Against in Different Languages
Discover 'Against' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'against' is a small but powerful term, denoting opposition or resistance in English. Its significance extends beyond mere language, as it represents a fundamental concept in human culture and interaction. Throughout history, the idea of being 'against' something has sparked debates, driven change, and shaped societies.
For instance, the famous quote 'We have nothing to fear but fear itself' from Franklin D. Roosevelt's inaugural address uses 'against' to emphasize the struggle against fear during the Great Depression. This illustrates the word's cultural importance and historical context.
As we navigate our globalized world, understanding the translation of 'against' in different languages can foster better communication and cross-cultural understanding. Here are a few examples:
- French: contre
- Spanish: contra
- German: gegen
- Mandarin: 对（duì）
- Japanese: 対（たい）
Stay tuned for a comprehensive list of 'against' translations in various languages, helping you bridge cultural gaps and appreciate the richness of linguistic diversity.
Against
Against in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | teen | ||
| The Afrikaans word "teen" derived from the Dutch word "tegen" meaning "against" or "toward". | |||
| Amharic | ላይ | ||
| The word “ላይ” is also used in expressions indicating “more” or “higher” as well as “in” or “in the presence of”. | |||
| Hausa | da | ||
| "Da" derives from Proto-Chadic *ɗaa "to place beside", and also serves as an ablative case marker in Hausa. | |||
| Igbo | imegide | ||
| The Igbo word "imegide" also means "obstacle" or "hindrance". | |||
| Malagasy | amin'i | ||
| AMIN'I is said to be derived from the Arabic word 'Al-amina' which means the trusted one. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kutsutsana | ||
| The word "kutsutsana" is also used to mean "to oppose" or "to prohibit" in Nyanja (Chichewa). | |||
| Shona | kupesana | ||
| Shona ku is a prefix that indicates direction or position, and pesana means 'to be opposite' or 'to face'. | |||
| Somali | ka soo horjeedda | ||
| The Somali word "ka soo horjeedda" directly translates to "coming from opposing direction", indicating its original meaning of "facing". | |||
| Sesotho | kgahlanong le | ||
| The etymology of "kgahlanong le" is unclear, but it may originate from an older verb meaning "to divide." | |||
| Swahili | dhidi ya | ||
| The word "dhidi ya" in Swahili can also mean "in opposition to" or "in defiance of." | |||
| Xhosa | ngokuchasene | ||
| Historically, 'ngokuchasene' was also used to mean 'near' or 'in the vicinity of', a meaning which is preserved in a number of its derivatives and is cognate with some Zulu meanings of the word 'chase'. | |||
| Yoruba | lodi si | ||
| The word "lodi si" in Yoruba can also mean "not so" or "unlike". | |||
| Zulu | ngokumelene | ||
| A Zulu term for the state of being against someone or something but it also means 'to deny' or 'to refuse' as well as 'to be averse' or 'to dislike' | |||
| Bambara | kama | ||
| Ewe | tsi tsitre ɖe eŋu | ||
| Kinyarwanda | kurwanya | ||
| Lingala | kontre | ||
| Luganda | kulilanya | ||
| Sepedi | kgahlanong | ||
| Twi (Akan) | tia | ||
Against in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | ضد | ||
| The root word "ضد" can also mean "opposite" or "contrasting element" in Arabic | |||
| Hebrew | מול | ||
| The Hebrew word "מול" "mul" also means "in front of", and has the same origin as the English word "mule", as a mule is an animal born between a horse "סוס" sus and a donkey "חמור" chamor – animals which, typically, stand "face to face" when mating. | |||
| Pashto | خلاف | ||
| In Pashto, "خلاف" not only means "against" but can also carry the connotation of a "dispute" or "disagreement". | |||
