Onto in Different Languages
Discover 'Onto' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'onto' is a small but powerful preposition in the English language, signifying movement or placement onto a surface or object. It's a word we use daily, often without realizing its significance. But have you ever wondered how to say 'onto' in different languages?
Understanding the translation of 'onto' in various languages can open up new cultural experiences and deepen our appreciation for the diversity of human language. For example, in Spanish, 'onto' translates to 'sobre', while in German, it's 'auf'. In French, 'onto' becomes 'sur', and in Japanese, 'onto' is expressed as '上に'.
Moreover, the word 'onto' has a rich historical context. It has been used in literature, science, and mathematics to convey complex ideas and concepts. For instance, in mathematics, 'onto' is used to describe a function that maps every element of the domain to at least one element of the range.
So, whether you're a language enthusiast, a world traveler, or a student of mathematics, understanding the translation of 'onto' in different languages can be a fascinating journey. Let's explore some of these translations now.
Onto
Onto in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | op | ||
| The Afrikaans word "op" can also mean "open" or "upwards". | |||
| Amharic | ላይ | ||
| "Lay": in addition to meaning "onto", can mean "over" as in "he's standing over a cliff." | |||
| Hausa | uwa | ||
| The word "uwa" in Hausa can also mean "over" or "above" | |||
| Igbo | n'elu | ||
| The Igbo word "n'elu" also means "heaven" or "sky". | |||
| Malagasy | teo | ||
| The word "teo" in Malagasy can also mean "for" or "with". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kulowa | ||
| The word "kulowa" in Nyanja can also mean "upon" or "in respect to". | |||
| Shona | kupinda | ||
| The word "kupinda" in Shona also means "to cross" or "to go over". | |||
| Somali | dul | ||
| The word "dul" in Somali can also mean "down" or "toward". | |||
| Sesotho | kena | ||
| The word "kena" can also mean "to give" or "to place" in Sesotho. | |||
| Swahili | kuingia | ||
| The Swahili word "kuingia" can also mean "to enter" or "to join." | |||
| Xhosa | ungene | ||
| Ungena in Xhosa also has the alternate meaning of 'to put on'. | |||
| Yoruba | pẹlẹpẹlẹ | ||
| Zulu | ungene | ||
| Although "ungene" means "onto" in Zulu, it is also used as the imperative form of the verb "to give". | |||
| Bambara | kan | ||
| Ewe | ɖe edzi | ||
| Kinyarwanda | kuri | ||
| Lingala | likolo ya | ||
| Luganda | ku | ||
| Sepedi | godimo ga | ||
| Twi (Akan) | onto | ||
Onto in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | على | ||
| The word "على" can also mean "over," "above," or "during" depending on the context. | |||
| Hebrew | עַל גַבֵּי | ||
| The word "עַל גַבֵּי" literally means "on the back of", from the root "גב" (back). | |||
| Pashto | پر | ||
| The word "پر" in Pashto also means "up to" or "as far as". | |||
| Arabic | على | ||
| The word "على" can also mean "over," "above," or "during" depending on the context. | |||
Onto in Western European Languages
| Albanian | mbi | ||
| The word "mbi" in Albanian is derived from the Proto-Albanian word *mbhi, meaning "above". | |||
| Basque | gainean | ||
| The word "gainean" in Basque, besides meaning "onto", also means "on top of" or "above". | |||
| Catalan | a | ||
| In Catalan, the word "a" can also mean "to", "at", or "in". | |||
| Croatian | na | ||
| The word "na" also means "at" or "in" and can indicate direction, location, or time. | |||
| Danish | på | ||
| The word "på" can also mean "about" or "of" in Danish, and it comes from the Old Norse word "á". | |||
| Dutch | op | ||
| The Dutch word "op" is also used in the sense of "open"} | |||
| English | onto | ||
| The word "onto" is derived from the Old English "on to," meaning "on the top of" or "in addition to." | |||
| French | sur | ||
| The French word "sur" also means "on, above, over, upon" | |||
| Frisian | onto | ||
| In Frisian, "onto" can also mean "on" or "upon". | |||
| Galician | en | ||
| En Galician, "en" can also mean "in", "within", or "during". | |||
| German | auf zu | ||
| The phrase 'auf zu' is derived from the combination of the preposition 'auf' ('on', 'to') and the directional particle 'zu' ('toward', 'to'), indicating movement or direction toward an object or place. | |||
| Icelandic | inn á | ||
| The word 'inn á' can also be translated as 'in' or 'into', depending on context. | |||
| Irish | isteach | ||
| The word 'isteach' also means 'inside' or 'into' | |||
| Italian | su | ||
| The word "su" also means "above" or "on top of" in Italian. | |||
