Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'point' holds a significant place in our vocabulary, denoting a wide range of meanings from a geometric location to a crucial moment in time. Its cultural importance is evident in fields as diverse as art, mathematics, and literature. A point can be a sharp end of an object, a place where something happens, or even a persuasive argument in a discussion.
Given its multifaceted usage, one might wonder, how is the word 'point' translated in different languages? In Spanish, it's 'punto'; in French, 'point'; in German, 'Punkt'; in Mandarin, '点' (diǎn); and in Japanese, 'ポイント' (pointo). These translations not only offer insights into the linguistic diversity of different cultures but also reveal how a single concept can be expressed in various ways across the globe.
So, whether you're a globetrotter, a language learner, or a culture enthusiast, understanding the translations of 'point' can be a fascinating journey into the heart of various languages and cultures. Let's explore further!
Afrikaans | punt | ||
The Afrikaans word "punt" can also mean "goal" or "score" in sports, especially soccer. | |||
Amharic | ነጥብ | ||
"ነጥብ" also means "a person of low birth" in Amharic. | |||
Hausa | aya | ||
Hausa 'aya' also has the meanings 'side (of a story or argument)' and 'proof, evidence'. | |||
Igbo | uche | ||
In the Nsukka dialect of Igbo, | |||
Malagasy | point | ||
"Teboka" also means "corner" and "location" in Malagasy. | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | mfundo | ||
Nyanja's "mfundo" originally meant "beginning" and is related to "funditsani" ("to establish"). | |||
Shona | pfungwa | ||
In the Shona language, the word "pfungwa" can refer to a point in both a physical and abstract sense, including a point in time or a point of view. | |||
Somali | dhibic | ||
The Somali word "dhibic" also means "headland" or "forehead." | |||
Sesotho | ntlha | ||
'Ntlha' can also mean 'beginning' or 'cause', depending on the context | |||
Swahili | hatua | ||
Hatua can also refer to a step or a measure. | |||
Xhosa | ingongoma | ||
The word "ingongoma" also refers to the top of a mountain or hill, or the head of a river, which are all seen as places of great spiritual significance. | |||
Yoruba | ojuami | ||
"Ojuami" also means "the one who sees" or "the one who has seen" in Yoruba. | |||
Zulu | iphuzu | ||
Iphaphu can also refer to a small animal's burrow. | |||
Bambara | bìɲɛ | ||
Ewe | asitɔƒe | ||
Kinyarwanda | ingingo | ||
Lingala | litono | ||
Luganda | okusonga | ||
Sepedi | šupa | ||
Twi (Akan) | kyerɛ so | ||
Arabic | نقطة | ||
The Arabic word "نقطة" also refers to a vocalization mark, a punctuation mark (period), and a musical note. | |||
Hebrew | נְקוּדָה | ||
The word נְקוּדָה (nekudah) also means "drop" in Hebrew, and is related to the Arabic word نُقْطَة (nuqṭah), which means "dot" or "point". | |||
Pashto | ټکی | ||
The word "ټکی" in Pashto can also refer to a small amount or a drop of something. | |||
Arabic | نقطة | ||
The Arabic word "نقطة" also refers to a vocalization mark, a punctuation mark (period), and a musical note. |
Albanian | pikë | ||
Albanian word 'pikë' (point) comes from Latin 'punctum' but can also be used as a metaphor for 'problem'. | |||
Basque | puntua | ||
In medieval Basque, “puntua” meant “meeting point” or “assembly,” while today it refers to a “small town” or “hamlet.” | |||
Catalan | punt | ||
In Catalan, "punt" can also mean "kick", "stake" or "score", depending on the context. | |||
Croatian | točka | ||
"Točka" also means a period in a text or a stitch in embroidery. | |||
Danish | punkt | ||
In Danish, "punkt" also means "period" in the sense of a punctuation mark or a full stop. | |||
Dutch | punt | ||
The Dutch word 'punt' can also mean 'ferry', and is closely related to the medieval 'pont' with the same meaning in French and English. | |||
English | point | ||
The term 'point' in ballet refers to the position of the foot where it supports the dancer's weight. | |||
French | point | ||
"Point" in French can also mean "sting" or "dot". | |||
Frisian | punt | ||
The Frisian 'punt', from the word 'punta', can also mean a 'tip' or a 'peak'. | |||
Galician | punto | ||
The word "punto" also means "paragraph" or "dot" in Galician. | |||
German | punkt | ||
In German, the word "Punkt" also means "full stop" or "period" in the context of punctuation. | |||
Icelandic | lið | ||
In Old Norse, "lið" could also refer to the side of a ship or boat, and still does in Icelandic. | |||
Irish | pointe | ||
The Irish word "pointe" shares the same Indo-European root ("spek") as Latin "specere" (meaning "to look"). | |||
Italian | punto | ||
