I was 12 when my deaf grandmother taught me my first sign. We were in her tiny kitchen in rural Poland, the radio crackling with old tango, and I’d just spilled milk for the third time.
Instead of scolding me, she lifted her right hand, palm open, and swept it in a small, deliberate arc toward her chest—again. No frustration, just warmth. That single motion said, “It’s okay.
Try once more.” Years later, I discovered that same arc appears in sign languages from Tokyo to Nairobi, a quiet proof that humans everywhere believe in second chances.
“Again” is more than a word; it’s a heartbeat. It’s the toddler who falls and stands, the refugee who rebuilds, the lover who whispers “one more time.”
In spoken tongues it varies wildly, yet in sign it often loops back to the same gesture: motion returning to its source.
Below, we’ll travel the globe—through spoken words, signed loops, and the stories they carry—always circling the truth that again is humanity’s favorite refrain.
Quick Reference Table
| Language (Country) | Word/Phrase | Signed Equivalent (brief) | Cultural Note |
| American Sign Language (ASL) | Again | Dominant hand arcs toward chest | Used in storytelling to loop narratives; emphasizes resilience |
| British Sign Language (BSL) | Again | Two-handed sweep forward | Common in pub retellings—“Tell it again!” |
| French Sign Language (LSF) | Encore | Palm-up flick repeated | Tied to theater; “bis!” at concerts |
| Japanese Sign Language (JSL) | Mō ichido | Index finger circles vertically | Politeness marker; softens requests |
| Korean Sign Language (KSL) | Tashi | Both hands rotate outward | Used in education; “one more practice” |
| Langue des Signes Québécoise (LSQ) | Encore | Similar to LSF but one-handed | Strong theater tradition |
| Italian Sign Language (LIS) | Di nuovo | Hand circles near chin | Expressive in opera culture |
| German Sign Language (DGS) | Nochmal | Fist bumps chest twice | Direct, no-nonsense repetition |
| Auslan (Australian) | Again | Arc identical to ASL | Reflects shared history with BSL |
| South African Sign Language (SASL) | Weer | Hand loops forward | Used in reconciliation narratives |
| Mexican Sign Language (LSM) | Otra vez | Palm flips outward | Common in street markets—“bargain again” |
| Brazilian Sign Language (Libras) | De novo | Circular motion at shoulder | Samba rhythm influences signing speed |
| Indian Sign Language (ISL) | Phir se | Index loops near temple | Tied to reincarnation concepts |
| Russian Sign Language (RSL) | Eshchë raz | Hand sweeps sideways | Endurance motif in literature |
| Irish Sign Language (ISL) | Arís | Small bounce of dominant hand | Linked to céilí dance repeats |
(Table covers 15 sign languages; spoken equivalents appear in regional sections.)
European Languages
Europe’s spoken “again” often sounds like a polite nudge.
- French: encore – literally “in the heart.” At concerts, audiences shout it; in conversation, it’s a gentle “could you repeat?”
- Spanish: otra vez – “another time.” In flamenco, the otra vez is the moment the dancer finds her soul mid-song.
- Italian: di nuovo – “of new.” Italians use it with a smile, as if novelty itself is a gift.
- German: nochmal – “still once.” Efficient, like a train schedule, yet warm in classrooms: Nochmal, bitte.
- Polish: jeszcze raz – “one more time.” My grandmother signed the same arc while speaking it, blending worlds.
Across cafés from Lisbon to Tallinn, “again” is less command, more invitation—tea refills, stories retold, kisses stolen twice.
Asian Languages
Asia treats repetition as ritual.
