Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'originally' is a simple adverb that carries a profound weight. It indicates the beginning or the first occurrence of something, taking us back to the source or the genesis of an idea, event, or object. Understanding the original meaning or context of something is crucial in many aspects of life, from understanding cultural nuances to solving complex scientific problems.
Moreover, the word 'originally' is a gateway to exploring the rich tapestry of languages and cultures around the world. For instance, in Spanish, 'originally' translates to 'originalmente,' while in French, it is 'originellement.' In German, it is 'ursprünglich,' and in Japanese, it is '元来 (moto ni).'
Delving into the translations of 'originally' offers us a glimpse into the unique linguistic and cultural perspectives of different nations. It's a journey of discovery that not only enriches our vocabulary but also broadens our understanding and appreciation of the world's diversity.
Afrikaans | oorspronklik | ||
The word "oorspronklik" comes from the German word "ursprünglich" and has the same meaning. | |||
Amharic | በመጀመሪያ | ||
The word "በመጀመሪያ" can also mean "at first" or "in the beginning." | |||
Hausa | asali | ||
Hausa "asali" (''originally'') also means ''first wife'' in the context of polygamy, or ''the actual thing'' as in "asali gaskia'' (''the original truth'') and "asali abin'' (''the authentic thing''). | |||
Igbo | na mbụ | ||
The word "na mbụ" in Igbo is also used in the context of "from the beginning" or "all along." | |||
Malagasy | am-boalohany | ||
The word "am-boalohany" can also mean "at first" or "in the beginning" in Malagasy. | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | poyamba | ||
The word "poyamba" in Nyanja (Chichewa) also means "at first" and "to begin with." | |||
Shona | pakutanga | ||
The word 'pakutanga' is derived from the verb 'kutanga', meaning 'to start' or 'to begin'. | |||
Somali | asal ahaan | ||
The word "asal ahaan" in Somali can also mean "by nature" or "by birth." | |||
Sesotho | qalong | ||
Swahili | awali | ||
"Awali" is used in Swahili to refer to the commencement, foundation or inception of something. | |||
Xhosa | ekuqaleni | ||
The word 'ekuqaleni' also means 'the beginning'. | |||
Yoruba | ni akọkọ | ||
The word "ni akọkọ" can also mean "at first" or "in the beginning". | |||
Zulu | ekuqaleni | ||
"Ekuqaleni" is a Zulu word that can also mean "in the beginning" or "from the very first". | |||
Bambara | a daminɛ na | ||
Ewe | le gɔmedzedzea me | ||
Kinyarwanda | mu ntangiriro | ||
Lingala | na ebandeli | ||
Luganda | mu kusooka | ||
Sepedi | mathomong | ||
Twi (Akan) | mfiase no | ||
Arabic | في الأصل | ||
The word "في الأصل" can also mean "in the beginning" or "at the outset". | |||
Hebrew | בְּמָקוֹר | ||
The word "במקור" can also mean "in the source" or "from the source". | |||
Pashto | په اصل کې | ||
Arabic | في الأصل | ||
The word "في الأصل" can also mean "in the beginning" or "at the outset". |
Albanian | fillimisht | ||
The word "fillimisht" is also used to mean "at first" or "initially" in Albanian. | |||
Basque | jatorriz | ||
The word "jatorriz" can also be used to refer to the original state of something or the origin of something. | |||
Catalan | originalment | ||
The word "originalment" comes from the Latin "originalis", meaning "pertaining to the origin". | |||
Croatian | izvorno | ||
The word "izvorno" in Croatian can also mean "authentic" or "traditional." | |||
Danish | oprindeligt | ||
Oprindeligt' comes from old Norse 'orpi' (inheritance) and 'vindr' (gain) | |||
Dutch | oorspronkelijk | ||
"Oorspronkelijk" can also mean "indigenous" in Dutch, such as "oorspronkelijke bewoners" ("indigenous people"). | |||
English | originally | ||
The word 'originally' can also mean 'in a fundamental or essential way'. | |||
French | à l'origine | ||
“À l'origine” means both “originally” and “the origin”, so French dictionaries usually have two entries for it with those meanings. | |||
Frisian | oarspronklik | ||
Oarspronklik, in Frisian, is derived from the word oarsprong (origin), and can also mean 'in the first place'. | |||
Galician | orixinalmente | ||
Galician orixinalmente derives from Latin "originaliter" meaning "from the beginning" and is semantically equivalent to "inicialmente" (initially). | |||
German | ursprünglich | ||
"Ursprünglich" also means "primitive" or "basic" in German. | |||
Icelandic | upphaflega | ||
The word "upphaflega" in Icelandic originally meant "the beginning" or "the first part" of something. | |||
Irish | ar dtús | ||
The noun "ar dtús" also means "beginning", "origin", and "source" in Irish. | |||
