Week in Different Languages
Discover 'Week' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'week' holds a special significance in many of our lives, as it helps us organize and understand our time. Consisting of seven days, it's a fundamental unit of measurement that structures our work, rest, and social activities. But did you know that the seven-day week has cultural and historical roots that stretch back thousands of years? Many ancient civilizations, including the Babylonians and Jews, used a seven-day week in their calendars, and this tradition has continued to this day.
Understanding the translation of 'week' in different languages can be a fascinating way to explore the world's diverse cultures and histories. For example, in Spanish, 'week' is 'semana,' while in German, it's 'Woche.' In Russian, it's 'неделя' (nedelya), and in Japanese, it's '週' (shū). These translations not only reflect linguistic differences but also offer insights into how different cultures conceptualize and structure time.
So whether you're a language enthusiast, a cultural explorer, or simply someone who wants to expand their vocabulary, learning the translation of 'week' in different languages can be a rewarding and enriching experience.
Week
Week in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | week | ||
| In Afrikaans, "week" can also mean "soft" or "tender". | |||
| Amharic | ሳምንት | ||
| The word "ሳምንት" ("week") in Amharic is derived from the Ge'ez word "ሰብት" ("seven"), suggesting its original meaning as "a period of seven days." | |||
| Hausa | mako | ||
| The Hausa word "mako" can also refer to a "period" or a "specific point in time". | |||
| Igbo | izu | ||
| The Igbo word | |||
| Malagasy | herinandro | ||
| The Malagasy word "herinandro" is derived from the Proto-Austronesian root *lindaq, meaning "seven". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | sabata | ||
| In Nyanja, "Sabata" literally means "day of rest (Sunday)" and is also the word for "week". | |||
| Shona | vhiki | ||
| The Shona term 'vhiki' also refers to the number seven. | |||
| Somali | usbuuc | ||
| "Usbuuc" in Somali derives from the Arabic "usbu'" and originally meant "seven". | |||
| Sesotho | beke | ||
| In addition to meaning 'week', 'beke' can also mean 'time' or 'season'. | |||
| Swahili | wiki | ||
| In Swahili, "wiki" can mean either "week" or "council of elders". | |||
| Xhosa | iveki | ||
| Iveki derives from 'iiveki' (pl. abaiveki) i.e. a round object, from the notion of the week as the period before the start of a new cycle. | |||
| Yoruba | ọsẹ | ||
| Zulu | isonto | ||
| In astronomy, iSonto is a comet that was discovered in 2013. | |||
| Bambara | dɔgɔkun | ||
| Ewe | kᴐsiɖa | ||
| Kinyarwanda | icyumweru | ||
| Lingala | mposo | ||
| Luganda | sabiiti | ||
| Sepedi | beke | ||
| Twi (Akan) | nnawɔtwe | ||
Week in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | أسبوع | ||
| The word "أسبوع" (week) in Arabic likely originates from the verb "وسع" (to broaden) and originally signified a period of expansion and ease. | |||
| Hebrew | שָׁבוּעַ | ||
| The word שָׁבוּעַ is also used to describe the time between two significant events in a person's life, such as a wedding anniversary or a bar or bat mitzvah. | |||
| Pashto | اونۍ | ||
| The Pashto word "اونۍ" can also refer to a Sunday or a holiday, which may be related to its ancient meaning of "day of rest". | |||
| Arabic | أسبوع | ||
| The word "أسبوع" (week) in Arabic likely originates from the verb "وسع" (to broaden) and originally signified a period of expansion and ease. | |||
Week in Western European Languages
| Albanian | javë | ||
| Basque | astea | ||
| The Basque word | |||
| Catalan | setmana | ||
| In the Middle Ages, the Catalan "setmana" (week) referred to the period before the payment of wages, as it was the time when debts were settled. | |||
| Croatian | tjedan | ||
| "Tjedan", meaning "week" in Croatian, is derived from the Slavic word "tednja", meaning "time" or "season." | |||
