Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'appear' is a small but powerful part of our vocabulary, denoting the act of coming into view or becoming visible. Its significance extends beyond the literal, often used to describe a person's demeanor or the emergence of ideas. This versatile word has been a part of countless cultural expressions and historical contexts.
For instance, in English literature, Shakespeare often used the word 'appear' to indicate a character's entrance on stage. In the world of magic, making something 'appear' is a classic trick that never fails to amaze. Moreover, in psychology, the 'mere appearance' of a product can influence consumer behavior.
Given its wide usage and influence, you might want to know how to say 'appear' in different languages. This can help you navigate foreign languages, understand cultural nuances, and even perform magic tricks worldwide!
Here are some translations of 'appear' in various languages to get you started:
Afrikaans | verskyn | ||
"verskyn" is the Afrikaans equivalent of the English word "appear", but it can also mean "to emerge" or "to come into view". | |||
Amharic | ብቅ | ||
ብቅ also means to emerge, come out, rise or to become clear to the mind. | |||
Hausa | bayyana | ||
The word 'bayyana' (appear) in Hausa can also mean 'to manifest', 'to disclose', or 'to reveal'. | |||
Igbo | gosi | ||
"Gosi" can also mean "to be visible" or "to emerge".} | |||
Malagasy | hita | ||
Malagasy "hita" may also mean "to be visible" or "to be evident". | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | kuwonekera | ||
An alternate meaning of 'kuwonekera' is 'to be bright' | |||
Shona | kuoneka | ||
The word "kuoneka" in Shona can also mean "to be visible" or "to be seen". | |||
Somali | muuqan | ||
The word "muuqan" can also mean "to come into view" or "to become visible". | |||
Sesotho | hlaha | ||
"Hlaha" can also refer to a type of dance or to an appearance in court. | |||
Swahili | onekana | ||
The verb "onekana" in Swahili is derived from the Proto-Bantu root "*tonEka" meaning "to show" or "to be evident." | |||
Xhosa | ukuvela | ||
'Ukuvela' also means 'to come from' or 'to originate from' | |||
Yoruba | farahan | ||
"Farahan" can also mean "to make a public announcement" in Yoruba. | |||
Zulu | ukuvela | ||
The word 'ukuvela' ('to appear') in Zulu also has the alternate meaning of 'to be born,' indicating the association between appearing and coming into existence in the Zulu worldview. | |||
Bambara | ka yira | ||
Ewe | dze | ||
Kinyarwanda | kugaragara | ||
Lingala | komonana | ||
Luganda | okulabika | ||
Sepedi | hlaga | ||
Twi (Akan) | pue | ||
Arabic | يظهر | ||
"Appear" entered English from Latin in the 14th century and derives from the Indo-European root "pare-," meaning "to produce". | |||
Hebrew | לְהוֹפִיעַ | ||
The verb **לְהוֹפִיעַ** was formed from the noun **הוֹפָעָה** („show“) under Western European influence and first appeared at the beginning of the 20th century. | |||
Pashto | څرګندیدل | ||
The Pashto verb "څرګندیدل" also means "to become visible or known". | |||
Arabic | يظهر | ||
"Appear" entered English from Latin in the 14th century and derives from the Indo-European root "pare-," meaning "to produce". |
Albanian | shfaqen | ||
The Albanian word "shfaqen" also refers to a theatrical appearance or the unveiling of a work of art. | |||
Basque | agertu | ||
The word "agertu" in Basque can also mean "to become visible" or "to emerge from hiding." | |||
Catalan | apareixen | ||
The verb "apareixen" comes from the Latin "apparere" which also means "to come to light" or "to become visible". | |||
Croatian | pojaviti se | ||
The verb 'pojaviti se' comes from the Proto-Slavic root *javъ, meaning 'open' or 'clear'. | |||
Danish | komme til syne | ||
The term "komme til syne" derives from the Dutch "komen ter zinne" meaning "occur to the mind". | |||
Dutch | verschijnen | ||
"Verschijnen" can also refer to a legal summons in a court of law. | |||
English | appear | ||
From Late Latin apparēre, present active infinitive of apparēre 'become visible'. | |||
French | apparaître | ||
"Apparaître" can also mean "to seem", "to become evident", or "to emerge into view." | |||
Frisian | skine | ||
The Frisian word 'skine' can also mean 'to seem, to look like' or 'to show' | |||
Galician | aparecer | ||
"Aparecer" (meaning "to appear") comes from the Latin word "appārēre", which means "to become visible". | |||
German | erscheinen | ||
In addition to "appear," "erscheinen" can also mean "come out," "be published," or "surface." | |||
Icelandic | birtast | ||
Icelandic birtast comes from byrja ("begin") + -st ("it happens that") and can also mean "come to pass". | |||
Irish | nocht | ||
The Irish word "nocht" also means "to come out" or "to emerge". | |||
Italian | apparire | ||
