Vs in Different Languages
Discover 'Vs' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The humble word 'vs', short for 'versus', holds a significant place in our language and culture. It's a conjunction that signifies a contrast or opposition, and is often used in debates, competitions, and comparisons. From boxing matches to political debates, 'vs' has become a cultural shorthand for a showdown of ideas, skills, or strengths.
Given its importance, it's no surprise that people might want to know its translation in different languages. After all, understanding this term can help facilitate cross-cultural communication, especially in contexts where contrast or opposition is being discussed.
For instance, in Spanish, 'vs' is translated as 'contra' or 'versus'. In French, it's 'contre', and in German, it's 'gegen'. Each of these translations captures the essence of 'vs', while also reflecting the unique linguistic and cultural nuances of their respective languages.
In the sections below, you'll find a comprehensive list of translations for 'vs' in various languages. Whether you're a language enthusiast, a cultural explorer, or a global communicator, this list is sure to enrich your understanding and appreciation of this simple, yet powerful, word.
Vs
Vs in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | teen | ||
| The word "teen" in Afrikaans, originating from the Dutch preposition "tegen", also means "against" or "opposite to". | |||
| Amharic | በእኛ | ||
| Amharic's 'በእኛ,' meaning 'against,' derives from the word 'አንጋ,' meaning 'body,' thus connoting a physical opposition. | |||
| Hausa | vs. | ||
| The Hausa word | |||
| Igbo | vs. | ||
| In Igbo, | |||
| Malagasy | vs | ||
| In Malagasy, the characters that look like the English "vs" are pronounced as "ampaka". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | vs. | ||
| 'Vs.' is also commonly used in Nyanja (Chichewa) to refer to the phrase 'in comparison to' or 'as opposed to'. | |||
| Shona | vs | ||
| In Shona, "Vs" can also mean "that is" or "versus." | |||
| Somali | vs | ||
| The Somali word "vs" can also mean "with" or "and" when used in certain contexts. | |||
| Sesotho | khl | ||
| As a noun, "khl" also means "quarrel", "argument", or "disagreement". | |||
| Swahili | dhidi ya | ||
| The word "dhidi ya" can also mean "opposed to" or "in contrast to". | |||
| Xhosa | vs. | ||
| The word "vs." is not used in Xhosa, but the phrase "ntoni na ntoni" is used instead. | |||
| Yoruba | vs. | ||
| The Yoruba word "vs," pronounced "fas," also means "in opposition to" in English. | |||
| Zulu | vs. | ||
| In Zulu, "vs." translates as 'noma' which directly translates as "or". | |||
| Bambara | vs | ||
| Ewe | vs | ||
| Kinyarwanda | vs. | ||
| Lingala | vs | ||
| Luganda | vs | ||
| Sepedi | vs | ||
| Twi (Akan) | vs | ||
Vs in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | ضد | ||
| ضد, in the Quran, means 'equal', 'like' or 'opposite', as in the phrase 'وَكَذَٰلِكَ جَعَلْنَا لِكُلِّ نَبِيٍّ عَدُوًّا شَيَاطِينَ الْإِنسِ وَالْجِنِّ يُوحِي بَعْضُهُمْ إِلَىٰ بَعْضٍ زُخْرُفَ الْقَوْلِ غُرُورًا ۗ وَإِن رَّبُّكَ لَعَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ' (6:112) | |||
| Hebrew | לעומת | ||
| לעומת derives from the Semitic root עמת and can also have the connotation of "matching" or "comparing" | |||
| Pashto | د | ||
| The Pashto word "د" is derived from the Persian word "در" (dar), meaning "in" or "within." | |||
| Arabic | ضد | ||
| ضد, in the Quran, means 'equal', 'like' or 'opposite', as in the phrase 'وَكَذَٰلِكَ جَعَلْنَا لِكُلِّ نَبِيٍّ عَدُوًّا شَيَاطِينَ الْإِنسِ وَالْجِنِّ يُوحِي بَعْضُهُمْ إِلَىٰ بَعْضٍ زُخْرُفَ الْقَوْلِ غُرُورًا ۗ وَإِن رَّبُّكَ لَعَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ' (6:112) | |||
Vs in Western European Languages
| Albanian | vs | ||
| Basque | vs. | ||
| In Basque, the abbreviation "vs." can also be translated as "edo", which means "or". | |||
| Catalan | vs. | ||
| In Catalan, "vs." is also an abbreviation that means "versus," Latin for "against." | |||
| Croatian | nasuprot | ||
| The word "nasuprot" in Croatian is a preposition that means "opposite" or "facing" and can also be used in the context of "versus" or "against". | |||
| Danish | vs. | ||
| In Danish (dk), "vs" often stands for "versus" or "and". | |||
| Dutch | vs | ||
| In Dutch, "vs" may also refer to "versus" in a court case or "versus" indicating opposition. | |||
| English | vs | ||
| In law and sports, vs is short for versus, which is Latin for "against". | |||
| French | contre | ||
| The French word “contre” derives from the Latin preposition “contra” which indicates opposition, contrariety and resistance. | |||
| Frisian | vs. | ||
| ''Vs'' in Frisian is an abbreviation of the Latin word ''versus'', meaning ''against'' or ''in opposition to''. | |||
