Upon in Different Languages
Discover 'Upon' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 5, 2024
The word 'upon' is a small but mighty preposition, carrying with it a sense of connection and relation that is at once simple and profound. Used to indicate location or addition, 'upon' speaks to the ways in which we interact with the world around us, and how we understand our place in it. From the Old English 'on pæne', meaning 'on the point', 'upon' has evolved into a versatile word with deep cultural significance.
Throughout history, 'upon' has been used in a variety of contexts, from literature to law, to convey a sense of immediacy and importance. In Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet', for example, the famous line 'O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright! It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night' speaks to the power of love and the beauty of the night sky. And in legal terms, 'due upon' is still used to indicate a debt that is payable immediately.
Given its rich history and cultural importance, it's no wonder that someone might want to know how to say 'upon' in different languages. Whether you're traveling to a foreign country or simply expanding your linguistic horizons, understanding the nuances of this simple yet powerful word can open up new worlds of possibility.
Here are just a few of the many ways to say 'upon' in different languages:
Upon
Upon in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | op | ||
| Though spelled 'op', this word is related to 'of' and 'off', and in other contexts is sometimes pronounced the same. | |||
| Amharic | ላይ | ||
| "ላይ" can also mean: 'in', 'at', 'on' and 'to'. | |||
| Hausa | kan | ||
| Hausa "kan" can also mean "to be", "to have", or "to own". | |||
| Igbo | n'elu | ||
| In Igbo, | |||
| Malagasy | amin ' | ||
| Amin' in Malagasy comes from the Proto-Austronesian word *ami, meaning "with" or "over". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | pa | ||
| The word 'pa' also means 'at,' 'to,' and 'in' in Nyanja | |||
| Shona | pamusoro | ||
| The word "pamusoro" can also mean "above" or "on top of" in Shona. | |||
| Somali | dul | ||
| The word | |||
| Sesotho | hodima | ||
| The word 'hodima' is most often used to mean 'upon' or 'on top of.' It is also frequently used to indicate a specific day or date | |||
| Swahili | juu ya | ||
| The Swahili word 'juu ya' can also mean 'over', 'above', 'on top of', 'higher than', 'ahead of', or 'in front of'. | |||
| Xhosa | phezu | ||
| "Phezu" is derived from the Proto-Bantu word "-fika", meaning "to climb" or "to ascend." | |||
| Yoruba | lori | ||
| "Lori" is also used in expressions of measurement to denote "height" or "thickness" (e.g. "Lori igi naa ga" (The height of that tree is tall)). | |||
| Zulu | phezu | ||
| In the isiXhosa language, "phezu" means "up" or "above." | |||
| Bambara | tigitigiya | ||
| Ewe | na | ||
| Kinyarwanda | kuri | ||
| Lingala | na | ||
| Luganda | waggulu | ||
| Sepedi | godimo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | berɛ | ||
Upon in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | بناء على | ||
| In Arabic, "بناء على" can also refer to "based on" or "due to". | |||
| Hebrew | עַל | ||
| The preposition "עַל" ("on") in Hebrew can also mean "about" or "concerning". | |||
| Pashto | په | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning of "upon," "په" has historical roots in the Sanskrit preposition "upa," meaning "near," "at," or "down." | |||
| Arabic | بناء على | ||
| In Arabic, "بناء على" can also refer to "based on" or "due to". | |||
Upon in Western European Languages
| Albanian | në | ||
| Basque | gainean | ||
| The Basque word "gainean" also means "table" or "desk". | |||
| Catalan | sobre | ||
| Catalan "sobre" also means "envelope". | |||
| Croatian | na | ||
| The word 'na' in Croatian can also mean 'at' or 'to', depending on the context. | |||
| Danish | på | ||
| The Danish word “på” can also mean “to”, “in”, “by” and “at”. | |||
| Dutch | op | ||
| In Dutch, "op" can also mean 'towards' or 'open' depending on context. | |||
| English | upon | ||
| The word "upon" evolved from the Old English preposition "uppan," meaning "above," "on top," or "in addition to." | |||
| French | sur | ||
| In French, the word "sur" can also mean "about", "on", or "over". | |||
| Frisian | op | ||
| The Frisian word “op,” meaning “upon,” can also mean “open” or “up” and is derived from Old Frisian “up”. | |||
| Galician | encima | ||
| Galician "encima" derives from the Latin "in cima", signifying "on top of". | |||
| German | auf | ||
| In old High German, "auf" meant "up" or "open", referring to a position or state. | |||
