Welcome in Different Languages
Discover 'Welcome' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'welcome' holds a special place in our hearts and conversations, as it represents warmth, acceptance, and inclusion. It is a word that transcends borders and cultures, and is understood universally as a gesture of goodwill. But have you ever wondered how 'welcome' is translated in different languages?
Understanding the translation of 'welcome' in various languages can open up new avenues of communication and cultural appreciation. For instance, in Spanish, 'welcome' is 'bienvenido/bienvenida,' while in French, it is 'bienvenue.' In Japanese, the phrase 'yōkoso' is used to welcome someone, and in Arabic, 'ahlan wa sahlan' is the equivalent of 'welcome.'
Moreover, the word 'welcome' has a rich historical context and is associated with various traditions and customs around the world. For instance, in some cultures, it is customary to offer a warm drink or food to a welcomed guest, while in others, a simple handshake or nod of the head is sufficient.
Join us as we explore the many translations of 'welcome' in different languages and cultures, and gain a deeper appreciation for the beauty of linguistic diversity.
Welcome
Welcome in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | welkom | ||
| The word "welkom" in Afrikaans is derived from the Dutch word "welkom", meaning "welcome", and can also refer to a town in South Africa. | |||
| Amharic | እንኳን ደህና መጣህ | ||
| Hausa | barka da zuwa | ||
| The word "barka da zuwa" in Hausa may also refer to "respect" or "honor" when used in a greeting. | |||
| Igbo | nabata | ||
| The word "nabata" can also mean "to arrive" or "to come" in Igbo. | |||
| Malagasy | tonga soa | ||
| Tongasoa is also the name of a type of dance in Madagascar. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | takulandirani | ||
| Shona | mauya | ||
| The Shona word "Mauya" also means "good health" or "well-being." | |||
| Somali | soo dhawow | ||
| The word "soo dhawow" literally translates to "come close" or "approach" in Somali. | |||
| Sesotho | amohela | ||
| The word "amohela" in Sesotho also means "to make comfortable" or "to make feel at home". | |||
| Swahili | karibu | ||
| In Swahili, "karibu" derives from Arabic "qarība", meaning "to draw near". | |||
| Xhosa | wamkelekile | ||
| The word "Wamkelekile" can also be translated as "You have made us complete" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yoruba | kaabo | ||
| The word "kaabo" in Yoruba can be expanded to mean "I kneel in reverence of your coming." | |||
| Zulu | wamukelekile | ||
| The Zulu word "wamukelekile" also means "you are accepted" or "you are received". | |||
| Bambara | i danse | ||
| Ewe | woezɔ̃ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | murakaza neza | ||
| Lingala | boyei malamu | ||
| Luganda | kaale | ||
| Sepedi | le amogetšwe | ||
| Twi (Akan) | akwaaba | ||
Welcome in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | أهلا بك | ||
| The Arabic word "أهلا بك" is related to the word "أهل" (family), signifying a warm and familiar welcome. | |||
| Hebrew | ברוך הבא | ||
| The Hebrew word ברוך הבא originates from the Jewish tradition of blessing guests and strangers. | |||
| Pashto | ښه راغلاست | ||
| In Pashto, ښه راغلاست (khush raghlast) literally translates to "may your coming be good," conveying hospitality and auspiciousness. | |||
| Arabic | أهلا بك | ||
| The Arabic word "أهلا بك" is related to the word "أهل" (family), signifying a warm and familiar welcome. | |||
Welcome in Western European Languages
| Albanian | mirëseardhje | ||
| "Mirëseardhje" is derived from the Albanian words "mirë" (good) and "seardhje" (arrival), literally meaning "good arrival" | |||
| Basque | ongi etorria | ||
| 'Ongi etorri' literally translates to 'you are doing well' in Basque and was originally used in the context of meeting someone who had been traveling. | |||
| Catalan | benvingut | ||
