Straight in Different Languages
Discover 'Straight' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'straight' is simple, yet holds a wealth of significance and cultural importance across the globe. It can refer to a straight line or path, as well as honesty and sincerity in one's actions or words. From a cultural perspective, 'straight' has been used to describe individuals who identify as heterosexual, in contrast to those who identify as LGBTQ+.
Moreover, the word 'straight' has fascinating historical contexts. For instance, in sailing, 'on the straight' means to sail in a straight line, while in music, a 'straight' beat is one that is even and unsyncopated. In poker, a 'straight' hand is a sequence of five cards in a row.
Given its widespread usage and cultural significance, you might be interested in knowing the translation of 'straight' in different languages. Here are some sample translations to pique your curiosity:
- Gerade (German)
- Droit (French)
- Liso (Spanish)
- Dritto (Italian)
- Streight (Old English)
Straight
Straight in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | reguit | ||
| The word "reguit" in Afrikaans derives from the Dutch "recht" and can also mean "correct" or "upright". | |||
| Amharic | ቀጥ ያለ | ||
| In Amharic, "ቀጥ ያለ" can also refer to something or someone that is honest, reliable, or has integrity. | |||
| Hausa | madaidaiciya | ||
| The Hausa word "madaidaiciya" shares roots with a word denoting a "strong and upright tree". | |||
| Igbo | kwụ ọtọ | ||
| Kwụ ọtọ can also refer to a person who is honest and trustworthy. | |||
| Malagasy | mahitsy | ||
| Mahitsy (Malagasy) may derive from the Arabic word mahasiy which refers to advantages, virtues or merits. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | molunjika | ||
| The word "Molunjika" in Nyanja (Chichewa) may also refer to the act of making something straight or aligning it in a particular direction. | |||
| Shona | yakananga | ||
| The Shona word "yakananga" can also refer to a path, road or boundary. | |||
| Somali | toosan | ||
| The word "toosan" in Somali also means "correct" or "accurate". | |||
| Sesotho | setereiti | ||
| 'Setereiti' (straight) is derived from 'tereiti' (to lengthen or stretch). | |||
| Swahili | sawa | ||
| The word "sawa" in Swahili also means "correct" or "okay." | |||
| Xhosa | ngqo | ||
| In Xhosa, "Ngqo" also means "honest" or "direct". | |||
| Yoruba | taara | ||
| Taara is the Yoruba word for straight or regular. | |||
| Zulu | qondile | ||
| The word "Qondile" in Zulu can also mean "a long stick" or "a straight path". | |||
| Bambara | tilennen | ||
| Ewe | dzɔ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | igororotse | ||
| Lingala | mbala moko | ||
| Luganda | okugolokoka | ||
| Sepedi | thwii | ||
| Twi (Akan) | tee | ||
Straight in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | مباشرة | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning of "straight," "مباشرة" can also mean "immediately" or "directly". | |||
| Hebrew | יָשָׁר | ||
| The root of the Hebrew word "יָשָׁר" is "ישר" which means "to be level or even" | |||
| Pashto | مستقیم | ||
| Arabic | مباشرة | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning of "straight," "مباشرة" can also mean "immediately" or "directly". | |||
Straight in Western European Languages
| Albanian | drejt | ||
| The word "drejt" in Albanian originally meant "right-hand". | |||
| Basque | zuzen | ||
| "Zuzen" can mean 'straight' or 'law', and has the related forms 'zuzenean' ('straightly' or 'directly') and 'zuzenbide' ('law' or 'jurisprudence'). | |||
| Catalan | recte | ||
| "Recte" in Catalan also means "perfectly". | |||
| Croatian | ravno | ||
| The Croatian word "ravno" can also mean "even" as in "smooth" or "flat," not only "straight". | |||
| Danish | lige | ||
| The word "lige" can also mean "just", "equal" or "even" | |||
| Dutch | rechtdoor | ||
| The word "Rechtdoor" in Dutch comes from the Proto-Germanic word "rehta", meaning "straight" or "right". | |||
| English | straight | ||
| The word 'straight' can also refer to sexual orientation or a type of alcoholic beverage. | |||
| French | tout droit | ||
| The French phrase 'tout droit' can also refer to a direction that is 'directly ahead' or 'straight on'. | |||
| Frisian | rjocht | ||
| The word "rjocht" can also refer to a direct path or a correct course of action in Frisian. | |||
| Galician | recto | ||
| Galician "recto" not only means "straight", but also "correct" or "upright". | |||
| German | gerade | ||
| The word “Gerade” can also mean “odd” (number), “even” (number) or “exactly” in German. | |||
| Icelandic | beint | ||
| The word "Beint" in Icelandic also means "bone" or "leg" and is likely derived from the Old Norse word "bein" meaning "bone" or "leg." | |||
