so

See also: Appendix:Variations of "so"

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Page categories

Translingual

Etymology

Clipping of English Somali or Afar and Somali Soomaali.

Symbol

so

(international standards) ISO 639-1 language code for Somali.

English

English Wikipedia has an article on:

so

Wikipedia

Etymology 1

From Middle English so, swo, zuo, swa, swe, from Old English swā, swǣ, swē (“so, as, the same, such, that”), from Proto-West Germanic *swā, from Proto-Germanic *swa, *swē (“so”), from Proto-Indo-European *swē, *swō (reflexive pronomial stem). Cognate with Scots sae (“so”), Saterland Frisian so (“so”), West Frisian sa (“so”), Dutch zo (“so”), German Low German so (“so”), German so (“so”), Danish så (“so”), Norwegian Nynorsk so (“so”), Swedish så (“so, such that”), Faroese so (“so”), Icelandic svo (“so”), Old Latin suad (“so”), Albanian sa (“how much, so, as”), Ancient Greek ὡς (hōs, “as”), Urdu سو (sō, “hence”).

Pronunciation

(Received Pronunciation) enPR: sō, IPA^(key): /səʊ/
- Audio (UK): (file)
- (Northumbria) IPA^(key): /siː/
  - (unstressed form) IPA^(key): /sə/
(US) enPR: sō, IPA^(key): /soʊ/
- Audio (US): (file)
(Canada) IPA^(key): [soː]
(Scotland) IPA^(key): /so/
(Wales, without the toe–tow merger) IPA^(key): /soː/
(Dublin, Local) IPA^(key): /sʌo/
Rhymes: -əʊ
Homophones: seau, soe, soh; sew, sow (toe–tow merger) (sense 2) soy (some non-standard dialects)

Conjunction

so

Reduced form of 'so that', used to express purpose; in order that.
I got an earlier train to work so I'd have plenty of time to prepare for the meeting.

Eat your broccoli so you can have dessert.
As a result; for that reason; therefore; because of this; due to this.
I was hungry, so I asked if there was any more food.

He ate too much cake and so he fell ill.

He wanted a book, so he went to the library.

“I need to go to the bathroom.” ― “So go!”
- 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter I, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y.; London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:
  Thinks I to myself, “Sol, you're run off your course again. This is a rich man's summer ‘cottage’ […].” So I started to back away again into the bushes. But I hadn't backed more'n a couple of yards when I see something so amazing that I couldn't help scooching down behind the bayberries and looking at it.
Used to connect previous conversation or events to the following question.
So how does this story end?
Used to introduce a rhetorical question.
“We'd like to visit but I don't know if we can afford a hotel.” — “So who's staying in a hotel? Stay with us.”
(archaic) Provided that; on condition that; as long as.
- c. 1590–1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Two Gentlemen of Verona”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i]:
  Speed. ‘Item: She doth talk in her sleep.’
  Launce. It’s no matter for that, so she sleep not in her talk.
- 1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 18, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book II, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC:
  As we cal money not onely that which is true and good, but also the false; so it be currant.
- 1644, John Milton, Areopagitica; a Speech of Mr. John Milton for the Liberty of Unlicenc’d Printing, to the Parlament of England, London: [s.n.], →OCLC, page 35:
  […] though all the windes of doctrin were let loose play upon the earth, so Truth be in the field, we do injuriously by licencing and prohibiting to misdoubt her strength.
- 1743, Robert Drury, The Pleasant, and Surprizing Adventures of Mr. Robert Drury, during his Fifteen Years Captivity on the Island of Madagascar‎^[5], London, page 111:
  I went away very well satisfy’d, not caring where I was sent, so it was but out of his Sight; for he now became more my Aversion than ever.

Usage notes

Chiefly in North American use, a comma or pause is often used before the conjunction when used in the sense as a result. (A similar meaning can often be achieved by using a semicolon or colon (without the so), as for example: He drank the poison; he died.)

The apparently meaningless use of so to begin sentences, such as replies to questions, where there is no relevant sense of in order that or for that reason, has become increasingly common over the early part of the 21st century, and has widely been described as irritating. [6][7][8][9][10].

Synonyms

(in order that): so that, that

Translations

See so/translations § Conjunction.

Adverb

so (not comparable)

To the (explicitly stated) extent.
It was so hot outside that all the plants died.

He was so good, they hired him on the spot.

You behaviour so incensed me that I even thought of firing you.

It was so cold a day that I could hardly breathe outside.

So ridiculously did I do in the exam that mom grounded me for a month.
- 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter I, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y.; London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:
  Thinks I to myself, “Sol, you're run off your course again. This is a rich man's summer ‘cottage’ […].” So I started to back away again into the bushes. But I hadn't backed more'n a couple of yards when I see something so amazing that I couldn't help scooching down behind the bayberries and looking at it.
- 2013 July 20, “Old soldiers?”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8845:
  Whether modern, industrial man is less or more warlike than his hunter-gatherer ancestors is impossible to determine. The machine gun is so much more lethal than the bow and arrow that comparisons are meaningless.
To the (implied) extent.
I need a piece of cloth so long. [= this long]
- 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter II, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:
  We drove back to the office with some concern on my part at the prospect of so large a case. Sunning himself on the board steps, I saw for the first time Mr. Farquhar Fenelon Cooke.
Very (positive or negative clause).
I feel so much better now.

I so nearly lost my temper.

It’s not so bad. [i.e. it's acceptable]
- 1910, Emerson Hough, chapter I, in The Purchase Price: Or The Cause of Compromise, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
  Captain Edward Carlisle […] felt a curious sensation of helplessness seize upon him as he met her steady gaze, […]; he could not tell what this prisoner might do. He cursed the fate which had assigned such a duty, cursed especially that fate which forced a gallant soldier to meet so superb a woman as this under handicap so hard.
Very much.
But I so want to see the Queen when she visits our town!
- 1879, R[ichard] J[efferies], chapter 1, in The Amateur Poacher, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., […], →OCLC:
  Molly the dairymaid came a little way from the rickyard, and said she would pluck the pigeon that very night after work. She was always ready to do anything for us boys; and we could never quite make out why they scolded her so for an idle hussy indoors. It seemed so unjust.
- 1989, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #5, Archie Comics:
  I so wanted to be Jess Harley again.
- 2003 April 16, Michael Stokes, “I, Dude”, in Totally Spies!, season 2, episode 9, spoken by Clover (Andrea Taylor), Marathon Media, via Teletoon:
  Yeah! Not eating is so 90’s!
1. (informal) at all (negative clause).
  That is so not true!
In the same manner or to the same extent as aforementioned; likewise, also.
As above, so below.

