Twice in Different Languages
Discover 'Twice' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'twice' holds a special significance in many languages and cultures around the world. It refers to the concept of repetition or duplication, and is a fundamental part of mathematics, science, and everyday life. From counting sheep to measuring distances, the concept of 'twice' is universal and essential.
But did you know that the word 'twice' can have different translations in different languages? For example, in Spanish, 'twice' is 'dos veces', while in French, it is 'deux fois'. In German, 'twice' is 'zweimal', and in Japanese, it is ' futatsu'. These translations not only reflect the linguistic diversity of the world, but also the cultural importance of the concept of 'twice'.
Understanding the translations of 'twice' in different languages can help you connect with people from different cultures, expand your linguistic skills, and gain a deeper appreciation for the beauty and complexity of language. So, whether you're a language enthusiast, a world traveler, or just curious about the world around you, exploring the translations of 'twice' is a great place to start.
Twice
Twice in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | twee keer | ||
| The Afrikaans word "twee keer" is derived from the Dutch phrase "twee keer" meaning "two times" or "twice". | |||
| Amharic | ሁለት ግዜ | ||
| Hausa | sau biyu | ||
| Sau biyu can also mean "two days ago" or "the day before yesterday". | |||
| Igbo | ugboro abụọ | ||
| The term "ugboro abụọ" can also refer to a sequence or order of events, rather than just a numerical quantity. | |||
| Malagasy | indroa | ||
| The Malagasy word “indroa” also means “backwards”. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kawiri | ||
| The word kawiri also means 'in a second instance' in Chichewa. | |||
| Shona | kaviri | ||
| The word 'kaviri' in Shona can also mean 'twins'. | |||
| Somali | laba jeer | ||
| The word "laba jeer" in Somali is a compound word made up of the words "laba" (two) and "jeer" (times). | |||
| Sesotho | habedi | ||
| The word "habedi" can also refer to something that is done or occurs more than once. | |||
| Swahili | mara mbili | ||
| The word "mara mbili" in Swahili can also refer to a pair or a couple. | |||
| Xhosa | kabini | ||
| The word 'Kabini' can also refer to a 'bundle' or 'group' of things or to a 'double-fold object'. | |||
| Yoruba | lẹẹmeji | ||
| The word “lẹẹmeji” in Yoruba also means “double” or “twin”, highlighting its numerical and relational aspects. | |||
| Zulu | kabili | ||
| Kabili also means 'both' or 'both together' in Zulu. | |||
| Bambara | siɲɛ fila | ||
| Ewe | zi eve | ||
| Kinyarwanda | kabiri | ||
| Lingala | mbala mibale | ||
| Luganda | emirundi ebiri | ||
| Sepedi | gabedi | ||
| Twi (Akan) | mprenu | ||
Twice in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | مرتين | ||
| In literary Arabic, "مرتين" can also mean "repeatedly" or "many times". | |||
| Hebrew | פעמיים | ||
| Hebrew "פעמיים" (payamayim, 'twice') is cognate with "payment" in English, referencing the idea of 'repayment.' | |||
| Pashto | دوه ځل | ||
| The word "دوه ځل" in Pashto can also refer to "both times" or "on both occasions". | |||
| Arabic | مرتين | ||
| In literary Arabic, "مرتين" can also mean "repeatedly" or "many times". | |||
Twice in Western European Languages
| Albanian | dy herë | ||
| The Albanian word "dy herë" (literally "two times") can also mean "occasionally" in some contexts. | |||
| Basque | birritan | ||
| The word “birritan” also means 'double' or 'again' in Basque, and it has Proto-Basque origins. | |||
| Catalan | dues vegades | ||
| The Catalan phrase "dues vegades" is formed by the numerals "dues" (two) and the noun "vegades" (times), which comes from the Latin "vices" (change, turn). | |||
| Croatian | dvaput | ||