| Country | Language | Word | Insight |
| China | Mandarin | 再 (zài) | Same character for “then” and “again”—time is a circle. |
| Japan | Japanese | もう一度 (mō ichido) | Bow while saying it; humility in retrying. |
| Korea | Korean | 다시 (dasi) | K-dramas weaponize dasi for redemption arcs. |
| India | Hindi | फिर (phir) | Echoes reincarnation—life itself is phir se. |
| Thailand | Thai | อีกครั้ง (ìik kráng) | Monks chant it during meditation loops. |
| Vietnam | Vietnamese | lại | Soft tone; failure is just lại một lần. |
| Indonesia | Bahasa Indonesia | lagi | Street vendors: “Lagi, lagi!”—more satay, more joy. |
| Philippines | Tagalog | ulit | Children’s games: paulit-ulit means “endless fun.” |
| Malaysia | Malay | lagi | Same word as Indonesian—shared archipelago heartbeat. |
| Pakistan | Urdu | پھر (phir) | Sufi poetry spins phir milenge—we’ll meet again. |
| Bangladesh | Bengali | আবার (abar) | Tagore’s songs plead abar eso—come again. |
| Sri Lanka | Sinhala | නැවත (nævata) | Buddhist cycles; nævata is karma’s echo. |
| Nepal | Nepali | फेरि (pheri) | Mountain climbers: pheri try garam—try again. |
| Myanmar | Burmese | နောက်တစ်ခါ (naunt t ha.) | Pagoda chants loop for merit. |
| Cambodia | Khmer | ម្តងទៀត (mdong tiet) | Apsara dancers repeat phrases in stone carvings. |
| Laos | Lao | ອີກເທື່ອໜຶ່ງ (ik theu ny) | Mekong sunsets beg ik theu ny. |
| Mongolia | Mongolian | дахин (dakhin) | Nomads: tents packed dakhin each season. |
| Bhutan | Dzongkha | ལོག (log) | Happiness index rises with log mindset. |
| Afghanistan | Pashto | بیا (bya) | Poets: bya rasha—come again, beloved. |
| Turkey | Turkish | tekrar | Whirling dervishes spin tekrar into ecstasy. |
In Asia, “again” isn’t linear—it’s the lotus reopening, the monsoon returning, the ancestor reborn.
African Languages
Africa’s “again” pulses like a djembe.
| Country | Language | Word | Insight |
| Kenya/Tanzania | Swahili | tena | Hakuna matata’s cousin—tena jaribu (try again). |
| South Africa | Zulu | futhi | Sang in struggle songs: futhi sizokwenza (we’ll do it again). |
| Nigeria | Yoruba | lẹ́ẹ̀kan si | Ifá divination: lẹ́ẹ̀kan si seeks new oracle. |
| Ghana | Twi | bio | Market haggling: bio, bio!—lower the price again. |
| Ethiopia | Amharic | እንደገና (ïndegena) | Coffee ceremony—three rounds, ïndegena. |
| Morocco | Arabic | مرة أخرى (marra ukhra) | Call to prayer echoes marra ukhra. |
| Algeria | Arabic | مرة ثانية (marra thaniya) | Revolution slogan: marra thaniya! |
| Egypt | Arabic | تاني (tani) | Nile floods tani each year—life renews. |
| Senegal | Wolof | nak | Griots retell epics nak, nak. |
| Mali | Bambara | kofe | Timbuktu manuscripts copied kofe. |
| Somalia | Somali | mar kale | Nomads: mar kale for lost camels. |
| Sudan | Arabic | مرة تانية (marra taniya) | Peace talks: marra taniya. |
| DR Congo | Lingala | lisusu | Rumba lyrics: lisusu na yo (again with you). |
| Rwanda | Kinyarwanda | nanone | Genocide survivors: nanone twubaka (we rebuild again). |
| Uganda | Luganda | ddala | Children’s games: ddala, ddala! |
| Zimbabwe | Shona | zvekare | Liberation war: zvekare tose (all again). |
| Madagascar | Malagasy | indray | Ancestor rituals: indray miverina. |
| Namibia | Oshiwambo | nonghalo | Desert blooms nonghalo after rain. |
| Botswana | Setswana | gape | Diamond mines: gape for luck. |
| Côte d’Ivoire | Dioula | kofe | Same root as Bambara—trade routes echo. |
Across the continent, “again” is survival sung aloud.
