Pull in Different Languages
Discover 'Pull' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'pull' is simple, yet versatile, with a rich cultural significance that reaches far beyond its basic definition. It represents the act of exerting force to draw something towards oneself, but it also symbolizes influence, power, and connection in various cultural contexts. For instance, in the English language, the phrase 'to pull strings' means to exert secret or unofficial influence on someone or something, often to achieve a desired outcome. This highlights the fascinating intersection of language, culture, and human behavior.
Moreover, understanding the translation of 'pull' in different languages can provide valuable insights into the unique linguistic and cultural nuances of various societies. For example, in Spanish, 'pull' translates to 'tirar', while in French, it is 'tirer'. In German, 'pull' becomes 'ziehen', and in Japanese, 'pull' is translated as 'ひく' (hiku).
Delving into the world of language and culture through the lens of a common word like 'pull' can be an enriching and enlightening experience. Join us as we explore the many translations and cultural interpretations of this simple, yet powerful, word.
Pull
Pull in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | trek | ||
| The Afrikaans word "trek" can also refer to a long journey, especially one made by a group of people or animals. | |||
| Amharic | ጎትት | ||
| The word "ጎትት" can also mean "to drag" or "to tow". | |||
| Hausa | ja | ||
| Originally meant "to draw out" or "to lead off" in the sense of leading an animal off by a rope; thus, "to drag," "to pull," "to draw." | |||
| Igbo | dọọ | ||
| The Igbo word "Dọọ" means "pull", and is related to the word "Dọka", which means "draw", and "Dọrọ", which means "drag". | |||
| Malagasy | sintony | ||
| In addition to meaning "pull," "sintony" can also mean "effort," "tension," "drive," and "yearning" in Malagasy. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kokani | ||
| The word 'Kokani' also refers to the action of lifting something up into the air. | |||
| Shona | dhonza | ||
| The word dhonza can also mean "force". In the imperative, it is dhonza (sg), dhonzai (pl). | |||
| Somali | jiido | ||
| In addition to meaning "pull," "jiido" can also mean "influence" or "persuade" in Somali. | |||
| Sesotho | hula | ||
| In Sesotho, "Hula" can also refer to a dance performed at weddings and other celebrations. | |||
| Swahili | vuta | ||
| "Vuta" is derived from the Proto-Bantu root *-vuta, which also means "to draw" or "to drag". | |||
| Xhosa | tsala | ||
| Tsala, meaning 'pull' in Xhosa, originates from the Proto-Bantu root *-tala ('to drag'). | |||
| Yoruba | fa | ||
| The word "Fa" in Yoruba also means "to pick up" "to gather" "to pull away" or "to take". | |||
| Zulu | donsa | ||
| The Zulu word "Donsa" can also refer to a handle or lever. | |||
| Bambara | ka sama | ||
| Ewe | hee | ||
| Kinyarwanda | gukurura | ||
| Lingala | kobenda | ||
| Luganda | okusika | ||
| Sepedi | goga | ||
| Twi (Akan) | twe | ||
Pull in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | سحب. شد | ||
| In Arabic, "سحب. شد" (pull) can also refer to withdrawing money from an account or removing an object from a larger set. | |||
| Hebrew | מְשׁוֹך | ||
| In Hebrew, the verb 'מְשׁוֹך' ('pull') can also have the meanings 'to draw', 'to paint', and 'to withdraw'. | |||
| Pashto | کشول | ||
| In Pashto, the word "کشول" can also mean "a rope used for pulling a heavy object". | |||
| Arabic | سحب. شد | ||
| In Arabic, "سحب. شد" (pull) can also refer to withdrawing money from an account or removing an object from a larger set. | |||
Pull in Western European Languages
| Albanian | tërheq | ||
