Tale in different languages

Tale in Different Languages

Discover 'Tale' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.

Updated on March 6, 2024

A 'tale' is a rich and intriguing form of storytelling, often filled with adventure, lessons, and cultural nuances. Tales have been passed down through generations, captivating audiences and transcending barriers of language and geography. The significance of tales extends beyond mere entertainment; they often serve as vessels for cultural education, historical context, and philosophical exploration.

Through the years, tales have been shared in various languages, each with its unique interpretation and cultural significance. For instance, in Spanish, a tale is known as 'cuento', while in German, it is referred to as 'Märchen'. In French, tales are called 'conte', and in Russian, they are known as 'skazka'.

Understanding the translation of 'tale' in different languages can provide valuable insights into the cultural importance of storytelling in various societies. It can also help bridge language gaps, foster cross-cultural communication, and enrich one's appreciation for the diversity of human experiences.

Tale

Tale in Sub-Saharan African Languages

Afrikaansso
An alternate meaning of "so" (Afrikaans for "tale") is "to sow".
Amharicእንደዚህ
The word "እንደዚህ" can also mean "story" or "legend" in Amharic.
Hausairin wannan
The Hausa word 'irin wannan' is a compound word that literally means 'story of this kind'
Igbodị ka
The word "dị ka" in Igbo has its roots in the verb "kà," meaning "to read" or "to narrate," suggesting its fundamental connection to storytelling.
Malagasytoy
In Malagasy, "toy" is also a type of small, edible fish.
Nyanja (Chichewa)zotero
In Nyanja, the word "zotero" has a slightly different connotation that translates to "rumor" or "hearsay."
Shonaakadaro
"Akadaro" also means "a statement" or "a message" in Shona.
Somalisida
Somali word "sida" has an Arabic origin and also means "a period of time within the day" in Arabic.
Sesothojoalo
Sesotho word "joalo" likely derives from the Proto-Bantu root word "-olo" meaning "to narrate" or "to recount"
Swahilivile
In Swahili, "vile" also has the alternate meaning of "protruding".
Xhosaenjalo
In some contexts, "enjalo" can also refer to a "narrative that is told in a formal and respectful manner"
Yorubairu
"Iru" (meaning "tale" in Yoruba) comes from the verb "rù," which means "to tell a story."
Zuluenjalo
"Enjalo" also means "news" or "tidings" in Zulu.
Bambaramaana
Eweglitoto
Kinyarwandaumugani
Lingalalisapo
Lugandaolugero
Sepedikanegelo
Twi (Akan)anansesɛm

Tale in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicهذه
The Arabic word "هذه" (tale) can also mean "this" or "these" in English.
Hebrewכגון
The Hebrew word "כגון" can also mean "as if" and "about" indicating a quantity or estimation.
Pashtoلکه
The word "لکه" also means "a spot, stain, or blemish" in Pashto.
Arabicهذه
The Arabic word "هذه" (tale) can also mean "this" or "these" in English.

Tale in Western European Languages

Albaniantë tilla
The Albanian word "të tilla" can also refer to "story" or "account", indicating a broader meaning than just a traditional tale.
Basquehala nola
The Basque word "hala nola" can also mean "such a way" or "how".
Catalantal
Catalan tal, like its Spanish cognate tal, can also mean 'such' or 'so'.
Croatiantakav
"Takav" shares its origin with the Hungarian word "tav", meaning "lake", also cognate with the German "Teich" and the English "tank".
Danishsådan
Den tilsyneladende beslægtede form i moderne norsk er "sol", mens formen i svensk er "saga".
Dutchzo
In older Dutch, 'zo' could also refer to a collection of legal documents.
Englishtale
The word 'tale' can also refer to the number of individuals in a group of animals, or to a quantity or amount in general.
Frenchtel
In French, "tel" can also mean "such" or "so".
Frisiansok
The word "sok" in Frisian is cognate with the English word "sack" and can also refer to a bag or container.
Galiciantal
Galician "tal" derives from the Latin word "talis", meaning "such" or "like this".
Germaneine solche
The word "eine solche" in German is not only used for "a tale" but also for "such a".
Icelandicsvona
Svona is related to Old Norse svona 'in this manner' and German so 'thus'
Irishden sórt sin
Den sórt sin means 'a sort of' and derives from the Old Norse word ævintýri ('adventure').
Italiantale
In botany, "tale" refers to the peduncle of a flower, whereas in architecture, it means a roof or a slope.
Luxembourgishsou
The word "sou" can also mean "money" in Luxembourgish, derived from the French word "sou" meaning "coin".
Maltesetali
"Tali" is derived from the Italian word "taglio", meaning "cut" or "slice", and can also refer to a mark or scar.
Norwegianslik
In the context of a fishing net, "slik" means the long line that serves as the base for the vertical lines that hang from it.
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil)tal
Originating from the Latin word "talis", "tal" can also mean "such" or "such a".
Scots Gaelicleithid
In modern Gaelic, the term leithid can also refer to a song or a melody.
Spanishtal
The Spanish word "tal'' may also refer to "such" or "so"
Swedishsådan
"Sådan" can also mean "myth" or "legend" in Swedish.
Welsho'r fath
"O'r fath" can also mean "from the ground" or "of the sod" in Welsh, referring to the earth's fertility and the agricultural roots of Welsh culture.

