Phone in Different Languages
Discover 'Phone' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'phone' has come a long way since its invention in 1876 by Alexander Graham Bell. Originally referring to the telephone, this device has since evolved into a handheld, multi-purpose tool that connects us to the world in an instant. From making calls and sending messages to browsing the internet and taking photos, the phone has become an essential part of our daily lives.
But did you know that the word 'phone' has different meanings and translations in various languages? For example, in Spanish, 'phone' is translated to 'teléfono', while in French, it's 'téléphone'. In Mandarin, the word for phone is '手机' (shǒujī), which literally means 'hand machine'. In Japanese, it's '携帯電話' (keitaidenwa), which translates to 'portable electric talk'.
Understanding the translation of 'phone' in different languages can help us appreciate the cultural significance of this device around the world. It can also come in handy when traveling or communicating with people from different backgrounds.
Phone
Phone in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | foon | ||
| The word "foon" in Afrikaans can refer to a telephone, a mobile phone, a landline, or a device that allows for communication over a distance. | |||
| Amharic | ስልክ | ||
| The Amharic word "ስልክ" (phone) is derived from the Greek word "τηλέφωνο" (telephone), which itself is derived from the Ancient Greek words "τῆλε" (far) and "φωνή" (sound). | |||
| Hausa | waya | ||
| The Hausa word for 'phone', 'waya', also refers to a 'thin strip', or 'thread', suggesting its etymology as a wire-based device. | |||
| Igbo | ekwentị | ||
| Also used as a slang for "ear" in Igbo. | |||
| Malagasy | telefaonina | ||
| The Malagasy word "telefaonina" derives from the Greek roots "tele," meaning "far," and "phōnē," meaning "sound." | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | foni | ||
| The root word "foni" or "fooni" is related to "kuwona", which refers to speech, sound, or a particular language. | |||
| Shona | runhare | ||
| The Shona word 'runhare' originally referred to 'a person who carries messages', but now means 'telephone' due to its use in transmitting messages. | |||
| Somali | taleefan | ||
| The word "taleefan" is derived from the Arabic word "tilfūn", which ultimately comes from the Greek word "τῆλε" (tēle), meaning "far away". | |||
| Sesotho | fono | ||
| The word "fono" can also mean "sound" or "voice". | |||
| Swahili | simu | ||
| The word "simu" is derived from the Swahili verb "kusimulia", meaning "to narrate" or "to tell a story". | |||
| Xhosa | ifowuni | ||
| The word 'ifowuni' is also used to refer to a 'mouthpiece' (the part of the phone that is held up to the mouth when speaking) | |||
| Yoruba | foonu | ||
| The word "foonu" in Yoruba is derived from the English word "phone" and the Yoruba word "nu", meaning "mouth". | |||
| Zulu | ifoni | ||
| In Zulu, 'ifoni' can also refer to a species of large wild fig tree. | |||
| Bambara | telefɔni | ||
| Ewe | kaƒomɔ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | telefone | ||
| Lingala | tyombo | ||
| Luganda | essimu | ||
| Sepedi | mogala | ||
| Twi (Akan) | fon | ||
Phone in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | هاتف | ||
| The word "هاتف" (hātif) in Arabic derives from the verb "hatafa" (to call), making it a cognate of "telephone" in multiple other languages. | |||
| Hebrew | מכשיר טלפון | ||
| The word "מכשיר טלפון" (phone) literally translates to "telephone device". | |||
| Pashto | تلیفون | ||
| The Pashto word for "phone," تلیفون, literally means "far-voice". | |||
| Arabic | هاتف | ||
| The word "هاتف" (hātif) in Arabic derives from the verb "hatafa" (to call), making it a cognate of "telephone" in multiple other languages. | |||
Phone in Western European Languages
| Albanian | telefon | ||
| The word "telefon" in Albanian, while meaning "phone," also refers to a large, traditional Albanian folk instrument. | |||
| Basque | mugikorra | ||