| Luxembourgish | op | ||
| The word 'op' can also mean 'open' in Luxembourgish. | |||
| Maltese | fuq | ||
| The Maltese word "fuq" also means "over", "above", "on top of", or "upon". | |||
| Norwegian | videre til | ||
| The Norwegian word "videre til" also means "next" in English, but specifically in the context of navigation or a series of actions. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | para | ||
| In Portuguese, "para" can also mean "for" (purpose, destination), "by" (means, agent), or "in order to". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | air adhart | ||
| The Scots Gaelic phrase "air adhart" has an alternate meaning of "openly or publicly" | |||
| Spanish | sobre | ||
| "Sobre" also means "envelope" or "about" in Spanish. | |||
| Swedish | till | ||
| The Swedish word "till" can also mean "until" or "to" in English. | |||
| Welsh | ymlaen | ||
| The Middle Welsh form of ymlaen, ymlan (‘before’; ‘in the presence of’), is attested in the pre-Old-Welsh *mlānos (“on’; of places) | |||
Onto in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | на | ||
| In some contexts, "на" can also mean "about" or "approximately." | |||
| Bosnian | na | ||
| Bosnian word "na" can also mean "at" or "by" and is a shortened form of "nad" or "nada" meaning "on" or "above". | |||
| Bulgarian | върху | ||
| As a preposition, "върху" can also mean "about" or "on the topic of." | |||
| Czech | na | ||
| The word "na" can also mean "in", "at", "on", or "to" and is used in many compound words. | |||
| Estonian | peale | ||
| The word "peale" also means "after" and is cognate with the Finnish word "pääle" and Russian word "после". | |||
| Finnish | päälle | ||
| "Päälle" also means "on" or "turned on" in Finnish. | |||
| Hungarian | -ra | ||
| The word "-ra" is the suffix version of the noun "hely" meaning "place", and can also be used to mean "to" or "for". | |||
| Latvian | uz | ||
| The word “uz” is also used to indicate the approximate location of an object or the direction of movement. | |||
| Lithuanian | ant | ||
| In Lithuanian, the word "ant" not only means "onto" but also has the archaic meaning of "against" or "opposite to". | |||
| Macedonian | кон | ||
| "Кон" can also mean "towards", "against", or "in front of" in Macedonian. | |||
| Polish | na | ||
| In early Polish, "na" could also mean "against" or "in". | |||
| Romanian | pe | ||
| The word "pe" in Romanian also means "on" or "upon" and is derived from the Latin preposition "per". | |||
| Russian | на | ||
| The Russian word "на" can also mean "on", "at", "in", or "per". | |||
| Serbian | на | ||
| "На" also means 'at' or 'in' in Serbian, depending on context. | |||
| Slovak | na | ||
| The word "na" in Slovak also means "upon", "to", or "in" when a movement is implied. | |||
| Slovenian | na | ||
| The word "na" in Slovenian also means "for" or "on" something (e.g. "na vrhu" = "on the top"). | |||
| Ukrainian | на | ||
| The preposition "на" can also mean "about" or "on" in a temporal sense. | |||
Onto in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | উপর | ||
| "উপর" can also mean "over" or "above" in English | |||
| Gujarati | પર | ||
| The Gujarati word 'પર' ('onto') can also be used to denote purpose or condition. | |||
| Hindi | पर | ||
| The word "पर" in Hindi can mean "in" or "on" depending on the context. | |||
| Kannada | ಮೇಲೆ | ||
| The word "ಮೇಲೆ" also means "above" or "on top of" in Kannada. | |||
| Malayalam | എന്നതിലേക്ക് | ||
| Marathi | वर | ||
| "वर" can also mean "on" or "upon", and is cognate with the Hindi word "par". | |||
| Nepali | मा | ||
| The word 'मा' is also used in Nepali with the meaning 'in' or 'into' as in 'घरमा' (ghar-mā) meaning 'in the house'. | |||
| Punjabi | ਉੱਤੇ | ||
| The word "ਉੱਤੇ" also suggests the idea of "upon" or "over", indicating a higher position or location. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | මතට | ||
| "මතට" (matata) in Sinhala can also mean "upon", "over", "above", or "on top of". | |||
| Tamil | மீது | ||
| The word "மீது" can also mean "on top of", "above", or "over". | |||
| Telugu | పైకి | ||
| The word "పైకి" can also mean "upwards" or "on top of". | |||
| Urdu | پر | ||
| The word "پر" in Urdu, meaning "onto," evolved from the Sanskrit word "पर्यत" (paryata), meaning "along or around". | |||
Onto in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 到 | ||
| The character "到" is composed of the radicals "彳" (walking) and "止" (stop), indicating movement towards a destination. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 到 | ||
| In the sense of "to reach" or "to arrive", "到" is composed of the two radicals "行" (to walk) and "止" (to stop), indicating the end point of a journey. | |||
