Push in Different Languages
Discover 'Push' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'push' is simple, yet powerful. It signifies the act of applying force to something or someone to move it away from oneself or to make it move towards oneself. This action is universal and can be seen in various forms across cultures and languages. From a young age, we are taught to 'push' a stroller, a shopping cart, or a swing. It's a fundamental part of our daily lives, and its significance goes beyond just a physical action.
Moreover, 'push' has also made its way into our language and culture in various interesting ways. For instance, in English, we use the phrase 'to push oneself' to describe someone who is trying hard to do something. Meanwhile, in Japanese, 'push' is translated as 'ossharu,' which also means 'to insist' or 'to recommend' in certain contexts.
With that said, it's fascinating to explore how 'push' is translated in different languages and cultures. Understanding these translations can provide us with a deeper appreciation for the nuances of language and the richness of cultural diversity.
Push
Push in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | druk | ||
| The Afrikaans word "druk" is derived from the Old Norse verb "þrýsta"," meaning "to thrust". | |||
| Amharic | ግፋ | ||
| The word "ግፋ" (push) is related to the words "ግፍ" (oppression) and "ግፍየ" (force). | |||
| Hausa | turawa | ||
| The Hausa word "turawa" can also mean "to propel" or "to thrust." | |||
| Igbo | kwaa | ||
| In Igbo, "kwàá" can be a noun that describes one who is stubborn. | |||
| Malagasy | atoseho | ||
| The word "atoseho" in Malagasy also means "to move something forward with force." | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kankhani | ||
| The word "Kankhani" can also refer to the act of "sending" in Nyanja. | |||
| Shona | pusha | ||
| Pusha (push) can also mean to 'push' something forward, or to 'urge' someone to do something. | |||
| Somali | riix | ||
| The word "Riix" in Somali also has the alternate meaning of "forcefully move to the ground". | |||
| Sesotho | sututsa | ||
| The word "Sututsa" can also mean "to insist" or "to urge" someone to do something. | |||
| Swahili | kushinikiza | ||
| Kushinikiza can also mean "to press" or "to oppress". | |||
| Xhosa | dudula | ||
| The word "Dudula" can also refer to a group of people who are working together to achieve a common goal. | |||
| Yoruba | ti | ||
| The word Ti can also mean to 'press down,' 'squeeze,' or 'compact'. | |||
| Zulu | phusha | ||
| Phusha comes from the Proto-Nguni root -fut-a, meaning 'to push or move forward'. | |||
| Bambara | ka ɲɔni | ||
| Ewe | tutu | ||
| Kinyarwanda | gusunika | ||
| Lingala | kotindika | ||
| Luganda | okusindika | ||
| Sepedi | kgorometša | ||
| Twi (Akan) | pia | ||
Push in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | إدفع | ||
| The word "إدفع" can also mean "to pay", "to send", and "to expel". | |||
| Hebrew | לִדחוֹף | ||
| The etymology of the Hebrew word "לִדחוֹף" is uncertain, with some sources suggesting it may be related to the Aramaic word "דְחַף" or the Arabic word "دَفَعَ". | |||
| Pashto | ټیله کول | ||
| The word "ټیله کول" can also mean "to nudge" or "to jostle" in Pashto. | |||
| Arabic | إدفع | ||
| The word "إدفع" can also mean "to pay", "to send", and "to expel". | |||
Push in Western European Languages
| Albanian | shtyj | ||
| Albanian "shtyj" is a derivative of Proto-Indo-European word root *steu-, meaning "to push". | |||
| Basque | bultzatu | ||
| Basque "bultzatu" derives from the verb "bultzatu" meaning "to push" or "to nudge". | |||
| Catalan | empènyer | ||
| The word "empènyer" derives from the Latin "impingere" and has the alternate meaning of "to press" or "to insist". | |||
| Croatian | gurnuti | ||
