Toe in Different Languages
Discover 'Toe' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The humble toe, a small but essential part of the human body, carries a surprising amount of significance and cultural importance across the globe. From a body part that helps us balance, to a symbol of protection in ancient Egypt, the toe has a rich history that spans continents and centuries. In fact, did you know that the word 'toe' is represented by the hieroglyph of a sandal, emphasizing its role in protection?
Understanding the translation of 'toe' in different languages can open up a world of cultural insights. For instance, in German, 'Zehe' refers to both the toe and the unit of measurement for liquids, highlighting the connection between the human body and measurement systems. Meanwhile, in Japanese, 'ashi' means both foot and leg, demonstrating the way that language can shape our perception of the world.
Join us as we explore the translations of 'toe' in 10 different languages, from Spanish to Mandarin, and discover the fascinating stories behind each word.
Toe
Toe in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | aan | ||
| The Afrikaans word "aan" (toe) is derived from the Dutch word "teen", which also means "toe". | |||
| Amharic | ወደ | ||
| "ወደ" can also mean "until," "into," or "up to" | |||
| Hausa | zuwa | ||
| The Hausa word 'zuwa' may also refer to the 'ankle' | |||
| Igbo | ka | ||
| "Ka" can also mean "to" or "toward" in Igbo. | |||
| Malagasy | ny | ||
| "Ny" is a noun that can refer to the toe or a foot in Malagasy. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kuti | ||
| Nyanja word "kuti" also refers to the part of a shoe that covers the toes. | |||
| Shona | ku | ||
| Ku can also refer to the end part of a thread or cord. | |||
| Somali | ku | ||
| A 'ku' is not only a toe in Somali but also a prefix for body parts, e.g., ku-dheer (tall), ku-weyn (big), ku-gaaban (short), etc. | |||
| Sesotho | ho | ||
| "Ho" (pronounced with high-tone) means "toe"; however, when pronounced with a mid tone (i.e. "hó"), this word means an exclamation used similarly to "bravo!" or "well-said!" | |||
| Swahili | kwa | ||
| The Swahili word "kwa" can also mean "at" or "to" when used as a preposition. | |||
| Xhosa | ukuya | ||
| The word "ukuya" can also refer to the "foot" or "leg" in the Xhosa language. | |||
| Yoruba | si | ||
| The Yoruba word "si" can also refer to the base or root of a plant, or a piece of land. | |||
| Zulu | uku | ||
| Uku additionally signifies a small quantity, like a tiny bit of food. | |||
| Bambara | o de kosɔn | ||
| Ewe | ɣe ma ɣi | ||
| Kinyarwanda | hanyuma | ||
| Lingala | na nsima | ||
| Luganda | awo | ||
| Sepedi | gona | ||
| Twi (Akan) | enneɛ | ||
Toe in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | إلى | ||
| The word "إلى" can also mean "towards" or "until" in Arabic. | |||
| Hebrew | ל | ||
| The Hebrew word "ל" refers not only to the anatomical structure of a toe but also to the verb "to take". | |||
| Pashto | ته | ||
| The Pashto word "ته" can also mean "dust" or "powder". | |||
| Arabic | إلى | ||
| The word "إلى" can also mean "towards" or "until" in Arabic. | |||
Toe in Western European Languages
| Albanian | te | ||
| The Albanian word "te" can also mean "this" or "the". | |||
| Basque | ra | ||
| The word "ra" can also mean "step", "path" or "way" in Basque. | |||
| Catalan | a | ||
| The word "a" in Catalan also means "to" or "towards". | |||
| Croatian | do | ||
| In Croatian, the word "do" can also mean "until" or "before" depending on context. | |||
| Danish | til | ||
| "Til" is a homonym in Danish, meaning both "toe" and "to" | |||
| Dutch | toe | ||
| Teun is a Dutch name meaning “follower” or “descendant,” and Toen is a variant of Teun. | |||
| English | toe | ||
| The word "toe" comes from the Old English word "ta," meaning "twig" or "branch." | |||
| French | à | ||
| The French word "à" also means "at". | |||
| Frisian | nei | ||
| The West Frisian word "nei" also means "near" and "no". | |||
| Galician | a | ||
| The Galician word "a" can also refer to a "foot" or a "step". | |||
| German | zu | ||
| The word "zu" can also mean "to" or "too" in German, and is derived from the Middle High German word "zuo". | |||
| Icelandic | til | ||
| The word "til" in Icelandic can also refer to a fingernail or toenail as well as the toe itself. | |||
| Irish | chun | ||
| The Irish word "chun" is thought to be derived from the Old Irish word "cenn" meaning "head" or "top", reflecting the position of the toe at the end of the foot. | |||
| Italian | per | ||
| In Latin, "per" can also mean "through" or "by way of." | |||
| Luxembourgish | an | ||
| The word "an" in Luxembourgish also has the alternate meaning of "at" when used in conjunction with the preposition "bei". | |||