Tale in Eastern European Languages

Belarusianтакія
In Belarusian, "такія" can also refer to a kind of woven fabric.
Bosniantakav
The word 'takav' in Bosnian may also mean 'fee', 'toll' or 'contribution'.
Bulgarianтакива
The word "такива" in Bulgarian can also mean "such" or "those".
Czechtakový
The word "takový" (such) comes from the Proto-Slavic root *takъ, which also means "so". In some Slavic languages, such as Polish and Russian, the word "tak" is still used in both senses.
Estoniansellised
The word "sellised" also means "these kinds of" in Estonian.
Finnishsellaisia
From the same root as 'selitys', or 'explanation', 'sellaisia' can also mean 'such'.
Hungarianilyen
The word "ilyen" in Hungarian has a unique etymology, as it originally derived from the Turkic word "ilin" meaning "thread", indicating a connection between storytelling and the weaving of yarn.
Latviantādi
The word "tādi" in Latvian also means "such".
Lithuaniantoks
In Russian, 'tok' means 'current,' while 'tok' relates to 'weave' in English.
Macedonianтакви
"Такви" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*dekʷ-" meaning "to show" or "to point out".
Polishtaki
The Polish word "taki" can also refer to a type of dance, a dance party, or a social event.
Romanianastfel de
"Astfel de" can also mean "in this manner" or "such".
Russianтакой
The Russian word "такой" can also mean "such" or "so".
Serbianтакав
The word "такав" means "such" in Serbian and is related to the words "так" (so) and "овакав" (this way).
Slovaktaký
The word "taký" can also mean "such" or "like this".
Sloveniantaka
The word "taka" in Slovenian can also mean "female dog" or "money".
Ukrainianтакі
"Така" is also a term in logic, referring to a hypothetical proposition.

Tale in South Asian Languages

Bengaliযেমন
The word "যেমন" can also mean "for example" or "such as".
Gujaratiજેમ કે
In Gujarati, 'જેમ કે' ('tale') derives from Sanskrit 'katha' and can also mean 'like' or 'as'.
Hindiऐसा
In Hindi, 'ऐसा' can also mean 'such' or 'like,' and is derived from the Sanskrit word 'एतादृश' (etādṛś) meaning 'of this kind.'
Kannadaಅಂತಹ
The word "ಅಂತಹ" also means "such" in Kannada.
Malayalamഅത്തരം
Marathiअशा
The term "अशा" is also used to refer to "an account".
Nepaliत्यस्तै
The word "त्यस्तै" can also mean "similar" or "like that" in Nepali, indicating a comparison or resemblance.
Punjabiਅਜਿਹੇ
Sinhala (Sinhalese)එවැනි
The word එවැනි (tale) in Sinhala also means "story", "account", or "narration".
Tamilபோன்ற
The word "போன்ற" in Tamil can also mean "like" or "as".
Teluguఅటువంటి
The word "అటువంటి" can also mean "such" or "of that type".
Urduاس طرح
There is no evidence for an alternate meaning of "اس طرح".

