Somehow in Different Languages
Discover 'Somehow' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Somehow is a small word that carries a big punch. It's a versatile term we use to express a variety of sentiments, from surprise and confusion to determination and resignation. Somehow can signify that something is unexpected, yet it also implies a sense of eventual success or accomplishment. It's a word that transcends cultural boundaries and has made its way into languages around the world.
Throughout history, somehow has played a significant role in literature and everyday speech. From Shakespeare's works to modern-day movies and music, this word has captivated audiences and left a lasting impact on our linguistic landscape. Its ability to convey uncertainty, hope, and determination has made it a favorite among writers, speakers, and learners alike.
If you're learning a new language or simply have a passion for words, understanding the translation of somehow in different languages can be a fun and rewarding experience. Here are a few examples to get you started:
Somehow
Somehow in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | op een of ander manier | ||
| The Afrikaans phrase "op een of ander manier" is derived from the Dutch phrase "op een of andere manier", which literally means "in one way or another". | |||
| Amharic | እንደምንም | ||
| 'እንደምንም' has a second meaning which is 'for a while' that comes from 'እንደ' (like/as) & 'ምንም' (nothing/a while). | |||
| Hausa | ko yaya | ||
| The word 'ko yaya' is a combination of the words 'ko' (to do) and 'yaya' (manner), and can also mean 'how' or 'in what way'. | |||
| Igbo | otuodila | ||
| The word "otuodila" in Igbo is also used to describe something that is done in a roundabout way or indirectly. | |||
| Malagasy | toa | ||
| "Toa" in Malagasy can also mean "thus" in the sense of a result or consequence. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | mwanjira ina | ||
| The Nyanja word 'mwanjira ina' can also refer to a specific time or date. | |||
| Shona | neimwe nzira | ||
| The word 'neimwe nzira' (somehow) is a combination of the words 'nzira' (way) and 'neimwe' (some), which implies 'a way in some manner'. | |||
| Somali | si uun | ||
| The word "si uun" can also mean "in a way" or "on some level". | |||
| Sesotho | ka tsela e itseng | ||
| The word "ka tsela e itseng" literally translates "by one of the roads, paths or ways" | |||
| Swahili | kwa namna fulani | ||
| The phrase "kwa namna fulani" in Swahili can also mean "to a certain extent" or "in some way". | |||
| Xhosa | ngandlela thile | ||
| "Ngandlela thile" is also the isiXhosa name of a specific type of bird, called a hamerkop in English. | |||
| Yoruba | bakan | ||
| The word "bakan" in Yoruba also means "almost" or "kind of". | |||
| Zulu | ngandlela thile | ||
| "Ngandlela thile" is derived from the verb "andlela," which means "to show the way" or "to guide." | |||
| Bambara | cogodɔ la | ||
| Ewe | ɖewuiɖewui | ||
| Kinyarwanda | kanaka | ||
| Lingala | ndenge moko boye | ||
| Luganda | afazali | ||
| Sepedi | ka tsela ye nngwe | ||
| Twi (Akan) | biribi saa | ||
Somehow in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | بطريقة ما | ||
| In Egyptian colloquial Arabic, "بطريقة ما" can also mean "randomly, by chance" similar to the word "زي ما". | |||
| Hebrew | איכשהו | ||
| איכשהו stems from the term אופן which means a way, a manner or a method. | |||
| Pashto | یو څه | ||
| The Pashto word "یو څه" ("somehow") is also used in the sense of "a little"} | |||
| Arabic | بطريقة ما | ||
| In Egyptian colloquial Arabic, "بطريقة ما" can also mean "randomly, by chance" similar to the word "زي ما". | |||
Somehow in Western European Languages
| Albanian | disi | ||
| The word "disi" is an emphatic particle which can also mean "so". | |||
| Basque | nolabait | ||
| Nolabait, which means "somehow" in Basque, is likely derived from the Proto-Basque *nola bai, meaning "how good". | |||
| Catalan | d'alguna manera | ||
| "D'alguna manera" is an adverbial phrase that can also mean "in a certain way" and comes from the Latin "de aliqua manera". | |||
