Affect in Different Languages
Discover 'Affect' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'affect' is a small but powerful term, with a significant impact on how we understand and interact with the world around us. Derived from the Latin 'affectus' meaning 'state of mind,' 'affect' refers to the emotions, feelings, or mood that a person exhibits, or the influence that something has on a person's behavior or thoughts. Understanding the nuances of this word is crucial to effective communication and building meaningful relationships.
Beyond its everyday usage, 'affect' has played a pivotal role in shaping cultural narratives and academic discourse. In psychology, for example, 'affect' is a key concept used to describe and analyze human emotions. Meanwhile, in literature and film studies, 'affect' is often used to explore the emotional impact of art and media on audiences.
Given its importance, it's no surprise that many people are interested in learning how to say 'affect' in different languages. Whether you're traveling abroad, studying a new language, or simply looking to expand your cultural horizons, knowing the translation of 'affect' can be a valuable tool for connecting with others and deepening your understanding of the world.
Here are some translations of 'affect' in various languages:
Affect
Affect in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | beïnvloed | ||
| "Beïnvloed" can mean both "affect" and "influence" in Afrikaans, unlike in English. | |||
| Amharic | ተጽዕኖ | ||
| The Amharic word ተጽዕኖ, meaning "affect," derives from the ancient Greek word "effect." | |||
| Hausa | shafi | ||
| In other contexts, "shafi" can mean "concern" or "anxiety" in Hausa. | |||
| Igbo | emetụta | ||
| Emetụta in Igbo can also denote a situation of being affected by an unfavorable condition. | |||
| Malagasy | vokany eo | ||
| The word "vokany eo" in Malagasy can also mean "to touch" or "to feel". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kukhudza | ||
| The word "kukhudza" can also mean "to bring" or "to carry." | |||
| Shona | kukanganisa | ||
| The word 'kukanganisa' is derived from the root 'kunga', which means 'to be' or 'to exist'. It can also mean 'to influence' or 'to make a difference. | |||
| Somali | saamayn | ||
| In Somali, 'saamayn' means 'affect' and can also be used to indicate a result or consequence. | |||
| Sesotho | ama | ||
| The word "ama" also means "to make a noise" or "to sound" in Sesotho. | |||
| Swahili | kuathiri | ||
| In the 1920s, the term 'kuathiri' was used in Swahili to describe someone who was 'very affected'. | |||
| Xhosa | ifuthe | ||
| The word ifuthe in Xhosa can be used with multiple meanings, and can mean "affect", "influence" or "influence" depending on the context. | |||
| Yoruba | ni ipa | ||
| "Ni ipa" is also used figuratively to describe an effect or influence on someone's state of mind or emotions. | |||
| Zulu | thinta | ||
| Zulu word "thinta" also means to "touch", and it carries spiritual and emotional connotations of influence, impact, or being influenced. | |||
| Bambara | ka se a ma | ||
| Ewe | wᴐ dᴐ ɖe edzi | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ingaruka | ||
| Lingala | kozala na bopusi | ||
| Luganda | okukosa | ||
| Sepedi | amega | ||
| Twi (Akan) | nya nsunsuansoɔ | ||
Affect in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | تؤثر | ||
| "تؤثر" is the verb root meaning "to have an effect" or "influence," and is the root of many words in Arabic related to influence or effect, such as "تأثير" (influence) and "تفعيل" (activation). | |||
| Hebrew | להשפיע | ||
| The Hebrew word "להשפיע" can also mean "to influence" in the sense of causing a change, or "to flow" or "to pour" in the literal sense. | |||
| Pashto | اغیزه | ||
| The Pashto word "اغیزه" comes from the Arabic word "اثر" and also means "trace" or "sign". | |||
| Arabic | تؤثر | ||
| "تؤثر" is the verb root meaning "to have an effect" or "influence," and is the root of many words in Arabic related to influence or effect, such as "تأثير" (influence) and "تفعيل" (activation). | |||
Affect in Western European Languages
| Albanian | ndikojnë | ||