| The word "dvaput" in Croatian can also be interpreted as "two-faced" or "duplicitous". | |||
| Danish | to gange | ||
| The word "to gange" can also mean "to multiply". | |||
| Dutch | tweemaal | ||
| The Dutch word "tweemaal" is derived from the Old Saxon "twima", which also meant "twin". | |||
| English | twice | ||
| The word 'twice' comes from the Old English word 'twa' meaning 'two' and the word 'sith' meaning 'time'. | |||
| French | deux fois | ||
| The French phrase "deux fois" is a calque of the Latin phrase "duas vices," which literally means "two times twenty." | |||
| Frisian | twaris | ||
| The word 'twaris' ('twice') in Frisian can also refer to the 'double' value in a card game. | |||
| Galician | dúas veces | ||
| “Dúas veces” means "twice" in Galician. It comes from the Latin word "duas", meaning "two", and the Galician word "veces", meaning "times". | |||
| German | zweimal | ||
| Zweimal, a compound word, literally means 'two times', from the Old High German 'zweio' (two) and 'mal' (time). | |||
| Icelandic | tvisvar | ||
| The word "tvisvar" is a cognate with the English word "twice" and the German word "zwei", all ultimately derived from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "two". | |||
| Irish | faoi dhó | ||
| Italian | due volte | ||
| In Italian, the adverb “due volte” can also be interpreted as a noun, meaning “two turns” or “two rounds”. | |||
| Luxembourgish | zweemol | ||
| "Zweemol" is cognate with German "zweimal", both originating from Old High German "zwir" meaning "two times". However, while "zweimal" maintains "zwei" (two), "zweemol" lost the "w" over time. | |||
| Maltese | darbtejn | ||
| The word "darbtejn" comes from the Arabic word "darbatain" which means "two times" and is also used in Turkish with the same meaning. | |||
| Norwegian | to ganger | ||
| "Ganger" is a Scandinavian word for "times" also found in Swedish and Danish with the same meaning and in Icelandic where it means "a time". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | duas vezes | ||
| The word "duas vezes" in Portuguese is a contraction of the phrase "de duas vezes", meaning "from two times". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | dà uair | ||
| The word "dà uair" in Scots Gaelic has the same etymology as the Irish "dhá uair" and means "secondly" or "at the second time". | |||
| Spanish | dos veces | ||
| The Spanish phrase "dos veces" translates literally to "two times" and can also mean "twice as much". | |||
| Swedish | dubbelt | ||
| The word "dubbelt" can also mean "double" or "twofold" in Swedish. | |||
| Welsh | ddwywaith | ||
| In Middle Welsh, the word "ddwywaith" had the alternate meaning "for two nights or more," as it was a compound of "dwywaun" (two nights). | |||
Twice in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | двойчы | ||
| The word "двойчы" (twice) is a conjunction of two words: "два" (two) and "раз" (time). | |||
| Bosnian | dva puta | ||
| Bulgarian | два пъти | ||
| In Bulgarian "два пъти" (twice) can also be used to mean "repeatedly, many times over" (e.g. "He was punished dva pati"). | |||
| Czech | dvakrát | ||
| The word "dvakrát" comes from the Proto-Slavic word "dvorkъrtъ", and can also mean "double" or "repeating". | |||
| Estonian | kaks korda | ||
| "Kaks korda" in Estonian originated as "two times", but now it also means "very much" or "a lot". | |||
| Finnish | kahdesti | ||
| The etymology of **kahdesti** derives from Proto-Uralic **kakteSTI**, meaning "two" | |||
| Hungarian | kétszer | ||
| The Hungarian word "kétszer" also has the alternate meaning of "double", as in the case of "kétszer annyira" (twice as much). | |||
| Latvian | divreiz | ||
| Divreiz is a compound word derived from 'divi' (two) and 'reiz' (time), but it can also mean 'very' or 'exceedingly' when used in the context of an action or quality. | |||
