Attention in Different Languages
Discover 'Attention' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'attention' holds immense significance in our daily lives, shaping how we communicate, learn, and interact with the world. It's the act of focusing one's mind on a particular subject or object, often requiring conscious effort and awareness. In a broader context, attention reflects cultural values, societal norms, and even personal beliefs.
Throughout history, attention has been a topic of interest for philosophers, psychologists, and educators alike. For instance, the ancient Greek concept of 'prosoche' emphasized sustained attention to one's thoughts, feelings, and actions. Similarly, the Buddhist concept of 'smrti' involves mindfulness and focused attention as a path to enlightenment.
Understanding the translation of 'attention' in different languages can offer fascinating insights into diverse cultural perspectives. Here are a few examples:
- Spanish: atención
- French: attention
- German: Aufmerksamkeit
- Mandarin: 注意 (zhùyì)
- Japanese: 注意 (chūi)
Attention
Attention in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | aandag | ||
| While 'aandag' translates to 'attention' in English, it also carries the meaning of 'focus' or 'care'. | |||
| Amharic | ትኩረት | ||
| The word "ትኩረት" ("attention") in Amharic also means "aim," "purpose," and "goal." | |||
| Hausa | hankali | ||
| The Hausa word 'hankali' also means 'care' or 'anxiety'. | |||
| Igbo | ntị | ||
| In Igbo, "ntị" not only means "attention" but can also refer to the physical ear or the act of listening. | |||
| Malagasy | tsara | ||
| The Malagasy word 'tsara' also means 'good' in its original sense. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | chidwi | ||
| The word "chidwi" can also refer to the act of paying attention. | |||
| Shona | kutarisa | ||
| The word 'kutarisa' also refers to 'observing' and 'studying'. | |||
| Somali | fiiro gaar ah | ||
| The Somali word "fiiro gaar ah" can also mean "special consideration" or "close observation." | |||
| Sesotho | tlhokomelo | ||
| In addition to 'attention,' the Sesotho word 'tlhokomelo' means 'watchfulness' or 'care'. | |||
| Swahili | umakini | ||
| The Swahili word 'umakini' can also mean 'vigilance' or 'care' in some contexts. | |||
| Xhosa | ingqalelo | ||
| The Xhosa word "ingqalelo" shares its root with the words for "to wake up" and "to remember," suggesting a connection between attention and staying alert and mindful. | |||
| Yoruba | akiyesi | ||
| In the Yoruba language, 'akiyesi' can also refer to a type of traditional medicine or a person's awareness or consciousness. | |||
| Zulu | ukunakwa | ||
| The Zulu word 'ukunakwa' is derived from 'ukunanka' (to smell), implying selective attention to particular sensory stimuli. | |||
| Bambara | janto | ||
| Ewe | ŋuɖoɖo | ||
| Kinyarwanda | kwitondera | ||
| Lingala | likebi | ||
| Luganda | okutereera | ||
| Sepedi | tlhokomelo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | adwene nsisoɔ | ||
Attention in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | انتباه | ||
| "انتباه" derives from "نبه" which means to awaken or alert, and it can also mean 'warning' or 'caution'. | |||
| Hebrew | תשומת הלב | ||
| "תשומת הלב" is the Hebrew word for "attention," but it also means "gift" or "consideration." | |||
| Pashto | توجه | ||
| The Pashto word "توجه" can be traced back to the Arabic word "توجه" or the Persian word "توجه" and means "attention, notice, or care." | |||
| Arabic | انتباه | ||
| "انتباه" derives from "نبه" which means to awaken or alert, and it can also mean 'warning' or 'caution'. | |||
Attention in Western European Languages
| Albanian | vëmendje | ||
| In Albanian, the word "vëmendje" can refer to both attention and care, and its etymology is linked to the Latin "intendere," meaning to stretch or direct. | |||
| Basque | arreta | ||
| {"text": "The Basque word "arreta" for "attention" is related to the Latin word "arrēctus" meaning "raised up" or "pricked up," and also to the French word "arrêt" meaning "stop" or "halt."} | |||
| Catalan | atenció | ||
| In Catalan, "atenció" can also refer to a medical checkup or a notice posted in a public place. | |||
| Croatian | pažnja | ||