Just as you have the right to your free speech, so I have the right to mine. Many people say she's the world's greatest athlete, but I don't think so. "I can count backwards from one hundred." "So can I."

He wants to eat now. So does she.
- 1883, Howard Pyle, chapter V, in The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood […], New York, N.Y.: […] Charles Scribner’s Sons […], →OCLC:
  "Good morrow to thee, jolly fellow," quoth Robin, "thou seemest happy this merry morn." ¶ "Ay, that am I," quoth the jolly Butcher, "and why should I not be so? Am I not hale in wind and limb? Have I not the bonniest lass in all Nottinghamshire? And lastly, am I not to be married to her on Thursday next in sweet Locksley Town?"
- 1920, Edward Carpenter, Pagan and Christian Creeds, New York: Harcourt, Brace and Co., published 1921, page 192:
  The work thus done has probably been of the greatest value to the human race; but, just as in other cases it has sometimes happened that the effort to do a certain work has resulted in the end in an unbalanced exaggeration so here.
- 2012 May 19, Paul Fletcher, “Blackpool 1-2 West Ham”, in BBC Sport:
  It was a goal that meant West Ham won on their first appearance at Wembley in 31 years, in doing so becoming the first team since Leicester in 1996 to bounce straight back to the Premier League through the play-offs.
- 2019, Amanda Koci, Henry Walter, Charlie Puth, Maria Smith, Victor Thellm, Gigi Grombacher, Roland Spreckle, “So Am I”, performed by Ava Max:
  it's okay to be different
  'Cause baby, so am I
Indeed.
‘Look, it’s just stopped raining.’ ‘So it has!’

‘There are two more.’ ‘So there are.’
(with as): To such an extent or degree; as.
so far as; so long as; so much as

Usage notes

Use of so in the sense to the implied extent is discouraged in formal writing; spoken intonation which might render the usage clearer is not usually apparent to the reader, who might reasonably expect the extent to be made explicit. For example, the reader may expect He is so good to be followed by an explanation or consequence of how good he is. Devices such as use of underscoring and the exclamation mark may be used as a means of clarifying that the implicit usage is intended; capitalising SO is also used. The derivative subsenses very and very much are similarly more apparent with spoken exaggerated intonation.

The difference between so and very in implied-extent usage is that very is more descriptive or matter-of-fact, while so indicates more emotional involvement. For example, she is very clever is a simple statement of opinion; she is so clever suggests admiration. Likewise, that is very typical is a simple statement; that is SO typical of him! is an indictment. A formal (and reserved) apology may be expressed I am very sorry, but after elbowing someone in the nose during a basketball game, a man might say, Dude, I am so sorry! in order to ensure that it's understood as an accident.^[1]

Synonyms

(very): really, truly, that, very
(to a particular extent): that, this, yea
(in the same aformentioned manner): like this, thus
(slang: very much): really, truly, very much

Derived terms

Translations

See so/translations § Adverb.

References

^ Mark Liberman, "Ask Language Log: So feminine?", 2012 March 26

Adjective

so (comparative more so, superlative most so)

Agreeing with actual facts or reality; true.
That is so.

You are responsible for this, is that not so?
- 1908, W[illiam] B[lair] M[orton] Ferguson, chapter IV, in Zollenstein, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC:
  “My Continental prominence is improving,” I commented dryly. ¶ Von Lindowe cut at a furze bush with his silver-mounted rattan. ¶ “Quite so,” he said as dryly, his hand at his mustache. “I may say if your intentions were known your life would not be worth a curse.”
- 2008, Leslie T. Chang, Factory Girls: From Village to City in a Changing China‎^[11], New York: Spiegel & Grau, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, page 73:
  The details of her own life crowded out everything else; almost every time I saw Min, she had something new to tell me. It sometimes felt as if the laws of the physical world did not apply to her, that she had only to think of something — a job switch, a breakup — to make it so. If I didn’t see her for a while, she might forget to tell me that she had quit a factory or gotten a raise, because in her mind she had already moved on.
In that state or manner; with that attribute. A proadjective that replaces the aforementioned adjective phrase.
"You're definitely not right about that." "I am so!" (→I am right about that).
- 1823, Andrew Reed, Martha:
  If this separation was painful to all parties, it was most so to Martha.
- 1872, Charles Dickens, “The Personal History of David Copperfield”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name):
  But if I had been more fit to be married, I might have made you more so too.
- 1947, Liberty Hyde Bailey, The Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture:
  It must be understood that while the nelumbiums are hardy, they are so only as long as the tubers are out of the reach of frost.
(dated, UK, slang) Homosexual.
Is he so?

Synonyms

(true): correct, right, true
(euphemistic: homosexual): musical, one of the family, one of them, that way inclined

Derived terms

Translations

See so/translations § Adjective.

Interjection

so

Used after a pause for thought to introduce a new topic, question or story, or a new thought or question in continuation of an existing topic.
Synonyms: look, well, see, hey

So, let's go home.

So, what'll you have?

So, there was this squirrel stuck in the chimney...

So, everyone wants to know – did you win the contest or not?
- 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter XI, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y.; London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:
  So, after a spell, he decided to make the best of it and shoved us into the front parlor. 'Twas a dismal sort of place, with hair wreaths, and wax fruit, and tin lambrekins, and land knows what all.
Used as a question to ask for further explanation of something said, often rhetorically or in a dismissive or impolite manner.
"You park your car in front of my house every morning." — "So?"
Used as a meaningless filler word to begin a response to a question.
What are you doing? / So I'm just fixing this shelf.

What time does the train leave? / So it leaves at 10 o'clock.
(archaic) Be as you are; stand still; used especially to cows; also used by sailors.

Usage notes

Though certain uses of "sentence-initial so" had been common for a long time, the perceived excessive use of the word at the start of sentences, such as at the start of answers to questions, became controversial in the 2010s, being described as "annoying".^[1]^[2]

Translations

See so/translations § Interjection.

Pronoun

so

(demonstrative) That which was previously mentioned; that.
I'll become a loyal friend and remain so.

If that's what you really mean, then just say so.

You may need to refer to litigation as a procedure, and when you have done so, you can say a matter is "in litigation".
- 2026 May, Alessandra Pellegrino, “Palazzo Pant”, in Architectural Digest, volume 83, number 4, page 26:
  "When I went to Venice, I discovered that my dream had become—incredibly but quite simply—my address." So wrote Marcel Proust, capturing the essence of a city where water, light, art, and memory converge.

Usage notes

Restricted to verbs which can take clausal complements, such as those relating to communication (e.g. say so), knowledge or belief (e.g. think so, expect so), or action (e.g. do so), as well as stative verbs (e.g. seem so, remain so).