| Galician | vs. | ||
| German | vs. | ||
| "Vs." is the German abbreviation for "versus" (English: "against") and is used to denote opposition or competition between two parties. | |||
| Icelandic | á móti | ||
| "Á móti" also means "towards" and "opposite" in Icelandic. | |||
| Irish | vs. | ||
| There is no equivalent to "vs." in Irish, as it is a Latin abbreviation rather than a word. | |||
| Italian | vs | ||
| In Italian, the abbreviation "vs" is also used to indicate a contrast between two things, similar to the English "contra" or "versus." | |||
| Luxembourgish | vs. | ||
| Maltese | vs | ||
| The abbreviation "vs" in Maltese can also be used to mean "per" or "against". | |||
| Norwegian | vs. | ||
| I det norske språket kan forkortelsen "vs" brukes som et synonym for "og" eller "mot". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | vs | ||
| A palavra "vs" é a abreviação do latim "versus", que significa "contra" ou "em oposição". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | vs. | ||
| In Scots Gaelic, "vs." (versus) also means "against" or "in opposition to". | |||
| Spanish | vs | ||
| In Spanish, "vs" can also mean "with", "versus", or "against" depending on the context. | |||
| Swedish | mot | ||
| The word "mot" means "towards" and can also imply a target or destination. | |||
| Welsh | vs. | ||
| The same abbreviation is used in Welsh as in English, pronounced as "fersiws". | |||
Vs in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | супраць | ||
| The word "супраць" in Belarusian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *sъpratiti, meaning "to oppose" or "to fight against". | |||
| Bosnian | vs. | ||
| In Bosnian, "vs." can also be used to mean "or" or "against". | |||
| Bulgarian | срещу | ||
| In Bulgarian, "срещу" can also mean "against" or "in return for". | |||
| Czech | vs. | ||
| In Czech, "vs." can also be an abbreviation for "versus" in Latin, or for the Slavic preposition "proti" meaning "against". | |||
| Estonian | vs | ||
| In some contexts, "vs" can refer to "versus" or "compared to". | |||
| Finnish | vs. | ||
| In Finnish, "vs" is an abbreviation for "versus" or "vastaan" meaning "against" or "facing". | |||
| Hungarian | vs. | ||
| A "vs." rövidítés többszörös értelmű, lehet "verseny", "szembenállás", vagy "ellen" jelentésű is. | |||
| Latvian | pret | ||
| The word "pret" in Latvian comes from the Proto-Germanic word "fram" meaning "forward" or "from". | |||
| Lithuanian | prieš | ||
| Lithuanian "prieš" originally meant "front" or "face-to-face" and later acquired the meaning of "against". | |||
| Macedonian | наспроти | ||
| "Наспроти" means "opposite" but is also used to denote rivalry, opposition, contest, or competition. | |||
| Polish | vs | ||
| In Polish, "vs" can also mean "in comparison to" or "as opposed to". | |||
| Romanian | vs. | ||
| The word "vs." is derived from the Latin abbreviation "versus" meaning "against" or "turned towards". | |||
| Russian | против | ||
| "Против" derives from "противу" meaning "opposite, against, facing". | |||
| Serbian | вс. | ||
| The Serbian word "вс" (vs) is an abbreviation of the word "против" (protiv), meaning "against" or "opposite." | |||
| Slovak | vs | ||
| Slovenian | vs | ||
| Besides being an abbreviation for "versus", "vs" can also mean "or" or "as opposed to" in Slovenian. | |||
| Ukrainian | проти | ||
| The Ukrainian word "проти" comes from the Old Slavonic word "противу", meaning "opposite" or "against." | |||
Vs in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | বনাম | ||
| The word 'বনাম' is derived from Sanskrit and it has various meanings aside from 'versus', such as 'against', 'opposed to', or 'in contrast to'. | |||
| Gujarati | વિ | ||
| The word "વિ" in Gujarati is a homograph, with one meaning being "without" and the other meaning "against". | |||
| Hindi | बनाम | ||
| In Hindi, "बनाम" also means "against" or "in comparison with" and can be used to indicate a legal case or a competition. | |||
| Kannada | ವಿರುದ್ಧ | ||
| Malayalam | vs. | ||
| The word 'vs.' is derived from the Latin word 'versus', meaning 'turned towards' or 'against'. | |||
| Marathi | वि | ||
| The word "वि" in Marathi also translates to "without" in English, as in "रंग वि चष्मा" (a glass without color). | |||
| Nepali | बनाम | ||
| The word "बनाम" can also mean "against" or "in opposition to" in the context of legal proceedings or battles. | |||
| Punjabi | ਬਨਾਮ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | එදිරිව | ||
| Tamil | எதிராக | ||
| Telugu | వర్సెస్ | ||
| The word "వర్సెస్" is derived from the Latin word "versus" which means "turned toward" or "opposite". | |||
| Urdu | بمقابلہ | ||
| The word "بمقابلہ" can also mean "against", "in comparison to", or "in opposition to" in Urdu. | |||