| The word “mugikorra” literally means “moveable,” aptly reflecting the portability of the device. | |||
| Catalan | telèfon | ||
| In Catalan, "telèfon" derives from the Greek "tēle" (far) and "phōnē" (voice), meaning "distant voice". | |||
| Croatian | telefon | ||
| The Croatian word "telefon" derives from the Greek words "tele" (far) and "phone" (sound). | |||
| Danish | telefon | ||
| In Danish, "telefon" refers specifically to landlines, in contrast to "mobil" (mobile phone) | |||
| Dutch | telefoon | ||
| The Dutch word "telefoon" (phone) comes from the Greek words "tele" (far) and "phone" (sound). | |||
| English | phone | ||
| The word "phone" is derived from the Greek word "phōnē", meaning "sound" or "voice". | |||
| French | téléphone | ||
| The French word "téléphone", derived from Greek, originally meant "far sound". | |||
| Frisian | tillefoan | ||
| The Frisian word "tillefoan" comes from the Greek word "tele" (far) and the Latin word "phōnē" (voice). | |||
| Galician | teléfono | ||
| The Galician word "teléfono" comes from "telégrafo" (telegraph), which means "distance writing" in Greek. | |||
| German | telefon | ||
| German "Telefon" (originally "Fernsprecher": "distance talker") comes from a Greek root, "tele" meaning distance, and an ancient Greek verb, "phonein" meaning "to call". | |||
| Icelandic | sími | ||
| The Icelandic word "sími" derives from the Greek word "sēma," meaning "sign" or "token." | |||
| Irish | fón | ||
| The Irish word "fón" can also refer to a "voice" or a "sound". | |||
| Italian | telefono | ||
| The word 'Telefono' in Italian is derived from the Greek words 'tele' ('far') and 'phone' ('voice'), signifying 'voice from afar'. | |||
| Luxembourgish | telefon | ||
| In Luxembourgish, "Telefon" can also refer to a "telephone conversation". | |||
| Maltese | telefon | ||
| The Maltese word "telefon" is derived from the Greek words "tele" (far) and "phōnē" (voice). | |||
| Norwegian | telefonen | ||
| The word 'telefon' in Norwegian can also refer to listening devices such as stethoscopes. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | telefone | ||
| In Portuguese, the word "telefone" can also refer to the telephone handset, the part of the telephone that you hold and speak into. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | fòn | ||
| In Scots Gaelic, the word "fòn" can also mean "sound" or "voice". | |||
| Spanish | teléfono | ||
| The word "teléfono" comes from the Greek words "tele" (far) and "phōnē" (voice), meaning "far voice". | |||
| Swedish | telefon | ||
| "Telefon" in Swedish is derived from Greek and originally meant "far-sounding". | |||
| Welsh | ffôn | ||
| Ffôn is cognate with 'phone' in English and derives from the Greek word 'phonē' meaning 'sound'. It is also the Welsh word for 'sound' in general. | |||
Phone in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | тэлефон | ||
| "Тэлефон" comes from Greek "tele" + "phone" (= "sound") and literally means "far-sounding device". | |||
| Bosnian | telefon | ||
| The Bosnian word "telefon" derives from the Greek words "tēle" (far) and "phōnē" (sound), meaning "far-sounding." | |||
| Bulgarian | телефон | ||
| The word "телефон" is derived from the Greek words "τῆλε" (far) and "φωνή" (voice). | |||
| Czech | telefon | ||
| In Czech, "telefon" can also refer to a public payphone or a landline telephone. | |||
| Estonian | telefon | ||
| The word "telefon" derives from the Greek words "tele" (far) and "phone" (sound), and is also a synonym for "telephone". | |||
| Finnish | puhelin | ||
| The word "puhelin" is derived from the Greek words "tele" (meaning "far") and "phone" (meaning "sound"). | |||
| Hungarian | telefon | ||
| Telefon, the Hungarian word for "phone", derives from the Greek words "tele" (far) and "phone" (sound). | |||
| Latvian | tālruni | ||
| The word “tālruni” (phone in Latvian) comes from the German word “Telefon” (phone) and entered Latvian via Russian, where it is spelled “телефон.” | |||
| Lithuanian | telefono | ||