| Arabic | ضد | ||
| The root word "ضد" can also mean "opposite" or "contrasting element" in Arabic | |||
Against in Western European Languages
| Albanian | kundër | ||
| Albanian "kundër" also means "near" or "opposite" in Old Albanian, which derives from the Proto-Indo-European root "*kontrə". | |||
| Basque | aurka | ||
| Etymology: Possibly related to the Proto-Vasconic root *ork- meaning 'in front of' or 'opposing'. | |||
| Catalan | en contra | ||
| The expression "en contra" also means "in exchange for" in Catalan. | |||
| Croatian | protiv | ||
| "Protiv" can also mean "opposite" or "facing" in Croatian (e.g., "protiv struje" = "against the current"). | |||
| Danish | mod | ||
| The Danish word 'mod', meaning "against," also carries the meanings "toward," and "with," with a special connotation of "encounter" and "opposition." | |||
| Dutch | tegen | ||
| The word 'tegen' in Dutch, meaning 'against', is derived from the Old Dutch word 'tegjan', meaning 'to go against'. | |||
| English | against | ||
| The word 'against' derives from the Old English word 'ongegn', meaning 'opposite' or 'facing'. | |||
| French | contre | ||
| The word "contre" evolved from the Latin "contra" meaning "together" or "opposite to." | |||
| Frisian | tsjin | ||
| The word "tsjin" in Frisian also means "in the direction of" and "in exchange for" | |||
| Galician | en contra | ||
| In Galician, "en contra" can also mean "on the contrary" or "in exchange for". | |||
| German | gegen | ||
| The Middle High German word "gegene" originally meant "to go towards," from the Old High German word "gigan" (to go) and the preposition "ga-." | |||
| Icelandic | á móti | ||
| In Icelandic, “á móti” not only means “against” but can also mean “to meet someone or something” or “to face something”. | |||
| Irish | i gcoinne | ||
| The term "i gcoinne" derives from the Old Irish phrase "i comfocus" meaning "in front of" and implies opposition. | |||
| Italian | contro | ||
| "Contro" is also used figuratively to indicate opposition or disagreement. | |||
| Luxembourgish | géint | ||
| The word "géint" can also refer to a direction, such as "opposite" or "facing away from". | |||
| Maltese | kontra | ||
| The Maltese word "kontra" is derived from the Italian word "contro" and the Latin word "contra. | |||
| Norwegian | imot | ||
| "Imot" can mean "towards" when followed by a toponym or directional term in Norwegian | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | contra | ||
| In Portuguese, "contra" can also mean "towards" or "approximately." | |||
| Scots Gaelic | na aghaidh | ||
| Na aghaidh can also refer to the face of a person or an object, or a particular direction | |||
| Spanish | en contra | ||
| "En contra" also means "in exchange" in legal and business settings. | |||
| Swedish | mot | ||
| In Swedish, "mot" also means "to" or "towards" depending on the context. | |||
| Welsh | yn erbyn | ||
| The phrase "yn erbyn" can also mean "towards" or "facing" in Welsh, depending on the context. | |||
Against in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | супраць | ||
| In the 17th century, the word 'супраць' was sometimes used in the meaning of 'opposite', and in the 20th century it was also sometimes used instead of 'усупраць'. | |||
| Bosnian | protiv | ||
| Protiv is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *proti, meaning "opposite" or "facing". | |||
| Bulgarian | срещу | ||
| "Срещу/срешь" also means "opposite" in Bulgarian, e.g. "срещу училището" ("opposite the school") | |||
| Czech | proti | ||
| The Czech word "proti" also means "in front of" or "opposite to" and is related to the English word "pro". | |||
| Estonian | vastu | ||
| The Estonian word "vastu" can also refer to a person or thing that hinders or opposes another person or thing. | |||
| Finnish | vastaan | ||
