Phrase in different languages

Phrase in Different Languages

Discover 'Phrase' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.

Updated on March 6, 2024

A phrase is a group of words that forms a meaningful unit in a sentence. It's a fundamental building block of language, used to convey complex ideas and emotions. Phrases can be found in every corner of our cultural landscape, from literature and poetry to music and film.

The significance of phrases goes beyond mere communication. They can encapsulate entire philosophies, inspire movements, and even change the course of history. Take, for example, the famous phrase 'I have a dream' spoken by Martin Luther King Jr., which became a rallying cry for the civil rights movement. Or the phrase 'E pluribus unum,' which appears on the Seal of the United States and symbolizes the union of many states into one nation.

Understanding phrases in different languages can open up new worlds of cultural knowledge and appreciation. For instance, the French phrase 'joie de vivre' (joy of living) captures a certain je ne sais quoi that is often associated with French culture. Meanwhile, the German phrase 'schadenfreude' (harm-joy) describes a feeling of pleasure derived from someone else's misfortune, which has no direct English equivalent.

In this list, you'll find translations of the word 'phrase' in a variety of languages, from Spanish and Mandarin to Arabic and Swahili. Whether you're a language learner, a cultural enthusiast, or simply curious, this list is sure to inspire and enlighten.

Phrase


Phrase in Sub-Saharan African Languages

Afrikaansfrase
The word 'frase' is often used in Afrikaans to mean 'sentence', but it can also refer to a 'phrase' or 'clause'.
Amharicሐረግ
The word "ሐረግ" in Amharic can also refer to a "paragraph" or a "section" of a written work.
Hausamagana
Hausa magana is cognate with the Arabic makan "speech" and may be derived from the Arabic root ma-k-na "to speak, utter."
Igboahịrịokwu
'Ahịrịokwu' literally means 'a row of words'.
Malagasyandian-teny
The word "andian-teny" can also mean "sentence" or "speech".
Nyanja (Chichewa)mawu
It can also refer to the subject and complement that follow an exclamation.
Shonamutsara
The word "mutsara" can also mean "statement" or "remark" in Shona.
Somaliweedh
The word "weedh" in Somali can also refer to a kind of grass or plant.
Sesothopoleloana
poleloana is the plural form of leloana, which means "word"
Swahilikifungu
Kifungu is a Swahili word that can also mean 'passage' or 'section' of a text.
Xhosaibinzana
The Xhosa word "ibinzana" can also refer to a "saying" or "proverb."
Yorubagbolohun ọrọ
Zuluibinzana
'Ibinzana' is a term for both 'phrase' and 'phraseology' in Zulu.
Bambarakumasen
Ewenyatiatia
Kinyarwandainteruro
Lingalamaloba
Lugandaekigambo
Sepedisekafoko
Twi (Akan)ɔkasasini

Phrase in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicالعبارة
In Arabic, 'phrase' is rendered as 'العبارة', a noun meaning a group of words expressing a thought, or in some contexts, 'expression'
Hebrewמִשׁפָּט
המשמעות המקורית של מִשׁפָּט היא 'דין' או 'משפט'.
Pashtoجمله
The Pashto word "جمله" can also mean "sentence" in English.
Arabicالعبارة
In Arabic, 'phrase' is rendered as 'العبارة', a noun meaning a group of words expressing a thought, or in some contexts, 'expression'

Phrase in Western European Languages

Albanianfraza
Fraza is thought to have originated from the Arabic phrase, 'fa'rasa'. This was later picked up by Persian, Italian, then English, and finally Albanian.
Basqueesaldia
The word "esaldia" can also refer to a "sentence" or "expression" in Basque, not just a "phrase".
Catalanfrase
In the Catalan dialect of Valencia, the word "frase" refers exclusively to a sentence spoken by someone who is not the main speaker or character.
Croatianfraza
"Fraza" can also mean "slang," "cliché," or "empty words."
Danishudtryk
It is derived from the Old Norse 'út' meaning 'out,' and 'rik' meaning 'direction' or 'course.'
Dutchuitdrukking
"Uitdrukking" in Dutch can also refer to a facial expression or an artistic impression.
Englishphrase
The word "phrase" comes from the Greek word "phrasis", which means "expression" or "speech".
Frenchphrase
The French "phrase" derives from the Greek "phrasis" (φράσις), meaning "speech".
Frisianútdrukking
"Útdrukking" is cognate with English "utterance" (German "Äußerung"), reflecting the original meaning "the act of expressing something in speech or writing."
Galicianfrase
A Galician "frase" can also refer to a saying or proverb.
Germanphrase
Phrase can also mean 'sentence' or 'slogan'.
Icelandicsetningu
The word "setningu" in Icelandic can also mean "sentence" in the grammatical sense.
Irishabairt
The term 'abairt' also refers to the 'speech' of a story's narrator.
Italianfrase
In Italian, "frase" can also mean "sentence" or refer to a musical phrase.
Luxembourgishausdrock
The word "Ausdrock" in Luxembourgish is derived from the German word "Ausdruck" and the French word "expression", both meaning "expression" or "phrase."
Maltesefrażi
The etymology of 'frażi' is a bit uncertain, but it is likely derived from the Italian 'frase'
Norwegianuttrykk
The Old Norse term "ytryggja" referred both to an "utterance" and to the "impression of something on something else."
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil)frase
The Portuguese word "frase" can also refer to a sentence or a clause.
Scots Gaelicabairt
In Irish Gaelic, 'abairt' means 'speech' or 'saying'.
Spanishfrase
En español, "frase" también puede referirse a un dicho, proverbio o expresión idiomática.
Swedishfras
The Swedish word "fras" originally meant "tale" or "saying" but has since come to mean "phrase."
Welshymadrodd
The word 'ymadrodd' is derived from the words 'ym' (together) and 'adroddiad' (report), meaning 'a collection of words put together to express a thought'.

