Toward in Different Languages
Discover 'Toward' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'toward' is a small but powerful preposition in the English language, indicating movement, direction, or approach. It carries a sense of progression, of moving closer to a goal or destination, and is used in a variety of contexts to convey this meaning.
Throughout history, the concept of 'toward' has been a fundamental aspect of human culture and society. From ancient maps and navigation tools to modern-day GPS systems, the idea of moving in a specific direction has been a guiding principle for explorers, travelers, and adventurers around the world.
Understanding the translation of 'toward' in different languages can be a valuable tool for anyone looking to expand their linguistic and cultural horizons. For example, in Spanish, 'toward' is translated as 'hacia', while in French, it becomes 'vers'. In German, the word is 'zu', and in Japanese, it is '方向' (houkou).
By learning these translations, you can gain a deeper appreciation for the cultural nuances and linguistic subtleties that exist in different parts of the world. So whether you're a language enthusiast, a world traveler, or simply someone looking to broaden their horizons, exploring the many translations of 'toward' is a great place to start.
Toward
Toward in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | in die rigting van | ||
| The Afrikaans preposition "in die rigting van" (toward) is a calque of the Dutch preposition "in de richting naar" (toward), which is itself derived from the Middle Dutch phrase "in de richtinge na" (toward). | |||
| Amharic | ወደ | ||
| "ወደ" means "into" or "in" when it is used in a place name, e.g., ወደ ማይ. | |||
| Hausa | zuwa | ||
| In Niger-Congo, 'zuwa' (towards) is cognate with 'zowa' meaning 'arrive at'} | |||
| Igbo | n'ebe | ||
| The word "n'ebe" can also mean "direction" or "way" in Igbo. | |||
| Malagasy | amin'ny | ||
| The Malagasy word 'amin'ny' is a contraction of the phrase 'mankany any,' meaning 'to go to.' | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kulunjika | ||
| Kulunjika also means 'facing', 'looking at', or 'in the direction of'. | |||
| Shona | akananga | ||
| "Akananga" can also mean "in the direction of," "in the charge of," or "on the part of." | |||
| Somali | xagga | ||
| The word "xagga" can also be used to describe the act of moving towards something. | |||
| Sesotho | malebana le | ||
| "Malebana le" also means "on behalf of" or "concerning". | |||
| Swahili | kuelekea | ||
| Kuelekea is also the name given to various Bantu ethnic groups found in the Great Lakes area of Central/East Africa. | |||
| Xhosa | malunga | ||
| The word "malunga" can also mean "along" or "near" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yoruba | si | ||
| Yoruba “si” also denotes a movement toward the speaker, as opposed to “lo,” which connotes movement away from the speaker. | |||
| Zulu | ngase | ||
| Ngase, meaning 'toward,' shares roots with the noun 'ukuse' (to use), suggesting a literal translation of 'toward use'. | |||
| Bambara | ye | ||
| Ewe | ɖo ta | ||
| Kinyarwanda | yerekeza | ||
| Lingala | na ngambo ya | ||
| Luganda | eri | ||
| Sepedi | ya go | ||
| Twi (Akan) | rekɔ | ||
Toward in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | باتجاه | ||
| The Arabic word "باتجاه" can also mean "by way of" or "in the direction of". | |||
| Hebrew | לקראת | ||
| The Hebrew word “לקראת” not only means “toward” but also “before” or “in honor of”. | |||
| Pashto | په لور | ||
| The word "په لور" in Pashto can also mean "on the side of" or "in the direction of". | |||
| Arabic | باتجاه | ||
| The Arabic word "باتجاه" can also mean "by way of" or "in the direction of". | |||
Toward in Western European Languages
| Albanian | drejt | ||
| In Albanian, "drejt" can also mean "straight" or "right". | |||
| Basque | norabidean | ||
| The word "norabidean" is the Basque version of the Spanish preposition "hacia". It can also be used to mean "about" or "approximately". | |||
| Catalan | cap a | ||
| Cap a is an archaic form of cap, used in the Balearic Islands. | |||
| Croatian | prema | ||
| While “prema” commonly means “toward,” it can also mean “according to” in some contexts. | |||
| Danish | imod | ||
| The word "imod" comes from the Old Norse word "ímót", meaning "against" or "opposite." | |||
| Dutch | naar | ||
| "Naar", a common Dutch preposition meaning "toward", also refers to the "near" in English and "ner" in French, all tracing their origins to an ancient Indo-European term for close proximity. | |||
| English | toward | ||
| Toward, a preposition indicating direction, is derived from the same root that gives us 'turn' | |||
| French | vers | ||
| The French word "vers" also means "poetry" or "a line of poetry" from its Late Latin form "versus," meaning "a turning," because a line of poetry or verse ends with a turn that leads to the next line. | |||
| Frisian | nei | ||
