Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'same' holds a significant place in our vocabulary, denoting consistency, resemblance, and equivalence. It's a word that transcends cultural boundaries and finds relevance in every language. But have you ever wondered how 'same' translates in different languages? Understanding these translations can provide intriguing insights into the nuances of various cultures and languages.
For instance, in Spanish, 'same' translates to 'mismo' or 'igual', while in French, it's 'même' or 'semblable'. In German, you'd use 'gleich' or 'derselbe', and in Japanese, 'onaji' or 'saisho no'. These translations not only help in precise communication but also offer a glimpse into how different cultures perceive and express sameness.
So, whether you're a language enthusiast, a cultural researcher, or someone who loves to explore the world from the comfort of your home, understanding the translations of 'same' in different languages can be a fascinating journey. Let's embark on this journey together!
Afrikaans | dieselfde | ||
The Dutch loanword "dieselfde" can also mean "the very same" in Afrikaans. | |||
Amharic | ተመሳሳይ | ||
ተመሳሳይ comes from the root "ተመሳ" ("to resemble") and can be used to express concepts of similarity and equivalence. | |||
Hausa | daidai | ||
Daidai in Hausa also means "equal" in addition to its meaning of "same". | |||
Igbo | otu | ||
Otu also means 'one' in Igbo, which is often used in compounds or phrases denoting unity or wholeness (e.g., 'otu obi' - 'one heart') | |||
Malagasy | ihany | ||
The Malagasy word "ihany" can also mean "only" or "alone". | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | chimodzimodzi | ||
The word "chimodzimodzi" in Nyanja is derived from the root word "modzi", which means "one", and the prefix "chi-", which denotes unity or likeness. | |||
Shona | zvakafanana | ||
"Zvakafanana" is a Shona word that etymologically comes from the root "fanana," meaning to resemble or be alike. | |||
Somali | isku mid | ||
The word "isku mid" in Somali is also used to mean "similar" or "equivalent". | |||
Sesotho | tšoanang | ||
The word "tšoanang" in Sesotho can also refer to the act of repeating something. | |||
Swahili | sawa | ||
The word "sawa" in Swahili can also mean "good", "correct", or "well done." | |||
Xhosa | ngokufanayo | ||
Ngukufanayo, meaning "same," originates from the verb "fanana," meaning "to be alike" or "to be similar."} | |||
Yoruba | kanna | ||
Kanna also means 'to know' in an esoteric sense, particularly 'to have the knowledge of a place' | |||
Zulu | ngokufanayo | ||
The word "ngokufanayo" can also be used to mean "similar" or "of the same kind" in Zulu. | |||
Bambara | hali | ||
Ewe | ema ke | ||
Kinyarwanda | kimwe | ||
Lingala | ndenge moko | ||
Luganda | -mu | ||
Sepedi | swanago | ||
Twi (Akan) | saa ara | ||
Arabic | نفسه | ||
The word 'نفسه' can also mean 'himself' or 'herself' in Arabic, depending on the context. | |||
Hebrew | אותו | ||
The word "אותו" can also refer to a specific time or event, such as "אותו יום" (that day) or "אותה שעה" (that hour). | |||
Pashto | ورته | ||
"ورته" (worta) literally means "the same" in Pashto, but can also mean "like" or "equal". | |||
Arabic | نفسه | ||
The word 'نفسه' can also mean 'himself' or 'herself' in Arabic, depending on the context. |
Albanian | i njëjtë | ||
The word "i njëjtë" in Albanian is derived from Proto-Indo-European *h₁énh₂kʷes, which also gave rise to English "inch" and Latin "ūncus" (hook). | |||
Basque | berdin | ||
Berdin in Basque, as well as meaning "same", originated from an Old Basque form of "berdin", meaning "like", suggesting a possible semantic drift in its use over time. | |||
Catalan | mateix | ||
"Mateix", beyond its most common meaning as "same", is also a word meaning "himself", "herself" or "itself". | |||
Croatian | isti | ||
"Isti" is an archaic word originally used as a reflexive (e.g. isti sebe 'himself'), with its meaning of 'same' developing later. | |||
Danish | samme | ||
The word "samme" in Danish also has the meaning of "simultaneously" and "at the same time". | |||
Dutch | dezelfde | ||
The Dutch word "dezelfde" is a compound word consisting of "de" (definite article) and "zelfde" (self, same). | |||
English | same | ||
The word "same" comes from the Old English word "same" meaning "to come together, unite, assemble, gather, combine, meet, join, come." | |||
French | même | ||
"Mème" is also used in French to refer to a humorous image, video, or piece of text that is shared widely online, typically with a superimposed caption. | |||
Frisian | selde | ||
The term 'selde' has roots in Old Frisian 'self' or 'selfd,' which also meant 'same.' | |||
Galician | o mesmo | ||
'O mesmo' means 'very' or 'same' in Galician, the Celtic language spoken in Spain | |||
German | gleich | ||