| The word "Benvingut" is derived from the Latin phrase "bene veniens", meaning "arriving well". | |||
| Croatian | dobrodošli | ||
| In Serbian, the word "dobrodošli" also exists and it means "good evening" or "good night" depending on the time of day. | |||
| Danish | velkommen | ||
| Velkommen derives from the Old Norse word 'velkominn' meaning 'well received'. | |||
| Dutch | welkom | ||
| In Afrikaans, "welkom" means "wealthy" and is sometimes used in that sense in Dutch as well. | |||
| English | welcome | ||
| The word "welcome" derives from the Old English phrase "wilcuma", meaning "well-come", expressing a wish for someone's well-being on their arrival. | |||
| French | bienvenue | ||
| Bienvenue, from the Old French word 'bien venue,' literally means 'good arrival or coming' and conveys a warm and inviting greeting. | |||
| Frisian | wolkom | ||
| In the East Frisian language, 'wolkom' also means 'to come' and is related to the Dutch 'welkome'. | |||
| Galician | benvido | ||
| The word "benvido" in Galician is closely related to the verb "vir" (to come) and the noun "ben" (good), suggesting an invitation to enter and experience something positive. | |||
| German | herzlich willkommen | ||
| The German phrase "herzlich willkommen" literally translates to "warm welcome" or "hearty welcome" in English | |||
| Icelandic | velkominn | ||
| The Icelandic word "velkominn" is derived from the Old Norse word "velkominn", which means "welcome" and is related to the English word "welcome". | |||
| Irish | fáilte | ||
| Fáilte comes from the Old Irish verb foill, meaning 'to turn, roll, or fold'. | |||
| Italian | benvenuto | ||
| Derived from Latin bene ( | |||
| Luxembourgish | wëllkomm | ||
| "Wëllkomm" is derived from the Old High German "willicumi", meaning "something well-pleasing" or "a gift of welcome". | |||
| Maltese | merħba | ||
| The Maltese word "merħba" is derived from the Arabic word "marhaba", meaning "greetings" or "welcome". | |||
| Norwegian | velkommen | ||
| Velkommen originates from the Old Norse word 'velkominn' meaning 'come well', and is used to invite or greet people. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | bem-vinda | ||
| The Portuguese word "bem-vinda" can also mean "well-come" or "to come well" in English. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | fàilte | ||
| Fàilte has its roots in the Old Irish word fáilte, which referred to a gift or a welcome gift presented to guests. | |||
| Spanish | bienvenidos | ||
| The Spanish word "bienvenidos" (welcome) comes from the Latin words "bene" (well) and "venire" (to come). | |||
| Swedish | välkommen | ||
| The word 'Välkommen' in Swedish derives from the Old Norse phrase 'vel kominn', meaning 'well-arrived' or 'well-come'. | |||
| Welsh | croeso | ||
| The word "croeso" in Welsh may also refer to a "hearth" or a "home". | |||
Welcome in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | вітаем | ||
| "Вітаем" (welcome) is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *vitati, meaning "to greet" or "to call." | |||
| Bosnian | dobrodošli | ||
| The Bosnian word "dobrodošli" (welcome) is derived from the Slavic root "dobr-" (good), and is related to the words "dobar" (good) and "dobro" (goodness) | |||
| Bulgarian | добре дошли | ||
| In Bulgarian, "добре дошли" is a compound word meaning "good come" and can also be used to refer to visitors or guests. | |||
| Czech | vítejte | ||
| The Czech word "Vítejte" comes from the verb "vítati" meaning "to greet" and also means "you are greeted". | |||
| Estonian | tere tulemast | ||
| Tere tulemast is formed from "tere," which means "health or greeting" and "tulema," meaning "to come". | |||
| Finnish | tervetuloa | ||
| Tervetuloa, which literally means 'come safe,' was originally uttered as a wish for safe travels in 18th-century Finland. | |||
| Hungarian | üdvözöljük | ||
| The word "Üdvözöljük" is derived from the Hungarian word "üdvöz" which means "to greet, to hail, to welcome". | |||
