Three in Different Languages
Discover 'Three' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The number three holds a special significance in many cultures and languages around the world. In Western cultures, it is often associated with the concept of completeness or wholeness, as seen in phrases such as 'the three Graces' or 'the three Musketeers.' In Chinese culture, the number three is considered lucky, as it sounds similar to the word for 'birth' or 'life.'
Throughout history, the number three has also been used to categorize and organize concepts, from Aristotle's three modes of persuasion to the three branches of government in the United States. It's no wonder, then, that the word 'three' is an important one to know in any language.
Whether you're traveling to a foreign country, studying a new language, or simply curious about the world around you, learning the translation of 'three' in different languages can be a fun and rewarding experience. Here are just a few examples:
- Spanish: tres
- French: trois
- German: drei
- Italian: tre
- Chinese: 三 (sān)
Three
Three in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | drie | ||
| "Drie" can also refer to a kind of small wagon or cart. | |||
| Amharic | ሶስት | ||
| The word "ሶስት" also means "to be thin" in Amharic. | |||
| Hausa | uku | ||
| "Uku" can also mean "a group of three" or "the third in a series" in Hausa. | |||
| Igbo | atọ | ||
| The Igbo word 'atọ' also means 'three parts' or 'a set of three', reflecting its role in traditional Igbo counting systems. | |||
| Malagasy | telo | ||
| TELO is also used to refer to "all", "multitude", "total", or "crowd" in Malagasy. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | atatu | ||
| The Nyanja (Chichewa) word “atatu” also refers to a set of three related things, such as a husband, wife, and child, or the three traditional Nyanja stools. | |||
| Shona | tatu | ||
| The word "tatu" can also refer to the three main chiefs in the Shona culture, or to a type of small antelope. | |||
| Somali | saddex | ||
| Somali "saddex" comes from "sad-dex" meaning "three-fold". | |||
| Sesotho | tharo | ||
| The word "tharo" in Sesotho also means "triplets" or "a group of three". | |||
| Swahili | tatu | ||
| The word 'tatu' in Swahili also means 'three times' and can be used to signify repetition. | |||
| Xhosa | ntathu | ||
| The word "Ntathu" also means "three-legged" or "tripod" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yoruba | mẹta | ||
| The word "mẹta" can also mean "one after another", "thirdly", or "third time", as in the proverb: "Mẹta l'ó l'òrìṣà". | |||
| Zulu | ezintathu | ||
| 'Ezintathu' is a diminutive form of 'izintathu', which in turn evolved from the Proto-Bantu word '*ntat̪u' | |||
| Bambara | saba | ||
| Ewe | etɔ̃ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | bitatu | ||
| Lingala | misato | ||
| Luganda | ssatu | ||
| Sepedi | tharo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | mmiɛnsa | ||
Three in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | ثلاثة | ||
| Hebrew | שְׁלוֹשָׁה | ||
| The word שְׁלוֹשָׁה (three) is derived from the root שָׁלשׁ (to divide into three equal parts). | |||
| Pashto | درې | ||
| The Pashto word "درې" means "three", but it also refers to the concept of "the third one". | |||
| Arabic | ثلاثة | ||
Three in Western European Languages
| Albanian | tre | ||
| The Albanian word "tre" also means "fat" or "heavy", and is related to the Proto-Indo-European word "*trei" meaning "fat". | |||
| Basque | hiru | ||
| Basque word | |||
| Catalan | tres | ||
| The word "tres" also means "thread" or "plait" in Catalan | |||
| Croatian | tri | ||
| In Croatian, "tri" can also mean "three by three" or "a lot, many". | |||
| Danish | tre | ||
| The Danish word "tre" for "three" also means "step" and "wood". | |||
| Dutch | drie | ||