| The Albanian word "ndikojnë" also means to "tend to" or "be inclined to." | |||
| Basque | eragin | ||
| Eragi, besides 'affect', also contains the meanings of 'cause', 'generate', and 'produce'. | |||
| Catalan | afectar | ||
| The Catalan word "afectar" also means "to infect". | |||
| Croatian | utjecati | ||
| Cognate with Serbian "utičati" and with English "touch" from Proto-Slavic "*těxati" ("strike, hit, slay") | |||
| Danish | påvirke | ||
| Påvirke also means "to touch". The verb can mean both "affect" and "touch" depending on the context and sentence structure. | |||
| Dutch | beïnvloeden | ||
| "Beïnvloeden" can also mean "influence" or "impact" in Dutch. | |||
| English | affect | ||
| In Middle English and Old French, 'affect' meant 'a passion, emotion, or state of mind; a feeling'. | |||
| French | affecter | ||
| The French word "affecter" can also mean "to assign," "to attach," "to attribute," "to allocate," "to appropriate," "to give". | |||
| Frisian | beynfloedzje | ||
| Besides "affect", "beynfloedzje" can also mean "impression" | |||
| Galician | afectar | ||
| A palavra "afectar" também pode significar "contagiar" ou "atingir" em galego. | |||
| German | beeinflussen | ||
| The term 'beeinflussen' is derived from 'einfließen', which originally meant 'to run in'. | |||
| Icelandic | áhrif | ||
| Áhrif is also used in Icelandic to refer to a musical refrain. | |||
| Irish | tionchar | ||
| In Irish, the word "tionchar" derives from the Proto-Celtic root *tenk-, meaning "to affect" or "to influence." | |||
| Italian | influenzare | ||
| The Italian word "influenzare" comes from the Latin "influentia," meaning "flow in," and can also mean "inspire" or "influence". | |||
| Luxembourgish | beaflossen | ||
| The Luxembourgish word "beaflossen" also means "to touch" or "to feel" in a physical sense. | |||
| Maltese | jaffettwaw | ||
| The Maltese word "jaffettwaw" also refers to the facial expression that reflects emotion. | |||
| Norwegian | påvirke | ||
| The word "påvirke" can also mean "to influence". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | afeto | ||
| The Portuguese word "afeto" derives from the Latin "affectus" meaning "emotion, feeling, or mood". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | buaidh | ||
| The Scots Gaelic word "buaidh" can also mean "success", "conquest", or "victory". | |||
| Spanish | afectar | ||
| Spanish 'afectar' can also mean 'to infect' or 'to concern', and derives from the Latin 'afficere' meaning 'to act upon'. | |||
| Swedish | påverka | ||
| Påverka, pronounced as "pa-ver-ka," in Swedish is derived from the Latin word "afficere," meaning "to act upon" or "to influence." | |||
| Welsh | effeithio | ||
| "Effaith" is a Middle Welsh word descended from Latin "affectus" meaning "emotion," now used in modern Welsh to describe "effect" or "affect" in all its modern English senses as a verb and noun. | |||
Affect in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | уплываць | ||
| In Russian, the word "уплываць" can also mean "to sail away". | |||
| Bosnian | utjecati | ||
| The verb 'utjecati' can also mean to 'influence' or to 'make an impression on' in Bosnian. | |||
| Bulgarian | засягат | ||
| In Bulgarian, "засягам" can mean "to touch" or "to affect," but it only means "to affect" when used in the context of emotions. | |||
| Czech | postihnout | ||
| Postihnout also means "punish" or "catch" in the literal sense. | |||
| Estonian | mõjutama | ||
| "Mõjustama" in English, like "affect" in French, means "influence" but also "emotionally move" and "physically touch" (cf. the French "émouvoir" and "toucher"). | |||
| Finnish | vaikuttaa | ||
| The verb 'vaikuttaa' derives from the Proto-Finnic 'waikut-', meaning 'to blow', and is cognate with the Estonian 'vaikuma' (lamentation). | |||
| Hungarian | befolyásolni | ||
| The Hungarian word "befolyásolni" can also mean "influence" in the sense of having power or authority over someone. | |||
| Latvian | ietekmēt | ||
| The word “ietekmēt” in Latvian likely derives from the Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to put, to set". | |||
| Lithuanian | paveikti | ||