| Japanese | に | ||
| The kanji for に can also mean "in" and "towards." | |||
| Korean | 위에 | ||
| The Korean word '위에' can also mean 'upon' or 'over' when describing the location of something. | |||
| Mongolian | дээр | ||
| The word 'дээр', which means 'onto', is also used to mean 'above', 'on', or 'in' in some contexts. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ပေါ်သို့ | ||
Onto in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | ke | ||
| Ke can also mean 'to' (a place) or 'towards' a destination or goal. | |||
| Javanese | menyang | ||
| The Javanese word "menyang" also has an alternate meaning of "through" or "into" | |||
| Khmer | លើ | ||
| The word "លើ" can also mean "about", "on", "over", and "above" in Khmer. | |||
| Lao | ໃສ່ | ||
| " ใส่ (sày) originates from Thai ใส่ (sài) which has a range of meanings including: to wear, to put on, to install, to add, to include, to insert, to mount, to load, to charge, to fill, to fit, to put, to inject, to apply, to operate, to equip, to make." | |||
| Malay | ke | ||
| The word 'ke' in Malay can also mean 'towards' or 'to'. | |||
| Thai | ไปยัง | ||
| The word "ไปยัง" also means "to" and "until" when used with verbs of motion. | |||
| Vietnamese | trên | ||
| The word "trên" derives from "trên trời," meaning "the sky," and has the connotation of moving to a higher position. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | papunta sa | ||
Onto in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | üzərinə | ||
| The word "üzərinə" also means "against" or "in relation to" in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | үстінде | ||
| The word "үстінде" in Kazakh can also mean "on (a surface)", "above", or "over". | |||
| Kyrgyz | көздөй | ||
| The word "көздөй" can also mean "towards" or "in the direction of" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | биронанд | ||
| This Tajik word derives from two Persian words meaning “on” and “what” and can also mean “to” in the case of movement. | |||
| Turkmen | üstüne | ||
| Uzbek | ustiga | ||
| The word “ustiga” in Uzbek is a derivative of the word “üst”, meaning “up” or “on top”. | |||
| Uyghur | ئۈستىدە | ||
Onto in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ma luna o | ||
| Ma is a preposition meaning on, upon or towards and Luna is a preposition meaning under, below or near. | |||
| Maori | ki runga | ||
| As an imperative, ki runga means 'ascend', and refers to an elevated position. | |||
| Samoan | i luga | ||
| The word 'i luga' can also be translated as 'on' or 'at'. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | papunta sa | ||
| The term "papunta sa" also carries the connotation of "towards" or "in the direction of" a particular location or destination | |||
Onto in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | ukatsti | ||
| Guarani | ári | ||
Onto in International Languages
| Esperanto | sur | ||
| The Esperanto word "sur" originally meant "above" or "over" in Volapük, a constructed language created by Johann Martin Schleyer in 1879. | |||
| Latin | onto | ||
| The word "onto" in Latin derives from the Greek word "onta", meaning "being" or "things that are". | |||
Onto in Others Languages
| Greek | επάνω σε | ||
| The Greek phrase "επάνω σε" can also mean "above", "on top of", or "upon" depending on the context. | |||
| Hmong | rua | ||
| The Hmong word "rua" also means "to" or "towards". | |||
| Kurdish | ser | ||
| The word "ser" also means "self" or "oneself" in Kurdish. | |||
| Turkish | üstüne | ||
| In Turkish, "üstüne" also carries the meanings of "in addition", "moreover" and "on the top of" | |||
| Xhosa | ungene | ||
| Ungena in Xhosa also has the alternate meaning of 'to put on'. | |||
| Yiddish | אַנטו | ||
| The Yiddish word "אַנטו" ("onto") shares its origin with the German preposition "auf" and the Slavic preposition "na". | |||
| Zulu | ungene | ||
| Although "ungene" means "onto" in Zulu, it is also used as the imperative form of the verb "to give". | |||
| Assamese | onto | ||
| Aymara | ukatsti | ||
| Bhojpuri | पर बा | ||
| Dhivehi | މައްޗަށް | ||
| Dogri | पर | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | papunta sa | ||
| Guarani | ári | ||
| Ilocano | onto | ||
| Krio | onto | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | لەسەر | ||
| Maithili | पर | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | onto | ||
| Mizo | onto a ni | ||
| Oromo | irratti | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଉପରେ | ||
| Quechua | onto | ||
| Sanskrit | onto इति | ||
| Tatar | өстенә | ||
| Tigrinya | ኣብ ልዕሊኡ | ||
| Tsonga | ehenhla ka | ||