Possible in Different Languages
Discover 'Possible' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'possible' is a powerful expression of potential and capability. It signifies that something can be done or achieved, opening up a world of opportunities and possibilities. This word has been a part of human language for centuries, and its cultural importance cannot be overstated. From literature to science, philosophy to art, the concept of possibility has inspired countless individuals to dream, create, and innovate.
Moreover, understanding the translation of 'possible' in different languages can provide valuable insights into the cultures and worldviews of people around the globe. For instance, the French translation of 'possible' is 'possible,' which reflects the language's elegant simplicity. Meanwhile, the German translation, 'möglich,' highlights the language's rich and complex grammatical structure.
So, whether you're a language enthusiast, a cultural explorer, or someone who simply wants to expand their vocabulary, exploring the translations of 'possible' can be a fascinating and rewarding journey. Here are some translations to get you started:
Possible
Possible in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | moontlik | ||
| The Afrikaans word "moontlik" is derived from the Dutch "mogelijk," which itself originated from the Middle Dutch "moeghen lijken," meaning "to be like" or "to be able to happen." | |||
| Amharic | ይቻላል | ||
| The word "ይቻላል" has cognates in several other Semitic languages, including Arabic and Hebrew, which also use the same root to express the idea of "ability" or "power". | |||
| Hausa | zai yiwu | ||
| 'Zai yiwu' also means 'a possible thing' | |||
| Igbo | kwere omume | ||
| The word "kwere omume" in Igbo can also mean "doable" or "feasible". | |||
| Malagasy | azo atao | ||
| "Azo atao" also means "it is doable" or "it can be done" in Malagasy. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | zotheka | ||
| Zotheka has other related forms, including 'zosatheka' ('it was possible'), 'zikatheka' ('it has been possible') and 'kadzatheka' ('it could be possible') and refers to a condition that is able to be or likely to happen or be true. | |||
| Shona | zvinogoneka | ||
| Zvinogoneka, a Shona word for 'possible' can mean "what can bring one up or out", from "kukwira", "to come to life". | |||
| Somali | suurtagal ah | ||
| In Somali, "suurtagal ah" is a verb meaning "to be possible" or "to be able to". | |||
| Sesotho | khoneha | ||
| "Khoneha" is a possible derivative of "ho", meaning "to exist", or "khona", meaning "to be present" in Sesotho. | |||
| Swahili | inawezekana | ||
| The Swahili word "inawezekana" is derived from the Arabic word "mumkin", which originally meant "to be able to" or "to be capable of". | |||
| Xhosa | kunokwenzeka | ||
| The word "kunokwenzeka" in Xhosa has the same root as the word for "ability" or "capability". | |||
| Yoruba | ṣee ṣe | ||
| Ṣee ṣe, originally meaning "to be possible" or "capable of being done," can also mean "maybe" or "perhaps" in contemporary Yoruba. | |||
| Zulu | kungenzeka | ||
| The noun 'kungenzeka' also means 'opportunity' or 'chance' in Zulu. | |||
| Bambara | bɛ se ka kɛ | ||
| Ewe | ate ŋu adzᴐ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | birashoboka | ||
| Lingala | likoki ezali | ||
| Luganda | -soboka | ||
| Sepedi | kgonagalo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | bɛyɛ yie | ||
Possible in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | ممكن | ||
| The word "ممكن" in Arabic originates from the root "م-ك-ن" which also means "to be firm, stable, or established". | |||
| Hebrew | אפשרי | ||
| "אפשרי" (possible) derives from "אפשר" (to allow), implying something that is permissible. | |||
| Pashto | امکان لري | ||
| The word "امکان لري" can also mean "it is likely" or "it is probable". | |||
| Arabic | ممكن | ||
| The word "ممكن" in Arabic originates from the root "م-ك-ن" which also means "to be firm, stable, or established". | |||
Possible in Western European Languages
| Albanian | e mundshme | ||
| The word "e mundshme" is derived from the Albanian word "mund" meaning "can" or "ability". | |||
