Such in Different Languages
Discover 'Such' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'such' is a versatile little connector in English, used to indicate a specific example or degree. Its significance lies in its ability to clearly communicate ideas and link them together, making it a crucial component of expressive language. But did you know that this seemingly simple word has a rich cultural history and a variety of translations in different languages?
For instance, in Spanish, 'such' can be translated to 'tal' or 'tan', depending on the context. In German, it becomes 'so', while in French, you might use 'si' or 'tel'. These variations not only reflect linguistic diversity but also offer a glimpse into the unique ways different cultures perceive and express specific concepts.
Understanding the translations of 'such' in various languages can enrich your communication skills and cultural intelligence. It's a small step towards appreciating the vastness and beauty of human language and the cultures they represent.
Here, we delve into the translations of 'such' in over 20 languages, from common ones like Spanish and Mandarin to lesser-known ones like Maori and Zulu. Explore, learn, and enjoy this journey into the world of language and culture!
Such
Such in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | so | ||
| When used in Afrikaans as an intensifier, "so" does not necessarily mean "so" in English, but rather emphasizes its meaning, such as in "Hy is so groot" (English: He is that big). | |||
| Amharic | እንደዚህ | ||
| "እንደዚህ" also means "this" "that" and "the like". | |||
| Hausa | irin wannan | ||
| The word "irin wannan" (such) in Hausa also means "to follow" or "to chase". | |||
| Igbo | dị ka | ||
| The word "dị ka" can also mean "to be like" or "to resemble" in Igbo. | |||
| Malagasy | toy | ||
| The word "toy" can also mean "like," "as," or "similar to" in Malagasy. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | zotero | ||
| Zotero comes from zotela in the Ngoni language which refers to 'a kind of bird' but has the figurative use of small and insignificant 'thing'. | |||
| Shona | akadaro | ||
| "Akadaro" also means "very much," "very," or "extremely" in Shona. | |||
| Somali | sida | ||
| Somali sida derives from Arabic and also refers to "the like", as in "the way he does it" | |||
| Sesotho | joalo | ||
| "Joalo" originally meant "like" and is also a noun referring to "the like". If used in this sense it takes "a ma" in agreement with it in the object concord. | |||
| Swahili | vile | ||
| The Swahili word "vile" also means "bad, evil, or wicked". | |||
| Xhosa | enjalo | ||
| The word "enjalo" in Xhosa can also refer to a particular type of grass or a small bird. | |||
| Yoruba | iru | ||
| The word "iru" in Yoruba comes from the same root as the word "iri" meaning "head" or "top". | |||
| Zulu | enjalo | ||
| The word 'enjalo' also has alternate meanings of 'a kind of' and 'just like'. | |||
| Bambara | ni | ||
| Ewe | abe | ||
| Kinyarwanda | nkibyo | ||
| Lingala | neti | ||
| Luganda | nga | ||
| Sepedi | bjalo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | saa | ||
Such in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | هذه | ||
| The word "هذه" is derived from the triliteral root (ها-ذا-ه) which means "this" or "here" | |||
| Hebrew | כגון | ||
| כגון means 'for example' and is used to introduce examples or instances. | |||
| Pashto | لکه | ||
| The Pashto word "لکه" originates from the Proto-Indo-European root *lewk- "to shine," and also means "light" and "fire". | |||
| Arabic | هذه | ||
| The word "هذه" is derived from the triliteral root (ها-ذا-ه) which means "this" or "here" | |||
Such in Western European Languages
| Albanian | të tilla | ||
| In Ottoman Albanian, "të tilla" meant "as much as", but nowadays it also means "such". | |||
| Basque | hala nola | ||
| "Hala nola" is thought by toponymicists to mean "swamp" or "swampy plain" and is used as a place-name in numerous locations in Navarre and Castile." } | |||
| Catalan | tal | ||
| Catalan "tal" is an invariable adjective which agrees in gender and number with its noun and derives from Latin "talis". | |||
| Croatian | takav | ||
| Takav likely stems from the Slavic word *tak*, an old form of today's *tako*, which is an adverb of manner indicating how, in what way, or by what means something is done. | |||
| Danish | sådan | ||
| In Danish, "sådan" can also mean "that way" or "in that manner". | |||
| Dutch | zo | ||
| The word "zo" (such) comes from the Old Dutch "swá", meaning "so" or "like". | |||
| English | such | ||
| The word 'such' can also mean 'approximately' or 'very'. | |||
| French | tel | ||
| Tel, like its English cognate 'tell', is derived from the Indo-European root *del-, meaning 'to point out' or 'to name'. | |||
| Frisian | sok | ||
| Like the Low Saxon word "sok", it also means "seek" and "search" | |||
| Galician | tal | ||
| The Galician word "tal" comes from the Latin "talis" and can also mean "so much" or "so great". | |||
| German | eine solche | ||
