Tone in Different Languages
Discover 'Tone' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Tone
Afrikaans toon | ||
Albanian tonin | ||
Amharic ቃና | ||
Arabic نغمة، رنه | ||
Armenian հնչերանգ | ||
Assamese টোন | ||
Aymara tonalidad ukat juk’ampinaka | ||
Azerbaijani ton | ||
Bambara ton (ton) ye | ||
Basque tonua | ||
Belarusian тон | ||
Bengali স্বন | ||
Bhojpuri टोन के बा | ||
Bosnian ton | ||
Bulgarian тон | ||
Catalan to | ||
Cebuano tono | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 音 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 音 | ||
Corsican tonu | ||
Croatian ton | ||
Czech tón | ||
Danish tone | ||
Dhivehi ރާގުގައެވެ | ||
Dogri टोन | ||
Dutch toon | ||
English tone | ||
Esperanto tono | ||
Estonian toon | ||
Ewe gbeɖiɖi ƒe ɖiɖi | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) tono | ||
Finnish sävy | ||
French ton | ||
Frisian toan | ||
Galician ton | ||
Georgian ტონი | ||
German ton | ||
Greek τόνος | ||
Guarani tono rehegua | ||
Gujarati સ્વર | ||
Haitian Creole ton | ||
Hausa sautin | ||
Hawaiian leo | ||
Hebrew טוֹן | ||
Hindi सुर | ||
Hmong laus | ||
Hungarian hangnem | ||
Icelandic tón | ||
Igbo ụda | ||
Ilocano tono | ||
Indonesian nada | ||
Irish ton | ||
Italian tono | ||
Japanese トーン | ||
Javanese nada | ||
Kannada ಸ್ವರ | ||
Kazakh тон | ||
Khmer សម្លេង | ||
Kinyarwanda ijwi | ||
Konkani स्वर | ||
Korean 음정 | ||
Krio tɔyn we dɛn kin tɔk | ||
Kurdish deng | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) تۆن | ||
Kyrgyz тон | ||
Lao ສຽງ | ||
Latin sono | ||
Latvian tonis | ||
Lingala ton ya ton | ||
Lithuanian tonas | ||
Luganda tone | ||
Luxembourgish toun | ||
Macedonian тон | ||
Maithili टोन | ||
Malagasy fihetseham-po | ||
Malay nada | ||
Malayalam സ്വരം | ||
Maltese ton | ||
Maori reo | ||
Marathi टोन | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯇꯣꯟ ꯇꯧꯕꯥ꯫ | ||
Mizo tone a ni | ||
Mongolian аялгуу | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) အသံ | ||
Nepali टोन | ||
Norwegian tone | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) kamvekedwe | ||
Odia (Oriya) ସ୍ୱର | ||
Oromo sagalee | ||
Pashto سر | ||
Persian لحن | ||
Polish ton | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) tom | ||
Punjabi ਟੋਨ | ||
Quechua tono | ||
Romanian ton | ||
Russian тон | ||
Samoan leo | ||
Sanskrit स्वरः | ||
Scots Gaelic tòn | ||
Sepedi segalo | ||
Serbian тон | ||
Sesotho molumo | ||
Shona toni | ||
Sindhi ٽون | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) ස්වරය | ||
Slovak tón | ||
Slovenian ton | ||
Somali codka | ||
Spanish tono | ||
Sundanese nada | ||
Swahili sauti | ||
Swedish tona | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) tono | ||
Tajik оҳанг | ||
Tamil தொனி | ||
Tatar тон | ||
Telugu స్వరం | ||
Thai โทน | ||
Tigrinya ቃና ምዃኑ’ዩ። | ||
Tsonga thoni | ||
Turkish ton | ||
Turkmen äheňi | ||
Twi (Akan) ɛnne a ɛyɛ den | ||
Ukrainian тон | ||
Urdu سر | ||
Uyghur ئاھاڭ | ||
Uzbek ohang | ||
Vietnamese tấn | ||
Welsh tôn | ||
Xhosa ithoni | ||
Yiddish טאָן | ||
Yoruba ohun orin | ||
Zulu ithoni |
Etymology & Notes
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | The Afrikaans word "toon" is derived from the Proto-West Germanic form *tōnaz, meaning "an instrument used to produce musical tones". |
| Albanian | In Shkumbin Albanian, 'tonin' can also mean a 'tune' or 'melody', as it comes from the Proto-Albanian form *tōn, derived from the same Proto-Indo-European root that gave Ancient Greek 'τόνος' (tonos, 'sound', 'tone', 'accent') |
| Amharic | In musical contexts, "ቃና" additionally refers to the pitch or intonation of a melody. |
