Tone in Different Languages
Discover 'Tone' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'tone' carries significant weight in our daily lives, shaping our interactions and perceptions. It refers to the manner in which something is said or written, often conveying the speaker or writer's attitude or emotion. This cultural importance is reflected in various languages around the world.
Did you know that 'tone' has been a crucial element in Chinese literature and communication for centuries? In Mandarin, 'tone' is 'intonation' (��entsheng, pinyin: yīn tái xiǎng), and it can change the meaning of a word entirely. For instance, the syllable 'ma' can mean 'mother', 'hemp', 'horse', or 'scold', depending on the tone used.
Understanding the translation of 'tone' in different languages can enrich your cultural experiences and enhance your communication skills. Here are a few examples:
- Spanish: entonación
- French: ton
- German: Tonfall
- Italian: tono
- Russian: тон (ton)
Stay tuned for more fascinating translations and cultural insights about the multifaceted word 'tone'.
Tone
Tone in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | toon | ||
| The Afrikaans word "toon" is derived from the Proto-West Germanic form *tōnaz, meaning "an instrument used to produce musical tones". | |||
| Amharic | ቃና | ||
| In musical contexts, "ቃና" additionally refers to the pitch or intonation of a melody. | |||
| Hausa | sautin | ||
| In some Hausa dialects, "sautin" can also refer to a musical instrument or a rhythmic pattern. | |||
| Igbo | ụda | ||
| Ụda, as in the Igbo language, can refer to either a grammatical tone or a type of traditional African music | |||
| Malagasy | fihetseham-po | ||
| The word "fihetseham-po" in Malagasy also means "sentiment" or "feeling". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kamvekedwe | ||
| Despite also meaning "tone" in English, "kamvekedwe" in Nyanja refers exclusively to the concept of "tone" in music. | |||
| Shona | toni | ||
| In Shona, "toni" also means "way" or "manner" and is cognate with the English word "tone" | |||
| Somali | codka | ||
| The Somali word "codka" can also refer to the "sound of a musical instrument" or "voice of an animal". | |||
| Sesotho | molumo | ||
| The word molumo is also figuratively used to denote 'manner of speech'. | |||
| Swahili | sauti | ||
| The word 'sauti' in Swahili also refers to a person's vocal range or timbre. | |||
| Xhosa | ithoni | ||
| The word "ithoni" also means "the act of speaking" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yoruba | ohun orin | ||
| In Yoruba, "ohun orin" also means 'music' or 'singing', highlighting the inextricable link between tone and musicality in the language. | |||
| Zulu | ithoni | ||
| The word 'ithoni' in Zulu also refers to a musical note or pitch. | |||
| Bambara | ton (ton) ye | ||
| Ewe | gbeɖiɖi ƒe ɖiɖi | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ijwi | ||
| Lingala | ton ya ton | ||
| Luganda | tone | ||
| Sepedi | segalo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ɛnne a ɛyɛ den | ||
Tone in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | نغمة، رنه | ||
| The Arabic word "نغمة، رنه" can also mean "melody", "tune", or "intonation". | |||
| Hebrew | טוֹן | ||
| 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. | |||
| Pashto | سر | ||
| In addition to meaning tone, "سر" ("sar") can also denote the beginning of something. | |||
| Arabic | نغمة، رنه | ||
| The Arabic word "نغمة، رنه" can also mean "melody", "tune", or "intonation". | |||
Tone in Western European Languages
| Albanian | tonin | ||
| 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') | |||
| Basque | tonua | ||
| Basque "tonua" has various meanings, including music "measure", "rhythm", "key" or "mode". | |||
| Catalan | to | ||
| In Catalan, "to" can also mean "autumn" or "poison". | |||
| Croatian | ton | ||
| In Croatian, "ton" can also refer to "colour" or "complexion". | |||
| Danish | tone | ||
| In Danish, "tone" also means "barrel". | |||
| Dutch | toon | ||
| In Dutch, "toon" can also refer to a "character" or "figure" from a comic or video game. | |||
| English | tone | ||
| The word "tone" derives from the Greek word "tonos," meaning tension or pitch. | |||
| French | ton | ||
| In French, the word "ton" can also refer to a personal pronoun, meaning "you" in an informal or familiar context. | |||
| Frisian | toan | ||
| It can also mean to make a tone, a buzzing sound, to sound, or to tinkle. | |||
| Galician | ton | ||
| O vocábulo "ton" en galego procede do grego "τόνος" e significa tamén "acento". | |||
| German | ton | ||
| The word "Ton" in German can also refer to clay or a unit of weight (1000 kg). | |||
| Icelandic | tón | ||
| The Icelandic word "tón" has multiple meanings, including "tone" (in music), "tune", "note", "sound", "key" (in music), "style", "manner", "fashion", and "habit". | |||
