Say in Different Languages
Discover 'Say' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word
Say
Say in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | sê | ||
| The Afrikaans word "sê" can also mean "to call" or "to name". | |||
| Amharic | በል | ||
| In the noun form "bil" refers to "statement" or "speech". | |||
| Hausa | ka ce | ||
| The Hausa word `ka ce` is also a prefix to the subjunctive mood in the language. | |||
| Igbo | kwuo | ||
| Igbo speakers also use kwuo to mean "to order" or "to command". | |||
| Malagasy | dia ataovy hoe: | ||
| The phrase "dia ataovy hoe" can also mean "to do" or "to make" in Malagasy. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | nenani | ||
| The word "nenani" can also mean "to inform" or "to explain" in Nyanja (Chichewa). | |||
| Shona | iti | ||
| Shona 'iti' also means 'to do' or 'to make' | |||
| Somali | dheh | ||
| Dheh is also used in Somali to express the idea of 'to mean' or 'to intend', as in 'Maxaa dhahdaa? (What do you mean?)' | |||
| Sesotho | re | ||
| The word "re" in Sesotho can also mean "to tell" or "to explain". | |||
| Swahili | sema | ||
| The word 'sema', meaning 'say' in Swahili, is related to 'simula' in Latin, 'simile' in Italian, 'seemly' in English, and the ancient Egyptian root word 'seem' meaning 'speak' or 'name'. | |||
| Xhosa | yithi | ||
| The alternate meaning of "yithi" is "tell." | |||
| Yoruba | sọ | ||
| "Sọ" also means "to think" or "to suppose" in some Yoruba dialects. | |||
| Zulu | yisho | ||
| The word "yisho" can also mean "to tell" or "to speak" in Zulu. | |||
| Bambara | ka fɔ | ||
| Ewe | gblᴐ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | vuga | ||
| Lingala | koloba | ||
| Luganda | okugamba | ||
| Sepedi | bolela | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ka | ||
Say in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | قل | ||
| The word 'قل' not only means 'say,' but it also means 'speak' in Arabic. Furthermore, in the Quran, the word is often used in the context of 'divine revelation. | |||
| Hebrew | אמר | ||
| The Hebrew word | |||
| Pashto | ووايه | ||
| The word "ووايه" ("say") in Pashto is derived from the Old Iranian "wāča," meaning "speech" or "word." | |||
| Arabic | قل | ||
| The word 'قل' not only means 'say,' but it also means 'speak' in Arabic. Furthermore, in the Quran, the word is often used in the context of 'divine revelation. | |||
Say in Western European Languages
| Albanian | themi | ||
| Themi comes from the Proto-Albanian word *tēmi, meaning 'to speak', and is related to the Greek word thēmi, meaning 'to say' | |||
| Basque | esan | ||
| The word "esan" can also be used to request the repetition of something that was said, or as a substitute for "yes" or "here I am". | |||
| Catalan | dir | ||
| Catalan 'dir' likely derives from Latin 'dicere' which also yields Castilian 'decir' and English 'dictate' | |||
| Croatian | reći | ||
| This word can also mean 'spell'. | |||
| Danish | sige | ||
| The word "sige" in Danish is cognate with the English word "sigh" and can also mean "to groan" or "to lament". | |||
| Dutch | zeggen | ||
| The word "zeggen" in Dutch can also mean "to utter" or "to state". | |||
| English | say | ||
| The word "say" derives from the Old English word "secgan," meaning "to tell" or "to speak." | |||
| French | dire | ||
| In French, the word "dire" can also mean "to tell" or "to predict". | |||
| Frisian | sizze | ||
| The Frisian word "sizze" can also mean "to sing" or "to tell". | |||
| Galician | dicir | ||
| The Galician word "dicir" comes from the Latin "dicere," meaning "to speak" or "to tell." | |||
| German | sagen | ||
| Sagen can also mean legend, tale, or testimony, and is related to the English word "saga." | |||
| Icelandic | segðu | ||
| The word "segðu" is derived from the Old Norse word "segja", which also means "to show". This is reflected in the fact that "segðu" can also be used to mean "to indicate" or "to point out". | |||
| Irish | abair | ||
| The Irish word "abair" can also mean "to speak", "to utter", or "to state". | |||
| Italian | dire | ||
| "Dire" in Italian can also mean "to point out" or "to indicate". | |||
| Luxembourgish | soen | ||
| In Luxembourgish, "soen" can also mean "to tell a story" or "to give a speech". | |||
| Maltese | tgħid | ||
| The Maltese word "tgħid" derives from the Arabic "qāl," which means "he said," and also has the meanings "to promise" and "to intend." | |||
