Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'tomorrow' holds a special significance in our daily lives as it represents the next day, the unfolding of future events, and the hope of new beginnings. Its cultural importance is evident in various art forms, literature, and sayings like 'Carpe Diem' which encourages us to seize the day, while not forgetting that tomorrow is always a part of our lives. Understanding the translation of 'tomorrow' in different languages can provide us with a unique perspective on how other cultures perceive and value time. For instance, in Spanish, 'tomorrow' is 'mañana', in French it's 'demain', while in German, it's 'morgen'. These translations not only reflect linguistic diversity but also cultural nuances and worldviews. Delving into the translations of 'tomorrow' in different languages can be an exciting journey of discovery, opening up a world of cultural insights and language appreciation.
Afrikaans | more | ||
In some dialects, the word "more" can also mean "afternoon". | |||
Amharic | ነገ | ||
In the 13th century, the word ነገ could also mean "time", as in "a long time ago" or "not long from now". | |||
Hausa | gobe | ||
"Gobe" also refers to the next world, i.e. the world after death. | |||
Igbo | echi | ||
Echi, meaning "tomorrow" in Igbo, was originally the name of a specific day of the week and can also refer to "time that is about to come." | |||
Malagasy | rahampitso | ||
The Malagasy word "rahampitso" can also mean "next time" or "another day." | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | mawa | ||
The word 'mawa' in Nyanja (Chichewa) also refers to 'the act of sleeping' or 'the state of being sleepy' | |||
Shona | mangwana | ||
The Shona word 'mangwana' is thought to have originated from the Proto-Bantu word 'manñana'. | |||
Somali | berri | ||
The word 'berri' is derived from the Arabic word 'bari' meaning 'to become apparent'. | |||
Sesotho | hosane | ||
"Hosane" also means "the day after tomorrow" or "yesterday" depending on the context. | |||
Swahili | kesho | ||
The Swahili word "kesho" is cognate with the Arabic word "ghad" meaning "morrow" and the ancient Egyptian word "khau" meaning "light". | |||
Xhosa | ngomso | ||
The word "ngomso" is derived from the verb "ngoma" (to speak) and the noun "iso" (sun), suggesting that it originally referred to the time when people would gather to talk as the sun rose. | |||
Yoruba | ọla | ||
Ọla also means "the day after tomorrow" in Yoruba and is used in greetings and well wishes, such as "ẹ kaa ṣe ẹ ola", meaning "may you witness tomorrow." | |||
Zulu | kusasa | ||
The word "kusasa" in Zulu derives from the root "sa," meaning "to spread out," and can also mean "dawn" or "morning light." | |||
Bambara | sini | ||
Ewe | tsɔ si gbɔna | ||
Kinyarwanda | ejo | ||
Lingala | lobi | ||
Luganda | enkya | ||
Sepedi | gosasa | ||
Twi (Akan) | ɔkyena | ||
Arabic | غدا | ||
"غدا" also means a person that can do whatever they intend to. | |||
Hebrew | מָחָר | ||
The Hebrew word "מָחָר" also has an archaic alternate meaning: "the day after tomorrow." | |||
Pashto | سبا | ||
The name for "tomorrow" in Pashto, “سبا,” also denotes the future in a more figurative sense. | |||
Arabic | غدا | ||
"غدا" also means a person that can do whatever they intend to. |
Albanian | neser | ||
"Neser" in Albanian comes from the Proto-Albanian word "*nēs-era" (next day), ultimately deriving from the Proto-Indo-European root "*h₁neXt" (near, next). | |||
Basque | bihar | ||
The Basque name for tomorrow, “bihar,” derives from the phrase “bi egun argi,” meaning | |||
Catalan | demà | ||
"Demà" derives from the Latin "dies mane" (day in the morning), but it also has the meaning of "the future" or "later on". | |||
Croatian | sutra | ||
The word 'sutra' also means 'a path' or 'a way' in Sanskrit, and is cognate with the English word 'suture'. | |||
Danish | i morgen | ||
In archaic Danish, i morgen was also the name for an early meal. | |||