| Irish | ton | ||
| Another meaning of 'ton' in Irish is 'wave' and it is the singular form of 'tonnta' (waves). | |||
| Italian | tono | ||
| The word "tono" in Italian has a Germanic origin, from the word "ton", meaning "sound" or "noise" | |||
| Luxembourgish | toun | ||
| Historically, "toun" also meant "pitch" and "musical note" (cf. French "ton"), but these meanings are now obsolete. | |||
| Maltese | ton | ||
| In Maltese, 'ton' also refers to a musical interval or melody. | |||
| Norwegian | tone | ||
| The word "tone" in Norwegian can also mean "style" or "shade". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | tom | ||
| In Brazil, "Tom" is also an informal term to refer to a man or boy, especially one who is considered attractive or stylish. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | tòn | ||
| In Scots Gaelic, 'tòn' derives from the Old Irish 'tón' ('buttocks, rump') but also means 'basis, foundation'. | |||
| Spanish | tono | ||
| "Tono" in Spanish can also refer to a shade or hue of a color. | |||
| Swedish | tona | ||
| Tona in Swedish refers to the pitch of a sound, musical note, or voice, and also means "barrel". | |||
| Welsh | tôn | ||
| In addition to meaning "tone," the word "tôn" in Welsh can also refer to a "tune," a "key (in music)," | |||
Tone in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | тон | ||
| The word "тон" can also refer to a type of musical instrument or a specific musical note in Belarusian. | |||
| Bosnian | ton | ||
| In Bosnian, ton means 'tonne' (mass unit) as well as 'tone' (musical term). | |||
| Bulgarian | тон | ||
| 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. | |||
| Czech | tón | ||
| In Czech, "tón" also means "tint" or "shade" of a color. | |||
| Estonian | toon | ||
| In Estonian, the word "toon" (tone) also means "room" or "space", and is related to the Finnish word "tupa" (room). | |||
| Finnish | sävy | ||
| In some contexts, "sävy" can refer to "hue," while in others, it can mean "nuance," "shade," or "connotation." | |||
| Hungarian | hangnem | ||
| Hangnem is an umbrella term for intonation, mood and manner of speech. | |||
| Latvian | tonis | ||
| Latvian "tonis" has no alternate meanings and is directly derived from the Ancient Greek term "τόνος" meaning "tension". | |||
| Lithuanian | tonas | ||
| In Lithuanian, "tonas" also means a large vat or wine cask, which is similar to its meaning in Old Prussian. | |||
| Macedonian | тон | ||
| The Macedonian word "тон" can also refer to a person's voice or manner of speaking. | |||
| Polish | ton | ||
| The Polish word "ton" can also refer to a weight measurement (metric ton) or a measurement of ship capacity (displacement tonnage). | |||
| Romanian | ton | ||
| The Romanian word "ton" can also mean "musical note" or "shade of color." | |||
| Russian | тон | ||
| The word "тон" (tone) in Russian also refers to a measure of weight equal to 1000 kilograms. | |||
| Serbian | тон | ||
| 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. | |||
| Slovak | tón | ||
| In Slovak, the word "tón" can also mean "shade" or "nuance", highlighting its connection to subtle variations in perception. | |||
| Slovenian | ton | ||
| The word 'ton' in Slovenian means 'tone,' but it also refers to a unit of weight, equivalent to 1,000 kilograms. | |||
| Ukrainian | тон | ||
| As a unit of weight, “тон” comes from German “tonne” but ultimately from Latin “tunna” (“large cask”), and is cognate with English “tun”. | |||
Tone in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | স্বন | ||
| The word "স্বন" also means "sound" or "voice". | |||
| Gujarati | સ્વર | ||
| 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. | |||
| Hindi | सुर | ||
| The word "सुर" in Hindi also means "a musician" or "melody". | |||
| Kannada | ಸ್ವರ | ||
| In Kannada, 'ಸ್ವರ' (svara) not only refers to musical tones but also means 'vowel' in the linguistic context. | |||
| Malayalam | സ്വരം | ||
| The Malayalam word "സ്വരം" comes from the Sanskrit word "स्वर" and refers to a specific set of seven musical notes in Indian classical music. | |||
| Marathi | टोन | ||
| The Marathi word "टोन" also means "the act of dyeing cloth". | |||
| Nepali | टोन | ||
| 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. | |||
| Punjabi | ਟੋਨ | ||
| The word can also mean 'melody' or 'tune,' and is derived from the Sanskrit word 'tana,' meaning 'to stretch' or 'to draw out'. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ස්වරය | ||
| The Sinhala word “ස්වරය” (“tone”) is also used to refer to vowels and voice. | |||
| Tamil | தொனி | ||
| "தொனி" (tone) also means "sound" or "noise" in Tamil. | |||
| Telugu | స్వరం | ||
| Telugu word "స్వరం" can also mean "vowel" which is a significant part of Indian classical music. | |||
