Second in Different Languages
Discover 'Second' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'second' carries great significance in our daily lives, denoting not only the numerical sequence after the first but also a unit of time. It's a measure that structures our routines, from the ticking of the clock to the rhythm of our heartbeats. Culturally, 'second' has been woven into idioms and expressions, such as 'give it a second thought' or 'in the second place,' reflecting its deep-rooted influence in our speech and thought.
Moreover, understanding the translation of 'second' in different languages can open up fascinating cultural insights. For instance, in Spanish, 'second' is 'segundo,' which shares the same Latin root as the English word. In Japanese, it's 'ニ San' (ni), a reflection of their base-ten counting system. In Mandarin, it's '二' (èr), a character that has been used for over 2,000 years.
So, why should one learn the translations of 'second' in various languages? It's not just about numbers or time, but also about appreciating the beauty of linguistic diversity and the common threads that bind us together.
Second
Second in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | tweede | ||
| Afrikaans "tweede" is derived from the Dutch word "tweede" meaning "second" or "subordinate", but in Afrikaans it can also be used as a noun meaning "a second" or "a moment". | |||
| Amharic | ሁለተኛ | ||
| "ሁለተኛ" (second) can also mean "assistant" or "helper", particularly in a religious context. | |||
| Hausa | na biyu | ||
| The word "na biyu" (second) in Hausa also has the alternate meaning of "again" or "next time". | |||
| Igbo | nke abụọ | ||
| Malagasy | faharoa | ||
| "Faharoa" also means "following" or "next" in Malagasy. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | chachiwiri | ||
| The word "chachiwiri" in Nyanja also alludes to the position of a second-born child in the family, or the second of two items. | |||
| Shona | chepiri | ||
| The word "Chepiri" in Shona can also refer to something that comes after the first, or to a deputy or assistant. | |||
| Somali | labaad | ||
| The word labaad can also refer to another type of tree called 'labaadhe'. | |||
| Sesotho | ea bobeli | ||
| "Ea bobeli" is also used to refer to the second child in a family, or the second item in a series. | |||
| Swahili | pili | ||
| The word "pili" in Swahili has several cognates in other Bantu languages and likely derives from a Proto-Bantu root *piri, meaning "to follow". | |||
| Xhosa | isibini | ||
| The Xhosa word "Isibini" can also refer to the number eight in a traditional counting system. | |||
| Yoruba | keji | ||
| The word "keji" in Yoruba also refers to the female counterpart of the first twin. | |||
| Zulu | okwesibili | ||
| The word 'okwesibili' can also mean 'middle' or 'halfway' in Zulu. | |||
| Bambara | filanan | ||
| Ewe | evelia | ||
| Kinyarwanda | kabiri | ||
| Lingala | ya mibale | ||
| Luganda | akatikitiki | ||
| Sepedi | motsotswana | ||
| Twi (Akan) | deɛ ɛtɔ so mmienu | ||
Second in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | ثانيا | ||
| In the Quran, "ثانيا" can also mean "in the hereafter". | |||
| Hebrew | שְׁנִיָה | ||
| The term "שְׁנִיָה" can also refer to the color blue, or to the second day of the week, Monday. | |||
| Pashto | دوهم | ||
| The Pashto word "دوهم" is related to the Persian "دوم" and can also refer to a pair, couple, or duo in some contexts. | |||
| Arabic | ثانيا | ||
| In the Quran, "ثانيا" can also mean "in the hereafter". | |||
Second in Western European Languages
| Albanian | e dyta | ||
| The Albanian word "e dyta" (second) is related to the Proto-Albanian word "*düi" (two), which is also found in other Indo-European languages such as Greek and Latin. | |||
| Basque | bigarrena | ||
| The word "bigarrena" derives from Basque "bi" which means two plus "gaur" referring to "today", so in Basque it literally means "today is the second day". | |||
| Catalan | segon | ||
| Catalan "segon" derives from Latin "secundus" but has alternate meanings of "instant" and "short time." | |||
| Croatian | drugi | ||
| The word "drugi" derives from the Proto-Slavic word "drugь", meaning "comrade" or "friend". | |||
| Danish | anden | ||
| Its etymology is unknown but may be related to Old English and Old Saxon 'eft' (again, after), which evolved to 'en' and then 'anden' in Danish | |||
| Dutch | tweede | ||
| In Dutch, "tweede" can also mean "copy" or "instance". | |||
| English | second | ||
| The word "second" derives from the Latin "sequere", meaning "to follow", and originally referred to a person or object that followed another in time or order. | |||
| French | seconde | ||
| The French word "seconde" also means "helper" or "supporter". | |||
| Frisian | twadde | ||
| The Frisian word "twadde" also means "other," and is cognate with the English words "twy" and "twin." | |||
| Galician | segundo | ||
| Galician "segundo" also means "according to". | |||
| German | zweite | ||