Italian | originariamente | ||
The Italian word “originariamente” derives from the Latin “origo” which means “beginning” and the suffix “-mente” which indicates manner or way. | |||
Luxembourgish | ursprénglech | ||
Maltese | oriġinarjament | ||
The word "oriġinarjament" derives from the Latin "origo" meaning "source" or "beginning". | |||
Norwegian | opprinnelig | ||
The word "opprinnelig" is derived from the Old Norse word "uppruni", meaning "beginning" or "source." | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | originalmente | ||
Portuguese originally used 'originalmente' (originally) in the 14th century as the plural of 'originário,' a descendant of Latin's adjective "originarius." | |||
Scots Gaelic | bho thùs | ||
The word 'bho thùs' in Scots Gaelic can also mean 'from this' or 'since then'. | |||
Spanish | originalmente | ||
The word "originalmente" derives from Latin and can also mean "initially" or "primarily." | |||
Swedish | ursprungligen | ||
In German, "ursprünglich" means "original", but with an emphasis on the origin or beginning of something. | |||
Welsh | yn wreiddiol | ||
Belarusian | першапачаткова | ||
In Old Church Slavonic, "першапачаткова" could mean "first" as well as "originally." | |||
Bosnian | izvorno | ||
The word 'izvorno' in Bosnian can also mean 'native', 'original', 'authentic', or 'pristine'. | |||
Bulgarian | първоначално | ||
The word "първоначално" can also mean "at the beginning", "initially" or "originally", and is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *pьrvъ, meaning "first". | |||
Czech | původně | ||
Originally "původně" meant "according to the origin"} | |||
Estonian | algselt | ||
The word "algselt" also has the meaning of "the very first". | |||
Finnish | alun perin | ||
The word "alun" is an archaic form of "alku" (beginning, source) and "perin" is a short form of "perintö" (heritage, tradition). | |||
Hungarian | eredetileg | ||
Eredetileg has the same root as ered, meaning "origin" or "source". | |||
Latvian | sākotnēji | ||
The word "sākotnēji" in Latvian has its origins in the Old Prussian word "sakūtan" meaning "from the beginning". | |||
Lithuanian | iš pradžių | ||
"Iš pradžių" in Lithuanian can also mean "at first", "in the beginning", or "initially". | |||
Macedonian | првично | ||
The word "првично" can also mean "primitive". | |||
Polish | pierwotnie | ||
In Polish, "pierwotnie" can also mean "primitively" or "in the first place". | |||
Romanian | iniţial | ||
The word "iniţial" is derived from the Latin word "initialis," meaning "pertaining to a beginning" or "first in order." | |||
Russian | изначально | ||
In the Russian language, the word "изначально" can also mean "in the beginning", "from the start". | |||
Serbian | оригинално | ||
The Serbian word "оригинално" comes from the Latin word "originalis" which means "of or belonging to the origin". | |||
Slovak | pôvodne | ||
The root "pôvod" is related to the word "počiatok", which means "beginning." | |||
Slovenian | originalno | ||
The word "originalno" in Slovenian also means "creative" or "unique." | |||
Ukrainian | спочатку | ||
Українське слово “спочатку” має давньоруське походження, а його початкове значення було “від самого початку”. |
Bengali | মূলত | ||
The word "মূলত" (mūlata) in Bengali derives from the Sanskrit word "mūla" meaning "root" or "origin". | |||
Gujarati | મૂળ | ||
The Gujarati word "મૂળ" can also mean "root" or "basis". | |||
Hindi | मौलिक रूप से | ||
The Hindi word 'मौलिक रूप से' (' मूलतः ') is derived from the Sanskrit word 'मूल' (root), which also connotes the notions of 'fundamentally' and 'essentially' | |||
Kannada | ಮೂಲತಃ | ||
ಮೂಲತಃ is derived from the Sanskrit 'mūla', which means 'root' | |||
Malayalam | യഥാർത്ഥത്തിൽ | ||
Marathi | मूलतः | ||
मूलतः is also used in the sense of "at first" and sometimes "in the beginning." | |||
Nepali | मौलिक | ||
The word "मौलिक" in Nepali comes from the Sanskrit word "मूल" which means "root" or "base". | |||
Punjabi | ਅਸਲ ਵਿੱਚ | ||
The word "ਅਸਲ ਵਿੱਚ" ("originally") derives from the word "ਅਸਲ" (which originally meant "property" or "reality") and can also be used to mean "really" or "in fact". | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | මුලින් | ||
"මුලින්" may also mean 'to go round, surround, envelop,' and 'to bend down, to lower' in Sinhala. | |||
Tamil | முதலில் | ||
The word 'முதலில்' can also mean 'at first' or 'primarily' in Tamil. | |||
Telugu | మొదట | ||
The word "మొదట" can also mean "first" or "beginning". | |||
Urdu | اصل میں | ||
The expression "اصل میں" is an Urdu expression which can also mean "essentially", "fundamentally", or "primarily" in terms of meaning and function. |