| Danish | uge | ||
| The word "uge" is derived from the Proto-Germanic word "wikōn", meaning "to change" or "to turn." | |||
| Dutch | week | ||
| In Dutch, "week" (week) literally means "softening," referring to washing, soaking, and softening clothes during the traditional washday. | |||
| English | week | ||
| "Week" derives from Old English "wice," meaning "change," referring to the changing moon phases that occur in a week. | |||
| French | la semaine | ||
| The word "la semaine" in French is derived from the Latin "septimana," meaning "sevenfold." In some contexts, it can also refer to a specific week, such as "la Semaine sainte" (Holy Week). | |||
| Frisian | wike | ||
| The Frisian word "wike" is derived from the Proto-Germanic word "wikō", which also meant "turn" or "change". | |||
| Galician | semana | ||
| The Galician word "semana" comes from the Latin "septimana", meaning "seven days". | |||
| German | woche | ||
| The word "Woche" in German likely derives from the Proto-Germanic root "*wik-ō", meaning "change" or "alternation", which also gave rise to the English word "week". | |||
| Icelandic | vika | ||
| The Old Norse word "vika" meant "a turn" or "change" and originally referred to a shift in the wind direction. | |||
| Irish | seachtain | ||
| The Irish 'seachtain' originates in 'seacht' (meaning seven), and it originally also implied a cycle or seven-year interval. | |||
| Italian | settimana | ||
| The word "settimana" comes from the Latin "septimana," meaning "seven days." | |||
| Luxembourgish | woch | ||
| The Luxembourgish word "Woch" is derived from the Old High German "wehhā", meaning "change" or "alternation", and is related to the English word "week". | |||
| Maltese | ġimgħa | ||
| "Ġimgħa" comes from the Arabic word "juma'a", meaning "Friday", as in many cultures, the week was traditionally considered to start on Friday. | |||
| Norwegian | uke | ||
| "Uke" also means "weed" in Norwegian, and "week" in Swedish. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | semana | ||
| In Portuguese, "semana" is derived from the Latin "septimana" (seven), and it also carries the alternative meaning of "a working week", which spans from Monday to Friday. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | seachdain | ||
| Spanish | semana | ||
| The word "semana" in Spanish comes from the Latin phrase "septimana dies," meaning "seven days." | |||
| Swedish | vecka | ||
| The word 'vecka' is of Proto-Germanic origin, related to the English word 'week' and German 'Woche' and may originally have meant 'change'. | |||
| Welsh | wythnos | ||
| The word "wythnos" is derived from the Old English word "wicu" meaning "change", referring to the changing of the Moon's phases, from which the concept of a week emerged. | |||
Week in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | тыдзень | ||
| The word "тыдзень" originates from Proto-Slavic "*tednь", meaning a seventh of a year, which in turn possibly comes from Proto-Indo-European "*dekṃ" meaning ten. | |||
| Bosnian | sedmica | ||
| The Bosnian term "sedmica" originally referred to a period of seven years, similar to the English word "sennight" (a now-archaic term for a week). | |||
| Bulgarian | седмица | ||
| The word “седмица” also means “seven” in Bulgarian, reflecting the fact that the week consisted of seven days in ancient Slavic cultures. | |||
| Czech | týden | ||
| The word "týden" is derived from the Old Czech word "ty", meaning "to draw" or "to mark", and likely referred to the act of marking off days on a calendar. | |||
| Estonian | nädal | ||
| The Estonian word "nädal" also means "a little bit" or "a while". | |||
| Finnish | viikko | ||
| The word "viikko" in Finnish also refers to a "bundle" or "sheaf" of something, such as hay or flax | |||
| Hungarian | hét | ||
| The word "hét" likely comes from the Proto-Uralic word "*säkt" which also means "seven" | |||
| Latvian | nedēļā | ||
