Perhaps in Different Languages
Discover 'Perhaps' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'perhaps' is a small but powerful term that has made its way into many languages and cultures around the world. It is a word that expresses uncertainty, possibility, and openness to new ideas. This makes it a versatile and essential word in any language.
Throughout history, 'perhaps' has been used in literature, poetry, and everyday speech to convey a sense of hope and uncertainty. It is a word that can soften the blow of a negative statement or add excitement to a positive one. In this way, 'perhaps' is a word that can bring people together and help them connect on a deeper level.
For those interested in language and culture, understanding the translation of 'perhaps' in different languages can be a fascinating and rewarding experience. For example, in Spanish, 'perhaps' is 'tal vez,' while in French, it is 'peut-être.' In German, 'perhaps' is 'vielleicht,' and in Japanese, it is 'talvez' or 'mosi mosi.'
By learning these translations, you can gain a new appreciation for the beauty and complexity of language, as well as the cultural nuances that make each language unique.
Perhaps
Perhaps in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | miskien | ||
| Afrikaans word "miskien" (meaning "perhaps") is derived from the Dutch phrase "het is misschien" meaning "it is possible" | |||
| Amharic | ምናልባት | ||
| The word "ምናልባት" (perhaps) is derived from the root word "ምናል" (a guess). | |||
| Hausa | watakila | ||
| The word "watakila" (perhaps) in Hausa shares the same root with the "wanki" (doubt) and "wata" (water). | |||
| Igbo | ikekwe | ||
| The Igbo word 'ikekwe' originally referred to a state of uncertainty, or a feeling that something might happen. | |||
| Malagasy | angamba | ||
| The word "angamba" in Malagasy can also be used to express hope or expectation. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | mwina | ||
| Mwina originates from the word 'mwine,' meaning 'this one,' and is often used to express uncertainty or speculation. | |||
| Shona | pamwe | ||
| The word "pamwe" is derived from the Proto-Bantu root "*pa-me," meaning "to go together." | |||
| Somali | laga yaabee | ||
| "Laga yaabee'", like most Somali words for 'perhaps', originates in Arabic, specifically from 'la yahba, or 'Allah knows'. | |||
| Sesotho | mohlomong | ||
| The word "mohlomong" in Sesotho can also mean "maybe" or "it is possible". | |||
| Swahili | labda | ||
| "Labda" is often used in tandem with "huenda" to provide greater emphasis, e.g., "huenda labda atakuja kesho" (perhaps he may come tomorrow). | |||
| Xhosa | mhlawumbi | ||
| The word "mhlawumbi" is derived from the Xhosa word "mlawu," meaning "a shade" or "a shadow," and is used to express a degree of uncertainty or doubt. | |||
| Yoruba | boya | ||
| The word "Boya" can also mean "indeed" or "for sure". | |||
| Zulu | mhlawumbe | ||
| The word 'mhlawumbe' is derived from the Proto-Bantu verb *luma-, meaning 'to guess'. | |||
| Bambara | lala | ||
| Ewe | ɖewòhĩ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ahari | ||
| Lingala | mbala mosusu | ||
| Luganda | kyandiba | ||
| Sepedi | mohlomongwe | ||
| Twi (Akan) | gyama | ||
Perhaps in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | ربما | ||
| The Arabic word "ربما" (rabama) can also mean "maybe", "possibly", or "it is possible that". | |||
| Hebrew | אוּלַי | ||
| The word "אוּלַי" comes from the Akkadian word "awilu" meaning "man" and is related to the Arabic word "wali" meaning "friend". | |||
| Pashto | شاید | ||
| The word "شاید" in Pashto also means "possible" and can be used to express a hypothetical situation. | |||
| Arabic | ربما | ||
| The Arabic word "ربما" (rabama) can also mean "maybe", "possibly", or "it is possible that". | |||
Perhaps in Western European Languages
| Albanian | mbase | ||
| Albanian "mbase" likely derives from Greek "ambathos," meaning "depth," with the sense "perhaps" arising as a euphemistic way to express uncertainty without stating it directly. | |||
| Basque | agian | ||
| There is no consensus on the relation between the Basque and the Romance terms, with some researchers suggesting a possible relation between agian and the Latin forsitan "perhaps." | |||
