Appearance in Different Languages
Discover 'Appearance' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Appearance, the way someone or something looks, is a concept that transcends language and culture. It holds great significance in our daily lives, influencing our perceptions, judgments, and interactions. From physical attributes to demeanor, our appearance can communicate much before we even utter a word.
Throughout history, appearance has played a pivotal role in various cultural contexts. In the world of fashion, for instance, appearance is a form of self-expression and identity. In the professional sphere, it can impact how we are perceived by our peers and superiors. Moreover, the study of appearance, known as physiognomy, has been practiced since ancient times, suggesting that humans have always been intrigued by this aspect of identity.
Given its importance, you might want to know how to say 'appearance' in different languages. Here are a few translations to get you started:
- French: apparence
- Spanish: apariencia
- German: Erscheinung
- Mandarin: 外貌 (wài mào)
- Japanese: 外観 (gaikei)
Appearance
Appearance in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | voorkoms | ||
| Voorkoms has an additional meaning of "occurrence". | |||
| Amharic | መልክ | ||
| "መልክ" also means "beauty" or "good looks". | |||
| Hausa | bayyanuwa | ||
| The word ''bayyanuwa'' also means ''clear'' in Hausa. | |||
| Igbo | mpụta | ||
| "Mpụta" in Igbo also refers to the "manner" in which something appears or is presented. | |||
| Malagasy | fijery | ||
| Malagasy fijery is cognate with fijery 'thing to be looked at,' Fijian viriviri "show," and Malay firir "view." | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | maonekedwe | ||
| Maonekedwe also means "face" and is derived from the root "oneka," meaning "to see" | |||
| Shona | chitarisiko | ||
| The word "chitarisiko" is derived from the word "tara", which means "to look." | |||
| Somali | muuqaalka | ||
| 'Muuqaalka' is derived from the Arabic root 'muqal' and has the same meaning of 'face' or 'image' in Arabic. | |||
| Sesotho | ponahalo | ||
| The word "ponahalo" in Sesotho is also used in the context of clothing, indicating someone's clothing or dressing style. | |||
| Swahili | mwonekano | ||
| Xhosa | imbonakalo | ||
| Ibonakalo is also a verb meaning "to reveal" or "to show something". | |||
| Yoruba | hihan | ||
| "Hihan" can also mean "to look at" or "to see". | |||
| Zulu | ukubukeka | ||
| The term "ukubukeka" in Zulu can also signify an "impression" or a "feeling" towards something. | |||
| Bambara | yecogo | ||
| Ewe | dzedzeme | ||
| Kinyarwanda | isura | ||
| Lingala | komonana | ||
| Luganda | endabika | ||
| Sepedi | ponagalo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | mmaeɛ | ||
Appearance in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | مظهر خارجي | ||
| The word مظهر خارجي is derived from the root ظَهَرَ, which means "to appear" or "to become visible." | |||
| Hebrew | מראה חיצוני | ||
| The Hebrew word "מראה חיצוני" ("appearance") is derived from the root "ראה" ("to see") and literally means "what is seen". | |||
| Pashto | ب appearanceه | ||
| In Pashto, it also refers to a person's reputation or character. | |||
| Arabic | مظهر خارجي | ||
| The word مظهر خارجي is derived from the root ظَهَرَ, which means "to appear" or "to become visible." | |||
Appearance in Western European Languages
| Albanian | pamja e jashtme | ||
| 'Pamja e jashtme' literally translates to 'the look from the outside' in Albanian | |||
| Basque | itxura | ||
| In some contexts, "itxura" can mean "form", "shape", "way", "manner" or even "nature". | |||
| Catalan | aparença | ||
| In Catalan, "aparença" can also mean "likeness" or "resemblance". | |||
| Croatian | izgled | ||
| The word "izgled" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*izъględъ", which also means "appearance" or "look". | |||