Chinese (Simplified) | 本来 | ||
The first character '本' of "本来" means 'root' while the second '来' means 'origin'. | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 本來 | ||
本 can also mean root or origin, while 來 signifies the source or beginning. | |||
Japanese | もともと | ||
Originally a combination of the adverbs **もとより** (**motto yori** - all the more so) and **もって** (**motte** - by means of), **もともと** (**motomoto** - originally) denotes a state or quality that is inherent to something. | |||
Korean | 원래 | ||
Mongolian | анхнаасаа | ||
The word "анхнаасаа" comes from the Mongolian verb "анхнах" (to begin), and it is often used to refer to the beginning of a story or event. | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | မူလ | ||
မူလ can also mean "root" "base" "beginning" "origin" or "source". |
Indonesian | semula | ||
"Semula" comes from the Sanskrit word "sam" (together) and "ula" (again), meaning "to gather again" or "to unite again." | |||
Javanese | asline | ||
The word "asline" in Javanese is derived from the Sanskrit word "asalin", which also means "origin". In modern Javanese, the word "asline" is often used to refer to the original form of something, or to its origin. | |||
Khmer | ដើមឡើយ | ||
The word "ដើមឡើយ" can also mean "the beginning" or "the first time". | |||
Lao | ເດີມ | ||
ເດີມ is sometimes used to refer to the past, a former time, or an old style. | |||
Malay | asalnya | ||
The word "asalnya" is derived from the Javanese word "asli", meaning "true" or "genuine". | |||
Thai | เดิม | ||
The term "เดิม" can be defined in two forms 1.originally , at first 2.as soon as, straight away. | |||
Vietnamese | ban đầu | ||
The word "ban đầu" in Vietnamese can also mean "at first" or "from the beginning." | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | orihinal | ||
Azerbaijani | əvvəlcə | ||
The word "əvvəlcə" in Azerbaijani also means "firstly" or "at first". | |||
Kazakh | бастапқыда | ||
The word "бастапқыда" can also refer to the beginning of a story or event. | |||
Kyrgyz | башында | ||
Башында is also used to refer to the first part or beginning of something. | |||
Tajik | аслан | ||
The word "аслан" in Tajik can also mean "lion" or "king". | |||
Turkmen | aslynda | ||
Uzbek | dastlab | ||
Dastlab is derived from the Persian word "dastlab" meaning "first work" or "first attempt". | |||
Uyghur | ئەسلىدە | ||
Hawaiian | kumu | ||
"Kumu" is the Hawaiian word for "originally", as well as a term for teachers and experts in a variety of subjects. | |||
Maori | tuatahi | ||
Tuatahi, in Māori, also refers to the firstborn child or the beginning of something. | |||
Samoan | muamua | ||
The word "muamua" also means "foundation" or "beginning." | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | orihinal | ||
"Orihinal" is a Filipino word with the same meaning as the English "original", but the spelling "orihinal" is based on a Spanish cognate. |
Aymara | qalltanxa | ||
Guarani | iñepyrũrãme | ||
Esperanto | origine | ||
"Origine" can also mean "origin" or "source" in other languages. | |||
Latin | primum | ||
"Primum" is derived from the Latin word "primus" meaning "first" or "foremost". |
Greek | αρχικά | ||
The word "αρχικά" (originally) comes from the Greek word "αρχή" (beginning) and means "in the beginning" or "at the start". | |||
Hmong | keeb kwm | ||
The word 'keeb kwm' can also mean 'customarily' or 'traditionally'. | |||
Kurdish | eslen | ||
Eslen is an adverb in Kurdish that can be used to mean 'originally' or 'previously'. | |||
Turkish | aslında | ||
A combination of the words 'asla' ('never') and 'kadı' ('judge'), it originally meant 'the judge never said'. | |||
Xhosa | ekuqaleni | ||
The word 'ekuqaleni' also means 'the beginning'. | |||
Yiddish | ערידזשנאַלי | ||
The Yiddish word "ערידזשנאַלי" (originally) is derived from the German word "originally". | |||
Zulu | ekuqaleni | ||
"Ekuqaleni" is a Zulu word that can also mean "in the beginning" or "from the very first". | |||
Assamese | মূলতঃ | ||
Aymara | qalltanxa | ||
Bhojpuri | मूल रूप से कहल गइल बा | ||
Dhivehi | އަސްލު | ||
Dogri | मूल रूप च | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | orihinal | ||
Guarani | iñepyrũrãme | ||
Ilocano | orihinal nga | ||
Krio | fɔs | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | لە بنەڕەتدا | ||
Maithili | मूलतः | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯔꯤꯖꯤꯅꯦꯜ ꯑꯣꯏꯅꯥ ꯑꯦꯟ.ꯗꯤ.ꯑꯦ | ||
Mizo | a tir chuan | ||
Oromo | jalqaba irratti | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ମୂଳତ। | | ||
Quechua | qallariypiqa | ||
Sanskrit | मूलतः | ||
Tatar | башта | ||
Tigrinya | ኣብ መጀመርታ | ||
Tsonga | eku sunguleni | ||