| The word "drie" also refers to the number three when used in a dice game, where it is pronounced differently and has a different meaning. | |||
| English | three | ||
| The word "three" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European "trei". It is cognate with the Latin "tres" and the Greek "treis". | |||
| French | trois | ||
| In French, 'Trois' also means 'a group of three' and comes from the Latin word 'tres', which means 'beyond' | |||
| Frisian | trije | ||
| In the compound 'trije-earich', 'trije' still means 'three' but is a noun that refers to the number three. | |||
| Galician | tres | ||
| The Galician word "tres" ultimately derives from the Latin "tres" and is also used to mean "very" or "a lot". | |||
| German | drei | ||
| The word "drei" is derived from the Proto-Germanic word "*þrija", which is also the origin of the English word "three". | |||
| Icelandic | þrír | ||
| In Old Norse, **þrír** had the alternate meanings of "noble" and "strong." | |||
| Irish | triúr | ||
| In Old Irish, triúr could also refer to a "troop" or "band of soldiers". | |||
| Italian | tre | ||
| The Italian word 'tre' also means 'the three Fates' or 'the number of graces'. | |||
| Luxembourgish | dräi | ||
| Dräi is cognate with the German word "drei" and the English word "three", and is thought to derive from the Proto-Indo-European word "*treyes". | |||
| Maltese | tlieta | ||
| The word "tlieta" derives from the Arabic "tlatin" (meaning "thirty") via the Romance word "treita" (meaning "thirty"). | |||
| Norwegian | tre | ||
| The word «tre» also means "tree" and is related to the Norse «tré» (with the same meaning), but also to English "trust", German "treu", Swedish "tro", all going back to the Proto-Indo-European "*derewo" (tree, wood). | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | três | ||
| The Portuguese word "três" derives from the Latin "tres" and has a homophone in French, "trais". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | trì | ||
| In Scottish Gaelic, "trì" (three) comes from the older form "trēis" found in Old Irish, which itself is derived from the Proto-Celtic "*trīs" and ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European "*treyes". | |||
| Spanish | tres | ||
| Spanish 'tres' shares its etymology with French 'trois' and derives from the Latin 'tres', with an ultimate Indo-European origin. | |||
| Swedish | tre | ||
| "Tre" also means "tree" in Swedish, derived from the Old Norse word "tré." | |||
| Welsh | tri | ||
| In Welsh the word “tri”, although it means three, shares its origins and has cognates in the words “tre” (town) and “tref” (homestead), giving it a possible deeper meaning related to a grouping or gathering of people. | |||
Three in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | тры | ||
| "тры" is a homophone for "тры" (to rub) and can also refer to a type of folk dance. | |||
| Bosnian | tri | ||
| In Bosnian, 'tri' ('three') derives from Proto-Slavic 'trije' and shares cognates with Greek 'tria' ('three'). | |||
| Bulgarian | три | ||
| "Три" is also the plural form of the definite article "те" in Bulgarian. | |||
| Czech | tři | ||
| The word "tři" can also mean "thrice" or "three times". | |||
| Estonian | kolm | ||
| The Estonian word "kolm" has been derived from the Proto-Uralic word "*kolme", which also meant "hill". | |||
| Finnish | kolme | ||
| In Proto-Germanic, "kolme" originally meant "summit". | |||
| Hungarian | három | ||
| The word "három" is likely derived from the Slavic word "tri" and its Proto-Indo-European root "*treyes". | |||
| Latvian | trīs | ||
| "Trīs" is of Proto-Baltic (*trīs) origin, cognate to Lithuanian "trys" and Old Prussian "tris". | |||
| Lithuanian | trys | ||
| In Samogitian Lithuanian, "trys" can also refer to "the third". | |||
| Macedonian | тројца | ||
| In Macedonian, "тројца" also refers to a group of three people, especially in a religious context. | |||