| Croatian | nekako | ||
| The word 'nekako' comes from 'ne' meaning 'not' and 'kako' meaning 'how', with the implication being that something happened 'without knowing how' or 'somehow'. | |||
| Danish | på en eller anden måde | ||
| På en eller anden måde is a Danish idiom that literally means "on one or another way" but is used to express "somehow". | |||
| Dutch | ergens | ||
| The word "ergens" in Dutch also means "somewhere" and is derived from the Old Dutch word "erghen". | |||
| English | somehow | ||
| The word 'somehow' originated in the 14th century from two Old English words, 'sum' (meaning 'some' or 'a bit of') and 'hu' (meaning 'how') | |||
| French | en quelque sorte | ||
| "En quelque sorte" can also be used to mean "to some extent" in French. | |||
| Frisian | ien of oare manier | ||
| The Frisian phrase "ien of oare manier" is the contracted form of the Dutch phrase "op een of andere manier", which has the same meaning and etymology and derives from the Middle Dutch phrases "op ene oft andere maniere" and "in eenigerhande maniere". Dutch also has a calque of the Frisian phrase in the form of "op 'n of andere manier". | |||
| Galician | dalgún xeito | ||
| The Galician word “dalgún xeito” can also mean “in some way” or “to some extent”. | |||
| German | irgendwie | ||
| Irgendwie is a contraction of "in gewisser Weise", which literally means 'in a certain way' | |||
| Icelandic | einhvern veginn | ||
| The word 'einhvern veginn' also means 'by some means' in Icelandic. | |||
| Irish | ar bhealach éigin | ||
| Italian | in qualche modo | ||
| The word "in qualche modo" literally means "in some way" in Italian. | |||
| Luxembourgish | iergendwéi | ||
| The etymology of "iergendwéi" is uncertain, but it may come from "irgend" (German for "any") or "irgendwie" (German for "somehow"). | |||
| Maltese | b'xi mod | ||
| The Maltese word "b'xi mod" literally means "by some means" or "in some way". | |||
| Norwegian | en eller annen måte | ||
| The Norwegian idiom "en eller annen måte" can mean both "somehow" and "or (in) some other way", depending on the context. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | de alguma forma | ||
| The Portuguese word "de alguma forma" can also mean "in some way" or "to some extent". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | dòigh air choireigin | ||
| The word can also mean 'to be on the lookout'. | |||
| Spanish | de algun modo | ||
| De algun modo derives from the Latin 'aliquo modo', meaning 'by some means', and retains this meaning in Spanish, as well as having the colloquial meaning of 'somehow'. | |||
| Swedish | på något sätt | ||
| På något sätt originates from the Old Swedish phrase "a noghor", meaning "in some way." | |||
| Welsh | rywsut | ||
| The word "rywsut" can also mean "in any way" or "to some extent". | |||
Somehow in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | неяк | ||
| The etymology of "неяк" is unknown, but some scholars propose that it may have originated from the Polish word "jako", meaning "as". Others propose that it may have originated from the Old East Slavic word "někako", meaning "in some way". | |||
| Bosnian | nekako | ||
| Nekako' is derived from the Proto-Slavic word 'někъ' meaning 'some' and 'ako' meaning 'how'. | |||
| Bulgarian | някак си | ||
| The word "някак си" can also be used to express dissatisfaction, impatience, or annoyance. | |||
| Czech | nějak | ||
| The origin of "nějak" is uncertain; however, it's thought to be related to the pronoun "někdo" ("someone") or the particle "něco" ("something"). | |||
| Estonian | kuidagi | ||
| "Kuidagi" is a compound of "kui" (how) and "dagi" (in some way). | |||
| Finnish | jollakin tavalla | ||
| 'Jollakin tavalla' means 'somehow'. Some etymologists argue it has its roots in 'jokin' or 'jonkin'. It also has another meaning, referring to a certain unspecified person.} | |||
| Hungarian | valahogy | ||
| "Valahogy" likely originated from the word "valamikor" meaning "at some point". It is also a slang term for "drunk". | |||