| From Slovene, Serbo-Croatian and Bulgarian "paznja" (care, attention), from Proto-Slavic *pazъ "guard, care," related to the verbal root *paz- "to look, guard," from Proto-Indo-European *spek- "to look". | |||
| Danish | opmærksomhed | ||
| Opmærksomhed's Old Norse roots reveal its original meaning as 'vigilance' or 'watchfulness'. | |||
| Dutch | aandacht | ||
| The Dutch word "aandacht" comes from the Middle Dutch word "andacht" meaning "spiritual devotion or contemplation." | |||
| English | attention | ||
| The word 'attention' originates from the Latin 'attendere,' which means 'to listen to' or 'to take care of.' | |||
| French | attention | ||
| In French, the word "attention" also means "care" or "consideration". | |||
| Frisian | oandacht | ||
| In medieval Frisian, "oandacht" also meant "adoration" and was used in a religious context. | |||
| Galician | atención | ||
| In Galician, "atención" can also mean "care" or "consideration". | |||
| German | beachtung | ||
| In German, "Beachtung" also means "consideration" and derives from "achten," meaning "to heed" or "to respect." | |||
| Icelandic | athygli | ||
| Athygli can also reference "notice" and "thought" and is a derivative of the Old Norse 'aethgia' meaning "thought" and "reflection" | |||
| Irish | aird | ||
| The Celtic word "aird" (attention) comes from the Proto-Indo-European root "*h₁erd-", meaning "to watch or guard". | |||
| Italian | attenzione | ||
| The Italian word "attenzione" also means "caution" or "care". | |||
| Luxembourgish | opmierksamkeet | ||
| The Luxembourgish word "Opmierksamkeet" comes from the German word "Aufmerksamkeit," which has the same meaning and is made up of the parts "auf" (on) and "merken" (to notice). | |||
| Maltese | attenzjoni | ||
| Though its spelling is identical to and its pronunciation nearly identical to the Italian word 'attenzione', Maltese "attenzjoni" comes from English, through the plural "attentions", and not from the Italian language. | |||
| Norwegian | merk følgende | ||
| Meaning "note that," the phrase "merk følgende" derives from the obsolete Danish verb "merke" (to mark) as well as the participle "merket". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | atenção | ||
| The word "atenção" (attention) comes from the Latin word "attendo", meaning "to stretch out". This is because when we pay attention to something, we are metaphorically "stretching out" our senses to take it in. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | aire | ||
| Scots Gaelic "aire" may refer to attention, thought, care, or respect and is an alteration of "araire" (meaning "watchfulness"). | |||
| Spanish | atención | ||
| Atencion is also used as a verb in some Latin American countries to refer to taking care of or assisting someone, such as in the phrase "Atiende a tu abuela" (Take care of your grandmother). | |||
| Swedish | uppmärksamhet | ||
| "Upp" means "up" or "over" and "märksamhet" is derived from "märke" (meaning "mark" or "notice") and "sam" (meaning "together" or "collective"). | |||
| Welsh | sylw | ||
| The verb 'sylw' may be related to the verb 'seli', meaning 'to see'. | |||
Attention in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | увага | ||
| In Belarusian, "увага" is also used for "care" or "respect" and is cognate with the word "вага" ("weight," "value"). | |||
| Bosnian | pažnja | ||
| The word 'pažnja' is also used in Bosnian to mean 'care' and is thought to have derived from the Proto-Slavic word for 'to take care'. | |||
| Bulgarian | внимание | ||
| The Bulgarian word "внимание" is derived from the Slavic root "imati" meaning "to have" and can also mean "importance" or "concern". | |||
| Czech | pozornost | ||
| The Czech word "pozornost" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *pozorъ, meaning "watchfulness". | |||
| Estonian | tähelepanu | ||
| The Estonian word "tähelepanu" is derived from the verb "täheldama", meaning "to notice" or "to observe. | |||
| Finnish | huomio | ||
| The Finnish word "huomio" originates from the root word "huomaa" ("notice, observe") and shares the same etymology as the English word "human". | |||
| Hungarian | figyelem | ||
| Figyelem means attention but also a sign to indicate a trap or hazard. | |||
| Latvian | uzmanība | ||
