Reply in Different Languages
Discover 'Reply' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Have you ever wondered how to say 'reply' in different languages? The word 'reply' holds significant importance in communication, allowing us to respond to messages, queries, and conversations. Its cultural importance is evident in various forms of communication, from written letters to digital messaging apps. Understanding the translation of 'reply' in different languages can help you connect with people from diverse cultures and backgrounds.
Did you know that in Latin, 'reply' is 'respondeo'? Or that in Japanese, it's '返事' (henji)? These translations not only offer insight into the language but also the culture and history of the people who speak it. For instance, the Chinese translation of 'reply' is '回复' (huífù), which reflects the importance of returning to a previous conversation in their communication style.
So, whether you're a language enthusiast, a world traveler, or simply interested in expanding your cultural knowledge, learning the translations of 'reply' in different languages can be a fun and enlightening experience. Here are some translations to get you started:
Reply
Reply in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | antwoord | ||
| The word "antwoord" is derived from the Dutch word "antwoord" and ultimately from the Proto-Germanic word "and-swaron" meaning "to swear back". | |||
| Amharic | መልስ | ||
| "መልስ" (reply) possibly comes from the Proto-Semitic root *mlʾ, meaning "to speak." | |||
| Hausa | amsa | ||
| It comes from Arabic, meaning 'answer' and the plural is 'amsoshi'} | |||
| Igbo | zaghachi | ||
| Zaghachi derives from the infinitive ‘zagha’, meaning to turn or rotate, and signifies ‘a turning to one side’ | |||
| Malagasy | navalin'i | ||
| The Malagasy term 'navalin'i' can also refer to an answer during interrogation, a response to a call, or a rejoinder in a discussion. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | yankhani | ||
| The word yankhani, meaning "reply," originated from the Proto-Bantu verb -andulula, meaning "to speak back." | |||
| Shona | pindura | ||
| The Shona word "pindura" is derived from the Proto-Bantu root "*pend-," which means "to hang" or "to be suspended". | |||
| Somali | jawaab | ||
| The term "jawaab" originated from Arabic, where it denoted an answer not given voluntarily. | |||
| Sesotho | araba | ||
| The word "araba" in Sesotho can also mean "to speak" or "to talk". | |||
| Swahili | jibu | ||
| "Jibu" can also mean "answer" or "response" in Swahili. | |||
| Xhosa | phendula | ||
| The word "phendula" can be traced back to the Bantu root "*pend-," meaning "to answer, reply, or respond." | |||
| Yoruba | fesi | ||
| Fesi can also mean 'to return' or 'to give back' in Yoruba. | |||
| Zulu | phendula | ||
| The Zulu word "phendula" is derived from the verb "phenduka," which means "to turn around or change direction. | |||
| Bambara | ka a jaabi | ||
| Ewe | ɖo eŋu | ||
| Kinyarwanda | subiza | ||
| Lingala | kopesa eyano | ||
| Luganda | okuddamu | ||
| Sepedi | fetola | ||
| Twi (Akan) | yi ano | ||
Reply in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | الرد | ||
| "رد" also means "rejection" in the context of love and romance. | |||
| Hebrew | תשובה | ||
| The Hebrew word "תשובה" ("reply") also means "answer" or "response" and is phonetically similar to the word "שוב" ("again"), alluding to the notion of a repeated action. | |||
| Pashto | ځواب | ||
| The Pashto word "ځواب" is also used to mean "answer", or "solution". | |||
| Arabic | الرد | ||
| "رد" also means "rejection" in the context of love and romance. | |||
Reply in Western European Languages
| Albanian | përgjigje | ||
| "Përgjigje" means "response" or "answer" and is derived from a combination of "për" (for) and "gje" (thing), hence "a thing done in response". | |||
| Basque | erantzun | ||
| The Basque term "erantzun" might derive from the Proto-Basque term "*er-antz-un" meaning "to take back", "to return" | |||
| Catalan | resposta | ||