| The Albanian word "tërheq" (pull) is thought to derive from Proto-Indo-European roots "*ter-k-" (to cross, overcome, pass through) and "*ker-k" (to draw, scratch, cut). | |||
| Basque | tira | ||
| The Basque word "tira" (pull) is derived from the Proto-Basque *tir-, meaning "to draw" or "to pull". | |||
| Catalan | estirar | ||
| The word “estirar” may also be derived from the Arabic word "istīrāj" meaning “extraction”. | |||
| Croatian | vuci | ||
| The word "Vuci" in Croatian is also a plural form of the word "ruka" (hand), and an archaic form of the word "vuča" (a rope for pulling something). | |||
| Danish | trække | ||
| The verb "trække" also means "to move," as in when a person moves house or when a team moves up in a tournament. | |||
| Dutch | trekken | ||
| The word "trekken" in Dutch can also refer to migrating or moving, especially in a large group or caravan. | |||
| English | pull | ||
| The word 'pull' derives from the Middle English word 'pullen' and is related to the Latin 'pellere' meaning 'to push'. | |||
| French | tirer | ||
| The French verb "tirer" derives from the Old French verb "tirre", meaning "to draw" or "to extract", which in turn derives from the Latin verb "trahere". | |||
| Frisian | lûke | ||
| The word "lûke" can also refer to a lock of hair or a bundle of flax. | |||
| Galician | tirar | ||
| "Tirar" can also mean "to take a photograph." | |||
| German | ziehen | ||
| Ziehen can also mean to move, breed, migrate, and is related to words like Zug (train), Zucht (breeding), and wandern (to wander). | |||
| Icelandic | draga | ||
| The word "draga" in Icelandic can also refer to a dragnet or a harrow. | |||
| Irish | tarraingt | ||
| An older sense of the word "tarraingt" refers to a "drawing, pulling, or dragging force." | |||
| Italian | tirare | ||
| The verb "tirare" in Italian also means "to shoot" and comes from the Latin "trahere", meaning "to draw". | |||
| Luxembourgish | zéien | ||
| Maltese | iġbed | ||
| The Maltese word "iġbed" is derived from the Arabic word "جَبَدَ" (jbd), meaning "to pull" or "to draw". It can also refer to the act of stretching or extending something. | |||
| Norwegian | dra | ||
| The word "dra" in Norwegian can also refer to the act of pulling something towards oneself or a particular direction | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | puxar | ||
| Portuguese "puxar" comes from Latin "pulsare" but can also mean "smoke" (informal) or "take a drag" (of a cigarette). | |||
| Scots Gaelic | tarraing | ||
| 'Tarraing' likely comes from Old Irish 'tarrach' meaning 'rescue' or 'liberation'. | |||
| Spanish | halar | ||
| The word "Halar" can also mean "to attract" or "to entice", and is derived from the Arabic word "Halala" (حلل), meaning "to make lawful" or "to permit". | |||
| Swedish | dra | ||
| In some areas of Sweden, the word "dra" can also refer to "to run" in the context of a child learning to walk. | |||
| Welsh | tynnu | ||
| Tynnu, meaning "pull," is derived from the Proto-Celtic *tenk- and found in other Celtic languages like Scots Gaelic "tionnaich" and Irish "tarraing." | |||
Pull in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | цягнуць | ||
| The word "цягнуць" can also mean "to stretch" or "to drag" in Belarusian. | |||
| Bosnian | povuci | ||
| In Bosnian, the verb 'povuci' has an additional meaning of 'drag' and is often used in the context of warfare. | |||
| Bulgarian | дръпнете | ||
| The verb "дръпнете" can also mean "to move" or "to cause to move". | |||
| Czech | sem | ||
| The Czech word "sem" can also refer to a place or direction, specifically "here" or "this way." | |||
| Estonian | tõmba | ||
| The word "tõmba" in Estonian can also mean "to drag", "to draw", "to attract", "to lure", or "to entice". | |||
| Finnish | vedä | ||
