Pretty in Different Languages
Discover 'Pretty' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Pretty is a word that holds a significant place in our vocabulary, used to describe things that are attractive or charming. Its cultural importance is undeniable, as it has been woven into our literature, music, and art for centuries. From Shakespeare's sonnets to modern-day pop songs, the word 'pretty' has been used to express admiration and appreciation for beauty.
But did you know that the concept of prettiness varies across different cultures? What one culture may find pretty, another may not. This is why understanding the translation of 'pretty' in different languages can be so fascinating. For example, in Spanish, 'pretty' translates to 'linda' or 'hermosa', while in French, it's 'jolie' or 'belle'. In Mandarin, 'pretty' can be translated to '漂亮' (piàoliàng) or '美丽' (měilì).
Exploring the translations of 'pretty' in different languages not only broadens our understanding of beauty but also deepens our appreciation for the diversity of human languages and cultures. Join us as we delve into the many translations of 'pretty' around the world.
Pretty
Pretty in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | mooi | ||
| The word "mooi" in Afrikaans cognate with an Old Dutch word that meant "pleasant" or "agreeable". | |||
| Amharic | ቆንጆ | ||
| The word "ቆንጆ" also has the alternate meaning of "very" in Amharic. | |||
| Hausa | kyakkyawa | ||
| The word "kyakkyawa" may relate to a Hausa verb "kyakka" - "to glitter" | |||
| Igbo | mara mma | ||
| Igbo: 'mara mma' also describes physical beauty & personal value; a blend of the words for 'see' ('ma') & 'good' ('mma'). | |||
| Malagasy | tsara tarehy | ||
| "Tsara tarehy" is a Malagasy idiom that literally translates to "good to see" and is used to describe things or people that are attractive. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | wokongola | ||
| The word "wokongola" also means "handsome" (for men) in Nyanja. | |||
| Shona | runako | ||
| The word "runako" also means "beauty" or "niceness" in Shona. | |||
| Somali | quruxsan | ||
| The word "quruxsan" in Somali is derived from the Arabic word "qur'ān", meaning "recitation of the Quran" or "reading". It suggests that beauty is associated with knowledge and piety. | |||
| Sesotho | e ntle | ||
| The Sesotho word "entle" can also mean "calm" or "soft". | |||
| Swahili | mzuri | ||
| In Swahili, "mzuri" can also mean "good" or "beautiful" and comes from the Bantu root -zuri meaning "beauty" or "goodness". | |||
| Xhosa | intle | ||
| The word "intle" can also mean "beautiful" or "lovely". | |||
| Yoruba | lẹwa | ||
| "Lẹwa" (pretty) also refers to "appearance" in Yoruba, emphasizing its importance in societal evaluation. | |||
| Zulu | kuhle | ||
| The word "kuhle" also means "peace" in Zulu. | |||
| Bambara | cɛɲi | ||
| Ewe | nya kpɔ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | byiza | ||
| Lingala | mwa kitoko | ||
| Luganda | mulungi | ||
| Sepedi | botse | ||
| Twi (Akan) | fɛfɛɛfɛ | ||
Pretty in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | جميلة | ||
| The name "جميلة" (Jamila) also refers to a type of flower or a beautiful woman in Arabic. | |||
| Hebrew | יפה | ||
| The word "יפה" can also mean "beautiful", "handsome", or "nice" depending on the context. | |||
| Pashto | ښایسته | ||
| The Pashto word "ښایسته" is also used as a polite form of address for women who are older or have earned respect | |||
| Arabic | جميلة | ||
| The name "جميلة" (Jamila) also refers to a type of flower or a beautiful woman in Arabic. | |||
Pretty in Western European Languages
| Albanian | goxha | ||
| The word "goxha" is the Albanian cognate of the Proto-Indo-European root *gʰos- meaning "to shine" and shares a common etymology with the English word "ghost". | |||
| Basque | polita | ||
| Polita in Basque can also mean "pretty little bird". | |||
| Catalan | bonic | ||
| The word "bonic" in Catalan comes from the Proto-Indo-European root "bhen-", related to the concepts of brightness and shining. | |||
| Croatian | prilično | ||