| Resposta is related to the concept of "responding", meaning literally "what has to be answered". | |||
| Croatian | odgovor | ||
| "Odgovor" comes from "odgovarati” ("to answer") from the Proto-Slavic "*otgovъriti", related to the word "govoriti" ("to speak"). | |||
| Danish | svar | ||
| The word "svar" is a noun meaning "answer" or "response" in Danish and is derived from the Old Norse word "svǫr" meaning "defence" or "objection". | |||
| Dutch | antwoord | ||
| **Antwoord** derives from the Middle Dutch "andwerden," meaning "to turn back or toward;" | |||
| English | reply | ||
| The word "reply" comes from the Old French word "replier," meaning "to fold back" or "to turn back," and ultimately from the Latin word "plicare," meaning "to fold." | |||
| French | réponse | ||
| The word "réponse" comes from the Latin word "responsum", meaning "an answer" or "a reply". | |||
| Frisian | antwurdzje | ||
| The Frisian word "antwurdzje" is derived from the Middle Dutch "antworden", meaning "to reply" and "to defend". | |||
| Galician | resposta | ||
| The Galician word "resposta" comes from the Latin "responsum", meaning "answer" or "response". | |||
| German | antworten | ||
| The German word 'Antworten' is derived from Middle High German, where it meant 'to give back', suggesting the notion of a reciprocal exchange. | |||
| Icelandic | svara | ||
| In Old Norse, "svara" meant "to speak up loudly," and it still retains this meaning in Icelandic slang. | |||
| Irish | freagra | ||
| The Irish word "freagra" means "reply" but also means "an answer" or "a solution". | |||
| Italian | rispondere | ||
| The word "rispondere" can alternately mean "to answer" or "to correspond". | |||
| Luxembourgish | äntweren | ||
| The word "äntweren" originated from the Old High German word "antwurten," which meant "a reply or a defense in court." | |||
| Maltese | tweġiba | ||
| The word "tweġiba" is cognate with the Arabic word "jawāb" (answer), meaning both forms imply a verbal response to a request or question. | |||
| Norwegian | svare | ||
| "Svare" (meaning "reply" in Norwegian) originates from the Old Norse word "svara", meaning "to answer", and also means “to roar" in modern Danish. In Faroese, the word still retains the meaning "to sigh". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | resposta | ||
| The word "resposta" is derived from the Latin word "responsum", meaning an answer given after being called or named. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | freagairt | ||
| "Freagairt" also means "answer" in Scots Gaelic. | |||
| Spanish | respuesta | ||
| Respuesta is derived from the Latin word 'responsum', meaning 'answer' or 'oracle'. | |||
| Swedish | svar | ||
| The word 'svar' is derived from the Old Norse word 'svar' meaning 'answer' and is cognate with the German word 'Antwort' meaning 'reply'. | |||
| Welsh | ateb | ||
| "Ateb" derives from "addeb" ("debt") and implies a response that "pays off" the need for an answer. | |||
Reply in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | адказаць | ||
| The word "адказаць" can also mean to defend oneself in court, a meaning that is reflected in its etymology, which is derived from a root meaning "to answer or to protect". | |||
| Bosnian | odgovor | ||
| The word 'odgovor' in Bosnian shares the same origin with 'otgovor' in Russian and 'ответ' in Ukrainian, which all mean 'answer'. | |||
| Bulgarian | отговор | ||
| The word "отговор" can also refer to an excuse or a justification. | |||
| Czech | odpověď | ||
| The Czech word 'odpověď' comes from an old Proto-Slavic root that also led to 'answer' in English, and means both a 'response to a question' or a 'rebuttal' depending on context. | |||
| Estonian | vastus | ||
| In Estonian, "vastus" can also refer to an answer or response given orally or in writing, as well as a retort or rejoinder. | |||
| Finnish | vastaa | ||
| "Vastaa" was originally used to mean "to pay a debt" in Finnish, and may ultimately stem from the Proto-Finnic "*wost" ("to give"). | |||
| Hungarian | válasz | ||
| "Válasz" is the Hungarian word for "reply", but it also means "answer", "choice" and "alternative". | |||