The word "punto" in Italian can also mean "stitch" or "dot", reflecting its origin in the Latin word "pungere", meaning "to prick" or "to puncture". | |||
Luxembourgish | punkt | ||
In Luxembourgish, "Punkt" can mean both "point" in the mathematical sense and a full stop. | |||
Maltese | punt | ||
The Maltese word "punt" can also refer to the tip of a needle or a sharp pain. | |||
Norwegian | punkt | ||
In German, "Punkt" also means full stop, period, dot, bullet, decimal point, musical note, or vote. | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | ponto | ||
"Ponto" is etymologically related to the French word "point". It can mean anything with the shape of a point, a dot, a period in a text and, most frequently, a location." | |||
Scots Gaelic | phuing | ||
Phuing is also used to refer to a stitch in knitting which is a loop in a needle or a small piece of yarn holding a fabric together after being crocheted or knitted | |||
Spanish | punto | ||
The Spanish word "punto" also means "full stop" or "period" in English. | |||
Swedish | punkt | ||
The word "punkt" can also refer to the round period at the end of a sentence in Swedish. | |||
Welsh | pwynt | ||
Pwynt can also mean "purpose" or "reason" in Welsh. |
Belarusian | кропка | ||
In Belarusian, the word "кропка" (point) can also refer to a full stop or period. | |||
Bosnian | point | ||
The word "point" in Bosnian can also mean "subject" or "topic". | |||
Bulgarian | точка | ||
The Bulgarian word "точка" is derived from an Indo-European root and is a cognate of the words "dot" and "stitch" in English. | |||
Czech | směřovat | ||
The word "směřovat" can also mean "to aspire" or "to strive". | |||
Estonian | punkt | ||
In Estonian, "punkt" can also refer to a period (full stop) or, more figuratively, a topic or issue. | |||
Finnish | kohta | ||
The word "kohta" in Finnish is derived from the Proto-Finno-Ugric word *kojta, which also means "meeting place" or "trysting place". | |||
Hungarian | pont | ||
In Hungarian, the word "pont" can also refer to a "dot" or a "period" in addition to its meaning as a "point". | |||
Latvian | punkts | ||
The word "punkts" also refers to the "full stop" or "period" in punctuation. | |||
Lithuanian | taškas | ||
The word "taškas" in Lithuanian derives from the Proto-Indo-European root "*stak-," meaning "to pierce or puncture." | |||
Macedonian | точка | ||
The word "точка" also means "period" in writing and "full stop" in grammar. | |||
Polish | punkt | ||
The word "punkt" in Polish can also refer to music and grammar, where it translates to "tune" and "full stop (period), respectively." | |||
Romanian | punct | ||
The Romanian word "punct" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*pnek-t-", meaning "to pierce or stab". | |||
Russian | точка | ||
The Russian word "точка" (point), originally meant "a small dot" and is related to the word "ткать" (to weave). | |||
Serbian | тачка | ||
The word "тачка" can also mean "wheelbarrow" or "small car" in Serbian. | |||
Slovak | bod | ||
In Slovak, “bod” is also an abbreviation of “bodkovaný tovar,” a term that originally meant clothing with polka dots, but now more broadly means any type of patterned clothing. | |||
Slovenian | točka | ||
The word "točka" in Slovenian also means "period" in English, referring to a full stop at the end of a sentence. | |||
Ukrainian | точка | ||
The Ukrainian word "точка" can also mean a "period" or a "full stop". |
Bengali | পয়েন্ট | ||
"পয়েন্ট" derives from French "pointe", meaning "sharp end" or "tip". It can also refer to a "point of view", "dot", or "decimal place". | |||
Gujarati | બિંદુ | ||
In astronomy, "બિંદુ" is also a term for a star's longitude. | |||
Hindi | बिंदु | ||
The Hindi word "बिंदु" is derived from the Sanskrit word "bindu" meaning "drop" or "small particle", and can also refer to a focal point or the central point of something. | |||
Kannada | ಪಾಯಿಂಟ್ | ||
The word "ಪಾಯಿಂಟ್" is derived from the French word "pointe", meaning "a sharp end or a mark made by something pointed". | |||
Malayalam | പോയിന്റ് | ||
Though the word "പോയിന്റ്" (point) means "point" in English, it is also used in Malayalam to refer to a "topic" or "subject matter". | |||
Marathi | बिंदू | ||
The Marathi word "बिंदू" has a Sanskrit origin, derived from the root "बिद," which means "to divide" or "to separate. | |||
Nepali | पोइन्ट | ||
The word "पोइन्ट" also means "point" in English, but it can also mean "dot" or "tip". | |||
Punjabi | ਬਿੰਦੂ | ||
The Punjabi word 'ਬਿੰਦੂ' ( बिंदु) can also refer to a drop of liquid or a speck, and is related to the Sanskrit word 'bindu' meaning 'drop' or 'point'. | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ලක්ෂ්යය | ||
The Sinhala word "ලක්ෂ්යය" is also used to refer to a target, goal, or objective. | |||