| Latvian | laipni gaidīti | ||
| The Latvian word "laipni gaidīti" comes from the words "laipns" (kind) and "gaidīt" (to wait), and literally means "you are kindly awaited". | |||
| Lithuanian | sveiki | ||
| The word “Sveiki” in Lithuanian can also mean “Hello” or “Goodbye”. | |||
| Macedonian | добредојде | ||
| The word "добредојде" is composed of the words "добре" (good) and "дојде" (come), and thus literally means "come well". | |||
| Polish | witamy | ||
| The word 'Witamy' can be traced back to the Old Slavic word 'vitati', which means 'to greet' or 'to meet'. | |||
| Romanian | bine ati venit | ||
| The Romanian word "Bine ati venit" is derived from the Latin phrase "bene venitis," which also means "welcome." | |||
| Russian | добро пожаловать | ||
| The phrase literally translates to "good come," a wish for the arrival of goodness. | |||
| Serbian | добродошли | ||
| The Serbian word 'Добродошли' ('welcome') is formed from the root 'добр' ('good'), and the suffix '-о-дошли' (literally 'they have come'). | |||
| Slovak | vitaj | ||
| "Vitaj" in Slovak derives from "vítam" (to greet) and has also been used in other Slavic languages, like Polish "witać" and Russian "витать". | |||
| Slovenian | dobrodošli | ||
| The word 'dobrodošli' is derived from the Slavic roots 'dobro' (good) and 'došli' (come), and can also mean 'guests are welcome' or 'you are a welcome guest'. | |||
| Ukrainian | ласкаво просимо | ||
| The Ukrainian word "ласкаво просимо" (laskawo prosymo) is derived from the verbs "ласкати" (laskaty) meaning "to caress" and "просити" (prosyty) meaning "to ask". | |||
Welcome in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | স্বাগত | ||
| The term 'স্বাগত' in Bengali is also a derivative of Sanskrit and means 'well protected' | |||
| Gujarati | સ્વાગત છે | ||
| Hindi | स्वागत हे | ||
| Kannada | ಸ್ವಾಗತ | ||
| "ಸ್ವಾಗತ" (svāgata) derives from Sanskrit and means "acceptance", "approval", "greeting", "favor", "honoring", "reception" or "entertainment of guests." | |||
| Malayalam | സ്വാഗതം | ||
| The Malayalam word "സ്വാഗതം" (welcome) originates from Sanskrit and literally means "a good way to arrive" or "the right way to receive". | |||
| Marathi | स्वागत आहे | ||
| Nepali | स्वागतम् | ||
| The word "स्वागतम्" is derived from the Sanskrit word "स्वागत" which means "receiving a guest with honor and respect", and has alternate meanings in other languages including "acceptance" and "hospitality". | |||
| Punjabi | ਸਵਾਗਤ ਹੈ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | සාදරයෙන් පිළිගනිමු | ||
| Tamil | வரவேற்பு | ||
| The term 'வரவேற்பு' finds its roots in the ancient Tamil word 'வருக', which means 'to arrive' or 'to visit'. | |||
| Telugu | స్వాగతం | ||
| The term 'స్వాగతం' (swagatam) in Telugu is derived from the Sanskrit word 'स्वागतम्' (svagatam), which means 'welcome' or 'well-being'. It is also used to express a sense of hospitality or gracious reception. | |||
| Urdu | خوش آمدید | ||
| " خوش آمدید " is an Urdu greeting that literally means "May your arrival be good", but is often used simply to say "welcome." | |||
Welcome in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 欢迎 | ||
| 欢迎 is formed of the characters 欢 (to rejoice) and 迎 (to meet). | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 歡迎 | ||
| 歡迎 can also mean "to receive graciously" or "to accept with pleasure, | |||
| Japanese | ようこそ | ||
| "ようこそ" is also the command to start a game of Go | |||
| Korean | 어서 오십시오 | ||
| Mongolian | тавтай морилно уу | ||
| The Mongolian word "тавтай морилно уу" (welcome) is also used in Buryat as "табай мурилдаг" (literally "blessing your horse"), with "horse" metaphorically referring to the guest. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ကြိုဆိုပါတယ် | ||
Welcome in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | selamat datang | ||
| The Indonesian word "selamat datang" literally translates to "safe arrival". | |||
| Javanese | sugeng rawuh | ||
