Rather in Different Languages
Discover 'Rather' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'rather' is a small but powerful part of the English language. It has a significant role in expressing preferences, comparisons, and making polite requests. Its cultural importance is evident in how it subtly shapes our communication, allowing us to soften our language and be more diplomatic.
For language enthusiasts and travelers, understanding the translation of 'rather' in different languages can open up new avenues of cultural exploration. For instance, in Spanish, 'rather' translates to 'más bien' (pronounced mahs bee-ehn), while in French, it's 'plutôt' (proonced plew-tay). In German, 'rather' is translated as 'stattdessen' (pronounced shtat-de-zen).
Did you know that 'rather' has been used in English literature since the 14th century? Its historical context and evolution add to its intrigue. So, whether you're learning a new language, delving into literature, or simply appreciate the richness of language, exploring the translations of 'rater' can be a fascinating journey.
Rather
Rather in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | eerder | ||
| The Afrikaans word "eerder" is derived from the Dutch word "eerder" but also means "earlier" or "before" rather than "rather" like in English. | |||
| Amharic | ይልቅስ | ||
| The word "ይልቅስ" is derived from the Ge'ez word "ልቅስ" meaning "to leave" or "to abandon", implying a choice between two options, thus it came to mean "rather". | |||
| Hausa | maimakon haka | ||
| The word "maimakon haka" in Hausa can also mean "in this way" or "in this manner." | |||
| Igbo | kama | ||
| Igbo "kama" also means "almost" or "more or less" depending on the context of its usage. | |||
| Malagasy | kosa | ||
| The word "kosa" can also be derived from the Arabic word "qasa" which means "to narrate" and is often used in a metaphorical sense to refer to someone who likes to gossip. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kani | ||
| The word "kani" in Nyanja (Chichewa) also means "hard" or "difficult". | |||
| Shona | asi | ||
| The word "asi" can also mean "rather not" or "I don't care" in Shona. | |||
| Somali | halkii | ||
| Halku is originally from Arabic meaning "condition," "circumstance," or "matter, state of affairs," "business" or "affair," "a thing" or "something," as well as "something necessary for a certain purpose." | |||
| Sesotho | ho ena le hoo | ||
| The word "ho ena le hoo" in Sesotho can also mean "to love" or "to be fond of". | |||
| Swahili | badala | ||
| The Swahili word 'badala' is derived from the Arabic 'badal', meaning 'exchange' or 'alternative'. | |||
| Xhosa | kunokuba | ||
| The word "kunokuba" in Xhosa has alternate meanings including "even though" and "although". | |||
| Yoruba | dipo | ||
| Dipo is also used to indicate a comparison of preference or superiority, and means 'than' or 'more than'. | |||
| Zulu | kunalokho | ||
| The word 'kunalokho' in Zulu is a contraction of the words 'kunala lokho,' which translates to 'rather than that.' | |||
| Bambara | fisa | ||
| Ewe | boŋ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ahubwo | ||
| Lingala | olie | ||
| Luganda | wadde | ||
| Sepedi | eupša | ||
| Twi (Akan) | mmom | ||
Rather in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | بدلا | ||
| The word بدلا can also mean "instead of" or "in exchange for" | |||
| Hebrew | אלא | ||
| Though pronounced identically, the Hebrew words "אלה" ("those") and "אלא" ("rather") come from two different root words. | |||
| Pashto | بلکه | ||
| In Pashto, the word "بلکه" also means "but" or "however". | |||
| Arabic | بدلا | ||
| The word بدلا can also mean "instead of" or "in exchange for" | |||
Rather in Western European Languages
| Albanian | përkundrazi | ||
| While traditionally a conjunction meaning "rather", it can also be used as an interjection indicating surprise or astonishment. | |||
