This in Different Languages

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

Updated on March 6, 2024

Have you ever stopped to consider the significance and cultural importance of the simple word 'this'? It may seem like a humble term, but it holds a world of meaning within its single syllable. 'This' is a deictic word, used to point to something near the speaker, and it's a fundamental building block of human communication. In different languages, 'this' takes on a variety of forms, each reflecting the unique cultural and linguistic heritage of its people.

For example, in Spanish, 'this' is 'esto' or 'esta' (for feminine nouns), while in French, it's 'cela' or 'cette'. In Mandarin Chinese, 'this' can be translated as 'zhè' or 'zhège', depending on the context. These translations not only help us to navigate different languages, but they also offer a window into the ways of thinking and perceiving the world that are unique to each culture.

In this article, we'll explore the many translations of 'this' in different languages, shedding light on the rich cultural and linguistic diversity of our global community.

This in Sub-Saharan African Languages

This in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

This in Western European Languages

This in Eastern European Languages

This in South Asian Languages

This in East Asian Languages

This in South East Asian Languages

This in Central Asian Languages

This in Pacific Languages

This in American Indigenous Languages

This in International Languages

This in Others Languages

This

This in Sub-Saharan African Languages

Afrikaans	hierdie
	The word "hierdie" in Afrikaans, ultimately derived from Dutch, originally meant "he/she/it here".
Amharic	ይህ
	'ይህ' signifies the near one and is also used to mean 'this' (as opposed to 'that').
Hausa	wannan
	The Hausa word "wannan" can also mean "this one" or "the one over there."
Igbo	nke a
	The Igbo word "nke a" can also mean "the one that" or "the thing that".
Malagasy	izany
	"Izany" comes from the Proto-Austronesian word "i-ni" or "i-nui" meaning "this".
Nyanja (Chichewa)	ichi
	In Nyanja, "ichi" also means "here" and is used to form words like "ichiyani" (over here) and "ichikwawa" (over there).
Shona	ichi
	The word "ichi" can also mean "the other one" or "the one over there" in Shona.
Somali	tan
	The Somali word "tan" is derived from the Cushitic root "*tan-", which means "to point out" or "to indicate".
Sesotho	sena
	The Sesotho word "sena" can also mean "here" or "now"
Swahili	hii
	The word "hii" in Swahili also means "it" or "that"
Xhosa	le
	The Xhosa word "le" has cognates in many Nguni languages and can mean "this", "he", "she", "it", "here", or "there".
Yoruba	eyi
	The Yoruba word 'eyi' can also mean 'it is' or 'the one' depending on the context.
Zulu	lokhu
	The word "lokhu" in Zulu can also refer to a specific object or thing, similar to the English word "it."
Bambara	nin

Ewe	nu sia

Kinyarwanda	iyi

Lingala	oyo

Luganda	-no

Sepedi	se

Twi (Akan)	wei

This in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabic	هذه
	The word "هذه" can also be used as a demonstrative pronoun indicating proximity to the speaker.
Hebrew	זֶה
	זֶה (zeh) is a demonstrative pronoun in Hebrew that means "this" or "that" and can also be used as a personal pronoun meaning "he" or "she".
Pashto	دا
	دا as a possessive pronoun can mean either "his" or "her" but never "its".
Arabic	هذه
	The word "هذه" can also be used as a demonstrative pronoun indicating proximity to the speaker.

