Addition in Different Languages
Discover 'Addition' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Addition is a fundamental concept that plays a significant role in various aspects of our lives. It is the process of combining quantities to find a total, a basic mathematical operation that we learn in our early education. The concept of addition has been around for thousands of years, with evidence of its use in ancient civilizations such as Egypt, Babylon, and China.
Beyond mathematics, addition has cultural importance and is often used metaphorically to describe the accumulation of things or ideas. For example, we may speak of adding new members to a family or adding new skills to our resume. Understanding the concept of addition in different languages can provide insight into how other cultures think about and express this idea.
For instance, in Spanish, addition is 'adición,' while in French, it is 'addition.' In German, the word for addition is 'Addition,' and in Japanese, it is '増加 (zōka).' These translations not only demonstrate the diversity of languages but also highlight the global significance of addition as a fundamental concept.
In the following list, you will find the translations of addition in various languages, providing a glimpse into the cultural significance of this concept around the world.
Addition
Addition in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | toevoeging | ||
| The word "toevoeging" in Afrikaans comes from the Dutch word "toevoeging", which means "addition" or "supplement." | |||
| Amharic | መደመር | ||
| The Amharic word "መደመር" also has the alternate meaning "to assemble or gather". | |||
| Hausa | ƙari | ||
| "ƙari" can also mean "exceeding amount" or "gain". | |||
| Igbo | mgbakwunye | ||
| In the Igbo language, the word, 'mgbakwunye', originates from 'gba', meaning to take, capture, or obtain, and 'kponye', which signifies something more. | |||
| Malagasy | koa | ||
| The word "koa" in Malagasy can also mean "to gather" or "to collect." | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kuwonjezera | ||
| The word "kuwonjezera" can also mean "to increase" or "to make more numerous." | |||
| Shona | kuwedzera | ||
| The word "kuwedzera" can also mean "to grow" or "to increase" in Shona. | |||
| Somali | dheer | ||
| Dheer also means "long" or "tall" in Somali, likely due to its shared root with the Somali word "dheer" meaning "length" or "height". | |||
| Sesotho | tlatsetso | ||
| The word "tlatsetso" can also refer to the process of joining or combining things together. | |||
| Swahili | nyongeza | ||
| "Nyongeza" is etymologically related to "ongeza" (to add), and can also refer to an extra item or amount given in addition to the main offering. | |||
| Xhosa | ukongeza | ||
| The word "ukongeza” can mean "to increase" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yoruba | afikun | ||
| Yoruba word "afikun" also means "an extra piece of cloth used to lengthen a garment." | |||
| Zulu | ukwengeza | ||
| The word 'ukwengeza' in Zulu can also mean 'to increase' or 'to enlarge'. | |||
| Bambara | kafoli | ||
| Ewe | kpekpeɖeŋu | ||
| Kinyarwanda | inyongera | ||
| Lingala | kobakisa | ||
| Luganda | okwongerako | ||
| Sepedi | tlaleletšo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | nkabom | ||
Addition in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | إضافة | ||
| إضافة means "addition" in Arabic, but it can also mean "contribution" or "attachment." | |||
| Hebrew | חיבור | ||
| "חיבור" also means "composition" or "connection" in Hebrew. | |||
| Pashto | اضافه | ||
| "اضافه" can also mean surplus, extra, spare, additional, and remainder in Pashto. | |||
| Arabic | إضافة | ||
| إضافة means "addition" in Arabic, but it can also mean "contribution" or "attachment." | |||
Addition in Western European Languages
| Albanian | shtesë | ||
| The word "shtesë" can also refer to a "suffix" or "supplement" in Albanian. | |||
| Basque | gainera | ||
| "Gainera" also means "plus" or "increase" in Basque. | |||
| Catalan | addició | ||
| In Catalan, "addició" can also mean "addiction". | |||
| Croatian | dodatak | ||
| The word "dodatak" in Croatian literally means "to give something", and can also refer to an annex or supplement to a document or publication. | |||
| Danish | tilføjelse | ||
| The word 'tilføjelse' can also mean 'postscript' or 'supplement'. | |||
| Dutch | toevoeging | ||
| Toevoeging can also mean a "remark" or an "amendment". | |||
| English | addition | ||
| The word "addition" also denotes an extra charge for a service or a supplementary item, such as a restaurant surcharge or a hotel amenity. | |||
| French | une addition | ||
| In French, "une addition" can also refer to a restaurant bill or tab. | |||
| Frisian | tafoeging | ||
| The Frisian word tafoeging, like the Dutch toevoeging, is derived from the verb foege or voege, which means “to add” or “to join.” | |||
| Galician | adición | ||
| In addition to the mathematical meaning, "adición" also means "action" or "speech" in Galician. | |||
| German | zusatz | ||
| Additionally, "Zusatz" also refers to a "food additive" or a "supplement". | |||