Vs in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 与 | ||
| The character 与 (yǔ) can also mean 'and', 'together', or 'to give', and its original form was a depiction of a bound animal. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 與 | ||
| The word 與, pronounced 'yú', can also mean 'participate' or 'agree' in classical Chinese. | |||
| Japanese | vs | ||
| Originally an abbreviation of the Latin word versus, meaning "toward" or "against" | |||
| Korean | vs | ||
| "대" is a Sino-Korean (Hanja) character that means "big" and is pronounced "dae". | |||
| Mongolian | vs. | ||
| The Mongolian word 'vs' (вс) can also refer to 'everything' or 'all' | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | vs | ||
| The term "vs" in Burmese is also used as a prefix to indicate a "negative" or "opposite" of something. | |||
Vs in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | vs. | ||
| In Indonesian, 'vs' can also be an abbreviation for 'versus' or 'versus dua' meaning 'against' or 'match two'. | |||
| Javanese | vs. | ||
| In Javanese, "vs" can also mean "versus" or "against". | |||
| Khmer | ទល់នឹង | ||
| The word "ទល់នឹង" ("vs") in Khmer can also mean "against" or "in comparison to". | |||
| Lao | vs | ||
| In Lao, vs (ບ) was originally used only in the context of the Lao alphabet and was only later adapted to also mean "vs" when comparing two things. | |||
| Malay | lwn | ||
| The word 'lwn' in Malay is short for 'lawan' (opponent), and is commonly used in competitive contexts such as sports and games. | |||
| Thai | เทียบกับ | ||
| เทียบกับ is a shortened form of เทียบกับว่า and translates to "compared to that which" in English. | |||
| Vietnamese | vs | ||
| "Đối đầu" ngoài nghĩa thông dụng là "đối đầu" còn có một số nghĩa khác ít phổ biến hơn như "mâu thuẫn" hay "trái ngược". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | vs | ||
Vs in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | vs | ||
| The Azerbaijani word "vs" means "versus" but can also be used to express "and" when comparing two similar concepts. | |||
| Kazakh | қарсы | ||
| Қарсы (vs) also means "opposite" and comes from the Proto-Turkic word *karši, meaning "opposite side". | |||
| Kyrgyz | vs | ||
| The word "vs" in Kyrgyz is also an abbreviation for "versus" in Latin. | |||
| Tajik | против | ||
| The word "против" in Tajik has the primary meaning of "against" or "opposite to", but it can also be used in the sense of "comparison" or "contrast", similar to the use of "versus" in English. | |||
| Turkmen | vs. | ||
| Uzbek | va boshqalar | ||
| Uyghur | vs | ||
Vs in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | vs. | ||
| The Hawaiian word "vs." is also used as an abbreviation for the word "versus" in English. | |||
| Maori | vs. | ||
| The abbreviation "vs." can mean either "versus" (opposition) or "versus" (comparison) in Maori, depending on the context. | |||
| Samoan | vs. | ||
| "Vs" has no etymology in Samoan as it is Latin abbreviation for versus. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | vs. | ||
| In Tagalog, "vs." can also mean "versus" or "laban sa". | |||
Vs in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | vs | ||
| Guarani | vs | ||
Vs in International Languages
| Esperanto | kontraŭ | ||
| The word "kontraŭ" also means "opposite" or "contrary". | |||
| Latin | nobis | ||
| In Latin, "nobis" can also mean "to us" or "for us." | |||
Vs in Others Languages
| Greek | εναντίον | ||
| In ancient Greek 'εναντίον' ('enantiōn') also meant 'opposite' (as in 'opposite side'), 'in front of' and 'against'. | |||
| Hmong | vs | ||
| In Hmong, "vs" is used only in written form as a neutral shorthand for either "vs. " or "vs," but never as a stand-alone word. | |||
| Kurdish | vs. | ||
| In Kurdish, “vs” can also mean “instead of” or “in place of.” | |||
| Turkish | vs | ||
| "Vs" is short for "versus", meaning "against" or "in comparison to". | |||
| Xhosa | vs. | ||
| The word "vs." is not used in Xhosa, but the phrase "ntoni na ntoni" is used instead. | |||
| Yiddish | ווס | ||
| The Yiddish word "ווס" ("vs") also means "what" or "why". | |||
| Zulu | vs. | ||
| In Zulu, "vs." translates as 'noma' which directly translates as "or". | |||
| Assamese | বনাম ড | ||
| Aymara | vs | ||
| Bhojpuri | बनाम के बा | ||
| Dhivehi | އާއި ދެކޮޅަށް | ||
| Dogri | बनाम | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | vs | ||
| Guarani | vs | ||
| Ilocano | vs | ||
| Krio | vs | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | vs | ||
| Maithili | बनाम | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯕꯔꯁ | ||
| Mizo | vs | ||
| Oromo | vs | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ବନାମ | ||
| Quechua | vs | ||
| Sanskrit | वि | ||
| Tatar | vs. | ||
| Tigrinya | ኣንጻር | ||
| Tsonga | vs | ||