Start in Different Languages
Discover 'Start' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'start' is a powerful and universal term that signifies the beginning of something new and exciting. Its significance extends far beyond mere semantics, as it represents the possibility of change, growth, and progress.
Throughout history, the concept of starting anew has been a source of inspiration and motivation for people all over the world. From the dawn of a new day to the launch of a new venture, the word 'start' carries with it a sense of hope and anticipation that is both palpable and profound.
For language enthusiasts and cultural aficionados alike, understanding the translation of 'start' in different languages can offer valuable insights into the unique perspectives and values of different cultures. For instance, in Spanish, the word for 'start' is 'empezar,' which comes from the verb 'empezar' and implies a sense of eagerness and readiness to begin.
Join us as we delve into the fascinating world of language and culture, exploring the many translations of the word 'start' and shedding light on the rich cultural nuances and linguistic differences that make our world such a diverse and fascinating place.
Start
Start in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | begin | ||
| "Begin" in Afrikaans can also mean "to pray" which derives from the Dutch word "bidden" with the same meaning. | |||
| Amharic | ጀምር | ||
| The term "ጀምር" in Amharic can also refer to the beginning or initial point of something, such as the inception of a project. | |||
| Hausa | fara | ||
| In Hausa, the word "fara" also means "to travel" or "to journey". | |||
| Igbo | bido | ||
| Bido may also mean "to be born" or "to be the eldest in a family" in Igbo. | |||
| Malagasy | fanombohana | ||
| The Malagasy word "fanombohana" literally means "the beginning of something" and is often used to describe the start of an event or activity. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kuyamba | ||
| Kuyamba is also synonymous with 'to arise', 'to awaken', and 'to originate'. | |||
| Shona | tanga | ||
| In addition to meaning "start", "tanga" can also mean "begin" or "come into being" in Shona. | |||
| Somali | bilow | ||
| The word "bilow" in Somali also means "to rise or ascend" and is related to the word "biil" which means "to get up or stand up". | |||
| Sesotho | qala | ||
| The word 'qala' in Sesotho can also mean 'say', 'speak', or 'tell'. | |||
| Swahili | anza | ||
| The word "anza" can also mean "to begin" or "to commence" in Swahili. | |||
| Xhosa | qalisa | ||
| The word 'qalisa' is also used in the phrase 'ukugqala indlela', which literally means to start a path. In a metaphorical sense this means the start of something new, such as starting a job or project. | |||
| Yoruba | bẹrẹ | ||
| Yoruba word "bẹrẹ" can alternatively mean "to be first" or "front". | |||
| Zulu | qala | ||
| Qala in Zulu also signifies 'be first' and 'emerge' | |||
| Bambara | ka daminɛ | ||
| Ewe | dze egᴐme | ||
| Kinyarwanda | gutangira | ||
| Lingala | kobanda | ||
| Luganda | okutandika | ||
| Sepedi | thomiša | ||
| Twi (Akan) | hyɛ aseɛ | ||
Start in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | بداية | ||
| The word "بداية" can also refer to the origin, source, or root of something. | |||
| Hebrew | הַתחָלָה | ||
| It derives from the Akkadian word "hataltu" which means "the beginning". | |||
| Pashto | شروع کول | ||
| "شروع کول " in Pashto translates to "to turn over" or "to begin" in English. | |||
| Arabic | بداية | ||
| The word "بداية" can also refer to the origin, source, or root of something. | |||
Start in Western European Languages
| Albanian | filloj | ||
| “Filloj” derives from the Latin verb “infolio,” meaning “turn a leaf.” | |||
| Basque | hasi | ||
| The Basque word "hasi" (start) also means "threshold" or "edge". | |||