Phrase in Eastern European Languages

Belarusianфраза
Белорусское слово "фраза" происходит от французского "phrase", которое, в свою очередь, восходит к греческому "phrasis" - "выражение".
Bosnianfraza
In Bosnian, "fraza" can also be used to describe a cliché.
Bulgarianфраза
Фраза is a homograph that may refer to "phrase" or "opinion" in Bulgarian.
Czechfráze
Czech "fráze" also refers to a musical cadence that marks the conclusion of a phrase, and not necessarily containing a "sentence".
Estonianfraas
Fraas derives from Early Modern Dutch "fraes" meaning "nonsense" or "foolish talk".
Finnishlause
In Finnish, "lause" also means "sentence" or "clause in a sentence".
Hungariankifejezés
Kifejezés ( "phrase" in Hungarian) derives from the verb "fejez" (meaning "to express, to say, to tell") and the suffix "-és", which indicates an action or process.
Latvianfrāze
The word "frāze" in Latvian has the same etymology as the English word "phrase" and can also refer to a "sentence" or "expression"
Lithuanianfrazė
In Lithuanian, the word "frazė" can also refer to a musical phrase, or a sequence of notes played together.
Macedonianфраза
The word "фраза" can also mean "sentence" in Macedonian.
Polishwyrażenie
"Wyrażenie" also means "expession" or "look" in Polish.
Romanianfraza
The Romanian word "fraza" also means "sentence" and derives from the Latin word "phrasis."
Russianфраза
Фраза can also mean "turn of speech" or "expression."
Serbianфраза
Фраза (фраза) в русском языке означает не только устойчивое сочетание слов, но и вводное слово, выражающее отношение автора высказывания к содержанию речи.
Slovakfráza
"Fráza" is also used to denote a cliché or a common saying.
Slovenianfraza
Slovene "fraza" originally meant a witty saying; another meaning is a musical phrase.
Ukrainianфраза
The word "фраза" derives from the Greek "φράσις," indicating "a thought expressed in words" or "a manner of speech."

Phrase in South Asian Languages

Bengaliবাক্যাংশ
The Bengali word "বাক্যাংশ" can also mean a sentence without a finite verb.
Gujaratiશબ્દસમૂહ
In Sanskrit, the term "samuha" means "group" or "collection", and "abdha" means "ocean" or "vastness". Thus, "shabdasamuha" literally translates to "an ocean of words".
Hindiमुहावरा
The Hindi word "मुहावरा" is derived from the Arabic word "muhaawara", which means "conversation" or "idiom."
Kannadaನುಡಿಗಟ್ಟು
The word "ನುಡಿಗಟ್ಟು" derives from the Kannada words "ನುಡಿ" (speech) and "ಗಟ್ಟು" (bond), indicating a cohesive group of words that express a complete thought or idea.
Malayalamപദപ്രയോഗം
Marathiवाक्यांश
The word "वाक्यांश" can also mean "expression" or "sentence".
Nepaliवाक्यांश
"वाक्यांश" is the Nepali equivalent of the English word "phrase", but it can also mean "sentence" or "clause".
Punjabiਵਾਕਾਂਸ਼
The Punjabi word "வாக்கிய" can refer to a set of words forming a meaningful unit that is shorter than a sentence, as well as a sentence itself.
Sinhala (Sinhalese)වාක්‍ය ඛණ්ඩය
Tamilசொற்றொடர்
The word "சொற்றொடர்" can also mean "a sequence of words" or "a short group of words that has a specific meaning when used together."
Teluguపదబంధం
The word "పదబంధం" can also mean "collection of words" or "expression".
Urduجملہ
Urdu "جملہ" is derived from the Arabic "جمله" meaning "group", "class", or "kind".

