' meaning 'sufficient'. | |||
| Nepali | मात्र | ||
| The Sanskrit word "mātra" means "only" and is also the word for "measure". | |||
| Punjabi | ਸਿਰਫ | ||
| The word "ਸਿਰਫ" also means "just" in the sense of "barely" or "scarcely" | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | එකම | ||
| In Sinhala, "එකම" also denotes the concepts of the primary or singular form of something. | |||
| Tamil | மட்டும் | ||
| The term "மட்டும்" (mattum) in Tamil also denotes "alone" or "without companions" as an additional meaning. | |||
| Telugu | మాత్రమే | ||
| Urdu | صرف | ||
| The word "صرف" in Urdu can also mean "expenditure" or "money spent", deriving from the Arabic root "صرف" meaning "to spend". | |||
Only in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 只要 | ||
| It is also used as a conjunction meaning "as long as". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 只要 | ||
| 只要 comes from the phrase 只要就 meaning “in as much as, given that” and the meaning only developed during the Ming Dynasty. | |||
| Japanese | のみ | ||
| "のみ" has the original meaning of "a flea," and is still used in its original sense, as in "のみ取り" (flea removal). | |||
| Korean | 뿐 | ||
| 뿐 is also used in Korean in place of the word 'but'. | |||
| Mongolian | зөвхөн | ||
| It shares the same root with "зүх" and "зурх" which mean heart, therefore it implies completeness and entirety. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | သာ | ||
| သာသာ | |||
Only in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | hanya | ||
| The alternate meaning of the Indonesian word "hanya" is "merely". | |||
| Javanese | mung | ||
| The Javanese word "mung" also means "just" or "merely". | |||
| Khmer | តែប៉ុណ្ណោះ | ||
| Lao | ເທົ່ານັ້ນ | ||
| Malay | hanya | ||
| The word "hanya" can also be used to indicate exclusivity, such as "hanya untuk anggota" (members only). | |||
| Thai | เท่านั้น | ||
| เท่านั้น can also mean "therefore" or "that is why". | |||
| Vietnamese | chỉ có | ||
| The Vietnamese word "chỉ có" originated from the Chinese expression "祗有" and can also mean "there is only". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | lamang | ||
Only in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | yalnız | ||
| "Yalnız" means both "only" and "lonely" in Azerbaijani due to their common Proto-Turkic root "yalnızuk," which encompassed the meanings of "singleness, solitude, and isolation." | |||
| Kazakh | тек | ||
| The word «тек» is sometimes used in place of «басқа еш», which also means «only». | |||
| Kyrgyz | гана | ||
| "Гана" can also mean "the only one" or "unique." | |||
| Tajik | танҳо | ||
| The word "танҳо" can also mean "lonely" or "alone" in Tajik. | |||
| Turkmen | diňe | ||
| Uzbek | faqat | ||
| The word "faqat" is derived from the Persian word "faqat" and the Arabic word "faqat", both of which mean "only." | |||
| Uyghur | پەقەت | ||
Only in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | wale | ||
| In Hawaiian poetry, the word 'wale' can also refer to a refrain or refrain-like repetition of a line or phrase. | |||
| Maori | anake | ||
| Its original meaning was 'separate' and was not used to mean 'only' until approximately 1850. | |||
| Samoan | naʻo | ||
| The word "naʻo" is traditionally used in Samoan to refer to the exclusive possession of something, and can sometimes refer to an exception to a rule, similar to the English "provided that". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | lamang | ||
| The Tagalog word "lamang" is cognate with the Malay word "hanya" and originally meant "a little" or "a bit". | |||
Only in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | sapa | ||
| Guarani | ha'eño | ||
Only in International Languages
| Esperanto | nur | ||
| The Esperanto word "nur" is derived from the German word "nur" and the Latin word "nurus". | |||
| Latin | tantum | ||
| Derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *ten-, the source of English 'thin', 'tend', and 'tense'. | |||
Only in Others Languages
| Greek | μόνο | ||
| "μόνο" is derived from the Indo-European root *me-, meaning "alone" or "separate". | |||
| Hmong | xwb | ||
| The word "xwb" in Hmong can also mean "simply" or "merely". | |||
| Kurdish | bes | ||
| The Kurdish word "bes" (only) also means "enough" in Turkish, and "five" in Persian. | |||
| Turkish | bir tek | ||
| In Ottoman Turkish, "bir tek" also meant "a shot of alcohol". | |||
| Xhosa | kuphela | ||
| Kuphela is a common word in Xhosa, used in various contexts to mean "alone," "the only one," or "apart from others." | |||
| Yiddish | בלויז | ||
| The Yiddish word "בלויז" is ultimately derived from the German "blos" (meaning "merely, simply") but can also be used in Yiddish for emphasis. | |||
| Zulu | kuphela | ||
| The Zulu word 'kuphela' can also mean 'solely' or 'merely'. | |||
| Assamese | কেৱল | ||
| Aymara | sapa | ||
| Bhojpuri | खाली | ||
| Dhivehi | ހަމައެކަނި | ||
| Dogri | छड़ा | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | lamang | ||
| Guarani | ha'eño | ||
| Ilocano | laeng | ||
| Krio | nɔmɔ | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | تەنها | ||
| Maithili | केवल मात्र | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯈꯛꯇ | ||
| Mizo | chauh | ||
| Oromo | qofa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | କେବଳ | ||
| Quechua | solamente | ||
| Sanskrit | केवलम् | ||
| Tatar | гына | ||
| Tigrinya | ጥራሕ | ||
| Tsonga | ntsena | ||