| Catalan | començar | ||
| The verb "començar" derives from the Latin "cominitiare" which means "to initiate, begin". | |||
| Croatian | početak | ||
| The word "početak" shares the same Proto-Slavic root, pьčьti (to begin), with the Russian word "начало". | |||
| Danish | start | ||
| In Danish, "start" is a noun referring to an animal's tail. | |||
| Dutch | begin | ||
| The Dutch word "beginnen" is derived from the Old High German word "beginnan", meaning "to make a beginning or start." | |||
| English | start | ||
| The word "start" derives from the Old English word "steort," meaning "tail," and was originally used to refer to the beginning of a horse race. | |||
| French | début | ||
| "Début" comes from the Latin "debutare", meaning "to step onstage for the first time." | |||
| Frisian | start | ||
| Frisian "start" can mean both "start" and "tail" in English. | |||
| Galician | comezar | ||
| The Galician word "comezar" also means "to begin" or "to commence" | |||
| German | start | ||
| The German word "start" is derived from the Middle High German word "stert", which means "tail" or "end", and has the additional meaning of "beginning" in modern German. | |||
| Icelandic | byrja | ||
| In Icelandic, 'byrja' also means 'to beget' and is used in phrases like 'byrja barn' (to have a child) | |||
| Irish | tosú | ||
| The Irish word "tosú" is a loanword from the Norse word "tossa" meaning "to pull" or "to draw." | |||
| Italian | inizio | ||
| The Italian word "inizio" originates from the Latin word "initium" which means "beginning, commencement". | |||
| Luxembourgish | ufänken | ||
| Uenken also means 'to appear' in some areas of Luxembourg. | |||
| Maltese | ibda | ||
| Maltese "ibda" "start" is related to Arabic "ibtida'" "beginning" and "bada'a" "to appear". | |||
| Norwegian | start | ||
| The Norwegian word "start" can also mean "tail" or "end" of something. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | começar | ||
| "Começar" derives from the Latin "commoniciare" (to begin, commence), and is related to the French "commencer" (to start) and the Spanish "comenzar" (to start). | |||
| Scots Gaelic | tòiseachadh | ||
| The word "tòiseachadh" can also refer to a beginning, an origin, or a source. | |||
| Spanish | comienzo | ||
| Comienzo is a Spanish word meaning | |||
| Swedish | start | ||
| In Swedish, the word "start" can also mean "tail" of an animal or "stern" of a boat. | |||
| Welsh | dechrau | ||
| "Dechrau" also means "beginning" in Welsh and derives from a Proto-Celtic root meaning "to strike". | |||
Start in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | пачаць | ||
| "Пачаць" (start) derives from "начаць" (start), where the first consonant in the word was replaced with "п" for euphony. | |||
| Bosnian | start | ||
| "Počinje" and "start" both mean the beginning of something, but "počinje" also means to pause. | |||
| Bulgarian | старт | ||
| Bulgarian word "старт" comes from Italian "startare" (to start). Its secondary meaning "scare, frighten" has been lost in standard Bulgarian. | |||
| Czech | start | ||
| The word "start" in Czech is cognate with its English equivalent, and is also related to words like "stare" and "establish". | |||
| Estonian | algus | ||
| "Algus" can also refer to the beginning of a period of time, such as the beginning of a year or the beginning of a day. | |||
| Finnish | alkaa | ||
| The word "alkaa" is cognate with "alku" (beginning), and derives from Proto-Germanic "*an-lagjaną" (to lay on, to attach), which also gave rise to Slavic "*po-lagati" (to put down), and English "lay". | |||
| Hungarian | rajt | ||
| The word "Rajt" in Hungarian also means "right" and "straight". | |||
| Latvian | sākt | ||
| The verb "sākt" shares a root with "saknes", "sākot", and "sakne". | |||
| Lithuanian | pradžia | ||