| Danish | udseende | ||
| The word "udseende" comes from the Danish word "se" meaning "to see" and "ud" meaning "out", implying an outward appearance. | |||
| Dutch | verschijning | ||
| The word "verschijning" can also refer to a ghost or apparition. | |||
| English | appearance | ||
| The word 'appearance' is derived from the Latin verb 'apparere', which means 'to become visible' or 'to come to light'. | |||
| French | apparence | ||
| The French word "apparence" is derived from the Latin word "apparere", meaning "to become visible". | |||
| Frisian | ferskining | ||
| "Ferskining" is derived from the Old Frisian word "fersk" (form) and the suffix "-ing" (action or process), and originally referred to the act of shaping or forming something. | |||
| Galician | aspecto | ||
| The Galician word "aspecto" comes from the Latin word "aspectus" which means "sight" or "look". | |||
| German | aussehen | ||
| Aussehen, etymologically derived from 'ausschauen,' meaning 'to look out' or 'to gaze,' implies the observation of an outward appearance or characteristics. | |||
| Icelandic | útlit | ||
| The word 'útlit' in Icelandic also means 'aspect' or 'viewpoint'. | |||
| Irish | cuma | ||
| The Irish word "cuma" can also mean "aspect" or "semblance". | |||
| Italian | aspetto | ||
| "Aspetto" can also mean "to wait" or "to expect". | |||
| Luxembourgish | erscheinung | ||
| In Luxembourgish, "Erscheinung" can also refer to a supernatural being, apparition or ghost. | |||
| Maltese | dehra | ||
| The word "dehra" in Maltese can also mean "character" or "nature". | |||
| Norwegian | utseende | ||
| "Utseende" derives from the Old Norse word "útsýn," meaning "outside" or "appearance." | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | aparência | ||
| In Portuguese, "aparência" can also mean "seemingly" or "semblance". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | coltas | ||
| The Gaelic word "coltas" also has the alternate meaning of "disguise" | |||
| Spanish | apariencia | ||
| The word "apariencia" also means "resemblance" or "similitude" in Spanish. | |||
| Swedish | utseende | ||
| "Utseende" is derived from the Old Swedish word "útsiændi", meaning "distinctive characteristic or appearance". | |||
| Welsh | ymddangosiad | ||
| The Welsh word "ymddangosiad" also can mean "coming into view after being lost"} | |||
Appearance in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | знешні выгляд | ||
| The word "знешні выгляд" can also refer to the external appearance of a person or thing, or to the way in which something is presented to the public. | |||
| Bosnian | izgled | ||
| The word "izgled" can also be used to mean "appearance" or "looks". | |||
| Bulgarian | външен вид | ||
| The Bulgarian word "външен вид" can be translated as "physical appearance," but its root "вън" also refers to being external or foreign. | |||
| Czech | vzhled | ||
| Vzhled, a Czech word for appearance, has the alternate meaning of gaze. | |||
| Estonian | välimus | ||
| The word "välimus" in Estonian also relates to "view" or "sight". | |||
| Finnish | ulkomuoto | ||
| The word 'ulkomuoto' is derived from the words 'ulko' (outside) and 'muoto' (form), suggesting that it refers to the external or visible aspect of something. | |||
| Hungarian | megjelenés | ||
| Megjelenés (appearance) is a Hungarian word with an additional meaning of "publication". | |||
| Latvian | izskats | ||
| Izskats also means "looks, gaze, aspect, glance, looks, view, face, aspect". | |||
| Lithuanian | išvaizda | ||
| The word "išvaizda" also means "outward appearance" and "form" in Lithuanian. | |||
| Macedonian | изглед | ||
| In Bulgarian, "изглед" also means "view", as of a landscape. | |||
| Polish | wygląd | ||
| Wygląd, wyglądanie, wyglądać are all connected to the verb 'widzieć' (to see) and mean 'something that can be seen'. | |||