| Arabic | The Arabic word "نغمة، رنه" can also mean "melody", "tune", or "intonation". |
| Azerbaijani | The word "ton" in Azerbaijani can also refer to a unit of weight, equivalent to 1000 kilograms. |
| Basque | Basque "tonua" has various meanings, including music "measure", "rhythm", "key" or "mode". |
| Belarusian | The word "тон" can also refer to a type of musical instrument or a specific musical note in Belarusian. |
| Bengali | The word "স্বন" also means "sound" or "voice". |
| Bosnian | In Bosnian, ton means 'tonne' (mass unit) as well as 'tone' (musical term). |
| Bulgarian | In Bulgarian, "тон" means "a ton" or "a large sum of money," which was then borrowed into Russian and from there into most other Slavic languages. |
| Catalan | In Catalan, "to" can also mean "autumn" or "poison". |
| Cebuano | “Tono” also means “money” or “fare” in Cebuano. |
| Chinese (Simplified) | The character "音" (tone) in Chinese can also refer to music, sound, news, or a message. |
| Chinese (Traditional) | The character "音" (tone) also means "music" and "sound". |
| Corsican | "Tonu" in Corsican can also refer to a sound or melody, or a musical instrument. |
| Croatian | In Croatian, "ton" can also refer to "colour" or "complexion". |
| Czech | In Czech, "tón" also means "tint" or "shade" of a color. |
| Danish | In Danish, "tone" also means "barrel". |
| Dutch | In Dutch, "toon" can also refer to a "character" or "figure" from a comic or video game. |
| Esperanto | In Esperanto, "tono" can also mean "accent" (as in a stress accent). |
| Estonian | In Estonian, the word "toon" (tone) also means "room" or "space", and is related to the Finnish word "tupa" (room). |
| Finnish | In some contexts, "sävy" can refer to "hue," while in others, it can mean "nuance," "shade," or "connotation." |
| French | In French, the word "ton" can also refer to a personal pronoun, meaning "you" in an informal or familiar context. |
| Frisian | It can also mean to make a tone, a buzzing sound, to sound, or to tinkle. |
| Galician | O vocábulo "ton" en galego procede do grego "τόνος" e significa tamén "acento". |
| Georgian | The Georgian word "ტონი" can also refer to the musical interval of a whole step or the color tone. |
| German | The word "Ton" in German can also refer to clay or a unit of weight (1000 kg). |
| Greek | The word 'τόνος' can also refer to the musical interval now known as the 'whole tone', approximately 199.5 cents. |
| Gujarati | The word "સ્વર" (tone) comes from the Sanskrit word "स्वर" (sound) and also refers to the seven notes of the musical scale in Indian classical music. |
| Haitian Creole | The Haitian Creole word "ton" can also mean "your" or "yours". |
| Hausa | In some Hausa dialects, "sautin" can also refer to a musical instrument or a rhythmic pattern. |
| Hawaiian | The word "leo" can also refer to the sound of a trumpet, bell, or conch shell. |
| Hebrew | טוֹן in Hebrew means weight (משקל) and a measure of musical pitch (גובה צליל), and not to be confused with טון a unit of weight in English. |
| Hindi | The word "सुर" in Hindi also means "a musician" or "melody". |
| Hmong | The Hmong word "laus" can also refer to a person's character or conduct. |
| Hungarian | Hangnem is an umbrella term for intonation, mood and manner of speech. |
| Icelandic | The Icelandic word "tón" has multiple meanings, including "tone" (in music), "tune", "note", "sound", "key" (in music), "style", "manner", "fashion", and "habit". |
| Igbo | Ụda, as in the Igbo language, can refer to either a grammatical tone or a type of traditional African music |
