Six in Different Languages
Discover 'Six' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The number six is universally recognized and holds significance across various cultures and languages. In many Western cultures, it's associated with luck and harmony, while in East Asian cultures, it's considered unlucky due to its phonetic similarity to the word for 'death'. This highlights the fascinating cultural importance of numbers and how they can shape our perceptions.
Moreover, the translation of six in different languages can reveal intriguing insights into a language's numeral system. For instance, in Mandarin Chinese, six is 'liù' (六), while in Spanish, it's 'seis' (six). These translations not only help us understand the number but also provide a glimpse into the language's phonetic and grammatical structures.
So, whether you're a language enthusiast, a world traveler, or simply curious, knowing the translation of six in various languages can be a fun and enlightening experience. Let's explore these translations and delve deeper into the rich cultural and linguistic diversity of our world.
Six
Six in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | ses | ||
| Although its meaning as 'six' derives from Dutch 'zes', it can also mean 'a big amount'. | |||
| Amharic | ስድስት | ||
| The word "ስድስት" can also refer to the sixth month of the Ethiopian calendar, which is called "የስድስት" (Yä Sədest). | |||
| Hausa | shida | ||
| Shida is also a word for a measure of volume or a cylindrical container. | |||
| Igbo | isii | ||
| "Isii" also means "one" in the Igbo language and it is one of the few words that describe numbers but also have other meanings in the Igbo language. | |||
| Malagasy | enin- | ||
| The Malagasy word "enin-" (six) derives from the Proto-Austronesian "*enem" meaning "six", and also appears in Malay and Javanese. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | zisanu ndi chimodzi | ||
| The word "zisanu ndi chimodzi" can also be used to mean "the one that comes after five". | |||
| Shona | nhanhatu | ||
| In some dialects, "nhanhatu" can also refer to a group of six people or things. | |||
| Somali | lix | ||
| The Somali word "lix" can also refer to a type of tree or a specific breed of goat. | |||
| Sesotho | tshelela | ||
| The name 'tshelela' likely derives from a Sesotho verb meaning 'to scatter'. | |||
| Swahili | sita | ||
| The word "sita" is also used to mean "to be six in number" and "a group of six persons or things". | |||
| Xhosa | ntandathu | ||
| In Xhosa culture, "Ntandathu" also represents the sixth sense or extra sensory perception (ESP), alluding to the concept that humans have five physical senses and a sixth spiritual or intuitive sense. | |||
| Yoruba | mefa | ||
| The Yoruba word "mefa" can also mean "a large quantity" or "a great number". | |||
| Zulu | eziyisithupha | ||
| The word "eziyisithupha" is derived from the Proto-Bantu word *tshí-paaɗa* meaning "to split apart". | |||
| Bambara | wɔɔrɔ | ||
| Ewe | adẽ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | atandatu | ||
| Lingala | motoba | ||
| Luganda | mukaaga | ||
| Sepedi | tshela | ||
| Twi (Akan) | nsia | ||
Six in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | ستة | ||
| The word "ستة" may also be used to describe someone who is overweight or obese. | |||
| Hebrew | שֵׁשׁ | ||
| The name for 'six' in Hebrew (שֵׁשׁ) may derive from the Egyptian 'sfh' ('to seize', 'to capture'). | |||
| Pashto | شپږ | ||
| In Pashto, "شپږ" also means "a group of six" like a pack of cards. | |||
| Arabic | ستة | ||
| The word "ستة" may also be used to describe someone who is overweight or obese. | |||
Six in Western European Languages
| Albanian | gjashtë | ||
| The word "gjashtë" (six) is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "ghes", meaning "to grasp" or "to seize". | |||
| Basque | sei | ||
| In certain Basque dialects, "sei" also means "what". | |||
| Catalan | sis | ||
| The Catalan word "sis" is derived from the Latin "sex" and cognate with the Spanish "seis" and Portuguese "seis". | |||
| Croatian | šest | ||
| The word "šest" likely derives from the Proto-Slavic word *šestь, which also means "fist" or "handful", reflecting the method of counting to six by using one's fingers. | |||
| Danish | seks | ||
| Dutch | zes | ||
| The root "zes-" is also used to denote 6-legged creatures like "spin" (spider) or "kriebeldier" (insect). | |||
| English | six | ||
| The word | |||
| French | six | ||
| The French word for “six” can also be used colloquially to mean “a lot.” | |||
| Frisian | seis | ||
| "Seis" can also mean "to leak" in Frisian. | |||
| Galician | seis | ||
| In Galician, "seis" can also mean "cuttlefish" or "thrush". | |||
| German | sechs | ||
| "Sechs" is related to the Old High German word "sehs" meaning "group of six" and has an alternate meaning of "a team of six horses or oxen". | |||
| Icelandic | sex | ||
| In Icelandic, "sex" is a neutral word that can refer to both "six" and "gender." | |||
| Irish | seisear | ||