| Romanian | aspect | ||
| In Romanian, "aspect" means both "appearance" and "tense" (i.e. past or future) of a verb, or "view" or "direction" (north/south/etc). | |||
| Russian | внешность | ||
| The root of the word "внешность" is "вн-", which means "outward" or "external". It is related to the word "вне", which means "outside". | |||
| Serbian | изглед | ||
| The word "изглед" can also refer to a view or a prospect. | |||
| Slovak | vzhľad | ||
| In Slovak, the word "vzhľad" has alternate meanings including "gaze", "look", and "sight". | |||
| Slovenian | videz | ||
| The word "videz" can also refer to a person's stature or bearing. | |||
| Ukrainian | зовнішній вигляд | ||
| The word "зовнішній вигляд" (appearance) is derived from the Old Slavic root *vidъ-, meaning "to see". | |||
Appearance in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | চেহারা | ||
| "চেহারা" derives from Sanskrit/Vedic Sanskrit "छविः" (chavi), meaning "beauty", "luster", or "grace." | |||
| Gujarati | દેખાવ | ||
| "દેખાવ" is also used to describe the external form of a deity, a particular manifestation of a deity in the material world. | |||
| Hindi | दिखावट | ||
| दिखावट comes from the Sanskrit word 'दृश्य', meaning 'that which is seen'. It can also refer to the 'act of showing' or 'pretense'. | |||
| Kannada | ನೋಟ | ||
| The word "ನೋಟ" can also refer to a bill of exchange or a promissory note. | |||
| Malayalam | രൂപം | ||
| രൂപം also means 'form', 'shape', or 'figure'. | |||
| Marathi | देखावा | ||
| The word 'देखावा' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'दृश्य' ('dṛśya'), meaning 'something that can be seen'. It also has a secondary meaning of 'pretense' or 'display'. | |||
| Nepali | उपस्थिति | ||
| The word "उपस्थिति" also means "presence" or "attendance" in Nepali. | |||
| Punjabi | ਦਿੱਖ | ||
| The word 'ਦਿੱਖ' ('appearance' in Punjabi) is derived from Sanskrit 'दिष्ट' ('sight'), which also means 'vision' or 'view'. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | පෙනුම | ||
| Also means 'a view' or 'a spectacle'. The word may be related to 'pehena' (to be visible) but this is uncertain | |||
| Tamil | தோற்றம் | ||
| The word "தோற்றம்" also means "semblance" or "defeat" in Tamil. | |||
| Telugu | ప్రదర్శన | ||
| The word "ప్రదర్శన" derives from Sanskrit and can also mean a "demonstration, exhibition, show, display, spectacle, parade, procession, or performance". | |||
| Urdu | ظہور | ||
| ظہور (Ẓuhūr) has additional meanings in Urdu such as "manifestation" or "revelation" and is often used to refer to the first physical manifestation of the divine to prophets. | |||
Appearance in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 出现 | ||
| In addition to its common meaning of "appearance," "出现" can also mean "to emerge, arise, or come into being." | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 出現 | ||
| In ancient Chinese, 出現 also meant 'to produce' as in "出現金銀," while in oracle bone script it meant 'to come out.' | |||
| Japanese | 外観 | ||
| The word "外観" (gaikan) can also refer to the "external form" or "outline" of something. | |||
| Korean | 외관 | ||
| 외관 can also mean "a public hall" or "a palace or temple". | |||
| Mongolian | гадаад төрх | ||
| The Mongolian word "Гадаад төрх" is also a term used to refer to one's "face". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အသွင်အပြင် | ||
Appearance in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | penampilan | ||
| Penampilan comes from the word tampang "face". This suggests that in the past this word may have referred specifically to someone's face. | |||
| Javanese | rupane | ||
| Rupane can also mean 'beauty' or 'good looks' in Javanese. | |||
| Khmer | រូបរាង | ||
| The word "រូបរាង" is derived from the Sanskrit word "rūpa" meaning "form". It can also refer to the "contour" or "outline" of something. | |||