| The Lithuanian word 'paveikti' originates from the Proto-Indo-European root '*h₁pekʷ-' meaning 'to reach' or 'to attain'. | |||
| Macedonian | влијаат | ||
| The word "влијаат" in Macedonian relates to the Latin word "affectare" which means "to strive for" or "to seek to obtain". | |||
| Polish | oddziaływać | ||
| Oddziaływać means "interact" or "to produce an effect on something" in Polish. | |||
| Romanian | a afecta | ||
| In Romanian, the word "a afecta" can also mean "to touch", "to move", or "to influence". | |||
| Russian | влиять | ||
| "Влиять" may be derived from "вливать", meaning "to pour in". | |||
| Serbian | утицати | ||
| The Serbian word "утицати" (affect) derives from the Proto-Slavic root "*jutъ", meaning "quick, fast" or "hot, burning." | |||
| Slovak | ovplyvniť | ||
| The Slovak word "ovplyvniť" derives from the Czech word "ovlivnit", which itself originated from the German word "einfliessen", meaning "to flow in". The word refers primarily to the act of influencing someone or something, or having an effect on them. | |||
| Slovenian | vplivajo | ||
| The word 'vplivati' can also mean to 'have influence over'. | |||
| Ukrainian | впливати | ||
| In Ukrainian, "впливати" is a verb that means "to influence" or "to have an effect on," and is derived from the word "плисти" (to sail or flow), suggesting the idea of something carried or influenced by an external force. | |||
Affect in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | প্রভাবিত | ||
| The word "প্রভাবিত" can also mean "influenced" or "impressed" in Bengali. | |||
| Gujarati | અસર | ||
| "અસર" also has connotations with the idea to "influence," "change". | |||
| Hindi | को प्रभावित | ||
| The word "affect" in Hindi, "को प्रभावित," can also mean "to infect" or "to produce an effect on." | |||
| Kannada | ಪರಿಣಾಮ | ||
| The Kannada word "ಪರಿಣಾಮ" (parināma) also means "result" or "consequence". | |||
| Malayalam | ബാധിക്കുക | ||
| "ബാധിക്കുക" is a Sanskrit composite word combining "badh" and "ik" to inflict harm, suffering, or impairment. | |||
| Marathi | परिणाम | ||
| The word "परिणाम" also means "result" or "outcome" in Marathi. | |||
| Nepali | असर | ||
| The Nepali word "असर" (asar) derives from the Persian word "اثر" (âsar), meaning "influence, effect, or trace," and can also refer to a "mark, sign, or indication". | |||
| Punjabi | ਨੂੰ ਪ੍ਰਭਾਵਤ | ||
| The word 'affect' is derived from the Latin word 'affectus', which means 'feeling or emotion', and it can also be used to describe the influence or impact of one thing on another. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | බලපාන | ||
| The word "affect" in Sinhala (Sinhalese) has several different meanings, including having an influence or impact on something, causing a change in something, or influencing someone's emotions or behavior. | |||
| Tamil | பாதிக்கும் | ||
| The Tamil word 'பாதிக்கும்' ('affect') also means 'to be affected by', 'to be influenced by', or 'to be subject to'. | |||
| Telugu | ప్రభావితం | ||
| The word "ప్రభావితం" can also mean influence, inspire, engage, sway, bias, touch, concern, stir, and thrill. | |||
| Urdu | اثر انداز | ||
| The word "اثر انداز" in Urdu also means "to be effective" or "to have an impact." | |||
Affect in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 影响 | ||
| 在中文里，“影响”一词的本义是“浸渍”，引申义为“受外界事物作用而改变或产生作用”。 | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 影響 | ||
| 影響 means "influence" in Chinese, but its original meaning was "to receive". | |||
| Japanese | 影響する | ||
| The kanji used in 日本語 (Japanese) for 'affect' is the same as the one used for 'effect'. | |||
| Korean | 영향을 미치다 | ||
| Mongolian | нөлөөлөх | ||
| The word нөлөөлөх can also be used to describe the act of causing or producing an effect. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အကျိုးသက်ရောက်စေသည် | ||
| This word also means 'to make an impression' | |||
Affect in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | mempengaruhi | ||
| The Indonesian word "mempengaruhi" derives from the Dutch word "invloed" meaning "influence" or "impact". | |||
| Javanese | mengaruhi | ||
| The Javanese word "mengaruhi" has the same etymology as "mengayuh", "to row" or "to pedal", suggesting a sense of ongoing process. | |||