| Sugeng rawuh, a Javanese word for "welcome," derives from the Javanese phrase "sumangga rawuh," meaning "please come in." | |||
| Khmer | សូមស្វាគមន៍ | ||
| Lao | ຍິນດີຕ້ອນຮັບ | ||
| Malay | selamat datang | ||
| The Malay word 'selamat datang' literally means 'safe arrival', with 'selamat' meaning 'safe' and 'datang' meaning 'arrival'. | |||
| Thai | ยินดีต้อนรับ | ||
| Vietnamese | chào mừng | ||
| The word "chào mừng" in Vietnamese can also mean "to greet" and "to congratulate". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | maligayang pagdating | ||
Welcome in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | xoş gəlmisiniz | ||
| Xoş | |||
| Kazakh | қош келдіңіз | ||
| The Kazakh word "қош келдіңіз" is derived from the Turkic root "qoş-", meaning "join" or "unite," and is used to greet visitors and express hospitality. | |||
| Kyrgyz | кош келдиңиз | ||
| Tajik | хуш омадед | ||
| The phrase "хуш омадед" ("welcome") in Tajik is derived from the Persian phrase "خوش آمدید" ("you have arrived with joy"). | |||
| Turkmen | hoş geldiňiz | ||
| Uzbek | xush kelibsiz | ||
| The word "xush kelibsiz" is a combination of the words "xush" (meaning "good") and "kelibsiz" (meaning "come"), therefore directly translating to "you came well" | |||
| Uyghur | قارشى ئالىمىز | ||
Welcome in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | welina | ||
| "Welina" has two possible interpretations, with the first referring to the act of acknowledging someone's presence and the second implying an invitation or permission to enter. | |||
| Maori | nau mai | ||
| Nau mai originates from 'nau' meaning 'here' or 'present' and 'mai' meaning 'towards' suggesting 'come here'. | |||
| Samoan | afio mai | ||
| "Afio mai" literally means "come to sit" or "come to rest". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | maligayang pagdating | ||
Welcome in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | aski jutäwi | ||
| Guarani | tapeg̃uahẽporãite | ||
Welcome in International Languages
| Esperanto | bonvenon | ||
| The word "bonvenon" is derived from the French "bon" (good) and the Latin "venio" (to come). | |||
| Latin | gratissimum | ||
| The word gratissimum also means 'very agreeable' | |||
Welcome in Others Languages
| Greek | καλως ηρθατε | ||
| The Greek word "καλως ΗΡΘΑΤΕ" is derived from the words "καλως" (well) and "ηρθατε" (you came), implying a warm greeting and a sense of hospitality. | |||
| Hmong | txais tos | ||
| "Txais tos" in Hmong can also refer to "come, enter". | |||
| Kurdish | bi xêr hatî | ||
| The Kurdish phrase "bi xêr hatî" originates from the Arabic greeting "ahlan wa sahlan", meaning "you are welcome and comfortable". | |||
| Turkish | hoşgeldiniz | ||
| Hoşgeldiniz is a Turkish word derived from the Arabic phrase 'huwa-sha galada', meaning 'he is coming to the place'. It implies a warm reception and hospitality. | |||
| Xhosa | wamkelekile | ||
| The word "Wamkelekile" can also be translated as "You have made us complete" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yiddish | באַגריסן | ||
| The Yiddish word "באַגריסן" also has the alternate meaning of "to greet". | |||
| Zulu | wamukelekile | ||
| The Zulu word "wamukelekile" also means "you are accepted" or "you are received". | |||
| Assamese | স্বাগতম | ||
| Aymara | aski jutäwi | ||
| Bhojpuri | स्वागत | ||
| Dhivehi | މަރުޙަބާ | ||
| Dogri | सुआगत | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | maligayang pagdating | ||
| Guarani | tapeg̃uahẽporãite | ||
| Ilocano | naragsak nga isasangbay | ||
| Krio | wɛlkɔm | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | بەخێربێیت | ||
| Maithili | स्वागत | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯇꯔꯥꯝꯅ ꯑꯣꯛꯆꯔꯤ | ||
| Mizo | chibai | ||
| Oromo | baga nagaan dhufte | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ସ୍ୱାଗତ | ||
| Quechua | allinlla chayaykamuy | ||
| Sanskrit | स्वागतम् | ||
| Tatar | рәхим итегез | ||
| Tigrinya | እንኳዕ ደሓን መፁ | ||
| Tsonga | amukela | ||