Afrikaans lank | ||
Albanian i gjatë | ||
Amharic ረዥም | ||
Arabic طويل | ||
Armenian բարձրահասակ | ||
Assamese ওখ | ||
Aymara pata | ||
Azerbaijani hündür | ||
Bambara jamajan | ||
Basque altuera | ||
Belarusian высокі | ||
Bengali লম্বা | ||
Bhojpuri लाम | ||
Bosnian visok | ||
Bulgarian висок | ||
Catalan alt | ||
Cebuano taas | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 高 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 高 | ||
Corsican altu | ||
Croatian visok | ||
Czech vysoký | ||
Danish høj | ||
Dhivehi ދިގު | ||
Dogri लम्मां | ||
Dutch hoog | ||
English tall | ||
Esperanto alta | ||
Estonian pikk | ||
Ewe kᴐkᴐ | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) matangkad | ||
Finnish pitkä | ||
French grand | ||
Frisian grut | ||
Galician alto | ||
Georgian მაღალი | ||
German hoch | ||
Greek ψηλός | ||
Guarani yvate | ||
Gujarati .ંચું | ||
Haitian Creole wotè | ||
Hausa mai tsayi | ||
Hawaiian loloa | ||
Hebrew גובה | ||
Hindi लंबा | ||
Hmong siab | ||
Hungarian magas | ||
Icelandic hár | ||
Igbo toro ogologo | ||
Ilocano natayag | ||
Indonesian tinggi | ||
Irish ard | ||
Italian alto | ||
Japanese 背が高い | ||
Javanese dhuwur | ||
Kannada ಎತ್ತರ | ||
Kazakh биік | ||
Khmer កម្ពស់ | ||
Kinyarwanda muremure | ||
Konkani उंच | ||
Korean 긴 | ||
Krio tɔl | ||
Kurdish mezin | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) بەرز | ||
Kyrgyz узун | ||
Lao ສູງ | ||
Latin longus | ||
Latvian garš | ||
Lingala molai | ||
Lithuanian ūgio | ||
Luganda obuwanvu | ||
Luxembourgish grouss | ||
Macedonian висок | ||
Maithili लंबा | ||
Malagasy lava | ||
Malay tinggi | ||
Malayalam ഉയരമുള്ളത് | ||
Maltese tall | ||
Maori roroa | ||
Marathi उंच | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯑꯋꯥꯡꯕ | ||
Mizo sang | ||
Mongolian өндөр | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) အရပ်ရှည်ရှည် | ||
Nepali अग्लो | ||
Norwegian høy | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) wamtali | ||
Odia (Oriya) ଲମ୍ବା | ||
Oromo dheeraa | ||
Pashto اوږد | ||
Persian بلند قد | ||
Polish wysoki | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) alta | ||
Punjabi ਲੰਬਾ | ||
Quechua hatun karay | ||
Romanian înalt | ||
Russian высокий | ||
Samoan umi | ||
Sanskrit उन्नतः | ||
Scots Gaelic àrd | ||
Sepedi telele | ||
Serbian висок | ||
Sesotho e telele | ||
Shona kureba | ||
Sindhi ڊگھو | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) උස | ||
Slovak vysoký | ||
Slovenian visok | ||
Somali dheer | ||
Spanish alto | ||
Sundanese jangkung | ||
Swahili mrefu | ||
Swedish lång | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) matangkad | ||
Tajik баланд | ||
Tamil உயரமான | ||
Tatar озын | ||
Telugu పొడవైనది | ||
Thai สูง | ||
Tigrinya ነዊሕ | ||
Tsonga leha | ||
Turkish uzun boylu | ||
Turkmen uzyn | ||
Twi (Akan) ware | ||
Ukrainian високий | ||
Urdu لمبا | ||
Uyghur ئېگىز | ||
Uzbek uzun bo'yli | ||
Vietnamese cao | ||
Welsh tal | ||
Xhosa mde | ||
Yiddish הויך | ||
Yoruba ga | ||
Zulu ubude |
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | Afrikaans "lank" is likely derived from Dutch "lang", meaning "long" or "tall". In the 17th century, Dutch farmers in South Africa used "lank" to describe animals with long legs. |
| Albanian | The Albanian term "i gjatë" does not only mean "tall", but it can also be used to refer to the length of an object or time interval. |
| Amharic | ረዥም is also used to describe a long period of time, such as a long day or a long journey |
| Arabic | "طويل" also means "patient" or "tolerant", and is cognate with the Hebrew word "טול" meaning "raise" or "lift". |
| Azerbaijani | The word "hündür" is also used to describe a person's stature or social status. |
| Basque | In Basque, 'altuera' comes from the verb 'altu' (to lift), and can refer to both physical height and social status. |
| Belarusian | "Высокі" can also refer to "high" in terms of rank or social status. |
| Bengali | The word "লম্বা" can also mean "long" in the sense of distance or duration. |
| Bosnian | The word "visok" is also used figuratively to describe someone who is important or influential. |
| Bulgarian | "Висок" is also used to refer to a prominent place or a place that is elevated. |
| Catalan | In Catalan, the word "alt" can also mean "elevated", "high", or "top". |
| Cebuano | The Cebuano word "taas" can also refer to the height of a sound or the loftiness of a person's character. |
| Chinese (Simplified) | The character "高" can also mean "noble" or "distinguished", and is often used in personal names or titles. |
| Chinese (Traditional) | The word "高" can also mean "noble" or "lofty" in Chinese. |
| Corsican | "Altu" can also mean "steep" or "proud" |