| Catalan | potser | ||
| It stems from the Latin "possibile est", and can mean "possibly" or "maybe" in addition to "perhaps". | |||
| Croatian | možda | ||
| The word "možda" is derived from Old Slavic *možĭ, meaning "to be able". It is also used in Serbo-Croatian to mean "maybe" or "possibly". | |||
| Danish | måske | ||
| The word 'måske' has been in use since the 14th century. | |||
| Dutch | misschien | ||
| "Misschien" is derived from the Middle Dutch phrase "miet sijn", meaning "maybe" or "possibly." | |||
| English | perhaps | ||
| The word "perhaps" derives from the Old French "par haps" meaning "by chance". | |||
| French | peut-être | ||
| The French word "peut-être" literally means "it can be". | |||
| Frisian | faaks | ||
| The word "faaks" in Frisian shares its origin with the Dutch word "waaks" (be on guard), but has taken on the meaning "perhaps" in Frisian. | |||
| Galician | quizais | ||
| "Quizais" derives from the Latin phrase "quid si" meaning "what if". | |||
| German | vielleicht | ||
| The word "vielleicht" is derived from the Middle High German "vil lihte," meaning "easily possible" or "very likely." | |||
| Icelandic | kannski | ||
| The word "kannski" is derived from the Old Norse word "kannskí", meaning "it is possible" or "it could be". | |||
| Irish | b’fhéidir | ||
| 'B’fhéidir' comes from 'féidir' ('possible') and the conditional prefix 'b(h)f-'. As with the prefix 'do-', the 'bh' is usually assimilated by mutation to 'f' when combined with a consonant. | |||
| Italian | forse | ||
| "Forse" also means 'maybe, possibly, perchance' | |||
| Luxembourgish | vläicht | ||
| "Vläicht" comes from the Old High German "wio lihht", meaning "as light", and also has the meaning of "probably" in Luxembourgish. | |||
| Maltese | forsi | ||
| "Forsi" also means "maybe" or "possibly" in Maltese. | |||
| Norwegian | kanskje | ||
| The word "kanskje" is thought to derive from the phrase "kan ikke si" meaning "cannot say". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | possivelmente | ||
| The word "possivelmente" comes from the Latin "possibilis", meaning "possible". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | is dòcha | ||
| The word "is dòcha" is derived from the Gaelic words "is" (meaning "it is") and "dòcha" (meaning "likely"). It can also mean "possibly" or "it may be". | |||
| Spanish | quizás | ||
| The word "quizás" is borrowed from Arabic, where the original word "qadhisha" means "fortune teller". | |||
| Swedish | kanske | ||
| "Kanske" derives from the Old Swedish "kan ski"," 'can distinguish,' 'can tell,' with "kan" meaning 'can, able, skillful' and "ski" meaning 'separate, divide'. | |||
| Welsh | efallai | ||
| The word "efallai" derives from the Middle Welsh "efallai" meaning "it is possible" or "it may be" | |||
Perhaps in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | магчыма | ||
| "Магчыма" is a relative adverb in Belarusian derived from an old East Slavic word "могти", which meant "to manage", "to be able to". It later obtained a number of new meanings, the most important of which was "it is possible that". In modern Belarusian, "магчыма" usually means "it is possible that", "may be". | |||
| Bosnian | mozda | ||
| The word "mozda" is of Persian origin and is also used in other Slavic languages, such as Serbian, Croatian, and Macedonian. | |||
| Bulgarian | може би | ||
| The word "може би" (moje bi) is derived from the Old Bulgarian "могъщи" (mogъšti), meaning "able" or "possible". | |||
| Czech | možná | ||
| The word "možná" can also mean "possible" or "it is possible" in Czech. | |||
| Estonian | võib-olla | ||
| The word "võib-olla" is derived from the Estonian words "võib" (can) and "olla" (be) and literally means "can be". | |||
| Finnish | kenties | ||
| The word "kenties" in Finnish came from the Old Norse word "kannske" or "kannske", which also meant "perhaps". | |||
| Hungarian | talán | ||
| The word "talán" is derived from the Turkish word "talan" meaning "plunder" or "ravage", and has the alternate meaning of "by chance". | |||
| Latvian | varbūt | ||