| Polish | trzy | ||
| The word "trzy" can also mean "threefold" or "triple" in Polish. | |||
| Romanian | trei | ||
| The Romanian word 'Trei' is cognate with and shares its origin with the Latin word 'Tres' and the Proto-Indo-European word '*treyes' meaning 'three'. | |||
| Russian | три | ||
| The word "три" in Russian is derived from the Proto-Slavic "*trije", which is cognate with the Lithuanian "trys", the Old Prussian "trije", and the Sanskrit "trayas". | |||
| Serbian | три | ||
| The Serbian word "три" (three) is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*tri" and is cognate with the English word "three". | |||
| Slovak | tri | ||
| In Slovak, "tri" can also mean a "tripod" or a "three-legged stool". | |||
| Slovenian | tri | ||
| "Tri" also means "three" in Polish, Croatian, Serbian, Slovak, and Old Norse. | |||
| Ukrainian | три | ||
| Три (try) is derived from Old Church Slavonic and Proto-Slavic, where it also meant 'three'. In Ukrainian, it also means 'three'. | |||
Three in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | তিন | ||
| The word "তিন" comes from the Sanskrit word "त्रि" (tri), which also means "three". | |||
| Gujarati | ત્રણ | ||
| The Gujarati word "ત્રણ" (tran) is derived from the Proto-Indo-Iranian word "*treyes" meaning "three". | |||
| Hindi | तीन | ||
| The word "तीन" (three) also has alternate meanings, including "a triad" and "a small group of people or things." | |||
| Kannada | ಮೂರು | ||
| ಮೂರು has the extended meanings of top, head, chief, and beginning. | |||
| Malayalam | മൂന്ന് | ||
| The word 'മൂന്ന്' (three) is related to the Sanskrit word 'त्रि' (tri), which also means 'three' | |||
| Marathi | तीन | ||
| Marathi 'तीन' (three) derives its etymology from Sanskrit 'त्रीणि', which also means a group of three or a triad. | |||
| Nepali | तीन | ||
| The word "तीन" (three) is derived from the Sanskrit word "त्रि" (tri), which also means "three". | |||
| Punjabi | ਤਿੰਨ | ||
| In Punjabi, the word 'ਤਿੰਨ' originates from the Proto-Indo-Iranian form '*tr̥yes' and is cognate with Persian 'سه', Kurdish 'sê', Hindi 'तीन', and Greek 'τρεις'. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | තුන් | ||
| "තුන්" also means "a while", "a moment" or "a bit". The word "තුන්" has a wide range of meanings depending on the context. | |||
| Tamil | மூன்று | ||
| In Tamil, 'மூன்று' can refer to either the number 'three,' the name of the numeral, or a triangle. | |||
| Telugu | మూడు | ||
| The Telugu word "మూడు" derives from the Proto-Dravidian root "*mu" meaning "to gather together". | |||
| Urdu | تین | ||
| In addition to denoting the number "three", "تین" can also colloquially mean "a little bit" or "a small amount". | |||
Three in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 三 | ||
| 三 in Chinese can also mean many, all, or a group. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 三 | ||
| The character 三 is also used as a measure word for sets of three, such as 三人組 (three-person team). | |||
| Japanese | 三 | ||
| The character 三 can also mean "heaven" or "the sky", as in the phrase 三界 (sangai), which means "the three worlds of heaven, earth, and humans." | |||
| Korean | 세 | ||
| The Korean word "세" can also refer to the third lunar month or a generation. | |||
| Mongolian | гурав | ||
| The Mongolian word "гурав" ("three") derives from an archaic compound noun meaning "a pair and one". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | သုံး | ||
| သုံး (three) derives from Tibeto-Burman and can also mean three or multiple in the sense of something being in excess. | |||
Three in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | tiga | ||
| "Tiga" also means "old" in Betawi dialect. | |||
| Javanese | telu | ||
| In Javanese, the word "telu" also means "threefold". | |||
| Khmer | បី | ||