| While "zweite" commonly denotes "second," its original form, "zwite," referred to "separated," and is still found in phrases like "zwiefach" ("double"). | |||
| Icelandic | annað | ||
| In addition to meaning "second," "annað" can sometimes mean "the other" or "the else" | |||
| Irish | dara | ||
| The word "dara" in Irish can also mean "after" or "next". | |||
| Italian | secondo | ||
| The Italian word "secondo" has also been used historically with the meaning of "messenger" or "attendant". | |||
| Luxembourgish | zweeten | ||
| Maltese | it-tieni | ||
| Maltese "it-tieni" literally means "the second one", implying an ordinal rather than cardinal meaning. | |||
| Norwegian | sekund | ||
| The Norwegian word "sekund" is related to the Latin "secunda", meaning "second", but in some Scandinavian dialects it can also refer to a moment or an event. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | segundo | ||
| In Portuguese, 'segundo' can also mean 'based on', 'according to', 'following', 'alongside', 'at the same time', or 'meanwhile'. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | an dàrna | ||
| 'Dàrna' shares a root with 'dearn', which in Middle English meant secret hidden or secluded. Therefore 'an dàrna' can also mean something secret in Scottish Gaelic. | |||
| Spanish | segundo | ||
| "Segundo" can also mean "according to" or "following". | |||
| Swedish | andra | ||
| Andra comes from Old Swedish and was once a plural, but is now used as singular and the singular 'annar' has become plural. | |||
| Welsh | yn ail | ||
| The Welsh word "yn ail" can also mean "the other" or "in addition". | |||
Second in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | другі | ||
| "Другі" in Belarusian can also mean "different" or "other". | |||
| Bosnian | sekunda | ||
| In Bosnian, 'sekunda' means 'second' in the context of time, and 'a type of musical note' in music. | |||
| Bulgarian | второ | ||
| Второ, the Bulgarian word for "second," can also be used to refer to a person's "other half" or spouse. | |||
| Czech | druhý | ||
| The word "druhý" in Czech, apart from meaning "second", can also mean "other" or "different". | |||
| Estonian | teine | ||
| The word "teine" can also mean "different" or "other" in Estonian. | |||
| Finnish | toinen | ||
| "Toinen" can also mean "another" or "the other one". | |||
| Hungarian | második | ||
| "Második" can also mean "son" or "daughter". | |||
| Latvian | otrais | ||
| The word "otrais" in Latvian derives from the Old Latvian word "oitars", meaning "another" or "the other one". | |||
| Lithuanian | antra | ||
| In Lithuanian, | |||
| Macedonian | второ | ||
| In Macedonian, "второ" denotes a sequence after the first, and can refer to a runner-up or a grade below "отлично" (excellent). | |||
| Polish | druga | ||
| In some contexts, 'druga' can refer to a companion or friend, as in 'druga połowa' (better half). | |||
| Romanian | al doilea | ||
| Romanian "al doilea" (second) derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *al- "other". | |||
| Russian | второй | ||
| The word "второй" ("second") in Russian also has the alternate meaning of "other" or "another" | |||
| Serbian | друго | ||
| The word "друго" can also mean "other" or "different" in Serbian. | |||
| Slovak | druhý | ||
| The Slovak word "druhý" is a cognate of the Slavic root "drugъ", meaning "other, different". | |||
| Slovenian | drugič | ||
| Drugič also means "again" and "another time". | |||
| Ukrainian | друге | ||
| Друга (другої), друге (другого): the archaic Ukrainian noun for "companion" has a cognate in the Slavic pronoun другъ/друга "another; other," which also yielded дрýг (drug) - "friend" | |||
Second in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | দ্বিতীয় | ||
| দ্বিতীয় also means twice or the next one. | |||
| Gujarati | બીજું | ||
| Gujarati 'બીજું' is similar to 'second' in terms of place or sequence, but can also mean 'other. | |||
| Hindi | दूसरा | ||
| In Hindi, "दूसरा" also means "other" | |||
| Kannada | ಎರಡನೇ | ||
| The word "ಎರಡನೇ" in Kannada can also mean "another" or "different". | |||
| Malayalam | രണ്ടാമത്തേത് | ||
| Marathi | दुसरा | ||
| The word "दुसरा" (dusra) in Marathi is derived from the Sanskrit word "द्वितीय" (dvitiya), meaning "second" or "another". | |||
| Nepali | दोस्रो | ||
| In Nepali, the word "दोस्रो" can also mean "inferior" or "bad". | |||
| Punjabi | ਦੂਜਾ | ||
| In Old Punjabi, the word "dūjā" also meant "different" or "other". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | දෙවැනි | ||
| The word "දෙවැනි" can also be used to refer to a "small thing" or a "child" in Sinhala. | |||
| Tamil | இரண்டாவது | ||
| In Tamil, the word 'இரண்டாவது' is also used in a different context to denote an unexpected thing that happens immediately after another. | |||
| Telugu | రెండవ | ||
| The word "రెండవ" in Telugu can also refer to a second chance or an opportunity. | |||
| Urdu | دوسرا | ||
| دوسرا shares common origin with 'devit' in Indo-Aryan languages. | |||
