Seven in Different Languages
Discover 'Seven' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The number seven has held a significant place in various cultures and societies throughout history. In many religions, seven is considered a sacred number, symbolizing completeness or perfection. For instance, in Christianity, there are seven deadly sins and seven virtues; in Judaism, the menorah has seven branches. Additionally, ancient cultures such as the Mayans and Egyptians also placed great importance on the number seven.
Given its cultural and historical significance, it's no wonder that someone might want to know the translation of 'seven' in different languages. Here are a few examples:
- French: sept
- Spanish: siete
- German: sieben
- Mandarin: qī
- Japanese: shichi
- Russian: sem'
- Arabic: sab'a
Stay tuned for a more comprehensive list of translations of the number seven in various languages, along with interesting facts and historical contexts associated with each one.
Seven
Seven in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | sewe | ||
| The Afrikaans word "sewe" is derived from the Old English word "seofon" and the Dutch word "zeven", both of which mean "seven". | |||
| Amharic | ሰባት | ||
| Hausa | bakwai | ||
| The Hausa term 'bakwai', which means 'seven,' may have connections to the term 'bakwa' in other West African languages, suggesting influences within a shared cultural history. | |||
| Igbo | asaa | ||
| The word "asaa" in the Igbo language also has a secondary meaning, "to be very many." | |||
| Malagasy | fito | ||
| The term "fito" also refers to the seventh day of the week, or Saturday, in Malagasy culture | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | zisanu ndi ziwiri | ||
| "Zisanu ndi ziwiri" is also used in counting or describing something which comes in twos. | |||
| Shona | minomwe | ||
| The term "minomwe" in the Bantu language Shona is often used to refer to the concept of "completeness" or "totality". | |||
| Somali | toddobo | ||
| It is related to the Proto-Somali word *todobe and is derived from the Proto-Cushitic word *todoɓa. | |||
| Sesotho | supa | ||
| In Sesotho, "Supa" also means "week" or "the whole, complete thing" and derives from the Bantu root "vuba", meaning "to be complete". | |||
| Swahili | saba | ||
| The word "saba" in Swahili can also be used to refer to the seventh day of the week, Saturday. | |||
| Xhosa | sixhengxe | ||
| "Sixhengxe" originates from "inxhenxe," meaning "little finger," reflecting that it corresponds to the little finger being the seventh counting unit. | |||
| Yoruba | meje | ||
| The word "meje" in Yoruba is related to the word "merin" ("four") and originally meant "four and three". | |||
| Zulu | isikhombisa | ||
| "Isikhombisa" is also a Zulu term for a type of traditional Zulu shield. | |||
| Bambara | wolonwula | ||
| Ewe | adre | ||
| Kinyarwanda | karindwi | ||
| Lingala | nsambo | ||
| Luganda | musanvu | ||
| Sepedi | tše šupago | ||
| Twi (Akan) | nson | ||
Seven in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | سبعة | ||
| In Arabic, "سبعة" not only represents the number "seven," but also holds the connotation of "completion" and "fullness". | |||
| Hebrew | שבע | ||
| The Hebrew word "שבע" (seven) also means "full" or "satiated", possibly due to the physical feeling of fullness after eating a large meal. | |||
| Pashto | اووه | ||
| The Pashto word "اووه" can also mean "great" or "very", as in "اووه ښه" (very good). | |||
| Arabic | سبعة | ||
| In Arabic, "سبعة" not only represents the number "seven," but also holds the connotation of "completion" and "fullness". | |||
Seven in Western European Languages
| Albanian | shtatë | ||
| The Albanian word "shtatë" derives from the Proto-Indo-European word "septm" meaning "seven" and is cognate with the word "septem" in Latin. | |||
| Basque | zazpi | ||
| "Zazpi" comes from the Basque root "zat" meaning "part", thus "zazpi" literally means "the seven parts". | |||
| Catalan | set | ||