| បី is also used in several idiomatic expressions such as បីបា (pi pba - three five) for "many" or បីជាដណ្ត (pi chea don - three jaws of teeth) for "a lot of people talking at once". | |||
| Lao | ສາມ | ||
| "ສາມ" is also the name of a Lao province and shares a relation to Sanskrit "sama" | |||
| Malay | tiga | ||
| Tiga can also refer to a type of traditional Malay dance, often performed at weddings and other celebrations. | |||
| Thai | สาม | ||
| The Thai word "สาม" can also refer to the third tone in Thai language or a type of classical Thai musical ensemble. | |||
| Vietnamese | số ba | ||
| "Ba" in Vietnamese also means "to protect" or "to guard". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | tatlo | ||
Three in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | üç | ||
| "Üç" means "triangle" in Azerbaijani, derived from the Persian "se" (three) + "-c" (suffix for nouns). | |||
| Kazakh | үш | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning, "үш" in Kazakh can also refer to "a group of people" or "a triad". | |||
| Kyrgyz | үч | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "үч" is derived from the Proto-Turkic word "üç" and shares its meaning with many other Turkic languages. | |||
| Tajik | се | ||
| In Pamir Tajik, "се" can also mean "two" or "a pair". | |||
| Turkmen | üç | ||
| Uzbek | uchta | ||
| 'Uchta' is also used in Uzbek to refer to a gathering of three people. | |||
| Uyghur | ئۈچ | ||
Three in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ekolu | ||
| **Ekolu** derives from the Proto-Austronesian word *teku-, meaning 'to count'. | |||
| Maori | toru | ||
| In Maori, the word "toru" not only means "three" but also refers to a group or set of three, such as a triumvirate or a tripod. | |||
| Samoan | tolu | ||
| The word "tolu" has two meanings: the number "three" and the word "brother". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | tatlo | ||
| In Filipino, 'tatlo' also refers to a trio or a group of three performers, which has a similar connotation to trilogy or triumvirate. | |||
Three in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | kimsa | ||
| Guarani | mbohapy | ||
Three in International Languages
| Esperanto | tri | ||
| In Esperanto, "tri" can also mean "triad" or "trio". | |||
| Latin | tribus | ||
| The Latin word "tribus" also refers to a tribe or a third of a Roman legion. | |||
Three in Others Languages
| Greek | τρία | ||
| The word "τρία" in Greek can also refer to the astrological sign of the ram, Aries. | |||
| Hmong | peb | ||
| Hmong "peb" can also mean "all". | |||
| Kurdish | sê | ||
| "Sê" in Kurdish comes from the Proto-Indo-European word *trei-, which is also the origin of "three" in English, "trois" in French, and "tres" in Spanish. | |||
| Turkish | üç | ||
| "Üç" originates from Proto-Turkic word "üč" and also has meanings like "to go forward" or "to rise". | |||
| Xhosa | ntathu | ||
| The word "Ntathu" also means "three-legged" or "tripod" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yiddish | דריי | ||
| The word 'דריי' in Yiddish is cognate with 'drei' in German and 'three' in English, all deriving from the Proto-Indo-European word 'treyes' | |||
| Zulu | ezintathu | ||
| 'Ezintathu' is a diminutive form of 'izintathu', which in turn evolved from the Proto-Bantu word '*ntat̪u' | |||
| Assamese | তিনি | ||
| Aymara | kimsa | ||
| Bhojpuri | तीन | ||
| Dhivehi | ތިނެއް | ||
| Dogri | त्रै | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | tatlo | ||
| Guarani | mbohapy | ||
| Ilocano | tallo | ||
| Krio | tri | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | سێ | ||
| Maithili | तीन | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯍꯨꯝ | ||
| Mizo | pathum | ||
| Oromo | sadii | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ତିନି | ||
| Quechua | kimsa | ||
| Sanskrit | त्रयः | ||
| Tatar | өч | ||
| Tigrinya | ሰለስተ | ||
| Tsonga | nharhu | ||