| Latvian | atbildi | ||
| "Atbildi" originated from the Old Prussian word "at-bilit", meaning "answer with something" or "give a response". | |||
| Lithuanian | atsakyti | ||
| The word 'atsakyti' originated from the Proto-Indo-European word 'sed-' ('to sit'), as in 'atsisėsti' ('sit down'). | |||
| Macedonian | одговори | ||
| The word "Одговори" (reply) in Macedonian also means "sing in response" or "answer in song". | |||
| Polish | odpowiadać | ||
| "Odpowiadać" also means "to answer" or "to correspond" in Polish. | |||
| Romanian | răspuns | ||
| The Romanian word "răspuns" originally meant "return" or "retaliation" but later took on the meaning of "reply" or "answer."} | |||
| Russian | ответить | ||
| "Ответить" derives from "по-вЂд-ть" (lit. "to bring back knowledge") indicating the return of a message. | |||
| Serbian | одговорити | ||
| "Одговорити" in Serbian also means "to respond" or "to answer". | |||
| Slovak | odpovedať | ||
| In Czech, "odpovídat" also means "to be responsible for something". | |||
| Slovenian | odgovor | ||
| The word "odgovor" is derived from the Proto-Slavic root "*otъ-govori-ti", meaning "to speak against". | |||
| Ukrainian | відповісти | ||
| The Ukrainian word "відповісти" also means "to answer" or "to react". | |||
Reply in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | উত্তর | ||
| The word "উত্তর" means 'north', an older usage dating back to its Sanskrit origin, as well as various derived Hindi word forms; in Sanskrit its cognate "uttara" also can mean 'reply.' | |||
| Gujarati | જવાબ | ||
| The Gujarati word "જવાબ" (reply) shares etymological connections with the Hindi word "जवाब" and the Arabic word "جواب" (answer). | |||
| Hindi | जवाब दे दो | ||
| The Hindi word 'जवाब दे दो' ('reply') originates from the Persian word 'जवाब' ('answer'), which itself shares the same etymological root as 'responsibility' in English. | |||
| Kannada | ಪ್ರತ್ಯುತ್ತರ | ||
| Malayalam | മറുപടി | ||
| "മറുപടി" derives from Sanskrit "pratipatta", meaning "acceptance" or "acquiescence". | |||
| Marathi | प्रत्युत्तर | ||
| "प्रत्युत्तर" literally means "reverse answer," suggesting a response that counters or complements the original argument. | |||
| Nepali | जवाफ | ||
| The word "जवाफ" is borrowed from the Persian word "jawab", which means "answer" or "response". It is also related to the Arabic word "jawāb", which has the same meaning. | |||
| Punjabi | ਜਵਾਬ | ||
| The word "ਜਵਾਬ" can also mean "answer" or "response" in Punjabi. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | පිලිතුරු | ||
| The word "පිලිතුරු" also means "picture" in Sinhala, as it is derived from the Sanskrit word "prati + tulika" meaning "in return + drawing". | |||
| Tamil | பதில் | ||
| The word “பதில்” in Tamil originally meant “answer to a question”, and is related to the word “படி”, meaning “lesson or chapter”, as well as “பத்தி”, meaning “paragraph”. | |||
| Telugu | ప్రత్యుత్తరం | ||
| Urdu | جواب | ||
| The word "جواب" can also mean "answer" or "response" in Urdu. | |||
Reply in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 回复 | ||
| "回复" originally means "return". It can be used in the context of "return a letter" or "answer a question." | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 回复 | ||
| In Traditional Chinese characters, the word “回复” is written as "回覆" which consists of two characters: “回” (return) and “覆” (cover). It can also mean "to respond to" in the context of conversations. | |||
| Japanese | 応答 | ||
| "応" has meanings of "answering" and "reacting". | |||
| Korean | 댓글 | ||
| The Korean word "댓글" (reply) can also mean "comments" (on a post) or "rebuttal" (in a debate). | |||
| Mongolian | хариу | ||
| The word "хариу" can also mean "decision" or "final word". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ပြန်ပြောပါ | ||
Reply in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | balasan | ||
| "Balasan" ultimately derives from Sanskrit, where it meant a response or tribute. | |||
| Javanese | wangsulan | ||