| Croatian | The Croatian word "visok" comes from the Proto-Slavic word "vysokъ", meaning "high, tall, or elevated, originating from the Proto-Indo-European root *weiḱ-" which also meant "to ascend or raise." |
| Czech | The Czech word "vysoký" is a cognate with Old Slavic "высокъ" and has a root related to words for height, such as "above", "on top of" and possibly also related to "elevated, lifted up". |
| Danish | Cognate to the German hoch, the Dutch hoog and the Old English heah, which all have the same meaning of "tall" or "elevated". |
| Dutch | The word "hoog" can also refer to a height measurement, such as a building's height. |
| Esperanto | The name of Esperanto's creator, Zamenhof, contains the word 'alt,' which means 'elevation' or 'high' in German. |
| Estonian | The word "pikk" can also mean "long, extensive, spacious, far-reaching" |
| Finnish | "Pitkä" can also mean "long, far, slow, or lazy". |
| French | In French, "grand" can also refer to a person, a place, or a thing that is impressive, magnificent, or imposing. |
| Frisian | The word "grut" in Frisian can also refer to a group of people or a meeting. |
| Galician | In Galician, "alto" can also refer to a plateau or hilltop. |
| Georgian | The Georgian word "მაღალი" can also refer to "high" in terms of rank, status, or importance. |
| German | Hoch also means "high" in German and is related to the English word "high". |
| Greek | The word ψηλός, which means 'tall,' may be linked to the verb ἅλλομαι, which refers to leaping or bounding. |
| Gujarati | The Gujarati word "ંચું" ("tall") derives from the Sanskrit word "ucсha" ("high, lofty"). |
| Haitian Creole | The word "wotè" is ultimately derived from the Bantu word "ota" meaning "big" or "high" and shares a root with words like "woti" in Lingala and "okota" in Luganda. |
| Hausa | "Mai tsayi" is also used to describe a person or animal with an abnormal height. |
| Hawaiian | "Loloa" can also mean "continuous" or "uninterrupted" in Hawaiian. |
| Hebrew | The Hebrew word "גובה" originates from the root "גב" meaning "back", as height was originally measured by the length of a person's back. |
| Hindi | The word "लंबा" can also mean "long" or "lengthy". |
| Hmong | The word "siab" can also mean "above" or "on top" in Hmong. |
| Hungarian | The Hungarian word "magas" has cognate forms with similar meaning in several Finnic languages. |
| Icelandic | The Icelandic word "hár" also means "hoary" or "gray-haired." |
| Igbo | Toro ogologo, also a type of yam in Igbo, is an idiom used to describe an extremely tall person. |
| Indonesian | The word 'tinggi' can also mean 'elevated' or 'high' in a figurative sense, such as 'high-ranking' or 'high-quality'. |
| Irish | The Irish word "ard" can also mean "height", "high ground", or "a hill". |
| Italian | The Italian word "alto" can also mean "high" or "deep". |
| Japanese | The word "背が高い" literally means "high back" where "背" means "back" and "高い" means "high". |
| Javanese | The Javanese word "dhuwur" can also refer to the top or summit of something. |
| Kannada | ಎತ್ತರ in Kannada, besides its primary meaning 'tall,' also refers to someone who's 'honorable' or 'senior' in age. |
| Kazakh | The word "биік" ("tall") in Kazakh is also used to describe someone who is respected or has a high status in society. |
| Khmer | The word "កម្ពស់" can also refer to a person's stature or their height when compared to others. |
| Korean | The word "긴" can also mean "long" or "far" in Korean. |
| Kurdish | The term 'mezin' can also denote a senior family member, particularly an elderly uncle |
| Kyrgyz | The word "узун" also refers to "long" in length and "large", such as "large amount". |
| Lao | The Lao word for "tall" (ສູງ) also connotes elevation, both physical and social. |
| Latin | The Latin word "longus" can also mean "long in space or time" or "lengthy, protracted." |
| Latvian | The word "garš" can also refer to the length or depth of an object. |
| Lithuanian | "Ūgis" is of Proto-Balto-Slavic origin, akin to the Slavic *vysъ and ultimately stems from the PIE root *augs-, meaning "to grow." |
| Luxembourgish | From Old French *gros*, meaning “big, fat, bulky, coarse, gross”, going back to Latin *grossus*. It is ultimately derived from the Greek word *βαρύς* (barys), meaning “heavy.” |
| Macedonian | The word "висок" also has a secondary meaning of "high" or "elevated" in Macedonian. |
| Malagasy | The word "lava" also means a type of large bird in Malagasy. |
| Malay | "Tinggi" can refer to a physical or metaphorical concept of stature or elevation. |
| Malayalam | The word "ഉയരമുള്ളത്" is derived from the word "ഉയരം" meaning "height" and it can also mean "elevated" or "lofty". |
| Maltese | The Maltese word "tall" is derived from the Italian word "tallo," meaning "stalk" or "stem." |