| The Irish word "seisear" also refers to the number of dancers in a traditional set dance. | |||
| Italian | sei | ||
| "Sei" in Italian can also mean "you are" or "oneself" depending on the context. | |||
| Luxembourgish | sechs | ||
| It comes from the Proto-Germanic word "*sehs", and cognates of the word can be found in various Germanic languages. | |||
| Maltese | sitta | ||
| The word "sitta" in Maltese can also mean "the sixth", "six times", or "in sixes". | |||
| Norwegian | seks | ||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | seis | ||
| While in Portugal "seis" can only mean "six", in Brazil it can also mean "very" or "a lot". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | sia | ||
| The root of the Gaelic word for "six" is probably related to the Sanskrit word "sad," meaning to sit or rest. | |||
| Spanish | seis | ||
| "Seis" also means "the sixth musical note" in Spanish. | |||
| Swedish | sex | ||
| Welsh | chwech | ||
| The word "chwech" in Welsh is also used to refer to the sixth day of the week or the act of moving in a diagonal direction. | |||
Six in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | шэсць | ||
| The word "шэсць" ("six") in Belarusian may be derived from the Proto-Slavic word "šestь", meaning "six hands". | |||
| Bosnian | šest | ||
| The word "šest" is cognate with the words for "six" in other Slavic languages, such as "sześć" in Polish, "шесть" in Russian, and "šest" in Czech. | |||
| Bulgarian | шест | ||
| The Bulgarian word "шест" can also refer to an object with a narrow and elongated form, such as a stick or a pole, or to the act of measuring or dividing something into six equal parts. | |||
| Czech | šest | ||
| Estonian | kuus | ||
| "Kuus" may also refer to the six strings of a kantele, six sides of a die, or six days of creation in the Bible. | |||
| Finnish | kuusi | ||
| "Kuusi" also means "spruce" as the wood was originally a unit of wood used for measuring lumber. | |||
| Hungarian | hat | ||
| The Hungarian word “hat” can also mean “snow” and derives from the Proto-Uralic “*kata”, meaning “fur; winter”. | |||
| Latvian | seši | ||
| The Latvian word "seši" is likely to be related to the Proto-Indo-European root "*sweḱs" and Slavic "šest", all ultimately deriving from the same source word. | |||
| Lithuanian | šeši | ||
| The Lithuanian word "šeši" (six) is derived from the Proto-Baltic numeral *k'ešši and is cognate with the words for "six" in other Baltic languages, such as Latvian "seši" and Prussian "sexi". | |||
| Macedonian | шест | ||
| The word "шест" in Macedonian also refers to the number six or to the number six hundred. | |||
| Polish | sześć | ||
| The Polish word 'sześć' comes from an Old Polish word meaning 'five', as in the early days of counting six was considered the number after five. | |||
| Romanian | şase | ||
| Şase, a word for "six" in Romanian, is also sometimes used to mean "dice". | |||
| Russian | шесть | ||
| Derived from Proto-Slavic *šestь, ultimately deriving from Proto-Indo-European *swéḱs | |||
| Serbian | шест | ||
| The Serbian word "шест" (six) also means "pole" or "stick". | |||
| Slovak | šesť | ||
| "Šesť" also refers to the number 666 in some dialects. | |||
| Slovenian | šest | ||
| The word "šest" may also refer to the number "hundred" or the "six-stringed bass guitar". | |||
| Ukrainian | шість | ||
| The word “шість” is cognate with Proto-Balto-Slavic “*šęšь” or Proto-Slavic “**šesti” which also gave rise to words for “sixth”. These, in turn go back to Proto-Indo-European “*swéḱs” from “*swék” (“turn, go”) | |||
Six in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ছয় | ||
| "ছয়" can also be used to refer to the sixth day of the week, Friday. | |||
| Gujarati | છ | ||
| The Gujarati word "છ" can also refer to the sixth day of the week, Thursday. | |||
| Hindi | छह | ||
| The term "छह" is rooted in Sanskrit language, and means "the sound made while sneezing" (छिः). | |||
| Kannada | ಆರು | ||
| "ಆರು" (six) also means "one's own" or "own belonging" in Kannada. | |||
| Malayalam | ആറ് | ||
| "ആറ്" also means "stop" in Malayalam. | |||
| Marathi | सहा | ||
| The Marathi word 'सहा' also means 'to bear' or 'to endure', reflecting its etymological root in Sanskrit. | |||
| Nepali | छ | ||
| The word 'छ' can also mean 'beauty' or 'lustre' in Sanskrit and Nepali. | |||
| Punjabi | ਛੇ | ||
| In Punjabi, "ਛੇ" (cheh) is colloquially used to refer to a type of traditional head covering worn by women. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | හය | ||
| The word "හය" also signifies "noble", "great" or "majestic" in Sinhala. | |||
| Tamil | ஆறு | ||
| "ஆறு" can also mean "a river" in Tamil, and derives from the Proto-Dravidian root *ar- "to flow". | |||
| Telugu | ఆరు | ||
| The word "ఆరు" can also mean "six-sided" or "a cluster of six." | |||
| Urdu | چھ | ||
| The word "چھ" in Urdu also means "that" or "it". | |||
Six in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 六 | ||
| "六" (liù) can also mean "six of a kind" in a game of dice or cards. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 六 | ||