This in Western European Languages

Albanian	kjo
	The Albanian word "kjo" (this) is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *ḱi-, which also appears in the English word "here" and the Latin word "hic".
Basque	hau
	The word “hau” can also be used to refer to the current time or day.
Catalan	això
	The word "això" in Catalan can also mean "that" or "it", and is derived from the Latin word "ecce hoc" meaning "behold this".
Croatian	ovaj
	Ovaj is also used to point to an unknown but assumed person or thing, such as in the expression "koji mi je ovaj?" (who is this?).
Danish	dette
	The Danish word "dette" comes from Old Norse "þetta", meaning "this" or "that."
Dutch	deze
	The word "deze" in Dutch can also mean "this one" or "these ones".
English	this
	The word "this" derives from the Old English word "þes" and is cognate with the German word "dies".
French	ce
	In medieval French, "ce" could also mean "he/she/it." This usage persists in certain French sayings (e.g., "ce dit-on," meaning "it is said").
Frisian	dizze
	Dizze also has the meanings 'that' or 'the' in Frisian.
Galician	isto
	The word "isto" in Galician can also mean "now" or "here".
German	dies
	The Old High German "dësa" meant "the (near) one," and "that" was distinguished as "dēo."
Icelandic	þetta
	The word "þetta" (this) in Icelandic shares roots with the Old English "þæt" meaning "it".
Irish	seo
	The Irish word 'seo' also has alternate meanings of 'here now', 'behold' or 'lo'.
Italian	questo
	"Questo" derives from the Latin "ecce hoc est" (behold this), where "hoc" is a demonstrative meaning "this or that" and "est" is the verb "to be".
Luxembourgish	dëst
	"Dëst" is a contraction of the Old High German word "dësu" meaning "this" and "the".
Maltese	dan
	The Maltese word "dan" is ultimately derived from the Arabic demonstrative pronoun "hādhā" and also means "here" or "now".
Norwegian	dette
	The word "dette" can also refer to something that is owed or due, such as a debt.
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil)	esta
	In Brazil, 'esta' is sometimes used as a feminine pronoun meaning 'she', while in Portugal it's only used as a demonstrative pronoun referring to something near the speaker.
Scots Gaelic	seo
	Seo means "here" or "at this place" but not "this".
Spanish	esta
	The word "esta" in Spanish can also be used as a feminine singular form of the verb "estar" (to be), meaning "she is" or "it is".
Swedish	detta
	The word 'detta' in Swedish derives from Old Norse and also means "this matter" as a noun or "in this way" as an adverb.
Welsh	hyn
	The Welsh word "hyn" also means "this" in the Irish language and comes from the Proto-Celtic word "*siyom".

This in Eastern European Languages

Belarusian	гэта
	The word гэта shares the root с "эта", the feminine form of the adjective "this" in Russian and other Slavic languages
Bosnian	ovo
	The word "ovo" can also refer to a small, round object, such as a button or a marble.
Bulgarian	това
	The word "това" also refers to "that" (pointing to an object closer than "онова") and to "it" in impersonal sentences.
Czech	tento
	Czech "tento" ("this") is derived from Old Slavic for "this" ("тъ") or an indicative demonstrative ("ть"), similar to Russian "тот" ("that").
Estonian	seda
	"Seda" is an Estonian word that derives from Proto-Uralic "tä" which means "here, this" and "tä-tä" which can mean "now, already" as well as "there, that."
Finnish	tämä
	The word "Tämä" originally referred to something that was near the speaker, but over time its meaning broadened to include anything that is being discussed or is in view.
Hungarian	ez
	In Hungarian, the word "ez" can also refer to the present moment or to something that is close to the speaker.
Latvian	šo
	In some dialects the word "šo" can also mean "here"
Lithuanian	tai
	The Lithuanian word "tai" (this) also means "that" or "it" in certain contexts.
Macedonian	ова
	The word "ова" is a contracted form of "оваа", which is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *ova, meaning "this".
Polish	to
	The word "to" (this) in Polish can derive from an archaic form of the 3rd person plural masculine of the demonstrative pronoun "ten" (that) in its accusative form used as a pronoun
Romanian	acest
	The Romanian word "acest" (this) comes from the Latin "ecce hoc" (behold this) and is related to the English word "ax".
Russian	это
	The word "это" can also be used to mean "it" in Russian.
Serbian	ово
	The Serbian word 'ово' ('this') is derived from the Proto-Slavic word '*ovo' ('demonstrative pronoun, referring to a nearby object') and has no alternate meanings.
Slovak	toto
	Slovak "toto" comes from Proto-Slavic, and also has meanings of "something," "this (just mentioned),"
Slovenian	to
	The Slovenian "to" derives from an old pronoun meaning "that" which still persists in many dialects.
Ukrainian	це
	The Ukrainian word "це" ("this") derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *ḱi- ("here, this").

