Act in Different Languages
Discover 'Act' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'act' carries significant weight in our daily lives, shaping our behavior and interactions. It's not just a command to perform, but also a noun that signifies a thing done, a portion of a play, or a theatrical performance. Moreover, 'act' is a crucial concept in philosophy, law, and politics, often referring to intentional actions with consequences.
Culturally, 'acting' is a revered art form, with roots in ancient civilizations like Greece and Rome. Today, it's a global phenomenon, with diverse expressions across countries and cultures. Understanding the term 'act' in various languages can open up new perspectives and appreciation for this universal human activity.
For instance, in Spanish, 'actuar' means to act or perform, while in French, 'acte' refers to an act or a document. In German, 'Akt' can mean act, as in a portion of a play, or a file, as in a medical record.
Delve deeper into the world of 'act' through its translations. Explore how this simple word, with its profound implications, unites us in our shared humanity, despite linguistic and cultural differences.
Act
Act in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | daad | ||
| The word "daad" in Afrikaans can trace its etymology back to the Dutch word "daad" and the Middle Dutch word "daet," both meaning "act." | |||
| Amharic | እርምጃ | ||
| The word "እርምጃ" can also refer to a "step" or a "measure". | |||
| Hausa | yi aiki | ||
| In Hausa, "yi aiki" can also mean "to work" or "to do something." | |||
| Igbo | mee | ||
| The Igbo word 'mee' can also refer to a type of traditional Igbo music and dance. | |||
| Malagasy | zavatra | ||
| The term 'zavatra' is also used in Malagasy to mean 'thing' or 'object'. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | chitani | ||
| The word "chitani" likely derives from the Proto-Bantu root "-tana," meaning "to do" or "to make." | |||
| Shona | chiito | ||
| The word "chiito" in Shona also means "dance" or "performance." | |||
| Somali | fal | ||
| Fal, meaning 'act' or 'deed' in Somali, originated from the Arabic word 'fi'l' | |||
| Sesotho | nka khato | ||
| In Sesotho, "nka khato" also means "to be in trouble" or "to have a problem." | |||
| Swahili | tenda | ||
| The verb 'tenda' in Swahili also means 'to look after' or 'to care for'. | |||
| Xhosa | isenzo | ||
| "Isenzo" in Xhosa has alternative meanings such as "behavior" and "nature". | |||
| Yoruba | sise | ||
| The word 'sise' in Yoruba, besides meaning 'act', is also related to the concept of 'law' or 'duty' | |||
| Zulu | isenzo | ||
| "Isenzo" can also mean an "intention" or a "plan" when used with the prefix "um-" or "uku-" | |||
| Bambara | kɛwale | ||
| Ewe | wɔ nu | ||
| Kinyarwanda | gukora | ||
| Lingala | mosala | ||
| Luganda | okukola | ||
| Sepedi | molao | ||
| Twi (Akan) | yɛ | ||
Act in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | فعل | ||
| The Arabic word "فعل" also refers to a verb, as in the grammatical term for a word that describes an action or occurrence | |||
| Hebrew | פעולה | ||
| The term פעולה also denotes an action or activity in Hebrew, as in, "פעולת הזרקה" (injection). | |||
| Pashto | عمل | ||
| In Pashto, "عمل" is also used in the sense of "deed" or "result" | |||
| Arabic | فعل | ||
| The Arabic word "فعل" also refers to a verb, as in the grammatical term for a word that describes an action or occurrence | |||
Act in Western European Languages
| Albanian | veproj | ||
| "Veproj" can also mean "deed" and originates from the Latin word "operari". | |||
| Basque | jardun | ||
| The word "jardun" also means "task" or "work" in Basque. | |||
| Catalan | actuar | ||
| The verb "actuar" also means "to behave" and derives from the Latin "agere," which can have a similar meaning or mean "to do". | |||