| Prilično means 'quite', 'rather' or 'more than usual' and has an Indo-European root shared by 'plenty' and 'full' | |||
| Danish | smuk | ||
| The word "smuk" is derived from the Old Norse word "smjúgr", meaning "slender" or "graceful." | |||
| Dutch | mooi | ||
| The Dutch word "mooi" can mean "beautiful," "nice," "good," or "fine." | |||
| English | pretty | ||
| "Pretty" derives from Old English "praettig," meaning "crafty, cunning, artful," but has since shifted to mean "beautiful, pleasing." | |||
| French | joli | ||
| The word "joli" originates from the Latin word "gaudium", meaning "joy" or "delight". | |||
| Frisian | skoander | ||
| The word "skoander" in Frisian is derived from the Old Frisian word "skien" meaning "to shine". | |||
| Galician | bonito | ||
| The word "bonito" in Galician comes from the Latin word "bonus," which means "good" or "virtuous." | |||
| German | ziemlich | ||
| The word "ziemlich" is derived from the Old High German "zimbal", meaning "suitable" or "appropriate". | |||
| Icelandic | laglegur | ||
| The Icelandic word "laglegur" is related to the Old Norse "löglegr" meaning "lawful or well-behaved. | |||
| Irish | go leor | ||
| The Irish word "go leor" can also mean "very" or "many." | |||
| Italian | bella | ||
| In Italian, "bella" is also used to describe something or someone as beautiful, charming, or good. | |||
| Luxembourgish | flott | ||
| The etymology of 'flott' goes back to the Old French word 'flot' meaning 'wave', 'fluctuation' or 'flow'. | |||
| Maltese | pjuttost | ||
| The Maltese word "pjuttost" is derived from the Italian word "piuttosto," meaning "rather" or "quite." | |||
| Norwegian | ganske | ||
| Norwegian "ganske" derives from "ga" (path) + "skinn" (shine), so it originally meant "showing the path" (to safety). | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | bonita | ||
| In Portuguese, “bonita” also means “well made,” “nice,” and “fair” in the sense of a judgment and can be applied to people, places, or things. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | breagha | ||
| Breagha is thought to derive from Old Irish 'breac', meaning 'speckled, plaid, dappled' or 'shining'. It remains as a term in modern Gaelic to describe cattle and sheep with specific coat patterns. | |||
| Spanish | bonita | ||
| In Spanish, "bonita" can also mean "beautiful, charming, lovely, pleasing to the eye" | |||
| Swedish | söt | ||
| The word 'Söt' can also mean 'sweet' in Swedish, and is used affectionately or to describe something pleasant. | |||
| Welsh | 'n bert | ||
| The Welsh word "'n bert" can also mean "a little bit" or "slightly". | |||
Pretty in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | прыгожа | ||
| The word "прыгожа" (pronounced "preeg-oh-zha") in Belarusian derives from the Proto-Slavic "*prigudija" meaning "agreeable" or "well-suited". | |||
| Bosnian | lijepa | ||
| The word "lijepa" (pretty) shares the same root with "lijek" (medicine), indicating its healing qualities for the soul. | |||
| Bulgarian | красива | ||
| The Bulgarian word "красива" not only means "pretty" but also "beautiful", "handsome", and "comely". | |||
| Czech | pěkný | ||
| The Czech word "pěkný" originally meant "well-made" or "well-suited," and is related to the word "péče" (care). | |||
| Estonian | ilus | ||
| "Ilus" also means "naked" and is related to the Finnish word "iljettävä" which means "disgusting". | |||
| Finnish | nätti | ||
| "Nätti" is derived from the Proto-Scandinavian root *knaitt- meaning 'skillful' or 'dexterous'. | |||
| Hungarian | szép | ||
| It is also used as a formal address, similar to the English "Sir" or "Madam". | |||
| Latvian | glīts | ||
| Latvian word "glīts" also means "clean, polished, bright," and has a similar origin as "glittering" | |||
| Lithuanian | graži | ||
| The word 'graži' is cognate with the word 'gross' in English, which originally meant 'big' or 'great'. | |||
| Macedonian | убава | ||
| In some contexts, убава can also refer to the gracefulness or charm of a person or thing. | |||
| Polish | ładny | ||