| The Sami word for "pull", "veadttet", is cognate with "Vedä". | |||
| Hungarian | húzni | ||
| The word "húzni" can also refer to drawing a line or stretching something. | |||
| Latvian | vilkt | ||
| Vilkt is also a cognate of the word 'wolf' in other Baltic languages, due to the animal's habit of pulling prey. | |||
| Lithuanian | traukti | ||
| The word "traukti" also means "to attract" or "to move towards". | |||
| Macedonian | повлече | ||
| In Russian the word "повлечь" can also mean "to entail." | |||
| Polish | ciągnąć | ||
| "Ciągnąć" means "to pull" in Polish, but it also means "to smoke" cigarettes or "to play" a string instrument. | |||
| Romanian | trage | ||
| Romanian word "trage" originated from the Latin "trahere" meaning "to carry off". | |||
| Russian | вытащить | ||
| The Russian verb "вытащить" can also mean "to extract" or "to pick out". | |||
| Serbian | повуци | ||
| In Serbian, the verb "повуци" means "pull" but can also refer to pulling out a weapon or starting a conflict. | |||
| Slovak | sem | ||
| "Sem" can also mean "here" in Slovak, which comes from a different origin. | |||
| Slovenian | potegnite | ||
| The word "potegnite" is also used to describe the action of stretching something, such as a rubber band. | |||
| Ukrainian | тягнути | ||
| The Ukrainian word "тягнути" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *tęgnőti, meaning "to stretch". | |||
Pull in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | টান | ||
| The verb 'টান' (pull) in Bengali also means 'to stretch, extend, or tighten' something. | |||
| Gujarati | ખેંચો | ||
| The word “ખેંચો” can also mean “to stretch” in Gujarati. | |||
| Hindi | खींचें | ||
| The word "खींचें" in Hindi can also mean "to extend" or "to stretch". | |||
| Kannada | ಎಳೆಯಿರಿ | ||
| The word "ಎಳೆಯಿರಿ" can also mean "to stretch out" or "to elongate" in Kannada. | |||
| Malayalam | വലിക്കുക | ||
| Marathi | खेचा | ||
| "खेचा" could also refer to a type of grass in the Marathi language. | |||
| Nepali | पुल | ||
| "पुल" also means "a young elephant" in Hindi and "an ankle" in Sanskrit. | |||
| Punjabi | ਖਿੱਚੋ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | අදින්න | ||
| "අදින්න" (pull) comes from the Proto-Indo-Aryan verb *ad-ina- (to take, to snatch), also a cognate to Dravidian "adaikkal" (to fetch, to get), "edukkal" (to gather)" | |||
| Tamil | இழுக்கவும் | ||
| The word "இழுக்க" also means "to borrow" or "to take" | |||
| Telugu | లాగండి | ||
| The Telugu word "లాగండి" can also refer to a type of traditional Telugu folk music, typically sung by women during harvest time. | |||
| Urdu | ھیںچو | ||
| The word "hncho" (pull) is also used in the sense of pulling or dragging someone by force. | |||
Pull in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 拉 | ||
| "拉" also means to help sb financially, to bring sb over, to recruit, or to get close to sb. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 拉 | ||
| 拉 can also mean "drag", "draw", or "tear". | |||
| Japanese | 引く | ||
| The kanji 引 (hiku) can also mean "to lead" or "to subtract when used in the context of arithmetic. | |||
| Korean | 손잡이 | ||
| The word "손잡이" can also refer to a handle or grip, such as on a tool or door. | |||
| Mongolian | татах | ||
| The word "Татах" in Mongolian also means "to extend" and is related to the word "тах" (meaning "long"). | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဆွဲပါ | ||
| ဆွဲပါ is a word with multiple meanings, including "to attract" and "to pull or drag something towards oneself". | |||
Pull in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | tarik | ||
| The word 'Tarik' also refers to a type of coffee made using a cloth filter. | |||
| Javanese | narik | ||
| The Javanese word "narik" can also refer to towing a vehicle or drawing water from a well. | |||