German word 'gleich' derives from Middle High German 'gelich' ('similar'), which comes from Old High German 'gilihh' meaning both 'like' and 'smooth'. | |||
Icelandic | sama | ||
The Icelandic word "sama" has other meanings, including "together" and as a suffix meaning "related to." | |||
Irish | céanna | ||
Céanna can also refer to a type of tax or tribute paid in early Irish society or to a certain quantity of land. | |||
Italian | stesso | ||
The Italian word "stesso" also means "self" or "own" and derives from the Latin word "iste," meaning "that one." | |||
Luxembourgish | selwecht | ||
The word "selwecht" likely comes from the High German "selbig", meaning "that same" or "the same". | |||
Maltese | l-istess | ||
Maltese "l-istess" is derived from the Arabic "nafs" meaning "self", "person", or "individual". | |||
Norwegian | samme | ||
The word "samme" can also refer to a piece of clothing, typically a shirt, worn by women in rural Norway. | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | mesmo | ||
In Portuguese, "mesmo" also means "even" (even more so), "very", or "self". | |||
Scots Gaelic | an aon rud | ||
The Gaelic word "an aon rud " can also refer to a particular or special thing. | |||
Spanish | mismo | ||
In Spanish, the word "mismo" can also mean "himself", "herself", or "my/your/his/her/its own". | |||
Swedish | samma | ||
"Sammanfattning" (summary) contains "samma" (same) in "samman" (together), and "fattning" (composure), which reflects the act of putting together different ideas or information in a coherent way. | |||
Welsh | yr un peth | ||
Yr un peth' (English: literally 'the same thing') is a common Welsh idiom used to describe something or someone who is very similar to another. |
Belarusian | тое самае | ||
The Belarusian word “тое самае” literally means “that same” and can also be used to express “the same thing” or “the same way”. | |||
Bosnian | isto | ||
Bosnian "isto" originally meant "this" but took over the function of "same" from the Old Church Slavonic word "tąžde". | |||
Bulgarian | същото | ||
Същото произлиза от старославянското слово *съть и в някои западнобългарски диалекти означава "същност". | |||
Czech | stejný | ||
The word "stejný" has an older etymological meaning that is closer to "constant" than to "identical". | |||
Estonian | sama | ||
Sama means | |||
Finnish | sama | ||
The word "sama" also means "level" in Finnish, as in "same level" | |||
Hungarian | azonos | ||
The word "azonos" originates from the Proto-Uralic root *sama-, which also means "equally". | |||
Latvian | tāpat | ||
"Tāpat" can also mean "moreover" or "similarly" in Latvian. | |||
Lithuanian | tas pats | ||
The word tas pats in Lithuanian is derived from Slavic and is used with the definite article to mean “the very same,” “one and the same,” or “the identical.” | |||
Macedonian | исто | ||
Исто in Macedonian comes from the Slavic word “jьstь” (суть in Russian) which means “essence”. In Bulgarian, исто also means “real” or “genuine”. | |||
Polish | podobnie | ||
"Podobnie" in Polish also carries the meaning of "similarly," "in a similar manner" or "in like manner." | |||
Romanian | la fel | ||
The Romanian word "la fel" also means "as well" or "too". | |||
Russian | одна и та же | ||
The Russian phrase "одна и та же" can also mean "one and the same" | |||
Serbian | исти | ||
The Serbian word "исти" is derived from the Proto-Slavic "*isъti", which also means "true" or "real". | |||
Slovak | to isté | ||
In some contexts, 'to isté' can also mean 'of course' or 'obviously' | |||
Slovenian | enako | ||
The word "enako" is derived from the Old Slavic word "jedinъ", which also means "one". | |||
Ukrainian | те саме | ||
"Те саме" also means "of course" or "exactly" in Ukrainian. |
Bengali | একই | ||
The word "একই" in Bengali comes from the Sanskrit word "एक" which means "single" or "unique". | |||
Gujarati | સમાન | ||
સમાન (samān), which literally means “equally arranged,” also shares its root with ‘smān’ – a string used to hold a garland. | |||
Hindi | वही | ||
The word "वही" also means "he" or "she" in Hindi, and in Sanskrit it means "that". | |||
Kannada | ಅದೇ | ||
"ಅದೇ" can also mean "thus" or "in the same way" in Kannada. | |||
Malayalam | അതേ | ||
The word "അതേ" is also used in a phrase to express agreement, or to say "yes." | |||
Marathi | त्याच | ||
त्याच (tyāc) is derived from the Sanskrit word तद्यत् (tadyat), meaning "that which" or "the same thing." | |||
Nepali | उही | ||
The word 'उही' (same) in Nepali can also refer to 'that very one' or 'the one in question'. | |||
Punjabi | ਉਹੀ | ||
ਉਹੀ comes from the Sanskrit word "tat" meaning "that" and also means "appropriate" or "proper" in Punjabi. | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | එකම | ||
The Sinhala word එකම also means "equally important; similar; akin; resembling" and "of exactly the same quantity, magnitude, or nature". | |||
Tamil | அதே | ||
