Second in different languages

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

Afrikaanstweede
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".
Amharicሁለተኛ
"ሁለተኛ" (second) can also mean "assistant" or "helper", particularly in a religious context.
Hausana biyu
The word "na biyu" (second) in Hausa also has the alternate meaning of "again" or "next time".
Igbonke abụọ
Malagasyfaharoa
"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.
Shonachepiri
The word "Chepiri" in Shona can also refer to something that comes after the first, or to a deputy or assistant.
Somalilabaad
The word labaad can also refer to another type of tree called 'labaadhe'.
Sesothoea bobeli
"Ea bobeli" is also used to refer to the second child in a family, or the second item in a series.
Swahilipili
The word "pili" in Swahili has several cognates in other Bantu languages and likely derives from a Proto-Bantu root *piri, meaning "to follow".
Xhosaisibini
The Xhosa word "Isibini" can also refer to the number eight in a traditional counting system.
Yorubakeji
The word "keji" in Yoruba also refers to the female counterpart of the first twin.
Zuluokwesibili
The word 'okwesibili' can also mean 'middle' or 'halfway' in Zulu.
Bambarafilanan
Eweevelia
Kinyarwandakabiri
Lingalaya mibale
Lugandaakatikitiki
Sepedimotsotswana
Twi (Akan)deɛ ɛtɔ so mmienu

Second in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicثانيا
In the Quran, "ثانيا" can also mean "in the hereafter".
Hebrewשְׁנִיָה
The term "שְׁנִיָה" can also refer to the color blue, or to the second day of the week, Monday.
Pashtoدوهم
The Pashto word "دوهم" is related to the Persian "دوم" and can also refer to a pair, couple, or duo in some contexts.
Arabicثانيا
In the Quran, "ثانيا" can also mean "in the hereafter".

Second in Western European Languages

Albaniane 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.
Basquebigarrena
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".
Catalansegon
Catalan "segon" derives from Latin "secundus" but has alternate meanings of "instant" and "short time."
Croatiandrugi
The word "drugi" derives from the Proto-Slavic word "drugь", meaning "comrade" or "friend".
Danishanden
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
Dutchtweede
In Dutch, "tweede" can also mean "copy" or "instance".
Englishsecond
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.
Frenchseconde
The French word "seconde" also means "helper" or "supporter".
Frisiantwadde
The Frisian word "twadde" also means "other," and is cognate with the English words "twy" and "twin."
Galiciansegundo
Galician "segundo" also means "according to".
Germanzweite
While "zweite" commonly denotes "second," its original form, "zwite," referred to "separated," and is still found in phrases like "zwiefach" ("double").
Icelandicannað
In addition to meaning "second," "annað" can sometimes mean "the other" or "the else"
Irishdara
The word "dara" in Irish can also mean "after" or "next".
Italiansecondo
The Italian word "secondo" has also been used historically with the meaning of "messenger" or "attendant".
Luxembourgishzweeten
Malteseit-tieni
Maltese "it-tieni" literally means "the second one", implying an ordinal rather than cardinal meaning.
Norwegiansekund
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 Gaelican 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.
Spanishsegundo
"Segundo" can also mean "according to" or "following".
Swedishandra
Andra comes from Old Swedish and was once a plural, but is now used as singular and the singular 'annar' has become plural.
Welshyn ail
The Welsh word "yn ail" can also mean "the other" or "in addition".

Second in Eastern European Languages

Belarusianдругі
"Другі" in Belarusian can also mean "different" or "other".
Bosniansekunda
In Bosnian, 'sekunda' means 'second' in the context of time, and 'a type of musical note' in music.
Bulgarianвторо
Второ, the Bulgarian word for "second," can also be used to refer to a person's "other half" or spouse.
Czechdruhý
The word "druhý" in Czech, apart from meaning "second", can also mean "other" or "different".
Estonianteine
The word "teine" can also mean "different" or "other" in Estonian.
Finnishtoinen
"Toinen" can also mean "another" or "the other one".
Hungarianmásodik
"Második" can also mean "son" or "daughter".
Latvianotrais
The word "otrais" in Latvian derives from the Old Latvian word "oitars", meaning "another" or "the other one".
Lithuanianantra
In Lithuanian,
Macedonianвторо
In Macedonian, "второ" denotes a sequence after the first, and can refer to a runner-up or a grade below "отлично" (excellent).
Polishdruga
In some contexts, 'druga' can refer to a companion or friend, as in 'druga połowa' (better half).
Romanianal doilea
Romanian "al doilea" (second) derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *al- "other".
Russianвторой
The word "второй" ("second") in Russian also has the alternate meaning of "other" or "another"
Serbianдруго
The word "друго" can also mean "other" or "different" in Serbian.
Slovakdruhý
The Slovak word "druhý" is a cognate of the Slavic root "drugъ", meaning "other, different".
Sloveniandrugič
Drugič also means "again" and "another time".
Ukrainianдруге
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