Etymology 2

Pronoun

so

Abbreviation of someone.

Synonyms

sb (“somebody”)

Etymology 3

Shortened from sol, to make it an open syllable for uniformity with the rest of the scale, from Glover's solmization, from Middle English sol (“fifth degree or note of Guido of Arezzo's hexachordal scales”), Italian sol in the solmization of Guido of Arezzo, from the first syllable of Latin solve (“wash away”) in the lyrics of the scale-ascending hymn Ut queant laxis by Paulus Deacon.

Noun

so (plural sos)

(music) A syllable used in solfège to represent the fifth note of a major scale.
1. (shapenote) Sometimes syllable for both the second and the fifth.

Translations

sol — see sol

Etymology 4

Borrowed from Japanese 蘇 (so).

Noun

so (uncountable)

(foods) A type of dairy product, made especially in Japan between the seventh and tenth centuries, by reducing milk by boiling it.

References

^ Geoff Nunberg (3 September 2015), “So, What's The Big Deal With Starting A Sentence With 'So'?”, in NPR‎^[1]
^ Mark Manson (5 November 2011), “It’s so annoying”, in The Spectator‎^[2]

Anagrams

-os, -os-, O&S, O's, O. S., O.S., OS, OS., Os, o's, o.s., os, os-

Abau

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈsɔ/

Particle

so

indicates the interrogative
marks the preceding masculine NP as genitive (association, usually possession)
(men's speech) emphatic particle

Adverb

so

indicates the negative

Determiner

so gender m

this, that; demonstrative determiner

References

Abau Dictionary © 2020 SIL International (Available online: [12])

Afrikaans

Alternative forms

soe (Western Cape)

Etymology

From Dutch zo, from Middle Dutch sô, from Old Dutch sō, from Proto-West Germanic *swā, from a merger of Proto-Germanic *swa and *swē.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /sʊə̯/

Adverb

so

so, like that/this, thus (in such a way)
so, that, to such an extent

Derived terms

sodat

Äiwoo

Verb

so

To stand (to be in a standing position).

References

Ross, M. & Næss, Å. (2007), “An Oceanic origin for Äiwoo, the language of the Reef Islands?”, in Oceanic Linguistics, volume 46, number 2. Cited in: "Äiwoo" in Greenhill, S.J., Blust, R., & Gray, R.D. (2008). The Austronesian Basic Vocabulary Database: From Bioinformatics to Lexomics. Evolutionary Bioinformatics, 4:271–283.

Ashkun

Etymology

From Proto-Nuristani *swayya, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *suHaryáH, from *súHar, from Proto-Indo-European *sóh₂wl̥.^[1]

Noun

so (Sanu)^[2]

sun

References

^ Halfmann, Jakob (2025). The Diversification of Indo-Iranian and the Position of the Nuristani Languages. Wiesbaden: Reichert.
^ Strand, Richard F. (2016), “s′o”, in Nûristânî Etymological Lexicon‎^[3]

Asturian

Etymology 1

From Latin sub.

Preposition

so

(West) under
(Center and East) on

Derived terms

sol

Etymology 2

From Latin suus (“his, her, its”).

Adjective

so m sg (feminine singular so, neuter singular so, masculine plural sos, feminine plural sos)

his, her, its
your (polite)
their

Pronoun

so

his, hers
yours (polite)

Related terms

suyu

Etymology 3

Alternative forms

soi

Verb

so

first-person singular present indicative of ser

Bambara

Etymology 1

Noun

so (tone sǒ)

horse

Derived terms

Etymology 2

Noun

so

house, home

Derived terms

Basque

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /s̺o/ [s̺o]
Rhymes: -o
Hyphenation: so

Etymology 1

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Adverb

so (not comparable)

(chiefly Northern) [with dative or allative] looking at

Noun

so inan

(chiefly Northern) look, gaze

Declension

Declension of so (inan V-stem)
	indefinite	singular	plural	proximal plural
absolutive	so	soa	soak	sook
ergative	sok	soak	soek	sook
dative	sori	soari	soei	sooi
genitive	soren	soaren	soen	soon
comitative	sorekin	soarekin	soekin	sookin
causative	sorengatik	soarengatik	soengatik	soongatik
benefactive	sorentzat	soarentzat	soentzat	soontzat
instrumental	soz	soaz	soez	sootaz
inessive	sotan	soan	soetan	sootan
locative	sotako	soko	soetako	sootako
allative	sotara	sora	soetara	sootara
terminative	sotaraino	soraino	soetaraino	sootaraino
directive	sotarantz	sorantz	soetarantz	sootarantz
destinative	sotarako	sorako	soetarako	sootarako
ablative	sotatik	sotik	soetatik	sootatik
partitive	sorik	—	—	—
prolative	sotzat	—	—	—

Derived terms

so bat egin (“to take a look”)
so egin (“to look”)
so egon (“to be looking”)
so eta so (“looking constantly”)
so-egile (“onlooker”)

Etymology 2

Interjection

so

whoa
Synonyms: iso, esti

Brokskat

Pronoun

so

he

Catalan

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old Catalan so~son, from Latin sonus. Compare Occitan son, French son, Spanish sueno.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic, Valencia) [ˈsɔ]

Noun

so m (plural sons)

sound

Related terms

sonar
sònic

Etymology 2

Back-formation from sons (plural). Compare Spanish sueño, Portuguese sono, from Latin somnus.

Alternative forms

son (standard)

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic, Valencia) [ˈsɔ]

Noun

so m (plural sons)

(Tarragon, Mallorca, Menorca) sleep

Related terms

sonar
sònic

Etymology 3

Alternative forms

só (pre-2016)

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic, Valencia) [ˈso]

Verb

so (archaic, Central, Northwest Catalan, Alghero)

first-person singular present indicative of ésser
first-person singular present indicative of ser

Usage notes

This form is still used in certain dialects, such as Algherese.

Etymology 4

Alternative forms

s' (after amb or sometimes en, before a vowel)
es (not after amb or sometimes en)

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈso/, /ˈsu/

Article

so

(Mallorca, Ibiza) alternative form of es (“the”, masculine singular) (used after amb (“with”) and sometimes en (“in”), before a consonant)
Va anar-hi amb so cotxe. ― He went there with the car.