| Latvian | kaut kā tā | ||
| "Kaut kā" consists of the conjunction "kaut" and the reflexive pronoun "kā" with its meaning altered. "Kaut kā" can also be used as an adjective meaning "some kind of" or "somehow done." | |||
| Lithuanian | kažkaip | ||
| The word "kažkaip" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *kʷe-, meaning "when" or "how". It is related to the Sanskrit word "kaścit" and the Latin word "quisque". | |||
| Macedonian | некако | ||
| The word "некако" in Macedonian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *někako, which also means "somehow". | |||
| Polish | jakoś | ||
| The word "jakoś" can also mean "in some way" or "to some extent". | |||
| Romanian | oarecum | ||
| Originating in the Proto-Romance adverb *aliquamodo, oarecum also means "at some point" or "occasionally" | |||
| Russian | как-то | ||
| In Russian, the word "как-то" can also mean "sometime" or "somehow or other" | |||
| Serbian | некако | ||
| The word "некако" (nekako) also means "a kind of" or "in a particular manner". | |||
| Slovak | nejako | ||
| The Slovak word "nejako" can also mean "to some extent" or "kind of", | |||
| Slovenian | nekako | ||
| The word 'nekako' is derived from the Proto-Slavic word '*někakъ', which also meant 'somehow', and is related to the word 'nekdo' (someone). | |||
| Ukrainian | якось | ||
| It is cognate with the Belarusian word "якой" (yakoy), which means "what". | |||
Somehow in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | একরকম | ||
| The word "একরকম" can also mean "uniform" or "in a similar way". | |||
| Gujarati | કોઈક રીતે | ||
| In Indian English, “somehow” means “in some way” or “by some means,” but in Gujarati it often means “at some point in the future”. | |||
| Hindi | किसी न किसी तरह | ||
| "किसी न किसी तरह" literally means "some way or other". It can also mean "in a way that is not clear or specific", or "with some difficulty or effort". | |||
| Kannada | ಹೇಗಾದರೂ | ||
| The word "ಹೇಗಾದರೂ" can be literally translated as "however". It can also mean "somehow" or "anyway". | |||
| Malayalam | എങ്ങനെയെങ്കിലും | ||
| Marathi | कसा तरी | ||
| In Marathi and Sanskrit, कसा तरी ('kasa tari') also means 'how' and 'for what reason'. | |||
| Nepali | कुनै प्रकारले | ||
| In Sanskrit, 'kena' means 'why' and 'apikara' means 'to arrange', so 'kenaapikara' or 'कुनै प्रकारले' in Nepali implies 'arranging some reason' i.e. 'somehow' | |||
| Punjabi | ਕਿਸੇ ਤਰਾਂ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | කෙසේ හෝ | ||
| The word "කෙසේ හෝ" can also be used to mean "by any means" or "in some way". | |||
| Tamil | எப்படியோ | ||
| The word எப்படியோ (epidiyo) is derived from the Proto-Dravidian term *eppe-tī, meaning "in some manner or way." | |||
| Telugu | ఏదో ఒకవిధంగా | ||
| The word ఏదో ఒకవిధంగా is also used to mean 'in some way, 'to some extent,' or 'more or less.' | |||
| Urdu | کسی طرح | ||
| The Urdu word "کسی طرح" can also be used to mean "by all means" or "at any cost". | |||
Somehow in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 不知何故 | ||
| 不知何故 (bù zhī wèi hé) literally means "not knowing the reason" and can also be used to express a sense of wonder or mystery. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 不知何故 | ||
| 不知何故，字面意思是“不知道为什么”，但常用于表示“某种原因”或“某种方式” 。 | |||
| Japanese | 何とかして | ||
| The word "何とかして" can also mean "by all means" or "at any cost." | |||
| Korean | 어쩐지 | ||
| The word 어쩐지 can be broken down into "어찌" (how) and "인지" (whether), suggesting a sense of uncertainty. | |||
| Mongolian | ямар нэгэн байдлаар | ||
| "Ямар нэгэн байдлаар" is a phrase that can be translated as "in some way" or "somehow" and is used to express a sense of uncertainty or indefiniteness. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | တစ်နည်းနည်း | ||
Somehow in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | entah bagaimana | ||
| The Indonesian phrase "entah bagaimana" can also be used to express feelings of frustration or uncertainty. | |||
| Javanese | piye wae | ||