This in South Asian Languages

Bengali	এই
	The Bengali word "এই" (this) originally meant "here" and is related to the Sanskrit word "इह" (here).
Gujarati	આ
	"આ" comes from the Sanskrit word "अयम्" which means “this" and also has alternate meanings like "such as" and "similar".
Hindi	यह
	"यह" is a demonstrative pronoun in Hindi that can refer to something close to or related to the speaker.
Kannada	ಇದು
	The word "ಇದು" can also be used to refer to a specific person or thing, or to indicate a general idea or concept.
Malayalam	ഈ
	The word "ഈ" is derived from the proto-Dravidian word "*i-ni" meaning "this" or "here."
Marathi	हे
	हे (he) also means 'O' in the vocative case, as in हे राम (he Ram), 'O Ram'
Nepali	यो
	The word "यो" in Nepali can also mean "the one" or "the present one".
Punjabi	ਇਹ
	The word "ਇਹ" can also refer to a person or thing that is close to the speaker or writer, or to a topic that has just been mentioned.
Sinhala (Sinhalese)	මේ
	"මේ" can also mean "here" and "now" in Sinhala.
Tamil	இது
	The word 'இது' can also refer to a place or a thing, and is cognate with the Malayalam word 'ഇതു' ('this') and the Telugu word 'ఇది' ('this').
Telugu	ఇది
	The word "ఇది" can also mean "here" or "now" in Telugu.
Urdu	یہ
	Also means 'here', 'hither', or 'now'.

This in East Asian Languages

Chinese (Simplified)	这个
	"这个" (Zhège) can also mean "this kind of" or "this type of."
Chinese (Traditional)	這個
	這個 can also be used to refer to a specific person or thing in a more emphatic way, similar to 'this one' or 'this particular one' in English.
Japanese	この
	"この" (this) can also mean "that," in a context in which the speaker assumes the listener to be familiar with what "this" refers to.
Korean	이
	The Korean word "이" can also be an abbreviation of the verb "있다", meaning "to exist or to have".
Mongolian	энэ
	The Mongolian word "энэ" ("this") and the Yakut word "эне" ("this") are likely derived from the Proto-Turkic word ene/ini "this".
Myanmar (Burmese)	ဒီ
	"ဒီ" can also mean "here" or "now".

This in South East Asian Languages

Indonesian	ini
	The word "ini" in Indonesian can also mean "this one" or "this type of thing".
Javanese	iki
	Javanese iki is also used for emphasis in a phrase: "iki-iki". The word iki or "iki-iki" when used in this context conveys a sense of uniqueness, or importance of the thing being described.
Khmer	នេះ
	The word "នេះ" can also be used to refer to a specific person or thing that is close to the speaker.
Lao	ນີ້
	"ນີ້" can also mean 'here' or 'now'
Malay	ini
	"Ini" can also be used as a possessive pronoun, meaning "mine" or "my"
Thai	นี้
	The Thai word 'นี้' can also refer to a specific type of Thai rice that is grown in the rainy season.
Vietnamese	điều này
	"Điểu này" nghĩa là "con chim" và "điều này" nghĩa là "việc này", cả hai đều có nguồn gốc từ từ "điểu" có nghĩa là "con chim"}
Filipino (Tagalog)	ito

