Alive in Different Languages
Discover 'Alive' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'alive' holds a profound significance in our lives, denoting the very essence of existence and vitality. Its cultural importance is evident in various art forms, literature, and philosophical discourses across the world. Understanding the translation of 'alive' in different languages can provide us with unique perspectives on how diverse cultures perceive and express the concept of life.
For instance, the Spanish translation of 'alive' is 'vivo,' which also means 'lively' or 'full of life.' In French, 'alive' translates to 'vivant,' reflecting the language's romantic and passionate nature. Meanwhile, in Japanese, 'alive' is translated as 'ikiteiru,' which combines the characters for 'life' and 'to continue' or 'to persist.'
Delving into the translations of 'alive' in various languages can be an enlightening journey, shedding light on the fascinating nuances and subtleties of different cultures and languages. Keep reading to discover more translations of 'alive' and deepen your appreciation for the richness and diversity of human language and culture.
Alive
Alive in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | lewendig | ||
| The Afrikaans word "lewendig" can also mean "lively" or "active". | |||
| Amharic | ሕያው | ||
| The Amharic word "ሕያው" is also used to describe something that is in motion or active or that is still in use, for example "ሕያው ውሃ" (running water). | |||
| Hausa | mai rai | ||
| The Hausa word "mai rai" can also refer to a living being or a soul. | |||
| Igbo | dị ndụ | ||
| The Igbo word | |||
| Malagasy | velona | ||
| The word "VELONA" in Malagasy shares its origin with the Indonesian word "BELUM" (which means "not yet"), suggesting a common Austro-Indic root. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | wamoyo | ||
| The Nyanja word "wamoyo" has been described in English to mean "vitality in every aspect: physically, intellectually, and spiritually". | |||
| Shona | mupenyu | ||
| The Shona word "mupenyu" also means "the living world" and shares a root with the word "upenyu" which means "life". | |||
| Somali | nool | ||
| "Nool" can mean both "alive" and "active" in Somali. | |||
| Sesotho | phela | ||
| The word 'phela' also means 'to sprout' or 'to germinate'. | |||
| Swahili | hai | ||
| The Swahili word "hai" has been theorized to derive from the Proto-Bantu "*aji" meaning "fresh" or "new." | |||
| Xhosa | uyaphila | ||
| "Uyaphila" also refers to someone who is doing well, healthy and prosperous. | |||
| Yoruba | laaye | ||
| In some contexts, "laaye" signifies "reviving" or "remaining" rather than "existing." | |||
| Zulu | uyaphila | ||
| The Zulu word "uyaphila" can also mean "to be well" or "to be in good health". | |||
| Bambara | bɛ balo la | ||
| Ewe | le agbe | ||
| Kinyarwanda | muzima | ||
| Lingala | kozala na bomoi | ||
| Luganda | mulamu | ||
| Sepedi | phela | ||
| Twi (Akan) | te ase | ||
Alive in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | على قيد الحياة | ||
| "على قيد الحياة" is a phrase that literally translates to "on the condition of life". The word "قيد" here means "condition" or "bond". | |||
| Hebrew | בחיים | ||
| The word "בחיים" (alive) in Hebrew can also mean "in life" or "in the world of the living." | |||
| Pashto | ژوندي | ||
| The Pashto word "ژوندي" can also refer to a "soul" or a "spirit". | |||
| Arabic | على قيد الحياة | ||
| "على قيد الحياة" is a phrase that literally translates to "on the condition of life". The word "قيد" here means "condition" or "bond". | |||
Alive in Western European Languages
| Albanian | i gjallë | ||
| The word "i gjallë" in Albanian is derived from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰelh₃- "to shine, be bright". | |||
| Basque | bizirik | ||
| The Basque word "bizirik" is derived from the Proto-Basque root "*bizi" meaning "life" or "existence." | |||
| Catalan | viu | ||
| The Catalan word "viu" also means "lively" or "spirited". | |||
| Croatian | živ | ||
| The Croatian word "živ" also means "lively", "spirited", or "energetic" and derives from the Proto-Indo-European root "gʰei(ə)w- "to be alive or well-being". | |||
| Danish | i live | ||
| The Danish word "i live" is a homophone of the English phrase "I live" and means "among" or "within". | |||
| Dutch | levend | ||
| The word "levend" in Dutch, besides its literal translation of "alive", can also be used as a noun referring to a young male person. | |||
| English | alive | ||
| Etymology: Middle English alyve, from Old English on life, from Proto-Germanic *alibaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁el- "live, strong." | |||
| French | vivant | ||
| The word "vivant" also means "lively" or "full of life" in French. | |||
| Frisian | libben | ||
| The word "libben" is the Frisian equivalent of "leben" (German) and "leven" (Dutch), all derived from the Proto-Germanic word "libjan". | |||
| Galician | vivo | ||
| In Galician, "vivo" also means "lively" or "sprightly". | |||