| Maori | The word 'roroa' can also mean 'lengthy', 'prolonged' or 'extensive' in Maori. |
| Marathi | The word "उंच" in Marathi is derived from Old Indo-Aryan "ūrdhva" meaning "upwards, high, elevated". |
| Mongolian | In astronomy, "өндөр" refers to the altitude above the horizon. |
| Nepali | The word "अग्लो" (tall) in Nepali is derived from the Proto-Indo-Iranian root *hreg-, meaning "to stretch," and is related to the English word "long." |
| Norwegian | The word "høy" also means "hay" in Norwegian. |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | The word "wamtali" in Nyanja (Chichewa) can also refer to a long object, such as a stick or a road. |
| Pashto | The word "اوږد" in Pashto can also mean "extensive" or "prolonged". |
| Persian | بلند قد also means "distinguished," and was often used to address people as a token of respect. |
| Polish | The word "wysoki" is also used to mean "high" or "lofty," as in the phrase "wysokie szczyty" (high peaks). |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | The word 'alta' comes from the Latin 'altus', meaning 'deep' or 'high' |
| Punjabi | The word "ਲੰਬਾ" can also mean "greedy" or "stretchy" in Punjabi. |
| Romanian | "Înalt" also means "eminent", "high-ranking" and was used in the past to refer to boyars or princes. |
| Russian | The word "высокий" is used to describe a wide spectrum of things in Russian, including physical stature, social rank, and intellectual capacity. |
| Samoan | The word "umi" can also refer to a large person, with or without good attributes. |
| Scots Gaelic | "Àrd" can also be used to refer to "high social rank" or as an honorific for the head of a clan. |
| Serbian | The word 'висок' in Serbian also has the alternate meaning of 'temple' (part of the face). |
| Sesotho | The word "e telele" can also mean "to stand up straight" or "to be proud" in Sesotho. |
| Shona | Kureba's etymology suggests an underlying meaning of 'being long' or 'lengthy' in Shona. |
| Sindhi | The word "ڊگھو" (tall) in Sindhi also means "long" or "far" in distance or time. |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | In some contexts, "උස" can also refer to height, stature, elevation, or importance. |
| Slovak | The word vysoký also has a second, figurative meaning related to social status or importance. |
| Slovenian | In the context of the construction industry, "visok" can refer to a high-rise building. |
| Somali | The word "dheer" can also mean "tall" in a figurative sense, such as "a tall tale" or "a tall drink of water." |
| Spanish | The word "alto" in Spanish can also refer to a musical register or a mountain pass. |
| Sundanese | In the old Javanese language, 'jangkung' also means 'long' and 'high', which is related to the word 'jangka' which means 'reach'. |
| Swahili | In addition to meaning "tall", "mrefu" can also refer to someone who is noble or respected. |
| Swedish | The word "lång" also means "long" in Swedish. |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | The Tagalog word "matangkad" also means "mature" and "respected". |
| Tajik | The word "баланд" in Tajik is also used to describe a person with a dominant or proud character. |
| Tamil | உயரமான also means majestic, lofty, and elevated in Tamil. |
| Telugu | The word "పొడవైనది" can also refer to a person or thing that is long in duration or extent; having a significant period of time between the beginning and the end. |
| Thai | The word "สูง" comes from the Proto-Tai language, and is cognate with the Khmer word "សូរ្យ" (sur), which means "sun". |
| Turkish | The word "uzun boylu" is a compound of the words "uzun" ("long") and "boylu" ("statured") in Turkish. |
| Ukrainian | The word "високий" is also used in Ukrainian to describe something that is elevated or lofty, such as a position or a thought. |
| Urdu | The word 'لمبا' (tall) in Urdu is derived from the Sanskrit word 'लम्ब' (lamba) meaning 'long' or 'hanging' |
| Uzbek | The term "uzun bo'yli" is often used as a compliment to describe someone who is considered to be attractive or handsome. |
| Vietnamese | In the Sino-Vietnamese vocabulary, "cao" originally means "high" and is often used to describe the height of a person or object. |
| Welsh | "Tal" in Welsh means "forehead" or "eyebrow", but can also mean "slope" or "foreland". |
| Xhosa | The word "mde" in Xhosa is also used to describe the process of growing taller or becoming more mature. |
| Yiddish | The word "הויך" has an etymological root in the German word "hoch" and also means "hearty" or "lofty" in Yiddish. |
| Yoruba | "Ga" also means "to walk" in Yoruba. |
| Zulu | The word "ubude" in Zulu can also refer to a specific type of tall grass or reed. |
| English | The word 'tall' derives from the Old English word 'talu', meaning 'reckoning' or 'number'. |