| "Vastaan" also means "to answer" or "to resist" in Finnish. | |||
| Hungarian | ellen | ||
| The word "ellen" can also mean "in spite of" or "in contrast to". | |||
| Latvian | pret | ||
| The word "pret" in Latvian can also mean "in front of" or "before". | |||
| Lithuanian | prieš | ||
| The word "prieš" also means "before" in the sense of time or order, and is cognate with the Latin word "prae". | |||
| Macedonian | против | ||
| "Против" also means "in front of" or "in the face of". | |||
| Polish | przeciwko | ||
| In Polish, the word "przeciwko" originally meant "in front of" and only later gained its current meaning of "against." | |||
| Romanian | împotriva | ||
| The Romanian word "împotriva" also means "in favor of" in certain archaic or regional contexts. | |||
| Russian | против | ||
| "Против шерсти" literally means 'against the wool' but figuratively refers to something unpleasant, difficult or annoying. | |||
| Serbian | против | ||
| The word 'против' in Serbian can also mean 'in exchange for' or 'instead of' | |||
| Slovak | proti | ||
| "Proti" is a loanword from German "vor" (before); it also appears in Czech "proti" (opposite). | |||
| Slovenian | proti | ||
| The word "proti" can also mean "towards" or "in favor of" in different contexts. | |||
| Ukrainian | проти | ||
| The word "проти" also means "opposite to" and "in front of" in Ukrainian. | |||
Against in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | বিরুদ্ধে | ||
| বিরুদ্ধে শব্দের মূল হল সংস্কৃত शब्द 'विरुद्ध', जिसका अर्थ है 'विपरीत' या'ख़िलाफ़' | |||
| Gujarati | સામે | ||
| The word "સામે" can also mean "in front of" or "opposite" in Gujarati. | |||
| Hindi | विरुद्ध | ||
| The word 'विरुद्ध' comes from the Sanskrit word 'virud', which can also mean 'hostile' or 'opposite'. | |||
| Kannada | ವಿರುದ್ಧ | ||
| "ವಿರುದ್ಧ" has many meanings such as opposite, contrasting, counter, anti." | |||
| Malayalam | എതിരായി | ||
| The word "എതിരായി" also means "to oppose" or "to resist". | |||
| Marathi | विरुद्ध | ||
| विरुद्ध also shares its origin with its English and French cognates, deriving ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root | |||
| Nepali | बिरूद्ध | ||
| The Nepali word "बिरूद्ध" (against) is derived from the Sanskrit word "विरुद्ध" (opposite) and has the alternate meaning of "objection" or "opposition". | |||
| Punjabi | ਦੇ ਵਿਰੁੱਧ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | එරෙහිව | ||
| The word "එරෙහිව" (against) can also mean "in opposition to" or "contrary to" | |||
| Tamil | எதிராக | ||
| The term எதிராக can also imply 'opposite' or 'facing', with the latter sense seen in constructions like 'the north-facing room'. | |||
| Telugu | వ్యతిరేకంగా | ||
| Urdu | خلاف | ||
| The word "خلاف" (khilāf) means "against", but it can also mean "disagreement" or "dispute". | |||
Against in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 反对 | ||
| The word "反对" can also mean "to resist" or "to fight against" in Chinese. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 反對 | ||
| 反對 can also mean 'to oppose' or 'to object to'. | |||
| Japanese | に対して | ||
| The word "に対して" can also mean "toward," "for," or "in relation to". | |||
| Korean | 에 맞서 | ||
| "에 맞서" (against) can also mean "to oppose" or "to resist." | |||
| Mongolian | эсрэг | ||
| The word эсрэг can also mean "opposite" and "contrasting" in Mongolian. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဆန့်ကျင် | ||
Against in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | melawan | ||
| "Melawan" also means "to respond", especially to someone in authority. | |||
| Javanese | nglawan | ||
| The word "nglawan" can also mean "challenge" or "resist" in Javanese. | |||
| Khmer | ប្រឆាំងនឹង | ||
| Lao | ຕໍ່ | ||
| The word "ຕໍ່" has a number of other meanings in Lao, including "to add" and "to compare." | |||
| Malay | terhadap | ||