| Indonesian | The word "nada" in Indonesian, derived from Sanskrit, can also refer to a musical note or a sacred syllable. |
| Irish | Another meaning of 'ton' in Irish is 'wave' and it is the singular form of 'tonnta' (waves). |
| Italian | The word "tono" in Italian has a Germanic origin, from the word "ton", meaning "sound" or "noise" |
| Japanese | The kanji "トーン" (tone) is also used to represent the English words "town" and "dawn." |
| Javanese | In Javanese, "nada" can also mean "tone" in gamelan music, "sound," or "song." |
| Kannada | In Kannada, 'ಸ್ವರ' (svara) not only refers to musical tones but also means 'vowel' in the linguistic context. |
| Kazakh | Тон - "тон" и "настроение" на русском языке, "голос" в казахском. |
| Khmer | In Khmer, the word សម្លេង (tone) also refers to the sound of musical instruments, the pitch of a person's voice, or the mood of a particular piece of music. |
| Korean | The word "음정" (tone) in Korean can also refer to the "pitch" or "intonation" of a musical note or the "tuning" of a musical instrument. |
| Kurdish | The word "deng" in Kurdish can also refer to "sound" or "music". |
| Kyrgyz | The word "тон" in Kyrgyz can also mean "sound" or "melody". |
| Lao | The word "ສຽງ" can also mean "sound" or "noise". |
| Latin | In Latin, "sono" can also mean "I sound" or "I cause to sound". |
| Latvian | Latvian "tonis" has no alternate meanings and is directly derived from the Ancient Greek term "τόνος" meaning "tension". |
| Lithuanian | In Lithuanian, "tonas" also means a large vat or wine cask, which is similar to its meaning in Old Prussian. |
| Luxembourgish | Historically, "toun" also meant "pitch" and "musical note" (cf. French "ton"), but these meanings are now obsolete. |
| Macedonian | The Macedonian word "тон" can also refer to a person's voice or manner of speaking. |
| Malagasy | The word "fihetseham-po" in Malagasy also means "sentiment" or "feeling". |
| Malay | The word "nada" in Malay can also refer to a "sound", a "note" in music, or a "chord" |
| Malayalam | The Malayalam word "സ്വരം" comes from the Sanskrit word "स्वर" and refers to a specific set of seven musical notes in Indian classical music. |
| Maltese | In Maltese, 'ton' also refers to a musical interval or melody. |
| Maori | In Maori, the word "reo" can also refer to language or speech, emphasizing the connection between tone and communication. |
| Marathi | The Marathi word "टोन" also means "the act of dyeing cloth". |
| Mongolian | The Mongolian word "аялгуу" also means "melody" or "tune". |
| Myanmar (Burmese) | The word "အသံ" can also refer to the sound of a musical instrument or the voice of a person. |
| Nepali | The word 'टोन' is also used to refer to the pitch or intonation of a voice, or to the general atmosphere or mood of a situation. |
| Norwegian | The word "tone" in Norwegian can also mean "style" or "shade". |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | Despite also meaning "tone" in English, "kamvekedwe" in Nyanja refers exclusively to the concept of "tone" in music. |
| Pashto | In addition to meaning tone, "سر" ("sar") can also denote the beginning of something. |
| Persian | In Persian, "لحن" (lahn) can refer to both a musical tone or melody, and a manner of speaking or reciting. |
| Polish | The Polish word "ton" can also refer to a weight measurement (metric ton) or a measurement of ship capacity (displacement tonnage). |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | In Brazil, "Tom" is also an informal term to refer to a man or boy, especially one who is considered attractive or stylish. |