Indigenous & Island Languages
Indigenous tongues treat “again” as homecoming.
| Region/Country | Language | Word | Insight |
| New Zealand | Māori | anō | Haka: anō, anō!—ancestors return. |
| Hawaii | ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi | hou | Aloha means hou—breath shared again. |
| USA | Cherokee | ᎾᏁᎲᎾ (nanehvna) | Trail of Tears: nanehvna we rise. |
| Samoa | Gagana Samoa | toe | Fa’a Samoa: toe fo’i—return to family. |
| Fiji | iTaukei | tale | Kava circles: tale mada—one more bowl. |
| Papua New Guinea | Tok Pisin | gen | 800+ languages, one word: gen, gen. |
| Australia | Yolŋu Matha | ŋäṉḏi-ŋäṉḏi | Dreamtime loops: ŋäṉḏi-ŋäṉḏi. |
| Canada | Inuktitut | ᐊᓂᒃᑳᖅ (anikaaq) | Ice breaks anikaaq each spring. |
| Mexico | Nahuatl | ōmpa | Aztec poetry: ōmpa in tlalticpac—on earth again. |
| Peru | Quechua | huk kutin | Inti Raymi: sun returns huk kutin. |
| Bolivia | Aymara | jichha | Lake Titicaca reeds regrow jichha. |
| Greenland | Kalaallisut | una | Polar night ends una. |
| Tonga | Lea Fakatonga | toe | Royal kava: toe inu. |
| Vanuatu | Bislama | gen | Volcanoes erupt gen. |
| Solomon Islands | Pijin | gen | Canoes paddle gen. |
| Easter Island | Rapa Nui | ka hou | Moai gaze ka hou whenu—land again. |
| Guatemala | K’iche’ | chik | Maya calendar: chik oj b’ixon—we sing again. |
| Alaska | Yup’ik | piyu- | Aurora dances piyu-. |
| Sápmi (Scandinavia) | Northern Sámi | ođđasit | Reindeer migrate ođđasit. |
In indigenous worlds, “again” is the earth’s promise to spin once more.
Cultural Insights
The Proto-Indo-European root *h₂en- (“on”) birthed Latin in- and Sanskrit ana. But older still are cave paintings—30,000-year-old hand stencils in Spain layered again and again, artists returning to the same wall like pilgrims.
In Hinduism, punarjanma (rebirth) makes “again” cosmic. In Christianity, Easter is iterum—again He rises. Samurai seppuku allowed kaishaku—one more chance to die honorably. Even science loops: Big Bang, Big Crunch, again.
Sign languages converge on the chest-arc because the heart is where we store unfinished stories.
Proverbs That Loop the Globe
- Japan: 七転び八起き (Fall seven times, rise eight) – “again” is the eighth stand.
- Yoruba: Ẹni tí ó bá ṣubú, tí kò níì dúró, yóò tún ṣubú lẹ́ẹ̀kansi – He who falls and refuses to rise will fall again.
- Spanish: No hay mal que por bien no venga, ni bien que cien años dure – Every evil births good again.
- Māori: Ka mate kāinga tahi, ka ora kāinga rua – When one home fails, another anō awaits.
- Swahili: Mtaka cha mvunguni sharti ainame – He who wants what’s under the bed must bend tena.
- Cherokee: ᎤᏲᎯᏍᏗ ᎤᏓᏒᎢ (Bad things happen, but life goes on) – implied nanehvna.
- Hawaiian: I ka olelo no ke ola, i ka olelo no ka make – In speech is life hou, in speech is death.
FAQs
Why do sign languages worldwide use a similar chest-arc?
The heart is universal; motion returning to self mimics retrying from within.
What’s the oldest recorded “again”?
Sumerian cuneiform (c. 3100 BCE): mina – “what again?” in grain tallies.
Do any cultures fear “again”?
Yes—Greek palin (again) birthed “palindrome” but also palinodia (recanting). Some Aboriginal Australian groups avoid repeating a dead person’s name to prevent ghostly return.
Is “again” ever taboo?
In parts of Papua New Guinea, repeating a spell gen too soon angers spirits.
One More Time
From my grandmother’s kitchen to your screen, “again” has looped continents, centuries, heartbeats. It is the toddler’s stumble, the refugee’s footstep, the lover’s whisper, the earth’s quiet promise at dawn.
Now it’s your turn. Drop your language’s word for “again” in the comments—spoken, signed, sung, or danced. Bonus points for the story behind it. Let’s build the world’s longest echo.
Hit reply. Say it again. The loop is listening.