Dutch | morgen | ||
In some dialects the word "morgen" can also be used to refer to the following day, rather than "tomorrow" | |||
English | tomorrow | ||
The Old English word 'morgen' originally meant both "morning" and "next day" | |||
French | demain | ||
The Old French word “desmain” meant “delay,” “respite,” or “truce,” but also “tomorrow,” which survives in modern French as "demain" | |||
Frisian | moarn | ||
The Frisian word 'moarn' also refers to the morning, or the period of time before noon, and has links to the German word 'morgen', which has the same meaning. | |||
Galician | mañá | ||
In Galician, "mañá" shares the same root as "mane","morning" in English, and derives from the Latin "mane". | |||
German | morgen | ||
The word "Morgen" in German also means "acre" or "field," and is related to the English words "morning" and "morn," all deriving from the Proto-Indo-European root *merǵ- ("to shine"). | |||
Icelandic | á morgun | ||
The word "á morgun" can mean "on the morrow" as well as "in the morning." | |||
Irish | amárach | ||
The name of the Celtic deity Áine ('radiance' or 'brightness'), from whom we get the Irish word 'árach' for 'day', is said to come from the Proto-Celtic term *amarako-, 'tomorrow morning', from Proto-Indo-European *h₂e-mṛ- ('day' or 'sun'). | |||
Italian | domani | ||
The term 'domani' derives from the Latin phrase 'de mane,' meaning 'from the morning,' indicating anticipation of the following day. | |||
Luxembourgish | muer | ||
The word "muer" comes from the Latin word "cras", meaning "tomorrow". | |||
Maltese | għada | ||
The Maltese word "għada" also means "day after tomorrow" in some contexts | |||
Norwegian | i morgen | ||
I morgen is an archaic Norwegian expression meaning "in the early morning" derived from the Old Norse phrase "i morgin". | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | amanhã | ||
The word "amanhã" derives from the Latin "mane" (morning) and the suffix "-anha" (that day). | |||
Scots Gaelic | a-màireach | ||
"Maireach" is the Scots Gaelic for "tomorrow", and is derived from the word "màire", meaning "to abide" or "to dwell", and the suffix "-ach" meaning "place" or "time." | |||
Spanish | mañana | ||
The Spanish word 'mañana' originates from the Latin 'mane,' meaning 'morning,' and also refers to the day after today. | |||
Swedish | i morgon | ||
The Swedish word "i morgon" comes from Old Norse and originally meant "the following morning" rather than any time within the whole day. | |||
Welsh | yfory | ||
The word "yfory" also means "the day after tomorrow" in some dialects of Welsh. |
Belarusian | заўтра | ||
The word "заўтра" has been used in Belarusian since the 15th century | |||
Bosnian | sutra | ||
Sutra in Bosnian can also mean "suit" or "proceedings". | |||
Bulgarian | утре | ||
The word "утре" ("tomorrow") is cognate with the Russian word "утро" which means "morning" and the Latin word "aurora" which means "dawn." | |||
Czech | zítra | ||
The word "zítra" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *jutro, meaning "morning" or "dawn." | |||
Estonian | homme | ||
The Estonian word "homme" can also mean "the time or world to come", referencing the Christian concept of the afterlife. | |||
Finnish | huomenna | ||
In Finnish, "huomenna" also refers to the morning or the following day. | |||
Hungarian | holnap | ||
Though it literally means "after day," "holnap" is the Hungarian word for "tomorrow." | |||
Latvian | rīt | ||
The word "rīt" also means "east" or "morning" in Latvian. | |||
Lithuanian | rytoj | ||
The noun "rytoj" in Lithuanian is related to the word "ryt" ("morning"), derived from Proto-Indo-European root *h₁ewsṓs, meaning "dawn, daybreak". | |||
Macedonian | утре | ||
The word утро (tomorrow) in Macedonian shares the Proto-Slavic root with a term that was used to describe being wide awake as a result of a fear, likely related to its etymology. | |||
Polish | jutro | ||