| Khmer | ទាញ | ||
| The term 'ទាញ' also refers to subtracting numbers, pulling strings, or stretching out something. | |||
| Lao | ດຶງ | ||
| The Lao word ດຶງ is also used to mean 'to drag' or 'to draw'. | |||
| Malay | tarik | ||
| The word 'tarik' also refers to adding condensed milk to a cup of black coffee. | |||
| Thai | ดึง | ||
| The Thai word "ดึง" (dueng, pull) is a cognate of the Chinese "拖" (tuō) and the Sanskrit "दुह्" (duh, draw). | |||
| Vietnamese | kéo | ||
| "Kéo" is a Vietnamese word that also means "scissors". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | hilahin | ||
Pull in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | çəkin | ||
| The Azerbaijani word "çəkin" is ultimately derived from the Proto-Turkic word "çäk-." It shares a common etymology with the Turkish word "çekmek," meaning "to pull." | |||
| Kazakh | тарт | ||
| Тарт also means "to stretch" or "to drag" in Kazakh. | |||
| Kyrgyz | тартуу | ||
| The word "тартуу" also means "to drag" or "to tow" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | кашидан | ||
| The word "Кашидан" in Tajik can also mean "to stretch" or "to extend". | |||
| Turkmen | çekmek | ||
| Uzbek | torting | ||
| Torting can also refer to the pulling or drawing of a bowstring. | |||
| Uyghur | تارتىش | ||
Pull in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | huki | ||
| In Hawaiian, "huki" also means "to pluck" or "to uproot". | |||
| Maori | kume | ||
| The etymology of the word 'kume' is uncertain, though some linguists suggest it relates to a pre-Polynesian word meaning 'take' or 'carry'. | |||
| Samoan | toso | ||
| The word "toso" also refers to the pulling of the heartstrings (as when seeing something that is particularly beautiful or moving). | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | hilahin | ||
| The Tagalog word "hilahin" can also refer to "drag," "tug," or "stretch." | |||
Pull in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jaqtaña | ||
| Guarani | mombo | ||
Pull in International Languages
| Esperanto | tiri | ||
| The root 'tir' also exists in other Slavic languages, e.g. Polish 'trwa' (lasting), Russian 'tratit' (to spend). | |||
| Latin | traho | ||
| The Latin verb "traho" also means "drag", "convey", or "obtain". | |||
Pull in Others Languages
| Greek | τραβήξτε | ||
| Τραβήξτε is believed by some etymologists to derive from the Middle English word "draw", meaning "to pull" or "to drag". | |||
| Hmong | rub | ||
| The word "rub" in Hmong derives from the Proto-Austronesian word "*qubuq" which also means "to rub," "to scour," or "to wipe out." | |||
| Kurdish | kişandin | ||
| The word "kişandin" in Kurdish can also mean "to extend" or "to stretch". | |||
| Turkish | çek | ||
| The word "Çek" can also mean "draw," "sketch," or "deduct" | |||
| Xhosa | tsala | ||
| Tsala, meaning 'pull' in Xhosa, originates from the Proto-Bantu root *-tala ('to drag'). | |||
| Yiddish | ציען | ||
| The Yiddish word ציען (tsiyen) can also mean "to stretch" or "to draw". Yiddish etymology is rich and complex. | |||
| Zulu | donsa | ||
| The Zulu word "Donsa" can also refer to a handle or lever. | |||
| Assamese | টনা | ||
| Aymara | jaqtaña | ||
| Bhojpuri | खींचल | ||
| Dhivehi | ދެމުން | ||
| Dogri | खिच्चना | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | hilahin | ||
| Guarani | mombo | ||
| Ilocano | guyuden | ||
| Krio | drɔ | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ڕاکێشان | ||
| Maithili | खींचू | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯆꯤꯡꯕ | ||
| Mizo | pawt | ||
| Oromo | harkisuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଟାଣ | ||
| Quechua | chutay | ||
| Sanskrit | आकर्षति | ||
| Tatar | киеренкелек | ||
| Tigrinya | ጉተት | ||
| Tsonga | koka | ||