| The word "pradžia" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *pre-, meaning "before" or "in front of". | |||
| Macedonian | започнете | ||
| The verb "започнете" originates from the Proto-Slavic word *začьnǫti, meaning "to begin, to do something for the first time". | |||
| Polish | początek | ||
| In the 15th century, 'początek' also denoted a 'source', as in 'Źródła Początek' (‘Sources Start’), a Latin-Polish dictionary. | |||
| Romanian | start | ||
| The Romanian word "start" derives from the Albanian word "shtartë", meaning "a jump" or "the act of taking flight". | |||
| Russian | начало | ||
| The word "Начало" can also mean "beginning", "source", or "origin" in Russian. | |||
| Serbian | почетак | ||
| The word "почетак" also means "beginning" or "origin". | |||
| Slovak | začať | ||
| The word "začať" also has the meaning of "to begin" in Slovak. | |||
| Slovenian | začetek | ||
| Začetek derives from the Proto-Slavic word *za-ček-t-i, which originally meant to wait. | |||
| Ukrainian | почати | ||
| The Ukrainian word "почати" is derived from the Old Slavic word "počęti"," meaning "to begin, to start". | |||
Start in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | শুরু | ||
| শুরুর আরও অর্থ হল "উদয়" এবং "সূত্রপাত"। | |||
| Gujarati | શરૂઆત | ||
| શરૂઆત (start) was derived from Hindi "shurū" which itself comes from Arabic "shuru". It can also refer to the beginning of a journey or a project. | |||
| Hindi | शुरू | ||
| The term 'शुरू' may also refer to a musical note in Hindustani Sangeet and the beginning or opening part of a book. | |||
| Kannada | ಪ್ರಾರಂಭ | ||
| The word 'ಪ್ರಾರಂಭ' (prārabdha) in Kannada is derived from the Sanskrit word 'प्रारंभ' (prārambha), meaning 'commencement' or 'beginning'. | |||
| Malayalam | ആരംഭിക്കുക | ||
| Marathi | प्रारंभ करा | ||
| The word "प्रारंभ करा" can also mean "to commence" or "to begin". | |||
| Nepali | सुरु गर्नुहोस् | ||
| Punjabi | ਸ਼ੁਰੂ ਕਰੋ | ||
| The word "start" comes from the Old English word "steort", meaning "tail". This is because the tail of an animal is often the last part to move when it starts to run. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ආරම්භ කරන්න | ||
| Tamil | தொடங்கு | ||
| The Tamil word 'தொடங்கு' ('start') also means 'to touch' or 'to begin'. | |||
| Telugu | ప్రారంభం | ||
| "ప్రారంభం" comes from the Sanskrit word "प्रारम्भ" meaning "beginning, commencement" and also means "initiation, undertaking, enterprise". | |||
| Urdu | شروع کریں | ||
Start in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 开始 | ||
| 开始 (kāishǐ) literally means “to open” or “to begin” in Chinese (Simplified). | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 開始 | ||
| 開始, 'to begin', also means 'to open (a door or window)' | |||
| Japanese | 開始 | ||
| The word 開始 can also be used to mean "beginning" or "commencement". | |||
| Korean | 스타트 | ||
| "스타트" is a loan word from English meaning "start", and the original Korean root word "시작" is also still in use. | |||
| Mongolian | эхлэх | ||
| Эхлэх, originating from the verb 'эх' meaning 'beginning', represents the commencement of something. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | စတယ် | ||
| The word "စတယ်" (start) is derived from the English word "start", and it can also mean "beginning" or "commencement". | |||
Start in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | mulailah | ||
| "Mulailah" is derived from the root word "mula" meaning "beginning" or "origin". | |||
| Javanese | miwiti | ||
| "Miwiti" is also used in the context of initiating a conversation or commencing an activity. | |||
| Khmer | ចាប់ផ្តើម | ||
| ចាប់ផ្តើម can also mean "to establish, to found, to initiate, to begin, to commence, to launch, to set up" | |||
| Lao | ເລີ່ມຕົ້ນ | ||
| Malay | mulakan | ||
| The word 'mulakan' also has a secondary meaning in Malay, which is 'to start something by setting a beginning or foundation'. | |||
| Thai | เริ่มต้น | ||
