Time in Different Languages
Discover 'Time' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Time is a fundamental concept that has shaped human civilization since the dawn of history. Its significance goes beyond the mere measurement of seconds, minutes, and hours. Time is interwoven with our cultural fabric, influencing how we perceive the world, mark festive occasions, and remember the past.
From the ancient sundials to the atomic clocks of today, the tools used to measure time have evolved, reflecting our growing understanding of this abstract concept. Moreover, the word 'time' has fascinating translations in different languages, each offering a unique cultural perspective.
For instance, in Spanish, 'time' is 'tiempo', which also means 'weather'. This dual meaning reflects the deep connection between time and natural phenomena in Spanish-speaking cultures. Similarly, in Japanese, 'time' is '時' (toki), a term that also signifies 'season' or 'occasion'.
Exploring the translations of 'time' in different languages is not just a linguistic exercise, but a journey through the rich tapestry of global cultures and histories. So, let's delve into this journey and discover how diverse cultures perceive and express the concept of time.
Time
Time in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | tyd | ||
| The word "tyd" in Afrikaans originates from the Old English word "tid" meaning "season" or "hour". | |||
| Amharic | ጊዜ | ||
| "ጊዜ" in Amharic is cognate with "ጊዜ" in Tigrinya with a slight change in spelling. Both derive from the same root "זמן" in Ge'ez meaning "time" and "weather". | |||
| Hausa | lokaci | ||
| The word "lokaci" in Hausa can also mean "place" or "location." | |||
| Igbo | oge | ||
| "Oge" also means "world" or "era" in Igbo. | |||
| Malagasy | fotoana | ||
| Malagasy "fotoana" derives from Proto-Austronesian *qatuR "sun" and literally means "sunlight". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | nthawi | ||
| The word "nthawi" can also mean "opportunity" or "chance". | |||
| Shona | nguva | ||
| "Nguva" also means 'season', 'turn' or 'stage' | |||
| Somali | waqtiga | ||
| Somali word 'Waqtiga, which literally means 'to rise', can also refer to a period, or a deadline. | |||
| Sesotho | nako | ||
| The word "nako" in Sesotho has other meanings such as "whilst" and "until". | |||
| Swahili | wakati | ||
| The Swahili word "wakati" also refers to a specific period of time, typically an hour. | |||
| Xhosa | ixesha | ||
| Ixesha can also refer to an appointment or a period of time. | |||
| Yoruba | aago | ||
| The word "aago" can also mean "fate" or "destiny" in Yoruba, reflecting the belief that time is closely tied to one's predetermined path in life. | |||
| Zulu | isikhathi | ||
| Isikhathi is derived from the verb 'ukukhatha', meaning 'to become tired' or 'to rest', and the suffix '-i-', indicating a state of being. | |||
| Bambara | waati | ||
| Ewe | ɣeyiɣi | ||
| Kinyarwanda | igihe | ||
| Lingala | ntango | ||
| Luganda | omulundi | ||
| Sepedi | nako | ||
| Twi (Akan) | berɛ | ||
Time in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | زمن | ||
| The word "زمن" can also refer to "weather" or an "era" in Arabic. | |||
| Hebrew | זְמַן | ||
| "זְמַן" was also the name for a certain biblical measure of time, equal to 18 minutes and 25.2 seconds. | |||
| Pashto | وخت | ||
| The word "وخت" can also mean "season" or "era" and is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₂eu̯s- "dawn, day, light". | |||
| Arabic | زمن | ||
| The word "زمن" can also refer to "weather" or an "era" in Arabic. | |||
Time in Western European Languages
| Albanian | koha | ||
| The Albanian word "koha" is also used to mean "opportunity" or "chance". | |||
| Basque | denbora | ||
| The word "denbora" can also refer to a particular time or moment, and, more specifically, can refer to the present moment. | |||
| Catalan | temps | ||