| Basque | posible | ||
| The Basque word "posible" derives from the Latin "possibilis," meaning "capable of being done or achieved." | |||
| Catalan | possible | ||
| The Catalan word "possible" comes from the Latin word "possibilis", which means "able to be done". | |||
| Croatian | moguće | ||
| The word 'moguće' also means 'perhaps' or 'maybe' in Croatian | |||
| Danish | muligt | ||
| The word "muligt" is derived from the Old Norse word "mógligr", which means "able" or "capable". It can also be used to mean "likely" or "probable". | |||
| Dutch | mogelijk | ||
| In Middle Dutch, 'mogelijk' meant 'capable' or 'able'. | |||
| English | possible | ||
| Possible derives from the Greek "dynamis" (power), akin to the Latin "posse" (be able) and "potentia" (power). | |||
| French | possible | ||
| In French, the word “possible” derives from the Latin “possibile,” which means “capable of being done.” | |||
| Frisian | mooglik | ||
| It is a contraction of 'moog' and 'lyk', which could be related to the English words 'may' and 'likelihood' respectively, or to the Dutch 'mogelijk' (possible). | |||
| Galician | posible | ||
| The spelling "posible" is the Galician form of the Castilian word "posible" and both derive from the Latin root "possibilis". | |||
| German | möglich | ||
| The German word "möglich" comes from the Old High German "muogēn," which also means "to be able to" or "have the power to." | |||
| Icelandic | mögulegt | ||
| Mögulegt is cognate to the English word "might" and can also mean "maybe" or "probably". | |||
| Irish | féidir | ||
| "Féidir" is a Middle Irish word (Old Irish "is-feidir") that literally translates as "can-be" and can refer to something being permitted or potential. | |||
| Italian | possibile | ||
| The Italian word 'possibile' is derived from the Latin word 'possibilis,' which means 'able to be done.' | |||
| Luxembourgish | méiglech | ||
| The term "méiglech" can also be used with its alternative meaning "maybe" when the possibility of something happening is low but still exists. | |||
| Maltese | possibbli | ||
| The Maltese word "possibbli" shares its etymology with the Italian word "possibile" and the French word "possible". | |||
| Norwegian | mulig | ||
| The Norwegian word "mulig" is related to the English word "may" and the German word "möglich." | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | possível | ||
| In Portuguese, the word "possível" (possible) derives from the Latin word "possibilis," meaning "able to be done," and also has the secondary meaning of "maybe" or "perhaps." | |||
| Scots Gaelic | comasach | ||
| "Comasach" also means "leisure" or "opportunity" in Gaelic. | |||
| Spanish | posible | ||
| The word "posible" in Spanish comes from the Latin word "possibilis", meaning "that can be done" or "that can happen". | |||
| Swedish | möjlig | ||
| "Möjlig" comes from the Middle Low German "mogelik", meaning "able" or "capable". | |||
| Welsh | bosibl | ||
| Welsh "bosibl" originates from "bos" (be), "sib" (possible) and has the alternative meaning of "it may be". | |||
Possible in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | магчыма | ||
| "Магчыма" is derived from the Old Belarusian word "магчыць," meaning "to be able to do something". | |||
| Bosnian | moguće | ||
| In Slavic languages, the word "moguće" also means "to be able to" | |||
| Bulgarian | възможен | ||
| The word "възможен" in Bulgarian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "vьzmožьnъ", meaning "attainable, capable". | |||
| Czech | možný | ||
| “Možný” in Czech derives from the Proto-Slavic word *mogtь, meaning “to be able,” and is cognate with Russian "мочь" (moch’), Polish “móc,” and Old Church Slavonic “мошти” (moshti). | |||
| Estonian | võimalik | ||
| The Estonian word "võimalik" originates from the Proto-Finnic word "voima", meaning "power" or "strength". This reflects the idea that something is possible if it is within one's power or capability. | |||
| Finnish | mahdollista | ||
| "Mahdollista" is the passive form of the verb "mahdollistaa" in Finnish, meaning to "make possible" or "enable". | |||
| Hungarian | lehetséges | ||