| Maltese | għal | ||
| The word "għal" in Maltese can also mean a "part" or an "amount" of something. | |||
| Norwegian | til | ||
| Norwegian "til" can also refer to planks or a floor, deriving from Old Norse "thiull" or the Proto-Germanic "*thiluz" | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | para | ||
| The word "para" also means "stop" in Portuguese, derived from the Latin word "parare" meaning "to prepare" or "to make ready." | |||
| Scots Gaelic | gu | ||
| In Scottish Gaelic, "gu" refers to the little toe specifically and is cognate with the Welsh word "gwddf" meaning "throat". | |||
| Spanish | a | ||
| The word "a" in Spanish also refers to the letter "a" in the Spanish alphabet, and the first note in the musical scale. | |||
| Swedish | till | ||
| The Swedish word "till" can also refer to "until", meaning a point in time, as in "till måndag", "until Monday". | |||
| Welsh | i | ||
| In Welsh, "i" means both "me, I” (a personal pronoun) and the "toe". This dual meaning is thought to derive from the concept that the toes are seen as extensions of the self, connecting the body to the ground and to the world. | |||
Toe in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | да | ||
| The word "да" in Belarusian, in addition to meaning "toe", can also mean a foot, paw, pedal or base of a pillar. | |||
| Bosnian | do | ||
| In Bosnian, "do" is used in the expression "da do" meaning "to give". | |||
| Bulgarian | да се | ||
| "Da se" also means "to exist" and derives from Proto-Indo-European "*dʰe" meaning "to place, put down." | |||
| Czech | na | ||
| In Sanskrit, the word "na" means "to know", which may be related to the fact that the toe is the most tactile and perceptive part of the foot. | |||
| Estonian | kuni | ||
| The Estonian word "kuni" also means "until" and is related to the Finnish word "kun", which has the same meaning. | |||
| Finnish | että | ||
| The word "että" also means "that" in Finnish, leading to potential confusion in speech and writing. | |||
| Hungarian | nak nek | ||
| "Nak" also means "suddenly" in Hungarian. | |||
| Latvian | uz | ||
| The word "uz" in Latvian also refers to a "knob" or small protrusion on an object. | |||
| Lithuanian | į | ||
| "Į" can also mean "into" in Lithuanian. | |||
| Macedonian | до | ||
| "До" (toe) in Macedonian can also mean "to" or "up to". | |||
| Polish | do | ||
| The Polish word "do" can also mean "to" or "until." | |||
| Romanian | la | ||
| The Romanian word "la" also means "by" and likely derives from Latin "ad"} | |||
| Russian | к | ||
| In ancient times, it was believed that if you kicked off the right foot in front of your house three times it would bring good luck. | |||
| Serbian | до | ||
| "До" is the Serbian word for "toe" and also the first syllable of the word "долази" meaning "to come". | |||
| Slovak | do | ||
| The word "do" also means "then, consequently" in Slovak. | |||
| Slovenian | do | ||
| In Slovenian, 'do' also means 'of', 'to', or 'until'. | |||
| Ukrainian | до | ||
| The Ukrainian word "до" (toe) is also used figuratively to mean "to the point" or "up to the mark". | |||
Toe in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | প্রতি | ||
| "প্রতি" also means "in place of", "toward" and "at the beginning of a line" in Bengali. | |||
| Gujarati | પ્રતિ | ||
| The word "પ્રતિ" (toe) in Gujarati may also refer to a "verse" or "stanza" in a poetic composition. | |||
| Hindi | सेवा | ||
| The Hindi word "सेवा" (sēvā) is ultimately derived from the Sanskrit word "सेवा" (sēvā), meaning "service" or "devotion". | |||
| Kannada | ಗೆ | ||
| The word 'ಗೆ' also means 'end' or 'completion' in Kannada. | |||
| Malayalam | ടു | ||
| "ടു" in Malayalam can also refer to the number four, a measurement for weight (80 lbs), and the fourth day of the lunar week. | |||
| Marathi | करण्यासाठी | ||
| करण्यासाठी (toe) comes from the Sanskrit word karana, meaning "to do" or "to make". | |||
| Nepali | लाई | ||
| लाई ("toe") is also used to refer to the number "five" and the act of counting to five. | |||
| Punjabi | ਨੂੰ | ||
| ਨੂੰ is also a postposition indicating indirect objects | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | දක්වා | ||
| The word 'දක්වා' ('toe') in Sinhala also holds the meaning of 'up to' or 'until' when used in a temporal sense | |||
| Tamil | க்கு | ||
| The verb form of "க்கு" ("to touch or strike with the foot") shares the same etymological root. | |||
| Telugu | కు | ||
| In Telugu, "కు" also means "a kind of grass, sedge" and "a heap". | |||
| Urdu | کرنے کے لئے | ||
| The word "toe" comes from the Old English word "ta", which means "twig" or "shoot". | |||
Toe in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 至 | ||