| Lithuanian | du kartus | ||
| The word “du kartus” is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root “*dwi” which also appears in the Latin “duo”, English “two”, and Greek “δύο”. | |||
| Macedonian | двапати | ||
| In Greek, the word 'δυο', meaning 'two' is still in use, suggesting a possible ancient connection between the Macedonian 'двапати' and the Greek word. | |||
| Polish | dwa razy | ||
| The Polish word "dwa razy" not only means "twice" in English, but also has the meaning of "thoroughly" or "to the end". | |||
| Romanian | de două ori | ||
| The word 'de două ori' in Romanian can also mean 'by two', 'on two occasions', or 'double'. | |||
| Russian | дважды | ||
| Although "дважды" is usually translated as "twice", it originally meant "dvo-zhd(ы)" ("two-times") and could also mean "twice as much" or "repeatedly" | |||
| Serbian | два пута | ||
| The term "два пута" can also refer to "in two places". | |||
| Slovak | dvakrát | ||
| The word "dvakrát" derives from the Proto-Slavic root *dъvоrъ, meaning "pair" or "couple". | |||
| Slovenian | dvakrat | ||
| Dvakrat is a combination of two Slavic roots - dvo ('two') and krat ('time'). | |||
| Ukrainian | двічі | ||
| Двічі is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *dъvъjь, which could also mean 'a pair' or 'double' | |||
Twice in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | দুবার | ||
| দুবার' is etymologically related to 'বার' (time), and can also mean 'occasion' or 'time'} | |||
| Gujarati | બે વાર | ||
| The word "બે વાર" in Gujarati can also mean "at once" or "immediately" | |||
| Hindi | दो बार | ||
| The Hindi word "दो बार" can also be interpreted as "two times" or "two occasions." | |||
| Kannada | ಎರಡು ಬಾರಿ | ||
| The Kannada word "ಎರಡು ಬಾರಿ" can also be used to mean "a second time" or "again". | |||
| Malayalam | രണ്ടുതവണ | ||
| രണ്ടുതവണ ('twice') originally meant 'two times' and later came to mean 'twice' in Malayalam. | |||
| Marathi | दोनदा | ||
| The word "दोनदा" in Marathi is likely derived from the Sanskrit word "द्विधा", also meaning "twice" and the suffix "-दा" indicating repetition. | |||
| Nepali | दुई पटक | ||
| दुई पटक "two times" is used for repetition of an event while दुई बेर "two times" is used for something that happens at two different points in time | |||
| Punjabi | ਦੋ ਵਾਰ | ||
| ਦੋ ਵਾਰ could be either a noun, an adverb, or a measure word in Punjabi, meaning twice, double, or two times, respectively. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | දෙවරක් | ||
| The word 'දෙවරක්' is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *dwi-, meaning 'two'. | |||
| Tamil | இரண்டு முறை | ||
| Telugu | రెండుసార్లు | ||
| Urdu | دو بار | ||
| دو بار is also an imperative phrase in Urdu, meaning "Repeat it". | |||
Twice in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 两次 | ||
| "两次" can also mean "two times", "a second time", or "again". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 兩次 | ||
| The Chinese character 兩 (“two”) derives from an ancient pictograph representing a man with two arms. | |||
| Japanese | 2回 | ||
| "2回" can also mean "the second floor" as "回" in Japanese means "times" but also "turns" or "floors". | |||
| Korean | 두번 | ||
| The word '두번' can also mean 'the second round' as in the second round of a game or tournament. | |||
| Mongolian | хоёр удаа | ||
| The etymology and alternate meanings of 'хоёр удаа' ('twice') are not readily apparent in English. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | နှစ်ကြိမ် | ||
Twice in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | dua kali | ||
| "Dua kali" in Indonesian doesn't literally mean "two times," as it might appear; it means "two occurrences." For example, "dua kali makan" means "eating two times," and "dua kali setahun" means "twice a year." | |||
| Javanese | kaping pindho | ||