| The word "nei" can also mean "at" or "in" in Frisian. | |||
| Galician | cara a | ||
| The Galician word "cara a" can also mean "on the back" or "on the opposite side". | |||
| German | zu | ||
| The word "zu" in German can also mean "closed" or "locked". | |||
| Icelandic | í átt að | ||
| The word "í átt að" (toward) is derived from the Old Norse words "í" (in) and "átt" (direction) and can also mean "in the direction of" or "toward to accomplish something". | |||
| Irish | i dtreo | ||
| "I dtreo" is also the preposition "at" followed by masculine nouns. | |||
| Italian | verso | ||
| The word "verso" also means "back of a book page" or "recto". | |||
| Luxembourgish | richtung | ||
| Richtung "(toward)" originated from OHG "rihtunga" "to set up" and got its present meaning "(toward)" in MHG | |||
| Maltese | lejn | ||
| The lejn derives from the Arabic word ‘lejna’ (لجن), which can mean ‘to go’ or ‘to turn’. | |||
| Norwegian | mot | ||
| The Norwegian word "mot" can also mean courage or spirit, and is related to the English word "mood". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | em direção a | ||
| The Portuguese word "em direção a" can also mean "in the direction of" or "towards". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | a dh’ionnsaigh | ||
| Historically an independent preposition but used only as a prefix as part of various other verbs from the 18th century onwards. | |||
| Spanish | hacia | ||
| The word "hacia" can also mean "about" or "around" in Spanish. | |||
| Swedish | mot | ||
| The word "mot" can also refer to a meeting or an encounter. | |||
| Welsh | tuag at | ||
| The word "tuag at" in Welsh can also mean "towards" or "in the direction of". | |||
Toward in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | насустрач | ||
| The word "насустрач" can also mean "to meet" or "to welcome". | |||
| Bosnian | prema | ||
| ‘Prema’ - used when referring to time, meaning ‘ago’ | |||
| Bulgarian | към | ||
| "Към" also means "for", as in "за към" (for about)" | |||
| Czech | směrem k | ||
| "Směrem k" can also mean "direction of" as in "Směrem k domu" (Direction of the house). | |||
| Estonian | poole | ||
| The word "poole" can also mean "towards" or "in the direction of" in Estonian. | |||
| Finnish | kohti | ||
| The word "kohti" can also mean "face" or "place," highlighting its spatial and directional aspects | |||
| Hungarian | felé | ||
| The word "felé" can also mean "up to" or "about". | |||
| Latvian | uz | ||
| The word "uz" in Latvian is also used in contexts of clothing, signifying something being worn on a person. | |||
| Lithuanian | link | ||
| The word "link" in Lithuanian can also mean "to fly" or "to jump". | |||
| Macedonian | кон | ||
| The word "кон" is thought to be derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*konъ", meaning "towards, to, until" | |||
| Polish | w kierunku | ||
| It is also used as a postposition to indicate the destination of a movement or action, e.g. | |||
| Romanian | spre | ||
| "Spre" derives from Latin "ex-per" and can also mean "over", "through" like in Bulgarian or Serbian, but it has lost this usage except for some idioms. | |||
| Russian | к | ||
| "К" is also used in Russian to indicate an object's position, or its proximity to another object. | |||
| Serbian | према | ||
| Prema can also mean 'according to' or 'depending on', and it is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *prěmъ, which also meant 'toward'. | |||
| Slovak | smerom k | ||
| Although its etymology is unclear, the word smerom can also mean "in the direction of" or "in the area of." | |||
| Slovenian | proti | ||
| The word 'proti' also means 'against' and is related to the Latin word 'por' meaning 'forward'. | |||
| Ukrainian | до | ||
| The Ukrainian word "до" can also mean "until" or "before", depending on the context. | |||
Toward in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | দিকে | ||
| "দিকে" also means "in the direction of" and "towards." | |||
| Gujarati | તરફ | ||
| The Gujarati word "તરફ" ("toward") can also be used to denote a "side" or "direction" in a more general sense. | |||
| Hindi | की ओर | ||
| की ओर is a compound word formed from the Sanskrit words "ka" (towards) and "or" (down). | |||
| Kannada | ಕಡೆಗೆ | ||
| The Kannada word "ಕಡೆಗೆ" also means 'at last', 'finally' or 'in the end'. | |||
| Malayalam | നേരെ | ||
| The word "നേരെ" in Malayalam also means "straight" or "exactly". | |||
| Marathi | दिशेने | ||
| "दिशेने" is derived from the Sanskrit word "दिशा" (direction) and has the additional meaning of "in the direction of" or "towards". | |||
| Nepali | तिर | ||
| The word "तिर" (tir) also means "arrow" or "direction" in Nepali. | |||
| Punjabi | ਵੱਲ | ||
| "ਵੱਲ" (toward) also means "side" or "direction," and is cognate with the Sanskrit word "valli" (creeper, branch). | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | දෙසට | ||
| "දෙසට" can also mean "direction" or "area". | |||
| Tamil | நோக்கி | ||