| Croatian | djelovati | ||
| The Slavic verb "dělati" ("to make, to do") also derives from "*dělъ" and is cognate with the Latin "facere." | |||
| Danish | handling | ||
| The Danish word "håndtering", meaning "handling", also has the alternate meaning of "action" or "deed" | |||
| Dutch | handelen | ||
| The Dutch cognate of "handle" means "trade" or "bargain" in archaic or literary usage. | |||
| English | act | ||
| The word "act" derives from the Latin "agere," meaning not only "to perform" but also "to conduct, drive, or lead." | |||
| French | acte | ||
| French "acte" (act) originated with Latin "actum," meaning either "done" or "a thing done." Its legal sense of "instrument in writing" comes from medieval scribes. | |||
| Frisian | handeling | ||
| In West-Frisian, the term "handeling" can also refer to a transaction or a procedure. | |||
| Galician | actuar | ||
| In Galician, the verb "actuar" derives from the Latin "actus," meaning "done" or "deed," and also retains its original meaning of "to put into action" or "to perform. | |||
| German | handlung | ||
| The German word "Handlung" is derived from the Old High German word "handlunga," meaning "something done with the hand." | |||
| Icelandic | framkvæma | ||
| In Icelandic, the word "framkvæma" originates from the Old Norse word "framkvæmi," meaning "performance" or "action." | |||
| Irish | gníomh | ||
| The word "gníomh" is derived from the Old Irish word "gnime" meaning "deed, action". | |||
| Italian | atto | ||
| The Italian word "atto" can also refer to a document, a deed, or a legal instrument. | |||
| Luxembourgish | handelen | ||
| Handel or handelen in Dutch or Luxembourgish refers to "acting" but also to "selling" and "dealing". | |||
| Maltese | jaġixxi | ||
| The etymology of "jaġixxi" is uncertain, but it may derive from the Arabic "فعل" (fiʿl, "deed"), or from the Latin "agere" (act). | |||
| Norwegian | handling | ||
| The Norwegian word "handling" can also mean "to manage" or "to deal with". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | aja | ||
| The verb "Aja" (pronounced a-jha) in Portuguese originated from the Latin word "ago", meaning action. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | achd | ||
| "Achd" in Scots Gaelic is cognate with "act" in English, stemming from the Old English word "æht". It can also refer to a formal record or agreement. | |||
| Spanish | actuar | ||
| "Actuar'' also means 'to sue' due to sharing its etymology with the word for "actor." | |||
| Swedish | spela teater | ||
| The Swedish word "spela teater" also translates to "to play theatre" in English. | |||
| Welsh | act | ||
| Welsh word "act" comes from the Latin word "actus", meaning "a doing or deed" and is also related to the English words "action" and "agent". | |||
Act in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | дзейнічаць | ||
| The Belarusian word "дзейнічаць" is derived from the Old East Slavic verb "деяти", meaning "to do" or "to work." | |||
| Bosnian | djelovati | ||
| The word "djelovati" also means "to work" in Bosnian. | |||
| Bulgarian | действай | ||
| The Bulgarian word "действай" comes from the Church Slavonic word "дѣиство", which means "action" or "deed." | |||
| Czech | akt | ||
| In Czech, "akt" can also mean "figure drawing" or "painting" | |||
| Estonian | tegutsema | ||
| The word 'tegutsema' is derived from the Estonian word 'tegu', which means 'deed' or 'action'. | |||
| Finnish | toimia | ||
| "Toimia" can also refer to "to function" or "to operate." | |||
| Hungarian | törvény | ||
| The word "törvény" originated from the Proto-Ugric root *tör "to break" and originally meant "custom, rule, law". | |||
| Latvian | tēlot | ||
| The word "tēlot" also means "to pretend" or "to feign". | |||
| Lithuanian | aktas | ||
| In Turkish, "aktas" also means "washed" or "clear". | |||