Tale in East Asian Languages

Chinese (Simplified)这样
It may also mean 'to guess; to expect'.
Chinese (Traditional)這樣
The character 這樣 (tale) in Chinese (Traditional) can mean "such", "so", "like this", or "in this way".
Japaneseそのような
The word 'そのような' ('tale') is also used in a figurative sense to mean 'such', 'of such a kind'.
Korean이러한
"이러한" is also used to mean "this kind of," "such," or "the like."
Mongolianийм
The word "ийм" can also mean "history" or "narrative".
Myanmar (Burmese)ထိုကဲ့သို့သော

Tale in South East Asian Languages

Indonesianseperti itu
The word "seperti itu" can also be used as a polite way of saying "that's it" or "that's the way it is."
Javanesekuwi
In the Serayu and Banyumas regions of Java, the word "kuwi" can also mean "the last one" or "the final one".
Khmerបែបនេះ
បែបនេះ is cognate with the Thai word "อย่างนี้" (yang nii) or "แบบนี้" (baep nii), and the Mon word "ဗီုဏီ" (bīwnī)
Laoດັ່ງກ່າວ
Malaysebegitu
"Sebegitu" might also mean "because", "so", "that", "that much", or "that way" in Malay.
Thaiดังกล่าว
It can also refer to a legend, narrative, story, account, description, or event.
Vietnamesenhư là
"Như là" can also mean "story" or "news".
Filipino (Tagalog)kuwento

Tale in Central Asian Languages

Azerbaijanibu cür
} The word “bu cür” is also used to describe a small animal with a long tail, such as an opossum or squirrel.
Kazakhосындай
"Осындай" is also the Kazakh form of the Russian accusative pronoun "такой" (meaning "such" or "like that").
Kyrgyzушундай
This word may also mean `that kind of` or `such`.
Tajikчунин
The word "чунин" ("tale" in English) is also used in Tajik to refer to "news" or "information"
Turkmenerteki
Uzbekshunday
The Uzbek word "shunday" can also refer to a type of traditional Uzbek storytelling performance.
Uyghurچۆچەك

Tale in Pacific Languages

Hawaiianpēlā
The word 'pēlā' is related to the Proto-Polynesian word 'fele', meaning 'story', 'news', or 'legend'.
Maoripenei
The Maori word "penei" also means "to tell a story" or "to recite".
Samoanfaʻapea
The word "faʻapea" in Samoan has alternate meanings such as "manner", "fashion", and "style".
Tagalog (Filipino)ganyan
The word 'ganyan' is also used to refer to a type of folk song in Tagalog culture.

Tale in American Indigenous Languages

Aymaracuento uñt’ayaña
Guaranimombe’upy

Tale in International Languages

Esperantotia
The Esperanto word "tia" has additional meanings in Romanian and Hungarian, where it means "she" or "yours" respectively.
Latinhaec
The Latin word "haec" also means "this" or "she" in the feminine form.

Tale in Others Languages

Greekτέτοιος
The word "τέτοιος" can also mean "such", "of this kind", or "like this".
Hmongxws
The word "xws" can also mean "story" or "legend" in Hmong.
Kurdishyên wisa
The word "yên wisa" in Kurdish can also mean "history" or "story".
Turkishböyle
As an exclamation, "böyle" means "look" or "behold"
Xhosaenjalo
In some contexts, "enjalo" can also refer to a "narrative that is told in a formal and respectful manner"
Yiddishאַזאַ
The Yiddish word "אַזאַ" (translated literally as "thus") can be used to convey meanings of "so", "such", and "such and such".
Zuluenjalo
"Enjalo" also means "news" or "tidings" in Zulu.
Assameseকাহিনী
Aymaracuento uñt’ayaña
Bhojpuriकहानी बा
Dhivehiވާހަކައެވެ
Dogriकिस्सा
Filipino (Tagalog)kuwento
Guaranimombe’upy
Ilocanosarita
Kriostori
Kurdish (Sorani)حیکایەت
Maithiliकथा
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯋꯥꯔꯤ꯫
Mizothawnthu a ni
Oromooduu durii
Odia (Oriya)କାହାଣୀ
Quechuacuento
Sanskritकथा
Tatarәкият
Tigrinyaጽውጽዋይ
Tsongantsheketo

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