References

“so”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
“so”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2026
“so” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
Alcover, Antoni Maria; Moll, Francesc de Borja (1963), “so”, in Diccionari català-valencià-balear (in Catalan)

Chinese

Etymology 1

From clipping of Hong Kong English jetso, from Cantonese 著數 / 着数 (zoek⁶ sou³).^[1]

Pronunciation

Cantonese (Jyutping): sou⁴

Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: sou⁴
  - Yale: sòuh
  - Cantonese Pinyin: sou⁴
  - Guangdong Romanization: sou⁴
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /sou̯²¹/

Noun

so

(Hong Kong Cantonese) benefit; advantage; bargain; discount

Adjective

so

(Hong Kong Cantonese) bargain; advantageous

Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:so.

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “from socialise?”)

Alternative forms

show, 騷 / 骚, 蘇 / 苏, 穌 / 稣

Pronunciation

Cantonese (Jyutping): sou¹

Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: sou¹
  - Yale: sōu
  - Cantonese Pinyin: sou¹
  - Guangdong Romanization: sou¹
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /sou̯⁵⁵/

Verb

so

(Hong Kong Cantonese) to respond; to pay attention to

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

Cantonese (Jyutping): sou²

Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: sou²
  - Yale: sóu
  - Cantonese Pinyin: sou²
  - Guangdong Romanization: sou²
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /sou̯³⁵/

Noun

so

(Hong Kong Cantonese, in compounds) alternative form of soc (“society”)

References

^ 林建平 (10 February 2015), “大家有SO！”, in 星島教育網‎^[4]

Corsican

Etymology

From Vulgar Latin sum, from Latin suum, from Proto-Italic *sowos, from Proto-Indo-European *sewos. Cognates include Italian suo and French son.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈso/

Determiner

so

his, her, their

Usage notes

so is preceded by a definite article (u, a, i, e or l'):
U so libru. ― His book.
Unlike its French or Italian cognates, so does not decline, either by gender or number:
U so libru, i so libri. ― His book, his books.

References

“so” in INFCOR: Banca di dati di a lingua corsa

Czech

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [ˈsobota]

Noun

so f

abbreviation of sobota (“Saturday”)

Danish

Danish Wikipedia has an article on:

so

Wikipedia ^da

Etymology

From Old Norse sýr, from Proto-Germanic *sūz, from Proto-Indo-European *sū-.

Noun

so c (singular definite soen, plural indefinite søer)

sow (female pig)
(derogatory) slut

Declension

Declension of so
common gender	singular		plural
common gender	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	so	soen	søer	søerne
genitive	sos	soens	søers	søernes

Derived terms

References

“so” in Den Danske Ordbog

Elfdalian

Etymology

From Old Norse svá, from Proto-Germanic *swa, *swē. Cognate with Swedish så.

Adverb

so

so, like that, in that manner
so, to such a degree

Esperanto

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /so/
Audio 1: (file)
Audio 2: (file)
Rhymes: -o
Syllabification: so

Noun

so (accusative singular so-on, plural so-oj, accusative plural so-ojn)

The name of the Latin script letter S/s.

Faroese

Etymology

From Old Norse svá, from Proto-Germanic *swa, *swē (“so”), from Proto-Indo-European *swē, *swō (reflexive pronomial stem).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /soː/
Rhymes: -oː
Homophone: soð

Adverb

so (not comparable)

so, thus, as
then

Finnish

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈso(ː)/, [ˈs̠o̞(ː)]
Rhymes: -o
Syllabification^(key): so
Hyphenation^(key): so

Interjection

so

alternative form of soo

Folopa

Alternative forms

sou

Noun

so

woman

References

Karl James Franklin, Pacific Linguistics (1973, →ISBN, page 130: Polopa so/sou woman, cf. DAR sou female animal but we woman.
Karl J. Franklin, Comparative Wordlist 1 of the Gulf District and adjacent areas (1975), page 15: Boro, Suri, Tebera sou, Sopese šo
Carol Anderson, Beginning Folopa Language Lessons and Simple Glossary (2010) (as so)

Friulian

Etymology

From Latin suus.

Pronoun

so (third-person singular possessive of masculine singular, of feminine singular sô, of masculine plural siei, of feminine plural sôs)

(used attributively) his, her, its; of his, hers, its
(used predicatively) his, hers, its
(used substantively) his, hers, its; the thing belonging to him, her,it

Galician

Alternative forms

su

Etymology

From Old Galician-Portuguese so, su, sob, from Latin sub.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [sʊ]

Preposition

so

under, beneath

References

Seoane, Ernesto Xosé González; Granja, María Álvarez de la; Agrelo, Ana Isabel Boullón (2006–2022), “so”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval [Dictionary of dictionaries of Medieval Galician] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “so”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega

German

Etymology

From Middle High German sō, from Old High German sō, from Proto-West Germanic *swā, from Proto-Germanic *swa, *swē, compare with Old Dutch so and Dutch zo.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /zoː/, /zɔ/ (Germany)
- Audio: (file) (Germany)
- Audio: (file) (Germany (Berlin))
- Audio: (file) (Germany (Berlin))
IPA^(key): /soː/, /sɔ/ (Austria, Southern Germany, Switzerland)
Rhymes: -oː

Adverb

so

so, such, that
Die Leute sind so nett. ― People are so nice.

Dieser Hammer ist nicht so gut. ― This hammer is not that good.

Das ist so eine gute Idee! ― That is such a good idea!

so und so ― such and such
as (followed by an adjective or adverb plus wie in a statement of equality)
Er rennt so schnell wie der Blitz. ― He runs as fast as lightning.
so, thus, like this/that, in this/that way, in this/that manner
Wenn du den Ball so wirfst, triffst du die Zielscheibe.
If you throw the ball like this, you'll hit the target.
(formal) then (in that case)
Synonym: dann

Wirst du wieder gesund, so freue ich mich. ― If you get healthy again, then I'll be happy.
(informal) roughly, about (according to one's own estimation/memory)
Das Teil müsste so 10 cm lang sein. ― The part should be about 10 cm long.
(colloquial) expletive; sometimes intensifying, sometimes with no noticeable meaning
Wir sind runtergegangen und haben uns hier so hingesetzt.
We went downstairs and, like, sat down here.

Derived terms

Conjunction

so

(coordinating) thus, so, pursuant to the aforementioned premises
- 2018, Gerhard Czermak, Eric Hilgendorf, Religions- und Weltanschauungsrecht. Eine Einführung, 2nd edition, Springer, →DOI, →ISBN, § 7 Individuelle Religions- und Weltanschauungsfreiheit Rn. 130, page 68:
  Im Einzelnen ist die Abgrenzung zwischen Bekenntnisfreiheit und Religionsausübungsfreiheit unsicher. So kann etwa die religiöse Kleidung auch der Religionsausübungsfreiheit zugeordnet werden.
  In detail the difference between freedom of confessing and freedom of practicing religion is insecure. Thus for instance, religious clothing can be assigned to the freedom of practicing religion as well.
(subordinating, chiefly archaic, sometimes law and regional) an, if
Synonyms: falls, im Falle dass, wenn

So es Euch beliebt. ― If it pleases you.