| Lao | ຮູບລັກສະນະ | ||
| Malay | penampilan | ||
| The root word 'penampa' means 'to appear', while the suffix '-an' indicates a noun or state, hence 'penampilan' means 'appearance'. | |||
| Thai | ลักษณะ | ||
| The word "ลักษณะ" (appearance) in Thai can also refer to "characteristic" or "quality". | |||
| Vietnamese | xuất hiện | ||
| The Sino-Vietnamese word "xuất hiện" also means "to emerge" or "to appear" and derives from Chinese "chuxian," which shares the same meanings in Vietnamese. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | hitsura | ||
Appearance in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | görünüş | ||
| The word "görünüş" stems from the verb "görünmek" meaning "to be seen", implying an aspect or image that is presented to the observer. | |||
| Kazakh | сыртқы түрі | ||
| Kyrgyz | көрүнүш | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "көрүнүш" can also mean "view", "spectacle", or "phenomenon". | |||
| Tajik | намуди зоҳирӣ | ||
| In English, "appearance" can also mean a manifestation of a deity or spirit. | |||
| Turkmen | daşky görnüşi | ||
| Uzbek | tashqi ko'rinish | ||
| The word "tashqi ko'rinish" literally means "outside view" in Uzbek. | |||
| Uyghur | تاشقى كۆرۈنۈشى | ||
Appearance in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | helehelena | ||
| In Hawaiian, "helehelena" can also refer to a "reflection". | |||
| Maori | ahua | ||
| The Maori word 'ahua' can also refer to a person's spirit or life force. | |||
| Samoan | foliga vaaia | ||
| The Samoan word "foliga vaaia" can also mean "to see" or "to look at". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | hitsura | ||
| “Hitsura” can also refer to someone’s behavior, character, or reputation. | |||
Appearance in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | aparinsya | ||
| Guarani | ojehechaháicha | ||
Appearance in International Languages
| Esperanto | aspekto | ||
| The Esperanto word "aspekto" can also mean "aspect" in the sense of "a particular point of view" or "a particular way of considering something". | |||
| Latin | species | ||
| The Latin word "species" also means "kind" or "sort" and is the root of the English word "special." | |||
Appearance in Others Languages
| Greek | εμφάνιση | ||
| The word εμφάνιση also means 'manifestation' or 'revelation', and is related to the verbs 'φαίνω' ('to shine') and 'φαίνομαι' ('to appear'). | |||
| Hmong | tsos | ||
| Tsov is also used figuratively, in the sense of 'face', as in 'to lose face'. | |||
| Kurdish | xuyabûnî | ||
| Xuyabûnî in Kurdish can also refer to the action of showing something to someone. | |||
| Turkish | görünüm | ||
| The word "görünüm" derives from the Turkish verb "görünmek" meaning "to be visible", ultimately from the Proto-Turkic root "kür-", meaning "to see". | |||
| Xhosa | imbonakalo | ||
| Ibonakalo is also a verb meaning "to reveal" or "to show something". | |||
| Yiddish | אויסזען | ||
| Yiddish word "אויסזען" (oyszen) likely derives from the German "aussehen" and also means "to look out". | |||
| Zulu | ukubukeka | ||
| The term "ukubukeka" in Zulu can also signify an "impression" or a "feeling" towards something. | |||
| Assamese | ৰূপ | ||
| Aymara | aparinsya | ||
| Bhojpuri | भेख | ||
| Dhivehi | މަލަމަތި | ||
| Dogri | नुहार | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | hitsura | ||
| Guarani | ojehechaháicha | ||
| Ilocano | langa | ||
| Krio | aw a luk | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ڕووخسار | ||
| Maithili | उपस्थिति | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯄꯥꯟꯊꯣꯡꯗ ꯎꯕ | ||
| Mizo | landan | ||
| Oromo | mul'ina | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ରୂପ | ||
| Quechua | rikchaynin | ||
| Sanskrit | स्वरूपम् | ||
| Tatar | тышкы кыяфәт | ||
| Tigrinya | ቁመና | ||
| Tsonga | xivumbeko | ||