| German | am leben | ||
| The word "am Leben" originally meant "with body", from "an dem Libe" (Middle High German "lip") | |||
| Icelandic | lifandi | ||
| The Icelandic word "lifandi" is cognate with the English word "life" and ultimately derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *gʷʰei̯- ("to live"). | |||
| Irish | beo | ||
| The Irish word "beo" also signifies motion or animation and is cognate with the Latin word "vivere" (to live). | |||
| Italian | vivo | ||
| "Vivo" comes from the Latin "vīvus" and is also used to indicate "bright", "lively" and "energetic". | |||
| Luxembourgish | lieweg | ||
| The word "lieweg" in Luxembourgish, which means "alive," also shares a common root with the German word "leben," sharing a similar meaning. | |||
| Maltese | ħaj | ||
| The word "ħaj" in Maltese derives from the Arabic word "hay" meaning "life" or "living", and is also occasionally used to mean "fresh" or "green". | |||
| Norwegian | i live | ||
| The Norwegian word "i live" can also mean "to live" or "to be alive". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | vivo | ||
| In addition to its meaning of "alive" in Portuguese, "vivo" also refers to "intense" and "lively" experiences, as well as the "center" point of a game of cards. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | beò | ||
| The Gaelic word "beò" also means "living", "active", or "animate". | |||
| Spanish | viva | ||
| The word "viva" in Spanish shares the same root as the Latin word "vivere" and the English word "vivify", both meaning "to make alive". | |||
| Swedish | vid liv | ||
| "Vid liv" also means "at sea" in Swedish, reflecting the importance of seafaring in the country's history and culture. | |||
| Welsh | yn fyw | ||
| The word "yn fyw" in Welsh has multiple etymologies and alternate meanings, including "to live" and "to be alive". | |||
Alive in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | жывы | ||
| Жывы also has the secondary meaning of 'green', and derives its sense of aliveness from the association with growing things, which are green. | |||
| Bosnian | živ | ||
| The word "živ" in Bosnian shares its root with "živeti" (to live), "život" (life), and "živahan" (lively), all pertaining to life and its manifestations. | |||
| Bulgarian | жив | ||
| The Bulgarian word "жив" is cognate with the Sanskrit "jīvá" and the Latin "vīvus", both meaning "alive". | |||
| Czech | naživu | ||
| The word "naživu" in Czech is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *živъ, which also means "life" or "soul". | |||
| Estonian | elus | ||
| The word "elus" in Estonian has Indo-European roots and appears in other languages as "alive" in English and "lebendig" in German. | |||
| Finnish | elossa | ||
| The word "elossa" is derived from the Proto-Finnic word "*elōsa". | |||
| Hungarian | élő | ||
| The word "élő" in Hungarian has its roots in the Proto-Uralic verb "el-+" meaning "to live" and is related to the Finnish word "elää" meaning "to live". | |||
| Latvian | dzīvs | ||
| The word "dzīvs" has been used since at least the 1200s and derives from the Proto-Baltic "*gēwas" | |||
| Lithuanian | gyvas | ||
| The word "gyvas" can also mean "green" or "lush", reflecting the close connection between life and vegetation in Lithuanian consciousness. | |||
| Macedonian | жив | ||
| The word "жив" can also mean "real" or "genuine" in Macedonian. | |||
| Polish | żywy | ||
| The word "żywy" in Polish can also mean "vivid" or "bright". | |||
| Romanian | în viaţă | ||
| The Romanian word "în viaţă" can also mean "during one's lifetime". | |||
| Russian | в живых | ||
| The Russian word "в живых" directly translates to "among the living". | |||
| Serbian | жив | ||
| The word 'жив' in Serbian is ultimately derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *gʰeiw- meaning "to live" and is also found in the Russian world 'живой' ('zhivoi'). | |||
| Slovak | živý | ||
| The Slovak word "živý" can also mean "vivid" or "lively". | |||
| Slovenian | živ | ||
| The word 'živ' is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *živъ, meaning 'life' or 'existence'. | |||
| Ukrainian | живий | ||
| "Живий" in Ukrainian is cognate with "zhiv" in Proto-Slavic, which also meant "alive", but could also refer to "livestock". | |||
Alive in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | জীবিত | ||
| জীবিত (alive) comes from the Sanskrit word जीवित which also means 'living being' and 'life' | |||
| Gujarati | જીવંત | ||
| Hindi | ज़िंदा | ||
| The word "ज़िंदा" is derived from the Persian word "زند" (zende), meaning "life" or "alive". | |||
| Kannada | ಜೀವಂತವಾಗಿ | ||
| "ಜೀವಂತವಾಗಿ" also means "in the act of living or existing", "subsisting", "in being" or "extant". | |||
| Malayalam | ജീവനോടെ | ||
| The word "ജീവനോടെ" ("alive") in Malayalam also means "with life" or "with soul". | |||
| Marathi | जिवंत | ||
| "जिवंत" is a derivative of "जी" and "वंत" which mean "essence" and "possessing" respectively. | |||
| Nepali | जीवित | ||