| The Javanese word “kaping pindho” can also mean “once” or “one time” despite directly translating to “two times”. | |||
| Khmer | ពីរដង | ||
| The word ពីរដង ('twice') in Khmer also refers to a type of Khmer folk dance. | |||
| Lao | ສອງຄັ້ງ | ||
| Malay | dua kali | ||
| Dua kali in Malay can also refer to "double the amount." | |||
| Thai | สองครั้ง | ||
| Thai 'สองครั้ง' literally means 'two times', with 'ครั้ง' also meaning 'time' or 'occurrence', and 'สอง' meaning 'two'. | |||
| Vietnamese | hai lần | ||
| The Vietnamese word "hai lần" can also refer to the "next time" or "the second time". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | dalawang beses | ||
Twice in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | iki dəfə | ||
| Kazakh | екі рет | ||
| The Kazakh word "екі рет" derives from the Old Turkic word "iki kert" meaning "two times". | |||
| Kyrgyz | эки жолу | ||
| The word "эки жолу" can also mean "double" or "repeatedly" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | ду маротиба | ||
| The word "ду маротиба" can also mean "repeatedly" or "many times" in Tajik. | |||
| Turkmen | iki gezek | ||
| Uzbek | ikki marta | ||
| The word “ikki marta” is derived from the Old Turkic “iki” and “marta”, meaning “two” and “fold” respectively. | |||
| Uyghur | ئىككى قېتىم | ||
Twice in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | pālua | ||
| The word 'pālua' can also refer to the 'second of a series,' 'two of a pair,' or 'two of a kind'. | |||
| Maori | rua | ||
| The Maori word "rua" can also refer to a pair or a couple, further emphasizing its duality. | |||
| Samoan | faʻalua | ||
| Faʻalua, meaning 'twice' in Samoan, may also refer to a type of traditional canoe or a kind of tattoo design. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | dalawang beses | ||
| The Tagalog word 'dalawang beses' is derived from the Malay word 'dua kali', which also means 'two times'. | |||
Twice in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | pä kuti | ||
| Guarani | mokõijey | ||
Twice in International Languages
| Esperanto | dufoje | ||
| "Dufoje" is based on "du," which means "two," and "foj-o," meaning "time." | |||
| Latin | alterum | ||
| "Alterum" can also mean "the other" or "another" and derives from an older word, "alis", meaning "other". | |||
Twice in Others Languages
| Greek | εις διπλούν | ||
| The Greek phrase 'εις διπλούν' ('twice') can also refer to a 'duplicate' or 'copy'. | |||
| Hmong | ob zaug | ||
| The Hmong word "ob zaug" can also refer to a specific unit of measurement for dry goods, typically equal to about two cups. | |||
| Kurdish | du car | ||
| 'Du car' is used in Sorani Kurdish as a conjunction, meaning 'hence', 'therefore' or 'so'. | |||
| Turkish | iki defa | ||
| 'İki defa' is literally 'two times' but it can also mean just 'again' or 'once more'. | |||
| Xhosa | kabini | ||
| The word 'Kabini' can also refer to a 'bundle' or 'group' of things or to a 'double-fold object'. | |||
| Yiddish | צוויי מאָל | ||
| The Yiddish word צוויי מאָל, meaning "twice," derives from the Middle High German "zweimal," composed of the numerals "zwei" (two) and "mal" (time). | |||
| Zulu | kabili | ||
| Kabili also means 'both' or 'both together' in Zulu. | |||
| Assamese | দুবাৰ | ||
| Aymara | pä kuti | ||
| Bhojpuri | दु बेर | ||
| Dhivehi | ދެފަހަރު | ||
| Dogri | दो बार | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | dalawang beses | ||
| Guarani | mokõijey | ||
| Ilocano | mamindua | ||
| Krio | tu tɛm | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | دوو جار | ||
| Maithili | दुगुना | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯅꯤꯔꯛ | ||
| Mizo | nawn | ||
| Oromo | al lama | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଦୁଇଥର | ||
| Quechua | iskay kuti | ||
| Sanskrit | द्विबारं | ||
| Tatar | ике тапкыр | ||
| Tigrinya | ኽልተ ግዜ | ||
| Tsonga | kambirhi | ||