| Basque | hobeto esanda | ||
| The Basque word "hobeto esanda" may also mean "better said" or "more precisely". | |||
| Catalan | més aviat | ||
| The Catalan word "més aviat" can also mean "earlier" or "sooner". | |||
| Croatian | dapače | ||
| "Dapače" is derived from the Proto-Slavic "dъ pače", meaning "even more so". | |||
| Danish | hellere | ||
| The word 'hellere' has historical links to the word 'hell', as both derive from a Proto-Germanic word for sloping or sloping down. | |||
| Dutch | liever | ||
| The word "liever" can also mean "dearer" or "more beloved" in Dutch. | |||
| English | rather | ||
| Rather, from OE rathor 'earlier, sooner,' is related to OE rathe 'quickly, early,' and to the words 'read' and 'ride'. | |||
| French | plutôt | ||
| In its original form, "plutôt" was composed of "plus tôt" ("more quickly") which led to the meaning of "earlier, sooner, faster," and not necessarily a choice between two options. | |||
| Frisian | leaver | ||
| The Frisian word "leaver" also means "to believe".} | |||
| Galician | máis ben | ||
| The word "máis ben" comes from the Latin "magis bene," which means "more well" | |||
| German | lieber | ||
| The word 'lieber' has another meaning of 'dear' or 'beloved', similar to its Dutch cognate 'liever'. | |||
| Icelandic | frekar | ||
| Frekar ('rather') is etymologically related to words like 'frequent' and 'fretful,' suggesting a sense of repeated or ongoing action. | |||
| Irish | in áit | ||
| In Irish, "in áit" can also refer to a place, position, or direction. | |||
| Italian | piuttosto | ||
| The word "piuttosto" can also mean "moreover" or "instead" in Italian, and it derives from the Latin word "potius," meaning "rather" or "more." | |||
| Luxembourgish | éischter | ||
| The word "éischter" comes from the Old High German "êrist," meaning "first". It can also mean "before" or "earlier." | |||
| Maltese | anzi | ||
| "Anzi" originates from the Latin conjunction "antius", meaning "in front" or "on the contrary". | |||
| Norwegian | heller | ||
| The word "heller" in Norwegian also means "more" or "rather" and is related to the verb "helle" which means "to slope" or "to tilt". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | em vez | ||
| Portuguese "em vez" derives from the latin "vice versā" meaning "in the opposite way" | |||
| Scots Gaelic | an àite | ||
| The word 'an àite' also means 'the place' in Scots Gaelic, derived from the Gaelic root 'àit' meaning 'place'. | |||
| Spanish | más bien | ||
| Más bien means "more so" in Spanish, as in "es más bien un problema de percepción que de realidad."} | |||
| Swedish | snarare | ||
| The Swedish word "snarare" can also mean "all the more" or "rather quickly". | |||
| Welsh | yn hytrach | ||
| "Yn hytrach" also means "instead" or "on the contrary" in certain contexts. | |||
Rather in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | хутчэй | ||
| The Belarusian word “хутчэй” (“rather”) comes, via the Old East Slavic word “скорѣѥ”, from the Proto-Slavic word “*skorojь”, meaning “quick” or “fast”. | |||
| Bosnian | radije | ||
| The word "radije" in Bosnian can also mean "because" or "in order to". | |||
| Bulgarian | по-скоро | ||
| The Bulgarian word "по-скоро" (rather) originates from the comparative degree of the adjective "скоро" (soon). | |||
| Czech | spíše | ||
| "Spíše" originates from Slavic *po-čь-, from Proto-Indo-European *po- "strong, much", but it's also used in the meaning of "maybe", cognate with Serbian and Bulgarian "po-še" (more). | |||
| Estonian | pigem | ||
| The word "pigem" in Estonian is ultimately derived from the Proto-Germanic word *batiz" with the meaning "better" that is also the source of the English word "better". | |||
| Finnish | pikemminkin | ||
| The word 'pikemminkin' is thought to be derived from the word 'piki', meaning 'edge', or 'pointed end'. | |||
| Hungarian | inkább | ||
| The word 'Inkább' derives from a Proto-Hungarian word meaning 'beyond'. | |||