| Norwegian | si | ||
| Si can also mean 'to see' in Norwegian, as in the phrase 'å si noe' (to see something). | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | dizer | ||
| In Portuguese, 'dizer' also means 'to state', 'to claim', 'to express', and 'to call' | |||
| Scots Gaelic | abair | ||
| The word "abair" is derived from the Proto-Celtic "ape-wer-i-", meaning "to speak" | |||
| Spanish | decir | ||
| In Spanish, "decir" refers not only to verbal communication but also to legal declarations, expressions of intention, and predictions. | |||
| Swedish | säga | ||
| The Swedish word "säga" is cognate with the English "see", implying that speech was originally perceived as a form of sight. | |||
| Welsh | dywedwch | ||
| Cognate with the Breton word 'dyei' and Gaulish word 'dey-o'. Alternate meanings include 'pronounce', 'utter', and 'speak'. | |||
Say in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | скажам | ||
| The word "скажам" in Belarusian also means "to tell" or "to narrate". | |||
| Bosnian | recimo | ||
| The word "recimo" can also mean "to tell" or "to name" in Bosnian. | |||
| Bulgarian | казвам | ||
| Казвам" can also mean "to invite" or "to pay" in different Slavic languages | |||
| Czech | říci | ||
| "Říci" originated from the Proto-Slavic word "*rekti", meaning "to speak". | |||
| Estonian | ütlema | ||
| "Ütlema" is related to Finnish "utella" ("request") and Hungarian "utal" ("hint") | |||
| Finnish | sanoa | ||
| The verb 'sanoa' can also mean 'to tell', 'to claim', or 'to declare', depending on the context. | |||
| Hungarian | mond | ||
| The word "mond" ("say") also has alternate meanings referring to "laying an egg" or "giving birth" in Hungarian. | |||
| Latvian | saki | ||
| "Saki" also means "resin" in Latvian, derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*sag-" meaning "to flow, drip". | |||
| Lithuanian | sakyk | ||
| The word "sakyk" in Lithuanian is cognate with Sanskrit "sañj," meaning "to make known." | |||
| Macedonian | рече | ||
| The Macedonian word "рече" can also be used to form conditional clauses, similar to the English word "should". | |||
| Polish | mówić | ||
| "Mówić" can also mean “talk” or “tell” in Polish | |||
| Romanian | spune | ||
| The Romanian verb 'spune' derives from the Latin verb 'expōnō,' meaning 'to set forth' or 'to explain'. | |||
| Russian | сказать | ||
| Russian verb "сказать" also means "to tell", "to confess", and "to utter". | |||
| Serbian | рецимо | ||
| "Рецимо" means "it is said", "for example" or "let's say" in Serbian. | |||
| Slovak | povedať | ||
| "Povedať" also means "to tell" or "to inform". | |||
| Slovenian | recimo | ||
| Recimo, Slovene for "say," shares etymology with the Latin "re-censeo" (to count over again) | |||
| Ukrainian | казати | ||
| The word "казати" can also mean "to show" or "to indicate". | |||
Say in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | বলুন | ||
| In medieval Bengali, "বলুন" originally meant "to ask for permission" or "to pray." | |||
| Gujarati | કહો | ||
| "કહો" is also used in Gujarati to express surprise or disbelief, similar to saying "Really?" in English. | |||
| Hindi | कहो | ||
| The Hindi word "कहो" has cognates in Sanskrit, Prakrit and Avesta, and also has the alternate meaning of "call, summon, invite." | |||
| Kannada | ಹೇಳಿ | ||
| The word "ಹೇಳಿ" in Kannada can also mean "to tell," "to declare," or "to speak." | |||
| Malayalam | പറയുക | ||
| The word "പറയുക" can also mean "to tell" or "to utter". | |||
| Marathi | म्हणा | ||
| The word "म्हणा" in Marathi can also mean "to call" or "to name". | |||
| Nepali | भन्नु | ||
| The word "भन्नु" can also mean "to speak" or "to tell". | |||
| Punjabi | ਕਹੋ | ||
| The word "ਕਹੋ" can also mean "to declare" or "to announce". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | කියන්න | ||
| The Sinhala word 'කියන්න' can also be used to refer to a type of traditional folk song sung by women in rural areas. | |||
| Tamil | சொல் | ||
| The Tamil word "சொல்" is also used to refer to "language", "speech", and "word". | |||
| Telugu | చెప్పండి | ||
| "చెప్పండి" in Telugu can mean "to tell", "to speak", "to express", or "to inform". | |||
| Urdu | کہو | ||
| The word "کہو" can also mean "speak" or "tell" in Urdu. | |||
Say in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 说 | ||