In Italian, the word 'apparire' derives from the Latin verb 'apparere,' meaning 'to make visible,' and also holds the alternate meaning of 'to become known' or 'to be revealed.' | |||
Luxembourgish | erschéngen | ||
"Erschéngen", aus dem althochdeutschen "arscînan" (erscheinen), bedeutet im Luxemburgischen auch "hervorrufen", "verursachen" oder "bewirken". | |||
Maltese | jidhru | ||
The word "jidhru" is cognate to the word "dhur" in Old Arabic, which means "face" or "countenance". | |||
Norwegian | vises | ||
"Viser" also means "show," "display," "prove," "offer," or "teach, instruct" in Norwegian. | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | aparecer | ||
In Portuguese (Portugal and Brazil), "aparecer" can also mean to materialize, to arise, or to manifest itself, often used in a spiritual or supernatural sense, such as in religious or folkloric contexts. | |||
Scots Gaelic | nochdadh | ||
Scots Gaelic "nochdadh" also serves as the word for "exhibition" and "proof". | |||
Spanish | aparecer | ||
The Spanish verb "aparecer" ultimately derives from the Latin preposition "apparere", meaning "to come into view". | |||
Swedish | dyka upp | ||
"Dyka upp" can also mean "dive" or "submerge". | |||
Welsh | ymddangos | ||
Ymddangos, from ymdan "out" and gos "step/go," also has the more literal meaning of "to emerge" or "step out." |
Belarusian | з'яўляюцца | ||
The word "з'яўляюцца" can also mean "arise" or "emerge" in Belarusian. | |||
Bosnian | pojaviti se | ||
"Pojaviti se" means not only "to appear" in Bosnian, but it also has a meaning of a natural or supernatural being becoming visible to man, like a fairy or the Virgin Mary. | |||
Bulgarian | се появи | ||
“Се появи” comes from the Proto-Slavic “sъ-paviti” which meant “to become visible”. | |||
Czech | objevit | ||
The Czech verb "objevit" and the Russian verb "объявить" (announce) share a common Proto-Slavic root, which could mean either "make something known" or "make something appear." | |||
Estonian | ilmuma | ||
The word "ilmuma" is derived from the Proto-Finnic word *ilm- which means "appearance" or "look". | |||
Finnish | ilmestyy | ||
Derived from the Proto-Finno-Ugric root *ilme-, meaning 'face' or 'appearance'. | |||
Hungarian | megjelenik | ||
The word "megjelenik" originally meant "to make something visible or manifest". | |||
Latvian | parādās | ||
The Latvian word "parādās" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *pa-reǵ-, meaning "to come into view". | |||
Lithuanian | pasirodys | ||
In the Lithuanian dictionary, the word "pasirodys" has the additional meanings of "happen", "seem", and "occur". | |||
Macedonian | се појавуваат | ||
The verb "се појавуваат" is also used figuratively to mean "to emerge, to show up, or to arise." | |||
Polish | zjawić się | ||
The word "zjawić się" can also mean "to happen" or "to occur", and is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *javiti sę, meaning "to show oneself." | |||
Romanian | apărea | ||
The Romanian word "apărea" also means "to defend" or "to protect". | |||
Russian | появиться | ||
In ancient Russian, the verb "явиться" meant to "arrive, become known", while the noun "явь" meant "reality". | |||
Serbian | појавити | ||
The Serbian verb "појавити" derives from the Proto-Slavic root *javъ, meaning "to shine" or "to become visible." | |||
Slovak | objaviť sa | ||
The Slovak word "objaviť sa" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *javiti sę, which also means "to make oneself known" or "to show oneself". | |||
Slovenian | se pojavijo | ||
The verb 'se pojavijo' is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *jav- 'to appear, to become visible'. | |||
Ukrainian | з'являються | ||
In Ukrainian, the word "з'являються" (z'yavlyayutsya) can also be used to refer to "being born" or "coming into existence". |
Bengali | হাজির | ||
হাজির শব্দের একটি বিকল্প অর্থ হলো 'তৈরি থাকা'। | |||
Gujarati | દેખાય છે | ||
Hindi | दिखाई | ||
The word 'दिखाई' can also mean 'to see' or 'to be visible' in Hindi. | |||
Kannada | ಕಾಣಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತದೆ | ||
Malayalam | ദൃശ്യമാകുക | ||
Marathi | दिसू | ||
The word "दिसू" (disu) in Marathi is derived from the Sanskrit word "दृश्य" (drishya), meaning "visible". | |||
Nepali | देखा पर्दछ | ||
The Nepali word "देखा पर्दछ" also means "to be met with" or "to be found". | |||
Punjabi | ਪ੍ਰਗਟ | ||
ਪ੍ਰਗਟ derives from Sanskrit 'prakaTa', meaning 'shining, brilliant' and has alternate meanings of exposure or revelation in various disciplines. | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | දර්ශණය වේ | ||
Tamil | தோன்றும் | ||
தோன்றும் means not only "to appear" but also "to come into being" and "to rise". | |||
Telugu | కనిపిస్తుంది | ||
Urdu | ظاہر | ||
In Urdu, the word "ظاہر" not only means "to appear" but also "the surface" or "outward appearance". |