| Latvian | drīzāk | ||
| Latvian "drīzāk" has additional meanings, including "more likely" and "sooner than later". | |||
| Lithuanian | veikiau | ||
| "Veikiau" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*weik-/, meaning "to separate, to leave". It also has the alternate meaning of "more correctly" or "more accurately" in Lithuanian. | |||
| Macedonian | попрво | ||
| The word "попрво" in Macedonian is derived from the Proto-Slavic adjective "pьrvь", which meant "first" or "primary." | |||
| Polish | raczej | ||
| "Raczej" has the secondary meaning of "almost" or "very nearly. " | |||
| Romanian | mai degraba | ||
| The Romanian word "mai degrabă" originally meant "more swiftly" and is unrelated to the English word "rather" despite the similar meaning. | |||
| Russian | скорее | ||
| The word "скорее" derives from the Proto-Slavic word "skoro" meaning "quickly". | |||
| Serbian | радије | ||
| The Serbian word "радије" can also mean "prefer" or "willingly." | |||
| Slovak | skôr | ||
| The word skôr in Slovak is a derivative of the word skoro, which in medieval times meant | |||
| Slovenian | precej | ||
| The word 'precej' derives from the Proto-Slavic word 'prědь', meaning 'before' or 'in front of'. | |||
| Ukrainian | скоріше | ||
| The word "скоріше" in Ukrainian also means "faster" or "sooner". | |||
Rather in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | বরং | ||
| The word "বরং" also means "choice" or "option" in Bengali. | |||
| Gujarati | બદલે | ||
| બદલે can also mean "instead of" in some Gujarati idioms. | |||
| Hindi | बल्कि | ||
| बल्कि (balki), derived from the Sanskrit बहुल (bahula), originally meant "abundant" or "numerous" but later acquired its modern meaning "rather". | |||
| Kannada | ಬದಲಿಗೆ | ||
| The word 'ಬದಲಿಗೆ' can mean 'in exchange for' or 'because of', depending on the context. | |||
| Malayalam | പകരം | ||
| The word "പകരം" also means "in return" or "as compensation". | |||
| Marathi | त्याऐवजी | ||
| त्याऐवजी is derived from the Sanskrit phrase 'tad-eva-iha' meaning 'that-very-here' and can also mean 'instead'. | |||
| Nepali | बरु | ||
| In Nepali, | |||
| Punjabi | ਨਾ ਕਿ | ||
| The word "ਨਾ ਕਿ" can also mean "instead" or "in exchange for". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ඒ වෙනුවට | ||
| Tamil | மாறாக | ||
| In Tamil, "மாறாக" can also be used to indicate "in contrast" or "on the contrary". | |||
| Telugu | బదులుగా | ||
| Urdu | بلکہ | ||
| "بلکہ" is derived from "بَلْ" (but) and "که" (that). It is sometimes used to express emphasis or contrast. | |||
Rather in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 宁可 | ||
| In Buddhist scriptures, 宁可 originally meant "would rather give up". In modern Chinese, it also means "would rather do". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 寧可 | ||
| "寧" means calm or peace; "可" means allowable or possible. | |||
| Japanese | むしろ | ||
| "むしろ" can also mean "straw mat" or "rushes" in Japanese. | |||
| Korean | 차라리 | ||
| Though most commonly interpreted as a contraction of "차(라) + 리" (literally "that way/manner + then"), it has been argued that "차(라)리" may also originate from "차리다" (to arrange/to put/to prepare). | |||
| Mongolian | харин ч | ||
| In Mongolian 'харин ч' can also be used to mean 'but' and 'however'. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အစား | ||
| အစား can also mean "to take the place of" or "to be in substitution for". | |||
Rather in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | agak | ||
| The word 'agak' (rather) in Indonesian is derived from the Dutch word 'agathisch', meaning 'rather' or 'sufficient', and can also mean 'kinda' or 'sort of'. | |||
| Javanese | luwih becik | ||
| The word "luwih becik" in Javanese can also mean "better" or "more suitable" in certain contexts. | |||
| Khmer | ជា | ||
| In the Khmer language, 'ជា' can mean 'to be', 'to act as', or 'to become' depending on the context. | |||