| Macedonian | дејствува | ||
| The Macedonian word "дејствува" (act) originates from the Proto-Slavonic word *дѣjati, meaning "to do" or "to make." | |||
| Polish | działać | ||
| In Polish, the verb "działać" can also mean "to work" or "to function", extending its range of meanings beyond simply "acting". | |||
| Romanian | act | ||
| In Romanian, "act" does not mean "act" but instead "record" or "document" | |||
| Russian | действовать | ||
| The word "действовать" can also mean "to be in force" or "to have an effect". | |||
| Serbian | деловати | ||
| The verb "деловати" is derived from the noun "дело" (deed), meaning "to perform an action". It also has a figurative meaning of "to participate in a matter" or "to have a role in something." | |||
| Slovak | konať | ||
| The word "konať" in Slovak can also mean "to assemble" or "to hold a meeting". | |||
| Slovenian | deluje | ||
| The verb 'deluje' can also mean 'to operate' or 'to function'. | |||
| Ukrainian | діяти | ||
| The Ukrainian word "діяти" (act) is derived from the Proto-Slavic root "дѣjь", which also means "to do" or "to perform an action." | |||
Act in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | আইন | ||
| আইন is a homograph which refers to both a physical statute as well as an event or performance | |||
| Gujarati | કાર્ય | ||
| The Gujarati word "કાર્ય" can also mean "task" or "deed". | |||
| Hindi | कार्य | ||
| "कार्य" can also mean "office work" or "duty" in Hindi. | |||
| Kannada | ವರ್ತಿಸಿ | ||
| The Kannada verb 'ವರ್ತಿಸಿ' can also mean 'to behave' or 'to conduct oneself'. | |||
| Malayalam | പ്രവർത്തിക്കുക | ||
| പ്രവർത്തിക്കുക may also refer to a function or operation in mathematics or an undertaking or deed involving action and result | |||
| Marathi | कार्य | ||
| In Sanskrit, “कार्य” means “cause” or “effect”, and can also refer to religious rituals or ceremonies. | |||
| Nepali | कार्य | ||
| The word "कार्य" comes from the Sanskrit word "कृ" meaning "to do" and can also mean "work" or "deed". | |||
| Punjabi | ਕੰਮ | ||
| The word "ਕੰਮ" also means "work" in Punjabi, derived from the Sanskrit word "karma." | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | පනත | ||
| The Sinhala word 'පනත' originates from the Sanskrit word 'प्रणीत' (pranīta), meaning 'ordained' or 'established' | |||
| Tamil | நாடகம் | ||
| நாடகம் also has an alternate meaning of 'play or dramatic performance.' | |||
| Telugu | చర్య | ||
| The word "చర్య" also means "attitude" or "behavior" in Telugu. | |||
| Urdu | عمل | ||
| The word "عمل" also means "deed" and "labor" in Urdu. | |||
Act in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 法案 | ||
| "法案" (fǎ'àn) means "statute" in Chinese but is a homophone of another word that means "lawsuit". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 法案 | ||
| 法案 (pronounced 'fǎ àn') also means 'bill' or 'draft law' in Chinese. | |||
| Japanese | 行為 | ||
| The Chinese character 行 in 行為 is used in various Japanese words with meanings like 'row', 'school grade' (学年), and 'school year' (學年). | |||
| Korean | 행위 | ||
| In Korean, 행위 can also refer to a performance or work of art, such as dance or music. | |||
| Mongolian | үйлдэл | ||
| "Үйлдэл" can also refer to performance or deed. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | လုပ်ရပ် | ||
Act in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | bertindak | ||
| The Indonesian word "bertindak" also means "to behave" and "to function". | |||
| Javanese | tumindak | ||
| In Javanese, "tumindak" originates from the root word "indak", meaning "to move" or "to walk." | |||
| Khmer | ធ្វើសកម្មភាព | ||
| The word ធ្វើសកម្មភាព can also mean to 'take action' or 'perform an action'. It is derived from the Sanskrit word 'kri', meaning 'to do'. | |||
| Lao | ປະຕິບັດ | ||
| Malay | bertindak | ||