| The Hungarian term 'lehetséges' comes from 'lehet', meaning 'to be able' or 'to have the chance', and '-sége'- 'to become'. | |||
| Latvian | iespējams | ||
| Iespējams can also mean 'perhaps' or 'probably' in Latvian. | |||
| Lithuanian | įmanoma | ||
| Įmanoma is cognate with the Latin "imminere", meaning "to overhang" or "to be imminent". | |||
| Macedonian | можно | ||
| The word "можно" is used in Macedonian to say "possible", but it can also mean "allowed" or "able to do something." | |||
| Polish | możliwy | ||
| The word "możliwy" comes from the Old Polish word "możny," which means "strong" or "powerful." | |||
| Romanian | posibil | ||
| The word "posibil" can also be used to indicate "potential", "ability", or "means"} | |||
| Russian | возможно | ||
| The Russian word 'возможно' derives from the Proto-Slavic word 'vozmogti', meaning 'to have the power' or 'to be able'. | |||
| Serbian | могуће | ||
| The word 'могуће' also means 'power' or 'ability' in Serbian. | |||
| Slovak | možné | ||
| The word "možné" in Slovak also means "maybe" or "it is possible that". | |||
| Slovenian | mogoče | ||
| Mogoče, Slovenian for possible, may also refer to a person or place, or to the possibility of something occurring or not occurring. | |||
| Ukrainian | можливо | ||
| The word “можливо” is derived from the Old Slavic word “мочь”, which means “to be able”. It can also mean “maybe” or “perhaps”. | |||
Possible in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | সম্ভব | ||
| The word "সম্ভব" has multiple meanings, including "capable", "likely", and "probable". | |||
| Gujarati | શક્ય | ||
| The word "શક્ય" also means "probable" or "likely" in Gujarati. | |||
| Hindi | मुमकिन | ||
| The word 'Mumkin' in Hindi is derived from the Arabic word 'Mumkin', meaning both 'possible' and 'worthy of consideration'. | |||
| Kannada | ಸಾಧ್ಯ | ||
| "ಸಾಧ್ಯ" comes from the Sanskrit word "sadhya," which also means "feasible, attainable, or achievable." | |||
| Malayalam | സാധ്യമാണ് | ||
| Marathi | शक्य | ||
| शक्य (shakya) is derived from Sanskrit शक् (shak) meaning 'to prevail', 'to be able'. | |||
| Nepali | सम्भव छ | ||
| The word सम्भव छ does not have any alternate meanings but is formed from the words सम्भव meaning 'possible' and छ meaning 'is'. | |||
| Punjabi | ਸੰਭਵ | ||
| The word 'ਸੰਭਵ' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'सम्भव' ('sambhava'), which originally meant 'coming into existence' or 'being produced'. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | හැකි | ||
| The Sinhala word "හැකි" (possible) is derived from the Proto-Indo-Aryan root *sak- (to be able), also found in Sanskrit "śakti" (power) and "saknoti" (can, is able). | |||
| Tamil | சாத்தியம் | ||
| The Tamil word "சாத்தியம்" originates from the Sanskrit term "साध्य" , meaning "to be accomplished". | |||
| Telugu | సాధ్యమే | ||
| సాధ్యమే (sādhyamē) comes from the word సాధ్ (sādh) meaning 'to accomplish' and the suffix -్యమ్ (-yam) indicating possibility. | |||
| Urdu | ممکن | ||
| ممکن is related to the root word "کن" which means "to be" and is related to words like "مکان" (place) and "کام" (work). | |||
Possible in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 可能 | ||
| 可能 (kěnéng) originally meant a "situation," or "manner" by which something could be achieved. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 可能 | ||
| "可能"在中文（繁体）中还有"大概"的意思。 | |||
| Japanese | 可能 | ||
| 可能 (kanō) can also mean “probable” and is often used with the particle の (no) in the phrases 可能のない (kanō no nai), “impossible,” 可能のある (kanō no aru), “possible,” and 可能である (kanō de aru), “likely”. | |||
| Korean | 가능한 | ||
| Possible comes from Latin word 'possibilis', which means 'being able' (posse = be able, bilis = -able). Possible also means 'to be expected' in English. | |||
| Mongolian | боломжтой | ||
| The word "боломжтой" shares the same root with the word "болох" which means "to become". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဖြစ်နိုင်တယ် | ||
Possible in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | bisa jadi | ||
| Bisa jadi can also mean 'it is possible that' or 'maybe'. | |||
| Javanese | bisa uga | ||