| Lao | ແທນທີ່ຈະ | ||
| Malay | sebaliknya | ||
| It also means in the opposite way, on the other hand, or in comparison. | |||
| Thai | ค่อนข้าง | ||
| 'ค่อนข้าง' is derived from 'ข้าง' (side), meaning 'on one side' or 'to some extent'. | |||
| Vietnamese | hơn | ||
| In the Vietnamese language, the term "hơn" can also be used to compare and quantify objects. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sa halip | ||
Rather in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | daha doğrusu | ||
| "Daha doğrusu" is a compound word formed by combining "daha" (more) and "doğrusu" (correct). It is often used to indicate a correction or clarification. | |||
| Kazakh | керісінше | ||
| The word is formed by adding the word "көп" meaning "many" and "ретен" meaning "times" and it also means "much". | |||
| Kyrgyz | тескерисинче | ||
| The word "тескерисинче" also means "reverse" or "opposite" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | балки | ||
| The word "балки" is derived from the Persian word "بلكه" (balkeh), which means "perhaps" or "on the contrary". | |||
| Turkmen | däl-de, eýsem | ||
| Uzbek | aksincha | ||
| "Aksincha" in Uzbek originates from the Persian word "aksan" meaning "echo" and "-cha" meaning "like", hence denoting "to echo" or "to say the same thing". | |||
| Uyghur | بەلكى | ||
Rather in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | akā, | ||
| "Akā" can also mean "not yet" or "more or less". | |||
| Maori | engari | ||
| Engari can also mean 'but' or 'however' when used in a negative sense. | |||
| Samoan | ae | ||
| While "ae" does often translate to the English "rather," it can also mean "more or less" in some situations. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | sa halip | ||
| The word "sa halip" is derived from the root word "palit" which means "to change" or "to replace". | |||
Rather in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | uksipanxa | ||
| Guarani | rãngue | ||
Rather in International Languages
| Esperanto | prefere | ||
| Esperanto "prefere" derives from a French word often used to mean "exquisite, excellent" and unrelated to English "prefer". | |||
| Latin | magis | ||
| In Latin, "magis" can also mean "more" or "much" and derives from the Proto-Indo-European *mag- "great, strong". | |||
Rather in Others Languages
| Greek | μάλλον | ||
| The word "μάλλον" can also mean "more" or "rather than" in Greek. | |||
| Hmong | es | ||
| In addition to the common meaning of 'rather', 'es' can also mean 'a little' or 'slightly'. | |||
| Kurdish | gellek | ||
| The Kurdish word "gellek" can also mean "perhaps" or "maybe". | |||
| Turkish | daha doğrusu | ||
| The word "daha doğrusu" in Turkish is a compound phrase consisting of "daha" (meaning "more") and "doğrusu" (meaning "the truth"), hence its overall meaning of "more correctly" or "rather." | |||
| Xhosa | kunokuba | ||
| The word "kunokuba" in Xhosa has alternate meanings including "even though" and "although". | |||
| Yiddish | ליבערשט | ||
| "ליבערשט" can also mean "preferably" or "best of all". | |||
| Zulu | kunalokho | ||
| The word 'kunalokho' in Zulu is a contraction of the words 'kunala lokho,' which translates to 'rather than that.' | |||
| Assamese | বৰঞ্চ | ||
| Aymara | uksipanxa | ||
| Bhojpuri | बल्कि | ||
| Dhivehi | ބަދަލުގައި | ||
| Dogri | बल्के | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sa halip | ||
| Guarani | rãngue | ||
| Ilocano | bassit | ||
| Krio | bifo dat | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | جیا | ||
| Maithili | बल्कि | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯗꯨꯒꯤ ꯃꯍꯨꯠꯇ | ||
| Mizo | chutiang ni lovin | ||
| Oromo | -irra | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ବରଂ | ||
| Quechua | aswanqa | ||
| Sanskrit | उत | ||
| Tatar | киресенчә | ||
| Tigrinya | ይመርፅ | ||
| Tsonga | kumbe | ||
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