| The Catalan word "set" derives either from the Latin word "septem" or the Vulgar Latin "sette". | |||
| Croatian | sedam | ||
| The word 'sedam' is rooted in the Proto-Indo-European term | |||
| Danish | syv | ||
| The number "syv" is not cognate to the English "seven" and likely originates in Proto-Germanic "sebun". | |||
| Dutch | zeven | ||
| In Zeeuws, the word "zeven" takes on a different meaning altogether, referring to a "swampy area" or "meadow". | |||
| English | seven | ||
| "Seven" comes from Proto-Indo-European *septḿ̥, from पीbʰ- (“to join, fit together”), shared with saga and song. | |||
| French | sept | ||
| French Sept originally referred to the seven gods (the Triads), later to the seven planets, and then to the seven days of the week. | |||
| Frisian | sân | ||
| The word "sân" also refers to a playing field or a meadow, likely due to its association with the seven sides of a dice | |||
| Galician | sete | ||
| The Galician word "sete" also means "thirst". | |||
| German | sieben | ||
| Cognate with Old Norse "sjau" and Sanskrit "sapta" | |||
| Icelandic | sjö | ||
| Sjö's Proto-Norse root, "sebun," was also the basis of the archaic word "syv" for "seven" in Norwegian and Swedish. | |||
| Irish | seacht | ||
| The word "seacht" in Irish may also refer to a "team of seven," a "septet," or a "constellation of seven stars." | |||
| Italian | sette | ||
| In Italian gambling slang | |||
| Luxembourgish | siwen | ||
| The word "siwen" can also refer to the seventh day of the week, or Sunday, in Luxembourgish. | |||
| Maltese | sebgħa | ||
| "Sebgħa" in Maltese also means "a lot" or "a large number". | |||
| Norwegian | syv | ||
| "Syv" can also mean "lucky" in Norwegian, as it was once considered a lucky number. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | sete | ||
| In Portuguese, "sete" can also mean "thirst" or "lack of interest". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | seachd | ||
| The word "seachd" also refers to the seventh part of something, such as the "seachdamh" – the seventh portion. | |||
| Spanish | siete | ||
| The Spanish word for "seven," siete, is descended from the Latin word for "holy," sanctus. | |||
| Swedish | sju | ||
| The word 'sju' may originate from the Proto-Germanic 'sebun', meaning 'tied together'. It can also refer to a period of seven years. | |||
| Welsh | saith | ||
| The word "saith" in Welsh also means "seven" in the Welsh language. | |||
Seven in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | сем | ||
| In Belarusian, "сем" has cognates in other Slavic languages meaning "family" or "tribe". | |||
| Bosnian | sedam | ||
| The word "sedam" in Bosnian is derived from the Proto-Slavic "sedmь". It is cognate with the English word "seven". | |||
| Bulgarian | седем | ||
| The Bulgarian word "седем" ("seven") may be related to the Greek word "ἑπτά" ("seven"), or to the Slavic word "сем" ("seven"). | |||
| Czech | sedm | ||
| The word "sedm" also means "earth" in Proto-Slavic and "grain" in Sanskrit. | |||
| Estonian | seitse | ||
| Seitse ('seven') originates from the Proto-Finnic word *šei̯te, which is related to the Indo-European word *septm ('seven'). | |||
| Finnish | seitsemän | ||
| "Seitsemän" might be connected to the word "seita" ("idol or sacred object"), referring to the seven celestial deities venerated in ancient Finnish mythology. | |||
| Hungarian | hét | ||
| Historically "hét" also referred to a set of seven things or a group of seven people. | |||
| Latvian | septiņi | ||
| The Latvian word "septiņi" is cognate with the Lithuanian "septyni" and the Russian "семь", all ultimately deriving from a Common Balto-Slavic word meaning "seven". | |||
| Lithuanian | septyni | ||
| Septyni is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *septm-, meaning "seven," and shares cognates with many other Indo-European languages. | |||
| Macedonian | седум | ||
| The Slavic word седум (sedum) meaning "seven" also has a secondary meaning as "a group of seven persons". | |||
| Polish | siedem | ||