Particle

so

(colloquial) quotative particle, somewhat similar to be like but also combinable with other verbs
Ich so: "Mach mal dalli!", und er dann so: "Ich bin ja schon dabei!"
I was like, "Hurry up!" and he was like, "I'm already on it!"

Ich dachte mir nur so: "Ja komm, lass stecken."
All I thought to myself [at that moment] was, "Yeah whatever, forget about it."
- 1998, “Ich so, Er so”, Dendemann (lyrics), performed by Eins Zwo:
  Und er so wie aus heiterem Himmel so: Momentchen, da läuft doch Hip-Hop!
  Und ich so: Ja, das ist richtig!
  Und er so: Biste auch Rapper?
  Und ich so: Ja, so Hobby
  Und der Typ so original so: Oh welch ein Zufall, das bin ich nämlich auch!
  (please add an English translation of this quotation)
- 2022 May 16, Lou Zucker, “Erwartungen beim Dating: Mehr als das Minimum”, in Die Tageszeitung: taz‎^[14], →ISSN:
  Besonders überzeugt hatte mich dieser Moment meines Dates: „Ich habe gesagt: Ich weiß nicht, ob ich mich gerade bereit für Sex fühle. Da lag ich schon halb nackt in seinem Bett. Und er so: Cool, dann können wir ja einfach knutschen und kuscheln!“
  (please add an English translation of this quotation)
(colloquial) generalizing particle, combines with question words to ask to be given a broad idea, typically by way of some examples
Was liest du so? ― What sort of things do you read? (Give me a handful of titles)

Wie ist es da so? ― What's it like there? (Tell me of your typical experience)

Usage notes

This quotation particle can be combined with a number of verbs but, somewhat unusually, it doesn't require the clause to contain any predicate at all. In such cases, the meaning is roughly that of to say in the past tense.

Pronoun

so

(obsolete, relative) that, which, who
Derhalben sind die Christen schuldig, der Obrigkeit unterthan […] zu seyn in Allem, so ohne Sünde geschehen mag.
That do the Christians owe: to be obedient to the authority […] in all that may be done without sin.
(Augsburger Bekenntnis)

Synonyms

Interjection

so

(informal) alright; a discourse marker indicating a topic having been dealt with
Synonyms: tamam, okay, in Ordnung, fein, gut
- 1887, Eduard Engel, Griechische Frühlingstage, 4th, purer edition, Radebeul bei Dresden: Haupt & Hammon, published 1927, page 361:
  So, das sind die Entscheidungen der größten Gelehrten über die doch nicht ganz unwichtige Frage, wie eine der Sprachen auszusprechen sei, in der jahraus jahrein in Deutschland gutgezählte 50 000 junge Menschenkinder unterrichtet werden.
  All right, those were the decision of the greatest learned men about the not entirely unimportant question of how pronounce one of the languages in which, year in, year out, a good 50,000 young children are taught in Germany.

Usage notes

Typical usage contexts are as the prelude to ending a visit to someone's house, after having finished a task, or after just having explained background information necessary for what follows.

Gothic

Romanization

sō

romanization of 𐍃𐍉

Indonesian

Adverb

so

alternative form of sok

Irish

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /sˠo/, /sˠə/^[1]

Determiner

so

Munster form of seo (used after a word ending in a velarized ("broad") consonant)

Quotations

1939, Peig Sayers, “Inghean an Cheannaidhe”, in Marie-Louise Sjoestedt, Description d’un parler irlandais de Kerry (Bibliothèque de l'École des Hautes Études; 270) (overall work in French), Paris: Librairie Honoré Champion, page 193:
Ní raibh aoinne cloinne age n-a muinntir ach í agus do mhéaduigh sin uirrim agus grádh na ndaoine don inghean óg so.
Her parents had no children but her, and that increased the esteem and love of the people for this young girl.

References

^ Sjoestedt, M. L. (1931), Phonétique d’un parler irlandais de Kerry [Phonetics of an Irish dialect of Kerry] (in French), Paris: Librairie Ernest Leroux, § 315, page 158

Italian

Alternative forms

sò (misspelling)

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈsɔ/^*^[1]
Rhymes: -ɔ
Hyphenation: sò

Verb

so

first-person singular present indicative of sapere (“to know”)
Non lo so. ― I don't know (it).

Lo so io! ― (But) I do (know it)!

References

^ so in Luciano Canepari, Dizionario di Pronuncia Italiana (DiPI)

Jamaican Creole

Etymology

Derived from English so.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /so/

Conjunction

so

so
Wa mek unu kip dis-ya ruum so chaka-chaka?
Why do you keep this room so untidy?

Particle

so

emphasis particle
yaso
right here

deso
right there

Japanese

Romanization

so

The hiragana syllable そ (so) or the katakana syllable ソ (so) in Hepburn romanization.

Koyukon

Etymology

Ultimately from Proto-Athabaskan *šʷaˑ. Cognate with Ahtna saa.

Noun

so

sun

References

Thompson, Chad Lawrence (1989), Voice and obviation in Athabaskan and other languages (dissertation), University of Oregon, page 78

Ladino

Verb

so

first-person singular present indicative of ser

Louisiana Creole

Etymology

Borrowed from English so.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /so/
Rhymes: -o
Homophone: sô

Interjection

so

so (discourse particle) (clarification of this definition is needed)

Lower Tanana

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /sɔ/

Noun

so (Toklat-Bearpaw)

alternative form of sro

References

Kari, James et al. (2024), Kari, James, editor, Lower Tanana Dene Dictionary, Fairbanks, Alaska: Alaska Native Language Center, →ISBN, page 507

Luxembourgish

Verb

so

second-person singular imperative of soen

Mauritian Creole

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /so/

Etymology 1

From French son.

Pronoun

so

(possessive) his, her, its, one's

Etymology 2

From French chaud.

Adjective

so

hot, warm.

Antonyms

fre

Middle Dutch

Etymology 1

From Old Dutch sō, from Proto-West Germanic *swā, from Proto-Germanic *swa.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /zoː/

Adverb

sô

so, like that, in that manner
so, to such a degree
(so ... alse) as
then, in that case
so, therefore

Conjunction

sô

if, in the case that
like, as
(so ... so) both ... and

Descendants

Dutch: zo
Limburgish: zoe, zoea

Etymology 2

Weakened form of soe.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /zoː/, /zo/

Pronoun

sô

(chiefly Flemish) alternative form of si (“she”)

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old English swā, from Proto-West Germanic *swā.