| The word "varbūt" is thought to derive from the Proto-Indo-European root *werb- meaning "to turn, to bend" and is related to the Sanskrit वर (vara), meaning "wish, desire"} | |||
| Lithuanian | galbūt | ||
| "Galbūt" is likely to be rooted in the same base as the Sanskrit and Latvian cognates meaning "appropriate; worthy to be". Its archaic meaning also includes "possibly" alongside various modal uses like "may-be" or "I presume". | |||
| Macedonian | можеби | ||
| The word "можеби" can trace its roots back to the Old Church Slavonic "могъ", meaning "able" or "capable". | |||
| Polish | być może | ||
| The word 'być może' in Polish comes from the Proto-Slavic root *byti, meaning 'to be', and the modal particle *može, meaning 'possibly' or 'conditionally'. | |||
| Romanian | poate | ||
| The word "poate" is also used in Romanian to express "maybe" or "possibly". | |||
| Russian | возможно | ||
| The word "возможно" (perhaps) in Russian is derived from the word "мочь" (to be able), suggesting the idea of an action being within one's capacity or reach. | |||
| Serbian | можда | ||
| The word "можда" in Serbian is cognate with the Russian word "может", both of which derive from the Proto-Slavic word *možetъ, meaning "he is able". | |||
| Slovak | možno | ||
| The Slovak word "možno" can also mean "possible" or "it is possible" | |||
| Slovenian | morda | ||
| The Slovenian "morda" "perhaps" comes from the Proto-Slavic "morda", meaning "intention"} | |||
| Ukrainian | можливо | ||
| The word “можливо” (“perhaps”) in Ukrainian is derived from the Proto-Slavic root “mogti,” meaning “to be able to,” and is related to the words “могти” (“to be able to”), “могущество” (“power”), and “возможность” (“opportunity”). | |||
Perhaps in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | সম্ভবত | ||
| The word 'সম্ভবত' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'संभाव्यते' (sambhāvyate), which means 'to be possible' or 'to be probable'. | |||
| Gujarati | કદાચ | ||
| "કદાચ" is also used to express a polite request, like "Will you perhaps give me some water?". | |||
| Hindi | शायद | ||
| The word "शायद" is derived from the Persian word "شاید" (shāyad), which means "possible" or "likely." | |||
| Kannada | ಬಹುಶಃ | ||
| "ಬಹುಶಃ" (perhaps) can also mean "maybe", "possibly", or "it's likely." | |||
| Malayalam | ഒരുപക്ഷേ | ||
| Marathi | कदाचित | ||
| The word "कदाचित" can also mean "maybe" or "possibly" in Marathi. | |||
| Nepali | हुनसक्छ | ||
| The word "हुनसक्छ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "हुना" meaning "to be" and the suffix "-सक्छ" meaning "can", thus literally meaning "can be" or "possibly". | |||
| Punjabi | ਸ਼ਾਇਦ | ||
| The word "ਸ਼ਾਇਦ" can also mean "maybe" or "possibly" in Punjabi, depending on the context. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | සමහර විට | ||
| The word "සමහර විට" literally means "at some point" in Sinhalese, implying a possible or uncertain occurrence. | |||
| Tamil | ஒருவேளை | ||
| The word "ஒருவேளை" (oruvele) in Tamil can also mean "one time" or "in one instance". | |||
| Telugu | బహుశా | ||
| బహుశా is derived from the Sanskrit word 'bahuśaḥ' which means 'in many ways' or 'in many instances'. | |||
| Urdu | شاید | ||
| شاید in Urdu is derived from the Persian word 'شاید', meaning 'possible' or 'probable'. | |||
Perhaps in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 也许 | ||
| "也许" (yěxǔ) was originally made up of "也" (yě "also") and "许" (xǔ "perhaps, allow"). | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 也許 | ||
| "也許"最早出現在西漢時期，由"疑"字演變而來，表示「猶豫不決」或「可能」之意。 | |||
| Japanese | おそらく | ||
| perhaps originates from the Old Japanese words おぼつかなし (obotsukanashi, “uncertain”) and おそし (oshi, “late”). | |||
| Korean | 혹시 | ||
| The Korean word "혹시 (hok-shi)" can also mean "by chance" or "just in case". | |||
| Mongolian | магадгүй | ||
| The Mongolian word "магадгүй" is derived from the verbs "магад" (to guess) and "гүй" (to make or do), indicating a tentative or conjectural sense. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဖြစ်ကောင်း | ||
Perhaps in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | mungkin | ||