| The Chinese character 至, pronounced 'zhi', can also mean 'arrive' or 'the ultimate'. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 至 | ||
| The character "至" also means "to arrive" or "the utmost" in Chinese. | |||
| Japanese | に | ||
| The kanji for "toe" (に, pronounced ni), also means "two" when written as "二" in Japanese. | |||
| Korean | ...에 | ||
| '에' can also mean 'place' or 'at' when attached to locations, such as '집에', which means 'at home'. | |||
| Mongolian | руу | ||
| The word "руу" also refers to the "base" of a mountain or tree. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ရန် | ||
| The word "ရန်" can also mean "enemy" or "opponent" in Myanmar (Burmese). | |||
Toe in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | untuk | ||
| The Indonesian word "untuk" has a second meaning: "for". | |||
| Javanese | kanggo | ||
| Kanggo is also a Javanese classifier specifying a measure for small things, such as fruits or vegetables. | |||
| Khmer | ទៅ | ||
| "ទៅ" can mean toe, to go, or to head towards a location. | |||
| Lao | ເຖິງ | ||
| The Lao word "ເຖິງ" can also refer to the tips of bamboo shoots or the ends of elephant tusks. | |||
| Malay | ke | ||
| The Malay word "ke" can also mean "towards" or "to". | |||
| Thai | ถึง | ||
| Historically, the word "ถึง" could refer to "toes"; "fingers"; "branches of a tree"; or "a point or destination". The modern-day meaning ("toes") emerged later. | |||
| Vietnamese | đến | ||
| The Sino-Vietnamese word "đến" can also mean "to arrive" or "to reach a conclusion", which is a homophone with the Vietnamese word "đến" meaning "toe". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pagkatapos | ||
Toe in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | üçün | ||
| "Üçün" means "third" in the Turkish language, and it is thought to have the same origin as the word "three" in English. | |||
| Kazakh | дейін | ||
| Kazakh "дейін" not only means "toe", but also "point" or "direction". | |||
| Kyrgyz | чейин | ||
| In Kyrgyz, "чейин" also carries the secondary meaning of "footprint". | |||
| Tajik | ба | ||
| In colloquial Tajik, the word "ба" can also refer to a "foot" as an extension of a limb. | |||
| Turkmen | soň | ||
| Uzbek | ga | ||
| "Ga" in Uzbek can also mean "place, location" or "space, room". | |||
| Uyghur | ئاندىن | ||
Toe in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | i | ||
| The word 'i' also means 'desire', 'will', 'intention' or 'purpose'. | |||
| Maori | ki | ||
| In Maori, the word "ki" has the additional meaning of "to" or "towards". | |||
| Samoan | i le | ||
| The word "i le" can also refer to the "foot" or "leg" in Samoan. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | sa | ||
| In ancient Tagalog, "sa" referred to the body parts of "fingers" and "toes". | |||
Toe in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | ukata | ||
| Guarani | upéicharõ | ||
Toe in International Languages
| Esperanto | al | ||
| "Al" derives from Old English "æl", meaning an ell, or the length of the forearm from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger. | |||
| Latin | ut | ||
| In Latin, "ut" also means "as" or "just as", and is used to introduce a comparative clause. | |||
Toe in Others Languages
| Greek | προς το | ||
| In Cypriot Greek, "προς το" can also mean "near to" or "close to". | |||
| Hmong | rau | ||
| It can also mean nail, talon, or hoof, and it is the second syllable in the word "raubis" meaning "fingernail". | |||
| Kurdish | ber | ||
| The word "ber" in Kurdish is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *peh₂, meaning "foot" or "leg". | |||
| Turkish | -e | ||
| -e word is the Turkish equivalent of the word "toe" in English. However, it can also mean "skirt" or "hem" in some Turkic languages such as Azerbaijani and Kazakh. | |||
| Xhosa | ukuya | ||
| The word "ukuya" can also refer to the "foot" or "leg" in the Xhosa language. | |||
| Yiddish | צו | ||
| In Yiddish, the word "צו" ("tsu") can also refer to a commandment or directive. | |||
| Zulu | uku | ||
| Uku additionally signifies a small quantity, like a tiny bit of food. | |||
| Assamese | তেতিয়া | ||
| Aymara | ukata | ||
| Bhojpuri | तब | ||
| Dhivehi | އޭރު | ||
| Dogri | अदूं | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pagkatapos | ||
| Guarani | upéicharõ | ||
| Ilocano | no kasta | ||
| Krio | dɔn | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ئەو کات | ||
| Maithili | तखन | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯗꯨ ꯑꯣꯏꯔꯕꯗꯤ | ||
| Mizo | tichuan | ||
| Oromo | yommuus | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ତାପରେ | ||
| Quechua | chaynaqa | ||
| Sanskrit | तदा | ||
| Tatar | аннары | ||
| Tigrinya | ሽዑ | ||
| Tsonga | kutani | ||