Chinese (Simplified) | 出现 | ||
出现 originally referred to a person's arrival at a particular place, but later developed more abstract meanings, such as "emerge" or "become visible". | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 出現 | ||
出現 (chūxiàn) is often used in the sense of “become evident” or “come to light,” as opposed to its more common English translation of "appear." | |||
Japanese | 現れる | ||
The word 現れる ('appear') in Japanese shares the same kanji as 現金 ('cash'), suggesting a historical connection between physical appearance and monetary value. | |||
Korean | 나타나다 | ||
"나타나다" is derived from a Chinese phrase that means "come to the surface". | |||
Mongolian | гарч ирэх | ||
The word "гарч ирэх" can also mean "to show up" or "to arrive". | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | ပေါ်လာ | ||
Indonesian | muncul | ||
The word "muncul" can also mean "to emerge", "to show up", or "to come into view" | |||
Javanese | katon | ||
The Javanese word "katon" can also mean "visible" or "present". | |||
Khmer | លេចឡើង | ||
លេចឡើង can also mean to rise (as the sun) or emerge (from water). | |||
Lao | ປາກົດ | ||
ປາກົດ is a compound word composed of the words ປາ (mouth) and ກົດ (press). It is often used to refer to the appearance of a person or object from behind something, or to the emergence of something from a hidden place. | |||
Malay | muncul | ||
The word "muncul" originally meant "to emerge from water" in Old Malay, and is related to the word "mulut" (mouth). | |||
Thai | ปรากฏ | ||
ปรากฏ is also used in other contexts to denote "become evident", "be seen", "manifest itself", or "come to light" | |||
Vietnamese | xuất hiện | ||
Xuất hiện can also mean to arise, emerge, or manifest, and comes from Hán tự 出現. | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | lumitaw | ||
Azerbaijani | görünür | ||
Görünür is derived from the verb görünmek, which means "to become visible" or "to emerge". It is cognate with the Persian word "dideban", which means "watchman" or "observer". | |||
Kazakh | пайда болады | ||
The word "пайда болады" can also mean "benefit" or "be useful" in Kazakh. | |||
Kyrgyz | пайда болот | ||
The word "пайда болот" can also mean "to happen" or "to take place". | |||
Tajik | пайдо мешавад | ||
The word "пайдо мешавад" can also mean "to be found" or "to come to light" in Tajik. | |||
Turkmen | peýda bolýar | ||
Uzbek | paydo bo'ladi | ||
The Uzbek word "paydo bo'ladi" also means "to come to an end" or "to finish". | |||
Uyghur | كۆرۈندى | ||
Hawaiian | ʻikea | ||
ʻĪkea also signifies the opening of an oven so that the food inside will cook faster. | |||
Maori | puta | ||
In Maori, "puta" can also mean "to be exposed" or "to be revealed". | |||
Samoan | sau | ||
The word "sau" in Samoan can also mean "to emerge" or "to come into view". | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | lumitaw | ||
The Tagalog word "lumitaw" can also mean "emerge" or "come into view". |
Aymara | uñstaña | ||
Guarani | apysẽ | ||
Esperanto | aperi | ||
"Aperi" is a common word in Esperanto, but it also has historical and alternate meanings, including "to open" and "to discover." | |||
Latin | videtur | ||
In Latin, "videtur" can also refer to the act of seeing or looking at something. |
Greek | εμφανίζομαι | ||
The verb "εμφανίζομαι" comes from the Greek words "εν" (in) and "φαν" (show) and also means "to become visible" or "to emerge." | |||
Hmong | tshwm sim | ||
The Hmong word "tshwm sim" can also mean "manifest" or "appear on a screen". | |||
Kurdish | xûyabûn | ||
The Kurdish word "xûyabûn" also means "to be revealed" or "to be disclosed." | |||
Turkish | görünmek | ||
The word "görünmek" also means "to be visible" in Turkish. | |||
Xhosa | ukuvela | ||
'Ukuvela' also means 'to come from' or 'to originate from' | |||
Yiddish | זיך באווייזן | ||
The Yiddish word 'זיך באווייזן' may also refer to 'behave', 'deport oneself', or 'conduct oneself'. | |||
Zulu | ukuvela | ||
The word 'ukuvela' ('to appear') in Zulu also has the alternate meaning of 'to be born,' indicating the association between appearing and coming into existence in the Zulu worldview. | |||
Assamese | প্ৰকট হোৱা | ||
Aymara | uñstaña | ||
Bhojpuri | हाजिर | ||
Dhivehi | ފާޅުވުން | ||
Dogri | पेश होना | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | lumitaw | ||
Guarani | apysẽ | ||
Ilocano | nagpakita | ||
Krio | sho | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | دەرکەوتن | ||
Maithili | निकलनाइ | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯊꯣꯛꯄ | ||
Mizo | langchhuak | ||
Oromo | mul'achuu | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ଦେଖାଯାଏ | | ||
Quechua | rikuriy | ||
Sanskrit | उत्प्लवते | ||
Tatar | пәйда була | ||
Tigrinya | ምርካብ | ||
Tsonga | humelela | ||