| The word "mungkin" is derived from the Proto-Malayo-Polynesian word "*maŋkin" which means "to be possible" or "to be able to". | |||
| Javanese | mbok menawi | ||
| The term "mbok menawi" is derived from the Middle Javanese phrase "mbok manawa," which literally means "if by chance." | |||
| Khmer | ប្រហែលជា | ||
| The Khmer word 'ប្រហែលជា' ('perhaps') is derived from the Sanskrit word 'prabhriti', which means 'from the beginning'. | |||
| Lao | ບາງທີ | ||
| Malay | mungkin | ||
| Despite its current usage meaning "perhaps", "mungkin" originally meant "possible" in Malay. | |||
| Thai | บางที | ||
| In addition to meaning "perhaps," "บางที" also means "someday" or "in the future." | |||
| Vietnamese | có lẽ | ||
| In Vietnamese, the word "có lẽ" can also mean "probably" or "most likely". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | marahil | ||
Perhaps in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | bəlkə də | ||
| Kazakh | мүмкін | ||
| The Kazakh word "мүмкін" ("perhaps") is derived from the root "мүм" ("possible") and the suffix "-кін" ("indicating possibility"). | |||
| Kyrgyz | балким | ||
| The word "балким" (perhaps) is derived from the verb "балктаmak", meaning "to weigh up", "to consider". | |||
| Tajik | шояд | ||
| The Tajik word "шояд" derives from the Persian "شاید" (šāyad), meaning "it is possible" or "it is likely." | |||
| Turkmen | belki | ||
| Uzbek | balki | ||
| In Chagatai/Old Uzbek, "balki" meant "but", and in Old Turkish it meant "maybe" | |||
| Uyghur | بەلكىم | ||
Perhaps in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | paha paha | ||
| The word "paha paha" in Hawaiian also means "doubtful" or "uncertain." | |||
| Maori | pea | ||
| Derived from the word "pia", meaning "doubt" or "uncertainty." | |||
| Samoan | masalo | ||
| The word masalo has been derived from the Proto-Polynesian word masalo meaning **maybe, uncertain** and is also related to the Samoan words masalo, mahalo, and mahalotia. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | marahil | ||
| The Tagalog word “marahil” also translates to the English words "maybe" and "possibly" which all contain the same idea of incertitude. | |||
Perhaps in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | inasa | ||
| Guarani | ikatu | ||
Perhaps in International Languages
| Esperanto | eble | ||
| Esperanto's "eble" evolved from "ebla," meaning "possibly" in a nearly obsolete Slavic language called Pomeranian. | |||
| Latin | fortasse | ||
| The word "fortasse" is derived from "fors" (chance) + "an" (if), and also means "by chance" or "possibly". | |||
Perhaps in Others Languages
| Greek | ίσως | ||
| Ίσως is thought to derive from "εἰ δ' ἄρα" ("if, indeed"), which was shortened into "εἰ δ' ὡς" and finally, "ὡς". | |||
| Hmong | kab tias | ||
| Kab tias may also mean "maybe" or "possibly". | |||
| Kurdish | belkî | ||
| The word 'belkî' has the same origin as the Arabic word 'balkiya' ('perchance'), both ultimately deriving from the Persian word 'ba-liki' ('by any chance'). | |||
| Turkish | belki | ||
| Belki derives from “belügü” meaning “who knows?” in Old Turkic and “bilgü” meaning “knowledge” in Old Uyghur. | |||
| Xhosa | mhlawumbi | ||
| The word "mhlawumbi" is derived from the Xhosa word "mlawu," meaning "a shade" or "a shadow," and is used to express a degree of uncertainty or doubt. | |||
| Yiddish | טאָמער | ||
| The Yiddish word "טאָמער" can also mean "if" and is related to the German "tömen", meaning "to guess". | |||
| Zulu | mhlawumbe | ||
| The word 'mhlawumbe' is derived from the Proto-Bantu verb *luma-, meaning 'to guess'. | |||
| Assamese | বোধকৰোঁ | ||
| Aymara | inasa | ||
| Bhojpuri | शायद | ||
| Dhivehi | ފަހަރެއްގަ | ||
| Dogri | कुश्वै | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | marahil | ||
| Guarani | ikatu | ||
| Ilocano | nalabit | ||
| Krio | sɔntɛm | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | بێگومان | ||
| Maithili | शायद | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯣꯏꯔꯝꯕ ꯌꯥꯏ | ||
| Mizo | maithei | ||
| Oromo | tarii | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ବୋଧହୁଏ | | ||
| Quechua | ichapas | ||
| Sanskrit | कदाचिद् | ||
| Tatar | бәлки | ||
| Tigrinya | ምናልባት | ||
| Tsonga | kumbexana | ||