| Icelandic | viðbót | ||
| The word "viðbót" also means "bonus" or "extra" in Icelandic. | |||
| Irish | ina theannta sin | ||
| Italian | aggiunta | ||
| "Aggiunta" derives from the Latin "ad-iungere", to join, and in Italian, it can also refer to a supplement or appendix. | |||
| Luxembourgish | zousätzlech | ||
| The word "Zousätzlech" can also be used to refer to an "extra charge" in a financial context. | |||
| Maltese | żieda | ||
| "Żieda" also means "growth" in Maltese, coming from the Arabic word "zāda" which means "to increase or augment." | |||
| Norwegian | addisjon | ||
| The Norwegian word "addisjon" is derived from the Latin word "additio", which also means addition. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | adição | ||
| In the Portuguese language, the word "Adição" can also refer to a financial statement that shows a list of items and their prices, similar to an invoice. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | a bharrachd | ||
| 'A bharrachd' also means 'a little bit' or 'a small amount'. | |||
| Spanish | adición | ||
| In Spanish, the word "adición" can also refer to drug addiction, an additional charge on a bill, or, in the context of literature, a postscript. | |||
| Swedish | tillägg | ||
| The word "tillägg" in Swedish can also refer to a supplement or appendix to a book or document. | |||
| Welsh | ychwanegiad | ||
| The word `ychwanegiad` can also mean `increase` or `addition`. | |||
Addition in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | дадатак | ||
| The term "дадатак" can also refer to an addendum or appendix in a document. | |||
| Bosnian | dodatak | ||
| The word "dodatak" in Bosnian can also refer to an appendix or supplement. | |||
| Bulgarian | допълнение | ||
| The word "допълнение" in Bulgarian can also refer to a linguistic part of speech that complements a noun or verb. | |||
| Czech | přidání | ||
| The word "přidání" also means "adding something to something else" in Czech. | |||
| Estonian | lisamine | ||
| "Lisamine" also means "adding up". As an alternate meaning, "lisamine" can also refer to "filling in". | |||
| Finnish | lisäys | ||
| The word "lisäys" also denotes a | |||
| Hungarian | kiegészítés | ||
| Kiegészítés can also refer to "supplement" or "appendix". | |||
| Latvian | papildinājums | ||
| The Latvian word "papildinājums" also carries the meaning of a "supplement" in the academic sense. | |||
| Lithuanian | papildymas | ||
| The word "papildymas" in Lithuanian also means a "supplement" to a book. | |||
| Macedonian | додаток | ||
| The word "додаток" can also mean "appendix" or "supplement" in Macedonian. | |||
| Polish | dodanie | ||
| Polish word "dodanie" comes from Proto-Slavic "do-dati", which also means "to put". | |||
| Romanian | plus | ||
| The Romanian word "plus" is borrowed from French, and originally meant "more" or "surplus". | |||
| Russian | дополнение | ||
| The Russian word "дополнение" also carries meanings of "complement" (e.g. a grammatical term) and "supplementary information" (e.g. an addendum to a text). | |||
| Serbian | додатак | ||
| The Serbian word "додатак" is also used to mean "appendix" or "supplement" in addition to its primary meaning of "addition" | |||
| Slovak | dodatok | ||
| The term "dodatok" can also refer to an addendum or supplement in mathematics or law | |||
| Slovenian | poleg tega | ||
| The word 'poleg tega' can also mean 'besides' or 'in addition'. | |||
| Ukrainian | доповнення | ||
| The word “доповнення” can also mean “supplement” or “add-on” in Ukrainian. | |||
Addition in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | যোগ | ||
| The term "যোগ" in Bengali can also refer to a mathematical operation, or a state of concentration and meditation in Hindu and Buddhist philosophies. | |||
| Gujarati | ઉમેરો | ||
| "ઉમેરો" can also mean "increment", "increase", "growth", or "addition to a sum". | |||
| Hindi | इसके अलावा | ||
| इसके अलावा can also mean 'moreover' or 'furthermore'. | |||
| Kannada | ಸೇರ್ಪಡೆ | ||
| The word "ಸೇರ್ಪಡೆ" can also mean "incorporation", "affiliation", or "inclusion" in Kannada. | |||
| Malayalam | സങ്കലനം | ||
| The word "സങ്കലനം" also means "coming together" or "joining" in Malayalam. | |||
| Marathi | या व्यतिरिक्त | ||
| The word 'या व्यतिरिक्त' can also mean 'besides' or 'in addition to'. | |||
| Nepali | थप | ||
| थप' is derived from Sanskrit थप्य ('thapya') meaning 'to be added' and is related to 'tapana' meaning 'warming'. | |||
| Punjabi | ਇਸ ਦੇ ਨਾਲ | ||
| The word also means something on top, a top-up, an extra, an enhancement, or a supplement; thus, it is used as an affix to other nouns to express the concept of "in addition". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ඊට අමතරව | ||
| In addition to its mathematical meaning, "ඊට අමතරව" can also mean "incidentally" or "by the way". | |||
| Tamil | கூடுதலாக | ||
| The word "கூடுதலாக" (kūṭutalāka) in Tamil is a compound word formed from the words "கூடு" (kūṭu), meaning "to add", and "தல்" (tal), meaning "action". Therefore, the word literally means "the action of adding". However, it is most commonly used in the sense of "in addition to" or "additionally". | |||