| The word "nedēļā" is derived from the Old Slavonic word "nedaľe", meaning "the period of one day's rest". In modern Latvian, it also refers to the 5-day work period following a weekend. | |||
| Lithuanian | savaitę | ||
| In some dialects, "savaitė" can also refer to a period of six weeks used for calculating rent or wages. | |||
| Macedonian | недела | ||
| The word "недела" (week) in Macedonian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *nedělja, meaning "day of rest" or "Sunday". | |||
| Polish | tydzień | ||
| The Polish word "tydzień" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*tъdьnь", meaning "a series". | |||
| Romanian | săptămână | ||
| The Romanian word "săptămână" is derived from the Latin "septimana", meaning "seven", and refers to the seven-day period. | |||
| Russian | неделю | ||
| The word “неделю”, a form of Russian “не делать”, historically meant “not doing (work)”. | |||
| Serbian | недеља | ||
| The Serbian word "Недеља" is of Slavic origin, and originally meant "no work". | |||
| Slovak | týždeň | ||
| The word "týždeň" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*tъždь", which originally meant "a period of seven days" or "a week". | |||
| Slovenian | teden | ||
| The word 'teden' in Slovenian, meaning 'week', comes from the Proto-Slavic word 'tьdьnь', meaning 'day' or 'period of seven days'. | |||
| Ukrainian | тиждень | ||
| "Тиждень" likely derives from an Old Slavonic word "tъždi" meaning "fat," possibly referring to animal sacrifices conducted on the last day of the week. | |||
Week in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | সপ্তাহ | ||
| The Bengali word "সপ্তাহ" (week) originates from the Sanskrit word "सप्त" (seven) as it encompasses seven days. | |||
| Gujarati | અઠવાડિયું | ||
| The Gujarati word અઠવાડિયું (week) is derived from the Sanskrit word अष्टावदर (ashṭāvara) which means 'eight days' and refers to the eighth day of the week, which is Sunday. | |||
| Hindi | सप्ताह | ||
| The word "सप्ताह" is derived from the Sanskrit word "सप्त," meaning "seven," and refers to a cycle of seven days. | |||
| Kannada | ವಾರ | ||
| The Kannada word "ವಾರ" (vāra), meaning "week", is derived from the Sanskrit word "वार" (vāra) and also refers to a specific day within a week. | |||
| Malayalam | ആഴ്ച | ||
| In Malayalam, 'ആഴ്ച' literally means 'depth' or 'depth of water' and hence came to mean a period of seven days. | |||
| Marathi | आठवडा | ||
| आठवडा' (week) in Marathi means 'returning after eight', referring to the eight-day cycle of the moon's phases. | |||
| Nepali | हप्ता | ||
| The word 'hapta' in Nepali is derived from the Sanskrit word 'saptaha', meaning 'seven nights'. | |||
| Punjabi | ਹਫ਼ਤਾ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | සතිය | ||
| In addition to 'week', the word 'සතිය' (sathiya) also means 'seven' in Sinhala. | |||
| Tamil | வாரம் | ||
| "வாரம்" in Tamil also refers to a period of 7 days or a week and is derived from the Sanskrit word "vāra", meaning "period of time" or "turn". | |||
| Telugu | వారం | ||
| "వారం" also means the group of four people who receive alms on any given day of the week in turn. | |||
| Urdu | ہفتہ | ||
| The Urdu word "ہفتہ" originally meant "seven" but gained the meaning of "week" from the Persian "hafteh". | |||
Week in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 周 | ||
| 周 (周) in Chinese also refers to the dynasty that lasted from ~1046-256 BCE, the last dynasty of Shang China. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 週 | ||
| "週" can also mean "cycle" or "period". | |||
| Japanese | 週間 | ||
| The Japanese word "週間" can also refer to a weekly magazine or a weekly period. | |||
| Korean | 주 | ||
| The Korean word "주" for "week" originally referred to the seven-day zodiacal cycle. | |||
| Mongolian | долоо хоног | ||
| The Mongolian word for "week", "долоо хоног", literally means "seven days." | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | သီတင်းပတ် | ||
Week in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | minggu | ||
| The word minggu comes from the Portuguese word 'domingo' meaning Sunday. | |||