| Punjabi | The word can also mean 'melody' or 'tune,' and is derived from the Sanskrit word 'tana,' meaning 'to stretch' or 'to draw out'. |
| Romanian | The Romanian word "ton" can also mean "musical note" or "shade of color." |
| Russian | The word "тон" (tone) in Russian also refers to a measure of weight equal to 1000 kilograms. |
| Samoan | The Samoan word "leo" can also mean "voice" or "speech". |
| Scots Gaelic | In Scots Gaelic, 'tòn' derives from the Old Irish 'tón' ('buttocks, rump') but also means 'basis, foundation'. |
| Serbian | The Serbian word "тон" (tone) originates from the Old Church Slavonic word "тънъкъ" (thin, delicate), and it can also refer to a shade of color. |
| Sesotho | The word molumo is also figuratively used to denote 'manner of speech'. |
| Shona | In Shona, "toni" also means "way" or "manner" and is cognate with the English word "tone" |
| Sindhi | In Sindhi, the word "ٽون" can also refer to a "shade" or a "nuance". |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | The Sinhala word “ස්වරය” (“tone”) is also used to refer to vowels and voice. |
| Slovak | In Slovak, the word "tón" can also mean "shade" or "nuance", highlighting its connection to subtle variations in perception. |
| Slovenian | The word 'ton' in Slovenian means 'tone,' but it also refers to a unit of weight, equivalent to 1,000 kilograms. |
| Somali | The Somali word "codka" can also refer to the "sound of a musical instrument" or "voice of an animal". |
| Spanish | "Tono" in Spanish can also refer to a shade or hue of a color. |
| Sundanese | The Sundanese word nada does not have any other meanings or etymological connections to other words. |
| Swahili | The word 'sauti' in Swahili also refers to a person's vocal range or timbre. |
| Swedish | Tona in Swedish refers to the pitch of a sound, musical note, or voice, and also means "barrel". |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | The word "tono" in Tagalog can also refer to a type of song or chant. |
| Tajik | *Оҳанг* derives from Middle Iranian (Pahlavi) "hāng" - "sound, melody" |
| Tamil | "தொனி" (tone) also means "sound" or "noise" in Tamil. |
| Telugu | Telugu word "స్వరం" can also mean "vowel" which is a significant part of Indian classical music. |
| Thai | "โทน" เป็นคำที่ใช้ในภาษาไทยมาตั้งแต่สมัยอยุธยา โดยมีรากศัพท์มาจากคำว่า "ดอน" ซึ่งหมายถึง ที่สูงหรือเนินเขา และต่อมาได้มีการนำมาใช้ในความหมายของ "เสียง" หรือ "ทำนอง" |
| Turkish | In Turkish, "ton" also means "one thousand kilograms" or "a large amount". |
| Ukrainian | As a unit of weight, “тон” comes from German “tonne” but ultimately from Latin “tunna” (“large cask”), and is cognate with English “tun”. |
| Urdu | The word 'سر' (tone) in Urdu comes from the Persian word 'sar' (head), referring to the 'head' of a musical note. |
| Uzbek | The Persian loanword "ohang" may also refer to a manner, habit, or quality as well as to its more common musical meaning. |
| Vietnamese | The Vietnamese word "tấn" can also refer to a musical scale or a heavy weight, both derived from Chinese etymology. |
| Welsh | In addition to meaning "tone," the word "tôn" in Welsh can also refer to a "tune," a "key (in music)," |
| Xhosa | The word "ithoni" also means "the act of speaking" in Xhosa. |
| Yiddish | The Yiddish word "טאָן" can, in addition to "tone", also mean "clay" or "mud". |
| Yoruba | In Yoruba, "ohun orin" also means 'music' or 'singing', highlighting the inextricable link between tone and musicality in the language. |
| Zulu | The word 'ithoni' in Zulu also refers to a musical note or pitch. |
| English | The word "tone" derives from the Greek word "tonos," meaning tension or pitch. |