| The Catalan word "temps" derives from the Latin word "tempus," which also means "weather" or "season." | |||
| Croatian | vrijeme | ||
| In some Slavic languages (such as Polish, Czech, Slovak), the word 'vrijeme' also relates to 'boiling water'. | |||
| Danish | tid | ||
| The Danish word "tid" derives from a Proto-Germanic root meaning "tide" or "period." | |||
| Dutch | tijd | ||
| The word "tijd" in Dutch is derived from the Old Germanic word "tid" meaning "period of time," and is related to the English word "tide" meaning "the regular rise and fall of the sea level." | |||
| English | time | ||
| Etymology: 'Time' comes from Old English 'tīma' meaning 'season', and is related to Old Norse 'tími' ('time') and 'dægn' ('day'). | |||
| French | temps | ||
| The word "temps" in French can also mean "weather" or "atmosphere". | |||
| Frisian | tiid | ||
| "Tiid" in Frisian can also refer to the "right moment" or "opportunity". | |||
| Galician | tempo | ||
| Galician "tempo" can also mean "weather". | |||
| German | zeit | ||
| In German the word 'Zeit' can also refer to a periodical publication or an age or era. | |||
| Icelandic | tíma | ||
| Cognate with the English "time" and derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *temeh_. | |||
| Irish | am | ||
| Irish "am" can also mean weather, as in "an t-am" (the weather). | |||
| Italian | tempo | ||
| In Italian, "tempo" can also refer to "weather" or "tense". | |||
| Luxembourgish | zäit | ||
| The word "Zäit" in Luxembourgish may have originated from "Zīt", meaning "period" or "epoch" in Old High German. | |||
| Maltese | ħin | ||
| "Ħin" can also refer to an "occasion", "appointment" or "opportunity" in the Maltese language. | |||
| Norwegian | tid | ||
| In Norwegian, "tid" can also refer to a period of time. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | tempo | ||
| "Tempo" in Portuguese derives from the Latin "tempus" meaning "time", and also means "weather". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | ùine | ||
| The Scots Gaelic word "ùine" can also refer to a season or a period of life. | |||
| Spanish | hora | ||
| The word "hora" derives from Latin “hora” that referred to a specific time and also to the goddess of the seasons. | |||
| Swedish | tid | ||
| In Swedish, the word "tid" can also mean "news" or "newspaper." | |||
| Welsh | amser | ||
| The word "amser" also derives from the Proto-Celtic word for "summer", sharing a root with the English word "summer". | |||
Time in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | час | ||
| In Russian and Ukrainian, "час" means "an hour" and "time". | |||
| Bosnian | vrijeme | ||
| "Vrijeme" is also used as a weather term, meaning "weather" or "forecast." | |||
| Bulgarian | време | ||
| The word "време" also means "weather" in Bulgarian. | |||
| Czech | čas | ||
| The word "čas" can also mean "opportunity" or "period of time" in Czech. | |||
| Estonian | aeg | ||
| The word "aeg" also refers to a season (eg. "talv" = winter), a weather event (eg. "vihm" = rain), or a period in time (eg. "päev" = day). | |||
| Finnish | aika | ||
| The word "aika" is also used to refer to an occasion or an event, similar to the English word "time" in expressions like "at that time" or "a good time was had by all". | |||
| Hungarian | idő | ||
| "Idő" is also an archaic word for "weather". | |||
| Latvian | laiks | ||
| “Laiks” (time) derives from “laiksts” (age, epoch), but also means “fate, destiny” like “karma” in Sanskrit. | |||
| Lithuanian | laikas | ||
| The word 'laikas' also means 'weather' and is related to the Latvian word 'laiks'. | |||
| Macedonian | време | ||
| The word 'време' can also mean 'weather' in Macedonian. | |||
| Polish | czas | ||
| The Polish word "czas" (time) also means "period," and is cognate with the Old Church Slavonic word for "hour" or "moment." | |||
| Romanian | timp | ||