| The Javanese word "piye wae" can also mean "whatever", or even "what for?" | |||
| Khmer | ដូចម្ដេច | ||
| Lao | ບາງຢ່າງ | ||
| Malay | entah bagaimana | ||
| "Entah bagaimana" is a popular Malay phrase that is often used to introduce a sense of uncertainty or doubt in an ambiguous situation. While its direct translation is "I don't know how," it can be interpreted as "for some reason" or "in some way." | |||
| Thai | อย่างใด | ||
| “อย่างใด” can also be used to indicate a “manner” or “method”. | |||
| Vietnamese | bằng cách nào đó | ||
| The word "bằng cách nào đó" derives from the Chinese phrase "bằng cách nào đó", meaning "by some means". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kahit papaano | ||
Somehow in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | birtəhər | ||
| The word "birtəhər" can also mean "by some means" or "to some extent" in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | қалай болғанда да | ||
| Kyrgyz | кандайдыр бир жол менен | ||
| Tajik | гӯё | ||
| The word "гӯё" can refer to a state of confusion, as if one cannot properly describe a situation. | |||
| Turkmen | nämüçindir | ||
| Uzbek | qandaydir tarzda | ||
| The phrase "qandaydir tarzda" is a calque of the Russian phrase "kakoe-to", which is used to express uncertainty or indefiniteness. | |||
| Uyghur | قانداقتۇر | ||
Somehow in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ma kekahi ʻano | ||
| The phrase ma kekahi ʻano in Hawaiian can also refer to a person who is skilled or accomplished in a particular area. | |||
| Maori | ahakoa ra | ||
| The word "ahakoa ra" in Maori can also mean "in spite of" or "nevertheless". | |||
| Samoan | i se isi itu | ||
| "I se isi itu" is also translated as "for that reason," "consequently," "therefore," "as a result," and "because." | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | kahit papaano | ||
| While "kahit papaano" means "somehow" in English, it carries connotations of effort, resilience, and resourcefulness in Tagalog. | |||
Somehow in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | ukhamatwa | ||
| Guarani | oimeháicha | ||
Somehow in International Languages
| Esperanto | iel | ||
| The word “iel” also carries the meanings of “thus” and refers back to the previously mentioned concept. | |||
| Latin | aliqua | ||
| The Latin word "aliqua" originally meant "at any point," and was later used as an adverb meaning "in a certain way". | |||
Somehow in Others Languages
| Greek | κάπως | ||
| κάπως can mean both "somehow" and "rather". | |||
| Hmong | xyov li cas | ||
| The phrase “xyov li cas,” which literally means “what kind of way,” is an idiom used to indicate a manner or a method of doing something. | |||
| Kurdish | bi avakî | ||
| The word "bi avakî" is thought to have originated from the Persian phrase "bi av-e ki", which means "by the water of that" | |||
| Turkish | bir şekilde | ||
| The word "bir şekilde" can also be used to express "in a way" or "to some extent". | |||
| Xhosa | ngandlela thile | ||
| "Ngandlela thile" is also the isiXhosa name of a specific type of bird, called a hamerkop in English. | |||
| Yiddish | עפעס | ||
| עפעס is a contraction that originally meant "by the help of"} | |||
| Zulu | ngandlela thile | ||
| "Ngandlela thile" is derived from the verb "andlela," which means "to show the way" or "to guide." | |||
| Assamese | কেনেবাকে | ||
| Aymara | ukhamatwa | ||
| Bhojpuri | केहू ना केहू तरह | ||
| Dhivehi | ކޮންމެވެސްގޮތަކަށް | ||
| Dogri | जियां-कियां | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kahit papaano | ||
| Guarani | oimeháicha | ||
| Ilocano | kaskasano | ||
| Krio | sɔntɛm | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | کەمێک | ||
| Maithili | कोनो नहि कोनो तरह | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯄꯥꯝꯕꯩ ꯑꯃꯗꯒꯤ | ||
| Mizo | engtin tin emawni | ||
| Oromo | sababa hin beekamneen | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | କ h ଣସି ପ୍ରକାରେ | | ||
| Quechua | imaynanpapas | ||
| Sanskrit | कतप्यं | ||
| Tatar | ничектер | ||
| Tigrinya | ብገለ መንገዲ | ||
| Tsonga | ndlela yin'wana | ||