| "Telefonas" in Lithuanian originally meant "a device for transmitting sound to a distance" and only later got its modern meaning. | |||
| Macedonian | телефон | ||
| The word "телефон" originally referred to the "receiver" part of the telephone apparatus in Macedonian. | |||
| Polish | telefon | ||
| "Telefon" in Polish is derived from Greek roots meaning "far" and "sound". | |||
| Romanian | telefon | ||
| In Romanian, "telefon" can also refer to a public telephone box or a landline telephone. | |||
| Russian | телефон | ||
| "Телефон" (phone) in Russian comes from the Greek "tele" (distant) and "phon" (voice), also referring to a public phone box or a phonograph. | |||
| Serbian | телефон | ||
| The Russian name for a phone, "телефон" is also used in Serbian. | |||
| Slovak | telefón | ||
| The Slovak word "telefón" comes from the Greek word "tele" meaning "far" and the Greek word "phōnē" meaning "sound". | |||
| Slovenian | telefon | ||
| The word "telefon" in Slovenian can also refer to a public payphone or a landline telephone. | |||
| Ukrainian | телефон | ||
| The word "телефон" can also refer to a telephone operator or a telephone exchange in Ukrainian. | |||
Phone in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ফোন | ||
| The English word "phone" originates from the Greek word "phōnē" meaning "sound" or "voice". | |||
| Gujarati | ફોન | ||
| "ફોન" is also known as "टेलीफोन" (telephone) and derives from the Greek "tele" (far) and "phōnē" (voice). | |||
| Hindi | फ़ोन | ||
| "फ़ोन" also means "sound" or "voice" in Hindi. | |||
| Kannada | ದೂರವಾಣಿ | ||
| The term "ದೂರವಾಣಿ" (dūra-vāṇi) means "distant voice" in Kannada, reflecting its original use as a device to communicate over long distances. | |||
| Malayalam | ഫോൺ | ||
| The Malayalam word "ഫോൺ" (phone) originates from the French word "telephone," meaning "far-speaking." | |||
| Marathi | फोन | ||
| The Marathi word "फोन" is derived from the Greek word "φωνή", meaning "sound" or "voice". It can also refer to a telephone or a phonograph. | |||
| Nepali | फोन | ||
| "फोन" can also refer to the human vocal organ or voice. | |||
| Punjabi | ਫੋਨ | ||
| The Punjabi word "ਫੋਨ" (phone) can also be used to refer to the voice or sound of a person or animal. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | දුරකථන | ||
| "දුරකථන" is composed of two Sinhala words meaning "far" and "speak," likely inspired by the technology enabling communication over long distances | |||
| Tamil | தொலைபேசி | ||
| "தொலைபேசி" literally means "far-speech" in Tamil, indicating its function of transmitting speech over long distances. | |||
| Telugu | ఫోన్ | ||
| ఫోన్ शब्द संस्कृत शब्द 'स्वन' (ध्वनि) से बना है, जो प्राचीन काल से संचार में उपयोग होता रहा है। | |||
| Urdu | فون | ||
| The Urdu word "فون" (phone) is derived from the Greek word "φωνή" (phonē), meaning "sound" or "voice". | |||
Phone in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 电话 | ||
| The character “话” in “电话” can mean “speech” and refers to the transmission of human vocal communication. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 電話 | ||
| "電話" (phone) is also the name of a type of traditional Chinese musical instrument. | |||
| Japanese | 電話 | ||
| "電話" literally means "far speech" in Japanese, indicating its connection to the transmission of voices over a distance. | |||
| Korean | 전화 | ||
| 전화 can also mean "a rumor" or "talk" in Korean. | |||
| Mongolian | утас | ||
| "Утас" is also used to refer to a string or a cord used for tethering or tying something up. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဖုန်း | ||
| The word ဖုန်း is derived from the Greek word φωνή (phōnē) and refers not only to the modern communication device, but also to all kinds of sound. | |||
Phone in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | telepon | ||
| The word "telepon" is derived from Ancient Greek roots meaning "far" and "voice". | |||
| Javanese | telpon | ||
| The word "telpon" in Javanese is derived from the Dutch word "telefoon" and also refers to a telephone conversation or a telephone call. | |||