"Jutro" in Polish is related to the Proto-Slavic word "jutra", meaning "morning" or "the following day", so it can also mean "the next day". | |||
Romanian | mâine | ||
The Romanian word "Mâine" is derived from the Latin word "mane," meaning "morning" or "dawn." | |||
Russian | завтра | ||
"Завтра" derives originally from the Proto-Slavic *jutro "morning" and used to mean "the morning of the next day". | |||
Serbian | сутра | ||
"Сутра" (tomorrow) comes from the Proto-Slavic word *jutro, which also meant "morning." | |||
Slovak | zajtra | ||
From Proto-Slavic "*zajutrijь" (of unknown origin), related to the Old Church Slavonic "за оутра" (za outra, "after morning"), likely from Proto-Indo-European "*h₂aus-os" ("dawn"). | |||
Slovenian | jutri | ||
"Jutri" can be a short noun form with the prefix "ju-" and the genitive plural form of the noun "trojica" ("trinity"). Alternatively, there is the theory that the word originates from the noun "jutro" ("morning") with the affix "-i-" added, but the stress has changed. | |||
Ukrainian | завтра | ||
The word "завтра" may derive from the phrase "за утро", meaning "after morning". |
Bengali | আগামীকাল | ||
আগামীকাল derives from the word "আগে" (literally meaning "before") and "কাল" (meaning "time") | |||
Gujarati | આવતીકાલે | ||
આવતીકાલે comes from "to come" + "that day"; it also means "the day after tomorrow" in some contexts. | |||
Hindi | आने वाला कल | ||
The word "आने वाला कल" literally translates to "the coming tomorrow" in Hindi, emphasizing the concept of time moving forward and the expectation of something new in the future. | |||
Kannada | ನಾಳೆ | ||
The word "ನಾಳೆ" (nāḷe) is derived from the Sanskrit root "nāla," meaning "day," and the suffix "-e," meaning "belonging to." | |||
Malayalam | നാളെ | ||
The word 'naale' in Malayalam also means 'the day after tomorrow', as in a day that is two days away from the present day. | |||
Marathi | उद्या | ||
The word "उद्या" is derived from Sanskrit "उद्यात" meaning "arisen" or "risen from sleep." | |||
Nepali | भोली | ||
The term 'भोली' originates from the word 'भाउली', which originally meant 'the day after tomorrow'. | |||
Punjabi | ਕੱਲ | ||
The term 'ਕੱਲ' is likely related to the word 'kalya' in old Indo-Aryan languages, representing 'yesterday, the day before', but can also mean 'in the morning' in specific contexts. | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | හෙට | ||
Sinhala "හෙට" originates from Pali and Sanskrit, also meaning "the day after". | |||
Tamil | நாளை | ||
"நாளை" also means "day after tomorrow". | |||
Telugu | రేపు | ||
The word 'రేపు' can also refer to a 'day' or 'time'. | |||
Urdu | کل | ||
کل is also used in Urdu to refer to "yesterday" or "a few days ago", with the exact meaning depending on context. |
Chinese (Simplified) | 明天 | ||
明天 (míng tiān), "bright tomorrow," also refers to "the day after," or the next day after tomorrow | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 明天 | ||
The word "明天" can also mean "bright future" or "hope". | |||
Japanese | 明日 | ||
'明日' can also mean 'the day after tomorrow' or 'a few days from now', depending on the context. | |||
Korean | 내일 | ||
The word "내일" can also mean "the future" or "a new day" in Korean. | |||
Mongolian | маргааш | ||
The word "маргааш" ("tomorrow") is cognate with the Turkish word "yarın" with the same meaning and the Chinese word "明天" ("the day after") in the classical Mongolian orthography. | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | မနက်ဖြန် | ||
Indonesian | besok | ||
The word "besok" is related to the words "so" ("go") and "ok" ("already"), implying a sense of moving forward in time. | |||
Javanese | sesuk | ||
The word 'sesuk' (tomorrow) is also used in the phrase 'dina sesuk' (someday). | |||
Khmer | ថ្ងៃស្អែក | ||
The word ថ្ងៃស្អែក is derived from the Sanskrit word 'śvaḥ' which means 'tomorrow' and 'bright' and is cognate with the English word 'day'. | |||
Lao | ມື້ອື່ນ | ||
In Lao, ມື້ອື່ນ can also mean "the next day", "the following day", or "another day". | |||