| In Latvian, the word "uzmanība" can also mean "care" or "watchfulness". | |||
| Lithuanian | dėmesį | ||
| Derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *dem- ("to tame, subdue"), "dėmesį" shares roots with words like "domas" (home) and "dama" (lady). | |||
| Macedonian | внимание | ||
| The word "внимание" also means "caution" or "carefulness" in Macedonian. | |||
| Polish | uwaga | ||
| The Polish word "Uwaga" (meaning "attention") comes from the verb "u-wag-ać" meaning "to pay attention" and derives from the Proto-Slavic "*vag", which means "to see". | |||
| Romanian | atenţie | ||
| The word "Atenție" in Romanian is derived from the Latin word "attentio", which means "paying heed" or "directing one's mind to something." | |||
| Russian | внимание | ||
| The word "внимание" originally comes from the Old Church Slavonic *vъniti*, meaning "to understand," related to the Latin *ventus* ("wind") and Sanskrit *vā́tah* ("wind"). | |||
| Serbian | пажња | ||
| The word пажња also means "care" and "mindfulness" in Serbian. | |||
| Slovak | pozornosť | ||
| The Slovak word "pozornosť" derives from the Proto-Slavonic verb *zoriti, meaning "to see" and is cognate with other Slavic languages, e.g. Russian "внимание" (vnimanije). | |||
| Slovenian | pozornost | ||
| The word "pozornost" originally meant "honour and respect" and is related to the word "pozor", which means "watch" or "guard". | |||
| Ukrainian | уваги | ||
| The word "уваги" can also mean "respect" or "consideration". | |||
Attention in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | মনোযোগ | ||
| মনোযোগ comes from the Sanskrit word manas, meaning 'mind', and yoga, meaning 'union', referring to the union of the mind and the object of attention. | |||
| Gujarati | ધ્યાન | ||
| In modern Gujarati the word "dhyaan" also refers to meditation or a state of mindfulness. | |||
| Hindi | ध्यान | ||
| The Hindi word ध्यान derives from the Sanskrit word dhyāna, which originally meant contemplation or meditation. | |||
| Kannada | ಗಮನ | ||
| The Kannada word 'ಗಮನ' (gamana) originates from Sanskrit 'gama,' meaning 'to go' or 'to approach,' implying the act of directing one's mind towards something. | |||
| Malayalam | ശ്രദ്ധ | ||
| 'ശ്രദ്ധ' also means 'devotion' or 'faith', both in the religious and secular sense. | |||
| Marathi | लक्ष | ||
| 'लक्ष' (Laksha) is also used to refer to a specific number, 100,000, or to denote a target or objective towards which one's attention or efforts are directed. | |||
| Nepali | ध्यान | ||
| The word "ध्यान" in Nepali has an alternate meaning of "meditation". | |||
| Punjabi | ਧਿਆਨ | ||
| The word ਧਿਆਨ ('attention') in Punjabi shares its root with the Sanskrit word 'dhyana', which means meditation or contemplation. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | අවධානය | ||
| අවධානය is derived from the Sanskrit word “avadhana,” which also means “concentration” or “focus.” | |||
| Tamil | கவனம் | ||
| "கவனம்" can also mean "care" or "concentration" | |||
| Telugu | శ్రద్ధ | ||
| The word "శ్రద్ధ" (attention) derives from the Sanskrit "श्रद्धा" (devotion, faith), and shares cognates in many other Indo-Aryan languages. | |||
| Urdu | توجہ | ||
| توجہ can also mean 'face' or 'countenance'. | |||
Attention in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 注意 | ||
| In Chinese, “注意” combines the characters “注” and “意,” meaning “pour” and “thought,” respectively, to describe the act of directing one's mind to something. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 注意 | ||
| "注意" can also mean "to notice" or "to pay attention to". | |||
| Japanese | 注意 | ||
| The word "注意" also means "caution" or "warning", and is often seen on signs and labels. | |||
| Korean | 주의 | ||
| '주' means 'master' & '의' means 'meaning'. Therefore, '주의' literally means 'masterful meaning' & implies 'special attention'. | |||
| Mongolian | анхаарал | ||
| The Mongolian word "анхаарал" also means "care", "thought", or "concern". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အာရုံစူးစိုက်မှု | ||
Attention in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | perhatian | ||
| "Perhatian" comes from a Sanskrit word meaning "taking up" and can also be translated as "concern" or "consideration". | |||
| Javanese | manungsa waé | ||