| Khmer | ទូរស័ព្ទ | ||
| Lao | ໂທລະສັບ | ||
| Malay | telefon | ||
| In Malay, "telefon" can also refer to a telegram or a loudspeaker. | |||
| Thai | โทรศัพท์ | ||
| โทรศัพท์ derives from the Greek words "τηλε" (far) and "φωνή" (sound), but it can also refer to a trumpet or a telephone in Thai. | |||
| Vietnamese | điện thoại | ||
| "Điện thoại" is a direct borrowing from the French "téléphone", itself derived from the Greek "tele" (far) and "phone" (sound). | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | telepono | ||
Phone in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | telefon | ||
| The Azerbaijani word "telefon" also means "telegraph". | |||
| Kazakh | телефон | ||
| The word "телефон" ("phone") in Kazakh comes from the Greek "tele" meaning "far" and "phone" meaning "sound". | |||
| Kyrgyz | телефон | ||
| The word "телефон" in Kyrgyz also refers to a public call box or a payphone. | |||
| Tajik | телефон | ||
| The word "телефон" derives from the Greek words "τῆλε" (far) and "φών" (sound), referring to its ability to transmit sound over long distances. | |||
| Turkmen | telefon | ||
| Uzbek | telefon | ||
| The Uzbek word 'telefon' also refers to a public telephone booth. | |||
| Uyghur | تېلېفون | ||
Phone in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kelepona | ||
| 'Kelepona' is also an ancient Hawaiian word meaning 'to talk' or 'to visit', highlighting its traditional significance beyond a device for communication. | |||
| Maori | waea | ||
| The Māori word "waea" can refer to not only a phone, but also a telegraph or radio, highlighting the interconnectedness of communication technologies. | |||
| Samoan | telefoni | ||
| 'telefoni' is the Samoan word for phone which comes from the Greek 'τηλέφωνον' (tēlephōnon) meaning 'far-sounding'. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | telepono | ||
| The Filipino word "telepono" is derived from the Spanish word "teléfono", which in turn comes from the Greek words "tēle" (far) and "phōnē" (voice). | |||
Phone in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jawsaña | ||
| Guarani | pumbyry | ||
Phone in International Languages
| Esperanto | telefono | ||
| The Esperanto word "telefono" is derived from the Greek "tele" (far) and "phōnē" (voice). | |||
| Latin | phone | ||
| In New Latin, "phone" can refer specifically to a phonograph record player. | |||
Phone in Others Languages
| Greek | τηλέφωνο | ||
| "τηλέφωνο" originated from the Greek words "τῆλε" (far) and "φωνή" (voice), indicating its ability to transmit sound over distance. | |||
| Hmong | xov tooj | ||
| In addition to "phone," the Hmong word "xov tooj" can also refer to a "loudspeaker," a "microphone," or the act of "speaking loudly or clearly." | |||
| Kurdish | têlefon | ||
| In Kurdish, "têlefon" primarily refers to a landline but can also mean "mobile phone" when preceded by "mobîl" (mobile). | |||
| Turkish | telefon | ||
| "Telefon" kelimesi Türkçede "uzak ses" anlamına gelir. | |||
| Xhosa | ifowuni | ||
| The word 'ifowuni' is also used to refer to a 'mouthpiece' (the part of the phone that is held up to the mouth when speaking) | |||
| Yiddish | טעלעפאָן | ||
| "טעלעפאָן" is derived from the Greek words "τῆλε" (tēle) meaning "far" and "φώνη" (phōnē) meaning "sound, voice." | |||
| Zulu | ifoni | ||
| In Zulu, 'ifoni' can also refer to a species of large wild fig tree. | |||
| Assamese | ফোন | ||
| Aymara | jawsaña | ||
| Bhojpuri | फोन | ||
| Dhivehi | ފޯނު | ||
| Dogri | फोन | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | telepono | ||
| Guarani | pumbyry | ||
| Ilocano | telepono | ||
| Krio | fon | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | تەلەفۆن | ||
| Maithili | फोन | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯐꯣꯟ | ||
| Mizo | biakhlatna | ||
| Oromo | bilbila | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଫୋନ୍ | | ||
| Quechua | telefono | ||
| Sanskrit | फोनं | ||
| Tatar | телефон | ||
| Tigrinya | ስልኪ | ||
| Tsonga | riqingho | ||