| Irish | díreach | ||
| The Irish word "díreach" has various meanings, including "straight", "exact", "just", and "righteous". | |||
| Italian | dritto | ||
| The Italian word "dritto" ("straight") also derives from the Latin adverb "dirictum", meaning "at right angles". The word has a figurative meaning of "honest". | |||
| Luxembourgish | riichtaus | ||
| Etymology uncertain, perhaps a derivation of 'richtig' (correct). | |||
| Maltese | dritta | ||
| As an adverb, "dritta" means "immediately", as in "dritta qlajt" (I said it immediately). | |||
| Norwegian | rett | ||
| The word "rett" also means "justice" in Norwegian, deriving from the Old Norse word "rétt," meaning "law" or "justice." | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | em linha reta | ||
| "Em linha reta" is a Portuguese phrase that means "in a straight line" or "as the crow flies". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | dìreach | ||
| The word "dìreach" also means "right" or "properly" in Scots Gaelic. | |||
| Spanish | derecho | ||
| The word "derecho" in Spanish not only means "straight," but also refers to a type of severe thunderstorm, an unalienable right, or a law. | |||
| Swedish | hetero | ||
| The term "hetero" in Swedish also refers to a type of herring with a silvery belly and a blue back. | |||
| Welsh | yn syth | ||
| The Welsh word "yn syth" also means "directly" or "immediately". | |||
Straight in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | прамой | ||
| Слово "прамой" в белорусском языке имеет два значения: 1. Прямой, не искривленный; 2. Честный, открытый, недвусмысленный. | |||
| Bosnian | ravno | ||
| In Serbian, "ravno" can also mean "flat" or "level", and in Slovene, it can mean "equal" or "even" | |||
| Bulgarian | прав | ||
| In Bulgarian, "прав" also means "right" in the sense of "correct" or "just". | |||
| Czech | rovný | ||
| The word "rovný" in Czech is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *rovъ, which also meant "level" or "flat". | |||
| Estonian | sirge | ||
| The word "sirge" in Estonian may also refer to a straight line or a straight path. | |||
| Finnish | suoraan | ||
| In Finnish, "suoraan" can also mean "directly" or "immediately". | |||
| Hungarian | egyenes | ||
| The Hungarian word "egyenes" also means "line" or "equation". | |||
| Latvian | taisni | ||
| Taisni is also historically related to the word 'taisa' ('make') and the archaic word 'taisa' ('truth, honest') | |||
| Lithuanian | tiesiai | ||
| The word "tiesiai" in Lithuanian, while primarily meaning "straight" or "direct," also has a secondary meaning of "straightforward" or "honest." | |||
| Macedonian | исправен | ||
| The word "исправен" can also mean "correct" in Macedonian. | |||
| Polish | prosto | ||
| The word "prosto" in Polish can also mean "simply" or "directly". | |||
| Romanian | drept | ||
| Drept, meaning "straight" in Romanian, comes from the Latin "directus," meaning "unbending" or "in a straight line," and is related to the English word "direct." | |||
| Russian | прямо | ||
| "Прямо" originally meant "correct" in Old Church Slavonic. | |||
| Serbian | равно | ||
| The word "равно" in Serbian can also mean "flat" or "level". | |||
| Slovak | rovno | ||
| The Old Slavic root of the word "rovno" also relates to "flat" and other concepts denoting evenness. | |||
| Slovenian | naravnost | ||
| The word "naravnost" also means "fairness" or "uprightness" in Slovenian. | |||
| Ukrainian | прямий | ||
| The word "прямий" can also mean "direct" or "honest" in Ukrainian. | |||
Straight in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | সোজা | ||
| The Bengali word "সোজা" is cognate to the Sanskrit word "सज्ज" (sajja) and means both "straight" and "honest". | |||
| Gujarati | સીધા | ||
| The Gujarati word "સીધા" can also mean "honest" or "upright". | |||
| Hindi | सीधे | ||
| The alternate meaning of सीधे is immediately or directly, and its etymology can be traced to Sanskrit "srdh" (to arrange), "sadhr" (just or right). | |||
| Kannada | ನೇರ | ||
| "ನೇರ" also means 'direct', 'upright', 'fair' and 'honest' | |||
| Malayalam | ഋജുവായത് | ||
| In addition to its literal meaning of 'straight,' ഋജുവായത് can also refer to something upright, just, or fair. | |||
| Marathi | सरळ | ||
| In linguistics, "सरळ" (straight) is derived from Sanskrit "ऋजू" and also means "simple" or "plain". | |||
| Nepali | सीधा | ||
| The word "सीधा" (pronounced see-dhaa) is also used to refer to something that is honest or straightforward in Nepali. | |||
| Punjabi | ਸਿੱਧਾ | ||
| The word "ਸਿੱਧਾ" (sidhha) in Punjabi can also mean "correct" or "just", and is derived from the Sanskrit word "siddha" meaning "established" or "accomplished." | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | කෙලින්ම | ||