| In its literal sense, "gurnuti" can also mean "to cram" or "to stuff". As an idiom, it also means "to persuade using force". | |||
| Danish | skubbe | ||
| Skubben i skubbe ud har ingen sammenhæng med at skubbe til noget. | |||
| Dutch | duwen | ||
| The Dutch word "Duwen" derives from the Middle Dutch "duven", meaning "to shove" or "to press". | |||
| English | push | ||
| The word push derives from the root word of PIE *pau- 'to strike, beat, stamp' also seen in 'pavement' and 'impeach'. | |||
| French | pousser | ||
| The verb "pousser" can also mean "to grow", particularly in the context of plants. | |||
| Frisian | triuwe | ||
| The Frisian word 'triuwe' can also mean 'shove' or 'thrust'. | |||
| Galician | empurrón | ||
| The term 'Empurrón' is often used in a metaphorical sense, referring to an 'extra boost' or 'nudge', and this idea of a 'helping hand' is also present in its use in the Galician language. | |||
| German | drücken | ||
| "Drücken" can also mean to press, squeeze, or oppress, and is related to the English word "trick". | |||
| Icelandic | ýta | ||
| The word "ýta" can also refer to the act of voting in Icelandic. | |||
| Irish | bhrú | ||
| Alternate Irish meanings of "bhrú" include "brow" and "eyebrow" | |||
| Italian | spingere | ||
| In Italian, "spingere" can also mean "to spur" or "to incite," deriving from the Latin word "spingere," which means "to thrust". | |||
| Luxembourgish | drécken | ||
| Maltese | imbotta | ||
| The word 'imbotta' is derived from the Italian verb 'imbottare', which means 'to tap' or 'to pour' into a cask. | |||
| Norwegian | trykk | ||
| "Trykk" also means "print" in Norwegian, as in "boktrykk" (book printing). | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | empurrar | ||
| "Empurrar" comes from the Latin "impellare", to drive or push, and can also mean "to shove" or "to urge". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | brùth | ||
| Scots Gaelic "brùth" could also mean "crush" or "thrash", alluding to the force of a push. | |||
| Spanish | empujar | ||
| The word "empujar" in Spanish derives from the Latin "impulsare," meaning "to drive," "to move strongly," or "to urge onward." | |||
| Swedish | tryck | ||
| The Swedish word 'tryck' ('push') can also mean 'pressure', 'stress', or 'printing'. | |||
| Welsh | gwthio | ||
| There is no such word in Welsh as 'gwthio'; the correct spelling would be 'gwthio' meaning 'to push' and pronounced 'guh-thee-oh'. | |||
Push in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | штурхаць | ||
| The word "штурхаць" (push) is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*turkati" (to poke, to nudge). It is also related to the Russian word "толкать" (to push) and the Polish word "turchać" (to push). | |||
| Bosnian | gurnuti | ||
| The verb 'gurnuti' can also mean 'to nudge', 'to prod', or 'to poke'. | |||
| Bulgarian | натиснете | ||
| The word "натиснете" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*natiskati", meaning "to press, crush, or weigh down" | |||
| Czech | tam | ||
| The word "tam" in Czech can also mean "to tamp down". | |||
| Estonian | suruma | ||
| The word likely derives from the Livonian language, an extinct Uralic tongue spoken near the Estonian-Latvian border. | |||
| Finnish | työntää | ||
| "Työntää" originally meant "to move", and still has this meaning in some contexts, such as "työntää eteenpäin" ("to move forward"). | |||
| Hungarian | nyom | ||
| The verb form of "nyom" is an older variation of the modern Hungarian "némi" which means "a bit, some" in Hungarian. | |||
| Latvian | spiediet | ||
| "Spiediet" can also be used to refer to the process of inserting or installing something, or to the process of spying or observing secretly. | |||
| Lithuanian | stumti | ||
| The word stumti can also mean to "thrust" into something in Lithuanian. | |||