Alternative forms

sa, swo, swa
zo, zuo (Kent)

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /sɔː/

Adverb

so

so

Descendants

English: so
Geordie: se
Scots: sae
Yola: zo, zoo, sae

References

“sō, adv.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Etymology 2

Pronoun

so

(chiefly Northern dialectal) alternative form of sche

Mizo

Etymology

From Proto-Kuki-Chin *saw.

Verb

so

to boil
to heat up metal so it becomes white-hot

North Moluccan Malay

Alternative forms

su

Etymology

From Malay sudah.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /sɔ/
(in fast speech) IPA^(key): /sɔ̆/, /sɔ̥/

Verb

so

perfective aspect, indicating that the process has been accomplished
Dong so balajar di skola.
They have studied at school.

Northern Sami

Etymology

Borrowed from Norwegian så.

Pronunciation

This entry needs pronunciation information. If you are familiar with the IPA then please add some!

Adverb

so

so, then, in that case
so, to this or that extent

Norwegian Nynorsk

Alternative forms

så

Etymology

From Middle Norwegian so, svo, from Old Norse svá, from Proto-Indo-European *swa. Akin to English so.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /suː/

Adverb

so

so
Dei seier so.
So they say.
that
Eg visste ikkje at dei skulle vera so mange.
I didn't know that they were going to be that many.
as
So vidt eg veit.
As far as I know.
then
Eg gjekk på kino. So gjekk eg heim.
I went to the movies. Then I went home.

Conjunction

so

so
Eg barberte meg, so ho skulle synast eg var fin.
I shaved so that she would think I looked nice.

References

“so” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Occitan

Etymology

From Old Occitan so, from Latin ipsum.

Article

so (feminine sa, masculine plural sos, feminine plural sas)

alternative form of lo (rare)

Usage notes

In the Provençal dialect, the masculine and feminine plural is sei.

Old Dutch

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *swā, from Proto-Germanic *swa.

Adverb

sō

so, like that, in that manner

Descendants

Middle Dutch: sô
- Dutch: zo
- Limburgish: zoe, zoea

Old High German

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *swā, from Proto-Germanic *swa.

Adverb

sō

so, like that, in that manner
as

Descendants

Middle High German: sō
- Central Franconian: su, so
  - Luxembourgish: sou
- German: so

Old Irish

Alternative forms

sa, se, sea, seo, siu

Etymology

From Proto-Celtic *so (“this”), from Proto-Indo-European *só.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈso/

Determiner

so

this (used after the noun, which is preceded by the definite article)
ind epistil so ― this epistle

Derived terms

Descendants

Irish: seo
Scottish Gaelic: seo
Manx: shoh

Old Saxon

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *swā, from Proto-Germanic *swa.

Adverb

sō

so, like that, in that manner
as
- Heliand, verse 906
  ...sō Johannes duot diurlīk dōperi dago gehwilikas...
  ...as John does, dear baptist, every day...

Pali

Alternative forms

Alternative scripts

𑀲𑁄 (Brahmi script)
सो (Devanagari script)
সো (Bengali script)
සො (Sinhalese script)
သော or သေႃ (Burmese script)
โส (Thai script)
ᩈᩮᩣ (Tai Tham script)
ໂສ (Lao script)
សោ (Khmer script)
𑄥𑄮 (Chakma script)

Alternative scripts

sa (Latin script)
𑀲 (Brahmi script)
स (Devanagari script)
স (Bengali script)
ස (Sinhalese script)
သ (Burmese script)
ส or สะ (Thai script)
ᩈ (Tai Tham script)
ສ or ສະ (Lao script)
ស (Khmer script)
𑄥 (Chakma script)

Pronoun

so

he, it

Adjective

so

masculine nominative singular of ta (“that”)

Palula

Etymology 1

From Sanskrit स ; सो (sa ; so, “nom.sg.masc pron. and pronom. adj. he, that”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /so/

Determiner

so (demonstrative, Perso-Arabic spelling سوۡ)

the
that (agr: rem nom masc)

References

Henrik Liljegren; Naseem Haider (2011), “so”, in Palula Vocabulary (FLI Language and Culture Series; 7)‎^[17], Islamabad, Pakistan: Forum for Language Initiatives, →ISBN
Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985), “so”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /so/

Pronoun

so (demonstrative, Perso-Arabic spelling سوۡ)

it
he (rem masc nom)

References

Henrik Liljegren; Naseem Haider (2011), “so”, in Palula Vocabulary (FLI Language and Culture Series; 7)‎^[18], Islamabad, Pakistan: Forum for Language Initiatives, →ISBN

Pichinglis

Etymology

From English so.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /sò/

Adverb

so

so, thus

References

Kofi Yakpo (2019), A grammar of Pichi (Studies in Diversity Linguistics; 23)‎^[19], Berlin: Language Science Press, →DOI, →ISBN, →ISSN, page 575

Rawa

Noun

so

grass

References

Norma Toland, Donald Toland, Reference Grammar of the Karo/Rawa Language (1991)

Romagnol

Verb

so (Faenza)

first-person singular present indicative of ësar (“to be”)

Romani

Pronoun

so

what?^[1]^[2]
So kerel lesqo papu?
What is his grandpa doing?

References

^ Boretzky, Norbert; Igla, Birgit (1994), “so”, in Wörterbuch Romani-Deutsch-Englisch für den südosteuropäischen Raum : mit einer Grammatik der Dialektvarianten [Romani-German-English dictionary for the Southern European region] (in German), Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, →ISBN, page 262a
^ Marcel Courthiade (2009), “so? I”, in Melinda Rézműves, editor, Morri angluni rromane ćhibǎqi evroputni lavustik = Első rromani nyelvű európai szótáram : cigány, magyar, angol, francia, spanyol, német, ukrán, román, horvát, szlovák, görög [My First European-Romani Dictionary: Romani, Hungarian, English, French, Spanish, German, Ukrainian, Romanian, Croatian, Slovak, Greek] (overall work in Hungarian and English), Budapest: Fővárosi Onkormányzat Cigány Ház--Romano Kher, →ISBN, page 327a

Rwanda-Rundi

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *có.

Noun

só class 1a (plural bāsó class 2a)

your father
your paternal uncle

Salar

so

so

Click on labels in the image.