| The character "说" (shuō) was used both as a verb ('to convey verbal statements') and a noun ('a way of speaking'), the original form having the character 口 ('mouth') on the upper part | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 說 | ||
| In Chinese, "說" can also mean "explain" or "argue". | |||
| Japanese | いう | ||
| The word "いう" (say) can also mean "to order" or "to command" in Japanese. | |||
| Korean | 말하다 | ||
| 말하다, with its origin in Middle Korean 말ㅎ다, also means to scold or blame. | |||
| Mongolian | хэлэх | ||
| Хэлэх also means 'to make (a sound), pronounce' and 'to give (speech).'} | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ပြောပါ | ||
Say in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | mengatakan | ||
| The word "mengatakan" is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word *kata*, meaning "word" or "speech". | |||
| Javanese | ujar | ||
| The word "ujar" in Javanese can also refer to a curse, spell, or prophecy. | |||
| Khmer | និយាយ | ||
| The Khmer word "និយាយ" (say) is derived from the Sanskrit word "न्याय" (nyāya), meaning "justice, law, or reasoning." | |||
| Lao | ເວົ້າ | ||
| Malay | katakan | ||
| In Indonesian, 'katakan' can mean 'to speak out' or 'to tell a story' | |||
| Thai | พูด | ||
| In Thai, "พูด" (p̀uut) can also mean "speak", "talk", or "tell" a story. | |||
| Vietnamese | nói | ||
| The word "Nói" can also mean "to speak" or "to tell". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sabihin | ||
Say in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | deyin | ||
| "Deyin" has multiple meanings in Azerbaijani, including "speak", "pronounce", "tell", and "report". | |||
| Kazakh | айтыңыз | ||
| The word "айтыңыз" is derived from the Proto-Turkic verb "*ayt-/*ayıt-" which means "to speak, tell, sing". | |||
| Kyrgyz | айт | ||
| The word "айт" can also mean "to agree" or "to obey" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | бигӯ | ||
| The word "бигӯ" in Tajik can also mean "to recite" or "to read aloud". | |||
| Turkmen | diýiň | ||
| Uzbek | demoq | ||
| In Uzbek, "demoq" can also mean "to declare" or "to state". | |||
| Uyghur | ئېيتقىن | ||
Say in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | e ʻōlelo | ||
| The verb 'e ʻōlelo' is the imperative form of the verb 'ōlelo', the direct translation of both forms is 'to language'. | |||
| Maori | mea atu | ||
| Mea atu, when used in the imperative form, also means "to give". | |||
| Samoan | fai atu | ||
| The term "fai atu" in Samoan can also mean "to believe" or "to have faith in". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | sabihin mo | ||
| In archaic Tagalog, 'sabihin mo' (say) referred to telling secrets or giving testimony as opposed to uttering any sounds. | |||
Say in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | saña | ||
| Guarani | e | ||
Say in International Languages
| Esperanto | diru | ||
| "Diru" also means "to name" or "to call". | |||
| Latin | dicens: | ||
| The word "dicens" can also refer to a person who is speaking or writing, as in the phrase "ipse dicens," meaning "the speaker himself." | |||
Say in Others Languages
| Greek | λένε | ||
| The verb "λένε" can also mean "is said" or "it is said" in Greek. | |||
| Hmong | hais | ||
| Hmong "hais" is derived from an archaic word meaning "to speak," and is also used to describe a type of narrative poetry. | |||
| Kurdish | gotin | ||
| The term is also used figuratively to mean 'to sing', as when a group of girls are dancing in a circle and 'one girl is gotin', or doing the lead vocals | |||
| Turkish | söyle | ||
| The verb söyle (infinitive söylemek) can also mean 'sing' or 'tell'. | |||
| Xhosa | yithi | ||
| The alternate meaning of "yithi" is "tell." | |||
| Yiddish | זאָגן | ||
| The Yiddish word “זאָגן” can mean “to tell” or “to announce,” but it can also mean “to recite,” “to speak,” or “to confess. | |||
| Zulu | yisho | ||
| The word "yisho" can also mean "to tell" or "to speak" in Zulu. | |||
| Assamese | কওক | ||
| Aymara | saña | ||
| Bhojpuri | कहीं | ||
| Dhivehi | ބުނުން | ||
| Dogri | आक्खो | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sabihin | ||
| Guarani | e | ||
| Ilocano | ibaga | ||
| Krio | se | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ووتن | ||
| Maithili | कहू | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯍꯥꯏꯕ | ||
| Mizo | sawi | ||
| Oromo | jechuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | କୁହ | ||
| Quechua | niy | ||
| Sanskrit | कथय | ||
| Tatar | әйтегез | ||
| Tigrinya | በል | ||
| Tsonga | vula | ||