Phrase in East Asian Languages

Chinese (Simplified)短语
短语的“短”表示简短,“语”表示语言
Chinese (Traditional)短語
短語是從簡短的語句引申出的意思,可以短到只有一個字
Japaneseフレーズ
"フレーズ" is thought to derive from the French word "phrase" meaning "sentence", but can also mean "slang".
Korean
The word "구" in Korean can also refer to "a piece of writing" or "a passage from a text."
Mongolianхэллэг
The word хэллэг can also derive from Chinese 歇后語 (xiēhòuyŭ) in Mongolian.
Myanmar (Burmese)စာပိုဒ်တိုများ

Phrase in South East Asian Languages

Indonesianfrasa
The word "frasa" can also mean "idiom" or "slogan" in Indonesian.
Javaneseukara
**Etymology:** From Old Javanese ᮝꠥꦏꦫ *ukara*, from Sanskrit *ukti* "utterance, speech".
Khmerឃ្លា
"ឃ្លា" can also refer to a type of traditional Khmer basket woven from bamboo or rattan.
Laoປະໂຫຍກ
The word ປະໂຫຍກ can also refer to a proverb or a sentence that expresses a complete thought.
Malayfrasa
"Frasa" in Malay can also mean a passage from a book, usually longer than a stanza in a poem, which is read or sung in a musical form known as "dikir barat".
Thaiวลี
วลี also means "sentence" in Thai, "phrase" being its alternate meaning.
Vietnamesecụm từ
The word "cụm từ" literally means "group of words" in Vietnamese and can refer to both phrases and expressions.
Filipino (Tagalog)parirala

Phrase in Central Asian Languages

Azerbaijaniifade
The word "ifade" in Azerbaijani also means "expression" or "statement".
Kazakhфраза
The Russian word "фраза" comes from the Greek word "φράσις", meaning "expression" or "turn of phrase".
Kyrgyzсөз айкашы
Tajikибора
The word "ибора" also means "expression", "term", or "idiom" in Tajik.
Turkmensöz düzümi
Uzbekibora
The word "ibora" in Uzbek also refers to a type of poetic refrain.
Uyghurجۈملە

Phrase in Pacific Languages

Hawaiianmāmalaʻōlelo
The Hawaiian word "māmalaʻōlelo" can also refer to a proverb, a saying, a maxim, or a motto.
Maorikīwaha
The Maori word 'kīwaha' also refers to the mouth or lips of a person or animal.
Samoanfasifuaitau
The word "fasifuaitau" in Samoan can also refer to a sentence or a statement.
Tagalog (Filipino)parirala

Phrase in American Indigenous Languages

Aymaraaru
Guaraniñe'ẽ'apesã

Phrase in International Languages

Esperantofrazo
The Esperanto word 'frazo' is derived from the French word 'phrase', which means 'a short, pithy saying'.
Latinphrase
The Latin "phrase" also refers to the formula to calculate a musical interval (e.g. "phrase of the whole tone").

Phrase in Others Languages

Greekφράση
The word "φράση" originally meant "a question" or "an oracle's response".
Hmongkab lus
The word "kab lus" can also mean "sentence" or "paragraph" in Hmong.
Kurdishhevok
In Kurdish, "hevok" can also mean "expression", "sentence", or "word".
Turkishifade
In Turkish, the word "ifade" can also mean "facial expression" or "statement".
Xhosaibinzana
The Xhosa word "ibinzana" can also refer to a "saying" or "proverb."
Yiddishפראַזע
The Yiddish word "פראַזע" can also refer to a sentence or a period in music.
Zuluibinzana
'Ibinzana' is a term for both 'phrase' and 'phraseology' in Zulu.
Assameseবাক্যাংশ
Aymaraaru
Bhojpuriमुहावरा
Dhivehiޖުމްލަ
Dogriवाक्य
Filipino (Tagalog)parirala
Guaraniñe'ẽ'apesã
Ilocanopaset ti keddeng
Kriowɔd dɛn
Kurdish (Sorani)گرێ
Maithiliमुहावरा
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯋꯥꯍꯩ ꯀꯡꯂꯨꯞ
Mizothuhlawm
Oromogaalee
Odia (Oriya)ବାକ୍ୟାଂଶ
Quechuarimay
Sanskritसम्पुट
Tatarгыйбарә
Tigrinyaሓረግ
Tsongaxivulwa

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