Etymology

Borrowed from Tibetan ཚ་བོ (tsha bo).^[1] (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /so/

Noun

so (3rd person possessive sosı, plural solar)

sister's son, sororal nephew

Declension

Declension of so
	singular	plural
nominative	so	solar
genitive	soniği	solarniği
dative	soğa	solara
definite accusative	sonı	solarnı
locative	soda	solarda
ablative	sodan	solardan
instrumental	sola	solarla
pronominal	soğı	solarğı
indefinite article	so-or	solar-or
definite article	socük	solarcük

Possessive declension of so
	nominative
	singular	plural
miniği ("my")	som	somlar
siniği ("your")	soñ	soñlar
aniği ("their")	sosı	sosılar
piserniği ("our")	somız	somızlar
selerniği ("your")	soñız	soñızlar
ularniği ("their")	sosı	sosılar
	accusative
	singular	plural
miniği ("my")	somnı	somlarnı
siniği ("your")	soñnı	soñlarnı
aniği ("their")	sosını	sosılarnı
piserniği ("our")	somıznı	somızlarnı
selerniği ("your")	soñıznı	soñızlarnı
ularniği ("their")	sosını	sosılarnı
	dative
	singular	plural
miniği ("my")	soma	somlara
siniği ("your")	soña	soñlara
aniği ("their")	sosığa	sosılara
piserniği ("our")	somıza	somızlara
selerniği ("your")	soñıza	soñızlara
ularniği ("their")	sosığa	sosılara
	locative
	singular	plural
miniği ("my")	somda	somlarda
siniği ("your")	soñda	soñlarda
aniği ("their")	sosıda	sosılarda
piserniği ("our")	somızda	somızlarda
selerniği ("your")	soñızda	soñızlarda
ularniği ("their")	sosıda	sosılarda
	ablative
	singular	plural
miniği ("my")	somdan	somlardan
siniği ("your")	soñdan	soñlardan
aniği ("their")	sosıdan	sosılardan
piserniği ("our")	somızdan	somızlardan
selerniği ("your")	soñızdan	soñızlardan
ularniği ("their")	sosıdan	sosılardan
	instrumental
	singular	plural
miniği ("my")	somla	somlarla
siniği ("your")	soñla	soñlarla
aniği ("their")	sosıla	sosılarla
piserniği ("our")	somızla	somızlarla
selerniği ("your")	soñızla	soñızlarla
ularniği ("their")	sosıla	sosılarla

References

^ 马伟 (2024), 族群互动与语言接触: 撒拉语的人类学研究 [Ethnic Interaction and Language Contact: An Anthropological Study of the Salar Language], Beijing: 学苑出版社, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 166

林莲云 [Lin Lianyun] (1992), “so”, in 撒拉汉汉撒拉词汇 [Salar-Chinese, Chinese-Salar Vocabulary], 成都 [Chéngdū]: 四川民族出版社, →ISBN, page 60
Ma, Chengjun; Han, Lianye; Ma, Weisheng (December 2010), “so”, in 米娜瓦尔·艾比布拉 [Minavar Abibra], editor, 撒维汉词典 [Sā-Wéi-Hàn cídiǎn, Salar-Uyghur-Chinese dictionary] (in Chinese), 1st edition, Beijing, →ISBN, pages 257-258

Sardinian

Verb

so

first-person singular present indicative of èssere

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology 1

Reduced form of seo.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /s̪ɔ/

Pronoun

so

obsolete form of -sa
obsolete form of seo

Etymology 2

Borrowed from English so

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /s̪o/

Conjunction

so

(highly colloquial, informal) so, therefore
Synonym: mar sin

Serbo-Croatian

Alternative forms

sȏl (Croatia)

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *solь, from Proto-Indo-European *seh₂ls.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /sôː/

Noun

sȏ f (Cyrillic spelling со̑)

(Bosnia, Serbia) salt

Declension

Declension of so
	singular	plural
nominative	sȏ	sȍli
genitive	sȍli	sòlī
dative	sȍli	sòlima
accusative	sȏ	sȍli
vocative	sȍli	sȍli
locative	sòli	sòlima
instrumental	sȏlju / sȍlju	sòlima

Slavomolisano

Etymology

From Serbo-Croatian so.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /so/

Noun

so m

salt

Declension

Declension of so (inan series-1b masc cons-stem)
	singular	plural
nominative	so	sola
genitive	sola	sol, soli
dative	solu	solami, soli
accusative	so	sola
locative	solu	sola
instrumental	solom, solam	solami, soli

References

Walter Breu and Giovanni Piccoli (2000), Dizionario croato molisano di Acquaviva Collecroce: Dizionario plurilingue della lingua slava della minoranza di provenienza dalmata di Acquaviva Collecroce in Provincia di Campobasso (Parte grammaticale).

Slovak

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *sъ(n).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /zo/, (with mnou) /so/

Preposition

so [with instrumental]

alternative form of s
- 1903, Jozef Gregor Tajovský, Maco Mlieč:
  „Tak vy ste, Maco, celkom spokojný so službou a plácou?“
  “So, Maco, you are rather satisfied with the service and the wage, aren’t you?”

Usage notes

Used when the next word begins with s, z, š or ž or with a consonant cluster containing one of these consonants. It is also used with the pronoun mnou (“me”).

Slovene

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /sɔ́/

Verb

sȍ

third-person plural present of bíti

Spanish

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈso/ [ˈso]
Rhymes: -o
Syllabification: so

Etymology 1

Inherited from Latin sub, from Proto-Italic *supo, from Proto-Indo-European *upo.

Preposition

so

(archaic) under
Synonyms: debajo de, bajo

Usage notes

So is very rare in modern Spanish, surviving only in certain expressions, including so pena de (“on pain of, under penalty of”), so pretexto de or so color de (“under pretext of”), a so capa (“secretly, with bribery”).

Etymology 2

Contraction of señor (“Sir”).

Pronoun

so

(emphatic, derogatory) you
¡So tonto! ― You blithering idiot!

¡So borrachos! ― You bloody drunks!

Etymology 3

Borrowed from English so.

Interjection

so

(US, Puerto Rico, Philippines, El Salvador) so

Etymology 4

Interjection

so

whoa!

Swedish

Etymology

From Old Swedish sō (Old Icelandic/Norwegian sýr), from Old East Norse *sōʀ, from Proto-Germanic *sūz, from Proto-Indo-European *sū-. Compare the identical ko (Old Icelandic/Norwegian kýr, Old Swedish kō).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /suː/
Homophone: zoo

Noun

so c

(rare) sow (female pig)

Usage notes

The more common synonym is sugga, especially for the plural form.

Declension

Declension of so
		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	so	sos
singular	definite	son	sons
plural	indefinite	sor	sors
plural	definite	sorna	sornas

Synonyms

sugga

Anagrams

OS, os

Tagalog

Etymology

Borrowed from English so.