| "Timp" is also a Romanian unit of measurement for volume, specifically for liquids, equal to 100 liters. | |||
| Russian | время | ||
| "Время" is a Slavic word, which also means "weather" in Russian. | |||
| Serbian | време | ||
| In Old Church Slavonic, "време" has both the meaning of "time" and "weather". | |||
| Slovak | čas | ||
| The word "čas" in Slovak shares its root with the Czech word "čas" and the Polish word "czas," all of which derive from the Proto-Slavic word "*časŭ". In Old Church Slavonic, the word "časŭ" could also mean "fate" or "destiny." | |||
| Slovenian | čas | ||
| The Slovenian word "čas" shares a root with the Czech "čas" and the Russian "час" (chas), all meaning both "time" and "hour." | |||
| Ukrainian | час | ||
| The word 'час' comes from the Proto-Slavic word 'časъ', which also had the meaning of 'fate'. | |||
Time in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | সময় | ||
| The word "সময়" derives from the Bengali verb "সম", meaning "to unite" or "come together", and can also refer to "opportunity" or "seasonable time". | |||
| Gujarati | સમય | ||
| The Gujarati word "સમય" comes from Sanskrit, where it meant "proper" or "right". | |||
| Hindi | समय | ||
| The Hindi word "समय" also refers to a "favorable occasion" or "propitious moment". | |||
| Kannada | ಸಮಯ | ||
| ಸಮಯ has alternate meanings of 'opportunity', 'circumstance', and 'situation' | |||
| Malayalam | സമയം | ||
| സമയം's etymological root shares a connection with 'सम्यक्' (samyak) in Sanskrit, signifying totality, wholeness, and completion, and also implying a state of balance and order. | |||
| Marathi | वेळ | ||
| "वेळ" may also mean "need" or "occasion" in Marathi. | |||
| Nepali | समय | ||
| The Nepali word 'समय' is also used in a spiritual or philosophical context to denote 'the right moment'. | |||
| Punjabi | ਸਮਾਂ | ||
| The Punjabi word "ਸਮਾਂ" (time) is originally derived from the Sanskrit word "समय" (samaya) and also relates to the concept of "appropriate place and time". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | වේලාව | ||
| In Sinhala, the word "වේලාව" (time) also refers to a specific point in the day or to an occasion. | |||
| Tamil | நேரம் | ||
| நேரம் is also the Tamil word for "straight" indicating an abstract concept referring to the straight line of events. | |||
| Telugu | సమయం | ||
| The word "సమయం" in Telugu is derived from the Sanskrit word "समय" (samaya), which means "a fixed or appointed time". | |||
| Urdu | وقت | ||
| The Urdu word "وقت" also refers to "leisure" or "opportunity" and derives from the Arabic term for "fixed time or appointment." | |||
Time in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 时间 | ||
| The Chinese word "时间" (time) originally referred to the intervals between the equinoxes and solstices. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 時間 | ||
| 時間 also can refer to "leisure time" or "opportunity" in Chinese, as in "趁有時間，去旅行吧" (Take a trip when you have the time). | |||
| Japanese | 時間 | ||
| The kanji '時' can also mean 'hour', 'weather' or 'season', reflecting the ancient Japanese concept of time as a natural phenomenon. | |||
| Korean | 시각 | ||
| In addition to "time", "시각" (sigak) can also mean "viewpoint" or "perspective". | |||
| Mongolian | цаг хугацаа | ||
| The first part of the compound word цаг хугацаа, цаг, refers to a specific amount of time or to an indefinite amount of time | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အချိန် | ||
| The word "အချိန်" is derived from the Pali word "kāla" and it can also mean season, period, or age. | |||
Time in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | waktu | ||
| The Javanese word "waktu" is cognate with "waktu" in Malay both ultimately deriving from the Sanskrit "samaya" or "samayam" meaning "an appointed time". | |||
| Javanese | wektu | ||
| 'Wektu' can also refer to 'weather' and 'situation'. | |||
| Khmer | ពេលវេលា | ||