| Macedonian | туркање | ||
| In Serbian, the word "туркање" also refers to the act of playing the gusle, a single-stringed musical instrument. | |||
| Polish | pchać | ||
| The verb "pchać" (push) in Polish can also be used to describe the act of stuffing or cramming something into a space. | |||
| Romanian | apăsați | ||
| The Romanian word "Apăsați" can also mean "to click" or "to press". | |||
| Russian | от себя | ||
| The Russian word "От себя" can also mean "on one's own initiative" or "spontaneously". | |||
| Serbian | гурати | ||
| The word 'гурати' can also mean 'to shove' or 'to jostle'. | |||
| Slovak | tlačiť | ||
| The word "tlačiť" can also mean "to print" in Slovak, derived from the German word "drücken", meaning "to press". | |||
| Slovenian | potisnite | ||
| The verb "potisniti" is derived from the noun "pot", meaning "way" or "path". | |||
| Ukrainian | штовхати | ||
| The word "штовхати" is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *tъkati, meaning "to weave" or "to plait". | |||
Push in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ঠেলা | ||
| The word "ঠেলা" can also refer to a type of street food cart in Bangladesh. | |||
| Gujarati | દબાણ | ||
| The word "દબાણ" in Gujarati can also refer to the concept of pressure or force, or the act of applying pressure or force on something. | |||
| Hindi | धक्का दें | ||
| The Hindi word 'धक्का दें' (push) can also mean 'to incite' or 'to instigate,' a meaning derived from its Sanskrit origin. | |||
| Kannada | ಪುಶ್ | ||
| The word "push" can also mean “to cause to make a sound” or “to boast or brag”. | |||
| Malayalam | തള്ളുക | ||
| തള്ളുക also means “mother” in Malayalam, which is a common word to address a female deity. | |||
| Marathi | ढकलणे | ||
| "ढकलणे" is derived from the Sanskrit word "dhkala," meaning "to shake" or "to move," and is related to the Hindi word "dhakelna" and the Gujarati word "dhakavun." | |||
| Nepali | धक्का | ||
| The word "धक्का" also means "shock" or "impact" in Hindi and Nepali. | |||
| Punjabi | ਧੱਕਾ | ||
| In Punjabi, "ਧੱਕਾ" may also refer to an injustice or unfair treatment. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | තල්ලුව | ||
| The word "තල්ලුව" in Sinhala also refers to the act of "forcing" or "compelling" someone to do something. | |||
| Tamil | மிகுதி | ||
| The Tamil word "மிகுதி" can also mean "excess" or "remainder" in English. | |||
| Telugu | పుష్ | ||
| "పుష్" is also sometimes used in Telugu to mean "to flower or bloom". | |||
| Urdu | دھکا | ||
| دھکا, which means "push" in Urdu, is also used to refer to a "slight earthquake" or a "small jolt or jerk". | |||
Push in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 推 | ||
| The Chinese character "推" (simplified) can also mean "to infer" or "to guess," suggesting an indirect or logical pushing motion. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 推 | ||
| In ancient texts, 推 was a tool for grinding grains; hence it became the character for 'grinding' and 'pushing'. | |||
| Japanese | 押す | ||
| The word "押す" can also mean "to strike" or "to press", and originally referred to the act of stamping or sealing a document. | |||
| Korean | 푸시 | ||
| Korean 푸시 (push) derives from the word 푸지다 (push), which is used in the context of pushing a door open or a cart, rather than an abstract concept. | |||
| Mongolian | түлхэх | ||
| "Түлхэх" is also an idiom, which literally means 'pushing the boundary', and is often used figuratively, especially in politics to criticize someone or something for being biased against a certain party/person." | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | တွန်းထိုး | ||
Push in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | dorong | ||
| Dorong also means "to support" or "to insist on" in Indonesian. | |||