| The Thai word "เริ่มต้น" (start) originally meant "to go out of the head," referring to the idea of beginning a task or journey with a clear mind. | |||
| Vietnamese | khởi đầu | ||
| The word "khởi đầu" literally means "raise the head" or "begin to exist" in Vietnamese. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | simulan | ||
Start in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | başlamaq | ||
| Başlamaq can also be used to express 'to get married', 'to set off', and 'to take place'. | |||
| Kazakh | бастау | ||
| The Kazakh word "бастау" can also refer to "to create" or "to begin". | |||
| Kyrgyz | баштоо | ||
| The word "баштоо" in Kyrgyz can also refer to the beginning of a day, the first day of a month, or the beginning of a new year. | |||
| Tajik | оғоз | ||
| The word "оғоз" can also mean "mouth" or "opening". | |||
| Turkmen | başla | ||
| Uzbek | boshlang | ||
| The word "boshlang" is derived from the Proto-Turkic verb "başla-", meaning "to begin" or "to lead". | |||
| Uyghur | باشلاش | ||
Start in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hoʻomaka | ||
| The Hawaiian word “hoʻomaka” originally meant “to kindle fire,” later “to kindle movement, life, or action,” and in modern Hawaiian has the general meaning of "to start, embark upon," or "to undertake." | |||
| Maori | timatanga | ||
| Tīmatanga (start) means the beginning, origin, source, commencement, or initiation in Māori. | |||
| Samoan | amata | ||
| The word `amata` also means `to start or begin`. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | magsimula | ||
| The word "magsimula" in Tagalog is derived from the Proto-Austronesian root word *simulaq, which means "to begin" or "to start". | |||
Start in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | qalltaña | ||
| Guarani | ñepyrũ | ||
Start in International Languages
| Esperanto | komenci | ||
| Esperanto “komenci” derives from “kom” (jointly, in combination) and “enci” (to place). | |||
| Latin | initium | ||
| The Latin word "initium" not only means "start", but also "entrance", "beginning of a journey", "source" or "origin". | |||
Start in Others Languages
| Greek | αρχή | ||
| The word 'αρχή', meaning 'start', also carries the connotation of 'rule' or 'authority' in Greek, reflecting its historical association with political and religious leadership. | |||
| Hmong | pib | ||
| The Hmong word "pib" can also mean "to begin," "to set out," or "to embark on a journey." | |||
| Kurdish | destpêkirin | ||
| The word 'destpêkirin' in Kurdish is derived from the Persian word 'destpêk' meaning 'beginning' and the Kurdish suffix '-an' meaning 'doing' or 'action'. | |||
| Turkish | başlat | ||
| "Başlat" can also mean "to start to stink" in Turkish, with no relation to the first meaning | |||
| Xhosa | qalisa | ||
| The word 'qalisa' is also used in the phrase 'ukugqala indlela', which literally means to start a path. In a metaphorical sense this means the start of something new, such as starting a job or project. | |||
| Yiddish | אָנהייב | ||
| אָנהייב ("start") is related to the German "anheben" ("to begin"), "aufheben" ("to lift") and "heben" ("to lift"). | |||
| Zulu | qala | ||
| Qala in Zulu also signifies 'be first' and 'emerge' | |||
| Assamese | আৰম্ভ কৰক | ||
| Aymara | qalltaña | ||
| Bhojpuri | चालू कयिल | ||
| Dhivehi | ފެށުން | ||
| Dogri | शुरू | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | simulan | ||
| Guarani | ñepyrũ | ||
| Ilocano | irugi | ||
| Krio | stat | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | دەستپێکردن | ||
| Maithili | शुरू | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯍꯧꯕ | ||
| Mizo | tan | ||
| Oromo | eegaluu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଆରମ୍ଭ କର | | ||
| Quechua | qallariy | ||
| Sanskrit | प्रारंभः | ||
| Tatar | башлау | ||
| Tigrinya | ጀምር | ||
| Tsonga | sungula | ||