| The word "ładny" in Polish is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*lędъ", meaning "beautiful", "good" or even "nice to the touch". | |||
| Romanian | frumos | ||
| The word "frumos" is derived from the Latin word "formosus", meaning "beautiful" or "handsome". | |||
| Russian | довольно | ||
| "Довольно" is derived from the Old Russian "довола", which in turn derives from the Proto-Slavic "dovola." This Slavic language root is shared by a variety of other words with the sense of "enough." | |||
| Serbian | прилично | ||
| The word "прилично" can also mean "decent" or "suitable" in Serbian. | |||
| Slovak | pekne | ||
| Slovak "pekne" shares a common origin with "beautiful" and "fine" in English via the Proto-Indo-European root "pek-." | |||
| Slovenian | lepa | ||
| In some parts of Slovenia the word "lepa" is used only for objects and "lepa dekle" (beautiful girl) is used instead of "lepa deklica". | |||
| Ukrainian | гарненька | ||
| The word гарненька has various forms with different meanings, like гарно (beautifully), гарний (beautiful). | |||
Pretty in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | সুন্দর | ||
| The word "সুন্দর" has a similar root to the word "সোন্দর্য" meaning "beauty," and can have the alternate meanings of "handsome" or "beautiful." | |||
| Gujarati | સુંદર | ||
| The Gujarati word "સુંદર" (sundar) is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*su-," meaning "beautiful" or "good. | |||
| Hindi | सुंदर | ||
| The word 'सुंदर' derives from Sanskrit, where it originally meant 'good' or 'auspicious,' and also signifies beauty, harmony, and excellence in nature and art. | |||
| Kannada | ಸುಂದರ | ||
| "ಸುಂದರ" (sundara) derives from the Sanskrit "sundara" meaning "beautiful" or "lovely" but also connotes "auspicious" or "blessed". | |||
| Malayalam | സുന്ദരി | ||
| The word 'സുന്ദരി' comes from the Sanskrit word 'sundara', meaning 'beautiful', and is also a common given name for girls in India. | |||
| Marathi | सुंदर | ||
| The Marathi word "सुंदर" shares the same etymology as "beautiful" in English, deriving from the PIE root *swē- "pleasant, agreeable". | |||
| Nepali | राम्रो | ||
| The word "राम्रो" has a Sanskrit root and means "worthy of delight" or "pleasing to the senses". | |||
| Punjabi | ਸੋਹਣਾ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ලස්සනයි | ||
| The Sinhala word ලස්සනයි, meaning "pretty," is also used to denote something clever or skillful. | |||
| Tamil | அழகான | ||
| The word "அழகான" in Tamil can also mean "beautiful," "charming," or "handsome." | |||
| Telugu | చక్కని | ||
| The word "చక్కని" (chakkini) in Telugu is derived from the Prakrit word "chakkava" meaning "well-cooked" and hence, by extension, "beautiful". | |||
| Urdu | خوبصورت | ||
| The word "خوبصورت" (khūbsūrat) is derived from the Persian word "خوب" (khūb), meaning "good," and "صورت" (sūrat), meaning "face" or "form." | |||
Pretty in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 漂亮 | ||
| 漂亮 (piàoliàng), lit. "excellent scenery," refers to the beauty of women in modern Chinese but can also describe the excellence of objects or the beauty of natural scenery. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 漂亮 | ||
| "漂亮" comes from the Chinese characters "票" (ticket) and "亮" (bright), which together convey the idea of something that is visually appealing and captivating. | |||
| Japanese | 可愛い | ||
| The word "kawaii" originally meant "pitiful" or "poor," but over time it acquired the meaning of "cute" or "attractive." | |||
| Korean | 예쁜 | ||
| The word "예쁜" (yeoppeun) is also used to describe someone who is handsome or beautiful, regardless of gender. | |||
| Mongolian | хөөрхөн | ||
| The word "хөөрхөн" in Mongolian can also refer to something that is valuable, expensive, or noble. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | လှတယ် | ||
| The word လှတယ် (pronounced [l̥aʔ tɛ̀]) also means 'beautiful', 'lovely', or 'charming', and is often used to describe a person's physical appearance or personality. | |||
Pretty in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | cantik | ||