| Javanese | meksa | ||
| The word 'meksa' in Javanese also has a figurative meaning, implying 'to force someone to do something'. | |||
| Khmer | ជំរុញ | ||
| The Khmer word "ជំរុញ" comes from the Pali and Sanskrit word "papañca," which means "proliferation" or "multiplicity." | |||
| Lao | ຍູ້ | ||
| The word ຍູ້ can also mean 'to poke' or 'to prod,' reflecting its sense of physical force. | |||
| Malay | tolak | ||
| The Malay word "tolak" can also mean "to reject", "to ward off", or "to deny". | |||
| Thai | ผลักดัน | ||
| ผลักดัน, also written as ผลักธัน, can also mean "progress" or "development" | |||
| Vietnamese | đẩy | ||
| The word "đẩy" in Vietnamese can also mean "to shove", "to propel", or "to eject". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | itulak | ||
Push in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | basmaq | ||
| In Turkish, "basmaq" also means "to print" or "to step on". | |||
| Kazakh | басыңыз | ||
| The Kazakh word "Басыңыз" can also be used to mean "to press" or "to squeeze". | |||
| Kyrgyz | түртүү | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "түртүү" also means "to kick" and "to push with the foot or knee." | |||
| Tajik | тела | ||
| The word "Тела" is also used metaphorically in Tajik to describe the act of pushing someone to do something. | |||
| Turkmen | iteklemek | ||
| Uzbek | durang | ||
| The word "Durang" in Uzbek can also mean "to knock" or "to knock down". | |||
| Uyghur | ئىتتىرىش | ||
Push in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kaomi | ||
| The Hawaiian word for 'push' was originally derived from the Polynesian term 'taomi', meaning 'to press down'. | |||
| Maori | pana | ||
| Pana also means "to strike" or "to attack" in Maori. | |||
| Samoan | tulei | ||
| Tulei also means to "incite" and has no known foreign cognates. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | itulak | ||
| "I-itulak" also means to start something, like a project. | |||
Push in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | nukt'aña | ||
| Guarani | myaña | ||
Push in International Languages
| Esperanto | puŝi | ||
| The Esperanto word "puŝi" can also mean "to press" or "to urge". | |||
| Latin | dis | ||
| "Dis" also refers to the Roman god of the underworld, which is related to its meaning "push", as it was believed the dead were pushed into the underworld | |||
Push in Others Languages
| Greek | σπρώξτε | ||
| The verb "Σπρώξτε" can also mean "to urge" or "to persuade" in Greek. | |||
| Hmong | laub | ||
| The word "laub" also means "shove" or "force" in Hmong. | |||
| Kurdish | lêqellibînî | ||
| The word 'lêqellibînî' originates from the Kurdish root 'qel', meaning 'to move' or 'to push'. | |||
| Turkish | it | ||
| The Turkish word "it" has alternate meanings of "to be" and "to do". | |||
| Xhosa | dudula | ||
| The word "Dudula" can also refer to a group of people who are working together to achieve a common goal. | |||
| Yiddish | שטופּן | ||
| "שטופּן" is cognate with the German "stumpfen" and means either "to push" or "to blunt". | |||
| Zulu | phusha | ||
| Phusha comes from the Proto-Nguni root -fut-a, meaning 'to push or move forward'. | |||
| Assamese | ঠেলা | ||
| Aymara | nukt'aña | ||
| Bhojpuri | धक्का | ||
| Dhivehi | ކޮއްޕުން | ||
| Dogri | धक्का देना | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | itulak | ||
| Guarani | myaña | ||
| Ilocano | iduron | ||
| Krio | push | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | پاڵنان | ||
| Maithili | धक्का | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯏꯟꯕ | ||
| Mizo | nam | ||
| Oromo | dhiibuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଠେଲିବା | ||
| Quechua | tanqay | ||
| Sanskrit | नोद | ||
| Tatar | этәргеч | ||
| Tigrinya | ምድፋእ | ||
| Tsonga | susumeta | ||