| Icelandic | á | ||
| Á can also mean "on" or "at," and derives from the Old Norse word "á," with the same meaning. | |||
| Irish | ar | ||
| Irish 'ar' derives from Old Irish 'airm' 'arm' or 'ar' 'before' and is cognate with Welsh 'ar' 'on' and Breton 'war' 'on'. | |||
| Italian | su | ||
| The Italian word "su" also means "upon" or "above" as well as "toward" or "at". | |||
| Luxembourgish | op | ||
| Maltese | fuq | ||
| In Gozitan Maltese, "fuq" can also mean "up to", e.g. "fuq ir-ras", "up to the head". | |||
| Norwegian | på | ||
| The Norwegian word "på" can also mean "by" or "at" depending on the context. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | sobre | ||
| In Portuguese, the word “sobre” can also mean “about”. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | air | ||
| In Gaelic, "air" can also refer to the weather or atmosphere. | |||
| Spanish | sobre | ||
| The word | |||
| Swedish | på | ||
| "På" can also mean "to" or "at," and "på dig" means "to you". | |||
| Welsh | arno | ||
| "Arno" also serves as the dative singular mutation of the definite article "yr" ( | |||
Upon in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | на | ||
| The word "на" can also mean "to" or "on" depending on the sentence in which it's used. | |||
| Bosnian | na | ||
| "Na" has a wide range of meanings depending on the context in which it's used, from "at" and "by" to "in order to." | |||
| Bulgarian | върху | ||
| Върху (pronounced vur-khu) is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *vьrxu, meaning "top" or "summit". | |||
| Czech | na | ||
| The Czech word "na" can also mean "in" or "on" and is often used to indicate direction or location. | |||
| Estonian | peale | ||
| Peale's other meaning is "to", "towards", or "for", for example: "Ta läks peale linna." (He went towards/to the city.) | |||
| Finnish | päälle | ||
| In the word 'päällä', 'pää-' refers to 'head', indicating the notion of 'being on top of' or 'covering'. | |||
| Hungarian | esetén | ||
| In the Hungarian language, the word "esetén" is primarily used in the sense of "upon" but can also mean "in the case of" when used in a conditional sense | |||
| Latvian | pēc | ||
| "Pēc" comes from the Proto-Baltic word *pēc meaning "after" and is a cognate with the Lithuanian word "po" with the same meaning. | |||
| Lithuanian | ant | ||
| "Ant" in Lithuanian also means "towards". | |||
| Macedonian | врз | ||
| The word | |||
| Polish | na | ||
| The Polish word "na" also means "for" or "against" depending on the context. | |||
| Romanian | peste | ||
| "Peste" in Romanian comes from the Latin word "post" meaning "after" and can be used to indicate location or time. | |||
| Russian | на | ||
| The Russian preposition 'на' can also mean 'per' or 'by', as in 'два рубля на час' (two rubles per hour). | |||
| Serbian | на | ||
| The Serbian word "на" (upon) can also mean "for" or "to". | |||
| Slovak | na | ||
| "Na" can also refer to an article of clothing, particularly a skirt or an apron. | |||
| Slovenian | ob | ||
| The word | |||
| Ukrainian | на | ||
| In the 17th century, the word "на" could mean "in" and was also used in oaths, such as "на бозі милім" ("in God's mercy"). | |||
Upon in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | উপর | ||
| The Bengali word "উপর" has additional connotations of superiority or dominance. | |||
| Gujarati | ઉપર | ||
| The word "ઉપર" derives from Sanskrit "उपरि" (upari), which shares the root with "upper" in English and "ob" in Latin, meaning "over" or "above". | |||
| Hindi | के ऊपर | ||
| The phrase "के ऊपर" can be used to mean "above", "on", or "to" in English, depending on the context. | |||
| Kannada | ಮೇಲೆ | ||
| The word "ಮೇಲೆ" can also mean "above" or "on top of". | |||
| Malayalam | ന് | ||
| In Malayalam, "ന്" can also mean "to" or "toward" indicating place, time, or direction. | |||
| Marathi | यावर | ||
| The Marathi word 'यावर' (upon) shares its origin with 'यावर' (an illness), implying that something has come 'over someone'. | |||
| Nepali | मा | ||
| The word 'मा' can also mean 'in' or 'at' when used with certain contexts. | |||
| Punjabi | ਉੱਤੇ | ||
| The word "ਉੱਤੇ" (upon) may also refer to the direction of a slope or grade. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | මත | ||
| "මත" (Sinhala) can also mean "opinion" or "belief". | |||
| Tamil | மீது | ||
| "മീത്തു" in Malayalam and "ಮೀಟು" in Kannada mean "plucking". | |||
| Telugu | మీద | ||
| మీద (mīda) is also used as a preposition meaning 'on', 'over', 'above', or 'against'. | |||
| Urdu | صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم | ||
Upon in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 在...之上 | ||