| In Javanese, "bertindak" means to do, but in Malay it means to act. | |||
| Thai | พระราชบัญญัติ | ||
| The word "พระราชบัญญัติ" comes from Sanskrit through Pali and literally means "order of the king." | |||
| Vietnamese | hành động | ||
| In Vietnamese, "hành động" (act) derives from "hành" (action) + "động" (noun suffix), emphasizing the result or consequence of the action. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kumilos | ||
Act in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | hərəkət et | ||
| The verb `hərəkət et` is etymologically related to the Arabic word `harakat` (movement), and retains some of that word's semantic range in modern Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | әрекет ету | ||
| The word "әрекет ету" can also mean "to do" or "to make" in Kazakh. | |||
| Kyrgyz | иш | ||
| The word "иш" can also refer to a job, work, or business. | |||
| Tajik | амал | ||
| The word "амал" (act) in Tajik is derived from the Persian word "amal" which means "action" or "work". It can also refer to a "religious practice" or a "procedure". | |||
| Turkmen | hereket et | ||
| Uzbek | harakat qilish | ||
| The Uzbek word "harakat qilish" also means "to move" and is derived from the Persian word "harakat" meaning "movement". | |||
| Uyghur | ھەرىكەت | ||
Act in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hana | ||
| Hana is also a Hawaiian name meaning "work" or "craft". | |||
| Maori | mahi | ||
| The Maori word "mahi" also means "work" in some dialects, highlighting the inherent connection between doing and being in Maori culture. | |||
| Samoan | gaioi | ||
| The word "gaioi" can also refer to playing a role in a play or movie. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | kumilos | ||
| The word "kumilos" also means "to move" or "to perform an action." | |||
Act in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | aktu | ||
| Guarani | apo | ||
Act in International Languages
| Esperanto | akto | ||
| Esperanto's "akto" derives from Latin's "actus," and can also mean "deed," "performance," or "law passed by legislature." | |||
| Latin | agere | ||
| In Latin, "agere" not only means "act" but also "to do" or "to drive." | |||
Act in Others Languages
| Greek | υποκρίνομαι | ||
| The Greek word "υποκρίνομαι" (act) can also refer to pretending to do something or to assuming a role in a play, often as a professional actor. | |||
| Hmong | ua | ||
| "Ua" can also mean 'behavior' in Hmong. | |||
| Kurdish | ewlekarî | ||
| The word "ewlekarî" can also refer to a play, performance, show, drama, deed, work, or task in Kurdish. | |||
| Turkish | davranmak | ||
| "Davranmak" is derived from the Persian word "davranış" meaning "behavior, conduct" and also shares cognates with the Russian word "поведение" (behavior). | |||
| Xhosa | isenzo | ||
| "Isenzo" in Xhosa has alternative meanings such as "behavior" and "nature". | |||
| Yiddish | שפּילן | ||
| The word 'shpiln' ('act' in Yiddish) can also refer to "playing instruments" and is related to German 'spielen' (play), Dutch, 'speeln', Old Norse 'spila,' Gothic "jispan", Greek 'spao' (draw, tear) or 'spaein' (pull). | |||
| Zulu | isenzo | ||
| "Isenzo" can also mean an "intention" or a "plan" when used with the prefix "um-" or "uku-" | |||
| Assamese | অভিনয় | ||
| Aymara | aktu | ||
| Bhojpuri | कारज | ||
| Dhivehi | ޢަމަލު | ||
| Dogri | ऐक्ट | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kumilos | ||
| Guarani | apo | ||
| Ilocano | aramid | ||
| Krio | akt | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | کردار | ||
| Maithili | नाटक करनाइ | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯊꯧꯑꯪꯡ | ||
| Mizo | thilti | ||
| Oromo | akkaataa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | କାର୍ଯ୍ୟ | ||
| Quechua | kamachiy | ||
| Sanskrit | विधि | ||
| Tatar | акт | ||
| Tigrinya | ፍፃመ | ||
| Tsonga | nawu | ||