| Siedem may also refer to a small, flat cake or pastry in Polish cuisine. | |||
| Romanian | șapte | ||
| "Șapte" is derived from Proto-Slavic "*sedmь" and has the same root as "septem" (Latin). | |||
| Russian | семь | ||
| The word "Семь" also means "family" in Russian, related to the Proto-Slavic word *sedmь, which meant both "seven" and "family, household, group of relatives living together". | |||
| Serbian | седам | ||
| "Седам" is an archaic word that is sometimes used in poetry or religious texts. | |||
| Slovak | sedem | ||
| The word "sedem" is also used in Slovak for "seventh". | |||
| Slovenian | sedem | ||
| The word "sedem" in Slovenian also means "a place where one sits". | |||
| Ukrainian | сім | ||
| "сім" is of Proto-Slavic origin, and cognates include Russian "семь," Slovak "sedem," and Polish "siedem." | |||
Seven in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | সাত | ||
| The word "সাত" can also mean "a group of seven" or "an assembly of seven people". | |||
| Gujarati | સાત | ||
| The word "સાત" in Gujarati also refers to the note "sa" in music. | |||
| Hindi | सात | ||
| The word "सात" can also be used to refer to a group of seven people, or to a group of seven things. | |||
| Kannada | ಏಳು | ||
| The word "ಏಳು" in Kannada can also mean something that is very high or very large in number. | |||
| Malayalam | ഏഴ് | ||
| The word "ഏഴ്" can also refer to the seventh day of the week, in particular Sunday. | |||
| Marathi | सात | ||
| The word "सात" also carries the alternate meaning of "companionship" and "harmony" in Marathi. | |||
| Nepali | सात | ||
| The Nepali word "सात" (sāt), meaning "seven", is also cognate with the Greek "hepta" and Latin "septem". | |||
| Punjabi | ਸੱਤ | ||
| In Punjabi, "ਸੱਤ" also refers to intelligence and wisdom, often used to describe highly perceptive individuals. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | හත | ||
| The word "හත" (seven) in Sinhala language originates from the Prakrit word "සත්ත" (satta), which in turn comes from the Sanskrit word "सप्त" (sapta). | |||
| Tamil | ஏழு | ||
| "ஏழு" also means "music" in Tamil due to the tradition of performing traditional Tamil music in seven modes or scales and in seven different ragas. | |||
| Telugu | ఏడు | ||
| In addition to meaning "seven," "ఏడు" also means "cry" or "weep". | |||
| Urdu | سات | ||
| "سات" (Saat) may also mean a musical note, an arrow or a layer in Urdu. | |||
Seven in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 七 | ||
| The character "七" (seven) can also mean "the wife of a prince" or "a beautiful woman". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 七 | ||
| 七 is a character depicting the shape of an old style writing brush and was originally used for the numerals 6, 7, and 8. | |||
| Japanese | セブン | ||
| "セブン" (seven) also means "eleven" in Buddhist cosmology. | |||
| Korean | 일곱 | ||
| "일곱" can also mean "week" or "a lucky number" in Korean. | |||
| Mongolian | долоо | ||
| "Seven ("долоо") is the most frequent Mongolian numeral. It appears in the word "month ("сар"), which originally meant "seven moons". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ခုနှစ် | ||
| The word "khun hnit" in Myanmar (Burmese) is formed from the words "khun" (the numeral 6) and "hnit" (one). | |||
Seven in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | tujuh | ||
| The word "tujuh" can also mean "a lot" or "very much" in some Indonesian dialects. | |||
| Javanese | pitung | ||
| "Pitung" also means "an evil spirit that guards the rice field in Javanese mythology." | |||
| Khmer | ប្រាំពីរ | ||
| ប្រាំពីរ (prampiir) is also a traditional Khmer number used in the traditional Khmer calendar to denote the months of the year. | |||
| Lao | ເຈັດ | ||
| The word "ເຈັດ" (seven) in Lao is derived from the Sanskrit word "sapta" and has the alternate meaning of "completeness" or "totality". | |||
| Malay | tujuh | ||
| The Malay word "tujuh" is thought to be derived from the Proto-Austronesian word "*pitu" and has cognates in other Austronesian languages, such as Javanese "pitu" and Tagalog "pito." | |||