| Canik is derived from the Javanese word "candik" meaning "a small temple", and in Bali, it also means "a lady of high rank". | |||
| Javanese | ayu | ||
| The word "ayu" in Javanese can also mean "life" or "spirit". | |||
| Khmer | ស្អាត | ||
| The word "ស្អាត" ('pretty') is derived from the Sanskrit word "sucitra" ('beautiful'). | |||
| Lao | ງາມ | ||
| ງາມ also commonly describes the taste or smell of something pleasant, like food. | |||
| Malay | cantik | ||
| "Cantik" also means "beautiful, good, or well-made". | |||
| Thai | น่ารัก | ||
| น่ารัก comes from the Sanskrit word | |||
| Vietnamese | đẹp | ||
| "Đẹp", meaning "pretty", is also colloquially used in Vietnamese to describe something "good", "fine", or "excellent". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | maganda | ||
Pretty in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | olduqca | ||
| The word "olduqca" can also mean "quite" or "relatively" in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | әдемі | ||
| The Kazakh word "әдемі" (pretty) derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₁ed- ("to please"), the same origin as English "admire". | |||
| Kyrgyz | сулуу | ||
| The word "сулуу" is derived from the Proto-Turkic word *suluq, meaning "water". The Kyrgyz word can also refer to "purity" or "clarity". | |||
| Tajik | зебо | ||
| The word "зебо" is derived from the Persian word "زيبا" (zībā), which means "beautiful" | |||
| Turkmen | owadan | ||
| Uzbek | chiroyli | ||
| The word "chiroyli" in Uzbek is derived from the Persian word "chehreh", meaning "face", and is also used to describe someone who is handsome or beautiful. | |||
| Uyghur | چىرايلىق | ||
Pretty in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | nani | ||
| The Hawaiian word 'nani' conveys the idea of attractiveness, charm, and beauty, extending beyond physical appearance to encompass qualities of character and nature. | |||
| Maori | ataahua | ||
| The word "ataahua" not only means "pretty" but also refers to the "essence of beauty" in Maori culture. | |||
| Samoan | aulelei | ||
| The Samoan word 'aulelei' is derived from the Proto-Polynesian word *malie*, meaning 'fragrant' or 'sweet-smelling'. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | maganda | ||
| The Tagalog word "maganda" shares its root with the words for "good" and "beautiful". | |||
Pretty in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jiwaki | ||
| Guarani | iporã | ||
Pretty in International Languages
| Esperanto | bela | ||
| The word "bela" in Esperanto is derived from the Hungarian word "bella" meaning "inner self" and has an alternate meaning of "beautiful" | |||
| Latin | satis | ||
| The Latin word "satis" can also mean "enough" or "sufficient," and is used in the expression "satis est": it's enough. | |||
Pretty in Others Languages
| Greek | αρκετά | ||
| In Greek, "αρκετά" also means "enough" or "sufficient." | |||
| Hmong | zoo nkauj | ||
| The word "zoo nkauj" also means "flowers" or "beautiful" in Hmong. | |||
| Kurdish | rind | ||
| The Kurdish word "rind" also means "order" in English. | |||
| Turkish | güzel | ||
| The word 'güzel' also means 'beautiful' in Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | intle | ||
| The word "intle" can also mean "beautiful" or "lovely". | |||
| Yiddish | שיין | ||
| "Shein" also means "shine" in Yiddish, likely coming from the German word "scheinen" rather than the Yiddish word "shin" meaning "beautiful". | |||
| Zulu | kuhle | ||
| The word "kuhle" also means "peace" in Zulu. | |||
| Assamese | মৰমলগা | ||
| Aymara | jiwaki | ||
| Bhojpuri | सुंदर | ||
| Dhivehi | ރިވެތި | ||
| Dogri | रूपवान | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | maganda | ||
| Guarani | iporã | ||
| Ilocano | napintas | ||
| Krio | fayn | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | جوان | ||
| Maithili | सुन्दर | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯐꯖꯕ | ||
| Mizo | mawi | ||
| Oromo | bareedduu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ସୁନ୍ଦର | ||
| Quechua | sumaq | ||
| Sanskrit | सुभगा | ||
| Tatar | бик матур | ||
| Tigrinya | ሽኮር | ||
| Tsonga | xonga | ||