Tamil | புள்ளி | ||
The word "புள்ளி" also means "mark", "dot", "mole", or "beauty spot" in Tamil | |||
Telugu | పాయింట్ | ||
In addition to its primary meaning of "point", "పాయింట్" ("point") also refers to a sharp tip or a dot. | |||
Urdu | نقطہ | ||
The word "نقطہ" can also mean "full stop" or "period" in Urdu. |
Chinese (Simplified) | 点 | ||
In Chinese, 点 can mean a dot or a decimal point, but it can also be used to denote time (as in "几点"), or as a unit of measurement for volume or length. | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 點 | ||
The character "點" can also refer to a "drop", "dot", "speck", or "spot". | |||
Japanese | ポイント | ||
The word "ポイント" (point) in Japanese can also mean a "score" or "unit" in a game or test. | |||
Korean | 포인트 | ||
포인트는 원래 뾰족함을 뜻하는 말로서, 끝이나 정점 등을 의미하는 영어 point에서 비롯된 한자어입니다. | |||
Mongolian | цэг | ||
The word "цэг" (point) derives from the Proto-Mongolic word *jiegün, meaning "drop" or "spot". | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | အမှတ် | ||
The term " အမှတ် ", a term for " point", is also a word for an ancient form of Burmese dance and theatre from which modern Burmese theater originated. |
Indonesian | titik | ||
"Titik" comes from the Proto-Austronesian word "*titikʔ", related to "stick" or "spike". | |||
Javanese | titik | ||
The word 'titik' is also used to refer to a small area or a place where something occurs. | |||
Khmer | ចំណុច | ||
It can also mean 'period' as in time, 'stop' in reference to travel, and 'item' referring to an ordered sequence. | |||
Lao | ຈຸດ | ||
In some contexts, "ຈຸດ" can also mean "dot" or "spot". | |||
Malay | titik | ||
"Titik" also means "drop" (of water), referring to its small size and round shape. | |||
Thai | จุด | ||
In anatomy, "จุด" also denotes an area of the body with specific characteristics. | |||
Vietnamese | điểm | ||
Điểm can also mean grade, dot, or spot. | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | punto | ||
Azerbaijani | nöqtə | ||
The word "nöqtə" in Azerbaijani comes from Persian, meaning "drop" or "dot". | |||
Kazakh | нүкте | ||
The Kazakh word "нүкте" also refers to a comma or a full stop in written language. | |||
Kyrgyz | чекит | ||
The Kyrgyz word “чекит” can also refer to a checkpoint. | |||
Tajik | нуқта | ||
The word "нуқта" in Tajik also means "dot" and "full stop". | |||
Turkmen | nokat | ||
Uzbek | nuqta | ||
The word "nuqta" also means "verse" or "quotation" in Uzbek. | |||
Uyghur | point | ||
Hawaiian | kiko | ||
The Hawaiian word “kiko” can also refer to the point of a weapon, or to the point at which something begins or ends. | |||
Maori | tohu | ||
In Maori, tohu (point) can also relate to a sign, indication, or omen. | |||
Samoan | manatu | ||
The Samoan word "manatu" can also mean "thinking" or "belief". | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | punto | ||
The Tagalog word "punto" can also refer to a game of chance using cards or dice. |
Aymara | puntu | ||
Guarani | kyta | ||
Esperanto | punkto | ||
The Esperanto word "punkto" originated from the Latin word "punctum" which can also mean "dot". | |||
Latin | illud | ||
The word "illud" in Latin also refers to a specific type of argument or inference. |
Greek | σημείο | ||
Σημείο, meaning a sign or indication, is etymologically related to the English word “semaphore”, a signaling device used in telecommunications. | |||
Hmong | taw tes | ||
The word "taw tes" can also mean "to indicate" or "to show" in Hmong. | |||
Kurdish | cî | ||
The word "cî" in Kurdish can also refer to a sharp object, such as a knife or a needle. | |||
Turkish | nokta | ||
In Turkish, 'nokta' also means 'musically-notated quarter note' and a 'colon used for punctuation', deriving from Arabic 'nuqta' ('dot'). | |||
Xhosa | ingongoma | ||
The word "ingongoma" also refers to the top of a mountain or hill, or the head of a river, which are all seen as places of great spiritual significance. | |||
Yiddish | פּונקט | ||
In Yiddish, "פונקט" can also mean a "precise time" or an "exact moment", as in "דער פונקט" (der punkt, "the moment"). | |||
Zulu | iphuzu | ||
Iphaphu can also refer to a small animal's burrow. | |||
Assamese | বিন্দু | ||
Aymara | puntu | ||
Bhojpuri | बिंदु | ||
Dhivehi | ޕޮއިންޓް | ||
Dogri | नुक्ता | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | punto | ||
Guarani | kyta | ||
Ilocano | punto | ||
Krio | pɔynt | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | خاڵ | ||
Maithili | बिन्दु | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯈꯨꯠ ꯊꯤꯟꯗꯨꯅ ꯇꯥꯛꯄ | ||
Mizo | kawk | ||
Oromo | qabxii | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ବିନ୍ଦୁ | ||
Quechua | chusu | ||
Sanskrit | बिन्दु | ||
Tatar | пункт | ||
Tigrinya | ነጥቢ | ||
Tsonga | komba | ||