| Thai | เจ็ด | ||
| The word "เจ็ด" (seven) is also used to refer to a "week" in the Thai language, with each day of the week corresponding to one of the seven planets in astrology. | |||
| Vietnamese | bảy | ||
| The Sino-Vietnamese word "bảy" is also used to refer to the seventh lunar month, which is typically associated with the Hungry Ghost Festival. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pito | ||
Seven in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | yeddi | ||
| The word "yeddi" (seven) in Azerbaijani is derived from the ancient Persian word "hapta" and has cognates in many other languages, such as "hepta" in Greek and "septem" in Latin. | |||
| Kazakh | жеті | ||
| "Жеті" also means "abundance" or "a lot" in Kazakh. | |||
| Kyrgyz | жети | ||
| The word "жети" has cognates in other Turkic languages, with its origin likely coming from Proto-Turkic *jeti. | |||
| Tajik | ҳафт | ||
| The word "Ҳафт" ("seven") in Tajik is cognate with the Persian word "هفت" ("haft") and is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*septm̥". | |||
| Turkmen | ýedi | ||
| Uzbek | yetti | ||
| The word "Yetti" in Uzbek derives from the Persian word "haft" meaning "seven" and can also refer to the seventh day of the week, Saturday. | |||
| Uyghur | يەتتە | ||
Seven in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ʻehiku | ||
| 'ʻEhiku' comes from a Proto-Austronesian root also seen in Malay, Indonesian, Tagalog, and Malagasy. | |||
| Maori | whitu | ||
| Whitu is also the name for the Pleiades star cluster, known as Matariki. | |||
| Samoan | fitu | ||
| The word fitu is also used in a metaphorical sense to describe completeness or perfection, as in the phrase fitu lelei, which means "complete and perfect". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | pitong | ||
| "Pitong" means "seven" in Tagalog but can also refer to a type of small, indigenous guitar with seven strings, or to the seven mystical or ritualistic points on the body. | |||
Seven in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | paqallqu | ||
| Guarani | siete | ||
Seven in International Languages
| Esperanto | sep | ||
| The Esperanto word "sep" also refers to the musical interval of a seventh. | |||
| Latin | septem | ||
| "Septem" is the Latin word for "seven" and is related to the words "September" and "septuple." | |||
Seven in Others Languages
| Greek | επτά | ||
| The word 'επτά' ('seven') in Greek comes from the Proto-Indo-European word 'septm', which also meant 'to follow' or 'to be behind'. | |||
| Hmong | xya | ||
| The word "xya" can also mean "a time, an occasion, or on purpose," but the meaning often depends heavily on context. | |||
| Kurdish | heft | ||
| "Heft" can also mean "weight" or "effort" in Kurdish. | |||
| Turkish | yedi | ||
| In addition, "yedi" can also mean "to bring" in Turkish, possibly due to the concept of "adding seven" to something. | |||
| Xhosa | sixhengxe | ||
| "Sixhengxe" originates from "inxhenxe," meaning "little finger," reflecting that it corresponds to the little finger being the seventh counting unit. | |||
| Yiddish | זיבן | ||
| The Yiddish word "זיבן" (seven) stems from the Germanic language and is related to the English word "seven". | |||
| Zulu | isikhombisa | ||
| "Isikhombisa" is also a Zulu term for a type of traditional Zulu shield. | |||
| Assamese | সাত | ||
| Aymara | paqallqu | ||
| Bhojpuri | सात गो के बा | ||
| Dhivehi | ހަތް | ||
| Dogri | सात | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pito | ||
| Guarani | siete | ||
| Ilocano | pito | ||
| Krio | sɛvin | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | حەوت | ||
| Maithili | सात | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯷ | ||
| Mizo | pasarih a ni | ||
| Oromo | torba | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ସାତ | ||
| Quechua | qanchis | ||
| Sanskrit | सप्त | ||
| Tatar | җиде | ||
| Tigrinya | ሸውዓተ | ||
| Tsonga | nkombo | ||