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