Pronunciation

(Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ˈso/ [ˈso], /ˈsow/ [ˈsoʊ̯]
Rhymes: -o, -ow
Syllabification: so

Conjunction

so (Baybayin spelling ᜐᜓ) (colloquial)

so; therefore; hence
Synonyms: kaya, dahil doon, dahil diyan, sa gayon

Marami siyang ginawang trabaho, so nakatulog siya agad pag-uwi niya.
He'd done a lot of work, so as soon as he got home, he fell asleep instantly.
used after a pause for thought to introduce a new topic, question or story, or a new thought or question in continuation of an existing topic
So kumusta ka na?
So how are you?

So ano kinalaman nito sa akin?
So what does this have to do with me?

Tok Pisin

Etymology 1

From English saw.

Noun

so

saw

Etymology 2

From English show.

Noun

so

show

Veps

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *soo.

Noun

so

swamp, marsh, bog

Inflection

Inflection of so (inflection type 13/ma)
nominative sing.	so
genitive sing.	son
partitive sing.	sod
partitive plur.	soid
	singular	plural
nominative	so	sod
accusative	son	sod
genitive	son	soiden
partitive	sod	soid
essive-instructive	son	soin
translative	soks	soikš

inessive	sos	soiš
elative	sospäi	soišpäi
illative	soho	soihe

adessive	sol	soil
ablative	solpäi	soilpäi
allative	sole	soile

abessive	sota	soita
comitative	sonke	soidenke
prolative	sodme	soidme

approximative I	sonno	soidenno
approximative II	sonnoks	soidennoks
egressive	sonnopäi	soidennopäi

terminative I	sohosai	soihesai
terminative II	solesai	soilesai
terminative III	sossai	—

additive I	sohopäi	soihepäi
additive II	solepäi	soilepäi

Derived terms

References

Zajceva, N. G.; Mullonen, M. I. (2007), “болото”, in Uz’ venä-vepsläine vajehnik / Novyj russko-vepsskij slovarʹ [New Russian–Veps Dictionary]‎^[20], Petrozavodsk: Periodika

Vietnamese

Pronunciation

(Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [sɔ˧˧]
(Huế) IPA^(key): [ʂɔ˧˧] ~ [sɔ˧˧]
(Saigon) IPA^(key): [ʂɔ˧˧] ~ [sɔ˧˧]

Etymology 1

This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.
Particularly: “This word had initial *k-r or *c-r in Old Vietnamese: it was written as 𨋤 (i.e. 車 (MC kjo|tsyhae) + 盧 (MC lu)).”

Verb

so

(transitive) to compare
Synonym: so sánh

So với bạn thì nó cao hơn. ― Compared to his friend, he is taller.
(transitive) to pair up
so đũa ― to pair up chopsticks
(intransitive) to straighten one's shoulders, as if to compare one's height to another's

Derived terms

Etymology 2

Compare sơ (初, “first”).

Adjective

so

firstborn
con so ― firstborn child

chửa con so ― to be pregnant for the first time

trứng gà so ― a chicken's first egg (usually a small egg)

Derived terms

con so

Etymology 3

Noun

(classifier con) so

mangrove horseshoe crab (Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda)

Volapük

Adverb

so

so

Welsh

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /soː/
Rhymes: -oː

Verb

so (not mutable)

(South Wales) inflection of bod:
1. second/third-person singular present negative colloquial
2. first/second/third-person plural present negative colloquial
So fe’n credu.
He doesn’t think so.

Usage notes

Unlike other negative verb forms, this form—and sa, which is used for the first-person singular—is not complemented by ddim after the subject.

Xhosa

Pronoun

-so

Combining stem of sona.

Zulu

Pronoun

-so

Combining stem of sona.

[1] Mark Liberman, "Ask Language Log: So feminine?", 2012 March 26

[2] Geoff Nunberg (3 September 2015), “So, What's The Big Deal With Starting A Sentence With 'So'?”, in NPR‎^[1]

[3] Mark Manson (5 November 2011), “It’s so annoying”, in The Spectator‎^[2]

[4] Halfmann, Jakob (2025). The Diversification of Indo-Iranian and the Position of the Nuristani Languages. Wiesbaden: Reichert.

[NEL-5] Strand, Richard F. (2016), “s′o”, in Nûristânî Etymological Lexicon‎^[3]

[6] 林建平 (10 February 2015), “大家有SO！”, in 星島教育網‎^[4]

[7] Sjoestedt, M. L. (1931), Phonétique d’un parler irlandais de Kerry [Phonetics of an Irish dialect of Kerry] (in French), Paris: Librairie Ernest Leroux, § 315, page 158

[8] so in Luciano Canepari, Dizionario di Pronuncia Italiana (DiPI)

[9] Boretzky, Norbert; Igla, Birgit (1994), “so”, in Wörterbuch Romani-Deutsch-Englisch für den südosteuropäischen Raum : mit einer Grammatik der Dialektvarianten [Romani-German-English dictionary for the Southern European region] (in German), Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, →ISBN, page 262a

[10] Marcel Courthiade (2009), “so? I”, in Melinda Rézműves, editor, Morri angluni rromane ćhibǎqi evroputni lavustik = Első rromani nyelvű európai szótáram : cigány, magyar, angol, francia, spanyol, német, ukrán, román, horvát, szlovák, görög [My First European-Romani Dictionary: Romani, Hungarian, English, French, Spanish, German, Ukrainian, Romanian, Croatian, Slovak, Greek] (overall work in Hungarian and English), Budapest: Fővárosi Onkormányzat Cigány Ház--Romano Kher, →ISBN, page 327a

[11] 马伟 (2024), 族群互动与语言接触: 撒拉语的人类学研究 [Ethnic Interaction and Language Contact: An Anthropological Study of the Salar Language], Beijing: 学苑出版社, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 166

[1]

so

Translingual

Etymology

Symbol

See also

English

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

Conjunction

Usage notes

Synonyms

Translations

Adverb

Usage notes

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

References

Adjective

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

Interjection

Usage notes

Translations

Pronoun

Usage notes

Etymology 2

Pronoun

Synonyms

Etymology 3

Noun

Translations

Etymology 4

Noun

See also

Further reading

References

See also

Anagrams

Abau

Pronunciation

Particle

Adverb

Determiner

References

Afrikaans

Alternative forms

Etymology

Pronunciation

Adverb

Derived terms

Äiwoo

Verb

References

Ashkun

Etymology

Noun

References

Asturian

Etymology 1

Preposition

Derived terms

Etymology 2

Adjective

Pronoun

Related terms

Etymology 3

Alternative forms

Verb

Bambara

Etymology 1

Noun

Derived terms

Etymology 2

Noun

Derived terms

Basque

Pronunciation

Etymology 1