| Javanese | minggu | ||
| "Minggu" also means "sun" in Javanese, as the period of a week is traditionally seen as the cycle of the sun. | |||
| Khmer | សប្តាហ៍ | ||
| Lao | ອາທິດ | ||
| "ອາທິດ" (week) in Lao is related to the Pali word "atta", meaning "sun" or "day". | |||
| Malay | minggu | ||
| Minggu derives from Sanskrit “minggu”, meaning seven. | |||
| Thai | สัปดาห์ | ||
| In Old Khmer, 'sabda' means 'star', but later shifted its meaning to 'day'. | |||
| Vietnamese | tuần | ||
| Tuần in Vietnamese can also mean | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | linggo | ||
Week in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | həftə | ||
| "Həftə" means "week" in Azerbaijani. It comes from the Persian word "haft", meaning "seven", and the suffix "ə", which indicates a collective noun. | |||
| Kazakh | апта | ||
| The word "апта" also means "period" or "duration" in Kazakh. | |||
| Kyrgyz | жума | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "жума" is also used to refer to Friday, the day of worship in Islam, reflecting the strong Islamic influence on Kyrgyz culture. | |||
| Tajik | ҳафта | ||
| "Ҳафта" also means "time" or "period" in Tajik. | |||
| Turkmen | hepde | ||
| Uzbek | hafta | ||
| In Uzbek, the word "hafta" also refers to a period of seven days, but it is primarily used in the context of religious observance or holidays. | |||
| Uyghur | ھەپتە | ||
Week in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | pule | ||
| In Hawaiian, "pule" can also refer to prayer, worship, or a religious service. | |||
| Maori | wiki | ||
| The Māori word "wiki" has alternate meanings, including "a quick movement", "to turn aside" and "to be deflected". | |||
| Samoan | vaiaso | ||
| The Samoan word "vaiaso" comes from the Polynesian root word "aso" meaning "sun" and the prefix "vai" meaning "over" or "upon." | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | linggo | ||
| The Tagalog word "linggo" may derive from Spanish "domingo" (Sunday) via Old Castilian "domingu" and Latin "Domĭnĭcus dies" (Lord's Day). | |||
Week in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | simana | ||
| Guarani | arapokõindy | ||
Week in International Languages
| Esperanto | semajno | ||
| Esperanto's "semajno" is a Calque of the English "sevennight" and was coined by L.L. Zamenhof. | |||
| Latin | septem | ||
| The Latin word 'septem' not only means 'week' but also 'seven', as in 'septem diebus' (seven days). | |||
Week in Others Languages
| Greek | εβδομάδα | ||
| The word "εβδομάδα" can also mean "seven" or "the seventh day of the week". | |||
| Hmong | lub lim tiam | ||
| The Hmong word "lub lim tiam" was originally a term only used to refer to the five days from Monday to Friday, until the 1960s when it was expanded to include Saturday and Sunday. | |||
| Kurdish | hefte | ||
| Despite meaning "week," "hefte" can also refer to a bundle of objects that can be held in one hand. | |||
| Turkish | hafta | ||
| The word "hafta" in Turkish comes from the Arabic word "haft" which means "seven" and also refers to the seven days of the week. | |||
| Xhosa | iveki | ||
| Iveki derives from 'iiveki' (pl. abaiveki) i.e. a round object, from the notion of the week as the period before the start of a new cycle. | |||
| Yiddish | וואָך | ||
| Zulu | isonto | ||
| In astronomy, iSonto is a comet that was discovered in 2013. | |||
| Assamese | সপ্তাহ | ||
| Aymara | simana | ||
| Bhojpuri | हप्ता | ||
| Dhivehi | ހަފްތާ | ||
| Dogri | हफ्ता | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | linggo | ||
| Guarani | arapokõindy | ||
| Ilocano | lawas | ||
| Krio | wik | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | هەفتە | ||
| Maithili | सप्ताह | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯆꯌꯣꯜ | ||
| Mizo | kar | ||
| Oromo | torbee | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ସପ୍ତାହ | ||
| Quechua | semana | ||
| Sanskrit | सप्ताहः | ||
| Tatar | атна | ||
| Tigrinya | ሰሙን | ||
| Tsonga | vhiki | ||