| Telugu | అదనంగా | ||
| The word "అదనంగా" can also mean "extra" or "additional". | |||
| Urdu | اس کے علاوہ | ||
| In Persian, "इसके علاوه" also means "and" or "too". | |||
Addition in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 加成 | ||
| "加成" 的本义为 "增加的数目" 或 "数量的增加", 亦可用于形容 "额外加入的" 或 "辅助的" 事物. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 加成 | ||
| "加" means "addition", "to increase", and "to join" and "成" means "to become". | |||
| Japanese | 添加 | ||
| "添加" in Japanese can be an alternative way of writing the word for 'add', but can also be an alternative way to write words that mean 'to increase' or 'to enhance' | |||
| Korean | 부가 | ||
| Aside from the common meaning of 'addition,' '부가' can refer to a 'supplement' or 'attachment,' particularly in the context of documents, texts, or other written works. | |||
| Mongolian | нэмэлт | ||
| "Нэмэлт" can also mean "appendix" or "increment." | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ထို့အပြင် | ||
Addition in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | tambahan | ||
| Tambahan can also refer to a supplement or extra, as in a bonus or complementary item | |||
| Javanese | tambahan | ||
| In Javanese, "tambahan" also refers to a dowry given by the groom's family to the bride. | |||
| Khmer | បន្ថែម | ||
| បន្ថែម is derived from the Sanskrit word "pantha" meaning "road" or "path", and can also refer to an "extension" or "supplement". | |||
| Lao | ນອກຈາກນັ້ນ | ||
| Malay | penambahan | ||
| "Penambahan" also refers a rank of Javanese nobility, as well as a title in the Malay sultanate system. | |||
| Thai | ส่วนที่เพิ่มเข้าไป | ||
| The Thai word "ส่วนที่เพิ่มเข้าไป" can also refer to an extension, enlargement, or increment | |||
| Vietnamese | thêm vào | ||
| The word "thêm vào" also means "to add" in Vietnamese | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | karagdagan | ||
Addition in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | əlavə | ||
| "Əlavə" can also mean something that is extra or in excess and is not part of the main thing | |||
| Kazakh | қосу | ||
| The word "қосу" ('addition') in Kazakh also refers to the act of combining two or more objects into a single unit. | |||
| Kyrgyz | кошумча | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "кошумча" can also refer to an "additive", something added to enhance a substance. | |||
| Tajik | илова | ||
| The word "илова" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *ple-, meaning "to fill" or "to be full." | |||
| Turkmen | goşmak | ||
| Uzbek | qo'shimcha | ||
| The word "qo'shimcha" also has the alternate meaning of "extra" or "supplemental" in Uzbek. | |||
| Uyghur | addition | ||
Addition in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hoʻohui | ||
| Hoʻohui (addition) can also mean to combine, join, unite, connect, link, assemble, gather, or collect. | |||
| Maori | taapiri | ||
| The word "taapiri" can also refer to a "contribution" or a "gift". | |||
| Samoan | faʻaopoopoga | ||
| The Samoan word "faʻaopoopoga" also means "supplement" or "appendix" in addition to "addition". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | karagdagan | ||
| The word "karagdagan" has roots in the Proto-Malayo-Polynesian word "*tarak" meaning "to gather" or "to assemble". | |||
Addition in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | suma | ||
| Guarani | jepokuaavai | ||
Addition in International Languages
| Esperanto | aldono | ||
| "Aldono" is an Esperanto word meaning "addition," also containing the Latin roots "al-" (to) and "-don-" (to give)" | |||
| Latin | praeter | ||
| "Praeter" has several meanings besides "addition," including "except" and "by." | |||
Addition in Others Languages
| Greek | πρόσθεση | ||
| The Greek word 'πρόσθεση' ('addition') originally meant 'putting forward' and was used in a mathematical context to denote the addition of one number to another. | |||
| Hmong | txuas ntxiv | ||
| Kurdish | pitir | ||
| The word "pitir" also has the additional meaning of "a share". | |||
| Turkish | ilave | ||
| The word "ilave" derives from the Arabic word "law"," to add, to join". | |||
| Xhosa | ukongeza | ||
| The word "ukongeza” can mean "to increase" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yiddish | דערצו | ||
| "דערצו" can also mean "in addition" or "moreover". | |||
| Zulu | ukwengeza | ||
| The word 'ukwengeza' in Zulu can also mean 'to increase' or 'to enlarge'. | |||
| Assamese | যোগ | ||
| Aymara | suma | ||
| Bhojpuri | जोड़ | ||
| Dhivehi | އެއްކުރުން | ||
| Dogri | जोड़ | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | karagdagan | ||
| Guarani | jepokuaavai | ||
| Ilocano | panangnayon | ||
| Krio | ad | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | زیادکردن | ||
| Maithili | जोड़नाइ | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯍꯥꯞꯆꯤꯟꯕ | ||
| Mizo | belhna | ||
| Oromo | ida'uu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଯୋଗ | ||
| Quechua | yapay | ||
| Sanskrit | योजन | ||
| Tatar | өстәмә | ||
| Tigrinya | ተወሳኺ | ||
| Tsonga | engetela | ||