| The word 'කෙලින්ම' is also used in a transferred or figurative way to describe actions or behaviour, i.e.: 'to act in a direct and honest manner.' | |||
| Tamil | நேராக | ||
| "நேராக" can also refer to "truthfulness", "without delay"} | |||
| Telugu | నేరుగా | ||
| "నేరుగా" can also mean "to direct" or "to straighten" in Telugu. | |||
| Urdu | سیدھے | ||
| The word "سیدھے" can also mean "directly" or "fairly" in Urdu. | |||
Straight in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 直行 | ||
| It also means directly to a destination without stopping | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 直行 | ||
| "直行" also means "direct to" or "without stopover". | |||
| Japanese | まっすぐ | ||
| The word "まっすぐ" (straight) can also mean "correctly" or "without hesitation". | |||
| Korean | 직진 | ||
| 직진 (直進) can also mean "to go straight ahead" or "to advance directly" in Korean. | |||
| Mongolian | чигээрээ | ||
| In Mongolian, | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | တည့်တည့် | ||
Straight in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | lurus | ||
| In Javanese, "lurus" can also mean "honest" or "upright". | |||
| Javanese | lurus | ||
| The Javanese word 'lurus' can also mean 'fair' or 'honest'. | |||
| Khmer | ត្រង់ | ||
| The Khmer word "ត្រង់" ("straight") also means "correct" or "proper". | |||
| Lao | ກົງ | ||
| 'ກົງ' can also mean 'flat' or 'plain'. | |||
| Malay | lurus | ||
| "Lurus" is related to "alur" (groove) in Indonesian and "lurus" also means "channel" or a hollowed-out section in a cylindrical object. | |||
| Thai | ตรง | ||
| The word "ตรง" in Thai can also mean "correct" or "accurate". | |||
| Vietnamese | thẳng | ||
| The word "thẳng" derives from the Proto-Austronesian word "tariq", meaning "correct, proper, straight". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | tuwid | ||
Straight in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | düz | ||
| "Düz" also means "plain" or "flat" in Azerbaijani, referring to a level surface or terrain. | |||
| Kazakh | түзу | ||
| The word “Түзу” in Kazakh can also refer to “the correct or direct path” or a “standard” or “norm.” | |||
| Kyrgyz | түз | ||
| "Түз" also means "flat" or "correct" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | рост | ||
| Рост (rost) also means height or growth in Russian. | |||
| Turkmen | göni | ||
| Uzbek | to'g'riga | ||
| "To'g'ri" also means "right" in a correct or true sense, and "appropriate" or "fitting" in an ethical sense. | |||
| Uyghur | تۈز | ||
Straight in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | pololoi | ||
| "Pololoi" also means "honest" or "sincere" in Hawaiian. | |||
| Maori | totika | ||
| "Totika" can also mean "direct (path)" or "exactly". | |||
| Samoan | saʻo | ||
| Saʻo can also mean "exact" or "appropriate". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | tuwid | ||
| "Tuwid" also means "correct" or "upright" in the figurative sense. | |||
Straight in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | chiqaki | ||
| Guarani | naikarẽiva | ||
Straight in International Languages
| Esperanto | rekta | ||
| "Rekta" also means "proper" or "right" in Esperanto. | |||
| Latin | recta | ||
| The Latin word 'recta' can mean "straight" in various ways, such as referring to a line, path, or conduct. | |||
Straight in Others Languages
| Greek | ευθεία | ||
| The Greek word "ευθεία" can also refer to a line, a ruler, or a straight road. | |||
| Hmong | ncaj | ||
| The Hmong word "ncaj" can also mean "correct" or "proper". | |||
| Kurdish | rast | ||
| The word "rast" can also mean "truth" or "correctness" in Kurdish. | |||
| Turkish | düz | ||
| Düz is also used in Turkish to describe something that is flat or level. | |||
| Xhosa | ngqo | ||
| In Xhosa, "Ngqo" also means "honest" or "direct". | |||
| Yiddish | גלייך | ||
| In Yiddish, "גלייך" (gleykh) means "straight" and also "similar" or "equal". | |||
| Zulu | qondile | ||
| The word "Qondile" in Zulu can also mean "a long stick" or "a straight path". | |||
| Assamese | পোন | ||
| Aymara | chiqaki | ||
| Bhojpuri | सोझे | ||
| Dhivehi | ސީދާ | ||
| Dogri | सिद्धा | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | tuwid | ||
| Guarani | naikarẽiva | ||
| Ilocano | natarus | ||
| Krio | tret | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ڕاستەوخۆ | ||
| Maithili | सीधा | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯆꯨꯝꯕ | ||
| Mizo | ngil | ||
| Oromo | qajeelaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ସିଧା | ||
| Quechua | suni siqi | ||
| Sanskrit | समरेखः | ||
| Tatar | туры | ||
| Tigrinya | ቀጥታ | ||
| Tsonga | lulama | ||