| Khmer | ប៉ះពាល់ | ||
| ប៉ះពាល់ (poahpaal) is also used in Khmer to mean "to be involved in" or "to participate in" an activity. | |||
| Lao | ຜົນກະທົບ | ||
| Malay | mempengaruhi | ||
| The word "mempengaruhi" in Malay comes from the Proto-Austronesian root word "*pěn-sědi-/*pěn-sědi-", meaning "cause" or "influence." | |||
| Thai | ส่งผลกระทบ | ||
| คำว่า "ส่งผลกระทบ" มีรากศัพท์มาจากภาษาบาลีว่า "ส่งฺผลกฺตฺถ","impact" ในภาษาอังกฤษ และ "ผลกระทบ" ในภาษาไทย | |||
| Vietnamese | có ảnh hưởng đến | ||
| In Vietnamese, "có ảnh hưởng đến" is also an idiomatic phrase used in contexts of influencing or manipulating a person, situation, or outcome. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | makakaapekto | ||
Affect in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | təsir etmək | ||
| The Azerbaijani word "təsir etmək" comes from the Persian word "tāsir", which means "effect". It can also mean "to impress" or "to influence". | |||
| Kazakh | әсер ету | ||
| In some dialects, such as Western Kazakh, the word can also translate to "to influence" or "to act on." | |||
| Kyrgyz | таасир этет | ||
| The word "таасир этет" can also mean "to have an effect on someone or something". | |||
| Tajik | таъсир мерасонад | ||
| The Tajik term “таъсир мерасонад” (affect) is derived from Arabic “تَأَثَّر” (ta’athara) meaning “to be influenced” and “to take effect”. | |||
| Turkmen | täsir edýär | ||
| Uzbek | ta'sir qilish | ||
| 'Ta'sir qilish' is used to mean 'inspire' in the passive form 'ta'sirlanish'. | |||
| Uyghur | تەسىر | ||
Affect in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | pili | ||
| In Hawaiian, 'pili' also means 'to adhere to' or 'to cling to.' | |||
| Maori | pā | ||
| Pā can also refer to a fortified village or settlement, especially one built on a hilltop or other elevated location. | |||
| Samoan | aʻafia | ||
| Samoan word "a'afia" can mean "illness" or "wellbeing" depending on context. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | nakakaapekto | ||
| The word "nakakaapekto" in Tagalog does not mean "to affect" but "to be affected by". | |||
Affect in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | aphiktaña | ||
| Guarani | hupytýva | ||
Affect in International Languages
| Esperanto | afekti | ||
| Esperanto `afekti` can refer to either the psychological concept or the grammatical mood. | |||
| Latin | affect | ||
| The Latin verb "afficere" can mean "to affect" or "to do something to". This ambiguity can lead to confusion in modern English. | |||
Affect in Others Languages
| Greek | επηρεάζουν | ||
| In Greek, the word "επηρεάζουν" (affect) can also mean influence, impact, or have an effect on something. | |||
| Hmong | cuam tshuam | ||
| The word "cuam tshuam" in Hmong is also used to describe a person's character or disposition. | |||
| Kurdish | raydakirin | ||
| In old Kurdish, 'raydakirin' meant 'to be sick' or 'to get sick'. | |||
| Turkish | etkilemek | ||
| The Turkish word "etkilemek" also means "to influence" or "to impress". | |||
| Xhosa | ifuthe | ||
| The word ifuthe in Xhosa can be used with multiple meanings, and can mean "affect", "influence" or "influence" depending on the context. | |||
| Yiddish | ווירקן | ||
| The Yiddish word "ווירקן" originally meant "to act" or "to do," but later came to also mean "to affect." | |||
| Zulu | thinta | ||
| Zulu word "thinta" also means to "touch", and it carries spiritual and emotional connotations of influence, impact, or being influenced. | |||
| Assamese | প্ৰভাৱিত কৰা | ||
| Aymara | aphiktaña | ||
| Bhojpuri | प्रभाव डालल | ||
| Dhivehi | އަސަރުކުރުން | ||
| Dogri | मतासर करना | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | makakaapekto | ||
| Guarani | hupytýva | ||
| Ilocano | apektaran | ||
| Krio | afɛkt | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | کاریگەری | ||
| Maithili | प्रभाव | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯁꯣꯛꯍꯟꯕ | ||
| Mizo | nghawng | ||
| Oromo | dhiibbaa irraan ga'uu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ପ୍ରଭାବ | ||
| Quechua | chayay | ||
| Sanskrit | लिंपन्ति | ||
| Tatar | йогынты ясый | ||
| Tigrinya | ፅለው | ||
| Tsonga | khumbha | ||