Bengaliদ্বিতীয়
দ্বিতীয় also means twice or the next one.
Gujaratiબીજું
Gujarati 'બીજું' is similar to 'second' in terms of place or sequence, but can also mean 'other.
Hindiदूसरा
In Hindi, "दूसरा" also means "other"
Kannadaಎರಡನೇ
The word "ಎರಡನೇ" in Kannada can also mean "another" or "different".
Malayalamരണ്ടാമത്തേത്
Marathiदुसरा
The word "दुसरा" (dusra) in Marathi is derived from the Sanskrit word "द्वितीय" (dvitiya), meaning "second" or "another".
Nepaliदोस्रो
In Nepali, the word "दोस्रो" can also mean "inferior" or "bad".
Punjabiਦੂਜਾ
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.
Tamilஇரண்டாவது
In Tamil, the word 'இரண்டாவது' is also used in a different context to denote an unexpected thing that happens immediately after another.
Teluguరెండవ
The word "రెండవ" in Telugu can also refer to a second chance or an opportunity.
Urduدوسرا
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".
Japanese2番目
The term "2番目" (second) can also refer to the second rank or grade.
Korean둘째
"둘째" literally means 'the following one' or 'the younger one', and is used to indicate the second of a series or group.
Mongolianхоёр дахь
The Mongolian word "хоёр дахь" also means "the second time".
Myanmar (Burmese)ဒုတိယ

Second in South East Asian Languages

Indonesiankedua
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.
Javanesekapindho
The word "kapindho" in Javanese derives from the Sanskrit word "dvi" or "dwitiya," both meaning "two".
Khmerទីពីរ
The word ទីពីរ is derived from Sanskrit द्वितीय (dvitya), meaning the second in an order or a series or two out of three.
Laoຄັ້ງທີສອງ
Malaykedua
Kedua is used in some languages to mean "together" or "with" in addition to counting order positions.
Thaiวินาที
The Thai word 'วินาที' also means 'moment' or 'instant', and is derived from the Sanskrit word 'vinādī', meaning 'sound' or 'noise'.
Vietnamesethứ 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

Azerbaijaniikinci
"İkinci" means "secondary", "inferior" or "other".
Kazakhекінші
The word "екінші" also means "another" or "other" in Kazakh.
Kyrgyzэкинчи
Экинчи is also a surname meaning "landowner" in Kyrgyz.
Tajikдуюм
The word "дуюм" can also mean "moment" or "a short period of time" in Tajik.
Turkmenikinji
Uzbekikkinchi
The word “ikkinchi” originates from the Persian word “duvum”, which means “second”.
Uyghurئىككىنچى

Second in Pacific Languages

Hawaiianka lua
The word "ka lua", meaning "second", is also used in Hawaiian names for months and seasons, referring to the "second"" or "subsequent""
Maorituarua
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.
Samoantulaga 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

Aymarasijuntu
Guaranimokõiha

Second in International Languages

Esperantodua
"Dua" also means "again" or "repeat" in many languages, possibly because of its similarity to the English word "two".
Latinsecundus
In Latin, "secundus" also means 'favourable', likely as an extension of the notion of 'coming after' a successful antecedent.

Second in Others Languages

Greekδεύτερος
The term 'δεύτερος' also means 'inferior' in Greek, indicating the idea that something comes after or is less important than something else.
Hmongob
Ob can also mean 'assistant' or 'deputy'
Kurdishduyem
The word "duyem" in Kurdish also means "after" or "behind".
Turkishikinci
The word "ikinci" can also mean "later" or "next" in Turkish, and is derived from the Arabic word "ثانٍ" (thānī), meaning "second".
Xhosaisibini
The Xhosa word "Isibini" can also refer to the number eight in a traditional counting system.
Yiddishסעקונדע
סעקונדע derives from the Latin 'secundum', meaning 'following' or 'in second place'.
Zuluokwesibili
The word 'okwesibili' can also mean 'middle' or 'halfway' in Zulu.
Assameseদ্বিতীয়
Aymarasijuntu
Bhojpuriदूसरा
Dhivehiދެވަނަ
Dogriदूआ
Filipino (Tagalog)pangalawa
Guaranimokõiha
Ilocanomaikadua
Kriosɛkɔn
Kurdish (Sorani)دووەم
Maithiliदोसर
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯑꯅꯤꯁꯨꯕ
Mizopahnihna
Oromolammaffaa
Odia (Oriya)ଦ୍ୱିତୀୟ
Quechuaiskay ñiqi
Sanskritक्षण
Tatarикенче
Tigrinyaካልኣይ
Tsongasekondi

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