| The numeral 六 ('six') is also used in Chinese as an indicator of quantity, order, or degree, indicating something numerous, excessive, or thorough. | |||
| Japanese | 6 | ||
| In Japanese, the character '六' (pronounced 'roku') can also be used as a suffix to denote something that is sixth in a series or group | |||
| Korean | 육 | ||
| The word "육" ("육") can also refer to the number of months in the Korean lunar calendar, or the five elements plus energy ("기"). | |||
| Mongolian | зургаа | ||
| Зургаа also means "to draw" in Mongolian. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ခြောက် | ||
| The word "ခြောက်" can also mean "to be afraid" or "to be frightened" in Myanmar (Burmese). | |||
Six in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | enam | ||
| The word "enam" in Indonesian is cognate with "onom" in Tagalog, "anim" in Malay, and "anam" in Javanese, all meaning "six". | |||
| Javanese | enem | ||
| "Enem" also refers to "something of an excessive degree" or "someone of a despicable character" | |||
| Khmer | ប្រាំមួយ | ||
| The word "ប្រាំមួយ" originally meant "five-one", and can also be used to mean "fifth" or "one before six". | |||
| Lao | ຫົກ | ||
| The word "ຫົກ" can also mean "to be different" or "to be unlike" in Lao. | |||
| Malay | enam | ||
| In Sanskrit, the word "enam" means "all". | |||
| Thai | หก | ||
| The Thai word "หก" (pronounced 'hok') also means "to spill" or "to shed". | |||
| Vietnamese | sáu | ||
| The Sino-Vietnamese word "sáu" is also used to refer to the sixth day of the lunar month or the sixth lunar month itself. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | anim | ||
Six in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | altı | ||
| "Altı" is also related to "alt" (`gold/golden`) word and probably originally meant "golden (coin)". | |||
| Kazakh | алты | ||
| The word "алты" is thought to derive from the Proto-Turkic word for "six" (*altu), which is cognate with other Turkic languages such as Turkish "altı" and Tatar "alty". | |||
| Kyrgyz | алты | ||
| The word "алты" also has meanings "gold" and "gold coins". | |||
| Tajik | шаш | ||
| The word "шаш" also means "a part" or "a piece" in Tajik. | |||
| Turkmen | alty | ||
| Uzbek | olti | ||
| The verb "olti" ("to take, catch, seize") is derived from the noun "olti" ("six") and refers to the act of snatching or grabbing something with a quick hand movement. | |||
| Uyghur | ئالتە | ||
Six in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | eono | ||
| The word "eono" can also mean "the number of a party" or "a company of friends" in Hawaiian. | |||
| Maori | ono | ||
| The word "ono" can also mean "bad" or "evil" in Maori. | |||
| Samoan | ono | ||
| The word "ono" in Samoan also means "complete" or "whole" and is used in the expression "ono po" meaning "entirely or completely whole" | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | anim | ||
| In Proto-Malayo-Polynesian, "anim" was the word for "two." While it's unclear why it came to signify "six" instead, the "two" usage survives in several Southeast Asian languages as well as in the Philippine indigenous Aeta group's own language. | |||
Six in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | suxta | ||
| Guarani | poteĩ | ||
Six in International Languages
| Esperanto | ses | ||
| Esperanto's "ses" shares a root with "sex," but the words' meanings diverged in Proto-Indo-European. | |||
| Latin | sex | ||
Six in Others Languages
| Greek | έξι | ||
| έξι is also used figuratively to describe something as 'a lot' or 'many' in Greek, similar to the English phrase 'a dime a dozen'. | |||
| Hmong | rau | ||
| The word "rau" for "six" in Hmong is homophonous with the word for "leaf" and refers to the six-sided shape of certain leaves. | |||
| Kurdish | şeş | ||
| The word "şeş" in Kurdish is also used to refer to the sixth day of the week, Friday. | |||
| Turkish | altı | ||
| The word "altı" in Turkish can also refer to the underside of something, such as the underside of a table or a boat. | |||
| Xhosa | ntandathu | ||
| In Xhosa culture, "Ntandathu" also represents the sixth sense or extra sensory perception (ESP), alluding to the concept that humans have five physical senses and a sixth spiritual or intuitive sense. | |||
| Yiddish | זעקס | ||
| The Yiddish word "זעקס" also refers to a specific dice throw in the game of craps. | |||
| Zulu | eziyisithupha | ||
| The word "eziyisithupha" is derived from the Proto-Bantu word *tshí-paaɗa* meaning "to split apart". | |||
| Assamese | ছয় | ||
| Aymara | suxta | ||
| Bhojpuri | छह | ||
| Dhivehi | ހައެއް | ||
| Dogri | छे | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | anim | ||
| Guarani | poteĩ | ||
| Ilocano | innem | ||
| Krio | siks | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | شەش | ||
| Maithili | छह | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯇꯔꯨꯛ | ||
| Mizo | paruk | ||
| Oromo | ja'a | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଛଅ | ||
| Quechua | suqta | ||
| Sanskrit | षष्टं | ||
| Tatar | алты | ||
| Tigrinya | ሽዱሽተ | ||
| Tsonga | tsevu | ||