| ពេលវេលា is also used to refer to a moment or point of time. | |||
| Lao | ທີ່ໃຊ້ເວລາ | ||
| Malay | masa | ||
| Masa, meaning 'time' in Malay, is derived from an old Proto-Malayo-Polynesian word meaning 'day' or 'sun'. | |||
| Thai | เวลา | ||
| The Thai word "เวลา" (pronounced "wela") can also refer to a particular point in time or a specific occasion. | |||
| Vietnamese | thời gian | ||
| Ngoài nghĩa thông thường 'thời gian', 'thời gian' còn có nghĩa là 'thời khắc, lúc' trong một số cụm từ như 'thời gian vàng' hoặc 'thời gian rảnh'. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | oras | ||
Time in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | vaxt | ||
| "Vaxt" also means "season" in Azerbaijani, and "wax" in English. | |||
| Kazakh | уақыт | ||
| "Уақыт" is also used in Kazakh to refer to "season", "epoch", and "occasion" | |||
| Kyrgyz | убакыт | ||
| The Kyrgyz word for time ("убакыт") originates from the Old Turkic word "ubak," meaning "side of a mountain slope." | |||
| Tajik | вақт | ||
| The Tajik word "вақт" has a Sanskrit root which means "to say" and another Persian meaning of "portion". | |||
| Turkmen | wagt | ||
| Uzbek | vaqt | ||
| The word "vaqt" in Uzbek is derived from the Persian word "vaqt" meaning not only "time" but also "opportunity" or "occasion". | |||
| Uyghur | ۋاقىت | ||
Time in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | manawa | ||
| Manawa comes from Proto-Polynesian *manafa, meaning "space, expanse, interval, time, opportunity, space between". Its cognate in Maori is manawa, meaning "heart". | |||
| Maori | wā | ||
| In Maori, "wā" not only refers to "time" but also to "day" and "season". | |||
| Samoan | taimi | ||
| Taimi can refer to both a specific time and a period of time in Samoan. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | oras | ||
| "Oras" also refers to a specific instance or occasion. | |||
Time in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | pacha | ||
| Guarani | aravo | ||
Time in International Languages
| Esperanto | tempo | ||
| The word "tempo" also means "fast" or "lively" in Esperanto, and derives from the French word of the same meaning. | |||
| Latin | tempus | ||
| The word "tempus" in Latin also refers to the temples of the head, the forehead, and the sides | |||
Time in Others Languages
| Greek | χρόνος | ||
| The Greek word "χρόνος" derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *kʷer- "to turn, to go around", the same root as the English word "wheel". | |||
| Hmong | sijhawm | ||
| Sijhawm also means 'duration, age, and generation' depending on context and placement in a sentence. | |||
| Kurdish | dem | ||
| The Kurdish word "dem" can also refer to a "period" or "era" in history. | |||
| Turkish | zaman | ||
| The word 'zaman' in Turkish is derived from the Persian word 'zamān', meaning 'season', 'period', or 'era'. | |||
| Xhosa | ixesha | ||
| Ixesha can also refer to an appointment or a period of time. | |||
| Yiddish | צייַט | ||
| The Yiddish word "צייַט" (time) is derived from the Middle Low German word "tît" (time) and is cognate with the English word "tide". | |||
| Zulu | isikhathi | ||
| Isikhathi is derived from the verb 'ukukhatha', meaning 'to become tired' or 'to rest', and the suffix '-i-', indicating a state of being. | |||
| Assamese | সময় | ||
| Aymara | pacha | ||
| Bhojpuri | समय | ||
| Dhivehi | ވަގުތު | ||
| Dogri | समां | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | oras | ||
| Guarani | aravo | ||
| Ilocano | oras | ||
| Krio | tɛm | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | کات | ||
| Maithili | समय | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯇꯝ | ||
| Mizo | hun | ||
| Oromo | yeroo | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ସମୟ | ||
| Quechua | hayka pacha | ||
| Sanskrit | कालः | ||
| Tatar | вакыт | ||
| Tigrinya | ግዜ | ||
| Tsonga | nkarhi | ||
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