This in Central Asian Languages

Azerbaijani	bu
	The Azerbaijani word "bu" can also refer to a specific object or person, similar to the English word "this one".
Kazakh	бұл
	The Kazakh word "бұл" originated from the word "бол" which means "to be". It thus relates to the English "this" in the sense that the English "this" originally comes from the Proto-Germanic word "þis" which also means "to be".
Kyrgyz	бул
	The word "бул" (this) in Kyrgyz is also used to express "here" and is related to the Turkish word "bu", indicating proximity to the speaker.
Tajik	ин
	In Persian, the word "ин" means both "this" and "today".
Turkmen	bu

Uzbek	bu
	The word "bu" can also be used as "such" or "so" in Uzbek.
Uyghur	بۇ

This in Pacific Languages

Hawaiian	kēia
	Kēia derives from Proto-Eastern-Polynesian keia and Proto-Oceanic ke-i, Proto-Austronesian *kay-i-a, meaning 'this' or 'here'.
Maori	tenei
	The Proto-Austronesian word "tenei" may have derived from the Proto-Malayo-Polynesian word "*di-ni" meaning "here, there"
Samoan	lenei
	This word can also be used as an article (e.g. ‘lenei fale’: this house) or a demonstrative (e.g. ‘o le mea lenei’: that thing).
Tagalog (Filipino)	ito
	The Tagalog word "ito" can also be used as a subject marker or a possessive pronoun.

This in American Indigenous Languages

Aymara	aka

Guarani	kóva

This in International Languages

Esperanto	ĉi tio
	Ĉi tio is composed of "ĉi" and "tio" which mean "this" and "thing."}
Latin	haec
	Haec is also the root of hic, meaning "here", and hoc, meaning "this (neuter)", and the modern Spanish word "este" (this).

This in Others Languages

Greek	αυτό
	In Greek, the word "Αυτό" has additional meanings, including "self," "it," or "that," and is etymologically rooted in the Indo-European word for "demonstrative pronoun."
Hmong	qhov no
	Qhov no can also mean this one, the one I hold in my palm or the one present.
Kurdish	ev
	The Kurdish word “ev” also means “house”, possibly due to the common practice of using houses as gathering places in Kurdish culture.
Turkish	bu
	The Turkish word "bu" can also be used to mean "here" or "now"
Xhosa	le
	The Xhosa word "le" has cognates in many Nguni languages and can mean "this", "he", "she", "it", "here", or "there".
Yiddish	דאָס
	The Yiddish word "דאָס" derives from the Old High German word "dëz", meaning "this" or "these".
Zulu	lokhu
	The word "lokhu" in Zulu can also refer to a specific object or thing, similar to the English word "it."
Assamese	এইটো

Aymara	aka

Bhojpuri	ई

Dhivehi	މި

Dogri	एह्

Filipino (Tagalog)	ito

Guarani	kóva

Ilocano	daytoy

Krio	dis

Kurdish (Sorani)	ئەمە

Maithili	ई

Meiteilon (Manipuri)	ꯃꯁꯤ

Mizo	hei

Oromo	kana

Odia (Oriya)	ଏହା

Quechua	kay

Sanskrit	अयम्‌

Tatar	бу

Tigrinya	እዚ

Tsonga	lexi

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This in Different Languages

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

This

This in Sub-Saharan African Languages

This in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

This in Western European Languages

This in Eastern European Languages

This in South Asian Languages

This in East Asian Languages

This in South East Asian Languages

This in Central Asian Languages

This in Pacific Languages

This in American Indigenous Languages

This in International Languages

This in Others Languages

Popular searches

Click on a letter to browse words starting with that letter

Weekly Tip

Immerse Yourself in the World of Languages

How to use our multi-language translation tool

Start with a word

Auto-complete to the rescue

See and hear translations

Grab the translations

Explore More Apps You'll Love

Features overview

Instant translations with audio where available

Quick find with auto-complete

Translations in 104 Languages, no selection needed

Downloadable translations in JSON

All free, All for you

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you provide translations and audio?

Can I download these translations?

What if I can't find my word?

Is there a fee to use your site?