| The Malay word "terhadap" has the same origin as the word "hadap" which means "to face" or "to meet". | |||
| Thai | ต่อต้าน | ||
| The word "ต่อต้าน" can also mean "to oppose" or "to resist". | |||
| Vietnamese | chống lại | ||
| The word "chống lại" can also mean "to support" or "to resist" in Vietnamese. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | laban sa | ||
Against in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | qarşı | ||
| "Qarşı" also means "neighbor" in Azerbaijani, as it derives from the Proto-Turkic word "qorçı" meaning "to enclose" or "to neighbor." | |||
| Kazakh | қарсы | ||
| The word "қарсы" also means "opposite" and "in front of". | |||
| Kyrgyz | каршы | ||
| "Каршы" also means "opposite" and "in front of" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | зидди | ||
| The word "зидди" can also mean "opposite" or "contrary" in Tajik. | |||
| Turkmen | garşy | ||
| Uzbek | qarshi | ||
| The word "qarshi" can also refer to a "counterpart" or a "match" in Uzbek. | |||
| Uyghur | قارشى | ||
Against in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kūʻē | ||
| The word "kūʻē" in Hawaiian can also mean "to oppose" or "to resist". | |||
| Maori | ki | ||
| The Maori word 'ki' also means 'to', 'at', or 'on' and can be used to indicate direction or location. | |||
| Samoan | tetee | ||
| Tetee can also mean 'to go somewhere and return' or 'to get something and bring it back' | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | laban | ||
| "Laban" has its roots in the Sanskrit word "lubdha," meaning "desire" or "want," and was originally used to signify "competition" or "contention." | |||
Against in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | kuntra | ||
| Guarani | hovaigua | ||
Against in International Languages
| Esperanto | kontraŭ | ||
| The Esperanto word 'kontraŭ' is derived from the Latin 'contra', and also means 'in exchange for'. | |||
| Latin | adversus | ||
| The Latin word "adversus" not only means "against," but also implies "in the face of" or "in opposition to something." | |||
Against in Others Languages
| Greek | κατά | ||
| The prefix "κατά" can also indicate a position downwards or a place in time, and may derive from the PIE root *gʷʰer-, meaning to turn, bend, or roll. | |||
| Hmong | tawm tsam | ||
| "Tawm tsam" also means "to do battle with" or "to play a game" in Hmong. | |||
| Kurdish | dijî | ||
| The Kurdish word "dijî" can also refer to the opposite of something, such as its reverse, counterpart, or enemy. | |||
| Turkish | karşısında | ||
| The etymology of the Turkish word "karşısında" hints at its primary meaning of "in the face of someone". | |||
| Xhosa | ngokuchasene | ||
| Historically, 'ngokuchasene' was also used to mean 'near' or 'in the vicinity of', a meaning which is preserved in a number of its derivatives and is cognate with some Zulu meanings of the word 'chase'. | |||
| Yiddish | קעגן | ||
| The Yiddish word "קעגן" ("against") also means "opposite" or "toward" in a physical sense. | |||
| Zulu | ngokumelene | ||
| A Zulu term for the state of being against someone or something but it also means 'to deny' or 'to refuse' as well as 'to be averse' or 'to dislike' | |||
| Assamese | বিৰুদ্ধে | ||
| Aymara | kuntra | ||
| Bhojpuri | के खिलाफ | ||
| Dhivehi | ދެކޮޅު | ||
| Dogri | खलाफ | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | laban sa | ||
| Guarani | hovaigua | ||
| Ilocano | maisuppiat | ||
| Krio | agens | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | لەدژی | ||
| Maithili | क' विरुद्ध | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯥꯏꯌꯣꯛꯇ | ||
| Mizo | kalh | ||
| Oromo | faallaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ବିପକ୍ଷରେ | ||
| Quechua | contra | ||
| Sanskrit | विरुद्धम् | ||
| Tatar | каршы | ||
| Tigrinya | ተቃራኒ | ||
| Tsonga | kanetana | ||