Second in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 第二 | ||
| "第二" can also mean 'secondary', 'subordinate', or 'inferior'. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 第二 | ||
| In Chinese, the character "第二" can also mean "deputy" or "vice". | |||
| Japanese | 2番目 | ||
| The term "2番目" (second) can also refer to the second rank or grade. | |||
| Korean | 둘째 | ||
| "둘째" literally means 'the following one' or 'the younger one', and is used to indicate the second of a series or group. | |||
| Mongolian | хоёр дахь | ||
| The Mongolian word "хоёр дахь" also means "the second time". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဒုတိယ | ||
Second in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | kedua | ||
| The Indonesian word "kedua" also refers to the "two worlds", the world of the living and the world of spirits, and traditionally refers to the second of a pair of heirlooms given as a wedding gift. | |||
| Javanese | kapindho | ||
| The word "kapindho" in Javanese derives from the Sanskrit word "dvi" or "dwitiya," both meaning "two". | |||
| Khmer | ទីពីរ | ||
| The word ទីពីរ is derived from Sanskrit द्वितीय (dvitya), meaning the second in an order or a series or two out of three. | |||
| Lao | ຄັ້ງທີສອງ | ||
| Malay | kedua | ||
| Kedua is used in some languages to mean "together" or "with" in addition to counting order positions. | |||
| Thai | วินาที | ||
| The Thai word 'วินาที' also means 'moment' or 'instant', and is derived from the Sanskrit word 'vinādī', meaning 'sound' or 'noise'. | |||
| Vietnamese | thứ hai | ||
| In Vietnamese, the word "thứ hai" not only means "second" in ordinal numbers, but also refers to Monday. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pangalawa | ||
Second in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | ikinci | ||
| "İkinci" means "secondary", "inferior" or "other". | |||
| Kazakh | екінші | ||
| The word "екінші" also means "another" or "other" in Kazakh. | |||
| Kyrgyz | экинчи | ||
| Экинчи is also a surname meaning "landowner" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | дуюм | ||
| The word "дуюм" can also mean "moment" or "a short period of time" in Tajik. | |||
| Turkmen | ikinji | ||
| Uzbek | ikkinchi | ||
| The word “ikkinchi” originates from the Persian word “duvum”, which means “second”. | |||
| Uyghur | ئىككىنچى | ||
Second in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ka lua | ||
| The word "ka lua", meaning "second", is also used in Hawaiian names for months and seasons, referring to the "second"" or "subsequent"" | |||
| Maori | tuarua | ||
| The word 'tuarua' also has a specific meaning in the context of waka (canoes), referring specifically to the second-largest hull in a multiple-hulled waka. | |||
| Samoan | tulaga lua | ||
| The Samoan word "tulaga lua" can also refer to a younger sibling. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | pangalawa | ||
| "Pangalawa" is derived from the root word "pangal" which means "to follow". It can also refer to a person who is next in line or rank. | |||
Second in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | sijuntu | ||
| Guarani | mokõiha | ||
Second in International Languages
| Esperanto | dua | ||
| "Dua" also means "again" or "repeat" in many languages, possibly because of its similarity to the English word "two". | |||
| Latin | secundus | ||
| In Latin, "secundus" also means 'favourable', likely as an extension of the notion of 'coming after' a successful antecedent. | |||
Second in Others Languages
| Greek | δεύτερος | ||
| The term 'δεύτερος' also means 'inferior' in Greek, indicating the idea that something comes after or is less important than something else. | |||
| Hmong | ob | ||
| Ob can also mean 'assistant' or 'deputy' | |||
| Kurdish | duyem | ||
| The word "duyem" in Kurdish also means "after" or "behind". | |||
| Turkish | ikinci | ||
| The word "ikinci" can also mean "later" or "next" in Turkish, and is derived from the Arabic word "ثانٍ" (thānī), meaning "second". | |||
| Xhosa | isibini | ||
| The Xhosa word "Isibini" can also refer to the number eight in a traditional counting system. | |||
| Yiddish | סעקונדע | ||
| סעקונדע derives from the Latin 'secundum', meaning 'following' or 'in second place'. | |||
| Zulu | okwesibili | ||
| The word 'okwesibili' can also mean 'middle' or 'halfway' in Zulu. | |||
| Assamese | দ্বিতীয় | ||
| Aymara | sijuntu | ||
| Bhojpuri | दूसरा | ||
| Dhivehi | ދެވަނަ | ||
| Dogri | दूआ | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pangalawa | ||
| Guarani | mokõiha | ||
| Ilocano | maikadua | ||
| Krio | sɛkɔn | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | دووەم | ||
| Maithili | दोसर | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯅꯤꯁꯨꯕ | ||
| Mizo | pahnihna | ||
| Oromo | lammaffaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଦ୍ୱିତୀୟ | ||
| Quechua | iskay ñiqi | ||
| Sanskrit | क्षण | ||
| Tatar | икенче | ||
| Tigrinya | ካልኣይ | ||
| Tsonga | sekondi | ||