| Telugu | వైపు | ||
| The term "వైపు" (toward) can also mean "direction" or "side" in Telugu. | |||
| Urdu | کی طرف | ||
| In Urdu, "کی طرف" not only means "toward" but can also mean "on behalf of" or "for the sake of" in certain contexts. | |||
Toward in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 朝 | ||
| "朝" originally referred to the 'east,' and can still be used to refer to 'east' or 'toward the east.' | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 朝 | ||
| '朝' can also be used as a noun, meaning 'court' or 'dynasty'. | |||
| Japanese | に向かって | ||
| The word "に向かって" also means to direct oneself to (a person, place, object)." | |||
| Korean | ...쪽으로 | ||
| 쪽 can also mean 'the side of a building' or 'a place where something is facing'. | |||
| Mongolian | руу | ||
| As a homophone, "руу" can also refer to an "era" or a "season" of events and time. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဆီသို့ | ||
Toward in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | terhadap | ||
| The word 'terhadap' comes from the Sanskrit word 'abhi', with similar meanings of 'toward' and 'over against'. | |||
| Javanese | nuju | ||
| The term "nuju" in Javanese, besides meaning "toward," also connotes "facing" or "aimed at." | |||
| Khmer | ឆ្ពោះទៅរក | ||
| The word "ឆ្ពោះទៅរក" can also mean to approach or move closer to something. | |||
| Lao | ຕໍ່ | ||
| The Lao word "ຕໍ່" can also mean "to be continued," "to continue," or "furthermore." | |||
| Malay | menuju | ||
| The etymology of "menuju" suggests its original meaning, "to go along the riverbank". | |||
| Thai | ไปทาง | ||
| “ไปทาง” can also mean “tend to” and “tend towards” when used in the context of describing a direction or tendency. | |||
| Vietnamese | hướng tới | ||
| Hướng tới also means "to tend towards" or "to move towards" in Vietnamese. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | patungo sa | ||
Toward in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | istiqamətində | ||
| The word | |||
| Kazakh | қарай | ||
| "Қарай" can also mean "along" or "by" in Kazakh, and is related to the word "қару" ("to see") and "қарау" ("to look"). | |||
| Kyrgyz | көздөй | ||
| "Көздөй" (toward) also means "looking at" or "facing." | |||
| Tajik | ба сӯи | ||
| The word "ба сӯи" can also mean "against" or "in the direction of" depending on the context. | |||
| Turkmen | tarapa | ||
| Uzbek | tomonga | ||
| The word "tomonga" can also mean "direction" or "way" in Uzbek. | |||
| Uyghur | تەرەپكە | ||
Toward in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | i mua o | ||
| The Hawaiian word "i mua o" can also mean "front" or "first place". | |||
| Maori | ki | ||
| Ki, meaning 'toward,' also denotes a purpose or function as in the idiom 'ki te whakakotahi,' meaning 'to unite' or 'to gather together' | |||
| Samoan | agaʻi i | ||
| The word can also refer to "direction," "towards," "destination" and "purpose"} | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | patungo sa | ||
| The word "patungo sa" in Tagalog can also mean "on the way to" or "heading towards". | |||
Toward in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | uksaru | ||
| Guarani | gotyo | ||
Toward in International Languages
| Esperanto | al | ||
| The Esperanto word "al" is derived from the English word "all," and also means "in the direction of" or "completely." | |||
| Latin | ad | ||
| The Latin word 'ad' also means 'in addition to', 'plus', or 'on top of'. | |||
Toward in Others Languages
| Greek | προς | ||
| The word "προς" can also mean "near", "against", or "in addition to". | |||
| Hmong | rau | ||
| The Hmong word "rau" can also have the alternate meaning of "to pursue, to seek." | |||
| Kurdish | dijî | ||
| The Kurdish word "dijî" not only means "toward" but also "to do something to or for" or "to be in agreement with". | |||
| Turkish | doğru | ||
| The word "doğru" can also mean "correct" or "truth" in Turkish, depending on the context. | |||
| Xhosa | malunga | ||
| The word "malunga" can also mean "along" or "near" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yiddish | צו | ||
| The word "צו" in Yiddish also has the meanings "for", "due to", or "because of". | |||
| Zulu | ngase | ||
| Ngase, meaning 'toward,' shares roots with the noun 'ukuse' (to use), suggesting a literal translation of 'toward use'. | |||
| Assamese | দিশে | ||
| Aymara | uksaru | ||
| Bhojpuri | का ओर | ||
| Dhivehi | ދިމާއަށް | ||
| Dogri | तगर | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | patungo sa | ||
| Guarani | gotyo | ||
| Ilocano | papan ti | ||
| Krio | to | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | بەرەو | ||
| Maithili | क' दिस | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯥꯏꯀꯩꯔꯣꯝꯗ | ||
| Mizo | lamah | ||
| Oromo | gara | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଆଡକୁ | ||
| Quechua | hacia | ||
| Sanskrit | विमुख | ||
| Tatar | ягына | ||
| Tigrinya | ንቕድሚት | ||
| Tsonga | kuya eka | ||