| The word "जीवित" in Nepali originates from the Sanskrit word "jīvita" which means "life". | |||
| Punjabi | ਜਿੰਦਾ | ||
| In the Gurmukhi script, the first letter is pronounced similarly to the first letter of the English word "jolt". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | පණපිටින් | ||
| "පණපිටින්" means "in/with life", literally "back-of-life" indicating the back as the seat of vitality. | |||
| Tamil | உயிருடன் | ||
| Telugu | సజీవంగా | ||
| The word comes from the Sanskrit root 'jiv', which means 'to live'. | |||
| Urdu | زندہ | ||
| The word "زندہ" can also mean "fresh" or "new" in Urdu. | |||
Alive in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 活 | ||
| The word "活" (alive) in Chinese also means "to act" or "to move". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 活 | ||
| The character "活" can also mean "to move" or "to work", and its original meaning was "water" or "liquid" | |||
| Japanese | 生きている | ||
| The word "生きている" can also mean "fresh" or "raw." | |||
| Korean | 살아 있는 | ||
| '살아 있는' (alive) is a compound word formed from '살다' (to live) and '있는' (existing). | |||
| Mongolian | амьд | ||
| The Mongolian word | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အသက်ရှင်လျက် | ||
Alive in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | hidup | ||
| Hidup in Indonesian derives from a Sanskrit word meaning 'life'. | |||
| Javanese | urip | ||
| The word 'urip' in Javanese also refers to a person's life force or soul. | |||
| Khmer | នៅរស់ | ||
| The word "នៅរស់" in Khmer can also refer to being "awake" or "conscious". | |||
| Lao | ມີຊີວິດຢູ່ | ||
| Malay | hidup | ||
| The word "hidup" in Malay is also used to mean "to live" or "to exist". | |||
| Thai | ยังมีชีวิตอยู่ | ||
| The word "ยังมีชีวิตอยู่" can also be translated as "to be living" or "to be in existence." | |||
| Vietnamese | sống sót | ||
| "Sống sót" also means "living", "surviving," or "existing." | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | buhay | ||
Alive in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | diri | ||
| "Diri" means "vertical, erect, upright" or "to stand, rise" in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | тірі | ||
| The word "тірі" can also mean "quick" or "swift" in Kazakh. | |||
| Kyrgyz | тирүү | ||
| "Тирүү" comes from the Turkic root *tir- meaning "to live" and is related to the word "тири" meaning "life". | |||
| Tajik | зинда | ||
| The word "зинда" is derived from Persian and means both "alive" and "aware". | |||
| Turkmen | diri | ||
| Uzbek | tirik | ||
| "Tirik" also means "uncooked" and derives from Proto-Turkic *tirik "warm". | |||
| Uyghur | ھايات | ||
Alive in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ke ola nei | ||
| "Ke ola nei" also means "being well, in good health" and "prospering, successful". | |||
| Maori | e ora ana | ||
| The Maori word "e ora ana" comes from the Proto-Polynesian word "*ora", meaning "life" or "health". | |||
| Samoan | ola | ||
| "Ola" has the secondary meaning of "to be alert, lively, vigilant, or attentive". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | buhay | ||
| "Buhay" can also refer to one's life (abstract), livelihood, or fortune (good or bad). | |||
Alive in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jakawi | ||
| Guarani | aiko | ||
Alive in International Languages
| Esperanto | vivanta | ||
| In Latin, "vivanta" means "living" and is the origin of the Esperanto word "vivanta". | |||
| Latin | vivus | ||
| The Latin word "vivus" also means "bright," "glowing," or "lively." | |||
Alive in Others Languages
| Greek | ζωντανός | ||
| The Greek word "ζωντανός" (alive) comes from the ancient Greek word "ζάω" (to live), which is also related to the English word "zoology". | |||
| Hmong | ciaj sia | ||
| The morpheme "cia" is used in some words to denote a state of animation, such as in 'ciaj sia' (alive) or 'ciaj npab' (restless) | |||
| Kurdish | jînde | ||
| "Jînde" can also mean "awake," "vigilant," or "conscious." | |||
| Turkish | canlı | ||
| The word "canlı" in Turkish also refers to "lively" objects or events, while its root "can" means "soul" or "life force." | |||
| Xhosa | uyaphila | ||
| "Uyaphila" also refers to someone who is doing well, healthy and prosperous. | |||
| Yiddish | לעבעדיק | ||
| The Yiddish word לעבעדיק also means "lively" or "animated." | |||
| Zulu | uyaphila | ||
| The Zulu word "uyaphila" can also mean "to be well" or "to be in good health". | |||
| Assamese | জীৱন্ত | ||
| Aymara | jakawi | ||
| Bhojpuri | जिंदा | ||
| Dhivehi | ދިރިހުރި | ||
| Dogri | जींदा | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | buhay | ||
| Guarani | aiko | ||
| Ilocano | sisibiag | ||
| Krio | gɛt layf | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | زیندوو | ||
| Maithili | जीवित | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯍꯤꯡꯕ | ||
| Mizo | nung | ||
| Oromo | jiraataa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଜୀବନ୍ତ | ||
| Quechua | kawsaq | ||
| Sanskrit | जीवित | ||
| Tatar | тере | ||
| Tigrinya | ነባሪ | ||
| Tsonga | hanya | ||