| The word "eine solche" in German can also mean "one such"} | |||
| Icelandic | svona | ||
| The word "svona" can also mean "so" or "in this way". | |||
| Irish | den sórt sin | ||
| Irish "den sórt sin" is cognate with Welsh "y fath hynny", with both ultimately derived from Proto-Celtic ""sori s-etos" "like that sort" (cf. Sanskrit ""sa tathaiva ita iva" "so in the same manner like this") | |||
| Italian | come | ||
| In Italian, "come" can also mean "as" or "like". | |||
| Luxembourgish | sou | ||
| "Sou" can also mean "so" or "very" in Luxembourgish. | |||
| Maltese | tali | ||
| The Maltese word 'tali' ultimately derives from the Semitic root of the Arabic word 'tilka' meaning 'that' or 'those'. | |||
| Norwegian | slik | ||
| The word "slik" can also mean "thus" or "in this way". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | tal | ||
| The Portuguese word "tal" (such) can also mean "something" or "a certain thing". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | leithid | ||
| "Leithid" is derived from "léithe" (half), and can also mean "half" and even "middle" or “meanwhile”. | |||
| Spanish | tal | ||
| The Spanish word "tal" can also mean "perhaps" or "maybe." | |||
| Swedish | sådan | ||
| The Swedish word "sådan" comes from Old Swedish "svâdhân", which also meant "such", "of this kind" or "like that" and was used in a similar way to "so" and "so as" in Modern English. | |||
| Welsh | o'r fath | ||
| In Welsh, "o'r fath" can also mean "of that sort" or "of the same kind". | |||
Such in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | такія | ||
| The word "такія" also means "things like that" in Belarusian. | |||
| Bosnian | takav | ||
| The word "takav" can also mean "that far" or "that much", depending on the context. | |||
| Bulgarian | такива | ||
| The word "такива" can also refer to a type of folk dance or a dish made from beans or potatoes. | |||
| Czech | takový | ||
| Czech "takový" (such) shares an etymological root with "tak" (so) and "takto" (thus). | |||
| Estonian | sellised | ||
| The Estonian word "sellised" can also mean "in this way" or "like this". | |||
| Finnish | sellaisia | ||
| The word "sellaisia" is also used in Finnish to mean "like that" or "that kind of." | |||
| Hungarian | ilyen | ||
| The Hungarian word "ilyen" can also mean "this kind of" or "like this". | |||
| Latvian | tādi | ||
| The Latvian word "tādi" comes from the Proto-Indo-European word *to- (*this) and is related to the English word "that". | |||
| Lithuanian | toks | ||
| Toks likely derives from Proto-Indo-European *to- "to this". This root also gave rise to Latin tam "such" and Ancient Greek τόσος "as much" | |||
| Macedonian | такви | ||
| The word 'такви' is also used to refer to a specific kind of Slavic folk music, with a slow tempo and melancholy lyrics. | |||
| Polish | taki | ||
| The word "taki" in Polish can also mean "such a" or "this kind of." | |||
| Romanian | astfel de | ||
| "Astfel de" in Romanian comes from the Hungarian word "astal" meaning "table". | |||
| Russian | такой | ||
| The word "такой" can also be used as a pronoun meaning "this one", "that one" or "one such". | |||
| Serbian | такав | ||
| "Такав" can also mean "this much" or "so much". | |||
| Slovak | taký | ||
| The word "taký" in Slovak can also mean "some" or "a bit". | |||
| Slovenian | taka | ||
| The Old Church Slavonic loanword 'така' has an additional archaic meaning in Slovenian, namely 'that' which is shared among other Slavic Languages. | |||
| Ukrainian | такі | ||
| The Ukrainian word такі ("such") can also mean "similar" or "the same". | |||
Such in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | যেমন | ||
| The word 'যেমন' comes from the Sanskrit word 'yathā' meaning 'such as', 'just as' or 'as' and means something that is similar to what is already known. | |||
| Gujarati | જેમ કે | ||
| The word જેમ કે also means "for example," "as," or "like" in English. | |||
| Hindi | ऐसा | ||
| "ऐसा" is derived from the Sanskrit word "एष" (eṣa) which also means "this" and "thus". | |||
| Kannada | ಅಂತಹ | ||
| The word "ಅಂತಹ" ("such") in Kannada also means "of that kind" or "like that". | |||
| Malayalam | അത്തരം | ||
| The word "അത്തരം" comes from the root "അത്" (that), and can also mean "such a thing" or "something like that"} | |||
| Marathi | अशा | ||
| "अशा" can also mean "that time" or "at that time" in Marathi. | |||
| Nepali | त्यस्तै | ||
| The word "त्यस्तै" also means "similar" or "like" and is formed from the combination of "त्यस" (that) and "तै" (like). | |||
| Punjabi | ਅਜਿਹੇ | ||
| The word "ਅਜਿਹੇ" in Punjabi can also refer to a specific type of sweet or savory Indian snack. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | එවැනි | ||
| The Sinhala word එවැනි (‘‘evanni’’) derives from the Proto-Indo-Iranian root *au̯i- meaning "this" and is cognate with the Sanskrit इवा (‘‘iva’’) meaning "like". Thus, the word එවැනි (‘‘evanni’’) can also mean "like" or "similar" and is still used in this sense in some rural dialects of Sinhala. | |||
| Tamil | போன்ற | ||