| Urdu | سر | ||
| The word 'سر' (tone) in Urdu comes from the Persian word 'sar' (head), referring to the 'head' of a musical note. | |||
Tone in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 音 | ||
| The character "音" (tone) in Chinese can also refer to music, sound, news, or a message. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 音 | ||
| The character "音" (tone) also means "music" and "sound". | |||
| Japanese | トーン | ||
| The kanji "トーン" (tone) is also used to represent the English words "town" and "dawn." | |||
| Korean | 음정 | ||
| 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. | |||
| Mongolian | аялгуу | ||
| The Mongolian word "аялгуу" also means "melody" or "tune". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အသံ | ||
| The word "အသံ" can also refer to the sound of a musical instrument or the voice of a person. | |||
Tone in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | nada | ||
| The word "nada" in Indonesian, derived from Sanskrit, can also refer to a musical note or a sacred syllable. | |||
| Javanese | nada | ||
| In Javanese, "nada" can also mean "tone" in gamelan music, "sound," or "song." | |||
| Khmer | សម្លេង | ||
| 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. | |||
| Lao | ສຽງ | ||
| The word "ສຽງ" can also mean "sound" or "noise". | |||
| Malay | nada | ||
| The word "nada" in Malay can also refer to a "sound", a "note" in music, or a "chord" | |||
| Thai | โทน | ||
| "โทน" เป็นคำที่ใช้ในภาษาไทยมาตั้งแต่สมัยอยุธยา โดยมีรากศัพท์มาจากคำว่า "ดอน" ซึ่งหมายถึง ที่สูงหรือเนินเขา และต่อมาได้มีการนำมาใช้ในความหมายของ "เสียง" หรือ "ทำนอง" | |||
| Vietnamese | tấn | ||
| The Vietnamese word "tấn" can also refer to a musical scale or a heavy weight, both derived from Chinese etymology. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | tono | ||
Tone in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | ton | ||
| The word "ton" in Azerbaijani can also refer to a unit of weight, equivalent to 1000 kilograms. | |||
| Kazakh | тон | ||
| Тон - "тон" и "настроение" на русском языке, "голос" в казахском. | |||
| Kyrgyz | тон | ||
| The word "тон" in Kyrgyz can also mean "sound" or "melody". | |||
| Tajik | оҳанг | ||
| *Оҳанг* derives from Middle Iranian (Pahlavi) "hāng" - "sound, melody" | |||
| Turkmen | äheňi | ||
| Uzbek | ohang | ||
| The Persian loanword "ohang" may also refer to a manner, habit, or quality as well as to its more common musical meaning. | |||
| Uyghur | ئاھاڭ | ||
Tone in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | leo | ||
| The word "leo" can also refer to the sound of a trumpet, bell, or conch shell. | |||
| Maori | reo | ||
| In Maori, the word "reo" can also refer to language or speech, emphasizing the connection between tone and communication. | |||
| Samoan | leo | ||
| The Samoan word "leo" can also mean "voice" or "speech". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | tono | ||
| The word "tono" in Tagalog can also refer to a type of song or chant. | |||
Tone in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | tonalidad ukat juk’ampinaka | ||
| Guarani | tono rehegua | ||
Tone in International Languages
| Esperanto | tono | ||
| In Esperanto, "tono" can also mean "accent" (as in a stress accent). | |||
| Latin | sono | ||
| In Latin, "sono" can also mean "I sound" or "I cause to sound". | |||
Tone in Others Languages
| Greek | τόνος | ||
| The word 'τόνος' can also refer to the musical interval now known as the 'whole tone', approximately 199.5 cents. | |||
| Hmong | laus | ||
| The Hmong word "laus" can also refer to a person's character or conduct. | |||
| Kurdish | deng | ||
| The word "deng" in Kurdish can also refer to "sound" or "music". | |||
| Turkish | ton | ||
| In Turkish, "ton" also means "one thousand kilograms" or "a large amount". | |||
| Xhosa | ithoni | ||
| The word "ithoni" also means "the act of speaking" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yiddish | טאָן | ||
| The Yiddish word "טאָן" can, in addition to "tone", also mean "clay" or "mud". | |||
| Zulu | ithoni | ||
| The word 'ithoni' in Zulu also refers to a musical note or pitch. | |||
| Assamese | টোন | ||
| Aymara | tonalidad ukat juk’ampinaka | ||
| Bhojpuri | टोन के बा | ||
| Dhivehi | ރާގުގައެވެ | ||
| Dogri | टोन | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | tono | ||
| Guarani | tono rehegua | ||
| Ilocano | tono | ||
| Krio | tɔyn we dɛn kin tɔk | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | تۆن | ||
| Maithili | टोन | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯇꯣꯟ ꯇꯧꯕꯥ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | tone a ni | ||
| Oromo | sagalee | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ସ୍ୱର | ||
| Quechua | tono | ||
| Sanskrit | स्वरः | ||
| Tatar | тон | ||
| Tigrinya | ቃና ምዃኑ’ዩ። | ||
| Tsonga | thoni | ||