| The Javanese word "wangsulan" can also refer to a traditional form of Javanese poetry that is used for philosophical or religious discussion. | |||
| Khmer | ឆ្លើយតប | ||
| The word "ឆ្លើយតប" ("reply") in Khmer comes from the Sanskrit word "pratipa", meaning "to answer" or "to reply". | |||
| Lao | ຕອບ | ||
| The word "ຕອບ" also means "to answer" or "to respond". | |||
| Malay | balas | ||
| The word balas in Malay could derive from Proto-Western Malayo-Polynesian *paliS "to return, send back, hand over". | |||
| Thai | ตอบ | ||
| The word "ตอบ" comes from the Pali word "dapeti", which means to give, offer, or answer. | |||
| Vietnamese | đáp lại | ||
| Đáp lại may have the alternate meaning of "to satisfy or meet an expectation or desire". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sagot | ||
Reply in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | cavab | ||
| The word "cavab" is derived from the Persian word "javāb", which means "answer" or "response". It can also refer to a "solution" or "remedy". | |||
| Kazakh | жауап беру | ||
| In Kazakh, «жауап беру», meaning «to reply», also implies taking responsibility for the response given. | |||
| Kyrgyz | жооп | ||
| "Жооп" means "answer" in Kyrgyz, originating from the Old Turkic word "dʒawab" with the same meaning. | |||
| Tajik | ҷавоб | ||
| The Tajik word "ҷавоб" can also refer to a "response" to a request or suggestion. | |||
| Turkmen | jogap ber | ||
| Uzbek | javob | ||
| The word "javob" is also used figuratively in Uzbek to mean "solution" or "answer to a problem". | |||
| Uyghur | جاۋاب | ||
Reply in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | pane | ||
| In Hawaiian, "pane" can also refer to a prayer or an offering to the gods. | |||
| Maori | whakahoki | ||
| The word "whakahoki" also means "to give back", "to return", or "to respond" | |||
| Samoan | tali | ||
| The word "tali" can also mean "to answer" or "to respond". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | sagot mo | ||
| The Tagalog word "sagot mo" can also mean "your answer" in English. | |||
Reply in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jaysaña | ||
| Guarani | mbohovái | ||
Reply in International Languages
| Esperanto | respondu | ||
| "Respondu" (reply) comes from the French word "répondre," which also means "to answer". | |||
| Latin | respondeo | ||
| In Latin "Respondeo" can also be used for the response when called by name (like 'here' in English), or to answer to an accusation in a trial. | |||
Reply in Others Languages
| Greek | απάντηση | ||
| "Απάντηση" derives from "από" ('from') and "αντιτίθημι" ('I place opposite') because it is the opposite of the initial question. | |||
| Hmong | teb | ||
| The Hmong word "teb" can also mean "to answer" or "to respond". | |||
| Kurdish | bersiv | ||
| "Bersiv" is an alternative spelling of the Kurdish word "bersiv", meaning "to get ready" or "to prepare for something." | |||
| Turkish | cevap | ||
| The word "cevap" in Turkish also means "answer" or "solution". | |||
| Xhosa | phendula | ||
| The word "phendula" can be traced back to the Bantu root "*pend-," meaning "to answer, reply, or respond." | |||
| Yiddish | ענטפער | ||
| "ענטפער" is an alteration of the German "Antwort" and is also used to describe the answer of a witness during an interrogation | |||
| Zulu | phendula | ||
| The Zulu word "phendula" is derived from the verb "phenduka," which means "to turn around or change direction. | |||
| Assamese | প্ৰত্যুত্তৰ | ||
| Aymara | jaysaña | ||
| Bhojpuri | जबाब | ||
| Dhivehi | ޖަވާބުދިނުން | ||
| Dogri | परता | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sagot | ||
| Guarani | mbohovái | ||
| Ilocano | sungbat | ||
| Krio | ansa | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | وەڵامدانەوە | ||
| Maithili | जवाब | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯄꯥꯎꯈꯨꯝ ꯄꯤꯕ | ||
| Mizo | chhang | ||
| Oromo | deebisuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଉତ୍ତର ଦିଅ | ||
| Quechua | kutichiy | ||
| Sanskrit | उत्तरं | ||
| Tatar | җавап | ||
| Tigrinya | መልሲ ምሃብ | ||
| Tsonga | hlamula | ||