| The word "போன்ற" ("such") in Tamil can also mean "like," "as," or "similar to." | |||
| Telugu | అటువంటి | ||
| The Telugu word “అటువంటి” can also mean “that sort of” or “that kind” depending on the context of the sentence in which it is used. | |||
| Urdu | اس طرح | ||
| It's possible that the original meaning of "اس طرح" meant "on that plan, design, model, way" when it came from Sanskrit language. | |||
Such in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 这样 | ||
| The second character, 样, also means “appearance” or “style. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 這樣 | ||
| The word 這樣 (such) can also mean 'this way' or 'like this'. | |||
| Japanese | そのような | ||
| The word "そのような" (sonoyona) in Japanese can also mean "that kind of" or "such a thing". | |||
| Korean | 이러한 | ||
| “이러한” is thought to come from the root word for “this” (“이”), but it is also used to describe things that are distant or unfamiliar. | |||
| Mongolian | ийм | ||
| Ийм can also mean | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ထိုကဲ့သို့သော | ||
Such in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | seperti itu | ||
| In Indonesian, 'seperti itu' can also mean 'just like that', 'in that way', or 'that being said'. | |||
| Javanese | kuwi | ||
| The word "kuwi" in Javanese has the alternate meaning of "that" or "the one". | |||
| Khmer | បែបនេះ | ||
| It derives from Old Khmer បែប (baep) meaning "manner, state, or way" and can also mean "sort, kind, type, fashion, form, model, or mode". | |||
| Lao | ດັ່ງກ່າວ | ||
| Malay | sebegitu | ||
| The word "sebegitu" is also used to emphasize the extent or degree of something, meaning "to that extent" or "so much". | |||
| Thai | ดังกล่าว | ||
| In Thai, "ดังกล่าว" can also refer to a previously mentioned statement or argument. | |||
| Vietnamese | như là | ||
| The word "như là" also means "as if", "just like", or "like" in English. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | ganyan | ||
Such in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | bu cür | ||
| Azerbaijani word "bu cür" means "such". It also means "this way" or "this type". | |||
| Kazakh | осындай | ||
| The Kazakh word "осындай" can also refer to a specific thing or person. | |||
| Kyrgyz | ушундай | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "ушундай" (such) is also used as a conjunction meaning "so that" or "in order to". | |||
| Tajik | чунин | ||
| The word "чунин" can also mean "like this" or "in this way" in Tajik. | |||
| Turkmen | ýaly | ||
| Uzbek | shunday | ||
| "Shunday" comes from the Persian "chand" meaning something, amount, or some. | |||
| Uyghur | دېگەندەك | ||
Such in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | pēlā | ||
| The word "pēlā" derives from the Proto-Polynesian root *pēla which also means "that" or "like". | |||
| Maori | penei | ||
| "Penei" can also be a Maori word for "then" or "afterwards." | |||
| Samoan | faʻapea | ||
| The word "faʻapea" derives from the root word "pea", meaning "like" or "similar". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | ganyan | ||
| The word "ganyan" can also mean "that way" or "that manner". | |||
Such in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | ukhama | ||
| Guarani | ha'eteháicha | ||
Such in International Languages
| Esperanto | tia | ||
| The word "tia" shares its root with "tia" in several Romance languages, meaning "aunt". | |||
| Latin | haec | ||
| The word "haec" in Latin comes from the Proto-Indo-European root "*ḱe" meaning "this" and is also related to the Greek word "ἡ". | |||
Such in Others Languages
| Greek | τέτοιος | ||
| The word 'τέτοιος' ('such') can also be used in the sense of 'so much', 'so great', or 'so many'. | |||
| Hmong | xws | ||
| The word "xws" in Hmong has roots in the Proto-Hmong-Mien language and relates to the concept of "being" or "existing." | |||
| Kurdish | yên wisa | ||
| The word 'yên wisa' in Kurdish can also mean 'so much' or 'to such an extent'. | |||
| Turkish | böyle | ||
| In Turkish, the word "böyle" can also be an adverb meaning "in this manner", "so", or "thus". | |||
| Xhosa | enjalo | ||
| The word "enjalo" in Xhosa can also refer to a particular type of grass or a small bird. | |||
| Yiddish | אַזאַ | ||
| "אַזאַ" can also mean "that" or "so" in Yiddish, or be used as an intensifier. | |||
| Zulu | enjalo | ||
| The word 'enjalo' also has alternate meanings of 'a kind of' and 'just like'. | |||
| Assamese | তেনে | ||
| Aymara | ukhama | ||
| Bhojpuri | अइसन | ||
| Dhivehi | އެފަދަ | ||
| Dogri | नेहा | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | ganyan | ||
| Guarani | ha'eteháicha | ||
| Ilocano | kas | ||
| Krio | kayn | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | چەشن | ||
| Maithili | एहन | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯁꯤꯒꯨꯝꯕ | ||
| Mizo | chutiang | ||
| Oromo | akka | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଏହିପରି | ||
| Quechua | chayna | ||
| Sanskrit | एतादृशः | ||
| Tatar | мондый | ||
| Tigrinya | ከምዚ | ||
| Tsonga | ku fana na | ||