| 'Bisa uga' as a phrase, is a contraction of 'bisa uga-uga' which means 'possible according to guess', where 'uga' means 'guess' or 'estimate'. The word 'uga' is a derivative of the verb 'ngugo' which means 'to guess' or 'to estimate'. | |||
| Khmer | អាចធ្វើទៅបាន | ||
| Lao | ເປັນໄປໄດ້ | ||
| Malay | mungkin | ||
| "Mungkin" originated from the Sanskrit word "mukhya," meaning "chief" or "important," and has also been used in Malay to mean "perhaps" or "maybe." | |||
| Thai | เป็นไปได้ | ||
| The Thai word "เป็นไปได้" can also mean "feasibility" or "likelihood". | |||
| Vietnamese | khả thi | ||
| Khả thi is derived from the Chinese word khả thi, meaning "feasible" or "practical"} | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | maaari | ||
Possible in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | mümkündür | ||
| The word “mümkündür” in Azerbaijani ultimately derives from Proto-Indo-European *mey- (“to measure, distribute”) | |||
| Kazakh | мүмкін | ||
| The word "мүмкін" can also mean "perhaps" or "it is possible". | |||
| Kyrgyz | мүмкүн | ||
| The word "мүмкүн" also means "maybe" or "perhaps" in Kyrgyz, and is derived from the Proto-Turkic word " mümkün". | |||
| Tajik | имконпазир | ||
| The word “имконпазир” (“possible”) in Tajik is ultimately derived from an early New Persian compound formed from the noun "imkān" and the verb "paziridan." | |||
| Turkmen | mümkin | ||
| Uzbek | mumkin | ||
| Mumkin also means "a very large quantity" or "a great amount" in Uzbek. | |||
| Uyghur | مۇمكىن | ||
Possible in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hiki | ||
| Hiki also means 'to ascend' or 'to climb' and is found in the term hiki nui for 'high tide'. | |||
| Maori | ka taea | ||
| "Ka taea" is the Māori word for "can do" or "possible," but literally means "can stand," referring to the idea of overcoming an obstacle. | |||
| Samoan | mafai | ||
| The word "mafai" also has the alternate meaning of "permissible" in Samoan. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | maaari | ||
| The word "maaari" has a Proto-Austronesian origin, meaning "to be able to" or "to have the power to" | |||
Possible in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | wakiskiri | ||
| Guarani | ikatukuaaite | ||
Possible in International Languages
| Esperanto | ebla | ||
| Esperanto's "ebla" is an Esperanto-specific word with no clear etymology or alternate meanings, unlike its false cognates in many languages | |||
| Latin | maxime | ||
| The Latin word "maxime" can also mean "especially" or "primarily" | |||
Possible in Others Languages
| Greek | δυνατόν | ||
| The word 'δυνατόν' originally meant 'capable' or 'able', and only later came to mean 'possible'. | |||
| Hmong | ua tau | ||
| Hmong "ua tau"'s etymology suggests "possible" as the ability to "hold still". | |||
| Kurdish | derîmkan | ||
| "Derîmkan" originates from Persian "dare-mândan" meaning "to have been left over" as well as "derî" meaning "door" and "mândan" meaning "to remain". Alternatively, the word denotes "the one that has been left behind" and figuratively "possible" in Kurdish. | |||
| Turkish | mümkün | ||
| Mümkün ultimately derives from Arabic مكن, meaning to establish, to confirm, or to empower. | |||
| Xhosa | kunokwenzeka | ||
| The word "kunokwenzeka" in Xhosa has the same root as the word for "ability" or "capability". | |||
| Yiddish | מעגלעך | ||
| The Yiddish word מעגלעך can also mean "circular," "rotating," or "cyclical." | |||
| Zulu | kungenzeka | ||
| The noun 'kungenzeka' also means 'opportunity' or 'chance' in Zulu. | |||
| Assamese | সম্ভৱ | ||
| Aymara | wakiskiri | ||
| Bhojpuri | संभव | ||
| Dhivehi | ވެދާނެ | ||
| Dogri | मुमकन | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | maaari | ||
| Guarani | ikatukuaaite | ||
| Ilocano | posible | ||
| Krio | pɔsibul | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | دەشێت | ||
| Maithili | संभव | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯣꯏꯊꯣꯛꯄ ꯌꯥꯕ | ||
| Mizo | thei | ||
| Oromo | kan danda'amu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ସମ୍ଭବ | ||
| Quechua | atipanalla | ||
| Sanskrit | सम्भव | ||
| Tatar | мөмкин | ||
| Tigrinya | ዝከኣል | ||
| Tsonga | kumbexana | ||