| The original meaning of "manungsa waé" was to have an audience with a noble/king | |||
| Khmer | ការយកចិត្តទុកដាក់ | ||
| Lao | ເອົາໃຈໃສ່ | ||
| This word is derived from the Sanskrit word "ācāra" meaning "custom" or "practice." | |||
| Malay | perhatian | ||
| The word 'perhatian' in Malay is derived from the Sanskrit word 'pra-tīti', meaning 'to remember', and also has the connotation of 'care' or 'concern'. | |||
| Thai | ความสนใจ | ||
| The Thai word "ความสนใจ" also means "interest" or "care for something or someone". | |||
| Vietnamese | chú ý | ||
| Chú ý derived from the Chinese characters 주의 (juyi) meaning 'give importance' and is used in a wider-sense meaning 'care, intention'. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pansin | ||
Attention in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | diqqət | ||
| The term 'diqqət' in Azerbaijani is derived from the Persian word 'diqqat' which means 'watchfulness' or 'vigilance'. | |||
| Kazakh | назар | ||
| The word "назар" in Kazakh also has the meaning of "intention" or "gaze". | |||
| Kyrgyz | көңүл буруу | ||
| In Kyrgyz, "көңүл буруу" not only means "attention" but also "to show interest" and "to care for". | |||
| Tajik | диққат | ||
| The word "диққат" comes from the Arabic word "دقة", meaning "accuracy" or "precision". | |||
| Turkmen | üns | ||
| Uzbek | diqqat | ||
| "Diqqat" means "focus" in the general sense, "consider" in terms of an opinion, or "carefulness/caution". | |||
| Uyghur | دىققەت | ||
Attention in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hoʻolohe | ||
| The word "hoʻolohe" in Hawaiian has roots in the word "lohe" meaning "to hear". | |||
| Maori | aro | ||
| The word "aro" also means "face" in Māori, highlighting the importance of face-to-face interactions in the culture. | |||
| Samoan | uaʻi | ||
| The word "uaʻi" can also refer to the act of paying attention or taking notice of something. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | pansin | ||
| The word "pansin" in Tagalog also means "notice" and "regard". | |||
Attention in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | ist'aña | ||
| Guarani | jesareko | ||
Attention in International Languages
| Esperanto | atento | ||
| "Atento" also means "attentive" or "mindful" in Latin and Spanish. | |||
| Latin | attendentes | ||
| The Latin word "attendentes" originally meant "to stretch forth" or "to reach for" before taking on the meaning of "attention." | |||
Attention in Others Languages
| Greek | προσοχή | ||
| "Προσοχή" has its roots in the Greek word "πρόσωπον," meaning "face," with the "-χή" suffix indicating direction or tendency, together meaning "facing." | |||
| Hmong | xim | ||
| The word 'xim' also means 'spirit' in Hmong. | |||
| Kurdish | baldarî | ||
| Kurdish 'baldarî' means 'attention', and is also used in the sense of 'looking' or 'observing'. | |||
| Turkish | dikkat | ||
| "Dikkat" is also related to the Turkic verb "dikmek" (to establish, to plant), indicating the action of directing one's gaze or focus. | |||
| Xhosa | ingqalelo | ||
| The Xhosa word "ingqalelo" shares its root with the words for "to wake up" and "to remember," suggesting a connection between attention and staying alert and mindful. | |||
| Yiddish | ופמערקזאַמקייט | ||
| The Yiddish word for "attention" comes from the German word "Aufmerksamkeit" which originally contained the word "merk" which means "thought" or "reflection". | |||
| Zulu | ukunakwa | ||
| The Zulu word 'ukunakwa' is derived from 'ukunanka' (to smell), implying selective attention to particular sensory stimuli. | |||
| Assamese | ধ্যান দিয়া | ||
| Aymara | ist'aña | ||
| Bhojpuri | धेयान | ||
| Dhivehi | ސަމާލުކަން | ||
| Dogri | ध्यान | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pansin | ||
| Guarani | jesareko | ||
| Ilocano | panangikaso | ||
| Krio | atɛnshɔn | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | سەرنج | ||
| Maithili | ध्यान दिय | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯄꯨꯛꯅꯤꯡ ꯆꯤꯡꯁꯤꯟꯕ | ||
| Mizo | ngaihven | ||
| Oromo | xiyyeeffannoo | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଧ୍ୟାନ | | ||
| Quechua | yuyachiy | ||
| Sanskrit | अवधानम् | ||
| Tatar | игътибар | ||
| Tigrinya | ቀልቢ | ||
| Tsonga | rinoko | ||