The word "அதே" in Tamil can also refer to an earlier mentioned place or time. | |||
Telugu | అదే | ||
The word "అదే" can also mean "like" or "similar" in Telugu. | |||
Urdu | اسی | ||
The word "اسی" can also mean "himself" or "itself" in Urdu. |
Chinese (Simplified) | 相同 | ||
"相同" (same) also means "corresponding" or "equal". | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 相同 | ||
**相同** (tong2 yang4) derives from the Old Chinese words **通** (tung/*tˤuŋ/) "to make or be the same or to go through" and **樣** (yang/*jaŋ/) "model, pattern, example, appearance, or way of doing something" | |||
Japanese | 同じ | ||
"同じ" can be used to indicate not only sameness, but also equality, equivalence, and uniformity. | |||
Korean | 같은 | ||
In Korean, the word "같은" can also mean "similar" or "resembling". | |||
Mongolian | ижил | ||
The word 'ижил' is cognate with the Mongolian word 'ижий' (father) and the Turkish word 'eş' (partner), suggesting a historical association between the concepts of equality and kinship. | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | အတူတူ | ||
The word “အတူတူ” is also used metaphorically to describe things that match, harmonize or go well together. |
Indonesian | sama | ||
In Javanese, 'sama' also means 'with' or 'together' | |||
Javanese | padha | ||
The word "padha" in Javanese can also mean "same" or "similar" in terms of appearance or quality. | |||
Khmer | ដូចគ្នា | ||
The term "ដូចគ្នា" can also refer to the concept of "similarity" or "resemblance" in Khmer. | |||
Lao | ຄືກັນ | ||
The Lao word "ຄືກັນ" (same) is cognate with the Thai word "เหมือนกัน" (same). | |||
Malay | sama | ||
In Malay, "sama" can also refer to equality, similarity, or unity, reflecting its Sanskrit origins in "samam" and "samata." | |||
Thai | เหมือนกัน | ||
The word "เหมือนกัน" can also mean "similar" or "alike". | |||
Vietnamese | tương tự | ||
The word "tương tự" can also mean "similar" or "analogous" in Vietnamese. | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | pareho | ||
Azerbaijani | eyni | ||
The word "eyni" in Azerbaijani also means "similar" or "of the same kind". | |||
Kazakh | бірдей | ||
In addition to meaning "same," "бірдей" can also mean "similar" or "equivalent" in Kazakh. | |||
Kyrgyz | ошол эле | ||
The Kyrgyz word "ошол эле" can also mean "that very one" or "that specific one". | |||
Tajik | ҳамон | ||
The word "ҳамон" in Tajik can also mean "that" or "the same one". | |||
Turkmen | şol bir | ||
Uzbek | bir xil | ||
The word "bir xil" is a compound consisting of the words "bir" (one) and "xil" (form) and literally means "of the same form". | |||
Uyghur | ئوخشاش | ||
Hawaiian | like | ||
In Hawaiian, 'like' is also used to indicate a sense of belonging or connection to a place or group. | |||
Maori | ōrite | ||
The word for "same" in Māori can also mean "together," "alike," or "matching." | |||
Samoan | tutusa | ||
The Samoan word 'tutusa' can be decomposed into 'tutu' (equal) and 'sa' (of, pertaining to). | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | pareho | ||
"Pareho" is also the root word of "pagpareho," which means being of one accord. |
Aymara | pachpa | ||
Guarani | upeichaguaite | ||
Esperanto | same | ||
In Esperanto, "same" has additional meanings such as "one and the same" or "identical". | |||
Latin | idem | ||
Idem ('the same') is a Latin term which has also come to mean 'likewise' or 'similarly' in legal discourse. |
Greek | ίδιο | ||
The word "ίδιο" is also used in the sense of "own" or "personal" in Modern Greek. | |||
Hmong | tib yam | ||
The word "tib yam" is also used to refer to a group of people who share a common ancestor or cultural heritage, similar to the English word "clan". | |||
Kurdish | wek yên din | ||
"Wek yên din" in Kurdish also means "at the same time". | |||
Turkish | aynı | ||
The word "aynı" in Turkish, meaning "same," also refers to a specific type of Turkish melody or tune, typically played on a ney (reed flute). | |||
Xhosa | ngokufanayo | ||
Ngukufanayo, meaning "same," originates from the verb "fanana," meaning "to be alike" or "to be similar."} | |||
Yiddish | זעלבע | ||
זעלבע can also mean 'alone', referring to a person that is by themselves without company. | |||
Zulu | ngokufanayo | ||
The word "ngokufanayo" can also be used to mean "similar" or "of the same kind" in Zulu. | |||
Assamese | একেই | ||
Aymara | pachpa | ||
Bhojpuri | ओइसने | ||
Dhivehi | އެކައްޗެއް | ||
Dogri | इक्कै जनेहा | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | pareho | ||
Guarani | upeichaguaite | ||
Ilocano | agpada | ||
Krio | sem | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | هەمان | ||
Maithili | समान | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯥꯟꯅꯕ | ||
Mizo | inang | ||
Oromo | walfakkaataa | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ସମାନ | ||
Quechua | kikin | ||
Sanskrit | समान | ||
Tatar | шул ук | ||
Tigrinya | ማዕረ | ||
Tsonga | fana | ||