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
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 | ||