| The original meaning of '在...之上' was to express the location of two objects vertically or horizontally. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 在...之上 | ||
| 在...之上」一词在中文中的其他含义包括「覆盖」、「施加」、「超过」。 | |||
| Japanese | に | ||
| Originally, に was only used in the sense of “to place over”. The “over” and “to” meanings gradually separated, and the “to” meaning came to be used independently. | |||
| Korean | ...에 | ||
| In addition to its literal meaning of "upon," "...에" can also be used figuratively to mean "in the case of" or "with regard to." | |||
| Mongolian | дээр | ||
| The Mongolian word "дээр" derives from the Proto-Mongolic word *dȫre, which also means "head" and "top" | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အပေါ်သို့ | ||
Upon in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | atas | ||
| "Atas" is also the root of the Indonesian term "atasan," which refers to one's superior or boss. | |||
| Javanese | marang | ||
| The term 'marang' also signifies a directional preposition implying a destination. | |||
| Khmer | លើ | ||
| លើ (leu) can also mean "on top of" or "over." | |||
| Lao | ຕາມ | ||
| In Lao, ຕາມ can also mean to follow, pursue, or conform to. | |||
| Malay | pada | ||
| The word "pada" can also mean "step" or "track" in Malay, as in "menjejakkan pada" (to step on). | |||
| Thai | เมื่อ | ||
| When used before a subject, "เมื่อ" can mean "at the time when" or "when" depending on the context. | |||
| Vietnamese | trên | ||
| "Trên" also means "on" or "in" when used with a vehicle or location, and "over" when used with a time period. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sa | ||
Upon in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | üzərinə | ||
| The word "üzərinə" is derived from the Persian word "ro" (meaning "side") and the Azerbaijani affix "-inə" (meaning "on"). | |||
| Kazakh | үстінде | ||
| The word "үстінде" in Kazakh can also mean "top" or "highest point". | |||
| Kyrgyz | үстүнө | ||
| The word "үстүнө" in Kyrgyz can also mean "besides" or "in addition to". | |||
| Tajik | бар | ||
| "Бар" may also mean "time" in the sense of "at a particular time" or "in the course of time." | |||
| Turkmen | üstünde | ||
| Uzbek | ustiga | ||
| "Ust" means "top" in Turkish and "cover" in Turkic languages. | |||
| Uyghur | on | ||
Upon in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ma luna o | ||
| The Hawaiian word "ma luna o" is used in various grammatical structures to denote direction or movement upwards. | |||
| Maori | ki runga | ||
| In Māori, "ki runga" not only means "upon," but also refers to the "upper world" or "heaven." | |||
| Samoan | i luga o | ||
| As a preposition, i luga o can also mean 'among' or 'with'. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | sa | ||
| The word "sa" also means "in the" or "at the". | |||
Upon in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | patxa | ||
| Guarani | hi'ári | ||
Upon in International Languages
| Esperanto | sur | ||
| The word "sur" in Esperanto also means "over" or "above". | |||
| Latin | in | ||
| In Latin, the word "in" can also mean "among", "within", or "towards". | |||
Upon in Others Languages
| Greek | επάνω σε | ||
| The phrase "επάνω σε" can also be used to indicate "on top of" or "above" something, as in "το βιβλίο είναι επάνω σε το τραπέζι" (the book is on the table). | |||
| Hmong | li | ||
| The word 'li' can also refer to 'on top of something'. | |||
| Kurdish | li ser | ||
| Li ser is derived from the Middle Persian word “sr” (meaning “upon”) and also signifies “toward.” | |||
| Turkish | üzerine | ||
| Kökeni Uygurca 'üst' (above) sözcüğüne dayanan 'üzerine' sözcüğü Türkçede 'üzeri' ve 'hakkında' anlamlarında da kullanılır. | |||
| Xhosa | phezu | ||
| "Phezu" is derived from the Proto-Bantu word "-fika", meaning "to climb" or "to ascend." | |||
| Yiddish | אויף | ||
| Yiddish "אויף" (auf) ultimately descends from the Proto-Germanic word "uppa" meaning "up". | |||
| Zulu | phezu | ||
| In the isiXhosa language, "phezu" means "up" or "above." | |||
| Assamese | ওপৰত | ||
| Aymara | patxa | ||
| Bhojpuri | ऊपर | ||
| Dhivehi | ގެ މައްޗަށް | ||
| Dogri | दे उप्पर | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sa | ||
| Guarani | hi'ári | ||
| Ilocano | iti rabaw | ||
| Krio | pan | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | بەگوێرەی | ||
| Maithili | ऊपर | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯊꯛꯇ | ||
| Mizo | chungah | ||
| Oromo | irratti | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଉପରେ | ||
| Quechua | hawanpi | ||
| Sanskrit | उपरि | ||
| Tatar | өстендә | ||
| Tigrinya | ኣብ ግዘ | ||
| Tsonga | ehenhla | ||