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