Malay | esok | ||
"Esok" in Malay is derived from the Old Malay word "aswak" meaning "day". | |||
Thai | พรุ่งนี้ | ||
พรุ่งนี้ can also be used to mean "the next life" or "paradise", especially when used in the phrase พรุ่งนี้จะดีกว่าวันนี้ "tomorrow will be better than today" | |||
Vietnamese | ngày mai | ||
"Ngày mai" is a compound word, consisting of "ngày" (day) and "mai" (next). | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | bukas | ||
Azerbaijani | sabah | ||
In Old Uyghur Turkic, "sabah" meant "afternoon", while in the Old Turkish period, it meant "morning". | |||
Kazakh | ертең | ||
The Kazakh word "ертең" also means "early in the morning" and is related to the words "ер" (early) and "тең" (equal). | |||
Kyrgyz | эртең | ||
"Эртең" also means "very early the next day." | |||
Tajik | фардо | ||
The word "фардо" can also mean "after" or "a day after" in Tajik. | |||
Turkmen | ertir | ||
Uzbek | ertaga | ||
The word "ertaga" in Uzbek is derived from the Turkic root "er", meaning "early" or "morning", and the suffix "-ga", indicating a future tense. | |||
Uyghur | ئەتە | ||
Hawaiian | āpōpō | ||
The Hawaiian word "āpōpō" is also used to refer to the future, the next day, or the day after tomorrow. | |||
Maori | apopo | ||
Apopo can also refer to 'in a day or so' and 'day before yesterday'. | |||
Samoan | taeao | ||
Taeao shares its root with the word ao, meaning ''day'' or ''daylight'', and is used to refer to the day after today. | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | bukas | ||
"Bukas" is etymologically related to Spanish "boca" and Sanskrit "mukha", both meaning mouth or opening, suggesting the sense of a new day dawning. |
Aymara | qharüru | ||
Guarani | ko'ẽrõ | ||
Esperanto | morgaŭ | ||
The Esperanto word "morgaŭ" ultimately derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *merǵ- meaning "dawn" and is related to similar terms in other Indo-European languages such as the English "morgen" and "morning". | |||
Latin | cras | ||
In Latin, "cras" is derived from the root "kra," meaning "to make a clamor or shout," suggesting a connection between the concept of tomorrow and the breaking of dawn accompanied by the noise of birds or people. |
Greek | αύριο | ||
The word "αύριο" comes from the ancient Greek word "αὔριον" (aurion) which also means "day after tomorrow" or "the day following the present one" | |||
Hmong | tag kis | ||
The word "tag kis" is derived from the Hmong words "tag" (a unit of time) and "kis" (one), and it literally means "one unit of time from now." | |||
Kurdish | sibê | ||
The word "sibê" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₁es- ("to be"), and is related to the English word "is" and the Latin word "sum." | |||
Turkish | yarın | ||
The word 'yarın' originally meant 'the day after tomorrow', and the word 'ertesi' meant 'tomorrow'. | |||
Xhosa | ngomso | ||
The word "ngomso" is derived from the verb "ngoma" (to speak) and the noun "iso" (sun), suggesting that it originally referred to the time when people would gather to talk as the sun rose. | |||
Yiddish | מאָרגן | ||
The word "מאָרגן" also means "east" or "morning", both referring to the rising sun as the day "dawns". | |||
Zulu | kusasa | ||
The word "kusasa" in Zulu derives from the root "sa," meaning "to spread out," and can also mean "dawn" or "morning light." | |||
Assamese | কাইলৈ | ||
Aymara | qharüru | ||
Bhojpuri | काल्हु | ||
Dhivehi | މާދަމާ | ||
Dogri | औंदे कल | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | bukas | ||
Guarani | ko'ẽrõ | ||
Ilocano | inton bigat | ||
Krio | tumara | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | بەیانی | ||
Maithili | काल्हि | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯍꯌꯦꯡ | ||
Mizo | naktuk | ||
Oromo | boor | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ଆସନ୍ତାକାଲି | ||
Quechua | paqarin | ||
Sanskrit | श्वः | ||
Tatar | иртәгә | ||
Tigrinya | ፅባሕ | ||
Tsonga | mundzuku | ||